By Mohamed Sougal

Dear Garaad,

About three years ago, I took the opportunity of the first anniversary of tour crowning to address some outstanding issues pertaining to the Sool and Sanaag global situation. And I have called on your vision and integrity to bring about the changes needed. http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2007/292/27.shtml

Dear Garaad, to my utmost disappointment, far from rising to the challenge, you have failed time and again and proved to another big-mouthed leader and small-minded strategist. After the death of our beloved Garad Jama Abdiqani, you were touted to be, as an educated fellow shaped by years long life of interaction with Somali of all stripes, the smart leader to steer away from debilitating Dhubahante infightings. But as some say, the proof is in the pudding, and today SSC is even more divided than you when you took up its help. While Garad Abdiqani was reverently welcomed in Hargeysa, Bosaso, Djibouti and Jigjiga, you are left hiding in Saaxdheer with a rag tag militia. While Abdiqani was commending tremendous respect from both Igal and Abdillahi Yusuf, you are unable to land in Garowe, Nairobi and Hargeysa and left begging your way through the Shabaad led Gagadug region.

Dear Garaad, in all fairness, you had big shoes to fill and comparison to Garad Abdiqani could hardly work in your favor. But there are things that you could have understood clearly notwithstanding your damaging tendency to short sell your moral authority and waste your political capital. You should have known then that Dhulbahante were split among even lines between Somaliland and Puntland. And all you needed in the short term was to remain above the fray and to strengthen our hand inside both administrations.
Instead, you chose to become another vulgar Puntland mouthpiece and embarked on an embarrassing cross village tour where low level Puntland officials bullied you into repeating towing their line and from village to village you were instructed on what to say.

Dear Garaad, SSC during the last three years SSC region underwent more change that at any period of its recent history. After Somaliland administration was easterly extended in October 2007, the consensus on the ground is that the burgeoning Dhubahante-led administration masterminded massive security improvement and that local economy grew irrelently . New situation should call for new thinking but instead you reverted for your old washed up ways. You should have understood that is not up to you question the wisdom of Dhubahante chasing Puntland from Lascanod and subsequently throwing up their support behind Somaliland administration. Up to today, your leadership remains awash in bad judgments. The majority of SSC leaders are quietly going back to Somaliland fold while a vocal small minority is calling for regional conflagration. And when, you should have understood that it is not in your leadership best interest to sponsor guerrilla war under the auspices of shady personalities, you chose to spearhead limelight hungry politicians like Xaglatoosiye. Why the Dhulbahante Garaad in chief should legitimize the huffing and puffing of someone who ran to become Puntland leader and upon losing his presidential and vice presidential bids decided to create a small army to fill his political ambitions.

Mohamed Sougal <mohamedsougal@yahoo.com>

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