Gold Ball at Rayale’s Court

By Ahmed Doob-baje

It is time to stop the indoor games (The political in-fighting derailing Somaliland’s Recognition) and start playing outdoor games in the international arena. It is time that Somaliland leadership at all levels should concentrate on things that the People of Somaliland elected them for: The games of outward, outbound politics and diplomacy. The games that southern warlords, with help of foreign hands, played so well in the world stage that they succeeded in casting a shadow over Somaliland – Africa’s Shinning Example of Peace, Tolerance and Democracy. Now, that the shinning light came through - thanks for efforts of the Somaliland people both at home and in the Diaspora and some diplomatic initiatives of the Government, it is time to put everything else in the backburner and work hand-in-hand towards the recognition.

The visiting Kenyan Parliamentary Delegation brought a golden ball to Somaliland and just put it in President Rayale’s court. By golden ball I mean a golden opportunity that needs to be played very well and very quickly. The length of visiting period and the statement of the Kenyan Parliamentary Delegation constitute a virtual recognition of Somaliland as fully sovereign state. This is a new development that needs to be pushed to make it concrete reality.

Like a new moon the recognition of Somaliland came over the horizon, many times before only to recede back after a while. It never came, before, as close to the zenith, to make it full moon, as it did today. The English saying goes: time and tide wait for no man (Geeso riyaad kulayka ku jar). One has to be quick and decisive when time or tide will make the difference. At the present time the time and the tide are on the side of Somaliland but no one knows for how long.

Due to lack of quick and decisive action from Somaliland leaders, it has always been the warlords in the South (Ali Mahdi, Abdul Qasim and Abdillahi Yusuf) that turned out to be the unintended beneficiaries of every opportunity that came in the name of the Somali People.

Sometime ago I read someone write that the Western powers react to events in Africa at the visceral level at the rare times they react. They usually enjoy watching the African debacles as they would enjoy deadly cockfights or ignore it as the usual savagery typical of the lower forms of life in the big Serengeti (many Europeans see Africa as a big global park full of wild animals and primitive people). Pretending to have been oblivious to the troubles they have been watching for a while, they act with impulsive force often disproportionate to the problem when someone pushes the right button.

In line with the Somali saying: “Gaal Dil Gartiisana Sii “(Give the devil his due), I would admit that Cabdillaahi Yusuf and his master, Meles Zenawi succeeded in finding and pushing the right button (of the US Administration), getting western support to kick out the UIC. Of course, they all have to deal with the consequences of their impulsive acts now. Abdillahi is identifies, evaluates, makes timely decisions on and acts upon any opportunities, risks and challenges presented to him or his group. Where he runs the most serious problems is in his lack of identification with and compassion for the plight of the Somali people. He also has no eye for the big picture and the long term consequences of his decisions.

The question that begs for answer is whether President Dahir Rayale, his cabinet, the Somaliland Senate and parliament will maximize the benefits presented to Somaliland by the timed window of opportunity brought about by media coverage and the Kenyan Parliamentary delegation (certainly with the tacit approval of Britain and other powers). Will they push the buttons that the Kenyan Delegations showed them or will they go ‘business as usual” and bury their heads in the sand. There is a window of opportunity for Somaliland Recognition and the leadership should waste no second in taking advantage of it.

In my opinion, the following should be done as quickly as possible:

1. The Government of Somaliland should urgently embark on extensive diplomacy and media campaigns before the opportunity passes. The window that is now widely open will partially close if the situation in the South, though unlikely changes for the better. All state institutions and public should take part on the campaign, continuing the demonstrations and other actions that already bore fruit for Somaliland

2. President Riyal should forgive (whether there is crime or not say the word) free the jailed journalists. All the recent media reports mentioned the jailing of these journalist as negative points detracting from the Somaliland Democracy. Freeing the journalist will bring back few the few points lost.

3. The Government should show good faith in bringing about a speedy solution to its dispute with the Election Commission using the countries institutions and expert mediators.

4. The Somaliland Senate and Parliament, the intellectuals and the general public should stop/avoid taking partisan stance on all current internal conflicts

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