April 30, 2008

Beyond the headlines, Much went wrong for Kulmiye Convention – Part 2

The reader is strongly advised to read first part 1. Beyond The Headlines, Much Went Wrong For Kulmiye Convention - Part 1

With the presidential election approaching, Kulmiye actions often Veers to Dark Side; tapping tribal emotion (flicking the SNM card) has a renewed urgency in Kulmiye political strategy. And surely it has become the only tool at its disposal.

Kulmiye, more often than not, uses this clan-card by the dearth of vision for national political scope to appeal only to the central locality in its divisive strategy, which could eventually unhinge unity and doss SL people’s audacity of hope for better tomorrow, to gain momentum.

Accordingly retrogressive members of Kulmiye have honed the art of picking out stories to bolster their divisive policy. So this approach seems to bring together kulmiye leader (Silanyo) with party old cliché (Muse Bixi) best skills to its advantage. With it, they have certainly grown more comfortable talking about their participation in the SNM struggle rather than billing a cohesive policy as party vision and so often remind people that Somaliland is the result of their struggle.

The intra-party brawl

Approx month and half ago Mr. Iskeerse broached that Kulmiye delegate had convinced Muse Bixi (with no higher education but thanks to his notorious and warmongering rhetoric that catapulted him to limelight) to give up his political ambition for the VP post nomination of the party for the upcoming election. Not a week passed by and an irked Muse Bixi reputed and clearly showed adamant about his intention to run for VP post party nomination, however. This has put Mr. Iskeerse in odds with Muse Bixi whom he, before this, enjoyed good relations.

A source close to both has revealed that they broke rank and said also that Mr. Iskeerse only was parroting what has been agreed between Mr. Silanyo and majority party members who pressured him the need to adhere to the Clan political equanimity and reserve that post for other compatriot Samaroun tribe members in the party (presumably and rightfully so for Eng. Abdirahman Aw Ali).

However, as Silanyo came to know that Mr. Bixi is adamant about his intention, he stroke a deal with him and depart the consensus with party members in a bid not to thwart his own political ambition. Consequently Silanyo paired with Bixi to solicit support among the die-hard clan chauvinists. And this has resulted their nominations.

Validating the suspicion

Unlike the course taken by the convention, what many S.landers would like was what should have end up in this convention was to make sure that ‘unity’ take precedence than any other topic in the convention agenda for Kulmiye to shed its stained image as a divider. But the contrast however wasn’t any more clearly. In-as-much as this longed Kulmiye convention was crucial, Kulmiye failed to parley its momentum into uniting its members and equally marshalling other tribe members, as a reason to ponder party cohesion and ultimately success in the upcoming election. Though far from a no-hold-barred convention, yet it was an opportunity failed in self-censorship. Opportunities for redemption that are missed are bygone virtues. Thus to call Kulmiye a one-clan based political entity is right in principle and validated the suspicion into certainty.

The general impact of kulmiye’s alienation, along with the specific instances of “xenophobic attitude” (with name calling such as faqash, NSS – frequently used by Kulmiye leaders and its foot soldiers) that non-snm clans experience, contributes to a sense of treating “others” to impermanence and transience. Many, among the non-snm clans, jousted with kulmiye its concept about modern SL but apparently failed to assuage and holdover Kulmiye clan deification as was clearly depicted in the convention “voting” results that was sent in the clear.

The backstabbing

Dr. Ahmed Issa, the only contender to Silanyo for Presidential post party nomination, has every right to be disheartened by how things were shaped in the convention. There is no doubt that Dr. Issa’s support shrink beneath an onslaught of relentless campaign by Bixi and Silanyo and as a sequel to their hawking clan chauvinists among Hargeisa peers.

Conclusion:

The rush, however, to clan enthusiasms for Silanyo and Bixi has inhibited sober appraisal of their character and their potential of being the right leaders Kulmiye party needs at this moment. Dr. Issa should have been the candidate of change instead of clan-established candidates like Silanyo and Bixi in an epoch Kulmiye party yearns for a change in its vision.