Somaliland President H.E Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (Silanyo) has on his behalf and the people of Somaliland send a message of condolence to the President of Djibouti and family, friends and the people of Djibouti for the untimely death of the governor of central bank of Djibouti the late Jama Mahmoud Hayd.
The late Jama Mahmoud Hayd passed away while undergoing medical treatment for unspecified illness in a hospital in the Nairobi, the Kenya capital.
President H.E Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (Silanyo) sends its heartfelt condolences to the family of the late Jama Mahmoud Hayd . May Allah (SWT) bless his soul in his final abode. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.
Since the fall of military administration in Somalia the international community had been embarking on a futile mission by supporting the war-torn south and ignoring the tremendous advances made by Somaliland towards peace and prosperity since this country declared independence from Somalia.
Since 1991, the south had experienced chaos in its ugliest forms, governed by various factions of trigger-happy militias, followed by interim governments paralyzed by civil war everywhere in the country. social, economic and humanitarian situation was becoming more and more catastrophic until everything went out of hand during the famine of 2011.
On the other hand fanatic Islamic groups like Al-shabab were gaining ground in many parts of the country.
For a long time, the international community was trying hard to establish a respectable form of civic governance that would oust such fanatic groups as shabab and restore the rule of law as well as democratic institutions the achievement of this noble goal is yet to be realized.
However, we must also mention here some of the positive outcomes of the huge efforts by the international community. the ouster of Al-shabab forces from large tracts of the capital city Mogadishu was a major success of the African forces. the international donors and also the Somali Transitional Government. This major military step by the African military mission in Somalia had the impact of boosting moral among the international donor community, the latter had responded well by increasing its financial support to achieve two short-time goals.
Persuasion of all countries and particularly those which promised to send troops to Somalia in order to participate in the final settlement of the Somali problem.
Upgrade and improve overall political stage in Somalia by i) paving the way for the involvement of the Somali people in choosing their representatives in the parliament which is the most important political institution in the country to overcome the role of clan-based actors who employed the entirely chaotic affairs of Somalia to serve their avaricious selfish interests.
Both missions were, ostensibly though accomplished with some success. As regards the military aspect both Ethiopia and Kenya had sent mechanized troops. the former into upper juba, and the latter into lower jubba, among fears that each of the east African powers will annex both zones in order to protect their countries from hostile Somali groups. Both counties claimed victory in both areas.
However, whether peace and stability in that part of the country will be maintained in the face of attacks by dissident groups who vowed to wage guerilla war is far from being achieved.?
On the political aspect, the role of the personal interest seeking politicians was diminished by clan elders who had successfully chosen members of national assembly who had elected a chairman and a president, but whether they will tackle the tremendous political, economical as well as the security problems facing them is yet to be seen.
On the other hand, Somaliland had come out of civil war that lasted for ten years only with victory over government forces and nothing else. The main cities were reduced to rubble almost every building was shattered, people had to build tents or shanty houses inside their once-well to do villas. Approximately 60% had to depend on close relatives working in Arab countries. Yet there were no remittance offices in the main cities.
They remained in Ethiopia they where operated during the civil war. they had to travel through the dusty pumps roads to Ethiopia along which trigger-happy youngsters sometimes stopped their buses to loot the unarmed passengers. Not only that but clan-based civil wars were fought between various clans over control of major towns or over resources. They nearly fought in Burao, Berbera ,Hargeisa and even other places, nearly 70% of the male population was armed and so to kill or be killed sometimes over trivial. things as water or a cup of tea was the order of almost everyday in major towns and even villages. There was chaos everywhere people even fled major towns to the country-side where life ran more or less smoothly.
The reign of terror had lasted full seven years when in 1997, all guns were silenced and warring clans agreed to negotiate terms of a peace treaty. Warring militias were conscripted in the police or the military and all light or heavy weapons were handed over to the government.
All that was happening and neither the United Nations nor the international community seemed to be interested in the plight of the people of Somaliland. Nevertheless, the people of Somaliland did not wait to obtain world recognition in order to rebuild their shattered country. Instead every household started to reconstruct their house with the help of Somaliland’s Diaspora every house, every shop, and everything was rebuilt and refurnished, with the help of few international NGO’s ,all schools, all healthy centers and even some government offices were rehabilitated and re-staffed, major cities were built and rebuilt beyond recognition. The size of both Hargeisa and Burao has grown by 200% or even more, there are even Universities and private Hospitals. In Hargeisa alone, there are a dozen Universities and about the same number of privately owned Hospital. Existing roads have been maintained and bridges have been constructed. Existing airports in a major cities have been extended to have adequate passenger facilities and long the runways to enable supersonic aircraft to land and take-over.
Democracy was promoted by holding democratic elections as early as 2002 after ten years since independence from Somalia was declared, it all started with referendum to legitimize declaration of independence in 1991. Since, then. local councils were held twice, election of president twice, and house of representatives only once.
This is a short account of progress that has been made in Somaliland since 1991 while the south is still in civil war and chaos. Having seen how Somaliland have exploited people in their meager resources to build a democratic society with a viable economy, now let us explore what such society can do with foreign aid and recognition.
Somaliland has got tremendous resources, they are all natural wealth given by nature to the poor Somalis. The first thing that comes to mind is of course the livestock wealth.Of course herding livestock is a God-given industry and the role of pastoralists was limited to grazing, protecting them against predators and watering them during dry seasons.
The plants on which livestock grace and the rain that irrigates the earth to help these plants and other vegetation for instance those used for shade or for protection of livestock during the night are all given by the grace of God. It is high time that pastoralists in this country abandon a way of life that entirely depends on nature. Prophet Mohamed peace and blessings be upon him said that you are all herdsmen and every herdsman is responsible about his or her herd. How to become responsible herdsmen will be the topic next week.
