A retrospective on Somaliland Election

[Deeq A.]

Special thanks goes to President Dahir Rayal Kahin, who has pioneered the Democratic Elections’ Process for this nation and set an exemplary peaceful transfer of power for others to follow. He was the first democratically-elected president Somaliland ever had.

And so in follow-up, on November 13, 2017, after the current octogenarian at the helm of this nascent nation recused himself from running for his second term due to age and illness, Dr. Abdulrahman Cirro, Col Muse Bixi and a known political broker Faisal Ali Waraabe as candidates from  WADANI, Kulmiye and UCID parties respectively vied to replacing him. This was the third presidential election held by this fledgling nation. Moreover, recent election was entirely funded by SL tax-payers and without any financial packing from outside world.

Clan sentiment is something that scrambles our dynamics to attain equality, justice, and progress. It is an ever present stain on our psyche. I may also argue that it’s a tribute to our society that even amid striving for progress and recognition we are not yet capable of seeing this inner dark force [clan sentiment] dismantling our cohesion and unity.

Clan sentiment was the common denominator in the campaigning strategy for all our presidential elections including presidential election held in 2010, in which UDUB and KULMIYE were in competition for the presidential office. In this election it was conspired only in cloak-and-dagger, stemming from a sentiment fervor for ISAAQISM as one of the then candidate was from the SAMAROUN clan.

Recent election campaign however, the clan sentiment [This time between ISAAQ sub-clans as all candidates hail from the same clan] was ramped at a higher amplitude and no-hold-barred; it was overtly injected into campaign strategy for garnering supporters and therefore sub-clan alliances sprouted here and there; most notably, between sub-clans of outgoing president, Silanyo, and the president-elect, Col. Muse Bixi, which was facilitated and convened then by our outgoing President….it was an impeachable offense but was somehow kept under wrap by our legislative mercenaries.

Spiteful attitude was rampant and openly campaigned by party surrogates. Washing dirty laundry of candidates in public and heralding insults back and forth between opposing groups was no exception…

Even the likes of The Samatar, The Buba, to name a few, who are hailed as learned, seasoned and experienced political figures…. but widely are known as late-comers or “newly-converts” shoved themselves into the scrum of this polarizing election campaign.

This clan politics as anomaly as it is to the democratic process is not only ensnaring our politicians.  Our community leaders flame-throwing, often amplifying grudges, revved up hostility between parties’ supporters and sub-clans. Their trips spanned from east to west forging likely alliances sowed distrust among different sub-clans inhibiting in the same locality. Hellas! Community leaders and party surrogates were more often in the public eyes than parties’ candidates.

This election campaign was conducted in unorthodox strategy, demeaning the value of campaigning on issues and which party’s vision is in sync with aspirations of our nation.

It was a disdain to the democratic process, in which voters should be free from any prejudice other than differentiating the parties on issues and vision platforms ostensibly to winnow candidates to choose their best candidate for the job.

 

Where is the beef?

Despite above-mentioned hiccups, we should not lose sight of the big picture – Somaliland has once again established itself as the beacon of democracy (ONE MAN ONE VOTE) in this part of the world where it is considered to be the hub for violence and political quagmire.

Thanks to the SL people who has imbibed a forgiving heart from their resilient culture. By that opposing groups, immediately after the fever of the election was over and the dust settled, came back into the mix and in a business as usual attitude. No doubt my people are far intelligent than anyone would think. Not Kulmiye party NOR president-elect ONLY have won this election. The country, the SL people and all our political parties have won, too.

We have proved once again to ill-wishers that despite our differences in clan lineage we rise and fall together to forge our way to progress in the best way we can.

Finally, the ultimate thanks and our KUDOS goes to Dr. Abdulrahman Ciro who, in spite of that election was rife with irregularities such as disfranchisement of electoral votes, as foreign observers have acknowledged, receded with a cool head for the sake of the nation and saved this country from plunging into civil war or Kenyan-like political quagmire,

 

Sharmarke Ali (aka MM)

Seattle, WA