According to the developed countries the people run to the politics in order to get popularity, reputation and lead the citizens to the right path. While the third world specifically Africans run to the politics to collect money. As Somalis, we are leading those who are engaging the political arena solely to robe the national property and make corruption.
Meanwhile, there are tremendous reasons behind to look for everybody joining the politics including:-
Business Protection: there are large segments of the people who are only joining the politics soliciting protection for their business sustainability and some of them are exercising the public properties, so those one’s if they feel any action that the government is taking which is against their personal interest, such as tax or taking back the public properties, they automatically stand to defend their individual interests by using different approaches , some of them use to trigger their clans and to boost them to opposite the government as longest he/she is originated from that tribe. Unfortunately, our people are too emotional and fragile still when it comes to that chapter of tribalism and they are ready to give a hand such people if they are right or wrong without reason. Dude!
Politics is currently kind of job: as Somalis, we accustomed nowadays to join the politics for sack of money making, if you observe profoundly and immerse what is going on in the political arena you get amazed. For instance, the last election in Somalia 2016 some of the federal mps paid a lot of money to win the chairs from their constituency and as narrated some of them paid more than one million although we don’t have a clear evidence, but if we guess how those mps can get their moneys back?! Because we know their salaries are less than 4 thousand per month and the total accumulation of their 4 years mandate will be less than 150 thousand, so obviously there is something else definitely!. Guess it
On the other hand, if there are alternatives or other income sources that the person can make money, no one can adore immersing the politics
Looking for Justice: this means, in Somalia if you are out of the politics or your clan is not immersed in the political arena, is not easy to you to get your rights. For instance, mostly there is a land dispute among the people, so if you go to the court and display your case, you need to have politicians in order to get attention and consider your claims, otherwise you come daily to the court and they will not be considered your case, so the issue is not restricted only to the judiciary branch, but every sector of the country you experience the same, because the three branches of the state are one and the same.
From Zero to Hero: the politics in Somalia became a short cut way to receive a lot of money and at the same time become famous person among the community, so this led our people routinely, consistently and constantly left out the other sectors of the life.
Who mostly have an access to join the political arena?
There are two groups mainly:-
Diaspora returnees : it is two reasons , first one that person is came from a country that is a system , elections and debates who are inspiring the people are there, while here the local are atrocity, killing , poverty , difficulties. Additionally there is a potential that the Diaspora is a better position economically and have money that the locals don’t have. Although the majority of the contesters last election were local people, so the opportunities that the Diasporas can get in the country when they came back cannot get the locals.
So, let us differentiate within the Diaspora, If the diasporas returnees are educated is a case, but if one was taxi driver or security, track drivers, cleaner/receptionist in hotel and maybe they  collected some money , so he/she may bought a cloth , if that person get the position is a disaster and we cannot go ahead , mostly that happen , but the person if he/she is educated and have a good background and already had a job that kind of person we need , because he/she came back with an education, experience and can contribute the country.
Politics became right of the Rich:  The local contesters are not mostly the civilians, because the local people don’t have the very important ingredients of finance that can enable them to run the elections, so the market is free those who don’t have an education or have criminal records such as former warlords who are having the money and usually tended benefiting the public property which is very bad indeed!
Solutions and Recommendations
Politics Demobilization: this means creating so many other alternatives to supersede the superstition which is, if the person joins the politics will be immediately rich and famous among others, which mostly the people who joined the politics already tended.
Making politics Moot Point: this means alleviating the importance of the politics among the people and emphasizing the other parts of the live in order to discourage the citizens focusing the politics and giving it less attention
Mitigating the news of the Politics: this is about proposing the media stations to reduce the news related the politics and alternatively promulgating the social and developmental programs which is fruitful and relevant to the people such as education, social integration, development and recreational programs, because spreading political news always make the people on tenterhooks about the politics
Anwar Abdifatah Bashir (Freelance Journalist and Researcher)
Office Network Allbanaadir.com
Nairobi-Kenya
Allbanaadir@live.com
