Somaliland’s return to authoritarianism
By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye
Multiparty politics were introduced in Somaliland a decade and half ago following collective effort to ease power conflict and enhance accountability. Somaliland earned as a result titles like “Beacon of Hope” or Africa’s Pearl of Democracy” “Exemplary to the Failed Somalia” among others. But all of a sudden, the democratization process halted when the National Election Commission’s( NEC), the only legal body for election affairs from setting time to announcing results, decision of the presidential and lawmaking elections dated 2016 was illegally vetoed by the so called outgoing Council Guurti for financial gains! Their recklessness and gamble triggered massive crisis of each other’s throats drawing global threats of cutting aid from Somaliland. The wrong decision sounds a death knell to the democracy.
Nation-wide protests continues despite crackdowns by the so called Police locally known as Residential (houses) Raiders Uninformed or RRU, controversial institution which still funds by the UK government. The abbreviation born out of raiding several houses terrorized sleeping children and abducted their fathers.
Political battles rage between those parroting the government line on insisting on that extension is legal because the First Family’s grandson got sick and the Wadanni party and those champions of democracy who say how earth grandson’s illness can make elections delay indefinitely! The world should intervene to prevent major wars that will extend from Yemen to Djibouti to seashores of Kenya. In fact, nobody knows for sure what Guurti based their insane decision other whispering, “our hands were lubricated” thanks in part to Hirsi’s generosity, and Salaben’s bravery combined! “Fools rush where angels fear to tread”. Relapsed Prone-conflict Somaliland into political turmoil dashing any hope for any international recognition—President deprioritized recognition
International Crisis Group published critical report yesterday revealing the trends Somaliland institution and the twists and turns the self-rectifying mechanisms took and the consequences ahead. UN threatened Special Fund Arrangement if no compromise is reached.
“Somaliland entered new era of losing friends not gaining,” he added. “Acceding to the illegal extension of the president’s expiring term next July will be disservice to the nation, a perjury to constitutional oath I took when assumed the parliament as speaker, and deception to the democratic values” he also eulogized for the victims of the demonstration in solidarity with democracy and the rule of law. He concluded in his speech “I’ll never relent to restore our democracy to its previous track whatever it takes and the confidence of the world in Somaliland’s struggling institutions after the ugly decision undermined; discredited NEC’s in the eyes of the world”.
Obama’s speech to the Muslim World “there’re people that advocate democracy when they’re out of power, and oppress people when they’re in…” president Silanyo, in retrospective, was a “champion” of democracy but he shown that he’s pushover to brutes who realized democracy is detrimental to their regime. Nothing far from the truth about Silanyo’s crocodile tears on democracy other than the above quote, it fits him so well. He’s man with honeyed words but evil man.
Somaliland democracy faces multiple dangers and may die soon! Firstly, Islamists masquerading as innocent lark, secondly, recklessness from the part of the government.
Mr. Irro the presidential candidate, based on surveys, the most likely winner of 2016 elections, showed a great leadership and trustworthiness in his simultaneous micromanagement of the parliament and his party Wadanni. He’s a champion of the return of Somaliland ruling party to democracy; uphold the rule of law and annulment of any extension from the Guurti to exit the stalemate and moving forward.
On this issue, the international community clarified their stance on it: stick to NEC’s timeframe of the elections or hell with you. The foreign delegates frequent to Wadanni Headquarters in Hargeisa are moral support to the democracy and solidarity with demonstrators, said Mr. irro.
Surely, without contributions from the West, surely without the support from International Republic Institute’s technical-know, Somaliland’s democracy had utterly failed.
Therefore, The UN should take tougher line to stop recidivism to illegal extensions and vetoing verdicts from NEC or courts. Institutions are in parallel neutralizing each other’s verdict had confused voters and people should remember one wrong can’t make another wrong right as pro-extension defenders claim. That’s a lame excuse was untenable and utterly rejected by UN and other world bodies. Will our Zine Al Abdine having seen the tides against him reverse illegal extension or buries his head in the sand and eventually wakes up Somaliland in “bloodbath” and regrettably say “oh! In retrospective, have I solved it, we might be safe?” The illegitimate extension is a ticking bomb unless the world addresses immediately.
Dirye is Somaliland Activist, political Commentator, and Senior Editor at Democracy Chronicles, [email protected]