Election Rhetoric Rising Up in Somaliland

Two years ago with much fanfare and publicity Somaliland held its first competitive multi party parliamentary elections, but the hoped for political stability that was expected to follow the arrival of genuine representative democracy has yet to happen. The new house of people’s representatives in Somaliland turned out to be a dud, dashing out any hopes for improving the volatile political situation in Somaliland.

Moreover, instead of becoming a bastion of liberal values where the major issues affecting the country are seriously debated and hashed out, it has morphed into a faction ridden assembly of buffoons controlled by ambitious upstart deputies eager to settle centuries old tribal vendettas. It has become the but of many jokes circulating among frustrated Somalilanders, worse not much is expected from this group of losers unless a miracle happens.

As for the new set of elections that are expected to happen next year in Somaliland, the same divisive rhetoric, pep talk and fear mongering is being employed again by opposition parties in Somaliland, particularly by Kulmiye the only major opposition party that has a chance to win.
 
Kulmiye Party which is the only viable alternative at this juncture to the ruling Udub party is not providing to the confused electorate any clearly delineated set of values, programs or principles designed to attract voters to their side. Kulmiye party chairman Ahmed Silanyo once again is relying on the same old hackneyed cliché’s he has used before. The content of his message can be summarized as follows "I am competent and trustworthy; from me; you’ll get more good and ‘less bad."

Pity the Nation: By Khalil Gibran, The garden of the Prophet (1934)

• Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.

• Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest, and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.

• Pity the nation that acclaims the bull as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

• Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.

• Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.

In our occasional series “back to memory lane”, Harowo.com revisits its take on the rhetoric and issues surrounding the last parliamentary elections in Somaliland, please read it for what is worth and compare what is happening today to what was happening back than.

Election Rhetoric Rising Up in Somaliland (2 Years Ago)

Tempers are flaring up, nerves are fraying and rhetorical barbs are on the rise as candidates and political parties take jabs at each other and their supporters engage in street battles. The Kat Parlors “Majlis” are buzzing with activity like bee hives, money is changing hands as old pros and new ones rework and refine old campaign tricks and invent new ones. Pundits, power brokers and political hacks are on the loose preying on the candidates as well as the people of Somaliland.

Much of the country is gripped by election fever as a new dawn arrived in Somaliland ushering in a new era of hope as well as danger. All of a sudden it is morning in Somaliland, Hargeisa the capital of the nation is teeming with energetic and ambitious hordes of candidates, tribal hucksters and Johnnie come late Diaspora types. It resembles more and more like the proverbial shining city on the hill in sharp contrast to the prevailing political paralysis and stagnation in the horn of Africa.

As each camp tries to upstage its rivals, there is a palpable race to the bottom. Actually there is nothing unusual about this phenomenon; most elections are inherently divisive no matter where they are held. The so called first world or the second world for that matter is not immune to this problem as we all know, however the current Somaliland parliamentary elections which is extremely competitive is proving to be more vexing than the previous ones. Jittery and worried politicians are lashing out at their opponents sometimes making wild accusations that border on the bizarre.

At a recent campaign rally in Berbera, Ahmed Silanyo, the chairman of the Kulmiye Party has declared that the Somaliland government has abandoned Berbera and its population during the current summer heat wave. He accused them of neglecting the great people of Berbera and it’s environs as they lay vulnerable to the relentless summer heat.

One would think he just got carried away; it is a minor blip in an otherwise excellent speech. After all throwing red meat to an angry crowd, pandering to their prejudices is something most politicians are guilty of. In fact it is incumbent on any party leader to employ effective and proven tools of the trade to advance its agenda.

A closer look of recent Kulmiye rallies and events however show that this is not an isolated incident; it is becoming an all too familiar pattern. It is apparent to any casual observer of Somaliland politics that the Kulmiye party has strategically opted to go for broke. As far they are concerned nothing is beyond the pale, say anything do anything seems to be their rallying cry.

It is indicative of the no holds barred scorched earth campaigning style that is characteristic only to the Kulmiye Party. Kulmiye party operatives and stalwarts are fanning out to all regions of Somaliland spewing venom, scaring the citizenry and predicting doom and gloom if the election doesn’t go their way. Negative campaigning is nothing new, it is in fact as old as the “earth” itself and the opposition parties has every right to engage it in order to offset built in advantages ruling parties have over their upstart opponents.

What is appalling however is the Kulmiye party’s willingness to sink it to a new low, appealing to the raw emotions of an already exhausted people, hitting every conceivable hot button and wedge issue. This do or die Kulmiye attitude is poisoning the over all political climate in the country, it is something we can ill afford. In fact their whole motif is to throw as much dirt as possible towards the ruling Udub Party hoping some will stick to it much like a prosecutor does in criminal cases. It is unfortunate that the leading opposition party in Somaliland who could have provided a viable alternative to the bumbling Udub party is failing to take advantage of this historical opportunity preferring to engage in mud slinging. Perhaps it is too much to ask them to provide a coherent political program that could advance the level of debate in Somaliland.

Certainly this is the most crude and primitive strategies employed by loosing political campaigns as a last resort when every thing else fails. It has it’s own dangers for Kulmiye Party. What they don’t understand is that the average voter in Somaliland these days is much more cynical than the most polished, slick and slippery politician. Imbued with a healthy dose of skepticism; they know how to read between the lines, how to separate facts from fiction. As grizzled veterans of liberation wars, civil wars, dislocations of one sort or another, they are not easily swayed by empty sloganeering and promises of pies in the sky from pandering politicians.

I am perplexed just what Mr. Silanyo was hoping to achieve by accusing the Rayale administration for its failure to provide for the inhabitants of Berbera. With limited resources the Somaliland government can barely lift its own weight. It is primarily engaged in robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Summer heats are a recurring natural phenomenon in the Red Sea coastal areas of Somaliland. Over the years people have adapted different kinds of coping mechanisms to deal with the heat. Some stay put and hope for the best, some leave for cooler parts of the country, while others go back and forth hedging their bets.

The honorable chairman knows better, he has served in previous administrations in Somaliland, incidentally he was a fiancé minister for a period in the late president Egal’s cabinet, he knows that money is always tight no matter who is in charge of the government.

As the old Chinese saying goes “be careful what you wish for, you might get it”, I would like to remind my Kulmiye friends that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Ahmed Sheik

Harowo.com, Wash. D.C