Let the people be safe from 'the president'

If there were one perception that I categorically disagree with, that would be: "Every people gets the government it deserves". I think this can hardly go well with the Somalian experience. For nearly three decades people have seen their confidence, their nationalism, their country, their safety, and above all their survival on the mercy of one, and only one man, 'A president".

Like every people, Somalians can recognize good from bad president, but their job stops there, because beyond that point lies death, no body can mess with "The president". Having said that, I think that a single person, who was not, and has never been a representative sample, cannot be considered as basis of judgment in this context.

This negative figure that destroyed the entire nation just to continue to be in power, was never found collectively guilty of any wrongdoing, because his crimes were passed on to a wide range of clan mixtures, but unfortunately his legacy still continue to haunt presently everybody, and his inheritance are visible in our way of running pieces of what was once Somalia.

I see little presidents who claimed sovereignty in small slices of the country. What impacted me are not the disintegration of the nation, but indeed the behavior of these mini-presidents. I see sacred mini-presidents, who are powerful in these cantons, and capable (if troubled) to unleash destructive punishment on their subjects. I see a de-fact parliament who has no power or no say in the running of the so-called government. I see a mini-president being elected with dubious or questionable results. I see a mini-president appointing, and firing weekly a new Prime Minister. I see all mini-presidents above the judicial systems they agreed to respect. Generally speaking, I see that we learned nothing from our history, and primarily we failed to realize how dangerous "the president" could be.

Therefore, wouldn't be better instead of talking how to elect a new president, we discuss at the onset, how to protect the people from future generations of presidents? To control the president, and avoid repetitions of the past catastrophes, I propose that:
1) No president should be in office for more than one term of 5 years for the coming 25 years, in order that "the president" can learn how to walk away from power, and the people could enjoy the satisfaction of electing new one.
2) The salary of the president should not be more than a cabinet position.
3) The president should not be worshiped; instead he (and I use he for good reason) should be taught that his job is temporary one, and clearly understand this: "there is no such thing like professional president".
4) The best way to contain the president's destructive power is not Federalism, as many suppose, but to dissociate from him the mass media (radio and TVs). In final account we don't want to listen too much about him in our very private time. There is better news in the country to know about.
5) It takes a good deal of endeavors to regain the continuously eroded trust of the people, and it pays to.
6) Two Ministries shouldn't be set up, at all: Information and Justice. They are instruments of Personal Cult and dictatorship. Let's be realistic you can't satisfy the entire clan denominations with cabinet posts. It will only serve to enlarge the "president's" chain of control.
In conclusion let's limit and regulate the power that one person can have above all of us.

Abdirahman Shire (dhidhi)
shirreh@aol.com

---

Akhristow haddaan fegrada aan ka qabo in Ciidamo shisheeye Soomaaliya la keeno, taasoo looga dan leeyahay in ay hubka ka dhigaan maleeshiyada ama dableyda faraha looga gubtay ee hortaagan in dalkii lagu heshiiyo, isla markaasna la soo celiyo sharaftii iyo qaranimadii Soomaalida ka luntay dhawr iyo sano ka hor, arrintaasi waxaan u arkaa mid liddi(cakis/opposite)ku ah ama aan faa'iido ka soo jeedin ujeeddadii laga lahaa gaar ahaanna inaan shil la'aan dagaal oogayaasha iyo ciidankooda hubka uga dhigi karin. Haddaba waxaa isweydiin leh; Haddii aan Soomaalidu ismaqlayn oo ismaamuli karin, ma waxay maqli doonaan raggaa hubka sitaa ciidamo Shisheeye? una badan Afrikaanka Yamyamka ah, inta kalena ay noqon karaan Aasiyaan iyo Caddaan, kuwaas oo aysan dhaqan, diin, af iyo suurad midna wadaagin, waliba dhalashana bal warkeeda daaye? Haddii marka jawaabtu tahay maya, sow cadda inuu iska hor imaad dhici doono maalinta ugu horraysa ee ciidamo shisheeye cagaha soo dhigaan dalka Soomaaliya meel ka mid ah? Waxaa la oran jirey maahmaah ahayd "khayr wax kaama dhimee shar u toog hay" sidaas awgeed jaahwareerka ay ciidamo shisheeye Soomaalida u geystaan sow ka darnaan mahayo kii ciidankii UNSOM iyo Ciidankii Caydiid ka qarxay? Teeda kale sow dhimashadu ka badnaanmayso intii waagaas? Mase Mooryaantii baa Mu'miniin noqotay oo intay gar qaataan qoryohooda si fudud ugu samafalaya Soomaali? Aniga ilama aha in ay wali Soomaalinimo u danaynayaa, ayagoo qoryaha ku danaysta mooyee.

