The author retrieved this old article from the files and republished it because the same things are happening even when we changed the disastrous regime of Kulmiye-1.

Unfortunately K2 manifested itself as K-1 thus 1+2 =1!

Choosing the wrong people to lead:
In Somaliland, It is evident that ‘Guulwadeen’ and clan based considerations has elected so many incompetent and corrupt leaders without giving thought the consequences of this choice. As a result of this clan driven act we ended up to choose bad leaders and the bad leaders’ sequentially chooses bad government operators; on the other hand there are good people from the clan but for obvious reasons they are not attractive. The clannish  ‘Guulwade’ is more attractive!!
The leadership of the nation will not achieve a commendable height if unqualified clan based “Guulwadayaal” are appointed into political offices while alienating and avoiding the best and brightest of the nation. We did the former! People who will not be driven by corruption; who will set examples in honest and decent behaviors, who will step down voluntarily when his time is up, or when it becomes evident that he is no longer needed, are those who can lead a (lucky) a viable nation.. Without such committed efforts and partnership, the battle for Somaliland’s future is misplaced.
Oh lord, make us not a trial for what our follies do and do not, and for what we the people do and not do. Our elected and not elected representatives sold the faith and trust they owe for Somaliland and for Allah. They sold their own solemn pledged word for a small price.
Oh lord, save us from obstinacy, ignorance and the inability to learn from our mistakes. We did it in 1960. We paid blood and treasure for that mistake. We are doing similar mistakes now!
Oh lord we seek refuge from oligarchies of K-1 and K2 and their goons, and sycophants.
Oh lord, lead us to what is right and turn us away from what is wrong.
Oh lord, we seek your mercy. To deserve your mercy lead us to know the right thing from the sinful wrong thing. We are deeply indulged in the wrong!

Our quest for Recognition:

“Recognition comes from within, from inside. It is all local. It is cooked locally then the finished product can be taken to outside markets to sell. To realize this, the government must first believe in the CAUSE and put the right people in charge of this task. Somaliland must establish a functioning democracy, rule of law and good governance. This will bear fruit only when the people are UNITED and are CONNECTED to their government and when their government is connected to them. There is a disconnection instead!  The government must be of the people and for the people and not an oligarchy entity. When the people running the government are qualified and capable, and lastly when the government attributes to the above mentioned virtues and principles of good governance then such government has a beef in the sandwich they are selling which is Recognition. That finished product is then sellable, ready for packaging and marketing.” (From an earlier article by the same author)
Selling your solemn plighted word:
“For those who sell the faith they owe to Allah and to their own solemn plighted word for a small price, they shall have no portion in the Hereafter: nor will Allah deign or speak to them or look at them on the Day of Judgment; neither will He cleans them of sin.  They shall have a grievous chastisement.” (Alomran-77)

This means that all our duties to our follow citizens to our people are referred to the service and faith we owe to Allah. Is it becoming that we should be counterfeit to our own work, to ourselves and to our people?

Being untrue to our selves is being untrue to our follow creatures, to our people and it is but a miserable price. We get at best something very miserable as the price for selling our owe souls.

Lately the Representatives of the people whom their term has long time ago expired are still there looking for an extension in exchange of giving an extension to the executive branch’ Forget about the “Guurti,” they are there forever and together, the TRIO will be there to help themselves as long as Somaliland could sustain them!

The trio made their solemn pledge or plighted word for a small price, and by doing this Allah told us that such people shall have no Portion in the hereafter neither will Allah speak to them or look at them on the Day of Judgment nor will he cleans them of their sin. (walciyaadu billaah) What they are doing is that serious, but they see not. Neither do they fully understand of the consequences of what they do and sometimes do not?

If the ‘trio’ do not change, and unlikely they will change what they do and are doing then Somaliland is doomed, God forbid.

“Our lord, we have wronged our own souls and if thou forgive us not and bestow not us thy mercy, we shall certainly be lost”

If we use our remarkable ability which we use to loll and use “Guulwadayaal” for undesired government propaganda against godly and good causes like uniting the people and not alienating our best and brightest which even  exceeded our chronic ignorance, we would have taken Somaliland to somewhere, long time ago!

The government and the opposition do not seriously recognize what is at stake; otherwise they would have recognized the importance of consultation and the importance of building ties and communications. The two organizations did not conduct a single dialogue and did not engage each other! Each one sees the other as the enemy, more so by the government operatives!
They have an underlying and growing mistrust of the other’s intentions. Such mistrust is corrosive, radiating even well-intentioned deeds and initiatives in a negative light and in this Somaliland validity, integrity and her cause will be weakened as a result.

One problem is that neither entity is confident that it understands how the other sees the future of Somaliland and the future of their relationship. Each side, senses distrust in the other. The real reasons for that attitude are lack of communications and consultations. So, how can they separate propaganda efforts designed to manipulate their end against the other from serious and sincere national concerns?

Conclusion:
However as Liu Binyan said ‘’Smashing a mirror is no way to make an ugly person beautiful nor is it a way to make social problems evaporate’’ If we continue to mention the havoc bad leadership has caused without suggesting and implementing solutions, then we are making another big mistake, we are just smashing the mirror. The election and appointment of leaders should be done after credible analysis and consideration of merit based short-listed candidates even in the clan web, for example

We must not look out alibis from  here and there, we must change our selves and move forward with viable ideas and ideals guided by moral compass which we cannot find from ‘Guulwadayaal’ but can be found from our best and brightest. The later is alienated now while the former is running our affairs disgracefully, wrongly..

The country and our sacrosanct cause of our independence, sovereignty and quest for a recognized Somaliland could only be achieved, preserved and protected when we become united as a solid cement structure, like we were during SNM liberation endeavors but we are not there now! We are seriously divided and moving different and opposite directions and that is worrisome indeed!
If we are not in the same page in who we are and what goals and aspirations we pursue, we are lost. If we are not of the same page of what is the right thing to do for our affairs locally and internationally and if we are not UNITED, we are doomed!

“Oh lord, in thee do we trust, and to thee do we turn in repentance: to thee is our final return.” So lead us and bestows us your mercy to find the right path and the right people for  they are indeed intertwined.

However peace and prayers

Ibrahim M Mead

Director Somaliland watch group

Ottawa, Canada