Unusual Circumstances And Resources That Are Truly Limited Continues

By Ibrahim Adam Ghalib, Borama, Awdal

Since I returned to the country in 2002, I was closely watching the great changes that happened to the people and how this is related to their productivity, ethics and behavior. I always try to be truthful to the audience and report the reality on the ground to help alleviate if possible together these brusque attitudes hindering the progress of our country which can be described as amoral behavior sometimes. There are groups of people who are benefiting and living on the expense of the poor people that report and publicize distorted and misleading information about the real situation of the country.

This is one of the strange characters that were not present in the past. People became addictive to kat. They are entirely passive and a mere spectator. Most of the people do not want to accomplish anything and still want to live lavishly. It is difficult to trust somebody as before. People are not concerned about environmental matters, blocking roads if he or she is profiting from polluting the environment. There is extreme poverty and cutting trees for charcoal is the only trade and livelihood for those people.

This is the result of the civil war that devastated the socio-economic structure of the country and the accompanied dire economic stagnation. This is just a theory to me and those of you who did not experience the agony of the conflict but the tale of the people about this is really horrific. The lessons the people learned from this war is a deterrent force not to return back to the senseless war any more and that is the only magic medicine keeping the people of Somaliland together.

The present administration is inefficient to regulate the resources of the country fairly. They are always deluding the poor people with false hopes and empty promises. The concept of the opposition having majority in parliament is no where in Africa and this administration need to be taught how to live with this democratic reality. The country is plagued by corruption. This can be easily noticed in the streets of the capital. What can you expect from the young traffic forces working under the blazing sun with an empty stomach?

I must mention here that the traditional and religious leaders who worked in the reconciliation process in 1991 under the volatile situation are still active in the process. They are engaged to sustain the hard won peace and stability in the country. The public run the schools, hospitals and all services without getting any support from the government. The rebuilding which took place the aftermath of the civil war is exclusively the efforts of the public. The people pay taxes and in addition pay charges (bribe) for any service they need from any government office.

I want to report to the audience the unusual circumstances we are living in and if there is nothing to counter these problems may split the country apart.

I have visited the capital Hargeisa last week. It is extremely over populated with excessive heat. They broke into my car at day light and stole all my belongings. I was away only 10 minutes. I checked all the windows before leaving. People are telling horror stories about the security of your property in Hargeisa. You can be stripped of your clothes or cell phone if you pass any dark place. There are organized gangs who overwhelm the person carrying cash and take the money by force. The capital is the worst in sanitation. The rubbish is every where. Borama is the second worst place where rubbish is accumulated. The river of Hargeisa is appalling. The water is rationing. Some people dig manholes under the bridge and pick this dirty water and sell to the public. No body can envisage the health hazard that this water can cause to the public. Burao is relatively cleaner than Hargeisa and Borama. You can sleep in the river bed of Burao compared to the dirty river of Hargeisa.

Begging is becoming an occupation all over the country. The beggars are using all methods to gain sympathy. Sometimes children are deliberately deformed, the lame and strong people make their living by begging. This is an unusual behavior in Somaliland and has to be checked. People are indifferent to park their cars in the middle of the already narrow street. It is normal for two drivers to chat with their two cars standing in the middle of the traffic congestion. The pedestrians never check their safety at all in the streets. There is a considerable security problem in the capital. The identity of these people is not known. The capital is considered a safe heaven for any body from any where as if it is no-man’s-land. Counterfeit products (food and medicine) are widely sold in every shop in all towns of Somaliland. You can see a boy selling dangerous drugs in the streets if this is not addressed can cause serious problems

The environment is the most critical issue facing this country. People are cutting the trees mercilessly for charcoal. They either do not know the threat this will cause to their lives in future or they do not care. They earn their living from this work. The earlier the problem is detected, the more efficiently they can be addressed. The administration should define an action plan for an alternative energy to save the environment.

The administration instead of helping its people is engaged in making crisis every now and then. We are again in the crisis of the commission.

The stress level of the people is rising from time to time and there is a negative attitude and lack of response and care on the part of the government. If the nature of the stress of the people is not checked, investigated and addressed this burn out will turn the revolving door one day

Email: kaalib33@hotmail.com

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