In principle, good and bad actors love the stage. But while good
actors share the stage, bad actors hog it for themselves. The same
goes for writers and those politicians with agendas. A good writer,
for example, will know plenty of history, literature, geography, and
hopefully, a few proverbs by heart. A bad write will discuss “ode to a
Grecian urn” and be unable to say what the significance of Arcady is.
A good politician will discuss the pressing issues and the way he will
encounter them and hopefully, will emphasize that there will be not
only victories but failures also. A bad politician with an agenda will
promise the sky during campaign trails and be unable to deliver it
after the election
Those writers who hail Siilaanyo as a hero who has the qualities and
capabilities to lead Somaliland people aright are nothing but bad
writers and even worse. They are afraid of anything that might result
in people seeing through theirs charades.
Reality teaches logic – and logic, in its simplest form, is common
sense. There is nothing more lethal to an exclusionist than the power
of common sense. Keeping humans in dark is never successful for long.
Instinctive common sense made humans come out of dark ages and look
beyond them. Were this is not so, people would still be in caves,
granted that some of us are still in caves, but what about those in
mental caves who still ignore the concept that one’s rights end right
where someone else’s begin.
Reality, as a practical discipline, tells us today that there are many
different indicators of the moral health of the country of Somaliland–
how the affairs of this poor country are run. At the macro level of
sober statistics, we have crisis, deep differences, and clashes of
what is constitutionally right and what is not, what is lawful and
what is not. .
First and foremost, the crisis we have is the fact that the affairs of
the country are run by egoism, an egoism that knows no respect or
restrictions or self-reputation, an egoism that aims not even to try
to see, first of all, what units all Somaliland people and makes all
of them part of one whole.
Everyday, we hear countless declarations – clans condemning
Siilaanyo’s ruling behavior, and others demeaning him for his
policies. The question arises: what is the explanation for such
condemnations? This shows that Siilaanyo is flat and does not totally
fit for the work, presidency to put it on its won pretext.
The moral of this article is: When there is righteousness in the
heart, there is beauty in the
character, when is beauty in the character, there is harmony in the
home, when there harmony in the home, there is order in the nation,
where is order in the nation, there is peace in the country.
It was Wednesday 28 November when the people of Somaliland went to the polling stations country wide
During the campaign period; NEC wrote a letter to the president for a couple of occasions at the campaign period complaining the actions of several governors and admin and finance director of Somaliland national AIDS Commission but president neither responded nor took an action for the said people, to the that action many took as a proof of NEC independence or assertiveness but truly it was either crocodile tears or intended public relation gimmick.
The people were expecting the election will be free and fair but it was far from that.
To some extent The atmosphere was peaceful and many expected the long queues will speak in volumes but soon after the sunset; the real vote started sooner than later it was clear to many observers that tough time is a head.
Only erigavo more than 20 boxes were filled under trees locates Southern Ergavo it was a well planned and calculated mission under the auspicious of Deputy kulmiye chairman Abdirahman talyanle with consent approval of NEC regional officers as well as commission members indeed, it was a well executed plan. they dropped the political organizations observers in the southern outskirts of erigavo since they are certain that no one will ask them why they did so. To their perspective the complaint of political organizations were meaningless. In fact, four political organization raised this issue with the commission and asked these rigged election boxes should be annulled once and for all but as expected the commission members there consulted their counter parts based in Hargeisa and finally decided to count these disputed boxes.
The tallying process was a complete sham take for instance, Hargeisa District; NEC changed at least twice in public (not to mention how many in the closed door meetings) both the lists of the councilors as well as total votes
The messy tendering process
The tendering process was flawed right from inception, it was an early indication of what to expect in near future
Amal and Dulqan were awarded the tender of transport without any serious vetting to mention a few,
The rule was each e organization detail what amount each region will cost and country at larger but both (Dulqan and Amal) didn’t waste any time, to consider it to add on that, they were neither as organized as their competitors nor capable.
The three commission members which were responsible the tender awarding sat and opened the six companies profiles, structure, bank account statements and well as previous work satisfactorily completed but both dulqan and amal were new companies but two more experienced companies were competing them but to the surprise of everybody the three commission members were locked at the horns on whom to award the transport tender :
their personal interests were miles apart and at least one commission member firmly stood with the idea of, to give the tender for a friendly companies with kickbacks it was a well received Idea and they did on that and defended it not only uniformly but also resolutely.
Finally, the seven member National Electoral Commission members not only did a shoddy a job but also slapdash, sloppy and careless and messy work. Indeed they damaged the image of Somaliland and its credibility to hold a free , fair and translucent elections as was the norm. these male dominated seven member NEC must immediately resign without any further delay otherwise or else they should be shown the door.
Somaliland President H.E Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud (Silanyo) has today issued a Presidential decree in which he signed the national Intelligence bill #Lr. 59/2012 into law.
President Silanyo signed the National Intelligence Bill into a law after the national assembly decision # Lr. GW/G/KF-19/581/2012 voted in favor of the national Intelligence act #Lr. 59/2012 Bill on the 27/12/2012,this in accordance with Act #90 and Act #70 of the national constitution.
The adaptation National Intelligence Bill heard earlier faced stiff opposition from a wide section of the society mainly because of a controversial clause which infringes on the freedom of speech.
In another development today President Silanyo issued another Presidential Decree in which he signed into a law, the health workers bill # Lr. 19/2001 which reforms the workings of health workers board this in accordance with the national assembly decision # Lr. GW/G/KF-19/582/2012 voted in favor of the Health workers board reform bill.
