The politics of eternity bestrode Somalia’s political arena. Self-aggrandized, egoistic, lip service, all bike no bite, self-pleasing politicians who just concentrate on their vested-interest and political mileage led the country into the trap, decay and astray. While, the citizens become susceptible to these ruthless, relentless, remorseless and unrepentant politicians. Mesmerizing, maiming, maleficence, maltreating, misusing, mismanaging, misleading become the business of the politicians. Having said that, the trust of mistrust prevails, honesty vanishes, while grudge and grievance erupted. As a result, the country tends backward trajectory in terms of political stability, security and reconciliation. Though, there is conspicuous economic development, especially the private sector.
The other side of the coin, the hope of free and square election in 2020-21, is quite becoming skeptical and daydream. Because, there are plethora prerequisite before the election should be organized including security improvement, political agreement, truth-reconciliation, finalizing the notorious provisional constitution’s review process. The flipside, the disagreement among the Federal government and her subcontractors, the deteriorating relationship between the Temporary political parties and the incumbent government, the reprehensible meddling from the neighboring countries, all these are deterring examples and bellwether to the forthcoming election in 2020-21.
The embattled federal government and the insatiable desires from the peripherals!
The incumbent federal government which was elected in 2017 February encounters a big fat challenges. Plenty of political-minded people echoed that, this government is quite restoring the dignity and status of Somalia and her people. While, some others pushed back by saying, the current government tends hollow rhetoric, lip service and hyperbolic. Moreover, they said, the incumbent is oppressing the oppositions needlessly. Because, the country is undertaking tough moments, the security is deteriorating, so their fight against the dissenting voices is a kind of anachronistic and gaffe. And this sort of obliviousness and discrepancy leads into halfhearted and bravado. Because, the opposition’s rebuke against the incumbent is a like phantom.
And country’s regional states’ role has shifted from spoiling to skillful disruption. That is why, federal government’s impervious actions lead into regional states’ raucous. As a result, the disagreementamong the Somalia’s political becomes inevitable, inexorable, and all the efforts they made to fix their difference ends in vain.
Country’s basket case and the inordinate influence
Somalia is one of the lowest GDP in the world since the civil war erupts in the country. Same, the country is the highest corrupted country in the world according to the Transparency International Index in 2019. Somalia remains top three most fragile states since 2007. With all these dismays, both the Federal and the Regional states’ leaders are fighting each other with solvable issues. And this reckless and irresponsibility freaked out and fizzled out the citizens who were suffering and bemoaning for the last three decades.
I was come to realize the mistrust within the Federal government with Janan’s escape!
Though, I don’t support to deprive someone’s rights without legal procedures, but when Janan, the minister of defense in Juballand, and I listened when he was giving an interview for different media stations including the well-known BBC, he elucidated that, his escape was facilitating some of the Federal government’s officials. And this security fragility ramps up and propels into mistrust among the federal institutions. I remember, when Janan was mentioning that, he was in Mogadishu three days before he heads to Kismayo through boat. One of his speech was “I don’t know how the federal government can identify a young terrorist person, if they couldn’t recognize me while I was moving around Mogadishu’s streets with plenty of Government’s checkpoints and barricades!”With that said, we can extract, the trust within the government’s officials reached nadir, while the mistrust reaches zenith. Dude, Alas and Creepy!
The Federal government lacks, the remarkable ability to confound its critics and surprise her friends!
The current government which tends hyperbolic and overstating for its lip service. But, their patchwork which is toe-to toe her peripherals is utterly and completely lack of segue. And their policy is about quashing the newly created regional states’ leaders and supplanting sycophants unnecessarily. The flipside, the regional states are all the time tending stab in the back against the federal government. They are looking for indie in order to besmirch the federal government’s dignity, which is thoroughly gaffe, punch above one’s weight and espionage. And this mutual hell-bent for leather and lack of versatile leads the country into the trap and astray which is hocus-pocus. Because, each one of them is applying impervious policy which isn’t a ripe way to run a country in this twenty-first century. And this is tip of the iceberg for the forthcoming election in the country and how potentially is cynical. Because, the unnecessary rupture among the two-levels of the government with their oblivious actions is anachronistic, halfhearted and lack of serene. For the last three years of the incumbent government was leading the country, and how the federal members pushed back is zeitgeist which we can foretell the rest. Apart from that, the federal leaders are trying to oppress the dissenting voices, and anyone who is not mimicking their utterance. And this makes me remember, the famous quote by Winston S. Churchill “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks”.