Arrintu sida rag moodayaan uma fududa, waxayse u badan tahay ee aan idin tusaaleeyey, taasoo loo baahan yahay in Soomaali kasta ku talo galo, haddii uusan dadkiisa dagayn waayo Nabad raadinteeda iyo waanwaan heshiis Soomaaliyeed waxay guri doonaan hadday ciidankaas shisheeye yimaadaan. Sababtoo ah waxay la imaan doonaan caadooyin hor leh ee Soomaalidu ka carooto, sida handadaad, guulguulidda shacabka iyo wareerro guryo Islaameed, dil kas ah, ama kama' ah, kufsi joogto ah oo bareero ah, maxaa yeelay raggu naagohoodii ma wataan, dumarna waa u baahan yihiin, Ciidamadaas shisheeye waxay wataan cudurka dilaaga ah ee AIDS-ka qaasatan ciidamada Afrika laga keenayo oo la wada ogyahay sida Cudurkaasi u waxyeeleeyay bulshooyinka Afrika.

Maxaa haddaba taas ka imaan doona? Dagaal ba'an ee ka dhex dilaaca Soomaalida iyo ciidamadii shisheeyayaha ee loo keenay oo kaliya inay burcadda hubka ka guraan. Kadibna sow colaadi kama dhex dhalan doonto Soomaalida iyo Unsomtii labad, taasoo aakhirka isugu biyo shuban doonta in Ciidanka Shisheeye Soomaaliya ka noqdaan? waase goorma? Waa goor ay 100,000 oo qof dileen, 2,000, 000 00 dumar ahna kufsadeen, oo ay 50, 000 oo caruur ah oo midabyo kala duwan watana meesha ku dhaleen.

Ninkii aqoon lahow masuubadaas odoros, kadibna uga hortag sida xal waara loogu raadin karo Soomaalida, taasoo ah: waxay ku maahmaahdaa "Jinni ninkii keena ayaa u jid bixiya ama Jinni ninkii keenaa bixiya" marka arrinta ah burburkii Soomaaliya ku habsaday 1991kii, waxaa sabab u ahaa Ururro sheeganayey inay qabiilkooda u adeegayaan, magaca Soomaaliyeedna watay,
ciidamo shisheeye kuma jirin burburkiina kama qayb qaadan iyo bililiqaysigii toona ee wixii dalkoodii iyo dadkoodiiba baaba'shey waxay ahaayeen Soomaali soocan. Haddii runtu sidaas tahay, Soomaalidu caqli ma la'a waase qabiili, horor, danaystayaal, dad isu cadow ah, ee aan adduunyada ilbaxday ku dayan, sidaas awgeed awoodii ay ku burburiyeen qarankoodii hodanka ahaa wali waa ay leeyihiin, taas ayeyna ku heshiin karaan hadday doonayaan oo dhammaan daacad u yihiin. Haddii aysan doonaynna xoogag shisheeye kuma sandullayn karaan, teeda kalena waajibba kuma aha, illaa ay caddaato in ay dagaal oogayaashu waalan yihiin, ama qayru masuul yihiin.

Waxaan hadalkayga ku soo gunaanadahayaa, ciidamada shisheeye inta la illobo oo Allaah la kaashado ama la wakiisho, Soomaali doo dhami ha iscafiso, wixii xoolo la kala haystay iyo magtiina ha la isa siiyo.

Waxaa taas ku xiga in horjoogayaasha maleeshiya kasta ay hubka ka soo aruuriyaan inta ay xukumaan, kadibna kuwaasoo aan hub sida lagu xereeyo xerada ciidamada si loogu tabaro ciidankii qaranka Soomaaliyeed ee Federaalka ah iyo kan goboleedkaba.

Soomaalidu sidaas waa yeeli karaan hadday doonayaan, haddii kale qabiil walba gaar ha isu xukumo, Soomaali dambena yaan qofna laga maqal, illayn cidina ma rabtee.

Intaas ayaan maanta iri.

Wa Billaahi Tawfiiq

Aden Dirie Ali
dirieadam@hotmail.com