KULMIYE’s Pandering To Domestic Interests

EDITORIAL

The burning of copies of Haatuf editions on October 13, 2006 in Buroa by a group of fanatics led by Mubaarag M. Diiriye, had unleashed a considerable furor within and outside Somaliland. The incident was condemned by the country’s two journalists association; the Somaliland Society For Independent Journalists and Writers and the Somaliland Journalists Association. Local media institutions, both private and public, editorialized their anger and outrage at the burning of the publication.

Commenting on the incident, the internet-based Awdalnews said “The truth haters can only burn papers but the truth will fly away with the wind”.

Condemnation also came from the opposition’s UCID (Justice and Welfare Party) and even from the Somaliland Administration which hardly a day goes by without it being criticized by Haatuf.

A number of international organizations and individuals involved in the defense and promotion of media freedom had either contacted the headquarters of Haatuf Media Network, which publishes both this newspaper and Haatuf, to voice concern or made public statements disapproving of the October 13 incident.

However the greatest source of consolation for our staff has been the tremendous amount of messages of support that kept arriving at the HMN headquarters and regional offices from Haatuf readers as well as from many other ordinary Somalilanders.

It is of course regrettable that the burning of the country’s leading independent daily has failed to evoke a response from none of the so many local organizations officially registered as forums for the advancement of such issues as good governance, civil liberties and human rights.

To our surprise, KULMIYE, the largest opposition party in the country, chose not to comment on the burning of Haatuf despite the obviously serious implications that the incident could have for the future of democracy in Somaliland. Not only that, the KULMIYE affiliated Somaliland.org news website fired its Hargeysa correspondent, Mohamed Diridhaba, for placing a report on the incident in the website. The news item was later removed, apparently by the website master who is understood to be close to KULMIYE top leaders. Instead, the website published allegations that Haatuf has been contracted to attack Buroa’s Islamists. Interestingly enough, allegations of similar nature were previously cited by the group that burned Haatuf as justification for their action.

The threats against Haatuf have been building up for sometime before it was burned on October 13 on the ground that the newspaper exposed the activities in Buroa of a militant religious group linked to Mogadishu’s Islamic Courts Union. The newspaper was also warned repeatedly, as publicly admitted by members of the group that carried out the burning, against the publication of any information deemed critical of the ICU or linking religious scholars to terrorism.

Aren’t these demands almost identical to the draconian rules of conduct for journalists that were distributed in Mogadishu by the ICU on October 8, 2006?

While we do not mind to be castigated by Somaliland.org and others for uncomprisingly adhering to our independence and professional integrity, however it is totally something else when the largest opposition party shirks its duties and obligations to democracy and the Somaliland public for the sake of pandering to a small domestic interest. That is unacceptable.

EDITORIAL: 2

Somaliland ’s Foreign Minister Is Right And His Critics Are Wrong

In the last few weeks, Somaliland’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdillahi Mohammed Duale was subjected to intense criticism from certain quarters for: (a) saying Somaliland is a secular country; (b) describing the Islamic Courts of Mogadishu as a threat to Somaliland and the Horn of Africa region, (c) promoting Somaliland’s relationship with Ethiopia. The intensity and persistence of the criticism, however, does not change the fact that the foreign minister is right on all three counts and his critics are wrong.

First the issue of secularism. The foreign minister’s critics have given a distorted interpretation to the word secular. They have translated the word to an Arabic word “cilmani”, then translated that Arabic word to Somali and said it means “someone without religion.” The foreign minister never said Somaliland’s government does not believe in religion. If we look at the interpretation of the word “secular” and how it is practiced in the real world, the only thing that can be safely said is that it varies, ranging from a strict separation between religion and state, to using a mix of religious, traditional and western derived laws. It was the latter meaning that the foreign minister probably had in mind when he used the word secular, as is the case in Somaliland.

Second, the foreign minister was correct to point out that the Islamic Courts of Mogadishu are a threat to Somaliland because they themselves have said that they are going to take over Somaliland. The latest statements confirming this policy was made by Hassan Turki, a member of the permanent committee of the Shura and the man in charge of the whole Jubba region. Other top leaders of Mogadishu’s Courts such as Hassan Dahir Aways and Adan Hashi Ayro have been implicated in the murder of expatriate workers in Somaliland. The Islamic Courts are also engaged in a concerted propaganda campaign against Somaliland, and are still using the fake video about Mohammad Ismail who is being held in Hargeysa’s jail for terrorist activities, as a recruiting tool.

Finally, with regard to strengthening relations with Ethiopia, the minister was executing the policies of Somaliland’s government. One of the main planks of this policy is to have good relations with Ethiopia. This policy is not something that the minister, or the current government, came up with, but is based on a consensus among Somalilanders that goes back to the SNM days.

It is true that many Somalilanders are alarmed by Ethiopia’s close relations with Abdillahi Yusuf. It is also true that many Somalilanders believe that Ethiopia benefits from the Somaliland-Ethiopian relationship more than Somaliland. But the foreign minister’s critics did not raise these concerns that are shared by many Somalilanders. Instead, they have attacked the very idea of having good relations with Ethiopia and are advocating that Somaliland consider Ethiopia as an extension of the Christian West and treat Ethiopia as an enemy. Most Somalilanders can easily see that this is not in Somaliland’s interest but is in the interests of Mogadishu’s terrorist courts.

By portraying Somaliland’s government as a bunch of godless atheists, depicting Ethiopia as an eternal enemy of Somaliland, and belittling the danger that Mogadishu’s courts pose to Somaliland, the foreign minister’s critics are clearly not out to defend Somaliland but are either wittingly (in the case of the radical Islamists) or unwittingly (in the case of the politically naïve) promoting the agenda of Mogadishu’s Islamic Courts. Which brings us to the crux of the matter. The radical Islamists who have accused the foreign minister of treason are actually the ones who are serving the interests of alien entities such as Mogadishu’s terrorist Courts.

The Somaliland Times has had many differences with Mr. Abdillahi Mohammed Duale when he was the minister of information, much of which centered on his inability to disseminate Somaliland’s point of view to the international community and the foreign media. But in the short period since he became foreign minister, he was able to do exactly that, and we applaud him for it. We hope he will double his efforts toward advancing Somaliland’s agenda, build the foreign ministry as an institution with the appropriate policy structures, and capitalize on the current favorable international climate.

Source: Somaliland Times

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