Interview With KULMIYE Party’s Shadow Secretary For Foreign Affairs

Hargeysa, Somaliland, February 23, 2008 (SL Times) – The KULMIYE Opposition Party’s Shadow Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ahmed Hussein Essa was interviewed in Hargeysa earlier this week by Mohamed Abdi Mohamed (Ilig), a freelance Journalist from Somaliland.

The following are excerpts of that interview:

Question: Why are you running for president?

Answer: I have always considered serving my country a duty.   Even in school, I thought of education as a way of serving my country and for the betterment of our people; never as a way of getting ahead myself.   This sense of duty to country was strong among my peers in those heady post-colonial times of the 60s and 70s.  

Unfortunately, our dreams were derailed by post colonial leaders, the so-called big men of Africa. Corruption, nepotism and dictatorial regimes became commonplace and our people have lost faith in their governments.

It is important that we change these attitudes with enlightenment.  

I strongly believe in a balanced human development, where governments reward the creativity and the initiatives of their citizens, but are able to care for the welfare of the needy so that no one is left behind.  

I also believe that countries get from their citizens what they invest in them and, therefore, I will promote education opportunities for our young people so that they become productive citizens able to work for their people in the next fifty or seventy years.

Q: In your opinion what are the biggest issues facing Somaliland?

A: Stability and Peace!   We must consolidate stability throughout Somaliland.   Without stability we cannot do much else.   Unemployment, lack of meaningful jobs, is the biggest specific and immediate issue facing Somaliland, which also impacts on stability and law and order.   People are not working or working very few hours and earning next to nothing.   As a result, many people are very poor, surviving on less than 1$ or 2$ a day.   We in Somaliland are blessed with a culture where people take care of their brothers, sisters and neighbors and that is why you do not see people starving in the streets.   But you have to look at the vital statistics where we find that our country is at the bottom in most categories: life expectancy, infant mortality, under five mortality, maternal mortality, per capita income and so forth.   We need to reverse the downward trend. We must put in place a system of reasonable benchmarks to achieve short-term and long term goals and energetically and efficiently work towards these goals.

Q: What is the biggest problem facing UDUB, KULMIYE and UCID?

A: Well, to most people all three parties look the same.   Only faces of the leaders are different.   They need to differentiate between each other through programs, clear ideologies and vision.   People are demanding that the parties present meaningful platforms.   We have not so far and people are confused and are focusing all their attention on personalities.   We in KULMIYE need to focus people’s attention on the lack of progress of the past 7 years under UDUB and President Kahin.   We have not been effective in this.   We do see the problems that we face and I believe we have the correct remedies for these problems, but our message has not been getting through to the masses.   I feel it is the way we are delivering the message; it is a problem of style and not of substance.   This is what people are telling us and we must listen and respond.

I must emphasize though that in this stage of political development, leadership matters.   We need leaders who are willing to work hard and tirelessly and whose vision for Somaliland is beyond the SEAT at the presidency, and in that respect the parties are quite different.

Q: If you win nomination of your party and the presidency, what will you do?

A: My highest priority is to quickly put in place a very competent administration of no more than 16 ministries run by highly qualified people, men and women who can move this country forward.   People, who will be able to, as they say, hit the ground running. My program is based on four pillars: a) Good governance, democracy and justice, b) creating a strong economy, which is quite possible given Somaliland’s assets including more than 500 miles of coastline and creative people who are adept at commerce, c) welfare for the needy and d) strong defense and making Somaliland a sovereign member of the international community. I have no doubt that we can do this and in a very short time.   We are not a poor country.  

Source: Somaliland Times

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