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Somaliland:Sterling Energy confirms Odewayne farmin

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

StockMarketWire.com – Sterling Energy said completion has occurred under the Farmout Agreement with Jacka Resources Somaliland Ltd for the acquisition of an additional 15% interest in the Production Sharing Contract for the Odewayne Block, located onshore Republic of Somaliland.

The holders of the PSC are now:

– Genel Energy Somaliland Limited (Operator) – 50%

– Sterling Energy (East Africa) Limited – 40%

– Petrosoma Limited – 10%

At 8:03am: [LON:SEY] Sterling Energy PLC share price was +0.63p at 30.13p

Sources :StockMarketWire

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Of Elections and Diapers in Ethiopia in 2015

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

unnamed

By Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam

Whether the people of Ethiopia are better off in 2014 than they were in 2010 or in 2005 is the sole question that should be decided in the 2015 parliamentary “election”. If they are not, the people should vote to change diapers. After all, “politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason.”  Aarrgh! the thought of poor Ethiopia wearing the same diapers for another 5 years, for a total of 25 years!

In June 2010, I wrote a commentary lamenting the ludicrous 99.6 percent “electoral victory” of the “EPDRF” (“Ethiopian People’s Democratic Revolutionary Front”) , the late Meles Zenawi’s party. In a self-congratulatory victory speech, Meles declared that preposterous election “recognized the efforts of the EPRDF and unequivocally sent a clear message to the opposition parties in our country.” He was referring to the 79 officially registered opposition political “parties” in Ethiopia which were unable to muster even one-half percent collectively in 2010.

The 2010 European Union Election Observation Mission Ethiopia made the understatement of the decade when it observed, “The electoral process fell short of certain international commitments, notably regarding the transparency of the process and the lack of a level playing field for all contesting parties.”  The 60-person African Union (AU) observer team led by former Botswana president Ketumile Masire with a straight face concluded, “the elections were free and fair and the team found no evidence of intimidation and misuse of state resources for ruling party campaigns.” The  White House shedding crocodile tears expressed “concern that international observers found the elections fell short of international commitments.” Ethiopia is wearing the same diapers today.

The ghosts of elections past

In 2010, Meles bulldozed, bribed, bullied and terrorized his way to a 99.6 percent election “victory” . He (mis)used foreign humanitarian and economic aid to buy and extort votes from the rural population. He provided make-work jobs to buy the loyalty of the youth. He (mis)used state resources to mobilize support for his party. He organized a massive surveillance programs and used a network of spies and informants to identify and neutralize his opposition.

When Meles Zenawi prepared for his 99.6 percent electoral victory in 2010, he spoke loudly and carried a big stick. He threatened to prosecute opposition leaders for their allegedly “inflammatory” and “hateful” campaign statements aimed at “inciting violence’. He threatened to jail them if they withdrew from the elections at the last minute and agitated the youth to demonstrate in the streets. After he vanquished his imaginary 78 opponents at the polls, he extended an olive branch to them. They will get his mercy as long as they keep their tails between their legs and licked his boots. “We make this pledge to all the parties who did not succeed in getting the support of the people, during this election, that whether or not you have won seats in the parliament, as long as you respect the will of the people and the country’s Constitution and other laws of the land, we will work by consulting and involving you in all major national issues. We are making this pledge not only because we believe that we should be partners … [but also] you have the right to participate and to be heard.” Meles’ pledges are not worth the breath used to make them.

The Ghost of Meles Zenawi in 2015?

The ghost of Meles Zenawi will hang over the 2015 elections like “pall in the dunnest (dark) smoke of hell”, to paraphrase Shakespeare. Meles was the supreme playwright of stolen and rigged elections. He wrote the script and playbook for rigging and hijacking elections in the bush, long before he held the mantle of power. He was a bit overconfident in 2005 and his party got a thumping; but he learned his lessons well. Never give the real opposition an even break. He jailed wholesale nearly all of the top opposition leaders, independent journalists, human rights advocates and civil society leaders that year.

The overall election mugging strategy for 2015 is the same old one crafted by Meles. Just as Meles wrote the “Growth and Transformation Plan” for the economy, he also wrote the “How To Use Stealth and Hijack the Ethiopian Election Plan” (SHEEP) for politics. The SHEEP plan is based on one simple proposition. “EPDRF” is the ONLY game in town! “EPDRF” is the protector, deliverer and sole guardian of Ethiopia. The “EPDRF” is the ONLY secure pillar of stability, peace, development and progress in Ethiopia.

The SHEEP plan anticipates winning the 2015 election by at least 100 percent. It would be a disgrace and an insult to the memory of Meles to win by anything less! The Plan will work only if the SHEEP shepherds (forgive the pun) manage to hoodwink and corral the various players into their election game.