Latest update on the situation in Saylac (Zeila) that resulted in the deaths of innocent teenagers
16. 12. 2012, President Silanyo was in Djibouti to attend the 40th anniversary celebration of the Somali becoming a written language. Silanyo had a private discussion with President Guelleh of Djibouti regarding the recent local elections in Somaliland, especially those in Saylac. Guelleh made clear his displeasure concerning the result in Saylac election insisted that Silanyo override the democratic wishes of local people and install an Issa councillor as mayor. Guelleh went on to threaten President Silanyo, when he made clear that should this not happen, Djibouti will no longer recognise Somaliland as a country which had previously been agreed between the two Presidents. President Silanyo returned to Hargeisa and ordered the Vice President to ensure that an Issa was appointed Mayor of Saylac. The Vice President refused to do this.
27.11.2012, Djiboutians crossed the Djibouti – Somaliland border. Djibouti has frequently made belligerent claims in regard of Saylac and Lughaya district. Following this unprovoked incursion citizens in Saylac and Lughaya protested and two were shot dead and two others wounded.
25.12.2012, Musa Bihi (Kulmiye Party Chairman) said, “We are Isaq and Issa helped us and gave us a financial and military support while we were in the fighting against the Said Bare regime. Muse as well said Issa were allied with Isaq while SNM (Somali National Movement) was fighting.
30.12.2012, President Silanyo of Somaliland sent to the Awdal city of Borama a delegation headed by the Vice-president of Somaliland which consist of 30 delegates include Musa Bihi and Haji Abdi Warabeh Hussein (Guurti Chairman/Somaliland Upper House).
30.12.2012, the Youth in Awdal started huge protest which they were against the delegates because of the provocative words from the Chairman of Kulmiya Party (the Dominant Political Party in Somaliland). Protesters voiced their concern that democracy for the regions was being eroded and that the Kulmiya Party and President Silanyo were intent on stoking up tribalism.The protests continued for two days and the security personnel of the delegation fired on the protesters, and they shot 8 teenagers two of them died and six of them are still in Borama hospitals.
The recent behaviour by President Silanyo and the Government of Somaliland has resulted in unprecedented protests in Awdal. Emotions are running very high and there is increasing concern that the Government in Hargeisa is deliberately starving the region of resources, aid and development.
31.12.2012, 5 O’clock up to 10 O’clock, 30 delegates include Upper & Lower members of the Somaliland house, elders, politicians from Hargeasa and 100 Awdal elites met in Mana-guest House to discuss the majority Councillors in Saylac.
01.01.2013, Following on from recent protest and deaths President Silanyo’s reluctantly Government took the democractic decision that they have been determined to thwart.
07.01.2013, In excess of 70 vehicles crossed the border from Djibouti making for Saylac with a view to intimidating local people and denying democratic wishes in connection with the appointment of the new Mayor of Saylac.
People in Awdal, as well as in the Diaspora are concerned that the international community, diplomats, NGOs and the media seem to be largely unaware of what his being going on and as such urge a greater willingness to visit western Somaliland, as well as to hold the Government in Hargeisa to account for its actions, which threaten to fragment the country and cause further regional instability and suffering.
The following shed some light on recent troubles and protests:
The problems that Somaliland people share in common are many. Poverty
is one. Ignorance is another. But bad leadership is unshared problem
of Somaliland people. The effects that are immanent in each vary.
Poverty, anywhere, on any scale, is a potential strife. But poverty is
not beyond repair and remedy. Human development and its mobilization
can make miracles. No country can overcome poverty unless its people
beat it. Proverbially people who have a why to live for can find
almost any how.
Ignorance is also very strong in everywhere, but it is not a shame.
All people are born ignorant. The shame can be a refusal to admit
ignorance and start learning.
Good leadership gets eroded for a variety of reasons. But do we know
when and how disgrace and downfall begin? When we hide our lack of
faith. When biases and prejudices control our minds. When we hail
predators and robber barons as heroes and start to rant and rave after
those who are pure and pious.
Leadership is a very tough assignment. It needs maturity and
mentality. It needs vision and future-mindedness. It needs integrity
and audacity. It helps to have had on-the-job training.
History judges leaders on their handling of the national interests,
not on their passions for power and privileges. The credibility of any
leader is revealed by what he does for his country and his people
specifically when the moment is hard. This credibility depends on the
quality of nobility, ideas of dignity, of unself-interestedness, of
largeness of spirit and of a rising above spit, faction and greed.
Presidency, the highest post of any nation, will always have unlimited
responsibility. It is a profession that is as hard as a rock as
anybody might think. It is too intellectual and far rigid in its roles
and requirements for the average person. By its essence therefore it
requires an extraordinary person with extraordinary skills – a
person that can maintain a steady course with the quality of being
honest and upright in character. .
That is a unifying skill that almost all Somaliland past presidents
did not have and the present one, Siilaanyo does not have. Siilaany’s
incapacity to pacify his policies and organize his administration is
his most personal weak power house characteristic. What Siilaanyo
appeals to is what those before him appealed to – a paranoid strain in
Somaliland politics that the past must always control the present.
The problem Somaliland finds itself in is always reminiscent of the
past, because whoever becomes a president for the country inherits his
predecessor’s awful legacy. Why everyone yearns naively in the past
legacies rather than new political patterns, cherishes over
undignified politics over the dignified polities and is not concerned
about how he could see a nation reshaped and reformed?
As anyone who is lucky enough to be a successful leader understands,
the abuse of power and evasion of national responsibility is a road to
disgrace and downfall. The better light of the faculty of ruling is
built on mutual respect, openness, honesty and a willingness to listen
and learn.
Describing how the faculty of listening and learning is important for
leaders, Niccolli Machiavelli wrote in his masterpiece novel, the
prince, “A prudent man must always follow in the footsteps of the
great men and imitate those who have been outstanding. If his prowess
fails to compare with theirs, at least it must have an air of
greatness. A good man must behave like those archers who, if they are
skilful, when the target seems too distant, know the capabilities of
their bow and aim a good deal higher than their objective, not in
order to shoot so high but so that by aiming high they can hit the
target.”
