By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye
Suppressing ideas never succeeds and make them go away…America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world even if we disagree with them ,and we will welcome all elected peaceful governments provided they govern with respect for all of their people…this last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power ,once in power they are ruthless and suppress the rights of others… you must maintain your power through consent not coercion … participate with spirit of tolerance and compromise. You must place the interest of your people and the legitimate working of the political process above your party. With these ingredients ?elections alone don’t make true democracy (US president’s Speech to Muslim World)
These are some wise statements of President Obama of America in his speech in Cairo to Muslim World Somaliland included.
When a great president of high integrity like Obama Hussien makes speech, people of all walks of life sit back and listen and use it as guiding principle in their lives to most of world population. (There are some disagreements and exceptions based on different civilizations).
however; reading the above quote from the US president all over again and again and comparing to omnipotent Silanyo if he met any of it, it’s quite certain that he is far from meeting iota of the guide, rather he is opposite of rule of law, then everyone gets disappointed and frustrated because how silly we were to be openly deceived by centenarian ageless misleader in 21 century in globalized world.
Obama’s riveting words, however, reminded me of how Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo’s false show of love for democracy and his crocodile tears for the press during his search of power went undetected but when he reached the power, he introduced us again as a new figure with his intrinsic totalitarianism : Ahmed Silanyo( or the Serpent) dropped anyone who worked with him and replaced them with cousins, nieces , and in-laws“ you Adams the Black, take Hargaiesa Airport, President Silanyo says, you Adam the Red, take Berbera’s revenues, where is Adams, the Yellow? Take Road Construction Movie industry “ I mandated you to collect money not just from the deprived society here burnt by Africa’s cruel sun compounded by the global warming but also the laborer people in the UK and Norway, is there any Adams, be green or .., left behind? on the other hand, when it comes nonmonetary issues which sound insignificant to them like May 18, the organizers are all non-Adam affiliates. So what Adams are busy for? Engaged in wholesale looting?
Mr. Silanyo has shown his true color: unrelenting crackdown on freedom of press, stifling any legitimate opposition voice or free press to loot in the blackout. He allowed the national TV to do certain commercials from certain firms for free as they backed him before and to become showbiz where his snapshots including swimming photos are played day in and day out to refute he is not “brain dead” before the overriding issues are broadcasted.
His inner circles from finance secretary to his chief cabinet are sheikhs or Imams by appearance, yet new dangerous dons proliferated recently to absorb bone marrow of poor masses dry! Some are highly skilled in doing so returned from the West determined and avowed to get filthy rich or die along the line. “As mining firms get in, I take some amount of xaqul Qalin or small charge—that is in the millions of US Dollars— without parliament’s notice or any other organ of government because I belong to Grey Adams of power of appointment! Does the Parliament need to be informed of? This is the paraphrasing of the utterances of the arrogant behavior of the Mining Minister whose absolute clout led the closure of leading Haatuf Newspaper after it published a news item about corruption scandal revealed unprecedented massive scale of multimillion dollar embezzlements ongoing.
Awil Duale former Finance Minister‘s swim in ocean of embezzlements tarnished the outgoing party UDUB, so electorates opted to vote for Ahmed having high expectations in him but he shrunk the lifetime of Somaliland, “… Isma doorin Gaalkaan diriyo, daarta kii galaye Dusha midabka Soomaalidaad, dugul ka mooddaaye Misna laguma diirsado qalbiga, waa dirkii Korale. (Nothing changed with the white man I rejected, and with those who replaced him. In surface appearance, Somalis,black in color they look but they bring misery to the heart, being the offspring of Carroll ( Commentary Somalia Issue, p 21) a poem by one of the greatest Somali poets of all time late Poet Ahmed Ismail Diriye known as “ Qaasin”
Berbera Seaport Revenue Authority which Silanyo vigorously criticized for being under the auspices of the presidential office not just kept as it was during Kahin’s reign but handed it to brutal hands in presidential compound without any auditor from finance ministry let alone run it.
Somaliland Road Authority, dysfunctional institution for lack of finance which has run by Sheikh from Hawiye because it is unwanted in the eyes of bloodsucking greedy thieves has been returned to the honest amasser, coterie collaborator and kinsman of who-love First family-up-to- death immediately after the EU announced 5 million Euros to finance infrastructure including roads. The Sheikh in charge was transferred to Information office to be a colleague with whom very little in common! Next time if Saudi Kingdom declares its donation of Zakat to Somaliland, the ministry of Religion won’t be as it is today but would go under… its needless to tell, if the ministry is with little budget is x tribe or theirs, but if it has shedload of funding, it’s ours! That is what Garadag set of Law Are for All commands or as his Green Book obliges. “ beeshu way ha raadoo” or the song title “ the clan became thirst” is put into practice ruthlessly but when will they satiate the insatiable monster in their belly? Guys when will you be satisfied? You sold the wild life, the national asset, the public buildings, rented the land for dubious firms, and leased the maritime resources for all-devouring trawlers from Asia. A major concern has been raised as a a result of overfishing that may lead local fishers to unable to catch enough stocks never mind future unborn generation to fish.
as many as three-quarters of total government vehicles became unserviceable within two years as ministers as well as their wives and children used them for personal errands. Many drove to Khat sessions and between cities in full view of Office of Public Transport. A ministry recently declared to auction hundreds of breakdown cars to potential buyers. it wants to whole-buy new ones to embezzle in the transaction.
10 million US dollar assigned for the reconstruction of Egal Airport gone to newly haphazardly formed company without any equipment or expertise to be rewarded for his 100,000 USD the owner gave to his uncle during the first attempt to reach power. Other companies are tax-exempt to get triple of what they paid during the campaign. Look at the constant ads breaks by so called national TV. What a superb national TV!
There is a fairytale about shepherd family of an Untouchables Tribe in Somalia. A sheep died naturally and the family man came late and saw the corpse lying not far and allured by the un-resistible delectable fatty meat in it, he said to his espouse “sweetie why not cut it into smaller pieces to eat?” “The Quran say it is forbidden to eat un-slaughtered animal…,” his wife said “that Book doesn’t know our interest, therefore; don’t abide it!” the same thing seem happening in Somaliland’s leading Office today. Similarly the constitution and rule of law don’t know their unlimited needs and wants. So they’ve to put aside all distractions and pack whatsoever is worthy from nails and hampers to stationeries until eviction occurs. Let them make the water well dry if they can satiate their bottomless bellies! That is by the by, the whole country is reduced to two mere parts: Berbera and parts of Hargaysa where westerners are led to believe militants overslept until their minister are sacked.
The government unleashed suppression and intimidation campaigns against mass media to undersell more “fake mining licenses to multiple firms the same block just to amass millions of dollars in the form of patent fees in the blackout.
