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Nomad Palace Hotel, Nairobi - Kenya
July 1, 2011
This particular public forum was a special one; to commemorate the 51st anniversary of Somali independence. It was a deviation from the past independence ceremonies where the festive was decorated with pomp and colour. To mark this important day, National Civic Forum (NCF) organized a public discussion, “Somalia can revive” was the optimistic discourse topic that shaped the objectives of the forum. Many participants expressed their satisfaction to this soberly and different way of celebrating the Independence Day.
From the guest speakers presentations and the participants’ comments, the report attempts to capture the lessons that can be learnt from the independence heroes and their struggles, suggestions and views of the general audience on the best model to end the two-decade Somali civil war. As part of its efforts in enhancing the role of the civics in peace building efforts in Somalia, NCF’s mandate was to seek and collect the views of the participants and latter post the report in its official website; (www.ncfsomalia.net).
INTRODUCTION
It was an open forum where participants included women, youths, religious leaders, members of the Somali Diaspora, businessmen, social workers and many other interest groups. After welcoming the participants, the facilitator asked each person to say some short prayers before the official opening of the session.
He reminded the audience that it was the day when Somalis commemorate their independence as on July 1st 1960, Somalia attained self-rule from the colonial masters. The topic of discourse was: Commemorating the 51st anniversary of Somali independence: Somalia Can Revive.
The session was organized in a way that allowed the participants to comment on each guest’s presentation. The facilitator gave a brief history of the independence party, its struggles and ideologies; Somali Youth League (SYL).
The first guest speaker who works in the media industry thanked National Civil Forum (NCF) for hosting this particular forum. Although “Somalia can revive” is an optimistic statement, the speaker argued that there are various bottlenecks which negate this spirit. If Somalia is to revive, the killings, sufferings, leadership wrangles, lack of: education for children, maternal health facilities and the negative influence of the international community must stop.
The Somali politicians are squarely to blame for the protracted civil strife in Somalia and their pursuit for selfish gains at the expense of the national interest is worsening the situation. The speaker laid his hope on the citizens who can make the required changes in Somalia’s political system.
Tribalism and clanism have also been cited as the biggest obstacle towards the realization of a united country. The speaker reiterated that retrogressive tribal inclination is an enemy to Somali nationalism and unless this cancerous vice is addressed, then there is no hope that Somalia will be together in the near future.
After independence, there emerged tribal parties in Somalia. This is in contrast with the developed democracies where parties are built on fundamental principles and ideologies. These tribal parties had in the long run led to dictatorship military rule in Somalia. They also led to the collapse of the Somali government in 1991 that gave birth to the protracted civil wars. The emergence of warlords, autonomous states and 4.5 formula of sharing political portfolios in Somalia are all the negative effects of tribalism and clanism.
It is unfortunate that the public is much entangled in the day-to-day political statements made by the politicians. Their political discussions is primarily centered on personalities and what they say without gauging the soundness of their pronouncements but instead accepting everything they say as the gospel truth because of their tribal allegiance. Instead of just hoping that Somalis will be united one day, the speaker called upon every Somali to take responsibility of mending the country as no messiah will come from outside and clean their house. He in particular blamed the Somali Diaspora of being aloof in the national affairs of their country and just hoping that there would be peace one day and their children would go back and live in Somalia. He culminated his presentation by calling all the Somalis wherever they are to take actions and save their country from further turmoil.
The audience was given the opportunity to comment on the presentation and the first participant agreed with the guest speaker that politicians are the major culprits behind the worsening political conditions in Somalia. The participant argued that the topic of discussion would have read; “Somalia will revive”, as this is more optimistic than “Somalia can revive”.
Another participant noted nationalistic leaders who have the interest of the country at heart just like the independence heroes are currently needed to unite the country. He wondered why the Somalis cannot agree despite the fact that they ascribe to the same religion, race, language and traditions.
A participant recommended the highly educated Somali elites take over the political leadership of the country and believed that these are the only lot that can end the violence. He categorically singled out the success story of the government of the immediate former prime minister which was comprised of highly educated technocrats.
