Why Ethiopia is welcome in Hargeisa, not in Mogadishu?
By Bashir Goth, April 12, 2007=
Somaliland opposition leaders seem to have lost their political campus since the Ethiopian-backed Federal Transitional Government (TFG) routed the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu.
Forgetting that Somaliland depends on Ethiopia for its bread and butter, they started criticizing it albeit indirectly for what they call the Ethiopian invasion of Mogadishu.
Kulmiye leader Ahmed Mohammed Silanyo has compared the onslaught of the Ethiopian-backed Somalia Federal Transitional Government (TFG) forces against insurgents in Mogadishu to Siyad Barre’s bombardment of Hargeisa and other Somaliland towns. Faisal Ali Waraabe, Leader of the Justice and Welfare Party (UCID), also branded Ethiopia’s military actions in Mogadishu as Xaraan (illegitimate).
Hearing these statements coming from leaders of a country that was founded on Ethiopian support and owes its geopolitical existence on Addis Ababa makes us wonder whether these men have been hit by amnesia.
One may therefore be obliged to refresh their memory by reminding them that Somaliland’s recognition goes through Addis Ababa; that it was Ethiopia which had sheltered Somaliland refugees for years and provided them arms and ammunition to fight and eventually defeat the tyrannical regime of Siyad Barre. One may remind these gentlemen that it was Ethiopian military officers and political representatives who were present and blessed the rebirth of Somaliland at the conference of Buroa on 18th May 1991 and indeed it was the first day that the Ethiopian flag was raised with reverence on Somali soil. One may remind them that it is Addis Ababa that embraces Somaliland politicians and gives them the opportunity to sell their story to African officials and foreign diplomats. It is indeed Ethiopia that trains Somaliland’s military and extends to it arms and uniforms.
One may be perplexed as to why these men are acting so emotionally about what is happening in Mogadishu as if Somaliland is still part and parcel of Somalia. Why can’t they understand that Somaliland, like Djibouti, like Kenya and indeed like the rest of the African countries should subscribe to the position of the African Union that supports the TFG and understands the reasons that led to the Ethiopian intervention in Somalia. One may find it hard to comprehend the motives of Somaliland opposition leaders who seem to just have woken up to the suffering of the residents of Mogadishu. Why we didn’t hear their loud voices, their lamentations and their condemnations of crimes against humanity over the last 16 years when ruthless warlords were committing all kinds of atrocities against the people of Mogadishu. Weren’t they singing lullabies with the warlords and deriving pleasure from the mayhem and bloodshed in Mogadishu. If this is not true then why the notorious warlords such as Muse Suudi Yalahow, Osman Atto and Bashir Rage were welcomed with red carpets in Hargeisa, while Somaliland-born figures who committed no crimes against the nation such as Jama Yare were detained and deported from their homeland.
Why this sudden feeling of brotherhood towards the Hawiye one may ask? Did Faisal Waraabe forget his famous words when he said: “ A man who is born in Addis Ababa has closer cultural ties to Somaliland than a man born in Mogadishu…” Do the sympathizers of Mogadishu insurgents really believe that the Hawiye would support Somaliland’s independence? Don’t they remember the unambiguous rejection of Ali Mahdi, Abdiqasim Salad, Mohammed Ghedi of Somaliland secession? Don’t they recall the repeated threats of the Islamic Courts of invading Hargeisa?
If we assume that these men are honestly against the Ethiopian occupation of brotherly Somali people why don’t they feel the same about the Somali people under Ethiopian occupation in the Ogaden region? Why didn’t they condemn the Somaliland authorities when they arrested members of the Ogaden people and deported them? How come the blood of the Somalis in Mogadishu is dearer to Somalilanders than the blood of Somalis in Qabridaharre, Foolxeex, Farmadow, Gurdumi, Madax-Maroodi and Karin-Bilcille?
