Tribute to Ali Marshal

by Dr. Mohamed Osman Nur (Shacabi)
Saturday, August 08, 2009

I was in Addis-Ababa Airport heading to Hargeisa, Somaliland, when I was told that Ali Gualid has passed away due to car accident between Berbera and Hargeisa road.  Even though, the death is waiting for all of us and no one can not escape from it, there is a Somali proverb that says, “The death is ok with Camel Boy and someone you don’t know”.

I have known Ali Gualid for a long time which we were in California, USA.  Ali Gualid was a Certified Public Account (CPA), Banker, Broadcaster, Activist and well-educator Somali Lander. Ali always puts the interest of his country and his people before anything else with passion, grace and conviction.

Ali Gualid sudden death is not alone to his family but it touches all Somali Landers inside our country and in Diaspora. I am extremely lucky to participate his funeral which I have not seen the magnitude which all Somali Landers has given their respect with this great man.

Ali Gualid was composed with multiple talents: he was a visionary, man of principal, Certified Public Accountant, great thinker, activist and a man with a profound sense of history. He instructed to the proposition that the history of the past must be a path to the future, that the mistakes of the past should not be repeated again, but rather learned from it and move the country forward not backward and that Somaliland had no option but to reclaim its independence, that democracy is the right ingredient for the country’s social and economic development, and that democracy is the country’s flag-ship to international recognition

Ali Gualid was a man of vision; he was the first man who opened the Waberi Radio in San Jose, California which he named, the voice of Somali People. Ali was a podcaster and he always brings on his Radio many issues that were very useful to our people. Ali never afraid of telling the truth to everyone including the Somaliland elected officials. He was always very articulate on his Articles and even on his Radio Podcasting air time.

Ali Gualid has every thing that an individual will dream of, a decent job with high pay, living in the United States of America, especially the best state which is San Jose, California, but he chosen rather to make useful and help his country and his people for his knowledge and expertise without looking back a bit his own interest but rather his countries ’interest.

For the first meeting of SOPRI in Los-Angeles, Ali Gualid has helped the late founder of the Somaliland Policy and Reconstruction Institute (SOPRI). He was a keynote speaker of that meeting and presented a great paper that he laid out effectively the road-map of Somaliland and how to achieve a quick recognition with a clear vision and to promote international recognition for Somaliland.

It is very difficult to put a scale on Ali’s contribution in the quest for development of democracy and Somaliland recognition, but there is no doubt in my mind that he assisted and ignited the recognition cause and effort, which was not active before his effort.  Ali was always so busy not to leave the job solely to the government but that the Diaspora educators should be actively involved too and, as Ali had demonstrated, they could give back something to their country of origin not the country that someone took their residency or citizenship.

Ali was a dreamer, a visionary, loyal to his country, his party and a doer. And so we all Asked Allah to forgive him and enter his paradise. Ali has played a major role for supporting his party agendas and his country progress. The level of his involvement was evident by the amount of time he spent in the preparatory work. During the last presidential elections, those of us in the Diaspora remained in regular contact and he was always very keen when it comes on fair elections and fair voting registrations. Recently, Ali was appointed by his Party to the Chairman of the up-coming Presidential elections on the Western Regions of Somaliland and he was the right person for that job. Now he is gone, the Party and the country will have a vacuum that needs to be resumed.

May Allah put his soul rest and peace and wash with cold water and enter his paradise.

Hargeisa, Somaliland.
[email protected]