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It is one of the ironies of fate that President Dahir Rayale Kahin who
during his tenure had missed so many opportunities to express his vision
in simple and direct ways that the people could understand and hold on
to, was able to find, in defeat, the exact words to save his country
from political chaos and to ensure that his legacy is not tarnished. It
happened in the press conference he gave in response to a statement
released to the press by two top UDUB officials. The press statement by
the two UDUB officials called into question the results of the election,
asked the Election Commission not to release the preliminary results of
the election and warned of ensuing mayhem if the election commission did
not heed their words. The statement by UDUB officials shocked
Somalilanders as well as many of those who have been following the
election, for the polls were declared free and fair by so many national
and international observers. The opposition was beginning to feel that
steps were in motion to rob it of victory, and the citizens were
starting to be nervous.
It was in this anxious atmosphere that President Dahir Rayale Kahin gave
his press conference. The President did not only disavow his party’s
press release, he apologized for it, affirmed that he will accept the
outcome of the election, and vowed that he will not allow a situation to
develop where it could be said harm came to the country because of
mismanagement on his part. Those clear words immediately defused the
building tension. Although the president gave the press conference
before the outcome of the election was announced, there is little doubt
that he already knew the outcome. So for all intents and purposes, the
press conference was a concession speech.
Some might say the president had no choice given the national and
international forces stacked against him, but national and international
opposition has not deterred many autocrats from clinging on to power at
any cost. So the president gets credit for his wise decision. No doubt
several factors helped him to make the right decision but the one that
came through in his press conference is his sense of history. The
president used the word history at least four times during the press
conference. History was the theme that tied his press conference
together. He talked about history in the sense that if he loses the
election, he wants to leave in an honorable and historic way (sida ugu
sharafta badan oo taarikhi ah). He talked about history in the sense
that he wants to end all the work he had done for the country in a
historic note (Maantana inaan ku dhammays tiro baan raba taarikh sharaf
leh oo wanaagsan oo bila turxaan ah). He talked about history in the
sense that he did not want to leave behind a bad legacy (marnaba ma
dhici doonto ma’araagta wax taariikh xumo ah), and so on. This was a man
clearly concerned about his legacy and his place in history.
With his wise decision to accept the outcome of the election, the
president ensured that his legacy and achievements do not get tarnished,
saved his people from a lot of grief, and stole long-term victory from
the jaws of current political defeat. What a classy way to exit!
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