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The
forthcoming multi-party elections will
further entrench the democratic process
taking hold in the country. However for a
true democratic process to blossom in
Somaliland, the issue of gender equality
needs to be debated and given itīs rightful
importance in the ongoing discussions.
The country cannot call itself democratic
when more than fifty percent of the
population are denied the right to political
participation. The issue of democracy will
be immaterial when half of our citizens lack
a forum to make their voice heard. If this
inequality persists, then the Republic of
Somaliland will not be different from those
places where women folks are held hostage by
societies with primordial way of thinking
where females are banished into obscurity
neither to be seen nor heard. Somalilanders
would be cheating themselves to believe that
they are democratic, when that democracy
does not involve all members of the
Somaliland society. Today what we have is
the same kind of democracy which existed in
ancient Greece, where free men were allowed
to talk and engage in political matters
while slaves and women were excluded from
the political forums.
This fact is true when you scrutinize at the
representation of women in the Somaliland
cabinet, governmental agencies and the nine
political parties which are registered. It
is quite clear that women are grossly
underrepresented in all these areas. It is
ludicrous that the government or the
political parties to speak so much about
democracy and all those other beautiful
things attributed to democratic political
system, while their actions speak louder
about their perception of women in politics
and society. It is truely disgraceful that
the current government and the political
parties sturbbornly hinder and isolate the
full and equal participation of women in our
society. The ruling elite in Somaliland are
so arrogant that they have always taken our
mothers, sisters, wifes and daughters for
granted and never consulted them for their
opinions. They always make decisions over
their heads. This is due to the fact that
power has always been shared through clan
basis, so a clan watchful of its interests
wonīt elect/nominate a woman to a position
of power, fearing that she would not be
capable enough to safeguard clan interests!
So to protect the clan interests you must
have a guy at the top, however incompetent
he is!
This medieval way of thinking is one of the
reason why the Republic of Somaliland has
over twenty something ministries, where each
clan has one of its members occupying a
ministerial post and therefore treating a
government ministry, which in essence should
serve the interests and needs of the nation,
as a property of a certain clan where the
interests of the clan is protected and
fulfilled. This is one of the main reasons
why the Somaliland administration is bloated
with incompetent workers, who earn a living
doing nothing.
A recent survey by Jamhuriya investigating
different government ministries and agencies
revealed the horrendous state by which the
Somaliland government runs itīs business.
It was a painful reading to know that out of
thirty ministries and agencies only two or
four functioned properly at the time of the
investigation. This way of thinking is
hindering us to achieve a clean and
effective government. The modus operandi of
the Somaliland society should be to have an
effective, efficient, modern and accountable
government. The current way of running
things has mired the country in the
doldrums. Let us elect and appoint people to
positions of power and influence based on
what they know, and not who they know. Merit
and competence should determine who is
qualified for a certain job, and not
pressure from a certain clan or moves to
appease a particular clan. Because when you
give an incompetent individual to run a
ministry, just to appease his tribe, then
you are laying the ground for the
mismanagement of the country. We should be
ready to displease a particular clan, rather
than accept the mismanagement of the whole
nation! This is not a matter peculiar to
Somaliland alone, it is something taking
place in many african and third world
countries. The only way to eradicate these
problems is by aknowledging the terrible
impact they have on society and then try to
work out a system to mitigate their
consequences.
Somaliland has many bright and talented
people who are competent enough to run a
ministry or a department. But they are
sidelined just because they are women or not
well connected. What the ruling elite tend
to forget is the sacrifice the Somaliland
women made to the struggle for the
liberation of Somaliland. Without them we
wouldnīt be where we are today! The most
preposterous thing took place a week ago
when one of the political parties was to
hold itīs convention. That did not take due
to disagreements among the party leadership.
Some reports suggest that a group within
that party were against the participation of
women and youth in the convention!!! Frankly
speaking it was flabbergasting! How on earth
can a political party claiming to be
respecting the principles of democracy come
with such revolting suggestions? Just
imagine excluding more than fifty percent (women)
and about thirty five percent (the youth) of
the populaton from a political forum! This
action clearly demonstrates the unacceptable
behaviour by some "political
leaders" to exclude an overwhelming
majority of the population from political
participation. They only want to exploit
them for their political ambitions, but are
not willing to allow others to have equal
access to the different political forums.