How come they lament about the departure of Islamic Courts when they know that had the Somali Taliban clerics had their way they would have been in Hargeisa today and that Silanyo and Waraabe wouldn’t have postured themselves as presidential hopefuls in a democratic Somaliland.
It is awfully wrong and indeed regrettable to see Somaliland opposition leaders criticizing Ethiopia albeit indirectly for giving support to the TFG government when Somaliland itself thrives on the political and military support of Ethiopia. It is time that Somaliland people have to realize that they cannot have it both ways. We cannot enjoy peace and stability and deny our brothers in the south to enjoy the same because if the TFG collapses Somalia would descend into a dark age. We cannot refuse others to interfere our internal affairs and allow ourselves to meddle with the affairs of others. We cannot claim to be an independent and sovereign state and act as if we are still a region in Somalia whose fate hangs on the fate of Mogadishu. Why can’t we take cue from Djibouti, an independent Somali state that has fully exercised its sovereignty to stay neutral of what is happening in Somalia? Why can’t Somaliland people do the same and let their country’s national policies be dictated by their national interest and not by emotional outbursts. Also read in Awdalnews Network.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Even First World Pardons Their Kings
By Bashir Goth
In my opinion there is no judicial system in the entire world that is independent of political influence. Yes, hypothetically, the expression judicial independence is beautifully written into almost every constitution of the UN member states. But experience has taught us that it is politics that rules in the provision of justice.
If anything, Third World governments – including Arab states – don’t brag about the independence of their judicial systems. Everyone knows that judges may be appointed or dismissed at will by the political leadership and that “justice for all” is nothing more than an empty slogan. The good thing, at least, is that people have learned to live with it. They know that political power, not the judicial system, determines justice.
It is a well-known fact that the judicial system exists to protect the politically powerful and the rich. Members of ruling elites and their families never face trial; they are simply above the law. A political figure only faces justice when he crosses over to the wrong side of the political fence. Zimbabwe’s Morgan Tsvangirai and Egyptian Ayman Nour, leader of the Al-Ghad party, are good examples. Read More in Newsweek.Washingtonpost/PostGlobal.
By Bashir Goth
In my opinion there is no judicial system in the entire world that is independent of political influence. Yes, hypothetically, the expression judicial independence is beautifully written into almost every constitution of the UN member states. But experience has taught us that it is politics that rules in the provision of justice.
If anything, Third World governments – including Arab states – don’t brag about the independence of their judicial systems. Everyone knows that judges may be appointed or dismissed at will by the political leadership and that “justice for all” is nothing more than an empty slogan. The good thing, at least, is that people have learned to live with it. They know that political power, not the judicial system, determines justice.
It is a well-known fact that the judicial system exists to protect the politically powerful and the rich. Members of ruling elites and their families never face trial; they are simply above the law. A political figure only faces justice when he crosses over to the wrong side of the political fence. Zimbabwe’s Morgan Tsvangirai and Egyptian Ayman Nour, leader of the Al-Ghad party, are good examples. Read More in Newsweek.Washingtonpost/PostGlobal.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
March 22, 2007=
Editorial - Somalia is dead thanks to Hawiye savagery
By Bashir Goth
They did it again, the Hawiye clans. But this time even the gruesome loving Al Jazeera TV shied away from showing the grisly pictures of barbaric mobs dragging, beating and burning dead bodies of Somali and Ethiopian soldiers in the streets of Mogadishu. This is a horrific action that is beyond belief. We were disgusted and condemned it with the strongest words when the Hawiye did this abominable action to the American soldiers for the first time in 1993 and we abhor it and condemn it now with the strongest of words.