There is no question that the ruling TPLF (“Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front”) regime, masquerading as “EPDRF”  will do everything in its power to convince the people of Ethiopia and the international loaners and donors that it is the one and ONLY force standing between order and total anarchy in that country. The TPLF will try to convince the people and its foreign bankrollers that without the “EPDRF”, Ethiopia will be plunged into civil war just like Rwanda. Without the “EPDRF” there will be ethnic fragmentation, conflict and warfare just like South Sudan. Without the “EPDRF”,  the “evil” “Amharas” will take over power. Without the “EPDRF”, the “Oromos” will take over power and punish the “Amharas”. Without the “EPDRF”, the“Tigrayans” will face persecution by “Amharas” and “Oromos”. The ethnically diverse people of Ethiopia will be forced out of their homes,  lose their lands and be  deprived of their right to speak in their languages.  Without the “EPDRF”, the infamous “Derg” will rear its ugly head. Without the EPDRF, the “Muslims” will  impose Islamic law in Ethiopia. Without the EPDRF, “Muslims” and “Christians” will persecute each other just like in the Central African Republic. Without the EPDRF, Islamist terrorism will wreak havoc in Ethiopia just like Boko Haram in Nigeria. Without the “EPDRF”, all of the rich people who got rich through corruption and theft will lose their wealth and go to jail or into exile. Without the “EPDRF”, the economy will collapse and Ethiopia will no longer enjoy the (imaginary) 11-15 percent annual economic growth. Without the EPDRF, there will be no development in Ethiopia. Without the “EPDRF”, the sky will fall and the stars come crashing down on Ethiopia! Without the “EPDRF”, there will be no Ethiopia.

Simply stated, the “EPDRF’s” winning strategy is good old fear and loathing. If they can manage to get “Amharas” to fear and dread an “Oromo takeover” of power, they get to win and stay in power. If they can get “Oromos” to hate “Amharas”, they get to win and stay in power. If they can keep  “Oromos” preoccupied by historical grievances and overlook the massacres of dozens of innocent university students, they get to win and stay in power. If they can frighten the smaller ethnic groups into believing the world will close on them without the “EPDRF”, they get to win and stay in power. If they can get “Christians” and “Muslims” to fear, loathe and distrust each other, they get to win and stay in power. If they can scare their rich supporters into believing that without the “EPDRF” , they will certainly lose their riches and end up in exile or in jail, they get to win and stay in power. If the “EPDRF” can get their loaners and donors to believe (wink, wink) the sky will fall on Ethiopia and their national interests if they fall out of power, they get to win and stay in power. If the loaners and donors turn a blind eye, purse their lips and plug their ears, as they always have, to the daylight theft of elections in Ethiopia, they get to win and stay in power.

Asking whether the “EPDRF” will win the 2015 elections is like asking whether darkness will envelope the land after sunset. It will be a cakewalk for them. With Meles, the election mugging playwright and director gone, his pitiful stagehands are now in charge. “Prime Minister” Hailemariam Desalegn, the man warming the “prime minister’s” armchair for Teodros Adhanom, the malaria-researcher-turned-instant-foreign-minster until 2015, has declared on numerous occasions that he and his colleagues will be guided (blindly) by Meles’ vision in everything they do.  In 2010, Meles vision was to win the election by 100 percent. He missed it by four-tenths of one percent. Hailemariam & Co. now face a tremendous challenge. They owe it to Meles to win the 2015 “election” by at least 150 percent. It will be a crying shame if their victory margin falls below the golden threshold of 99.6 percent.

To win by at least 100 percent and make Meles proud, Hailemariam & Co. must handout a little bit more fertilizer to the peasants than they did in 2010. They must at least double the “productive safety net payments” to poor rural household to buy their votes. They need to hand out a lot more “microfinance” loans to hoodwink the youth and buy their loyalty and votes. They also need to provide boatloads of empty promises for handout of condos to urban residents.

Over the next 11 months, the “EPDRF” will busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony subtly, cleverly and gradually implementing its SHEEP to pit the various ethnic groups against each other and spend hundreds of millions of birr to buy votes. They will build on their past successes of divide and conquer/rule strategy. For a quarter of a century, they have succeeded in stoking the fires of ethnic antagonisms. They are stoking ethnic fires today by massacring innocent university students (a little over a week ago BBC reported the regime in Ethiopia massacred 47 university students in Ambo 80 miles west of the capital).  They have had great difficulty in stoking the fires of sectarianism between Christians and Muslims, but they will keep trying. They are great at dirty tricks. Their local bankrollers, namely their corruption-fed fat cat supporters who have a chokehold on the economy, will flock to them ready to offer support. After all, they share the same destiny with the SHEEP herders. Naturally, the loaners and donors will babble the usual lip service nonsense about fair and free elections and at a blink of an eye turn a blind eye to the misuse of their foreign aid and loans for partisan political purposes.

ss What about the opposition?

What opposition?! The regime operators have nothing but contempt for the opposition. I have often remarked that Meles and his crew believed that opposition leaders are their intellectual inferiors. As Susan Rice, Obama’s current National Security Advisor, observed,  Meles believed those who opposed him are all “fools and idiots”.  Meles made it clear in his public statements that he can outwit, outthink, outsmart, outplay, outfox and outmaneuver his opponents any day of the week. He could. Meles’ acolytes today believe in their master’s teachings and visions. They too believe the opposition is dysfunctional, shiftless and inconsequential, and will never be able to pose a real challenge to their power. They view their opposition as  a bunch of delinquent children who need constant supervision, discipline and punishment to keep them in line. Like children, they will offer some of them candy — jobs, cars, houses — and whatever else it takes to buy their silence, if not their support. Those they cannot buy, they will intimidate, jail, prosecute or place under continuous surveillance and harass relentlessly.

