Somali President Hassan
Sheikh Mohamud met serious protest by Somali community in London against his
policy, when he went to attend the second Somali Conference hosted by British
Prime Minister David Cameron on May 7, 2013. This is the first time that a
Somali president’s policy was opposed by many Somali communities representing
different regions from North, Awdal state to the South, Jubbaland States over
the creation of the federal states based on the constitution.
Somali Community in
London expected, among others, that the president would implement the
transitional federal constitution which allows any two or more states to form
regional administration which becomes, after its inauguration, a member state
of the Somali federal government. However, I believe there are three core
reasons why London Somali residents protested against the president’s policy.
First, the protestor
felt that the president focused to get international recognition and financial
aid instead of aiming continual reconciliation among Somalis who after all
expected from the president to at least implement transitional federal constitution
agreed by all. This policy of centering international recognition and
international financial aid without real reconciliation among Somalis is what
made the previous transitional government fail.
Immediately after
president was elected by the parliament selected by traditional elders, the
president, like his predecessor, started to travel international in order to
get both recognition and financial aid, thinking that once he gain both, the
rest of the Somali people will come to Mogadishu, looking for their share of financial aid. But
the President fail to recall that policy is what made others to miscarry.
President also ignored
the fact that Somali government’s recognition by International community was
not achieved due to his effort of traveling international, but it was attained
because International community sought to end the transitional government of
Somalia. That is why the transitional government was ended at end of august
2012 by IC following 8 months roadmap with understanding indicated both in the
roadmap and constitution that reconciliation should continue the next four
years until final constitution, based on one person one vote, agreed by all is
adopted.
Contrary to the media
report controlled by the government which reported only residents of Mogadishu
organized to support the London conference, demonstrators in London consist of
people represented by Markhir, Jubbaland, Awdal , Khatumo and Puntland states,
who felt that the president came short of their expectation that Somali, after
its recognition by international community, would continue reconciliation
meeting inside Somali until final constitution agreed by all is implemented.
Second, the
demonstrators accused the president that he changes his policy toward forming
regional administration depending on the constituency. President's first trip
inside Somalia was in Hiiraan region where the president declared that Somali
people agreed, as indicated in the constitution, federal government of which
the regional leaders will be elected by constituency, underlining that the days
the government would nominate governor from Mogadishu is over.
Few months later after
USA recognized his government, the president changed his heart toward this
policy of forming regional administration when he stated publicly that the
process of building regional administration in Jubbaland state was not approved
by the Somali government and those who are trying to form state have no right
to represent without getting approval or consulting with the government.
Later on when president
visited in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he stated, in response to the accusation of
his policy over the creation of regional administration, that he did not say that Jubbaland people can’t
establish their regional administration while accepting Hiiraan people to elect
their own leadership.
Days later, back in
Mogadishu after consulting the local elders, he changed his position again,
this time, uttering that those who claimed they represent Jubbaland state can’t
speak for the region and accused Kenyan government of interfering internal
affair of Somalia by supporting that administration.
The fact on the ground
is however that the people from lower, central Jubba and Gedo region are
finalizing the creation of Jubbaland State following the completion of its constitution.
They expect the president of the state and speaker of its parliament to be
elected in the coming days.
Besides changing his
position in regard of the upcoming states based on the advises he gets from local
elders of Mogadishu, the President failed to even recognize the only two States
– Punt land and Galmudug - participated actively in the roadmap process which
ended the transitional government. These two states accepted to be part of the
Somali federal government with understanding that reconciliation would continue
and those states will run their affair until all the states to be member of the
federal government are created based on the transitional constitution.
Finally, London protestors
blamed the president of turning the capital city into clan enclave where the
president, the governor and mayor and everyone else who has position worth
mentioning are from the same clan as president. Instead of Mogadishu being
capital city for all Somali people, it is became a city of one clan related to
the president.
The elders of Mogadishu
said publicly that the city belongs to them and they would not accept anyone
saying the city is for all. Few people from the other areas who returned to
Mogadishu witnessed the reality when they encountered those who occupied their
property, telling them to leave or else. As result, those who returned to
Mogadishu ended up either leaving or selling their property for whatever they were
offered before they were forced to leave.
Few independent Medias
reported the issues of public and private property occupied by internal
displaced people who claimed now they own those properties since no one claimed
for last twenty years or so. However, president did not even talk about that issues
which is the basis of reconciliation and reclaiming Mogadishu as capital city
of Somalia.
The closest he came to
answering that question was when he stated in Minneapolis, Minnesota that
Somali people should forget what happened before, and they should focus today
otherwise they will miss tomorrow’s opportunity, which most of the people
assumed that he meant people should forget their properties taken away in the
past.
Even local residents in
Mogadishu accused the president of ignoring the security of the city, Mogadishu
where recently reported targeted killing both the civilian brave enough to
reclaim their property or journalists who tried to report the fact on the
ground. The first day president was elected, he said his first priority one,
two and three is safety, safety and safety of the capital and rest of the
country and now it seems his first, second and third priority is obtaining
financial aid of which there is no place secure enough to be invested, other
than keeping it in the bank controlled by his ilk.
In order to move
forward, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud needs to publicly state, without
flip-flopping, his position relating to
reconciliation among Somalis, formation of the regional administration
and the status of capital city where his own clan publicly declared the
ownership of all in it, before Somali sovereign now
recognized by IC is dealt again as transitional government.
Signed By
Mohamed A Hussein
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