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by Hodan Mohamed
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Why do a minority of uncompassionate men hold ten million people hostage? This is our land too, who gives these men the right to deny us our God given rights as citizens, to live in peace and work towards prosperity? What has gone wrong with the ego of these leaders and their company nowadays, it seems as if they were better as nomads because they minded their own business, now the only qualification they possess is Doctorate in Oppositional and Defiant, Masters in organizing their respective clans or subclans, bachelors in Self-centeredness with concentration in the infamous ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’.
“Nin naagtaada raba, gabartaada mayeelo” My mother summed up the current impasse in Mogadishu by quoting this proverb.
Case in point, the call for AMISOM to leave Mogadishu is nothing but to create a leveled plain field for Dahir Aweys and company such as Hisbul Islam, Alshabaab, United Ulima, Old Warlords and the other like-minded to overrun sadly the newly created government which is headed by his old friend. This government needs AMISOM personnel and armored vehicles to get around the city they are supposed to govern because the opposition plants road bombs everyday and the victims are not foreigners but citizens. I’m an immigrant in a foreign land and move freely children in tow with a peace of mind while 20 Somali mothers like me lost their lives via a bomb as they cleared the weed infested roads of Mogadishu or meagre $2 that day….The opposition has abandoned both their people, country and creator. May Allah (swt) punish you for these deeds on behalf of those who died and those who continue to suffer from the elements such as constant violence, malnutrition, lack of health care, education, shelter and broken morale.
I ask why the seat of the presidency is so contagious to men in Somalia from all walks of life, Sheik, to Dr. to General/Colonel to Thief? Granted that some of these men need incomes to support themselves and the struggle for resources continues but don’t they understand that law and order is the heart that feeds the blood supply of all other sectors in any society? GOVERNMENTS DON’T CREATE JOBS, BUSINESSES DO. The taxes collected from businesses, properties and other places pay for government workers, infrastructure such as roads, schools, hospitals and the like. We are mired in a catch 22, without government services, businesses can’t be created thus no employment.
It’s important to note, the last 18 years, many parts of the world children were born and finished high schools, countless others got their post secondary degrees, many retired, health care was perfected, roads, freeways, homes and new industries were built, jobs were created and filled, tax money flowed to governments. Today, in those countries life is usual, people work, children attend schools, the sick go to functioning hospitals that cure their ailments, businesses open for profit, clerics counsel their parishioners, charities fill the gaps, great minds discuss ideas and governments work for the people.
During the same time, Somalis were busy rewarding those who demanded with the barrel of the gun unequal justice and their own fiefdoms, we’re still in square one and it’s high time that principles like unity, equality and justice replace the current 4.5 formula in the federal government/550 federal parliament members; the Isak majority house of elders in Somaliland and the 66 exclusive Darod parliament in Puntland. Three presidents give me a break… Do you need a minister for the diaspora, how about calling him an envoy who reports to the Foreign Minister? Clearly divided we fail and united we stand. The picture of Somalia today is very inexcusable.
The American Dream consists of a job, a modest home to raise your family and nothing more, on the same token I believe we the people of Somalia can collectively chart a new beginning for our country that we plan to work on so our children and their children can benefit, you reap what you saw. We have enough land for every Somali to be with their loved ones and neighbors in harmony, from Ras Kambooni to Saylac there are 96 cities and towns and 3000 kilometers long of ocean line, the struggle or Jihad is to do a needs assessment of say: census, infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools, water and sanitation services, humanitarian needs, capacity building, homes, mosques, recreation facilities, parks, trees (please feel free to fill this line so long it benefits the people). The diaspora, the international community and Somali businesses can be solicited to help out with the reconstruction plans. No amount of money is too little, we can build 1 house, road, school, or a well at a time.
To heal this nation will require forgiveness in the name of Allah (swt), the promise of hope for a prosperous and just future, and the right leadership to get us through this difficult time. Let us face it Somaliland would never be recognized simply because it would set a precedent for others in Somalia who would like their own fiefdoms, same goes for Puntland, the borders you claim are not legal and belong to all Somalis so stop the nonsense the 2 of you and start a real dialogue with the new TFG whose decision makers are reasonable. The time is now, children need to go to school before their brains become hard wired and unable to learn as much, many sick people await the same diagnostics and treatments other countries offer, and our young men can lay their weapons down and join the workforce along with their sisters that will rebuild this nation from the bottom up.
Somali leaders need to know at the end of the day it’s not about them but the people and what is good for the people. (Xilka waa amaano cirka iyo dhulka baa diiday). I guarantee you will be satisfied both here and after life if you do this. Islam is supposed to be common sense, humanitarian and simple, therefore I would like to remind my brothers who twisted our religion and mistake themselves as crusaders that there were no messengers sent to the people after Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) and Allah will judge you for your individual deeds so be wary of misinformation. Preach don’t Bomb! Only Allah can judge those who astray as well, they are not your job to punish them.
Let us all envision a Somalia that works for all Somalis and is respected by the world, again the way to get that is through: Dialogue over war; Inclusion over exclusion; Life over death and Dignity over humiliation.
“Meel howl u baahan hadal wax kama taro”