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SOMALI CRISIS: LET US SOLVE IT THIS WAY

“The trouble with Somalia- the violence-wracked Horn of Africa nation, basically revolves around the raging leadership row.

It is both pathetic and unfortunate that for the last 19 years, leaders in Somalia, in a vicious cycle of events, have continually been imposed on the citizenry by the superpowers, a situation that has not only been counter-productive to the detriment of the people, but which has failed miserably to yield positive results and create lasting peace.

The chief executives of Somalia who have been imposed on the frustrated, disillusioned and helpless citizens have always found it prudent to dance to the whims of the big powers in the West, (and with unswerving loyalty), for their own survival, lest they get stripped of their royalty, and made to tumble down from the pinnacle of their oval offices within a blink of an eye!

Which is why all the leaders in this chaotic and troubled state have, much to the disappointment of its citizens and many in the world, failed to find a panacea to the Somalia crisis?

The crisis has continued unabated on and on, and, like The Sword of Damocles, suspicion, hostility, mistrust, uncertainty and fear have hang over the heads of the people of Somalia.

Peace has been as elusive in Somalia as the scattered stars in the skies!

AN IDEAL LEADER

How can an ideal leader be found in Somalia?

First and foremost, Somalia needs a visionary and strategy-laden leader who strictly adheres to the cardinal tenets of transparency, accountability, patriotism, good governance and one with the creativity of conceiving great, fresh and noble ideas geared towards transforming Somalia into an ideal nation.

A committee of elders, the religious fraternity, scholars and business people should be established to offer guidance and direction to where the ideal Somali leader should emanate.

The committee members should not be driven by greed, unbridled ambition for power and should be absolutely free of tribalism, nepotism, regionalism and egocentricity (selfishness).

The committee should be tasked with the noble responsibility of inviting the Somali business community the world over for a massive fund-raising meeting, within or outside the country.

All the Somali business community drawn from the large to the smaller social status will have to be invited for the funds-drive.

However, those who skip the function owing to unavoidable circumstances will have to channel their donations to emissaries assigned by the committee members to collect funds.

The emissaries should stalk the entire world like a colossus, collecting money from Somali traders– right from the vegetable-seller to the diamond-seller, and everybody else around the world.

With that concluded the committee whose members should be of high integrity after thorough vetting for transparency and accountability purposes, will then identify members of the future Somali government.

They will have to work hammer-and-tongs, locating members of the Somali future government and individuals for leadership, be it as a member of the cabinet, parliament, the president and the prime minister.

Subsequently, the committee will bring on board professionals to write a new constitution devoid of tribalism, nepotism and clannish tendencies. This set of laws should be based on Islamic principles.

Soon after, the committee members will begin brooding over the structure of the government.

The appointments of the members of parliament, the President, the Prime Minister and the cabinet official’s should be strictly on merit.

And before the appointments are made, the Judicial system, and all the administrative institutions should be put in place to ensure transparency, accountability, sound governance, respect for human rights, strengthening of the democratic culture and restoration of the rule of law.

The committee members should place the mechanism of governance under microscopic scrutiny; thoroughly, closely, surely and with an eye for detail the way a serious scientist studies a specimen.

It is of paramount importance for a proper scrutiny of the mechanism for establishing the parliament, the institutions of the presidency and the Prime Minister, the cabinet as well as the laws and the by-laws.

Before bringing any structure into force, the committee members have to work towards the establishment of a strong security apparatus to make the government function effectively.

The forces, drawn from the military and the police, should be appropriately and heavily- equipped with all the logistical requirements.

With a strong force in place, the committee members should then embark on the process of selecting members of parliament, the President, the Prime Minister and later the cabinet.

Those selected should be people with an unquestionable track record and of high public standing.

They should be people who can fulfill and shape the country’s agenda, vision and aspirations to the mark, and who cannot betray Somalia and her people.

Against the backdrop of the shaping of this ideal agenda for Somalia, the international community deserves sheer commendation for its indefatigable efforts in resolving the raging crisis.

For the last 19 years, the international community has been directing humanitarian assistance to Somalia and facilitating Peace and Reconciliation conferences and Somalis are grateful over this gesture.

But unfortunately, the situation seems to be worsening by the day owing to cases of persistent killings, wanton destruction and displacement of thousands of innocent citizens.

One glaring fact is that the international community does not tackle the crisis in Somalia with a united or integrated approach.

The donor community that is involved in the Somalia crisis is torn apart by different interests and agendas, and it is for this reason that the international community is unable to nip the crisis in the bud.

The committee members should be in a position to impress upon the international community on the need for the indigenous Somalis to handle the restructuring job in their native country themselves.

To ward off conflict of interests among the donor community, Somalis should deal directly with the United States of America so that the agonizing crisis afflicting our beloved country is solved once and for all.

However, other Western states should be free to continue offering humanitarian assistance in Somalia, or any other form of assistance. All this should be in line with the existing structure of the current establishment.

Noor Elmi Halane
warsan54@gmail.com

Faafin: SomaliTalk.com //

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