Right on the money

By Ahmed Sheikh 

Dr. Mohamud Tani’s article on Awdal News Network “Well done Mohamed” is to use a familiar cliché right on the money. It is indeed an accurate description of Kulmiye partisan’s proclivity to believe in conspiracy theories.

Many in the Kulmiye party rank and file are knee-deep in the propagation of conspiracies without realizing that they have made a quantum leap in faith to

do so. How could a relatively progressive and sophisticated people believe in so many unfounded lies with absolute finality boggles my mind? It is

frightening to see so many bright people turn to conspiracies despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Many of the Kulmiye party members regard themselves as the guardian angels of Somaliland and more often than not they

act as the role of outraged patriots. Conspiracy theories often develop from ingrained biases and prejudices. Apparently many Kulmiye party stalwarts are hopelessly biased against people they consider unworthy of ruling Somaliland.

This is not to say small conspiracies do not occur in Somaliland politics. What Dr. Tani and others are pointing out is the kind of grand over arching conspiracies that is cherished by Kulmiye activists are rubbish and are for the

most part a figment of their imagination. Many of what people consider as conspiracies can simply be summarized as politics as usual.

A “conspiracy” is defined as “an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime or accomplish a legal purpose through illegal action.”       

And a “theory” is defined as, “a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.

Dr. Tani’s cataloguing of Kulmiye partisan’s favorite conspiracy theories is a refreshing reminder of the common perceptions of an angry people who feel impotent to vent their anger in anypositive or meaningful way.              

The recent elections in Somaliland has diminished the power of many of the popular conspiracies, let us hope the rest just goes away in due course.