WDM EDITORIAL

Since the creation of 2nd Somali Republic after the prolonged Civil War, public institutions couldn’t be stabilized. That is because the post-civil war Somalia’s leaders couldn’t devise a coherent public policies based on national reconciliation as they couldn’t come up with national vision for the New Somalia envisioned. Many believe that the country is still technically engaged in the continuation of the Civil War in other means. Would Garowe Summit open a new page in doing away the legacy of that sad history in a new epoch of national renaissance? Somali political leaders are famous for loud voice for national reconciliation with little concrete actions following. If that would be the case, it will be another lost opportunity.

What is at stake now is the existential survival of Somali state as a functioning democracy free from threats of extremism, epidemic corruption and mal-administration. What is at stake is unity of Somalia as a viable state with strong safeguards for its territorial integrity and national sovereignty. This cannot be done and maintained without national cohesion and citizenship. This would require selfless leadership and personal sacrifices on the part of everybody. Can we the meet the challenges of our time?

We demand public institutions responsive to the needs and concerns of our people. We demand reliable public services delivery. We demand quality education accessible to all. We demand respect for human rights and rule of law. We demand mass mobilization for community awareness and good citizenship. Somalia must be a strong nation-state among nations. We demand accountability from public servants, first and foremost, from those entrusted with running public affairs. Somalis cannot achieve these goals without electing their political leaders in a nationwide suffrage. Democracy is messy, but there is no alternative.