What do you think of the Somaliland Elections?

[marcassmith]

As I am sure many of you are aware tomorrow marks a historical day for Somaliland. Its 50 years, since we had won our independence from the British Colonials. This is why the elections have been scheduled to happen on this historical day. The whole country has been gripped with election fever and we are hopeful it will go ahead without any complications.

[marcassmith]

HARGEISA, 25 June 2010 (IRIN) - Above all else, voters in Somaliland ant the outside world to recognize their independence. But the electorate has other demands of its next government. Here is a selection:

Said Ahmed Hassan, president of Gollis University in Hargeisa

“The new president has to deal with the country's economy. There is enormous poverty, lack of employment opportunities, particularly for the young.”

`Qat’, a plant with stimulant properties that is widely chewed in the Horn of Africa “is destroying the fabric of our society. It affects the health; economy and family life of our people. It should be curtailed.”

Hodo Mohamed, internally displaced person (name changed)

"It seems that our plight has been totally ignored. We hope the new government will help us settle by allocating land to those of us who have been displaced by drought and poverty."

"Look at how congested our structures [an IDP settlement in Hargesia] are. If a fire was to break out, I dread the outcome, for many of us will surely die. The new government must at least improve our living conditions."

Khadar Ahmed, businessman

"People should accept the election verdict no matter who wins. You cannot do business without peace."

"The incoming government should strengthen business laws. The ministry of commerce has to put in place better laws governing how business is done. If I am going to invest in the country, I need legal protection and security because I could be investing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars."

Anonymous businessman

"The incoming government must ensure it reaches even the grassroots. You cannot have the government only in Hargeisa while in the countryside people have never seen the government, relying only on village elders. In fact the only time they see the government is during election campaigns when politicians traverse the countryside seeking votes."

Mohamed-Rashid Muhumed Farah, journalist

"In the course of our interviews with people, many complain of lack of good governance, corruption and that the government has not done much in terms of education and improving infrastructure."

Amina Abdillahi Ahmed, academic

"When people hold political office, they tend to stick there, not wanting to leave because Somaliland is a small country with a lot of resources which remain undiscovered. As it is, many people lack proper employment, the government doesn't pay its employees much."

"People are looking forward to change but I fear the ruling party may not respect the people's verdict."

"I can say democracy is taking root in Somaliland, although it may not be to Western standards. Slowly by slowly we'll get there. The incoming government must rethink what it can do for the people. It must address communities' needs and identify the gaps such as unemployment that need urgent solutions."

ah-js/cb


source: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89617

[grandpakhalif]

very delusional people

[FAH1223]

Well, its still third world so there will be vote rigging and stuff

[talxenegus]

A country that is based on Pure Tribalism is trying to have election.

It's amazing how Marcas makes arguments which are all centered around 'LOGIC' and usage of the sane mind and when it comes to this issue of Somaliland he is almost delusional, and ignorant of the fact that the Somali People who are the rightful inhabitants of Somalia ( even some in S-land) don't even recognise it.

[marcassmith]

Well, its still third world so there will be vote rigging and stuff

Sometimes, I truly wonder, if you really believe in the words you regularly utter here on somalinet. It is indeed unfortunate you have adopted this position against Somaliland. Somaliland is still developing. Our rates of development should not be compared to industrialised country, for they too were languishing at the rung of the ladder one point or another in their respective histories. You should judge Somaliland by its own standard; it’s a developing country which is making great strides, despite being unrecognised. So rather than judging Somaliland democratic elections against a different benchmark, its important to consider that each country goes through its own social, political and economic trajectories. Of course, even America's election credibility have been tested in recent years, not to mention the whole host of countries who have conducted poor elections. Somaliland, unfortunately, has not been endowed by the begging-bowl that the former Somalia has squandered, not by beneficiaries whose interest is to promote democracy. All the efforts you see are the hard work of the Somalilanders, who have all invested in the democratisation process and whose interest it is to see that the elections go according to plan, not least in terms of being probably conducted but also that the outcome is fair, free and democratic.

It’s important to understand FAH1223, that all countries should not be subsumed under one standard.

[marcassmith]

A country that is based on Pure Tribalism is trying to have election.

It's amazing how Marcas makes arguments which are all centered around 'LOGIC' and usage of the sane mind and when it comes to this issue of Somaliland he is almost delusional, and ignorant of the fact that the Somali People who are the rightful inhabitants of Somalia ( even some in S-land) don't even recognise it.

