By Ugbaad Ahmed

From militia disarmament, through reconciliations, building a national army, government institutions, to holding free and fair election for presidency, parliamentarian and local councils, Somaliland did all these in the absence of external donors. One thing that is attributable to this success was, unlike many African countries, the protection of its traditional democratic values and process from the domination of western liberal democracy. During the colonial period, Britain wasn’t only refused to rule directly but British children were not allowed to be born in Somaliland as well.

The principles of democracy and democratic values are neither novel nor alien but rather indigenous to the African nations in general and Somaliland in particular. Indeed, the desire for representation, inclusion, and participation in public affairs—essential elements of democracy—are universal to all humans; the difference rests in the methods of attaining these goals. To what extent a society “democratizes” is incontestably dependent on its socio-cultural milieu, whether it is African, European, American, Asian, or even Islamic societies.

In Somaliland’s history, no election was more problematic than the upcoming presidential election which, after many delays, is to be held on September this year. This is due to the degree of donor involvement and their mindset. As a precondition for funding, donors demanded certain requirement to be fulfilled. These requirements are based on their definition of democracy and completely ignored the type of democracy already in place. Intentionally or unintentionally, it seems that Western democracy benchmarks are being used to evaluate ours. It is quite auspicious to ask: what do the Donors desire for Somaliland? Democracy! What type of democracy and for whose benefit?

To some extend, Somaliland’s failure for international recognition was a bless in disguise. In its two decades of existence, unknown to the outside world, it prospered economically, politically and socially. I feel that there is a strong link between the involvement of donors in our internal affairs and the wind of political uncertainty blowing. Much of Somalia’s trouble, for instance, is external rather than internal. Should anyone asked me the after-before-donor Somaliland, I’d surely choose before-donor Somaliland where life was easy and simple.

Ugbaad Ahmed, Hargeysa, Somaliland

ugbaadahmed@rocketmail.com

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