The fact of the matter is that the Ethiopian opposition inside the country and in the Diaspora is terribly fragmented. Some opposition leaders are more concerned about their own power position than the dangers faced by the nation. They are unwilling to make genuine commitments to a common platform, unite and oppose a formidable common adversary. The opposition lacks the resources to counter the unlimited financial resources of the “EPDRF”. Opposition journalists are jailed and harassed. Even young bloggers are jacked up on silly terrorism charges. There is no civil society. To eliminate any traces of organized urban opposition, the regime has uprooted urban neighborhoods in the name of development. If push comes to shove, Meles’ minions will execute their master’s master plan. Meles once told an American diplomat, “We will crush the opposition with all our might.” The  TPLF (sorry, I meant the “EPDRF”) will “win” the 2015 “election” by push or crush.

The BIG known unknowns, unknown unknowns?

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld sometimes liked to speak in conundrums (riddles). He said, “there are things that we know that we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

It is a known known that Meles was the brains and the brawns in the “EPDRF” operation (he single-handedly created the “EPDRF”). We know he was not only the “commander-in-chief” but also “strategist-cum-tactician-cum-guru-in-chief”. It is known that the combined intellectual capacity of all of Meles’ minions will not approximate four-tenths of Meles’ intellectual candlepower.

It is a  known unknown that there is no one in the “EPDRF” today who could replace Meles. Hailemariam Desalegn, the ceremonial prime minster in Ethiopia, once declared that he will never be able to “fill Meles’ shoes”. He is right. No one in the “EPDRF” can! It is a known unknown who will indeed fill Meles’ role if not his shoes in 2015.  (I think I know that known unknown.) The known unknowns are those things simmering behind the curtains of power in a regime that is legendary for its absolute secrecy. It is an unknown unknown how much infighting there is or has been since Meles’ death among the various TPLF factions. Those who claim to know the unknown unknown say the only thing keeping the various factions in the TPLF together is pure economic interest. They say the  only thing that is keeping the infighting within TPLF from exploding openly is the unwritten code of honor among thieves. Thou shalt not war with another thief for there are no winners in a war among thieves. There is much known unknowns about the inner workings of the TPLF power core. Unfortunately, those who know the unknowns do not talk and those who talk do not know the unknowns.

What will the donors and loaners do in the 2015  election?

The donors and loaners will do nothing to help or ensure that the 2015 election will be free and fair. They could not care less. They want an election drama, not  free and fair elections. They have their own old script to follow. In June 2010, I wrote a commentary entitled, “Speaking Truth to Strangers.” It was about the “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” attitude of the loaners and donors towards Meles and his regime. “Zenawi has cultivated and foisted the ‘stability’ canard on the Western donors for years. He has tried to convince them that he is the glue that keeps the 80 million Ethiopians from exploding into ethnic warfare and civil war. The donors know it is all a grim fairy tale, but they go along with it.”

The facts speak for themselves. The US, Britain and the European Union have poured in tens of billions of dollars of aid to support his regime for nearly two decades while pontificating about democracy and human rights in Ethiopia endlessly. They took no action when Meles personally ordered the massacre of hundreds of unarmed demonstrators in 2005. They pursed their lips when he passed a so-called press law criminalizing free speech and the free press. They moaned and groaned a little when he passed so-called anti-terrorism and civic society laws that effectively banned civic organizations and suppressed dissent. They have taken absolutely no action against the Meles regime to show restraint despite a quarter century record of uninterrupted gross human rights violations and criminality. Incredibly, these forked-tongue shameless “diplocrites” (practitioners of human rights hypocrisy by diplomacy) have sought to escape moral culpability by dumping  the blame on the opposition. They say, “There is no viable alternative in the opposition.” They know full well that the opposition is subjected to daily threats, intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detentions and violence, yet they have mustered the brazen audacity to blame the victims of tyranny for being ‘not viable’.

Why there can never be free and fair elections in Ethiopia  under the present regime

One cannot squeeze blood from turnip. One cannot squeeze democracy from dictatorship. The transition from “bushcraft” to statecraft requires tectonic transformations. Democratic statecraft requires an appreciation, understanding and application of basic democratic principles such as the rule of law, separation of powers, checks and balances and constitutionalism in the governance process. The TPLF dictators have little experience with or practical understanding of such principles. They never had free elections in the bush. Upholding the rule of law is absurd to them because they believe themselves to be THE LAW. Their ultimate justification for clinging to power is that they have made “sacrifices in the bush”. They expect those who oppose them to go in to the bush and fight their way to power. They scoff at civil liberties and civil rights as Western luxuries because they never lived in a system where the powers of government are constitutionally subordinated to the rights of the individual. In short, it is wishful thinking to expect the kind of statecraft necessary for democratic governance from a gang of  hateful ignoramuses from the bush.  Goethe observed, “There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.” Behold the overlords of Ethiopia today!

Sitting on a powder keg

The TPLF (“EPDRF”)  is sitting on a powder keg. Its leaders filled with hubris and arrogance are blinded to the fact that the ethnic fires they stoked will one day consume them. The hate, fear and loathing they have nurtured will one day turn against them. They believe they can go on forever clinging to power by pitting one ethnic group against another, one religion against another.    They may be able to fool all of the ethnic groups some of the time and some of the ethnic groups all of the time, but they can’t fool all of the ethnic groups all of the time.

The great African American author James Baldwin wrote, “Hatred, which could destroy so much, never failed to destroy the man who hated, and this was an immutable law.”

Let those in power in Ethiopia heed an old prophesy told in the lyrics of a song of African slaves from the harrowing days of slavery in America: “God gave Noah the Rainbow Sign: No more water. The fire next time!”