It appears that Somaliland political leaders do not understand these
gems of truth too well and never practice them in both their political
and personal lives. If they understand and practice to learn and
listen, the picture we see these days in Somaliland should have been
better than the one we observe today.
It is not important who one is as a leader and which family hails
from. The important thing is who one has become and what one has done
for his own country. For the prosperity and progress of any country
depend much on how the rulers read their ideas and arrange their ideas
and envision the sense of tomorrow. Simple reasons explain
Right thinking leaders look at their time with a measure of suspicion
and circumspection. In conditions of widespread poverty and communal
strife, they increasingly work on how best they can get these problems
licked. They pace their policies and patch the holes and put things
together in a way that gives a good start. They think not of how to
clean the country’s roads; instead, they pick up a bit of garbage on
the road and drop it in a litter bin. They think not on how to feed
the country’s millions of hungry children; instead, they help the kid
on the corner to get a cup of milk.
Mohamed Mahatir of Malaysia did just this; he thought very small when
he rose to the power of his country. From his thinking small came
rural micro-credit and Malaysian projects, a powerful instrument of
social change, opportunities for Malaysians in Malaysia.
.
Obviously, nations will not develop unless the leadership at all
levels reaches some minimum standard of maturity. The matured leader
always picks up a talented team. If there is no talent on the team the
leadership chooses, the system does not work well.
It is by a collective effort, by bringing together the best minds in
the country, by following the reasonable norms of contacts and
cooperation that people can preserve their home, can make better and
prosperous.
Somaliland is a country that has seen great cruelty and hardship in
its time. It has seen the illusion of power and its ignorant
organization. The lessons of yesterday have been that illusion was a
laggard and blind. With this fact before us, Somaliland needs a
leadership that is too wise to understand that the problems of today
are sufficiently different and that the attempts to solve them require
fresh thinking and remedies that even the most detailed events of the
past will not provide.
The dogmas of the past are inadequate to the stormy present. The
occasion is piled high with challenges, and we must rise with the
occasions. The question is the need of this arid time is what?
The need of our time is nothing more than a leadership that is
intellectual if we are wise, analytical if we are ambitious, humane if
we care enough, considerate if we are kind, honest if we want to live
in an honorable life, prudent and pragmatic if we want to beat the
problems and the poverty we share. We need a leadership that must
think anew, and act anew. The imperative to act wisely and well is
just as urgent.
Arrogance, and the illusion to occupy positions and amass wealth
through illicit means is not a substitute for having the skills and
ideas and talent required to prevent the problems causing pains in the
first place. That is something we should be well advised to bear in
mind. If we won’t, Somaliland leadership will not flourish, any more
than a potato, if it be planted and replanted for too long a series of
generations in the same worn-out soil. What this means is that
Somaliland will always find itself in where “what is leadership” is
not the first question from impresario considering an ethic
representation.
Remember, any home filter has to be changed regularly to work right
and keep from becoming a health hazard in itself.
The ability to turn on the tap and take a long, cold drink of clean
water is something Somaliland people have not seen for so long. We may
have to begin thinking hard about what needs to be done about
Siilaanyo and his likes..
“If things are happening according to your wish you’re lucky; if not you are very lucky because things are happening according to ALLAH’s wish”
Somaliland’s second local government election was held on 28th November 2012, this day as always was a special occasion for all Somalilanders regardless of their involvement, either acted as a candidate, president or civilian. In one way, it was a test to evaluate how this small non-recognized country can manage such election, in other way it was a proof that Somaliland is a mature enough to hold such election. It was a day that everyone was a responsible to keep the fragile and volatile stability in Somaliland and fortunately everyone showed that responsibility. On the other side, it was a day full of joy that left a lasting mark in the heart of all Somalilanders.
It is evident that in every competition there are many groups of participants and its human nature that Each individual or group always has a passion to win in any event as Henry Ford said “we were born to succeed, not to fail” also it is a part of life that every competition there must be a winner and a looser but does that mean the winners are better that the failures, not at all,
Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure, it does mean you haven’t succeeded yet. Failure doesn’t mean you have accomplished nothing, it does mean you have learned something. Failure doesn’t mean you have been a fool, it does mean you had a lot of faith. Failure doesn’t mean you have been disgraced, it does mean you were willing to try. Failure doesn’t mean you don’t have it, it does mean you have to do something in a different way. Failure doesn’t mean you are inferior, it does mean you are not perfect. Failure doesn’t mean you’ve wasted your life, it does mean you’ve got a reason to start again. Failure doesn’t mean you should give up, it does mean you should try harder. Failure doesn’t mean you’ll never make it, it does mean it will take a little longer. Failure doesn’t mean ALLAH has abandoned you, it does mean ALLAH has a better idea! Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.’
A lot of research has gone into the subject of success and failure. All that we need to do is learn our lessons from history and it’s better to keep in mind that every success story is also a story of great failure.
Failure is the highway to success. Tom Watson Sr. said, “If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.”
If you study history, you will find that all stories of success are also stories of great failures. But people don’t see the failures. They only see one side of the picture and they say that person got lucky: “He must have been at the right place at the right time.”
Let me share someone’s life history with you. This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21 ; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at age 24; overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26; had a nervous breakdown at age 27; lost a congressional race at age 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47; lost a senatorial race at age 49; and was elected president of the United States at age 52. Successful people don’t do great things, they only do small things in a great way.
All success stories are stories of great failures. The only difference is that every time they failed, they bounced back. This is called failing forward, rather than backward. You learn and move forward. Learn from your failure and keep moving.
In addition, Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb, Demosthenes, the greatest orator of the ancient world, stuttered! The first time he tried to make a public speech, he was laughed off the stage, Napoleon (most successful warrior in Europe) was a humble parentage and far from being a born genius, he stood forty-sixth in his class at the Military Academy in a class of sixty-five.
