OPEN LETTER TO ABDIQASSIM
By M.M. Afrah

Your Excellency, I venture to write this open letter to you to impress upon you a few crucial matters in which I feel you side-stepped your pledge at the Arta conference over a year ago.

a) Every time you comment on restoring peace and stability in our strife-torn country, you gave us the impression that your government kept its promise with the mainstream Somalis who have been living under the shadow of the gun-totting militia. You blame the faction leaders for frustrating your government's effort to restore peace and stability in the country, or what was left of it. Ali Mahdi who briefly held the job was also faced with the same scenario, or even worse.

b) It is a known fact that your government received some money from a number of Arab countries to enable you demobilize the militia in order to absorb them into a National Police Force and Army to bring peace and security back on track. This was not to be. Some 10,000 highly equipped policemen are helpless to subdue a handful of warlords in the capital. As a result faction leaders still block the port and airport. Roads in the shell-battered capital are still manned by militia gunmen who exhort money from already starving population;

c) Farther Northwest and Northeast secessionists are dug in, in a bid to polarize an already fragmented country. None of them recognize your government. As far as I know no effort was made to convince them that a small country like Somalia couldn't afford disunity. Hitherto divided countries, such as the two Vietnamese, the two Yemens and the two Germans are today enjoying the fruit of unity.

d) Troops from Ethiopia stream across the border to the west, stirring disgruntled faction leaders to dislodge you and the Arta Group. But your government failed to provide physical evidence to the world. Why?

e) Business owners and other shady characters still hire armed guards for protection after flooding the country with fake money. After several half-hearted tax collections, the police and the tax collectors withdrew in defeat. The bogus road barricades are back with flying colours. You, as the President of the TNG failed to address these very important issues. It is a matter of life and death, because life for the ordinary man and woman in the street is once again in jeopardy, due to the looming hyperinflation.

f) You failed to take advantage when Daniel arap Moi barred the warlords from Kenya. This was a golden opportunity, but for some reason your government failed to appreciate and capitalize this overture by the President of Kenya;

g) The government reneged on provision of the Djibouti conference requiring land restitution. Vast tracks of rural land and prime urban real estate have been stolen. Of course you know who the culprits are. Most important step is to put an end to the importation of counterfeit currency. To summon the courage to succeed is in your courtyard, despite the difficulties. You were, of course, aware from the very beginning that you and your government would be treading on a political minefield.

h) If you mend the above mentioned irregularities swiftly you will come back as President when your current three years expires and the people and donor countries would renew their confidence in your government. But first and foremost you must win the hearts and minds of the Somali people.

By the way, the individual you are searching to form a new cabinet must have exceptional quality. His knowledge of international politics and financial systems should be encyclopedic. But most of all, he/she must be privy to the basic needs of the ordinary Somali.

THINGS TO AVOID BY EVERY PRESIDENT

1.interdepartmental and interservices rivalries;
2.Yesmen and flunkeys (Kobe-qaad);
3. Ghost offices;
4. Money laundering;
5. Nepotism and old boy network;
6. Professional lairs and fraud artists;
7. Rumor mongers.

M.M. Afrah
Toronto (Canada)
Email: afrah95@hotmail.com