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In the past two months, I have attended two meetings
in London organized by UDUB, the ruling party of Somaliland, one in
Shepherds Bush and the other in Woolwich. After this experience, I can
confidently state that UDUB is in disarray. The organizers clearly lack
both coordination and communication skills, as no more than 50 people
were present at both meetings – despite the presence of more than 50,000
Somalilanders in London. I also observed power struggles among the
organizers, as they blamed each other for the lack of supporter turnout.
Most of UDUB’s so-called executives seemed to be self-nominated and
without portfolio.
The best example of UDUB’s unprofessional organization involved the
scheduled arrival at Heathrow of the Somaliland Minister of Interior
Affairs in the evening of Monday October 19, 2009. I was amongst those
invited to welcome the minister, and others had made the effort to
travel all the way to London from Sheffield, a journey of several hours.
I arrived at the airport at 9.30pm, well ahead of the expected arrival
time of 10pm. After spending 20 minutes fruitlessly wandering around the
arrivals terminal, I called one of the UDUB representatives who had
invited me to the welcoming event. I was surprised to learn that the
minister had arrived at 8:30pm and already been taken to a hotel in
north London by his relatives. This is an example of how poorly the UDUB
party operates – both inside and outside the country. The same
miscommunication and mismanagement is happening in Somaliland, but
mainly escapes publicity because of the lack of freedom of press.
I have come to realize that the quality and professionalism of UDUB
members is low compared to those of Kulmiye. While Kulmiye supporters
include the educated and elite, they have a better chance of ruling
Somaliland properly. UDUB appears to be supported by clan-oriented
people who care little for the welfare of their fellow citizens. The
ministers of Public Works Department, Finance, Interior Affairs and, in
particular, Foreign Affairs are all examples of UDUB members who are in
power because of their clan lineage.
It is about time that the people of Somaliland wake up and take the
opportunity to promote those who will support good governance, democracy
and prosperity for the country. In my opinion all the current Somaliland
political leaders have had their day, so the public’s choice in the
upcoming elections is to pick the lesser of two evils. I still believe
that Somaliland needs and deserves new political leaders with fresh
visions for the future, regardless of who wins this next election.
Written by M. Ali with editing of Sarah Howard
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