Another point that determines and separates losers and winners is having the will to win, those winners of life had that will, all they had passed difficult times and situation they persisted their will to win, for example, Oprah was raped at the age of nine, Bill Gates did not finish University Education, Ben Carson (one of the best neurosurgeons in the world) struggled academically throughout elementary school, Lionel Messi (the top scorer in the calendar year ever to see) used to serve tea at a shop to support his football training, Steve Jobs (founder of Apple Phone) used to sleep on the floor in friends’ rooms, returning Coke bottles for food, money and getting weekly free meals at a local temple, Tony Blair’s (British prime minister 1997-2007) teachers used to call him a failure and President Goodluck Jonathan (current Nigerian president) had no shoes.
What gave these great individuals the stamina to overcome severe setbacks and become successful? It is this bounce back ability and having a will that determines success.
Each person had an inner dream that lit a fire, which could not be extinguished. Great visions begin as an “inside job”. Napoleon Hill said, “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprint of your ultimate achievements.”
All of these men and women had one thing in common they had a passion for their work and sense of high self-esteem.
Setbacks are inevitable in life. A setback can act as a driving force and teach us humbleness, you will find courage and faith to overcome the setback. We need to learn to become victors, not victims. Fear and doubt short-circuit the mind. Setbacks make the life enjoyable as Albert Einstein once said I am stronger Because of my Hard times, I am wiser because of my mistakes, I am Happier because of my Sad Experiences… and I would like to add one more thought to this valuable epitaph, which is I am a winner because of my failures.
This complements the poem from unknown poet that says:
I asked for strength and
ALLAH gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom and
ALLAH gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity and
ALLAH gave me brawn and brains to work.
I asked for courage and
ALLAH gave me dangers to overcome.
I asked for patience and
ALLAH placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.
I asked for love and
ALLAH gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favors and
ALLAH gave me opportunities.
Ask yourself after every setback: What did I learn from this experience? Only then will you be able to turn a stumbling block into a stepping stone.one thing that keeps the moving towards success is Perseverance which means failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth. It is better to remember that our greatest glory is not never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
This life is full of risks that deserve to be faced and encountered and as every action has a reaction so do every endeavor has a risk , such as to laugh is to risk appearing the fool; to weep is to risk appearing sentimental; to expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self; to place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss; to love is to risk not being loved in return; to live is to risk dying; to hope is to risk despair; to try is to risk failure. Nevertheless, risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, or live. Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves, they have lost their freedom. Only a person who risks is free.
The men who take risks and try to do something and fail are infinitely better and more experienced than those who try to do nothing and succeed.
Success is not measured by our position in life but by the risks we took and overcame to get there. Success in life is not determined by how we are doing compared with others, but by how we are doing compared with what we are capable of doing. Successful people compete against themselves. They better their own record and keep improving constantly.
Success is not measured by how high we go up in life but by how many times we bounce back when we fall down. It is this bounce back ability that determines success.
What makes a person successful? How do we recognize success? To some people, success might mean wealth. To others, it is recognition, good health, good family, happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind. What this really tells us is that success is subjective. It can mean different things to different people. The definition that I feel summarizes “success” well is: Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.
One important factor that determines the success of a person is that the kind of attitude that person has which is either positive or negative.
A Hadith from our beloved prophet (PBUH) says
عن أبي هريرة – رضي الله عنه – قال : قال النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – : يقول الله تعالى : ( أنا عند ظن عبدي بي )
رواه البخاري و مسلم
“ALLAH only do what the people expect from him”, when you are in a competition always its better and helpful to keep in mind a positive expectation or result from that competition for example, being the winner of that competition you would play, so it is better to mind your thinking in a positive way about every action that you are taking, for example, If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t! If you like to win, but think you can’t, It’s almost a nothing and surely you won’t; If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost; For out in the world we find Success begins with a fellow’s will; It’s all in the state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are, you’ve got to think high to rise, You’ve got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize. Life’s battles don’t always go To the stronger and faster man, But sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.
Usually during competitions you may hear someone saying “ I must not lose” you see he/she thinks of being looser rather than being winner and this is one of the characters of pessimistic people or negative ATTITUDE. As Yusuf Deyr once mentioned that Greatness comes with recognizing that your potential is limited only by how you choose your channels, how prepared you are, how resolute you are, and how persistent you are. In short, by your attitude.
Success is not an accident. It is the result of our attitude and our attitude is a choice. Hence, success is a matter of choice and not a chance.
As Shiv Khera said in his book, You Can Win, Winning is an event; being a winner is a spirit, for example, many candidates participated the election and only few candidates won the election and were awarded to be councilors. But does that mean that those who did not receive any award were losers or failures, not at all. In any event the participants have different objectives in mind; some might want to test their strength and they did and came out better than their expectations, others wanted to improve on their previous records and they did, While another group may had never participated an election in their life, their objective was to participate and show their ability to be among the candidates and they did it.
In conclusion I wish to say that the all the candidates participated the election were all winners regardless of who won the election.
Thank you.
NB: Failure is a delay not a defeat; it is a diversion not a dead-end.
Last July at Hargeisa International Book Festival (HIBF), it was launched a book with the title ‘Getting Somalia Wrong; Faith,war and hope in a shattered state .Although this book was written for the international readers and has an important messages in it, admittedly , Somalilanders seemed it immaterial and irrelevant as we are striving to prove that we no longer have nothing to do with Somalia. But we were wrong! We got ‘’ Getting Somalia Wrong’’ wrong. This book is a rare and valuable account of admirable intellect that gives a concise picture of the contemporary Somalia which contains historically many administrations and our break away Somaliland. It also gives the clearest picture of all time to the outside interested groups willing to get a proper diagnosis for the perplexed situation of Somalia. Often Somalis which naturally includes Somaliland are remembered about with the worst connotations like Piracy, Extremism and Violence. This book tries to demystify the reality on the ground and rectify those misconceptions sensentionalized by the media.