The Hawiye clans were fighting among themselves over the last 16 years; gangs against gangs, warlord against warlord, Islamists against warlords. The streets of Mogadishu were littered with dead bodies, but never were these bodies maimed, dragged or burned for the simple reason that they belonged to Hawiye. But anytime the Hawiye clashed with members of other Somali clans let alone foreign forces, they never failed to show their savagery and barbarism. They did it when General Aideed’s militia first entered Mogadishu at the collapse of Siyad Barre government. The Hawiye mobs killed indiscriminately every Darood person they found in Mogadishu. They raped even elderly women and they showed no mercy to the innocent, the poor and the weak. They did it again when they occupied Baidoa and turned it into the city of death. This doesn’t mean that other clans didn’t commit atrocities; they did but the Hawiye’s disrespect for the dead is unprecedented and goes against the values of the Somali people. They even had gone beyond the immediate when they exhumed the skeletons of Italian colonial era cemetery and scattered the remains around.
This latest episode, however, will give the Hawiye what they deserve. Mogadishu will no longer be the capital of Somalia because after this gruesome crime there will be Somalia at all. It does not only justify Somaliland’s cause for independence beyond doubt, but it also dashes the last hope of resuscitating former Italian Somalia as a unified country. Who can stop the Darood clans in the state of Puntland and the Digil and Mirifle in the fertile central regions to declare their secession as well? There is no reason why anyone should risk the dead bodies of their sons being desecrated in the streets of Mogadishu.
It was in the conference of Buroa in May 1991 when Somaliland decided to walk away from the Somali unity that Sheikh Abdillahi Sheikh Ali Jowar from the Awdal delegation, said his famous words:
“We have struggled many years for the reunification of the Somali people in the Horn of Africa and the result has been disaster and misery. As we reclaim our sovereignty today we have one thing to say to the Somali nation: May God Almighty bless everyone in wherever they reside; May those in Ethiopia prosper in their homeland, those in Kenya prosper in their homeland, those in Djibouti prosper in their homeland, those in Southern Somalia prosper in their homeland and we in Somaliland prosper in our homeland.”
And as the truth of this wisdom is clearer today than anytime before, we may extend Sheikh Abdillahi’s magnanimous words a little further and tell the Hawiye, “annihilate each other and rot in Mogadishu and in your Hawiyeland” for the Somali people have had enough and can no longer tolerate to let you denigrate the name Somali by your horrendous savagery. As Somalia splits into separate, independent states, you would be left with no choice but to commit your crimes in the name of Hawiye only. Awdalnews Network
Editorial - Somalia is dead thanks to Hawiye savagery
By Bashir Goth
They did it again, the Hawiye clans. But this time even the gruesome loving Al Jazeera TV shied away from showing the grisly pictures of barbaric mobs dragging, beating and burning dead bodies of Somali and Ethiopian soldiers in the streets of Mogadishu. This is a horrific action that is beyond belief. We were disgusted and condemned it with the strongest words when the Hawiye did this abominable action to the American soldiers for the first time in 1993 and we abhor it and condemn it now with the strongest of words.
The Hawiye clans were fighting among themselves over the last 16 years; gangs against gangs, warlord against warlord, Islamists against warlords. The streets of Mogadishu were littered with dead bodies, but never were these bodies maimed, dragged or burned for the simple reason that they belonged to Hawiye. But anytime the Hawiye clashed with members of other Somali clans let alone foreign forces, they never failed to show their savagery and barbarism. They did it when General Aideed’s militia first entered Mogadishu at the collapse of Siyad Barre government. The Hawiye mobs killed indiscriminately every Darood person they found in Mogadishu. They raped even elderly women and they showed no mercy to the innocent, the poor and the weak. They did it again when they occupied Baidoa and turned it into the city of death. This doesn’t mean that other clans didn’t commit atrocities; they did but the Hawiye’s disrespect for the dead is unprecedented and goes against the values of the Somali people. They even had gone beyond the immediate when they exhumed the skeletons of Italian colonial era cemetery and scattered the remains around.
This latest episode, however, will give the Hawiye what they deserve. Mogadishu will no longer be the capital of Somalia because after this gruesome crime there will be Somalia at all. It does not only justify Somaliland’s cause for independence beyond doubt, but it also dashes the last hope of resuscitating former Italian Somalia as a unified country. Who can stop the Darood clans in the state of Puntland and the Digil and Mirifle in the fertile central regions to declare their secession as well? There is no reason why anyone should risk the dead bodies of their sons being desecrated in the streets of Mogadishu.
