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By
nature I don’t seriously take bashings from a small number
of readers, because it comes with the territory. Besides I
have had enough bashings to last me a lifetime and I never
lose sleep over them. The encouraging news is, however, that
the overwhelming majority of e-mails are very supportive and
inspiring.
One
email asks: “Why do you continue the act (sic) of taking
a swipe at what you call Warlords who are actually fighting
for peace and stability in Somalia?”
Good
question. But wait! If understand correctly (and I was there
physically to witness their crimes) that there are such people
in this world passes my belief. Every peace-loving Somali
is cognizant that these people are primarily responsible for
the destruction of Somalia
and the massacre of thousands of innocent and unarmed civilians
on the harebrained ground that they belonged to the “other
clan”.
Nicolo
Machiavelli, the great Italian Statesman and political philosopher
(1469-1527) wrote: “A certain prince of the present time,
whom it is well not to name, never does anything but preach
peace and good faith, but he is really a great enemy of both,
and neither of them (peace and faith), had he observed, would
have lost him state or population on many occasions.”
Back
to my email inbox, one girl (or is it a boy?) says: “It is
like sitting opposite you at a dinner table telling us what
is really going on in Somalia. That really changed my perception
of Somalia
and the ruthless warlords who keep our people hostage.
By
the way I was brought to the US
when I was five-year-old and my parents are reluctant to talk
about the current situation in Somalia.
Thanks
Mr. Afrah for your great work.”
Yes,
the current situation in Somalia
is still murky and fuzzy, to say the least.
Yaasiin’s
email from Finland
says: The warlords obeying the advice of the 1920s Chicago
Mafia gangster, Al Capone,: They’re following the money and
power come what may.” He said that he is in the process of
printing playing cards of the Somali warlords similar to the
US military’s deck of cards of wanted Iraqis.
Good
luck, Yaasiin!
Other
Somalis in the Diaspora should try the same and I can guarantee
that, besides from being historically important for future
generations, they would be collectors’ dream. So guys, try
your hands at this vital project.
AND WHAT DO THE CIVIC LEADERS STAND
FOR?
The
country needs a leader who has strong beliefs to defend it
vigorously from the likes of Meles Zenawi and his cohorts.
It is time the leaders of the civic society had better start
telling Somalis what they stand for, instead of flip-flopping
on the issue of a broad-based national government and the
restoration of peace and stability. It is time they prevent
the radioactive policies of the warlords/faction leaders who
continually wrangle over the office of the presidency.
Leadership
races are by their nature a testing ground to see who has
the mettle to earn the trust of the long-suffering Somali
people—a deep mind-altering suffering and agony.
At
best leaders of the civic society attending the talks, is
a work in progress. Despite their decorum during the last
eight months, they could only splutter and bluster when attacked
by the powerful dons, underlining the widespread fear that
they are far from ready for prime-time complex Somali politics.
But at least they offer a glimmer of hope. To shine they must
stop the dons to get away with it.
What
is still missing today is confidence that the civic leaders
have among them a messiah that will remind the world that
there are still people who are progressive and have the interest
of the Somali people at heart. They should be able to demonstrate
to the Somali people and the world that they had outgrown
the petty clan politics and are ready to rescue Somalia
from Dante’s Purgatory.
As
Machiavelli noted in his treatise more than 500 years ago,
the warlords realized that there was nothing in for them in
the ceasefire agreement signed in Eldora six months ago, they
laboured hard to put a variety of roadblocks on the road to
peace, including, among other obstacles, the continuation
of the clan wars even before the ink was dry on the ceasefire
accord.
They
are really great enemies of peace. Double whammy? You might
ask. Not a chance! Because they know what they want and how
to get it, and of course under the barrel of the gun. And
to achieve their ill-gained “victory” they frequently mobilize
their baby-faced militia boys who are themselves victims of
deception and well orchestrated hoodwinking laced with a measured
dose of misinformation.
These
“gun boys” had no choice, because many of them lost their
parents or were separated from them in the ensuing chaos and
that the country’s future no longer matters to them. What
really matters to them is survival in a vicious adult world.
Have
I said that before? I had seen too much blood spilling in
Somalia
and as a result I can’t help repeating myself. But then common
sense must prevail.
Have
a peaceful day.
By
M. M. Afrah©2003
Email:
afrah95@hotmail.com
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