Mohamed G Qayad
Sunday, February 15, 2009
I will pray for its success. But we have to review what tumbled historically earlier transitional governments and the national Somali government in 1991. Both of these states had very common enemy against the principles of governance and unity of a nation.
The last national government started to decline when greed, clan loyalty and group interest took precedence over the common interest and needs of the population, which became the dominant theme for recruiting the enemies of the nation. Such climate weakened our nationalism at the leadership and population levels, and encouraged egregious conduct of the nation’s business with impunity, morally and legally. We are all aware what happened after that. Those of us who are still hailing the notorious consequences of stateless must seek psychiatric treatment before they face the court of almighty Allaha.
The earlier transitional governments followed the same course that collapsed our nation. I guess they didn’t know any other way to proceed, or lack alternative experiences, or had misunderstanding of the rules to run a nation. Each of the earlier transitional governments tried to broaden the clan-base of the TFG to satisfy each clan, which is the genesis of the continuous failures. It is absurd to hope that the notion that collapsed our nation will bring success. In addition, reaching the power to promote foreign agenda was the major miscalculations that lead to their failures. There is misunderstanding of what the population is yearning for by those who are interested to further their personal interest and dancing in the current political theatre. The population needs peace, first and foremost, to build their livelihood that you are destroying every time they compose it. They don’t care about your membership in the parliament or cabinet and your perverted thinking. The clans that you think you represent know that you are there for yourself and for their destruction. As long as you, TFG members, are entertaining and accepting that mental status, you won’t reach even your own interest goals, let alone the interest of the people. I hope you will change the course before it gets too late for you, as members, and for the nation if you still have any political future.
I am also afraid that the current formed transitional government is repeating the same mistakes that the earlier ones made. Although, from the pragmatic point of view, it is understandable why we have a parliament of above 500 members, to satisfy clan culture can not be compatible with the rules of a government, particularly when the population is looking for leadership that captures their imagination and fills the void dimension in their livelihood. In addition, earlier TFGs cared about their own power and tried to keep it through any means necessary. They did so by forwarding foreign agenda and using foreign power. The current TFG should not follow that path. The foreign agenda used against the Islamic union courts failed. A similar agenda against the Shabaab will not succeed.
Here my advice for the current TFG:
1. Do not alienate the Shabaab and the other opposing factions, otherwise a prolonged war may ensue
2. Give the Shabaab to the Defence Ministry and the army forces for the transitional period to build trust among all opposing factions
3. Give the Islamic Courts to the police force and the courts till a trust between the factions is reached
4. Never use foreign forces to subdue other Somali oppositions
5. Do not group the clans as pro and against TFG, this is what brought us here today and certainly will restart another disaster
6. Show that you care about the nation and the people by abandoning certain decisions to your favour for the sake of the nation
7. Engage the Shabaab and be magnanimous to meet their needs to avoid any armed conflict again
8. Let your opposition realize that you don’t care about your power but for the wellbeing of the masses and the nation
9. Be kind to the population and do not put them another burden that they can not carry
For the shabaab and the other opposing factions, here is my advice:
- Do not make an outright opposition to the TFG
- Try to reach a memorandum of agreement with the TFG, they are not Ethiopians or other enemies but your country men
- Do not use your guns but open you minds for negotiation and prepare to give some and take some
- Be kind to the population and do not put them another burden that they can not carry
- Broaden your religious understanding. You claim that you are mu’mineen. We expect your behaviour to match that.
One of the factors perpetuating our conflict is using Ministerial posts that each clan wants to occupy. Here is a way to abandon it all and make a functioning government. In stead of using Ministers create committees, such as: economic committee, planning committee, finance committee, health committee and etc. Each committee will consist of intellectuals who are cable and experienced in their field. Each committee will elect a chairman with one-year term and then rotate among the members in the committee. I am just proposing the elimination of that level of government, not the other levels below or above it. We will only have a President and a Prime-Minister who chairs the committee chairs. In that way, no one will fight for a Ministerial position. I hope this will demagnetize the ministerial attraction force that put us into this endless cycle of violence and greed.
I hope the Somali people will get a brake from the suffering caused by mindless individuals who closed their ears and eyes from enlightening advices. I also hope that the current TFG will follow my humble advice for its own and our success.