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Published
by A.B. Warsame.
Chairman of SPR
(Somali Peace Rally) - The Somali Peace Rally (SPR) welcomed
and wholeheartedly supported the Djibouti government's sponsored
peace initiative for Somalia as the majority of Somali people
did. We truly believed and hoped that the conference would
come up with fresh ideas and above all with fresh faces.
We were
expecting from the Djibouti's peace plan that new Somali political
leaders with a deep understanding of current conditions by
Somali people, a clear vision of the future and with the ability
to consider long- term consequences of particular courses
of action would rise to lead the reconstruction and reconciliation
of war-torn-Somalia; leaders who are not tainted by crimes
of war and corruption; leaders who are equipped with great
knowledge of changes taking place regionally and internationally.
In short,
we were expecting from peace process that our new Somali political
leaders of transitional government would be leaders with courage
to stimulate public participation in policy discussions, give
much efforts to promoting a culture of peace and reconciliation
throughout the country, and effectively manage Somalia's post-conflict
development programmes under the auspices of federal government
aid scheme.
Unfortunately,
the signals coming from Djibouti are very disappointing and
discouraging. The top candidates for the executive office
of the transitional government are warlords, collaborators
of warlords and former ministers and generals of the dictatorial
regime of Siad Barre.
The candidates
for the position of executive are the same people who committed
gross human rights violations against the people of Somalia;
the same people who presided over the collapse of the Somali
economy; the same people who siphoned off the country's reserves
into their private bank accounts in Europe and North America;
the same people who plunged the country into an economic and
financial crisis of unprecedented proportions; the same people
under whose management the poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy
and disease reached shocking levels; the same people who led
the best and brightest members of Somali social capital to
leave the country; the same people who caused the civil war
in the first place.
We feel
dismayed and betrayed that the very people who were the cause
of the Somali tragedy be called upon to lead the transitional
government.
We strongly
believe that any nomination of or electing such corrupt, negligent
and incompetent individuals to the Executive Office of the
transitional government will only enforce the impact of crisis
on the country and will not provide a vehicle for eventual
recovery for the nation.
Therefore,
the SPR firmly urges the Djibouti government and the international
community to discourage the nomination of any corrupt leaders
and warlords to the highest decision-making offices (such
as the executive office) in the transitional government.
We urge
the international community to carefully scrutinise the background
of these candidates whose intention is to milk once again
the international donor community in order to amass personal
wealth at the expense of the Somali people.
We also
appeal to the international community to encourage the peace
participants to consider a federal system above an excessive
power of central government.
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