The author of the book Mary Harper who is a journalist and writer, specialising in Africa and currently working as Africa Editor at the BBC World Service has written a resourceful and contemplated account collected over the decade’s long experience of hers on Somali people , culture and problems. I’m not writing to talk about the weaknesses or the strengths of the book but the point that I have pondered during reading this book is how the author put the situation of Somaliland and my review conveys this opinion supporting it with evidences from the book.
The contents of the book goes back for clearer understanding to the ancient history of Somali people through early civilizations established at the coasts to the colonial rule and the followed dream of the great Somalia that could be considered as the root cause of the failure of the central government of the Somali Republic. Those carefully selected six chapters are concisely and artfully put with clear and convincing language and are also organised in chronological manner. More importantly, the author devotes considerable space for lengthy direct quotes from Somali actors, allowing them to speak with their own voices, unfiltered by the author. After the last chapter ‘’ Somalia and the outside World’’ , she concludes with logical arguments and why many attempts on Somali reconciliation failed because of misguided policies and repeating the same mistakes, that is, giving the highest priority to form a central government based in Mogadishu. Mary Harper suggests the world should seek the solution from a different perspectives and takes the case of Somaliland reconciliation as a possible role model process.
Besides, convincing the world that Somalis has managed to do so well without a central government because the clan-based lineage system of Somalis is an effective way of governing society and the truth that Somalis were able to keep similar standard of living compared to their African counter parts, the author clarifies that western powers were very late to adopt the new ‘dual track’ Policy. Although Somaliland benefits the most from this approach as the international aid which was previously monopolised by the TFG will be distributed more fairly and effectively, it must be recommended for the world to give more attention to that new policy as certain things need to be more correctly and suitably tweaked. Urging the TFG to give a recognition to Somaliland could be an appropriate suggestion for improving the ‘dual track’ policy to actually make a difference on the ground.
Mary Harper dedicates more than 14 pages for Somaliland noting down the successful popular peacemaking processes which unlike those political conferences of Somalia were neither foreign-funded nor held abroad but remained to be an example of hope and potential to those parts of Somalia that always fail to extract themselves from an almost endless cycle of conflict and instability. The author also adds that designing hybrid system of government, whereby western-style institutions were fused with more traditional forms of social and political organisation, has gradually directed to the transformation of the Multi-party system. She also mentions how our late president Egal(May Allah rest his soul) has given our population the confidence that they could go it alone. Qouting the great African thinker,Ali Mizrui, as saying the Horn of Africa experiences a‘Tale of Two Somalias’ namely as the Somalia of Mogadishu which continues to be the case of anarchy without order and the Somalia of Hargeisa which gathered a momentum as a case of ‘bottom-up nation building’ rooted in culture and energised from within, the author agrees with him when she visited Somaliland. She makes a short comparison between Somaliland and Somalia writing that she had witnessed the existence of the‘Two Somalias’ and how they are world apart. Investigating further, because the territory is not internationally recognised and can not access big foreign loans for infrastructural and other developments , she proves that it’s something that frustrates president Ahmed Silanyo telling in his interview with her that Somaliland has been very patient about that and hopes their patience to be rewarded very soon.
In Conclusion, the book says that the outside observers have generally not realized that Somalis in general devised fascinating alternative ways of organising society and the fact that they could be considered stateless in many ways does not mean they are wrong, bad or threatening. One key example mentioned is the case of Union of Islamic Court which has emerged from the grass roots of the society rather than being imposed from the outside but soon the world saw them ‘threatening’ and we all know that the consequences got more worse. Somaliland which is now considered by the world as ‘ state-within-state’ also remains to be the author’s second successful example. But that is never enough. Bringing about lasting positive change in the territory needs more creative and adventurous approaches , as the author says. So , to this end, giving Somaliland a recognition could inevitably complete what Mary Harper had to say to the outside world.
2013 shall be the Year of Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation.
“The Cheetah Generation refers to the new and angry generation of young African graduates and professionals, who look at African issues and problems from a totally different and unique perspective. They are dynamic, intellectually agile, and pragmatic. They may be the ‘restless generation’ but they are Africa’s new hope. They understand and stress transparency, accountability, human rights, and good governance. They also know that many of their current leaders are hopelessly corrupt and that their governments are contumaciously dysfunctional and commit flagitious human rights violations”, explained George Ayittey, the distingushed Ghanaian economist.
Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation includes not only graduates and professionals — the “best and the brightest” — but also the huddled masses of youth yearning to breathe free; the millions of youth victimized by nepotism, cronyism and corruption and those who face brutal suppression and those who have been subjected to illegal incarceration for protesting human rights violations. Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation is Eskinder Nega’s and Serkalem Fasil’s Generation. It is the generation of Andualem Aragie, Woubshet Alemu, Reeyot Alemu, Bekele Gerba, Olbana Lelisa and so many others like them. Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation is the only generation that could rescue Ethiopia from the steel claws of tyranny and dictatorship. It is the only generation that can deliver Ethiopia from the fangs of a benighted dictatorship and transform a decaying and decomposing garrison state built on a foundation of lies into one that is deeply rooted in the consent and sovereignty of the people.