It was in the conference of Buroa in May 1991 when Somaliland decided to walk away from the Somali unity that Sheikh Abdillahi Sheikh Ali Jowar from the Awdal delegation, said his famous words:
“We have struggled many years for the reunification of the Somali people in the Horn of Africa and the result has been disaster and misery. As we reclaim our sovereignty today we have one thing to say to the Somali nation: May God Almighty bless everyone in wherever they reside; May those in Ethiopia prosper in their homeland, those in Kenya prosper in their homeland, those in Djibouti prosper in their homeland, those in Southern Somalia prosper in their homeland and we in Somaliland prosper in our homeland.”
And as the truth of this wisdom is clearer today than anytime before, we may extend Sheikh Abdillahi’s magnanimous words a little further and tell the Hawiye, “annihilate each other and rot in Mogadishu and in your Hawiyeland” for the Somali people have had enough and can no longer tolerate to let you denigrate the name Somali by your horrendous savagery. As Somalia splits into separate, independent states, you would be left with no choice but to commit your crimes in the name of Hawiye only. Awdalnews Network
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Let us privatise UN operations for better results
By Bashir Goth
THE new UN Secretary General is fortunate enough to have come at a time when the US failures in Iraq and Afghanistan have mellowed American unilateralist tendencies and pushed the world agenda back to the UN corridors.
The increasing US reliance on international consensus on Iran and North Korea’s nuclear issues as well as its turnaround on its intransigent position on Iraq provides an unprecedented opportunity to Ban Ki-Moon to be more of a General than a Secretary. But true to his low-key profile and being America’s man, the new Secretary General has already chosen to be a loyal, docile secretary than a commanding general. By making his first mission to Africa, he underlined his intention of skirting thorny issues such as Iraq , Afghanistan, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian issue and Lebanon.
Raised on the South Korean diplomacy that sees the US as a strategic partner and defender of his country’s sovereignty, Ban Ki-Moon is not a man cut out for standing up to American hegemonic policies. Kofi Annan’s occasional defiant streak such as branding the American invasion of Iraq as "illegal" was due to his African anti-colonial upbringing and his long schooling in the UN system. Annan was also lucky to have an almost unified African block, which sometimes lobbied for his support through its historical, sensitive and diversified cultural ties with the West.
The top UN job will, however, always remain a frustrating seat for any occupant due to the organisation’s intractable bureaucratic system. The Security Council with its sacrosanct veto power holding members is long over due for change. As the world has changed beyond recognition since WWII, it makes no sense that the 21st century’s economic giants such Japan, Germany and emerging India need to continue to bow down to the dictates of small countries like the UK and France. While I view the demand of allocating a veto power to each continent as ridiculous, knowing that in today’s world its economic interests and having common values that unite countries rather than sharing geographical location, I can envision the need to eliminate the veto system and replace it with a system that allocates power according to each country’s contribution to UN operations. Read More in Khaleej Times.
By Bashir Goth
THE new UN Secretary General is fortunate enough to have come at a time when the US failures in Iraq and Afghanistan have mellowed American unilateralist tendencies and pushed the world agenda back to the UN corridors.
The increasing US reliance on international consensus on Iran and North Korea’s nuclear issues as well as its turnaround on its intransigent position on Iraq provides an unprecedented opportunity to Ban Ki-Moon to be more of a General than a Secretary. But true to his low-key profile and being America’s man, the new Secretary General has already chosen to be a loyal, docile secretary than a commanding general. By making his first mission to Africa, he underlined his intention of skirting thorny issues such as Iraq , Afghanistan, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian issue and Lebanon.