That is maybe how your centre of gravity manifests itself, but of course, I beg to differ for a number of reasons, not least in terms of the historical features that make Somaliland unique. I don’t need to remind you that Somaliland was a separate colonial entity to that of Southern Somalia and therefore has a claim to reaffirm its sovereignty, which Somaliland declared on the 18th of May 1991. Having said, after the initial peaceful negotiation that took place in Somaliland, a referendum was held in 2001 under Somaliland Constitutional Referendum Act, where 97.1% of Somalilanders support the recognition of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign nation. The referendum affirmed Somaliland's independence from Somalia as a separate state giving it full jurisdiction over its territory.

Furthermore, you have made a pertinent comment regarding who the populace of Somaliland is. In your haste to point the finger at Somaliland, as though a tribal state, unlike the rest of the entities in Somali peninsula like Puntland, Galmudug or the others; Somaliland is based on self-interest and the joint consensus of the development of its people, who are indeed diverse, working together to achieve a viable and sustainable future. Identity is constructed; it’s not biological so please spare the using historical irredentist overtones to justify these regions annexation from Somaliland.

[military-mind]

[Jamac_Yare]

my axmed farax brother i stand by you

[malakumod]

Somaliland: An enclave of one secessionist clan hijacking others
The one-clan based secessionist enclave calling itself Somaliland, otherwise known as the NW region of Somalia to the rest of the world, will once again commemorate its unilateral declaration of secession from Somalia which it proclaimed on 18 May 1991. If the past is any guide, one can expect to be treated to more of the same old triamphalist fanfare to warm the hearts of its despondent and despairing followers: the usual rituals will be staged claiming that recognition is round the corner; self-righteous mantra churned out ad nauseam justifying why the enclave will never again rejoin Somalia; exaggerated achievements trumpeted for the international and domestic public consumption; Somalia roundly portrayed as doomed and defunct; and the mendacious claim reiterated that the secession is supported by all the clans of former British Somaliland, when in reality it is an enclave of one separatist clan hijacking all the others by force in order to get away with the secession.
What is doomed is not Somalia as the secessionists cherish and pray. Sooner or later, Somalia will emerge from its prolonged strife as other countries before it have done. Nations as different as Lebanon, Northern Ireland, Nigeria (the Biafra secession), Congo ( the Katanga secession), Sri Lanka (the Tamil secession), among others, have all gone through similar or worse conflicts and have in the end pulled through intact and stronger. Rather, what is doomed to failure is the one-clan driven secession which is opposed by all the other clans in former British Somaliland, by the rest of the Somali people in Somalia and, by all the regional and international organisations which routinely reiterate their support for Somalia's unity and territorial integrity. As such, the question is not about the secession's ineluctable failure but how soon will its supporters realise that, after chasing a mirage all these years, they have come to a dead-end leading them no where. It is in everybody's interest that this year's commemoration will be the last and they return to the union fold.
What is mind-boggling is the rationale that the separatists give to justify their secession. It is not based on any legal or constitutional basis but simply on the ludicrous reasoning that they were at one time a separate entity under British colonial rule and that this fact alone gives them inalienable right to renounce the union with Italian Somaliland and go their own way as a clan. And not only that, but also to drag with them all the other clans belonging to the area as if they were their property and had no free will or choice in the matter. One has to recall that those clans who were forced to be part of the British enclave had never existed before as separate people, nor had any exclusive bonds that set them apart from those in the rest of the Somali territories in the Horn of Africa other than that they were colonised by the British and the others by different colonial powers.
Far from constituting a distinct people, the clans in former British Somaliland were a microcosm of the clans in the other Somali territories, each having stronger blood ties with its kindred clans across the artificial colonial borders. As such, a bygone foreign occupation cannot give God-given right to any one clan to put the clock back and break from the Somali State, forcing in the process all the other clans in the area to succumb to the secession. If that was allowed to every clan in Somalia, or anywhere else in Africa, it will be a recipe for the end of the nation state as we know it, and that is why the African Union and the wider international community are deadly against it.