Ethiopia’s Hippo Generation should move over and make way for the Cheetahs. As Ayittey said, Africa’s “Hippo Generation is intellectually astigmatic and stuck in their muddy colonialist pedagogical patch. They are stodgy, pudgy, and wedded to the old ‘colonialism-imperialism’ paradigm with an abiding faith in the potency of the state. They lack vision and sit comfortable in their belief that the state can solve all of Africa’s problems. All the state needs is more power and more foreign aid. They care less if the whole country collapses around them, but are content as long as their pond is secure…”
Ethiopia’s Hippo Generation is not only astigmatic with distorted vision, it is also myopic and narrow- minded preoccupied with mindless self-aggrandizement. The Hippos in power are stuck in the quicksand of divisive ethnic politics and the bog of revenge politics. They proclaim the omnipotence of their state, which is nothing more than a thugtatorship. Their lips drip with condemnation of “neoliberalism”, the very system they shamelessly panhandle for their daily bread and ensures that they cling to power like barnacles on a sunken ship. They try to palm off foreign project handouts as real economic growth and development. To these Hippos, the youth are of peripheral importance. They give them lip service. In his “victory” speech celebrating his 99.6 percent win in the May 2010 “election”, Meles Zenawi showered the youth with hollow gratitude: “We are also proud of the youth of our country who have started to benefit from the ongoing development and also those who are in the process of applying efforts to be productively employed! We offer our thanks and salute the youth of Ethiopia for their unwavering support and enthusiasm!”
The Hippos out of power have failed to effectively integrate and mobilize the youth and women in their party leadership structure and organizational activities. As a result, they find themselves in a state of political stagnation and paralysis. They need youth power to rejuvenate themselves and to become dynamic, resilient and irrepressible. Unpowered by youth, the Hippos out of power have become the object of ridicule, contempt and insolence for the Hippos in power.
Ethiopia’s intellectual Hippos by and large have chosen to stand on the sidelines with arms folded, ears plugged, mouths sealed shut and eyes blindfolded. They have chosen to remain silent fearful that anything they say can and will be used against them as they obsequiously curry favor with the Hippos in power. They have broken faith with the youth. Instead of becoming transformational and visionary thinkers capable of inspiring the youth with creative ideas, the majority of the intellectual Hippos have chosen to dissociate themselves from the youth or have joined the service of the dictators to advance their own self-interests.
Chained Cheetahs
The shameless canard is that Ethiopia’s youth “have started to benefit from the ongoing development.” The facts tell a completely different story. Though the Ethiopian population under the age of 18 is estimated to be 41 million or just over half of Ethiopia’s population, UNICEF estimates that malnutrition is responsible for more than half of all deaths among children under age five. Ethiopia has an estimated 5 million orphans; or approximately 15 per cent of all children are orphans! Some 800,000 children are estimated to be orphaned as a result of AIDS. Urban youth unemployment is estimated at over 70 per cent. Ethiopia has one of the lowest youth literacy rate in Africa according to a 2011 report of the United Nations Capital Development Fund. Literacy in the 15-24 age group is a dismal 43 percent; gross enrollment at the secondary level is a mere 30.9 percent! A shocking 77.8 per cent of the Ethiopian youth population lives on less than USD$2 per day! Young people have to sell their souls to get a job. According to the 2010 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report, “Reliable reports establish that unemployed youth who were not affiliated with the ruling coalition sometimes had trouble receiving the ‘support letters’ from their kebeles necessary to get jobs.” Party memberships is the sine qua non for government employment, educational and business opportunity and the key to survival in a police state. The 2011 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report concluded, “According to credible sources, the ruling party ‘stacks’ student enrollment at Addis Ababa University, which is the nation’s largest and most influential university, with students loyal to the party to ensure further adherence to the party’s principles and to forestall any student protest.”
Frustrated and in despair, many youths drop out of school and engage in a fatalistic pattern of risky behaviors including drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse, crime and delinquency and sexual activity which exposes them to a risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. Poor youths (the overwhelming majority of youth population) deprived of educational and employment opportunity, have lost faith in their own and their country’s future. When I contemplate the situation of Ethiopia’s youth, I am haunted by the penetrating question recently posed by Hajj Mohamed Seid, the prominent Ethiopian Muslim leader in exile in Toronto: “Is there an Ethiopian generation left now? The students who enrolled in the universities are demoralized; their minds are afflicted chewing khat (a mild drug) and smoking cigarettes. They [the ruling regime] have destroyed a generation.”
Unchain the Cheetahs
Many of my readers are familiar with my numerous commentaries on Ethiopia’s chained youth yearning for freedom and change. My readers will also remember my fierce and unremitting defense of Ethiopia’s Proudest Cheetahs — Eskinder Nega, Serkalem Faisl, Andualem Aragie, Woubshet Alemu, Reeyot Alemu, Bekele Gerba, Olbana Lelisa and so many others — jailed for exercising their constitutional rights and for speaking truth to power. But in the Year of the Cheetahs, I aim to call attention to the extreme challenges faced by Ethiopia’s youth and make a moral appeal to all Hippos, particularly the intellectual Hippos in the Diaspora, to stand up and be counted with the youth by providing support, guidance and inspiration. In June 2010, I called attention to some undeniable facts:
The wretched conditions of Ethiopia’s youth point to the fact that they are a ticking demographic time bomb. The evidence of youth frustration, discontent, disillusionment and discouragement by the protracted economic crisis, lack of economic opportunities and political repression is manifest, overwhelming and irrefutable. The yearning of youth for freedom and change is self-evident. The only question is whether the country’s youth will seek change through increased militancy or by other peaceful means. On the other hand, many thousands gripped by despair and hopelessness and convinced they have no future in Ethiopia continue to vote with their feet. Today, young Ethiopian refugees can be found in large numbers from South Africa to North America and the Middle East to the Far East.
In this Year of the Ethiopian Cheetahs, those of us with a conscience in the Hippo Generation must do a few things to atone for our failures and make amends to our youth. President Obama, though short on action, is nearly always right in his analysis of Africa’s plight: “We’ve learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa’s future. It will be the young people brimming with talent and energy and hope who can claim the future that so many in previous generations never realized.” We, learned Hippos, must learn that Ethiopia’s destiny will not be determined by the specter of dead dictators or their dopplegangers. It will not be determined by those who use the state as their private fiefdom and playground, or those who spread the poison of ethnic politics to prolong their lease on power. Ethiopia’s destiny will be determined by a robust coalition of Cheetahs who must unite, speak in one voice and act like fingers in a clenched fist to achieve a common destiny.