Raised on the South Korean diplomacy that sees the US as a strategic partner and defender of his country’s sovereignty, Ban Ki-Moon is not a man cut out for standing up to American hegemonic policies. Kofi Annan’s occasional defiant streak such as branding the American invasion of Iraq as "illegal" was due to his African anti-colonial upbringing and his long schooling in the UN system. Annan was also lucky to have an almost unified African block, which sometimes lobbied for his support through its historical, sensitive and diversified cultural ties with the West.
The top UN job will, however, always remain a frustrating seat for any occupant due to the organisation’s intractable bureaucratic system. The Security Council with its sacrosanct veto power holding members is long over due for change. As the world has changed beyond recognition since WWII, it makes no sense that the 21st century’s economic giants such Japan, Germany and emerging India need to continue to bow down to the dictates of small countries like the UK and France. While I view the demand of allocating a veto power to each continent as ridiculous, knowing that in today’s world its economic interests and having common values that unite countries rather than sharing geographical location, I can envision the need to eliminate the veto system and replace it with a system that allocates power according to each country’s contribution to UN operations. Read More in Khaleej Times.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Editorial - Somaliland people will tolerate no more -
March 07, 2007 - 15:18
By Bashir Goth
Somaliland is often marketed as the darling of Africa; an oasis of peace and stability in a volatile region; a unique example of a homegrown democracy; and a country of resilient people crying for international justice. As true and uncontestable as this may be, it represents only one side of the coin.
The other side of the coin, often hidden from the outside world and often denied by Somalilanders themselves is an ugly one; a bitter reality that any visitor will notice at the first glance. The government is a lifeless scarecrow. Only the structure exists, but nothing functions.
Many of the ministers, parliament members and senior officials are alien scavengers who carry foreign passports. Having lived many years in Canada and Europe as jobless refugees, they found the Somaliland project as manna from heaven. They left their families in secure environments living off western taxpayers charity and flocked to Somaliland with only one objective in mind to rob and run. Riding on the wave of the people’s yearning and wish for change and equipped with few political sound bites borrowed from western political rhetoric, they portrayed themselves as apostles of democracy and good governance and won the names they coveted for by ingratiating themselves to the President and unassuming clan elders.
Teaming up with equally power hungry former rebel fighters going by their popular name of Mujahideen, they created one of the most corrupt systems in Africa. They live off the meager revenues collected from the country’s limited income sources and international assistance. They roam in the streets of Hargeisa, Borama and Buroa with brand new SUVs among hungry populace. Each of the three bodies of government, the judiciary, legislative and the executive, smoothly fall into the greased grooves of this slimy jigsaw. Members of the elected lower house of parliament are opportunistic liars who took advantage of the people’s trust to grab their stinky share of the rotten and meager national cake and the elected President sits on top of the stenchy system that stands on collapsing pillars of corruption, nepotism and favoritism. The opposition figures are also scavengers waiting for their turn and share of the national booty. Read More in Awdalnews
March 07, 2007 - 15:18
By Bashir Goth
Somaliland is often marketed as the darling of Africa; an oasis of peace and stability in a volatile region; a unique example of a homegrown democracy; and a country of resilient people crying for international justice. As true and uncontestable as this may be, it represents only one side of the coin.
The other side of the coin, often hidden from the outside world and often denied by Somalilanders themselves is an ugly one; a bitter reality that any visitor will notice at the first glance. The government is a lifeless scarecrow. Only the structure exists, but nothing functions.
Many of the ministers, parliament members and senior officials are alien scavengers who carry foreign passports. Having lived many years in Canada and Europe as jobless refugees, they found the Somaliland project as manna from heaven. They left their families in secure environments living off western taxpayers charity and flocked to Somaliland with only one objective in mind to rob and run. Riding on the wave of the people’s yearning and wish for change and equipped with few political sound bites borrowed from western political rhetoric, they portrayed themselves as apostles of democracy and good governance and won the names they coveted for by ingratiating themselves to the President and unassuming clan elders.
Teaming up with equally power hungry former rebel fighters going by their popular name of Mujahideen, they created one of the most corrupt systems in Africa. They live off the meager revenues collected from the country’s limited income sources and international assistance. They roam in the streets of Hargeisa, Borama and Buroa with brand new SUVs among hungry populace. Each of the three bodies of government, the judiciary, legislative and the executive, smoothly fall into the greased grooves of this slimy jigsaw. Members of the elected lower house of parliament are opportunistic liars who took advantage of the people’s trust to grab their stinky share of the rotten and meager national cake and the elected President sits on top of the stenchy system that stands on collapsing pillars of corruption, nepotism and favoritism. The opposition figures are also scavengers waiting for their turn and share of the national booty. Read More in Awdalnews
Climate change concern: Too little, too late
By Bashir Goth.
BODY of 2500 scientists had recently gathered in Paris and made a clarion call about an impending climate disaster, noting the likelihood of human activities led by burning fossil fuels causing most of the warming over the past 50 years.
Among other things, the report warns of a new ice age engulfing the earth, while hurricanes, droughts and other apocalyptic disasters may play havoc with our planet.
Good talk. We have nothing but praise for the eminent men and women of science and conscience who want to save our planet for future generations. One thing, however, that bothers us is why these scientists failed to invite their sceptic counterparts. We know there are other respected scholars who doubt the conclusion of the climate doomsayers and believe that the climate change we experience is nothing new. It was always happening from day one of the earth and will continue to happen. Read More in Khaleej Times.
By Bashir Goth.
BODY of 2500 scientists had recently gathered in Paris and made a clarion call about an impending climate disaster, noting the likelihood of human activities led by burning fossil fuels causing most of the warming over the past 50 years.
Among other things, the report warns of a new ice age engulfing the earth, while hurricanes, droughts and other apocalyptic disasters may play havoc with our planet.
Good talk. We have nothing but praise for the eminent men and women of science and conscience who want to save our planet for future generations. One thing, however, that bothers us is why these scientists failed to invite their sceptic counterparts. We know there are other respected scholars who doubt the conclusion of the climate doomsayers and believe that the climate change we experience is nothing new. It was always happening from day one of the earth and will continue to happen. Read More in Khaleej Times.
Islam Also to Blame for Prizing White Skin
By Bashir Goth
Just like everything else, perceptions of sexiness have globalized. Hollywood movies, the fashion industry, MTV and Miss World beauty contests have set universal standards for female sexual appeal. It is in this context that Arab and African men have come to measure the beauty of their women. But the pressure on women to meet men’s expectations of beauty isn’t a recent invention, and standards have changed over the years.
Over sexualizing girls is as dangerous as global warming. In the Arab world, the features of an ideal woman changed between being opulent, plump, slim or obese, according to Abdelwahab Bouhdiba in the book Sexuality in Islam. Sometimes large breasts were preferable, sometimes firm round ones. At other times, pink flesh, chubby and curved (samina, maluma), a wasp-like waist, or a bamboo-like figure (ghusn al ban, gudib khizuran) were fashionable.
Read More in Washington Post
By Bashir Goth
Just like everything else, perceptions of sexiness have globalized. Hollywood movies, the fashion industry, MTV and Miss World beauty contests have set universal standards for female sexual appeal. It is in this context that Arab and African men have come to measure the beauty of their women. But the pressure on women to meet men’s expectations of beauty isn’t a recent invention, and standards have changed over the years.
Over sexualizing girls is as dangerous as global warming. In the Arab world, the features of an ideal woman changed between being opulent, plump, slim or obese, according to Abdelwahab Bouhdiba in the book Sexuality in Islam. Sometimes large breasts were preferable, sometimes firm round ones. At other times, pink flesh, chubby and curved (samina, maluma), a wasp-like waist, or a bamboo-like figure (ghusn al ban, gudib khizuran) were fashionable.
Read More in Washington Post
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