It is also important to remember that while the secessionist clan has accepted British colonial rule in 1888, through bilateral treaties, the people in the now unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn (SSC) have by contrast refused from the outset to be part of the British colony. Their Dervish resistance movement, under Sayed Mohamed Abdalla Hassan, had fought against British colonial occupation for over 20 years (1900- 1920). Even if the British finally managed to defeat them militarily, thanks to the collaboration of the secessionist clan, the SSC people never formally signed to accept British colonisation. In the absence of a binding bilateral treaty with the British, the SSC regions and people were therefore not bound to remain as part of that entity once Britain's colonial rule ended. Such being their nationalist past, it is inconceivable they will ever agree, or bow, to secession and leave the union for which they had made incalculable sacrifices. Alas, history repeats itself, and it is the same people who played a treacherous part in the defeat of the Dervish free fighters who are once again bent on Somalia's dismemberment, this time in collaboration with its worst enemy, Ethiopia.
Once the end of the era of colonialism was on the horizon, and independence was finally approaching in the 1950s, the clans faced three options about their future: they could go their separate ways, or form a new independent nation or else opt to unite with Italian Somaliland in order to fulfil the aspiration of Greater Somalia which almost all Somalis of the time yearned for. Not surprisingly, it was the union with Italian Somaliland that they all agreed on, and it was solely for this purpose that they sought independence from Britain which it granted accordingly. Contrary to baseless secessionist propaganda, the newly-independent four-days old territory was never admitted to the UN nor recognized by any single country for the simple reason that it never sought recognition in the first place but only to unite with Italian Somaliland.
The critical importance of the control of the unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn to the possible success of the secession has been uppermost in the strategy of the one-clan based separatists (better known as Somalidiid) from the time they declared their breakaway from Somalia. Though invariably wrong on most of their calculations, they have been right for once to see the SSC regions as the lynchpin that binds together north and south Somalia. And as long as these SSC regions remain part of Somalia, the clamour for recognition by the residual secessionist rump in Somaliland would sound hollow and not make much headway with the international community for whom all one clan-based secessions are reminiscent of those in Biafra, Katanga and their likes. This forms the backdrop to the invasion and occupation of the SSC regions by the secessionists in October 2007. Unfortunately for the separatists, the sons and daughters of the Dervish, who refused to succumb to the might of the British Empire, will not surrender to one clan occupation and its crimes against the union .
Though opposition to one-clan-driven secession is the bedrock of the Charter of the African Union, the separatists remain blinkered, bigoted and so far averse to peaceful dialogue and reconciliation. Having despaired of any political gain from their campaigns of the past 19 years, they continue to bank on illusory hopes. The delusion still persists that the insurmountable wall facing them could be breached if only they could get recognition from one or two bribed corrupt African leaders, or from Ethiopia in return for the shameless collaboration they provide against the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). Out of desperation, it has now jumped on the "war on terror" bandwagon, actively peddling the area's coveted strategic importance to any interested western power. No stone has been left unturned in the search for recognition and even Israel has been wooed. These moves are unlikely to be more successful than those they undertook in the past.
The people of the unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn, betrayed by Puntland, remain true to their history as defenders of the Somali homeland against alien invaders and colonisers and continue to pay heavy sacrifices in defending Somalia's unity, this time against its internal clannish enemies. Despite the odds they face in terms of the strength of the enemy, yet no other groups in Somalia, whether clans, organisations, or individuals, have come to join or aid them in the defence of Somalia's unity. Worse, the Somali governments established in Embegathi in Kenya and in Djibouti, for whom the defence of the country against its external and internal enemies were their raison d'être, have been indifferent to their responsibilities, shamelessly engrossed in their own political survival and personal pecuniary pursuits. Thus, the battle to maintain the unity has been left by default to the SSC people which they heroically shoulder. No matter how long it takes, they will defeat the enemy of unity and banish the bane of secession from Somalia's body politic once and for all and consign it to the dustbin of history.
O. H. Omar

[SahanGalbeed]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/world ... c_ev=click

The New York Times , beat that dooros !!

The people of the unionist regions of Sool, Sanaag and Cayn, betrayed by Puntland

Betrayed by their own eh ? There is something fundamentally wrong if you're betrayed by your brother !!

Ooh I think I know , it's all LIES !!

[malakumod]

^^^^ sxb getting video of few people walking about and few old men in living room does not mean that people of sool,sanaag iyo cayn support this one clan entity.
start 6:25
here are thouasnds of your people singing aabo siyaad in berbera in 1988. so does that mean the isaaq people supported siyaad and his regime in 1988? if those people in the vedio did not represent isaaq in 1988 then what makes those half dozen people in your video representing the peopleof ssc

[malakumod]

this how this so called british somaliland protectarate came into existence.

