(A New Era of Change is in Motion)
by Mohamed O. Eyow
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
With passion and pride, this week, Somalis wherever they live are celebrating to mark the 52th anniversary of their sovereignty. More than half a century; Somali people still struggle to retrieve their lost dignity in the international community. Unlike the past twenty years; this time, ostensibly in different mode fraught of hope, love and nostalgia.
Watching to solar-powered lampposts illuminated on, once rubble and waste littered streets in the capital, having a look at brilliant faces of Somali kids and their friendly parents relaxing at the glamorous sand-beaches in Mogadishu.
Glimpsing at Somali athletes exercising rehearsal practices; longing to outshine in upcoming London Olympics; having read, for the first time in twenty years; the news report of ministerial missions from a Somali Government heading to regional districts to reassure local people, bolster security or help building provincial governors. No doubt a new era of change is in horizon. Thanks to unreserved steadfastness and heroism of the African peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives to the cause of peace in Somalia.
As people rejoicing with the expulsion of villainous Alshabaab group away from the capital and major key cities. The flame of wars subsided; drought hit and malnourished victims are steadily recovering from the grip of famine.
After two decades of lawlessness, mayhem and unprecedented slaughter in Somali history, the country is not only rising from the ashes of civil-wars, but also taking resilient pace towards lasting peace and better future.
Transitional period is coming closer to an end in August; as reunion talks with breakaway northern regions are in full swing. The nation desperately needs this time new elite of patriotic, visionary, moral and well experienced leadership.
Leaders that can understand the social, political and cultural posture of Somali people, leaders with patience and prudent mentality capable to handle unusual tenacity and egotism ingrained in Somali psyches.
Leaders whose faith and consciences outgrown all sorts of isms. We may not need an obsolete autocracy or divisive theocratic system of ruling; to my view, Somalis need today social democracy with strong centralized institutions and independent judiciary system; because we are a tiny nation and our social life is structured on nomadic ethnicity which can be easily influenced and dismantled into smaller entities..
As presidential campaign gets its crucial moment before August elections, I come across the candidacy of certain elements whose political record and credibility are falling short to the least level of statesmanship.
Some candidates are affiliate members of religious groups and do not possess minimum experience in running political or public management offices. All presidential contenders whose ambition is to run such a high profile office should refer to aminarts.com polling survey. The diagram result clearly reflects every one’s competency and merits among voters.
Now, though we have seen twenty years of anarchy and everybody suffered immensely the painful incidents of statelessness, though we have witnessed the fragile clan institution which turned to be a lamentable source of discord and divisive policies, it seems that we still continue to retain the wretched clan allegiance in the strategy to form country’s political landscape.
We need to take advantage of this opportunity to mend our house anew and get rid of barbarism and blinded tribal biases; we have to revisit the misery of last twenty years and refrain from any attempts remaking such reckless human mistakes.
Our northern brothers and sisters lived in peace and suffered less than southern people. Thanks to the elderly leadership and strong passion to the inherited and unbiased traditional style of judgment.
However, northern people should cease the botched campaign of secessionism; the time is ripe and enough to stop unnecessary malicious propaganda among Somali people.
It is unfair for a one to unleash an indiscriminate culpability of the last century’s military regime crimes to his or her brothers and sisters in the south. It is time to forget and forgive. We have to accept each other and avoid our long adhered arrogance, hatred and preferentiality.
Though it is not proportionately comparable in the magnitude yet, Somali people are not worse than Cambodians, Sierra Leoneans or Rwandan people. In these countries millions have been perished in apparent genocide but none has ever pondered to dismantle his own country.
Mohamed O. Eyow
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