This party by undertaking this unbelievable
enterprise have shown to Somalilanders that
it is oblivious to the democratic process,
which Somalilanders have declared
resoundingly to adhere to and come election
day they will get the message!
Somaliland women have to take action and
send a crystal clear message that they are
not going to allow their rights to full and
equal political participation infringed upon.
So as to have a strong voice it is pivotal
for women to organise themselves throughout
the country. They should make it plain to
all the political parties that they will
give their votes only to parties that are
serious about women participation in
politics.
The parties should to begin with allot one
third of their nominations in all levels of
the forthcoming elections to women
representatives. One third to forty percent
of cabinet ministers should be women.
Somaliland women should press hard for their
rights and not expect someone else to do the
job for them. Many of your counterparts in
other african countries have struggle and
today hold high positions in government. You
must send a clear message to the political
elite that the time they had monopoly of the
political life of the country is bygone and
those political fossils who fail to
understand that will certainly be washed
away by the electorate!
We Somalilanders must emancipate ourselves
from tribal chauvinism because tribalism and
clannism is the worst enemy of development
and progress . I strongly believe we are
going in the right direction.
The people of Somaliland have more than once
demonstrated to themselves and the world
their insight of the negative side of
tribalism and itīs deadly repercussions,
but it is no secret that we have a long way
to go. We should care less who occupies a
certain office as long as that individual is
doing a great job for the country. We should
reward competency, not incompency, strive
for efficiency, not inefficiency, go after
merit, not clan affiliation, transparency,
instead of shady deals and corruption and
equal opportunity for all the citizens
irrespective of gender. Once again we cannot
and deserve not to call ourselves a
democracy when we advertently exclude a
majority of our society from taking part in
the decision making concerning our country.
Our development and progress will stride
slowly and ineffectively because we are not
consulting the views of the half of the
population. Somaliland as a country which
has suffered a lot and is very
underdeveloped, needs every member of
society, both men and women, to contribute
to rebuild the country. The Somaliland women
have taken and always have done so by taking
a huge burden and responsibility in the
society, but unfortunately that does not
show in the power structure existing today
in Somaliland. The political elite have
always had a carte blanche to disregard
women despite the fact that Somaliland women
have made enormous contributions to
Somaliland. Where is the Somaliland male
comparison to Edna Adan? Some political
leaders are so condescending that they
believe it is a divine law that allows them
to be in power and never comtemplate that
others have a right to have a piece of the
action! President Dahir Rayaale needs to be
commended for appointing an honourable
member of our society who is held in the
highest esteem by Somalilanders to a
ministerial post.
The appointment of Hon. Edna Adan as a
government minister is welcome, but is not
enough. Much needs to be done in that
regard. We must have a good number of female
ministers in the government. At the moment
we have so many ministries, some of them
just by the name. The government should
amalgamate many of these ministries into a
couple of ministries. Somaliland does not
have resources to waste! I think it would be
wonderful for Somalilandīs public relations
abroad to have female cabinet ministers and
members of parliament. Why not have a female
Vice President, defense minister or foreign
minister? But first and foremost we should
do this for our own sake and not for others!
When the ruling elite reluctantly accept to
appoint a woman to the cabinet, they usually
allocate a ministry never heard of before
and which lacks real importance in the
government! Hon. Edna Adan is fit to be
Somalilandīs foreign minister. She is
experienced and has worked for both
governmental and international organisations
and is a former high ranking UN diplomat.
Hon. Edna has never ceased to take the
chance whenever opportunity is given to put
Somalilandīs case to the international
community. She has always eloquently and
meticulously advocated Somalilandīs cause.
I think it is in Somalilandīs best interest
for president Dahir to give Hon. Edna a job
in the Foreign Ministry as deputy foreign
minister solely responsible for recognition
matters.
SOMALILAND NEEDS ALL ITīS CITIZENS
IRRESPECTIVE OF GENDER!
In God I Trust!
Ahmed
mohamed
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