Vote Out Tyranny in Ethiopia 2015!

Victory Over Tyranny in Ethiopia in 2015!

Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam teaches political science at California State University, San Bernardino and is a practicing defense lawyer.

Previous commentaries by the author are available at:

http://open.salon.com/blog/almariam/

www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/

Amharic translations of recent commentaries by the author may be found at:

http://www.ecadforum.com/Amharic/archives/category/al-mariam-amharic http://ethioforum.org/?cat=24

 

Somaliland:Parents’ role in improving child-teacher Communication

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

school children

Teaching your child how to effectively communicate with teachers is an essential in today’s educational environment. While the school has a set curriculum that it follows to educate our child, We also have the responsibility of teaching our children certain things. Then, there are those lessons that should be mutual between our home as well as the school.  One of these lessons is that of communicating effectively. In order to ensure the success of our child, it is important that we know the basics when it comes to teaching our child how to effectively communicate with teachers.

 

First and foremost, our child needs to understand that the teacher that they have is an adult and should be respected as such.  It is good for us as Somaliland parents to remind them that it is important to be polite and courteous at all times, even if they are frustrated or even angry at themselves, someone else, or the teacher directly. By doing this, we are teaching our child to carefully guard their words and truly think about what they want to say before they say it. If  our Children fail to carefully consider their words that may put up a wall between them and their teachers, which can actually hinder successful communication between child and teacher.

 

When a child goes to school, always talk positive about teachers, and put a light on them that shows them in a positive way. Today, many parents actually create a fear in their children by talking about their own teachers that were mean, or by telling their child that if they do something that the teacher does not like that the teacher will actually beat them. All too often, as innocent as these statements may be, the child may actually begin to fear the teachers that work in the school that they attend. Naturally, this can be harmful to the communication process which is already bad according to our education institutions.

 

Please, as Somaliland parents we should let our child that the teachers they have are there to help them learn and grow in the skills and abilities that they have. Let’s make sure they know that their teacher cares about them and that as long as they follow the proper procedures for talking to their teacher, like raising their hand and/or setting up a meeting with their teacher, that the person will be completely willing to talk to them about anything. Teachers are there to answer questions and clarify the materials that are being taught, and are there to clear up complications that may be occurring in the school. By telling your child this, it is likely that they will see them as a valuable tool and communicate well with them.

 

After All of the above If We find that our child is still having problems communicating with their teacher, it may be best to step into the picture and discuss the problem openly with the teacher which is happens rarely according to our parents. These days, you can do this in several ways. Like a phone call.

It is important to know the steps for teaching our child to effectively communicate with their teachers. As we have already seen several steps that can be taken to accomplish this task. If we follow the steps that we have already mentioned in the above, our child and their teachers should be communicating well.

 

 

                                                          Thanks

 

 

Mohamoud   Dahir Omar

Education Analyst

Mobile: 0634423327

 

 

 

Somaliland:Human Rights Group Demands the immediate release of Haatuf journalists

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HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER LOGO

Today, 11th May 2014, in a press conference, Human Rights Centre condemned the arrest of two Haatuf newspaper journalists, Yusuf Abdi Gabobe and Ahmed Ali Ege. Hargeisa Regional Court remanded yesterday the two journalists into the custody after it held the first hearing of the trial of the journalists. The Court denied the right of bail, says Ahmed Hussein Abdi, member of HRC, at press conference. He requested the immediate release of the journalists and demanded the government to uphold the judicial independence stipulated in the constitution. Ahmed stated that yesterday trial was not in conformity with the national laws and the international standards. HRC also held press conference yesterday on this matter.

The lawyers of the journalists told Human Rights Centre that the judge was partial and did not give equal opportunity to the parties. The Press Law shall be applied on this case, Ahmed says. The application of the outdated and general law on this case is contrary to article 130(5) of the Constitution. The article clearly states that the pre-constitution laws are only applicable if they do not conflict individual rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the constitution. The article further stipulates that after promulgation of new laws, the previous laws shall not remain in force. Human Rights Centre is concerned by the continuing sidelining of the Press Law and the criminalization of the press.

The Police shut down Haatuf newspaper and sister English paper, Somaliland Times in 7th April 2014. The authorities accused the paper number of allegations related to stories published by Haatuf.

In the World Press Freedom Day, 3rd May 2014, petition signed by 328 people consisting of human rights organizations, journalist’s organizations, lawyer’s organizations, civil society members and organizations, traditional elders, business community, professionals, academicians, members of the two houses of the parliament, the political parties and political association have requested the president to lift immediately the suspension of the four papers without condition. So far the president does not respond. 

 Human Rights Center requests the immediate release of the journalist.

 

 Contact

Human Rights Center

Hargeisa Somaliland

www.hrcsomaliland.org

Ms Mulaho Mohamed Ali

Email:mulmohamed@hotmail.com

Somaliland:Silanyo vs. Bihi; A Looming Political Earthquake

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

bihi showning A specimen of voters filling form

After almost three-and-a-half years of relentless attacks on his character, in both the print and electronic media, and several botched attempts by his political nemesis to throw him to the wolves, Musa Bihi finally crossed the Rubicon after he was unanimously elected as party leader for a five-year term at KULMIYE’s National Party Conference held in Hargeisa on Monday, 28th April 2014.

