TALKING POINT
BY M.M. AFRAH©

The first of the Human Rights is Freedom from Fear. Do not fear, Mr. President. You must go to Malaysia and bow and ask Mahathir Mohamed, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, and ask him: "Mr. Mahathir, Sir, could you please teach me how to do my job without fear from my own people?" I am certain he will teach you a dozen ways to run the country and rescue its citizens from Dante's Inferno. Lesson 1 would be "shove all fears into the gutter without looking over your shoulders.

Mr. President, you may not know Mr. Mahathir Mohamed, but the freedom loving peoples in the Third World regard him as a man with guts and love for his people- and like Julius Nyerere, he had no foreign accounts. Despite death threats from his enemies (and there were many), he put his country back on its feet. How he did it is no longer a mystery. He did it because for one thing he was not afraid of his enemies and devoted to his people and country-a man who refused to be distracted from his noble tasks under very difficult circumstances. Today Malaysia is one of the most prosperous and peaceful countries in Asia with 'CAN DO' mentality.

Mahathir Mohamed often said: "Do not fear," he said it and behaved this way because around him there were people who resembled him--people with chutzpah. In the Somali case, for example, the brave women of Mogadishu who sold their jewelry, and even their own homes to make Mogadishu a safe place for your government, because all them are very hungry for peace and stability, and are sick and tired of the Mooryaan. These ladies and civic workers in Mogadishu will be on your side and help you kick asses. Forgive me for my coarse language, Mr. President. It is because I am angry and embarrassed by your attitude vis-à-vis the capital.

Mr. President, when you were in boot camp you may never thought, that someday you would be in the highest office of the country, representing people who agreed to disagree. Somehow, you now find it hard to knock heads, as Afweyne used to do it in his heydays, instead you promoted yourself from homeless President to a hobo or drifter after quitting Nairobi, searching for a new power-base in Djibouti, Yemen, Egypt, the Emirates and Galkayu, of all places.

Shelf the idea of opening a liaison office in Mogadishu, because it is not only unworkable, but is in contravention of the constitution. Remember, by putting that idea in practice you would also be excruciating the brave women of Mogadishu who sold their highly cherished assets in order to make Mogadishu safer place for the Federal Government-in-exile. Do your part to communicate with the masses, and I am sure they would listen to whatever you have to tell them, that is if you use the Afweyne Formula and his Modus Operanda. Since it worked for him for more than two decades, there is no reason why it should not work for you. Use the carrot and not the stick! Do not succumb to the intrigues of the grinning Af-minsharis (the power brokers).

Extend an olive branch to the Speaker of Parliament and the warlords, now ministers in your government for trying to clear the city streets from the illegal barricades.

Use the well-meaning clan elders and civic societies when needed. Be careful when choosing your battles. There will always be enforcement issues in a country where warlords and petty politicians often agree to disagree and are at each other's throats. There will be times in which you have to consider all options and determine whether the potential risks are worth taking.

Mr. President, Remember you are no longer in the army where commanding officers' orders are never questioned, right or wrong. Know how to accept criticism-it comes with the territory. Try to understand what the real message is. And don't take it personally.

Act reasonably and respect the needs of others-in most instances you should be focusing on what is best for the men and women in the street and not what is in your best interest. When acting as a President, personal benefits and biases must be put aside. Listen to the people-let their voices be heard and let the government provide the forum to do so.

Lastly, if you expect the people to comply with the rules, then you must also comply. Set the example and others will follow.

By M. M. Afrah©
Email: afrah95@hotmail.com