RovingMadness wrote:Murux,
The Minute Hassan Sheekh was elected, the discussion morphed into Hawiye vs Darod, had a Darod president won instead, regrettably the same would have happened. It's in the nature of our politics that complex issues are simply reduced to petty clan emotions.
The Kismayo issue & specifically the Ras Kamboni militias are in my view not as contentious as it seems on the surface. Some groups have tried to paint it into something it's not after losing out on the premiership & all sorts of insults & unprovoked statements were made in the media to exert pressure on the government to change course. This has not worked. One thing thats abundently clear, is that Hassan Sheekh is not easily pressured & nor does he back-off from a real fight. Rather, an international coalition has been built which supports the government's policy towards stabilization & governance. The lifting of the arms embargo, the recognition of the Government by the International Community & international financial institutions all fit into a greater purpose. When the UN Security Council convenes on Kismayo & endorses the upcoming Mogadishu reconciliation Conference & says those that undermine it will be punished, you can best believe that it's not some wild accusation.
Up until now, the government has focused on winning international support & backing & as a result it has a huge, largely unused political capital.
With regards to the treatment of government ministers at the Kismayo Airport, though ugly & unprecedented, this issue has seriously harmed the Kablalax interest more than meets the eye & in a very real way. If any self appointed clan messiah can bar government officials from visiting other parts of the country, imagine what sort of precedence this sets? In the future, no one will be shocked if some Hawiye or Mudulood figure blocks a Kablalax president or Prime Minister from freely entering Mogadishu & carrying out their mandate. In their quest to attain an un-winnable dream, these guys are stooping to every lowly & pathetic level & it will backfire on them. No doubt
As far as what the future holds, walaahu aclam, we can't predict it. But what I know is that this government has been in office & in a short period, they have already accomplished a lot. So far the indicators are good & inshallah the momentum will be sustained & built on. Too much is at stake for it to simply falter & fail.
You are right, the day He was elected He had some enemies and the day He selected a PM He got more enemies. That said, Xassan Sh should continue ignoring those folks, He doesn't need their support. Xassan Sh, I said before in the other thread is the best leader by far since the last regime fell. His policy for Kismayo is 100% correct. From a principle standpoint, You're a President who Has a Permanent not Transitional mandate, Why the hell would You allow IGAD and other actors to take the lead in formations of admins in Your Country, and have Your power as President usurped? Of course, Xassan Sh is 100% right wanting His Gov to take the lead. That's what any sane President would do. What I felt the Gov should have always done was this:
1) Use back channels i.e the UN, EU, AU, etc. to deal with Kenya behind closed doors. That by itself would have solved this whole fiasco.
2) Xassan Sh should realize that the people who dislike Him, were and always will dislike Him just as they did from day 1. He shouldn't spend a lot of time trying to explain Himself and be liked.
3) Which brings Me to My 3rd point, which is excessive talking to the media from the Gov about this Kismayo thing. Somali media in general are troublemakers and by explaining Yourself to this unprofessional media time and time again, it gives spoilers something to chew on and write about. 2ndly, there should be 1 person or ministry doing the talking, the information ministry. However this is just nitpicking because as Somalis we talk a lot, We do not understand 'No comment, next question'. However media and public relations is a very important tool that is underrated, the Gov needs to harness it.