 

Despite the apparent flaws in the electoral process, the successful conclusion of the two-day Party Conference was nevertheless a huge sigh of relief for Bihi but few are still willing to join his cheerleading squad.

 

Bihi’s momento della verita has arrived, less than a week after he was elected as party leader, when in an interview with the BBC Somali Service on Friday, 2nd May 2014, he let the cat out of the back.

 

He made it unequivocally clear that he is not in a mood to warm the chairmanship seat for the next five years and officially announced on the spot that he would be running against president Silanyo for KULMIYE’s presidential nominee in the forthcoming 2015 presidential election.

 

Spending more than ten years of his political life in opposition, Bihi was under tremendous pressure since KULMIYE came to power a little over three-and-a-half years ago.  Needless to say, he was being constantly undermined throughout this period by non other than his own party colleagues who, for a variety of reasons, did not agree to what some analysts described as his rigid and inflexible military-style rule over the party, and sometimes unusually blunt language. Other KULMIYE plotters who have been bought-and-paid-for were also actively looking for ways to get rid of him lately.

 

The former colonel who waged war against black Africa’s mightiest army swapped his army uniform for a suit in 1991 after his armed rebel group, Somali National Movement, brought the curtain down on Barre’s twenty one years of iron-fist rule in Somalia.

 

Bihi worked his way up through the ranks of the party. Initially, he was Silanyo’s first choice for a running mate in 2010 presidential election but that idea was vigorously opposed by some KULMIYE party members.

 

A committee comprising nine members was assigned to work this out. The committee swiftly rejected to entertain the idea of Bihi’s candidacy for Vice-President since, they argued, that would alienate Somaliland’s periphery communities.

 

Others argued that since Dahir Rayale, who hailed from the periphery communities, was elected as president and ruled Somaliland for eight consecutive years, there was nothing that would bar Musa or any other candidate from any Somaliland clan, for that matter, from becoming a Vice-President since the transitional Borama Charter [Clan-based system] that legally allocated this post to the periphery communities was replaced by a political system committed to the bedrock principle of “One Man, One Vote”. Musa was told nevertheless, that the post of Vice-President belongs to the periphery communities.

 

In the final analysis, Bihi gracefully bowed out of the race but only after ruffling so many feathers in the process.  At this point, a secret pact was struck between Bihi and Silanyo in which Bihi will get the party chairmanship post if Silanyo wins the 2010 presidential election.

 

Silanyo won the presidency, but Bihi and the rest of the party’s top leadership never tasted KULMIYE’s sweet victory until now. In fact, as soon as Silanyo was sworn into office, Bihi and his colleagues were given a stark choice: Resign from your posts in the party or else you will not be offered any ministerial portfolios. They chose the latter and remained in the political wilderness to date.

 

To rub salt into their wounds, Silanyo embraced selected members from the defunct QARAN- a rival political party- and offered them, much against members of his party’s advice, the two most powerful cabinet portfolios of his government namely the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Interior. Members of Qaran hardly delivered any votes to KULMIYE. Later, both QARAN ministers fell out with the president and were subsequently sacked.

 

Keyse Hassan Egeh, the Secretary General of KULMIYE, and a close confidant of Musa Bihi, passed away shortly after KULMIYE won the presidential election. Resigned from his job in Sweden, Keyse spent more than three consecutive years away from his family, garnering grassroots support for KULMIYE. When he delivered the votes, he was thrown to the wolves. Abdirahman Abdulkadir, the Second-Deputy Chairman of KULMIYE, who broke his back while serving the party, was ignominiously kicked out of the party for good at the Conference held in Maansoor Hotel in Hargeisa in April, 2011. Bihi is the lone survivor of those battles and carries many scars with anger.

 

Not to be upstaged again, Bihi put his political career on the line this time and decided to lock horns with president Silanyo on the party’s nominee for president of Somaliland.

 

Knowing that the odds are heavily stacked against him in the forthcoming KULMIYE’s presidential nomination process,   Bihi, by all means, put up a brave face by simply declaring his intention to challenge a sitting president from his own party.

 

Bihi is obviously angry about many things but he knows quite well that it is an uphill battle to win against a sitting president with his hands firmly on all levers of power.

 

If Silanyo seeks another five-year term in office, which is highly likely, then he will deploy all available state resources at his disposal and Bihi will most likely be beaten. No one will, however, be surprised if Bihi sorely loses the party’s presidential nominee but what follows will make or break Musa Bihi’s political future. And the public will be watching very closely.

 

The question on every one’s mind is: will Bihi jump on Silanyo’s bandwagon if he loses the battle for the party’s presidential nomination or will he join the opposition camp and wreak havoc on Silanyo’s chances of winning another five-year term?

 

If he opts for the former, first he will disappoint many of his supporters who will never trust him again. Second, this will prove to his political enemies that he was never serious about his candidature in the first place and was simply using it as a bargaining chip. Third, if he clings on to his post and dances to Silanyo’s tune, it’s highly unlikely that he will be re-elected for a second-term to the chairmanship post come 2018 KULMIYE National Party Conference. If Musa goes down that road, his political future will be dead in the water.

 

If, however, he opts for the latter he will have a fighting chance but still he has to prove to Silanyo and the public at large that he is a formidable force to be reckoned with, and that he has the unqualified support of his constituency [Gabiley] behind him. If he is able to do so, he will completely break the already fractured Gabiley-Balligubadle-El-Afweyn alliance that propelled Silanyo into power. In that case, Silanyo will have to pause and do some hard thinking.

