Garowe, April 28, 2019 – Naive Somali politicians shall learn as those before them did in the hard way that, historically, in Somali politics nothing moves without the people of Puntland playing a critical role. Whether it was the struggle for independence, opposition to Somalia’s military dictatorship, establishment of federal system and regional states, re-construction and revival of Somalia’s State, it was the people of PUNTLAND leading the way.
The sooner the Somali politicians honestly acknowledge and recognize these historical facts, the better off Somalia shall be.
It was the people of Puntland who were the backbone of Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan’s struggle against the colonial and imperial powers of Western Europe. It was Puntland territories from which Ahmed Gurey launched his historical struggle against Abbasynia. It was mainly the former leaders of Puntland origin, who successfully secured the independence of Djibouti, of course, together with the rest of Somalis. It was the people of Puntland, who bankrolled SNM for three years before it could stand on its own feet. It was USC, which was itself a part and later became a splinter group of SSDF.
European colonial powers came to Somalia in the 19th century with the people of Puntland enjoying the rule of local Sultanates (not foreign.)
Historically, it is tatamount to a political suicide for a Somali leader or a prominent politician to try to marginalize people of Puntland. Siyad Barre tried and eventually failed badly. General Mohamed Farah Aydid thought he had arrived politically and with his delusional impulses, attempted to overplay his hands. He ended up being murdered by his own clan militia.
People of Somalia take their political wisdom, ideas for the political marketplace and statecraft from people of Puntland origin. No exaggeration – these are facts based on keen observations, history and statistics.
Now, Talk about democratic transition to multi-party elections in Somalia. I could bet that no one-person one-vote will ever take place in Somalia without Puntland leading the way and registering that record first.
Puntland’s responsibilities to her own constituency and to the people of Somalia, therefore, are heavy burdens to bear. The State must move first and set out the record for others to follow. It is what it is.
About the blogger:
This blog is associated with the former Chief of Staff in Puntland State Presidency, 1998-2004. He also worked with the UN and World Bank Joint Secretariat for Somalia’s Re-construction and Development Program (RDP), 2005-2006, as a Zonal Technical Coordinator for Puntland and later as National Aid Technical Coordinator with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and European Union. He is now an independent political analyst and commentator on current issues and occasionally gives historical perspective on modern Somalia’s politics. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada. He can be reached at: ismailwarsame@gmail.com
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5 thoughts on “IN SOMALIA’S POLITICS, NOTHING MOVES WITHOUT PUNTLAND”
A chauvinistic or objective observation?
There could be some grain of truth in this post but all that could similarly be said about most other regions and clans of the Somali nation.
Nothing is exclusive, be it patriotism, pioneer organisation and originality, to a single Somali province or galère.
The more the Somalis target their national destiny collectively and be supportive to each other the more stronger and successful they could be.
Any sentiment with clan affiliation tinge tends to trigger disunity and distrust among the Somali people who are still wary about any dominance by certain clique from one clan or sub clan.
Mohamed Hassan (Alto) is here on the record as the only commentator, who had issues or concerns about the contents of this article and the undeniable facts presented in this post. The name “Cusman” is fictitious pen-name.
A chauvinistic or objective observation?
There could be some grain of truth in this post but all that could similarly be said about most other regions and clans of the Somali nation.
Nothing is exclusive, be it patriotism, pioneer organisation and originality, to a single Somali province or galère.
The more the Somalis target their national destiny collectively and be supportive to each other the more stronger and successful they could be.
Any sentiment with clan affiliation tinge tends to trigger disunity and distrust among the Somali people who are still wary about any dominance by certain clique from one clan or sub clan.
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Thank you indeed for your comment. It is your right to have a say in this.
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Mohamed Hassan (Alto) is here on the record as the only commentator, who had issues or concerns about the contents of this article and the undeniable facts presented in this post. The name “Cusman” is fictitious pen-name.
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