Open Letter To Somaliland Parliamentarians‎‎

By Ibrahim Jibah Ismail

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As you have undertaken the responsibility of our country and people, I believe you will succeed in creating laws that will govern the entire country and benefit our people in terms of education, health, employment and reconstitution of the infrastructure. As you may be aware, there is little help coming from the international community to ameliorate the plight and the conditions of our people.

As we move forward to rebuild our institutions and the infrastructure, we will be confronting many difficulties. This will not deter you from taking the country forward. The greatest obstacle is lack of recognition from the international community which would lead to the assistance needed for this endeavor. This is a heavy load we are carrying. It's not the load that breaks us down, it's the way we are carrying it.

The load is the current situation of domestic politics of Somaliland and its relationship to foreign policy which is an extreme overburden load that is breaking our back. As you may be aware, there are no independent actors that will facilitate this dichotomy of interdependences. As the concept of our sovereignty and independence have come under attack in recent years, the idea that this present government might have a discrete set of actions (let alone strategies) for dealing with the outside world has come to seem anachronistic, and even naive.

The very division between home and abroad, domestic and foreign, inside and outside has to be brought in question. The general relationship between domestic and foreign policy is enormous, although they are not identical. The most sweeping interpretation of the idea of domestic sources is that which sees foreign policy as primarily generated from within. A more realistic approach to the domestic sources of foreign policy is to build the concept of the two level game,   in which   CHIEF   of Governments are seen as playing politics simultaneously on two level boards, the domestic and international foreign policy in which Somaliland is not now capable.

This brings us to the fishing rights given to the Yemenis and Egyptians without benefit guarantees to our people, contributing to the high unemployment levels in the country. I sincerely hope that this Parliament should take steps to investigate why these rights are given to these and other countries, such as the Arab League, who are opposed to our recognition as an independent state. According to the international consensus, representatives from the EU and the Asian countries informed us during the 2005 Somaliland Convention that our recognition is political and is being blocked by the AU and the Arab League, who supported Siad Barre and now are promoting the warlord Abdillahi Yussuf who was manufactured in Kenya. Other well known examples of the blocking of Somaliland recognition include the stopping of exportation of Somaliland livestock to Saudi Arabia to strangle the economy to force Somaliland to stay with the failed union of Somalia. The Somaliland Parliament should consider how to circumvent the Arab League manipulation and their cruelty to our people and country. We must knock on every door in the international community, whether it be North America, South America, Eastern and Western Europe and Asian countries and even take our case to the World Court.

It is essential and imperative that Somaliland develop a strong foreign policy and rethink the value of having a legal lobbyist at the UN, the EU, and the AU to facilitate the repair of our country’s failed foreign policy. I hope these suggestions should be taken into consideration and be debated in the Somaliland Parliament.

The Somaliland Parliament must not delay in speaking out to prevent running the risk of another 46 years of abuse and neglect. We must stand up to reclaim and redeem our democratic rights as an independent nation. I am very much reminded of the story of the Jackal who ate the leather straps of the camel as the village was preparing to move to a new pasture. “Dacawgii Wuxuu Yidhi, Walee Reer Aan Ogahay Ma Guuro. The Jackal said, “The village I know will never move to depart.” The present Parliament of Somaliland must choose to move the country forward before the Jackal consumes all the leather straps that secure our ability to move ahead to recognition and prosperity.

Respectfully Submitted,

Ibrahim Jibah Ismail

Oakland, California

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