By Ismail Ahmed,

The man, who was widely held in a high esteem throughout Somaliland Republic as Somaliland’s most successful businessman, has turned out to be a destructive elephant in the room.

Abdulrashid Duale, the current Dahabshiil Company’s CEO, has revealed his true picture as a businessman who stands firmly for Somalia’s strong unity, by equating Somaliland with Puntland, as regions of Somalia. In an article, dubbed  as “ a guest columns”, which  he wrote in New African’s April edition, on page 60, under the title of  `Somalia: The  path  to prosperity,` Abdulrashid  Duale, unequivocally projected Somaliland as one of Somalia’s regions, and  in his own  words, to  be directly quoted: “ Puntland and Somaliland, Somalia’s stable areas.”

Defending the role played by the Somalis in the Diaspora in boosting Somalia’s businesses, he figured out the annual $2bn remittance sent to Somalia, thus, incorporating Somaliland’s remittance-share with Somalia‑ instead of breaking down the annual remittances between Somalia and Somaliland.  It is no brain, that he projected to his readers that Somaliland is part and parcel of Somalia. In more than four times, he repeatedly incorporated Somaliland as one of Somalia’s relatively stable regions where small businesses   were flourishing, with particular emphasis on   his own company  that he said  started small business from the  scratches in unfavourable environment of civil war,  at the time  when the situation was at stake, following the collapse of  General Barre’s fascist rule.

The timing of such a controversial article has raised also serious questions about Abdulrashid Duale’s sincerity as a loyal Somaliland businessman. Those who read the article   have developed a new notion by casting a serious suspicion on his trustworthiness as a Somaliland’s true businessman. Some said Abdulrashid Duale is a businessman, who is still weighing the situation, as which way the wind of Somalia is blowing, thus, straddling his legs on both sides of the border. Mr.Duale must make known his position to all and sundry. After all, nothing is wrong in establishing businesses in Somalia and vice versa. But what  is wrong, and  even utterly disgraceful is, calling Somaliland as a region‑ a country that has its national code of arms, including its   national constitution, its national army, its  own flag and a vast territory which is  the size of  Great  Britain, minus Wales, and with recognized borders that it inherited from the  British  colonial rule. And worse than that, Somaliland   is being called as a region by one of its sons, whose businesses flourished on its soil.

 Abdulrashid Duale’s article came on the heel of February’s London Conference on Somalia, in which representatives of 53 countries approved a final communiqué which, above everything else’s, authorized both Somalia and Somaliland to engage in a dialogue on equal footing‑ not as a region and a government of Somalia.

 It is a high time that the current highly respected Somaliland’s President, HE Ahmed Mohamed Siilaanyo should instruct his subordinate officers to rein in people like Abdullah Duale, who do not see behind their noses, without giving in to family pressure. President Siilaanyo is a hero and a statesman, who loomed large among foreign statesmen at the recent London Conference, during which he delivered a sensational speech that captured the attention of both friends and foes. HE Ahmed Mohammed Siilaanyo took part in the London’s Conference as a head of state representing Somaliland Republic‑ and not   as a governor representing a region. The establishment of a Ministerial Committee   by President Ahmed M.Siilaanyo recently to represent Somaliland at the forthcoming Somaliland-Somalia talks in London is another fact that Somaliland is not a region of Somalia, indeed, in the true sense of the word.

By Ismail Ahmed,

Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia

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