By Ibrahim Adam Ghalib, Borama, Awdal

Ramadan Kariim. This is an opportunity for me to send my sincerest congratulations to the Muslim world that fasted the same day for the first time. I hope this is the beginning of a new era and will contribute to world peace and progress for all mankind.

Interest groups provide a vital link between citizens and public officials. They convey substantive information and public sentiment to policy makers and give knowledge about government programs to citizens and assist them in gaining access to these programs. In this regard disadvantaged people would be represented in the halls of power to provide a balancing mechanism to counter those people who always benefit from these programs.

In this country the majority of the disadvantaged people do not know that they have the right to band together and influence government policy. They do not realize that collective action is stronger, more credible and more likely to influence policy out comes that concern them than the isolated actions of separate individuals.

These groups strongly help if adverse actions or change affecting their life arises. Lobbying by these interest groups are the formal organized attempt to influence legislation usually through direct contact with legislators and provide with needed information and attempt to persuade them and sometimes pressure to support their cause. They often promote their cause to the general public through published materials, speeches and television appearances to promote a constituent base for their group.

A key lobbying is therefore to rally the group members as well as the general public to the cause and dynamic leaders often create potential groups that could come into being under the right circumstances. They devote their time to group maintenance canvassing for new members and providing benefits for current group members. The interest groups, lobbyists and trade unions reflect the ideals of democracy and participatory society and it is their right to organize lobby government and to present their perspective to the policy makers.

When the people decide to take advantage of their many opportunities for influencing public policy they will find few legal barriers that prevent them from reaching their goals. The growth of these groups then helps give the voiceless and powerless some modest victories in the form of government policies that work to their advantage rather than to the benefit of those with money and status.

The policy makers take advantage of these groups who are mostly poor and cannot organize easily into effective groups and are left to suffer in silence. They are usually manipulated and divided under clan lines. This mostly happens on the election time and the politicians and policy makers make for them false promises to get their votes and they never learn from the past promises that never materialized.

The Somalis now exercise tribalism in their daily lives more than any other time. Pressure groups are on clan lines and power is shared on tribalism. The disadvantaged people are always left and never participate in the government. Now the Kulmiye party invited the delegates to the convention on clan lines and unless we change this attitude we will never progress.

kaalib33@hotmail.com