Somalia wouldn’t be expected to become a rule-based modern state in the foreseeable future – it needs many generations of statecraft experience to outgrow persistent socio-economic realities. Clans and groups of religious infighting will always be there as long as society remains primative and unenlightened. Predominantly, opinions advocate for eradication of tribalism in Somali society. Daraawiish Movement of Sayyid Mohamed Abdulle Hassan in the 1880s1900s tried to address the issue of tribalism through religious indoctrination. It became a hard nut to crack and the problem had emancipated into a more vicious cycle of inter-clan conflict, revenge and counter-revenge. Areas he reigned and built his power-base are still reeling from historic tribal mayhem with no visible path to peaceful reconciliation -Dhulbahante, Isaak and Ogaadeen are examples of Daraawiish’s legacy permanently prone to interclan warfare. SYL (Somali Youth League), the National Political Party for independence, tried to bury “HAYB” (clan identification), only to be re-ignited and exploited by European neocolonialists of Italy, Britain and French. Emperial Ethiopia took advantage of this Somalia’s weakness. The regime of General Siyaad Barre had pretended or attempted to do away these centuries-old clan ways of nomadic life and allegiance. They failed abysmally with devastating result of vicious civil war that destroyed Somali state in the end. It is our observation and assessment that Clan Power-sharing Formula of 4.5 would stay here for a long time, even after direct popular elections. Why? It would be the only guarantee for minority political representation. We know many would disagree with our assumptions, however, time will tell.
So the best solution to the chronic tribal problem of Somalia is the policy of eliminating clan relationships once and forever. However, that has been proven unimplementable and fundamentally a mission impossible as it is also misguided and impractical.
The alternative policy to best solution to clan problems in Somalia is to work out a state policy that treats tribalism as co-existing with modern chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension etc by devising regulations and laws to deal with it- accept the existence of the illness and treat it by medicine and diet (in this case, legislations). For instance, any person holding public office must be subjected to severe sanctions against abuses and acts of tribalism, nepotism and corruption. There must be laws as well in the private sector regulating and addressing crimes committed in the name of clan allegiances.
All what we are saying here is, let us learn managing our clan system in better ways, humanely and fairly until we grow out of it.
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