A piece PM Abdiwali Gaas wrote in defense of Aden Adde

[D-Runner]

Browsing the web few days ago, I came across a let loose clannish diatribe titled “Aden-Adde: The Initiator of North-Somali Polarization” labeled against the former President and the founding father of the Somali nation by someone named Ibrahim Hassan Gagale. This kind of clannish broadside is out of place and one wonders if there was any benefit to the readers of Hiiraan Online in publishing this outlandish denunciations. Though some people are loath to attribute anything but cynical motives to politicians, Mr. Gagale’s sinister remarks are fueled by prejudice and ignorance. His characterization of the former statesman as a gullible President who succumbed to the political pressures of a particular clan is unbecoming at best and downright ignorant at worst. I was somehow hesitant to respond to Mr. Gagale’s article, because by doing so will lend credence to his frivolous accusations. Then I asked myself, if I don’t respond to Mr. Gagale’s lopsided view of the old man, then who else would defend the dignity of this bed-ridden political icon? I also have no illusions that it is sometimes very difficulty to respond to inanity without in the process becoming inane, but I convinced myself that it is a risk worth taking.

I am not a Presidential historian and my familiarity with the nonagenarian is limited to what I gleaned from the history books and conversations with some of his contemporaries. Mr. Gagale’s basic dislike of Aden Adde revolves around one issue, his acrimony to a particular sub-clan, and his hurly-burly lingo is loaded with resentment toward that clan. Hence, his convoluted and confusing discourse is devoid of logic and objectivity. I was really dismayed by Mr. Gagale’s depiction of Aden Adde--a preeminent statesman and a Somali treasure--as simply the son-in-law of a certain clan. Mr. Gagale accuses the former President of choosing his Prime Ministers from the wrong clan. To him the fact that Abdirashid and Abdirizak are distant cousins in the cliché of the Somali clan system is not a historical accident but a political calculation from Aden’s part that the premiership is preordained to that particular clan. For Mr. Gagale, being Majertein is a crime and therefore Mr. Adde is guilty as charged by being in cahoots with these conniving and a manipulative bunch. Does Mr. Gagale really believe that a specific Somali clan is genetically predisposed of having an insatiable appetite for political power or the sole proclivity of doing mischief? What nonsense!

I am sure that President Aden was not a saint, but I also believe that he was a unique individual and an exceptional leader who led an infant nation to a vibrant democracy. Under his guidance, Somalia enjoyed seven years of efficient and democratic government unheard of in the 1960’s Africa. Somalis enjoyed a full-fledged political freedom and civil liberty. There was no a single political prisoner in President Aden Abdulle’s tenure. What more could we have asked for? Faced with the daunting task of leading an embryonic democracy, we all expected him to rise to the occasion and prove what it takes to be an effective leader. For a fifty year old man with no formal training in political science, his performance as a leader exceeded everyone’s expectations.

A former politician who was very familiar with the 1967 election in which Aden lost to Mr. Sharmarke once told me when Aden’s opponents were wheeling and dealing, promising all kinds of political goodies to every imaginable sub-clan and rent seeking political pressure groups in exchange of votes, Aden rejected all kinds of political blackmailing. In the words of this political participant, if Aden would have allowed to be seduced to that kind of pork barrel politicking, he would have won in a landslide. But he refused this kind of unacceptable political arrangements because he was not a pretender of phony politics but a god-fearing Muslim who will never give promises he cannot keep. He lost the election but he kept his dignity and political integrity intact. President Aden Abdulle was such a rarity and the real face that goes with the picture of a good leader.

Mr. Gagale likes us to believe that Aden was just a naïve politician who fell under the spell of deceitful politicians. Through Mr. Gagale’s political prism, Aden Adde was a political spectator who allowed others to usurp his Presidential prerogatives. Everyone knows that in 1960’s Somali politics; it took more than just luck and coincidence to get to the top of the proverbial mountain. It took something more, something deeper. He reached the pinnacle of his political career neither through manipulation nor through the barrel of the gun. His peaceful turnover of the presidency to his successor was not a sign of weakness but a reflection of the effectiveness of the institutions that he put in place. He wanted to leave a legacy that would deny those who are defeated in elections to unilaterally extend their hold on power, so the underlying institutional framework will be stable and durable. I recently heard a remark by a current imposter who was justifying his unlawful unilateral extension of power when his tenure expired. He half-jokingly said “In Africa only a fool relinquishes power without a fight and I am no different.” This comment is a true characterization of the imposter and his ilk. Aden Abdulle knew that the power was not his to keep but was a trust to be handed over when your custodial duty is over.

A brief comment about Aden Abdulle’s approach of good government might be in order. Theodore Roosevelt, one of the best American Presidents once commented that “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” This was a statement best fitting to President Aden Abdulle’s style of governance. That is why we all have such a great admiration and respect for him except of course Gagale and his cohorts who interpreted this delegation of power not as common feature in democracies but a weakness unique to the former President. Aden believed leadership as the essence of teamwork, and teamwork as the essence of success. He selected only those he thought were the best based on character, skill, and most of all experience and education and allowed them to serve the public the best they could. He was one of a kind and great example to follow.

If President Aden Abdulle is guilty of choosing a Somali nationalist and an SYL stalwart (Abdullahi Isse) as his foreign minister as Gagale likes us to believe, we might as well accuse him to the recent lack of rainfall in Hargeisa and Berbera. If he is guilty of maintaining General Daud (the best military officer Somalia has ever produced) as the commander of Somali military forces, we might as well blame him for the death of the British couple who were recently gunned down in Sheik. If keeping Mohamed Abshir (a fine police commander who submitted his resignation instead of accepting unlawful orders from creepy political characters) is a sin by itself, then Aden is also culpable for the recent flooding in neighboring Djibouti.

Finally, I would like to say few words about Mr. Gagale’s concern of the clan balance in President Aden Abdille’s cabinet. I can’t really think of any power sharing arrangement that could have alleviated the grievances of all the Somali clans. What about the grievances of the Hawiye when Sharmarke (A Darod) was the president and Egal (a northern Issak) was the powerful Premier, and Sheik Mukhtar (a Rahanwein) was the president of the parliament? For President Aden Abdulle, clan balance was not a primary importance; a little consolation for all the clan-minded hypocrites camouflaging their prejudices as legitimate concerns.