By: Abdiwali Mohamed Qarboobe**
Monday, September 27, 2010
I will like to congratulate the former Prime Minister of Somalia, Mr. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke for stepping down honorably. Credit must be given where it is due; Somalis and Africans in general are not accustomed to vacating position of power freely. In addition, I urge all Somalis to respect the office this man held. It is not the time to tarnish the man’s name or look into the mistakes his administration committed; it is time to move on and work on rebuilding a nation (again).
Recently, I have been monitoring the Somali websites regarding the next Somali Prime Minister. There is speculation that the next Prime Minister of Somalia will come from the Darood Clan-Family of Somalia. Nothing wrong with that, but what gives Darood this entitlement to this great position which I personally believe is more important than the President (some of you who are political science students may disagree with me and I welcome your rebuttal)? Is it because the current power sharing agreement is structured in the following way: Hawiye for President, Prime Minister for Darood and Digil iyo Mirefle for Speaker of the Parliment? Now I get it; this is why Darood have entitlement to this position (wink wink;). Does Darood know that 10M+ Somali citizens are expecting Somaliweyn to shine again? Does Darood know that there are 1M+ Internally Displaced People waiting to go back their homes? Does Darood know that entire generations of Somalis were lost the last twenty years? Does Darood know that I am second class citizen outside of Somalia and I will like to enjoy in peace in my homeland where I don’t have to worry about my children losing their religion, language, and culture? With all due respect, I don’t believe Darood or the individuals’ trying to occupy this office cares about the 10M+ Somalis and the million+ others fragmented in the globe.
What I believe is that there is an individual out there that have the qualifications and the expertise to say yes to all my questions and provide solutions (sorry to the pessimists). Unfortunately, that individual has yet to step up and show Somalis that he or she can lead us to a brighter future. Going forward, I will like each Somali Politician including the President, Prime Minister, and Member of Parliaments to have the following minimum requirements in order to hold an office (let’s call this the litmus test of Somali Politicians):
1) To be a good Muslim. To know that Allah has given him this responsibility over his people and that Allah will hold him accountable on the day off judgment for his actions; good or bad.
2) Have formal Education. Let’s be frank, this is not job where you learn the theory of governance on the job (Sorry Mr. President; I was not directly calling you out). You need to hit the ground running on day one!
3) Have the expertise of leading a nation. For example, one has to understand the field of commerce and economics. This is vital to a nation like Somalia as it rises from Ashes. Another filed of expertise will be jurisprudence whether is Sharia or civil.
4) Be consensus builder who meticulously, if not diligently, moves legislation along. Must understand that constructive opposition is good for the country; not oppress it. Opposition need to be embraced and used as tool to improve the country. After all, there is saying that “a man without an opposition is not man at all.”
5) Must prepare his sub-ordinates or protégés to the office (good succession plan)
To make use of a paragraph from previous article I wrote “When the weak (wrong) leads the strong (right)” we are in age where countries are positioning themselves to take center in world through breakthrough leadership and advancement of economy, medicine, and technology, but we as Somalis are in an age where we are positioning ourselves to put an individual(s) who do not have the leadership attributes on leadership positions. These nations that I speak of are states that have men/women who exemplify the true meaning of leadership. Examples are Chine, India, Brazil, Germany, and many others. These republics are states with long history and abundant resources such strong economy and strong recognition across the world, but they had revolution on the hierarchy of leadership. They are Hu Jintao, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Angel Merkel, respectively. About a decade ago, these nations with the exception of Germany were considered developing nations. However, their leaders or head of state demonstrated remarkable characteristics and qualities of leadership and their respected nations are now political powerhouses.
As you read above, I did not state any policies or gave advice about how to run the Somali government. I believe that is the responsibility of the Somali government and its people (that is if there is such a government). All I ask and pray for is to have a Prime Minister who embodies the above five (5) and more qualities.
Let’s pray that Allah helps us put suffering to end. Let’s pray that Allah takes us from darkness and shows us the light. Let’s pray that we Somalis and Muslims find in our hearts to forgive each other for the sins and atrocities we committed against each other.
Amiiiiiiiiiin.
**Abdiwali Mohamed Qarboobe, MST, owns his own accounting firm in Seattle and is a citizen-observer of Somali politics. He routinely writes about Somalia and can be reached by E-mail: [email protected]