I craft my message here to the Hippos out of power and the intellectual Hippos standing on the sidelines. I say step up, stand up and be counted with the youth. Know that they are the only ones who can unchain us from the cages of our own hateful ethnic politics. Only they can liberate us from the curse of religious sectarianism. They are the ones who can free us from our destructive ideological conflicts. They are the ones who can emancipate us from the despair and misery of dictatorship. We need to reach, teach and preach to the Cheetahs to free their minds from mental slavery and help them develop their creative powers.
We must reach out to the Cheetahs using all available technology and share with them our knowledge and expertise in all fields. We must listen to what they have to say. We need to understand their views and perspectives on the issues and problems that are vital to them. It is a fact that we have for far too long marginalized the youth in our discussions and debates. We are quick to tell them what to do but turn a deaf ear to what they have to say. We lecture them when we are not ignoring them. Rarely do we show our young people the respect they deserve. We tend to underestimate their intelligence and overestimate our abilities and craftiness to manipulate and use them for our own cynical ends. In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to reach out and touch the youth.
We must teach the youth the values that are vital to all of us. Hajj Mohamed Seid has warned us that without unity, we have nothing. “If there is no country, there is no religion. It is only when we have a country that we find everything.” That is why we must teach the youth they must unite as the children of Mother Ethiopia, and reject any ideology, scheme or effort that seeks to divide them on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, language, region or class. We must teach to enlighten, to uncover and illuminate the lies and proclaim the truth. It is easier for tyrants and dictators to rob the rights of youth who are ignorant and fearful. “Ignorance has always been the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of tyrants.” Nelson Mandela has taught us that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Educating and teaching the youth is the most powerful weapon in the fight against tyranny and dictatorship. In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to teach the Cheetahs to fight ignorance and ignoramuses with knowledge, enlightenment and intelligence.
We must also preach the way of peace, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, accountability and transparency. No man shall make himself the law. Those who have committed crimes against humanity and genocide must be held to account. There shall be no state within the state. Exercise of one’s constitutional rights should not be criminalized. Might does not make right! In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to preach till kingdom come.
We need to find ways to link Ethiopian Diaspora youth with youth in Ethiopia in a Chain of Destiny. Today, we see a big disconnect and a huge gulf between young Ethiopians in the Diaspora and those in Ethiopia. That is partly a function of geography, but also class. It needs to be bridged. We need to help organize and provide support to Ethiopian Diaspora youth to link up with their counterparts in Ethiopia so that they could have meaningful dialogue and interaction and work together to ensure a common democratic future.
The challenges facing Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation are enormous, but we must do all we can to prepare the youth to take leadership roles in their future. We need to help them develop a formal youth agenda that addresses the wide range of problems, challenges and issues facing them. All we need to do is provide them guidance, counsel and advice. The Cheetahs are fully capable of doing the heavy lifting if the Hippos are willing to carry water to them.
Ethiopian Youth Must Lead a National Dialogue in Search of a Path to Peaceful Change
I have said it before and I will say is again and again. For the past year, I have been talking and writing about Ethiopia’s inevitable transition from dictatorship to democracy. I have also called for a national dialogue to facilitate the transition and appealed to Ethiopia’s youth to lead a grassroots and one-on-one dialogue across ethnic, religious, linguistic and religious lines. I made the appeal because I believe Ethiopia’s salvation and destiny rests not in the fossilized jaws of power-hungry Hippos but in the soft and delicate paws of the Cheetahs. In the Year of the Cheetahs, I plead with Ethiopia’s youth inside the country and in the Diaspora to take upon the challenge and begin a process of reconciliation. I have come to the regrettable conclusion that most Hippos are hardwired not to reconcile. Hippos have been “reconciling” for decades using the language of finger pointing, fear and smear, mudslinging and grudge holding. But Cheetahs have no choice but to genuinely reconcile because if they do not, they will inherit the winds of ethnic and sectarian strife.
In making my plea to Ethiopia’s Cheetahs, I only ask them to begin an informal dialogue among themselves. Let them define national reconciliation as they see it. They should empower themselves to create their own political space and to talk one-on-one across ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender, regional and class lines. I underscore the importance of closing the gender gap and maximizing the participation of young women in the national reconciliation conversations. It is an established social scientific fact that women do a far superior job than men when it comes to conciliation, reconciliation and mediation. Dialogue involves not only talking to each other but also listening to one another. Ethiopia’s Cheetahs should use their diversity as a strength and must never allow their diversity to be used to divide and conquer them.
Up With Ethiopian Cheetahs!
Africans know all too well that hippos (including their metaphorical human counterparts) are dangerous animals that are fiercely territorial and attack anything that comes into their turf. Every year more people are killed by hippos (both the real and metaphorical ones) in Africa than lions or elephants. Cheetahs are known to be the fastest animals, but their weakness is that they give up the chase easily or surrender their prey when challenged by other predators including hyenas. A group of hippos is known as a crash. A group of cheetahs is called a “coalition”. Only a coalition of cheetahs organized across ethnic, religious, linguistic and regional lines can crash a crash of hippos and a cackle of hyenas and save Ethiopia.
In this Year of Ethiopian Cheetahs, I expect to make my full contribution to uplift and support Ethiopia’s youth and to challenge them to rise up to newer heights. I appeal to all of my brother and sister Hippos to join me in this effort. As for the Cheetahs, I say, darkness always give way to light. “It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars.” Ethiopia’s Cheetahs must be strong in spirit and in will. As Gandhi said, “Strength does not come from physical capacity”, nor does it come from guns, tanks and war planes. “It comes from an indomitable will.” Winston Churchill must have learned something from Gandhi when he said, “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” Ethiopian Cheetahs must never give in!
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:
