Somaliland: Ideal days of Somaliland Politics

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Image: Independence Day in Somaliland. Credit: Mohamed Abdiwahab /Getty Images.)

For two decades Somaliland people has witnessed a great progress of internal government building progression without international help and making a progressive nation, that their people has one mission to improve their country with transparency and affection among the community, the prove is that their acceptance outcome of the Last presidential election, in November 13th 2017: historical event for all Somalilanders both winners and opposition groups.

History is the mirror of  civilizations that communities use to have in  17th  February 1960 the British colony declare that Somaliland will have a first parliamentary election, in thirty three seats,  there are a number of political parties who were participating, but only three of the political parties win besides they were Somali National League( SNL)United Somali Party (USP) and National United front (NUF) thus all the other parties accept the result from that elections , since that time  and before it to elect the leader was a part of Somali lander’s culture, by choosing the person that has capacity to lead;  thus before transforming from  traditional system to modernized/ urbanized politics they were having to choose an intellectual persons like, a good public speakers, negotiators, poetry’s and any other person who can contribute to the community.

 

Somaliland political cultural was different than most of other Somali regions since, they are societies who has compromise talent, in their traditional system when it comes to conflicts people use to solve problems by their own law and regulations, mostly bay elders and poets, that is why poet is an crucial when it comes Somali political leadership plus since they were oral traditional society poet was the only way to preserve history.

Pastoralist communities are known for their movement cultural since their climate is semi-arid land, people were move to the places that they can find grass and water to their animals: so writing wasn’t important and they use to memorizing poets in order to preserve.

 

So after independent of 26, June 1960, it was the begging of  Pan-Somali and lead by northern people, which was an idea to make one great five Somali nations, at that time there were uniting ideologies for mostly African and  African scholars suggesting to make united states of Africa like  Kwame Nkrumah who was an advocate to  make USA, same like Pan-Arabism leaded by Gamal Abdi Naser who was an advocate to Arabs to unite and make a  great nation which has ability defend their land and , So northern people unite the southern Somali  without any condition to make reality for their dream so in first June 1960 the union take part in Mugaisho but  after three decades of union among Somalis they didn’t reach the goal which was to make union between five Somali’s in the horn of Africa   for most of  Somaliland it makes them disappoint that the union they start fail, so now it’s time to rebirth again in 18, May 1991 as an independent country in the Horn of Africa.

 

Subsequently, after  civil wars started in 1991-1995, thus they have rules and regulation even during wars, to not kill kids, women, elders, poets, and well-know people, in laws, and mostly Somali clans get married to one another: community inter-connection among them make easy to build bottom up peace building process, hence it was starting of new historical dimensional administrative leadership “Clan democratization” since Somalilanders didn’t  leave completely their traditional system of life, which is decent  culture and mix with democracy, free and fair elections “one man one vote”, equality among people, press freedom ect.

In 1999 the government was fully governed in most of Somaliland and the governmental duties restart from ground,  they made a constitution and people vote to have their own, and then parliamentary elections, after that a local governance and presidential, after fourth presidential elections it’s time to vote the fifth president of Somaliland, competition among three political leaders, Eng Faysal Ali Waraabe (UCID) , Muuse Biihi Abdi (Kulmiye)  and Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi ( Wadani) , it was an astonishing struggle among them, during campaign Kulmiye and Wadani  they seem very close to one another, thousands of people were coming out each one, peacefully success it ends and all supporters of three different political parties were in  same line voting same place with confident, quietly and delightful among them.

 

For the first time presidential elections in Somaliland done by Inspire group, a group of young educated Somalilanders who lead to new phenomena of thinking to the youth, taken part in political with a productive ideas who can lead furthermore development in this country, it was vital event and historical for all Somalilanders, to ask questions about their future plans of Social, economical, political and environmental development, it was also a chance for the voters to know well the leaders that they will elect. Since people has the power to select the president that they want they also have right to know in order to judge who they will elect.

The ideal days of Somaliland were not only post 1991 but they were having a pastoral civilization during the Othman empire, Egyptian empires, under-British colony, during colony and after independence, one of the view nations that has agreement with colony, because of Somaliland elders has worthy sympathetic what a colonizer can do to harm their communities if they don’t give settlement.

 

People who understand the meaning of peace and to live together with different ideology of developing a nations, Since they have traditional way of protecting peace which was to protect the clan peace since they are clan based community so to live  as organized groups, who has intellectual leader, who always give priority to the national interest then personal interest.

 

Politics is the power to change the globe and people learn from one another the good culture that a society has, Somalilanders deserve to teach other African nations importance to peace and tactics to choose a good leader, along with leaders must know that they are not antagonist they all have one goal to develop their country, if your opponent wins it’s not the end of the game.

By: Nasra Dahir Mohamed

 

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Horndiplomat editorial policy.

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