Somaliland Is A Nation Of Transition

by Hassan Hirsi

Anyone who read a ridiculous article recently posted on Hiiraan Online, entitled "Somaliland: The Myth of Clan-Base Statehood" by Ali Ismail (Barud) is probably amazed with the author's lack of knowledge about Somaliland's history. Ali Ismail in his hypothesis attempted to put forward a case against the Republic of Somaliland to undermine the nation's self-determination. However, his hatred and animosity toward the people of Somaliland has been revealed in his article. Obviously, he is jealous of the success and progress that Somalilanders have accomplished by themselves for the last eleven years without any foreign assistance whatsoever. Ali Ismail has to only take a look at his own country. A country that is synonymous with never-ending warlordism. His plan to divide our people into little groups of clans would not work but will unite us.

Mr. Ismail's prejudice against Somaliland has led him to distort and misrepresent Somaliland's case for independence. Some of the reasons he cited for Somaliland's independence were: 1.If Djibouti can stay away from the horror and miserable situation of Somalia, why can't we? 2. That they are not ethnically Somali but from Arabia. 3. That they were marginalized and brutalized by the South.

To answer his ridiculous and pitiful reasons, first of all these are his own, made-up reasons, and not the reasons on which Somalilanders base their independence. Now let me try to shed some light on his points:

Somalilanders supported Djibouti in determining its own future. We would not get into their business, that is not our character, on the contrary, it is the character of Southern Somali groups. We do not have to answer or explain our self-determination to anyone, particularly to someone like him.
Somalilanders are who they are, and no one on this earth can deny that. They are a people who live in a free nation, a peaceful country whose citizens have full rights of which Mr. Ismail can only dream. We are not Arabs but Somalilanders who transited peacefully from a clan-based system to a multiparty system. If you were not aware of this, now take note for future references.
Yes, indeed, Somalilanders were marginalized by greedy Southern dominated administrations. Immediately after the merger of the two nations took place, the new government implemented a plan to allocate 100% of all government projects and investments to the Southern part of the country, while the Northern part of the country were neglected with zero allocation of any projects. The dictatorial government of Mohamed Siyad Barre used all its mighty power to destroy Somaliland's towns and cities. They systematically tried to eliminate the existence of one Somaliland clan. But eventually their house of cards collapsed. We, Somalilanders, have reconciled our differences in the traditional Somali culture and customs and now we live in peace, the product of our traditional values; on the contrary, Somalia has turned into a home for cannibals who consume their own kin's flesh in daylight.

The merger between Somaliland and Somalia which Mr. Ismail called "a union" wasn't born in the manner he explained. That shows a deficiency in Mr. Ismail's knowledge of Somali history. The merger was completely one sided, it was overwhelmingly to the benefit of the south. We took the nation of Somaliland to the South in order to initiate the foundation and base of a future Somaliweyn nation; an idea that Southerners killed and buried in the late 40's when they opted to be an Italian colony, instead of uniting with the rest of the Somali people under one colony and gain independence as one nation on a later day. If they had the capacity of understanding and foreseeing the future, they would have chosen to vote for Somaliweyn, in which all Somalis would have been administered by UK until independence as one nation. Mr. Ismail forgets to mention that, didn't he? Or maybe he did not know this at all?

Mr. Ismail created a new Somali lineage in the Somali clan system, just as his hero Siyad Barre did during his reign. No need to mention Somaliland's clans; however, if one reads Mr. Ismail's article, it is clear that the clans he mentioned are categorized incorrectly or do not exist at all. His claim that only one Somaliland subclan is holding back the rest of Somaliland's clans is laughable. Mr. Ismail clearly needs a reality check. If he reviews the make- up of Somaliland's administration, he will find that Somaliland's clans are fairly represented in both houses of Parliament and all key ministerial positions.

Mr. Ismail, your statement that Hawiye clan members had contributed financially to the SNM, is fine with us and we are grateful to them if it is true, and we have nothing against Hawiye or any other Somali clan. We have reconciled our differences with all Somali clans, and we have put the past behind us. We are moving forward and now we are at a stage where neither you nor anyone else can distract us from obtaining our objectives. Mr. Ismail's indication that Siyad Barre's actions against the Somaliland people were regrettable is not genuine and he does not mean it, therefore, we do not want his pity. To blame the victims for the murder and crime committed against them is a cheap and offensive shot. Mr. Ismail call it whatever you like, but we fought against one of the best equipped armies in Africa that was also financed by every Arab country, and we whipped their behind. Did you forget the "Loo ma ooyaan", the poor creatures whose corpses were left for the hyenas.

Marxuun Maxamed Xaji Ibraahim Cigal, has left us and no need to smear his good name . No Southerner dared to say a thing about him when he was alive, and now that he is gone, it is cowardly to refer to him in a negative manner. Somaliland is a multiparty system and all parties are based on ideology and principle, members join the party whose principles they share. Just visit each party's website and checkout their objectives and the composition of their members. That is if you have what it takes to face the facts. Do you have the guts to acknowledge the reality of our progress?

Mr. Ali Ismail, the reality is that we do not want to be with you and we do not want to share anything with you. Who in their right mind would want to associate with you people given what you have done and continue to do? Not us. Now which part of the " not" you do not understand? You need to mind your own business and channel you energy toward the betterment of your country. Instead of running around and begging foreign countries to host endless reconciliation conferences, why don't you come up with your own plan and settle your differences. Mr. Ismail, what is next for you? Once Eldoret fails, what are you going to do? Ask Uganda to host the next reconciliation conference? Or Tanzania? May be Burundi or Nigeria? Does this mean that every African country will have to host a reconciliation conference for you? When are you going to stop? When are you going to say, "enough is enough?

Somaliland is not Somalia, it is a nation in transition to a multiparty political system where individuals join the political party of their choice; on the other hand Somalia is still waiting for a foreign nation to decide its faith. What a difference a well-used mind can make!!

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