Galmudug: The Epicenter of the Epidemic!
The second youngest federal state in the country, the so-called Galmudug becomes the battlefield where the federal and the regional leaders test their political clout recklessly. The people of the region was/and suffering, while the politicians are flexing their muscles ruthlessly. If we juxtapose other regional states, there is somehow administration regardless whether they depend on the federal government or not, irrespective whether they elected their leaders or imposed from the top. But, Galmudug becomes volatile, fragile, unstable and pseudo administration. And if you listen, the speeches of the leaders in that region through media tirade, is totally fizzling out and deterring the people. They contest tawdry issue, and they consider the people as phantom, and the public became certified idiots. Because, they trust and re-elect the one who hoodwinked and deluded them previously. Currently, Galmudug has a president supported by the federal government, Ahlusuna claims their leader is another president, while Xaaf is claiming that, still his term is not yet ended. I remember, when I was listening the famous Pan-Africanist Scholar Professor Patrick Lumumba (PLO), he was indicating that, the people are divided into three categories: – 1- Idiots 2- Tribalists and 3- Citizens. And he mentioned that, African societies are rendered idiots and tribalists. Additionally, he quoted the famous expression of Kwame Nkrumah, former president of Ghana “People who are politically and intellectually bankrupt, normally seek to refuge ethnicity and religion as them make fact of mobilization”
The neighboring countries’ role have shifted from spoiler to skillful disruptor
Though, there is always love-and hate relationship between the neighboring countries, but when the dichotomy and tussle among the federal government and federal member states erupted, the meddling from the neighboring countries peaked. For instance, Ethiopia under the leadership of Abiy is supporting the federal government, not because of they like the leadership of the federal government, but because of the change which happened in Ethiopia. Because, the previous administration in Ethiopia under the leadership of Tigray community used to support the regional states in order to water down and dwindle Somalia’s government. The new leadership of Ethiopia is thoroughly shifting from any relationship and allies created and by its predecessor. Kenya, is giving a hand to Jubbaland administration and its leadership, not because of they like it, but because of to dilute and belittle the power of the Somalia’s government under the maverick president Farmajo, and his pompous prime minister. Because, Somalia’s federal government under the leadership of Farmajo-Kheyre is getting better in terms restoring Somalia’s role in the region. Also, they focused rebuilding and reforming the soldiers which is really commendable and conspicuous for their era.
The other side of the table, UAE is funding to specific political oppositions in order to bewilder Somalia’s recovering. Because, Somalia has vigorous brotherly-sisterly diplomatic ties with Turkey for the last decade. Turkey’s support to Somalia is something undeniable in terms of providing training to the military, humanitarian aid and etc. additionally, Somalia has also close relationship with Qatar. So, when the Gulf crisis erupted, UAE started to bedevil any country which has a tie with Qatar. UAE plenty of times meddled the internal affairs of Somalia which ultimately led to sack UAE from Somalia, and that was brave and relevant decision taken by the leadership of the current government. Since then, Emirate is busy on financing some unpatriotic oppositions who just want to take the seat, and don’t care about the dignity and the national interest in order to create Somalia a frenzy situation.
Recommendations
- There is an immense need for truth-reconciliation among Somalis
- There is a drastic need for political compromise before the upcoming election
- There is a humongous need for strengthening the security which is getting worst by day
Anwar Abdifatah Bashir (Freelance Journalist/Independent Researcher and Horn of Africa Geopolitics Analyst). The Author is currently undertaking his Fourth-Post graduate study in Korea at KDI school of Public Policy and Management.
Email: anwarcade100@gmail.com