Non-governmental Organizations have been blamed for being spies and merely representing the interests of their mother countries. Somali youths working for these NGOs are asked to prepare reports which are sent abroad. The activities of these NGOs need to be closely monitored to ensure that their role does not supersede livelihood and developmental matters.
The next guest speaker, who is the NCF Board Chairman, chose to narrate the history of the clamour for independence and the role of Somali Youth League (SYL) in the independence struggle. He urged the participants especially the youth to understand this history of their country and identify the lessons that can be learnt which might be used to solve the current stalemate.
Somali Youth Club (SYC) was originally a sports team formed by thirteen youths and four years later it evolved to a political party known as Somali Youth League (SYL) with offices in all the Somali regions and the main aim of SYL was to unite all the Somali regions and curtail the colonial dominance.
Leadership wrangles and defections weakened SYL and it was on 01/07/1960, together with Greater Somali league (GSL), that the two parties ended the colonial rule and Somali attained its independence. The two parties jointly formed the independence government; however the major failure of SYL was its failure to govern the country after independence and hence leading to military rule.
The speaker concluded his presentation by asserting that, fifty one years after independence, Somalia is yet to get real tranquility and its deserved progress since even the post-independence leaders fell short of the expected standards. For now, matters have worsened as the Somali nationalism which was nurtured previously is in the dust pins of history. He lastly asked for lessons that can be learnt from the independence struggle which might be helpful today in uniting the country.
A participant appreciated the important role played by the independence heroes and he attributed their success to the strong nationalism spirit that was prevailing during those times; a value that has been eclipsed by tribalism and clanism. The same sense of nationalism can help in matters of Somali as far as peace-building is concerned.
Another participant suggested the combination of highly educated individuals, religious scholars and traditional elders be given the mandate of forming an interim government which will stabilize the country and facilitate the conducting of a general election. These groups should constitute an Assembly and start fresh reconciliation and forgiveness efforts.
NCF was applauded for choosing to celebrate this occasion differently and also choosing an optimistic topic and the participant believed that the debate will elicit new practical ideas. The participant recommended the Somali youths to be given an optimal focus as they make a greater population and are actively involved in the conflicts. More efforts, resources and time ought to be geared towards youth civic education programs and instill in them the spirit of nationalism. This civic education programs should highlight the negative roles played by the youth in the civil wars and the available alternative constructive roles they can take up in the society.
A young participant blamed the Somali politicians for ignoring the contribution of the youths and not even inviting them to the political meetings where crucial decisions are made. According to him, to sideline the views of this vital population in the political decision making agencies and forums is misguiding.
The next guest speaker metaphorically summarized the state of the Somali nation as family members collapsing their own house! Some died beneath the debris, some flew away (refugees) and the lucky ones who escaped are trying to rebuild an interim shelter out of the debris. But there are strong winds and heavy rains (both international and external interference) that constantly shake the temporary shelter and again efforts to redesign it are started afresh. Due to these challenges, some members of the family decide to build their own rooms independently (autonomous states), of course with foreign support, out of the larger house and clearly outlining the borders of their rooms.
He positively ended that traditionally, the Somalis are known for rebuilding houses which are stronger and firmer than the previous collapsed ones. But to quickly and perfectly rebuild it, we need qualified engineers (good political leaders) to do that job.
According to him nothing short of Somalinism (Somali nationalism) and trust among the Somalis can make the Somalis realize a united country even though they share the same religion, language and tradition. A gain nothing short of a national government can make Somalia revive back and things like autonomous states, tribal parties, and religious conflicts are unhelpful.
Another guest speaker compared the Somali state to a family institution where the leaders are the parents and the citizens represent the children. If the parents go astray, then definitely children will follow suit and if the parents (leadership) die, the children become orphans and their plans get dismantled. The little children will destroy everything including their savings and their house since there are no parents to guide them. However she hoped that Somalia can revive if the optimistic statements shared by the Somali youths in the social networks are anything to go by.
She reminded the audience how Kenya is politically mature despite its myriad tribal and regional groupings. Her parting short was that Somalis need to convene a fresh reconciliation conference organized and funded by the Somalis themselves. This conference must be held inside Somalia and its agenda set by the Somalis themselves. She finally requested NCF to arrange a broader forum to specifically discuss how Somalia can revive.