SOMALIA BESEIGED BY TWIN EVILS
By Dr. Abdi Ulusso
On the outset, let me say that we have been dealing with twin evils in Somalia for quite some who are responsible for all the troubles in the country and it is time for the people to rise up and re-claim their country back.
Of course, successive governments and the international community that have installed them neglected Somalia since the inception of transitional federal government (TFG) in August 14, 2004 in Nairobi, Kenya. Each, government formed so far couldn’t accomplish the necessary tasks to move Somalia forward and embark on a successful implementation of political, economic and social reforms towards full democratization of the country etc.
As a result, Somalia has no national constitution, no national political party system, lacks judicial reform, no federal system in place or all inclusive regional state administrations, secession in the North and clan enclaves every where you look and now enforced by the Federal Government through its “amalgamation policy” of regions, districts and their people without ascertained their wishes to where they want to belong. What, kind of world is this when good man stand by and let that happen?
Worse, Mr. Nicholas Kay the UN Czar in Somalia for all Intense purposes is leading the country back to the era of clan warlords and Islamic radicals to stop the intended democratization process by supporting and funding illegal settlements of clan enclaves as “regional states” as we have all witnessed where more warlords and Islamic radicals are entrenched in power. Why? In my opinion, Mr. Nicholas Kay is preparing the country for an alternative way-out of the proposed general elections in 2016 after failing to build regional administrations from bottom-up at the district and regional levels etc.
This plan, will further badly damage the trust and confidence of Somalia and its people in the international community, especially the United Nations which is already in a short supply. The question is, do the US, EU, UK and Turkey who are heavily involved in Somalia on Board on this destabilize and balkanized plan of the country? Therefore, everyday that passes Somalia demands more and more reform of the people at the top and not a challenge from the international community but to become an opportunity. And, for the country to be governed by patriots with national agenda who understand the international community and competent enough to deliver and accomplish the tasks that is needed to reform the country into a stable and democratic state which is missing. Certainly, Somalia and its people are sick and tired of new road-maps and reconciliation conferences to create more conflicts and discord among its people that lead to no where but further complicate the unattainable situation in the country.
This is because those at the top have always controlled these political processes and rewarded “their people” with parliamentary seats, government jobs and lucrative contracts etc. With that in mind, as a solution for an interim period, I would suggest the following as way-forward for Somalia:
1) the next, government all those who have served in the transitional or the federal parliaments must be banned from participating in the political process to give chance others who want to serve Somalia, except if they want to seek the presidency.
2) all those born outside Somali Republic must be banned from becoming members of parliament in the country and the constitution should stipulate that firmly. This is because citizens of neighboring countries of Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya were taking up parliamentary seats in Somali Republic at the expense of its citizens in order for these countries extend their influence into the country and have been part of the problem.
3) the next, government should be formed exclusively from the South and no Northerner included, so that the South can solve its problems.
4) the allotment of parliamentary seats for Dir and Darood in the North within clan distributions must be put aside for the time-being but this doesn’t apply or bar from Northerners seeking military and public service employment in Somali Republic. Well, it is not, anymore up to the Somalis to decide for themselves but the problem has always been the international community/UN who have been reluctant to expedite on the resolution of Somali Unity which is not a difficult preposition to undertake.
5) the international community must respect Somalia’s sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity, so Ethiopia could stop its meddling in the internal affairs of the country.
6) the Somali Clan Formula of 4.5 or the unconstitutional recent 5 clan policy must be abandoned because the majority of 0.5 clans all belong to the 4 major clans in Somalia except the Reer Hamar (i.e., but not all of them), Asharaaf, Arab-Salah, Baajuun and the Mushunguli etc. These minority groups or corner clans in Somalia can be accommodated and protected in the constitution as minorities.
7) the New Deal, must be replaced with each country contributing to provide Somalia direct technical assistance and know-how and expertise for military, humanitarian and developmental with benchmarks. Also, each contributing country to the deal must runs and operate its own programs with its own experts in the country and work with public and private institutions and companies in Somalia.
8) the AMISOM, troops must be scaled down their numbers each year and phased out in 3 years starting 2015 and must be replaced by Somali Security Forces and
9) the government’s term in office must be three years to do specific duties i.e., reconciliation with the North to bring back Somali Unity, re-establish and re-integrate Somalia’s Armed Forces with one Command Structure, amend the clause in the interim constitution which states that, “two or more regions can form a regional state administration” to make each 18 regions can form their own regional state administrations to make it easy for the federation of the country, build regional state administrations from bottom-up at the district and regional levels. Therefore, people can participate in the choice of where they want to belong in these regional state administrations, choose freely and fairly in a transparent manner their leadership and shape their future political direction as without government coercion or internal violence that everybody has witnessed.
