Awdalites Should Respect The Rules They Signed!

By Abdale Farah Sigad

(I can't help thinking, why make a fuss over one useless seat which has no value for Awdal's future, when at least 15 more seats are missing from Awdal's share in the parliament itself)

Disappointment would be an understatement to describe how I feel about the selection of the national election commission by Somaliland Parliament. But to put the fact straight! If you are from Awdal or East Sanaag you should know that this is what happens in democracy when you sign away your rights.

We went along the idea of Isaaq being the overall majority in Somaliland without having a proper census. And by doing this, the Awdalistes and others had given up their rights. It was indeed a big mistake and a foolish one to agree bogus claims in favor of one clan majority in the absence of any hard evidence to support it. So whether we like it or not democracy is at work and the bogus Isaaq majority we had agreed is haunting us today.

Mr. Rayaale and those who are so vigorously protesting against the Parliaments' decision today should consult with their conscience and ask themselves where on earth they were when 80% of everything had gone to one clan.

I would like to remind Awdal politicians of the role they played to create the mess we are in today. And let me begin by saying it was Awdal politicians who signed an agreement which gave almost every (Isaaq sub clan) a seat in the house of parliament. They are the ones who signed away our rights. They are the ones who refused to consult with the people of Awdal.

In fact I remember the day when president Rayaale sent the electoral bill to the previous house, and you may blame him for everything that has gone wrong but had anybody else stood up or spoke out for the sake of Awdal or East Sanaag? NO, none of us had bothered to take any notice about the creation of injustice that we were witnessing.

In relation to the latest humiliations regarding the selection of the national election Commission members, it has been quoted from an Awdalist in the Parliament as saying (we went to the house with clean heart and honesty so we did not anticipate what the Isaaq members in the house will do). Keep it to yourself Mr. With your entire respect sir, I am thousands miles from SL house of parliament, in fact I don't even share continent with you sir, but I receive Somaliland daily gossip every day just like those in the SL streets. So don't insult my intelligence because I know you are guarding what is important to you (YOUR SEAT) but you are not alone SIR.

Let us not kid ourselves I am not an expert in politics but surly everybody knows that, there are no such things as honesty and being nice in the world of politics and most certainly there are no favors or impartiality in politics. Politics stinks and bites so if you are too squeamish or humane person and think being nice will win you the support of your opponent then I am afraid you are in a wrong business and you should exclude yourself from politics before you ruin your dignity or damage those you wish to represent.

It is pathetic to see today Awdalistes protesting against something they agreed willingly long time ago just because it doesn't please them today. It is uncomfortable truth but in democracy you buy your votes with hard currency call majority vote and as far as Somaliland sharing system concerns, we (Awdalistes) don't have that currency because thoughtlessly we gave it away long time ago. So we need to wake up an accept the reality.

You may recall my recent article published by some Somaliland websites under the title of (16 years of independent Somaliland and the Growth of one clan state in the Horn of Africa) in that article I didn't mean to slander or to accuse one particular clan but I produced the irregularity and the unbalanced Somaliland sharing system which Awalistes have accepted but my fear is, this injustice will remain in place in generations to come.

It is a sad fact that a group of bearded/bald and shameless men from the same tribe have the absolute majority in Somaliland house of parliament today. But hey they were democratically elected to represent their people and unlike those from Awdal they are carrying out their duties by doing and listening what their constituency want. These men also believe they have fought to win their freedom by the barrel of the gun and now they are enjoying the fruit of their past hard labors through the ballot box.

Unlike those elected from Awdal who want to become another (Geesi Tolwaayay or Geesiyad Tolwayday) the men from Togdheer and Hargeisa want to serve their constituency and in my opinion they deserve congratulations.

I am not putting all the blames on Awdal politicians but I also blame Awdal voters because it seems we are ignorant about the relations between us (Voters) and those we elect. We treat them like they are our masters. We give them respect, which they don't earn. We applaud them when they have done nothing for us. And pathetically we call them the fathers of the land and the mothers of the soil.

Our politicians and our traditional leaders have sold our shares so don't be fooled when they cry faults.

In conclusion

There is no point to protest over something that you already agreed but I will suggest an alternative if those Awdal Politicians in Hargeisa are really sincere and want to work for the good of the people of Awdal. They should all consider coming home immediately and that includes President Rayaale then we should renegotiate with our neighbors.

Marwooyin iyo Mudanayaal! Iska soo hoyda dhamaantiin waxba soo hoyn wayda'e

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