“Our lives end the day we become silent about things that matter” Martin Luther king, Jr.
The expectations that people of Somaliland had of president Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo’s
government has been great but short lived. Since he was elected nearly two years ago, people
witnessed many strange things. The first sign that people noted was the apparent erosion in
the nationhood ethos that previous successive presidents and their administrations often used
to instill in the people.
The current President, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud (Silanyo), has no qualms about what
kind of perceptions people make of his administration. Immediately after coming to power,
he delegated an undue power to his own clansmen with neither the political experience nor
the education to balance it. A case in point Mr. Hirsi Ali, though Mr. Hirsi, his confidante,
was initially given to the post of Chief of Cabinet, ministers queued at his office, making it
obvious that his office wielded an absolute power. When
it became rather so embarrassing for the ministers to line
up for the Chief Cabinet, he was elevated to Minister of
Presidency.
The three heads of states that preceded President Silanyo
refrained from anything that could carry clan favoritism
flag and most certainly were not prepared to laden their
clansmen with ministerial loads and cabinet cards. With
Silanyo, that new backward trail began to take a shape.
Ironically, this President has more academic
achievements than all of his three predecessors. Yet, people were put on notice just right
after he had won the election, thus his standing as a statesman was soon seriously dented as
the President willfully disregarded the will of the people by his insensitivity to clanism that
all are aware of its deleterious effect in the context of Somali culture!
The President also has shown the tendency to favor people with low qualification or political
knowledge. As “an educated man,” people assumed that he would seek the services of the
best and brightest available in the country and abroad. What we can make of this issue are
two: first, he himself, the President, is not as intelligent as he was thought to be. Second, he
does not own any strength, thus wants people to vent their anger against those working for
him. “Let people blame the ignorant Ministers [not] the Presidency…” could be his strategy.
You often hear from people that the President is not aware of all the inner corruption dealings
because all are the faults and the work of the ministers. How long can this go on? Isn’t the
President own the ultimately responsibility of his administration? After, he is the elected
president!
Nations that excel with a progressive of speed are normally led by the most brilliant among
them; unfortunately we are speed driving on opposite lane!