 

Now, the big question is: will Gabiley put its full weight behind Bihi? Only time will tell. There are no easy options for Bihi. He will have a tough task ahead of him for the next twelve months.

 

In the meantime, as Harold Wilson once said, ‘a week is a long time in politics’. And who knows which way the political wind will blow in a year’s time?

 

 

 

Jamal Madar

adammadar@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somaliland:Residents Escape Death Narrowly as Shoddily Built Shelters Crumble to the Ground

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

SAM_0940By Goth Mohamed Goth

The newly resettled Residents of Ayax 4 estate will for the second night in a row spend the night in the cold for fear of their shelters crumbling on them after rains flooded their recently occupied shoddily built residential houses which are in appealing state.

The Ayax 4 estate is part of the UN Habitat reintegration and Improved Livelihoods for Returnees and IDPs in 4 Towns in Somaliland”, implemented by UN-Habitat in collaboration with Somaliland Government Authorities. The Project is financially supported by the People of Japan.

The Ayah 4 consist of the construction of 350 one story housing units, with 3 rooms and a built up area of 10 x 9 meters (90 square meters) each, inclusive of a covered kitchen area, a pit latrine with septic soak away pit, a water tank and an open court-yard with basic flooring surrounded by a perimeter wall located at the Ayah 4 dedicated resettlement area, North-East of Hargeisa Town.

The director general in the Ministry of Resettlement and Rehabilitation Mr. Mahmoud jibril yonis haji speaking at the Ayax 4 estate said, “Today we are here to assess the damage we have witnessed caused to newly occupied residential homes.

  1. All houses are leaking in the same way.
  2. Stagnation of rain water in the verandahs
  3. Leaking roofs
  4. Leaking water storage tanks
  5. Latrines are inaccessible because of their 40 inch staircases
  6. Threats caused by uncovered water storage tanks
  7. Lack of recreational facilities

The Ministry of Resettlement and Rehabilitation official also confirmed that they have contacted both the contractor responsible for building the house and officials from the UN Habitat so as to meet tomorrow at the site so as to address the grievances of the resettled residents of Ayah4 estate who have being living at the estate for just one week. 

SomalilandPress.Com

Somaliland:UAE in exemplary water Resource Projects

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

_MG_8358By Goth Mohamed Goth

The United Arab Emirates is sponsoring various development projects in the country with most people living major urban centers such as Hargeisa, Burao , Berbera ,Gebiley benefitting such projects.

The Somaliland minister of Water resources Hussien Ahmed Abdulle today inaugurated six newly drilled wells and one dam built by Khalifa bin Zayed Nayhen Charity Foundation speaking at the function said, “The objectives of the project are simple and straightforward: to increase the amount of water to Burao town and its environs from nearby wellfields, and to ensure that the supply system is secure and sustainable and he also thanked Sayid Al Falaah of the UAE red crescent society and Dr. Abdurahman Ali Du’alleh  who was in charge of implementing the project on behalf of the Khalifa bin Zayed Nayhen Charity Foundation  and most of all the government of the UAE for its generosity.

Speaking on behalf of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Nayhen Charity Foundation was Mr. Amiir Al Falaax speaking at the function said, “The goal of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Nayhen Charity Foundation funded water programmes is to improve the quality and quantity of fresh water available to Somaliland people and its future generations.  

The water projects were carried out in collaboration with the Somali Ministry of Water Resources are intended to alleviate problems of the water shortage in Burao by supplying enough clean water to all the sectors of the town including to those without existing  water connections.

The minister of water resources credited the Khalifa bin Zayed Charity Foundation for not only sponsoring water related projects but also its positive role in saving lives of those affected drought and famine by providing food and medicine.

”The Foundation’s plan to tackle water crisis in Somaliland has brought relief to hundreds of thousands of affected population there,”he added.

The UAE foundation aims to provide pure drinking water to Somalis, especially children, who were dying in hundreds of thousands of thirst and drought.

SomalilandPress.Com

Somaliland:President vows to defend and fight for nationhood

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

DSC_0175(1)As he scoffs at President Hassan’s gaffe

 

By M.A. Egge

The Head of State H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Mohamud Silanyo has in a notable address to the joint National Assemblies Parliament vowed to  defend, fight for and die for SL’s nationhood  and reiterated the needs for and efforts of advancing development in general with special emphasis on priority areas.

The articulate speech of the President was in an unprecedented 4th annual consecutive address to both the Upper House of the Guurti and Lower House of the Representatives. No past SL President has made this fete which is a constitutional requirement.

H.E. President Ahmed scoffed at the Mogadishu based President Hassan Sh. Mohamud’s gaffes on SL affairs in the speech that touched on the security, foreign affairs and recognition lobbying, the health and educational sectors, environment, roads infrastructure, the ports, administration, national registration of persons, judiciary and coastal development.

He also disclosed the establishing of a national clerical (clergy) council as per legislation and at the same time re-appealed to the lawmakers to take the gender quota issue into perspective.

He reminded the legislative assemblies of the past efforts in the two decade of the 23 years since reassertion of the country’s independence hence gave a summary of where the nation stood today.

The SL essence “The country has now matured and the people of the nation and the government had focused on establishing national institution, fortifying security, developing the social general infrastructures; and socio-economical aspects”, said the President.

