“Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.” By Charles de Gaulle.
Somalia, a country with more potentials but fail to utilize it, the only homogenous nation on earth religiously, culturally and even ethnically, yet their homogeneity has not helped them to overcome their prolonged woe. The country was an economic and military power during in the early 1980s, but after the collapse of Somali national government led by Gen. Siyad Bare left everything destroyed in 1991. Even the Somalis community became socially and economically down.
The nation went through many political phases for last two decades facing tremendous challenges including prolonged civil war, deep rooted tribalism, the loss of nation-hood belonging, as well as the current famine crisis that claimed 29,000 children under the age of 5 to have died in the last 90 days in the country’s south alone. And those stories are what plunged the Somali society into this catastrophic situation that it is going through today.
Let me try to summarize the mega political dynamics in Somalia for the last decade, Every Somali transitional federal government built outside home had a challenge to face, but the biggest challenge after 1991 was The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) that defeated the warlords in the capital, restored peace to Mogadishu for the first time in 15 years, and brought most of southern Somalia under its ambit.
Consequently, the US and its Ethiopian ally claimed that these Islamists were terrorists and therefore an evil to the region. In contrast, the vast majority of Somalis supported the UIC and demanded the International Community to engage them peacefully. But the peace did not last. Ethiopian invasion begun in December 2006 and defeated the loyalists of UIC, the Ethiopian Invasion displaced more than a million people and many others lost their lives.
Another new political phase was emerged immediately known as Al-Shabaab, originally the youth wing of the UIC – declared its affiliation with al-Qaeda, and was identified as a terrorist group by the International Community, they lacked the support of both the local people as well as those in abroad because of their misrepresentation of Islam sending out a negative picture of Islam to non-Muslims as well as Muslims. Though, the group wants to establish an Islamic state but unfortunately, it failed to govern and put in place even the most fundamental Infrastructural facilities or provide the basic services needed by the local people.
My point here is that if we had gone through all the above mentioned tragedies’ I believe no more torture left for us, so What is the way forward, and how best the destroyed nation could be restored into normal. ? That is the most important question being asked in today’s Somalia’ politics. The political divisions among our Somali political stakeholders made us to be under the control of another people that humiliated our sovereignty and our great civilized religion. The actions and thoughts currently operating in Somalia are the same Arab actions, cultures and thoughts before Prophet Mohammed came with revelation of the Qur’an because at that time Arabs lacked a unifying religious system and they were known as (the barbarian generation).
It remains unknown the reason in which Somalis are turning away the traditions of great civilized religion to prefer to mired civil war, brutality killing in the name of Islam, in the name of clan, or political views, which resulted in massive killing, destruction, and attack on innocent lives, which brought the whole country into this unforgettable disaster, devastation, and manmade catastrophic, while rest of the World is developing in competitive ways.
I have been in east Africa for the last three years doing my academic project, but being in east Africa to me means a lot, making me to think differently at any level, personally, regionally and even at national level. This is one the main motives forced me to write these statements so that my fellow Somali brothers and sisters can understand with me the social, political, economic and psychological tragedies in which our nation is going through for so long up-to-date.
Our leaders should recognize one very crucial point which is leaving aside the political differences as well as clan differences and concentrate how the spirit of nationalism could be restored in to the hearts of Somali people. Such dream could be possible if you as a leader attain one character and that is to be as honesty as Hazrat Umar. The famous father of India Mahatma Gandhi once said that “if India has to improve, it should be ruled by a dictator as honest as upright as Hazrat Umar”. This clearly shows how justice is extremely important for any leadership to succeed. That is why Hazrat Omar got the title Al- faruuk (The person who differentiate the truth from falsehood.) He used to execute the justice even if it is against him. I understand that it is a bit hard to find such leader in today’s world but if you look at across countries with success stories, you find their leaders were somehow related to justice.
Therefore, I argue all Somali leaders to learn from history as well as the current global competiveness, especially in Africa, because history tells us that what we have been doing for Africa three decades ago is being done for us today, which I regard as a national disaster as far as national development is concern. I understand that due to the government’s failure to bring law and order in our country resulted every Somali national to despair from nation-hood belonging and the hope for peace, but let us not despair in life , we must always have the spirit of new Somali era That will overtake its peer group.
The reason of why I have to write this article is because I felt that a candle is coming out of dark, as AL- Shabaab is driven out of Mogadishu followed by the visit of respected and brilliant world leaders to Mogadishu for the first time in decades to see how much we suffered. I would like to send my deep appreciation to the prime minster of the republic of Turkey Mr. Erdogan who shown us how twin brothers we are, when no other leader in the world on his hierarchy have made the same; even those whom we claim as brothers of same origin.
Finally, our leaders must prevent recurrent political failures that ashamed our nation and destroyed our society too if the nation wants to move forward. The transitional federal government (TFG) should also put more emphasis on gaining the support of other political stakeholders within the country who are willing to be part of Somalia’s rebuilding process, especially the semi-autonomous region of Puntland without which would be very difficult to be attained a full functioning government. That is my massage to top Somali leaders and others interested in stabilizing Somalia. I feel disappointed when I see a Somalis going to another country and being discriminated throughout world airports, because of their lack of government, but I am waiting days to come when Somalis go another country and people will stand to respect him. I want see them talk and talk the good things of our country.
What is ultimately required is a national dialogue with the establishment of national government based on system of governance that is suitable for the country, by Somalis with the genuine assistance of others. Accountable leaders to their people are extremely important. And lastly such government is the best defense against famine, terrorism, imperialism and all other difficulty conditions existing in Somalia.
BY Omar Sheikh Hamid
The writer is development studies student of Kampala International University
Email:Imran0266@hotmail.com
Source: raxanreeb.com
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