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In the last
few weeks, Somalilanders have come to know some strange characters who
hold public office but who lack respect for themselves, their office or
the public. At the top of this list is of course Abdirahman Mohamed Jama
(Xoog) the man who drew a pistol in parliament. Then there was Hussein
Ismail Yusuf, another member of parliament, who made the infamous
statement: “Thank God, parliament is closed” (kol haddii bahalkii la
xidhay waxa weeye Ilaahay mahaddii”. And now comes the head of
Somaliland election commission, Jama Muhammad Omar (Sweden) whose latest
statements show that his judgment is not that different from that of the
above-named individuals. Now what did Mr. Jama Sweden say that made him
deserve a place in this hall of shame? He said three things: (1) nobody
can remove him from office; (2) he represents a clan; (3) if he is
removed from his position, he will reveal wrongdoings by others that he
has been hiding.
Point number one is not true. He can be removed from office and the
procedure for removing him is detailed in law number 20. Point number
two, that he cannot be removed from office because he represents a clan
is misleading at best. Yes, maintaining clan balance is a factor in
being appointed to the electoral commission but it is not the only
factor. Plus, he is not the only member of his clan who can qualify for
membership in the electoral commission. Point number three is a naked
attempt at blackmail, and it works more against him than for him because
it shows that he had no moral scruples about covering up wrongdoing as
long as his position was not threatened.
Even if there were no previous problems with Jama Sweden, his latest
statements are convincing evidence that he does not belong in the
election commission, let alone being its head. But there were previous
problems with him and other members of the electoral commission,
especially the four who decided to invalidate the voter-registration
list, and thereby precipitated Somaliland’s political crisis. With Jama
Sweden’s statements, and the agreement between the political parties
stipulating that the electoral commission must be changed, the only
option left for him and the other members of the discredited commission
is to resign, at least that way they can save some face. But whether
they resign or not, they will, and should be, quickly removed from
office. Jama Sweden and characters like him do not belong in
Somaliland’s electoral commission but belong where Abdirahman Mohamed
Jama (Xoog) and Hussein Ismail Yusuf belong: Somaliland’s Hall of Shame.
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