He continued, “It is a surely certain that no blind eyes can be turned anymore towards this country which has all the requirements of a dejure status”.

He said that in the course of implementing pledges and policy programs, the administration categorized areas to be addressed as per priority needs.

“I hereby state to you that about 85% of the pledges have been completed, 12% is at hand and only 3% may fall short our plans as projected”.

Security

The President underscored the importance of security emphasizing that without peace and stability life was impossible. “Peaceful stability is the basic foundation of life for humanity hence it is the vein whose lack negates development and progress”, said the Head of State.

He noted that the prevalent harmonious peaceful stability in the country is amongst the top in African scale.

“Peace and stability depends on the competence of the security apparatus who are quite vigilante”, he said.

Pointing out there are enemies against the country’s aspirations he noted that the country’s servicemen are now better equipped, receive better salaries, have had their institutional academies upgraded and established hence laws have been put in place to govern the policies of the the intelligence, police andante-terrorists forces.

He scoffed at Hassan’s gaffe on Somaliland affairs when the Somalia President recently credited himself of stalling a crisis along the border whereby SL forces repelled insurgent Khatumo militiamen from SL territory! He (Hassan) also claimed that he was constantly in touch with SL President, something H.E. Ahmed Silanyo chided.

“On several occasions have I recently been hearing of Somalia President Hassan claiming of a connection between us and constantly exchanging correspondences”, noted the President and chided, “he happens to be a novice in politics as he is equally youthful”.

He continued with the scoff, “It is quite sad for him to perceive the congratulatory protocol note of his election as a fete!”

 He was categorical that when it comes to SL and her integrity Hassan Sheikh was out of question.

Foreign Affairs and Recognition

“We have stepped and pepped up efforts of getting SL recognized”, said the President.

He was vivid that the foreign policy was a clear-cut one which was self explicit.

He reminded the lawmakers that they were part of the process when they gave the green light to the commencement of the SL-Somalia talks. “Reports on the ongoings have been availed to you constantly, he told them.

 “We have an internationally facilitated talks going on (with Somalia) which should be adhered to”, and added, “we will defend, fight for and die for SL’s nationhood since it is the self-determination and aspirations of the people”.

Health and Education

Health and Education are two issues that are indispensable hence are basic in livelihood, said the President.

He said that education was a basic right for all Somalilanders and who ought to get it freely.

He said that much effort have been focused in the field for a quality educational service.

He said that equal efforts have also been made on the health sector.

Saying that the HIV/AIDS menace has had a special focus.

He emphasized that the efforts on both the education and health sectors are driven at development, spreading and fledging quality services countrywide.

Livestock and Environment

The President asked the legislative assemblies to look into a tabled environmental constitutional policy which would help and deal with range management aspects.

He said that around 12 million shoats, 1.5 million camels and 1.5 million cattle have been vaccinated and immunized against various diseases.

Roads

A lot of efforts have been done in this field and a major national mobilization of rural and urban roads construction is in progress.

Noting that roads were catalysts in the speeding up of developmental progress, the President declared the Borama road as already completed.

He had just inaugurated the Wajaale one.

He revealed that the SDF will cough 4m dollars and 2m dollars to fund Berbera-Hamas-Sheikh and Kalabayd-Dila roads stretches respectively.

He announced the start of construction works on the biggest project, the Erigavo road.

The Ports

The President told the lawmakers how the state had put major efforts in upgrading and modernizing both the air and sea ports in the country.

So far, bigger jets are now able to land in Hargeisa due to the upgrading of the runways. Much has been done in Berbera; and the Burao and Borama ones are to be addressed.

The President confirmed that talks with Bolores to make the Berbera harbor a world one facility is in progress.

Salaries

The President who had made a 100% salary increases to civil servants underscored the fact that development had not come easily but for a sacrificial cost.

He gave examples of salaries increments of soldiers leaping from 44 to 106 US dollars,

Ministers 800 to 2,350 USD, judges 349.6 to 1,350USD and the MPs 421 to 1354 USD.

2014 Plans

He said that the state has planned to step up the fortification of security, spreading of administration by decentralizing them further afield, registering of persons and developing of the harbours.

Clerical body

He announced the plans to establish a national council for the clergy as per constitution since the populace is 100% Muslim.

IC

He reiterated the cooperation enhancement of bilateral relations with the international community especially on Security, piracy menace, anti-terrorism and environment.

He called for the IC to be bold enough to know and acknowledge that SL is an entity which exists that must be recognized.

Gender

On gender issues he appealed for the third time to the MPs to give the women fraternity their quotas by nodding to and passing through a policy bill that they had shot down twice before.

The President lastly called upon all national assemblies, councils, the Diaspora and Somalilanders at large to organize and participate fully in this year’s 18th May celebrations to be held next Sunday not only nationally but worldwide.

White or Black Devil! South Africa on a time bomb

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

 south_africa_flag

It’s hundreds of years now since the onslaught of white domination in South Africa, hundreds of years of the suffering of generations. Born poor, forever poor; born rich, forever rich is the unspoken slogan. But the English have a saying that there’s always an exception to every rule- and this exception in modern South Africa is none other than President Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma. Whilst wearing the original black man’s skin, he has used his position to elevate himself beyond the level of the white-man.

