Putting aside for a moment the question of right and wrong, and evaluating things based on the political effectiveness, it is obvious that the opposition performed much better than the government in last month’s political contest. All one has to do is look at the discipline and steadfastness of the parliamentary majority, the way the opposition were able to organize mass action to bring pressure on the government or the way the opposition crafted and transmitted clear goals and messages to the public, then compare that with the government’s inept high-handedness. But still, all is not well with the opposition and there are signs that they should worry about. There were even times when the opposition inexplicably allowed the government to outmaneuver it and box it into a corner. A case in point is Kulmiye’s rejection of the president’s offer to discuss the outstanding issues which made Kulmiye look recalcitrant and unwilling to find a solution to the crisis. Another example is Kulmiye’s claim that the local mediators showed favoritism toward the government. Now it is one thing to say that some of the mediators were biased in favor of the government but to suggest that all the mediators were leaning towards the government is not only untrue, it is also bad politics because it made Kulmiye look as unreasonable, even belligerent. The latest mistake by the opposition is UCID’s insistence that it is going to re-nominate its previous candidate to the electoral commission. This is a mistake because the whole point behind the disbanding of the previous commission was so that the country would get a fresh start. Therefore, for one party to re-nominate an old candidate, regardless of the short period he had been in office, gives an excuse for others to do the same and re-nominate some of the old members. What is UCID then going to say? Is it going to say no you cannot re-nominate the same people, but we can? That does not make sense. Such actions give substance to the government’s claim that the opposition is not interested in finding solutions but is only interested in serving their own personal interests and playing silly games.
The fact of the matter is that the latest crisis has created a new situation in Somaliland. Before this crisis, Somalilanders had confidence in Somaliland’s politicians that they will be able to settle their differences. That confidence is not totally gone, but it has been damaged. People are now questioning whether Somaliland’s leaders have the stuff to lead them, or are they going to jerk them from one crisis into another and finally shatter their stability and endanger their very existence. The sooner the opposition realizes that, and acts accordingly, the better for them and the country.





 

Home | Contact us | Links | Archives | Search