By Jama Adde
Monday, September 06, 2010
Much has already been said about the civil war in Somalia, which reminds us the painful daily tragedy in the country. If words alone built a country we would not have been in such a harsh situation thus far. The repetitive painful experience for the Somalis is due to the one-sided account every so-called political genius or expert in the situation has put forth without appreciating the other side of the reality.
An example is a recent article that emphatically pressed the Somalis to be left alone to sort out their differences by themselves in their own terms. While the title, “Leave Them Alone” sounds remarkable and appealing to the undifferentiating ears, it does not promise distinguished results. Aren’t these individuals similar to those who were calling for international interventions in the length of the civil war? What has changed about the impartial intervention? When the Somalis were left alone to settle their differences in the past, the results were no less than civilian losses and atrocities against humanity. If the idea of being left alone stood the test of time, the country would have been in a much better shape by now.
It is growing to be more problematic and incredulous to trust anyone nowadays about the reality of what should and should not be done in Somalia to bring a lasting peace. As individuals with vague political agendas are growing marginally wide in numbers, we have to be very cautious to take things for granted and must actively participate to see through it. It is an unarguable fact that Somalia belongs to Somalis, but it may appears a far-fetched tale that the Somalis with decent hearts who have the ability or the means to recuperate from the murky mindset soon are needed to promote and foster an overall genuine participation. Their ability to lift the country from the rift and the agony appears to make no difference without the ordinary individuals—as the promises made in the past are still overdue.
Therefore, it is the time for all Somalis to start sacrificing on an individual basis, set the existing differences aside and accept the reality as it is to reach a common ground.
Now the only choices left is to allow nature take its course to set the ground rules for the country and embrace whatever the outcome, or support the international intervention to subdue all the ragtag spoilers, which may or may not bear quick positive results. The purpose of the article is to remind the Somalis that we are running out of choices and out of time to resuscitate the country and salvage what is left over.
Jama Adde
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