 

At the age of 72, Jacob Zuma was undoubtedly old enough to witness and experience the pain inflicted on black South Africans in the run up to the arrest of his predecessor and highly acclaimed world icon Nelson Mandela (RIP). The question that the current President must stand to answer fifty years later is: Are we there? Unfortunately for South Africans, the answer is a big NO. Twist the question and ask Jacob Zuma to answer; Are you there? And the answer is an overwhelming YES. Nelson Mandela Madiba sacrificed his life not for the glorification of handful individuals but for a nation- and this nation in its entirety, must taste the fruits of the end to apartheid. Less

 

So if 20 years since the change of guard from White to Black; the ordinary South African is still gnashing: Then what about? Well, some may say that thank God today we can board the same train; we can walk together on the streets; we can go to the same markets; we can play on the same Football team and so on. Surely is it for just this that Nelson Mandela spent 27 of his adult years in prison? As long as a black South African continues to graze in abject poverty just as it were, even when the country is said to be one of the most developed on the continent, then white or black a devil is a devil.

 

In 2012 I had a chance to travel to South Africa, and particularly visited Durban. While in Durban, I happened to visit quite a number of places, including the spot where Nelson Mandela was captured and arrested in 1962. I then proceeded to President Jacob Zuma’s home village of Nkandlah, where I spent a night at a friend’s home. It’s located just a few kilometers from the President’s palace. To compound the level of poverty in this home, I found myself having to shower from a metallic basin (the Banyankole call it Ekalaaya), inside my room. This was like falling from heaven straight to hell, comparing with my humble abode back home in Kampala-I was shell shocked that I wondered all night whether I was actually in South Africa or engrossed in a dream. Next morning, we visited neighboring communities, many with no land of their own, and unable to grow any food as the small chunks they occupy are mostly rocky. I bled on my heart, imagining the glamorous celebrations that greeted the end of apartheid, the olive branch miserably weathering away.

 

A stone’s throw from the poorest South African, I got ever closer to the much talked about President’s home. Oh my word! Beautiful would be an understatement since construction was still underway, but the visual impression was enough to tell that this development must cost quite some liquid cash. And when news started to spread that the President’s home was to cost South Africa 13 Million Pounds, I didn’t doubt. Jacob Zuma is never short of surprises-he was quoted during the recent elections as he justified the luxurious security detail at his home, that one time (before he became President), thugs broke into his home and raped one of his wives. No Your Excellency, find another excuse surely. Half this money could feed a Million hapless South Africans for a year and still the President would live luxuriously enough. It’s this gaping that casts a doubt on the exact taste of the end to Apartheid in South Africa-are decades of struggle burning away in a smoke screen?

 

At the end of the day, what South Africans must try to address, is the bad politics, which proliferates bad leaders. And a bad leader whether white or black, is bad. So now elections have confirmed a win for the ruling Africa National Congress (ANC)-that was wastage of time and money, because it was expected. And guess who will be named President the next day______Jacob Zuma. In the Ugandan setting, the people usually say, “No change”. Little does it ever occur to them that what you say is what you get most times. If a poor woman down in Nkandlah were seen shouting “No change”, it would be a sign of poor civic education, because deep in her heart, she actually yearns for some change however minute. Jacob Zuma must deliver this.

 

Politics being what it is- “who gets what, when and how”; this statement is neither male nor female, and therefore, neither white nor black. South Africans must wake up and re-affirm the kind of country they always genuinely dreamed of. This cannot be realized by political game players. Politics is a bad game in Kampala as is in Juba; in Addis Ababa as is in Kuala Lumpur; in Kigali as is in Kinshasha; politics is as bad in Abuja as it is in Lilongwe, and certainly Johannesburg stinks, and so does Durban-the black man is crying for a day’s meal, a reason to smile.

 

Unfortunately, unless power holders equitably distribute the national cake amongst the children of South Africa, a post-Mandela revolution remains inevitable.

 

By: Tumusiime K. Deo

International Communications Consultant

Somaliland:Ministry of Agriculture Mobilizes Locust Control Teams to Worst Affected Areas

By
Goth Mohamed
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0

Sunta AyaxaBy Goth Mohamed Goth

The Minister of Agriculture Prof. Farah Elmi Mohamed Geedole  speaking today said “The country is reeling against the fear of impending locust infestation getting out of control and wreaks havoc on agricultural lands in SL and that the Ministry of Agriculture urgently mobilized ministerial locust control teams to those areas which have being drastically affected by the latest locust infestation.

Prof Geedoole speaking to the media during a press conference held at the ministry headquarters today said, “As you’re all aware of locust have already damaged farm and pasture lands in Eeldaraad and Lughaya have already dispersed two from the CLS and DLCC teams to the most affected farming areas in a bid to spray pesticides areas where the insect have been breeding.

 “We have established two offices one by the ministry and the other on is been FAO which are currently coordinating their efforts with Desert Locust control center in Rome , Italy and Addis Abba to monitor and counter the spread of the infestation”, He Stated.

Prof. Geedoole said, “We also think window of using airborne capabilities are over considering the problem now affects the pasturelands now but we are confident we shall come up with ways to deal with this problem.

The Agriculture Ministry and DLC teams are  currently spraying the insects in those areas using chemicals that are not anyway harmful neither pose danger to both animals and Human beings and are effective in curbing the infestation.

The director general Mr. Abdullah Ismael Farah also speaking said, “The Ministry of Agriculture has in the past and will also in the future work in partnership with the FAO and DLC in the fight against the scourge.

SomalilandPress.com

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