HERE ARE THE ARTICLES THAT ALL THE OTHER TRIBES HAVE
EXCEPT THE WARSANGALI TREATY
_____________________________________________________________________________________

We, the undersigned Elders of the Gadabursi tribe, are
desirous of entering into an Agreement with the
British Government for the maintenance of our
independence, the preservation of order, and other
good and sufficient reasons.
Now it is hereby agreed and covenanted as follows:-

ART. I. The Gababursi tribe do hereby declare that
they are pledged and bound never to cede, sell,
mortgage, or otherwise give for occupation, save to
the British Government, any portion of the territory
presently inhabited by them, or being under their
control.

ART. II. All vessels under the British flag shall have
free permission to trade at all ports and places
within the territories of the Gadabursi tribe

ART. III. All British subjects residing in or visiting
the territories of the Gadabursi tribe shall enjoy
perfect safety and protection, and shall be entitled
to travel all over the said limits under the
safe-conduct of the Elders of the tribe
.............

In token of the conclusion of this lawful and
honourable bond, Jama Roblay, ........and Major Frederick Mercer Hunter,
Assistant Political Resident at Aden, the former for
themselves, their heirs and successors, and the latter
on behalf of the British Government, do each and all,
in the presence of witnesses, affix their signatures,
marks, and seals, at Zaila, on the 11th day of
December, 1884, corresponding with the 25th Safar.
F. M. Hunter
(the marks of Elders named.)

Agreement with the Gadabursi, ZAILA, Dec. 11, 1884 -

_____________________________________________________________________________________
We, the undersigned Elders of the Eesa tribe, are
desirous of entering into an Agreement with the
British Government for the maintenance of our
independence, the preservation of order, and other
good and sufficient reasons.

Now it is hereby agreed and covenanted as follows:-

ART. I. The Eesa tribe do hereby declare that they are
pledged and bound never to cede, sell, mortgage, or
otherwise give for occupation, save to the British
Government, any portion of the territory presently
inhabited by them, or being under their control.

ART. II. All vessels under the British flag shall have
free permission to trade at all ports and places
within the territories of the Eesa tribe

ART. III. All British subjects residing in or visiting
the territories of the Eesa tribe shall enjoy perfect
safety and protection, and shall be entitled to travel
all over the said limits under the safe-conduct of the
Elders of the tribe
.......
In token of the conclusion of this lawful and
honourable bond, Ali Geridone, .........and Major Frederick Mercer
Hunter, Assistant Political Resident at Aden, the
former for themselves, their heirs and successors, and
the latter on behalf of the British Government, do
each and all, in the presence of witnesses, affix
their signatures, marks, and seals, at Zaila, on the
31st day of December, 1884, corresponding with the
13th Rabu-al-Awal, 1302
F. M. Hunter


Agreement with the Eesa Somal, ZAILA, Dec. 31, 1884 --


_____________________________________________________________________________________
We, the undersigned Elders of the Habr Toljaala tribe,
are desirous of entering into an Agreement with the
British Government for the maintenance of our
independence, the preservation of order, and other
good and sufficient reasons.

Now it is hereby agreed and covenanted as follows:-

ART. I. The Habr Toljaala tribe declare that they are
pledged and bound never to cede, sell, mortgage, or
otherwise give for occupation, save to the British
Government, any portion of the territory presently
inhabited by them, or being under their control.


ART. II. All vessels under the British flag shall have
free permission to trade at all ports and places
within the territories of the Habr Toljaala, and the
tribe is bound to render assistance to any vessel,
whether British or belonging to any other nation, that
may be wrecked on the above-mentioned shores, and to
protect the crew, the passengers, and cargo of such
vessels, giving speedy intimation to the Resident at
Aden of the circumstances, for which act of friendship
and good-will a suitable reward will be given by the
British Government.

ART. III. All British subjects residing in or visiting
the territories of the Habr Toljaala shall enjoy
perfect safety and protection, and shall be entitled
to travel all over the said limits under the
safe-conduct of the Elders of the tribe


In token of the conclusion of this lawful and
honourable bond, Dirir Shaikh Don, ....[INSERT THE
NAMES OF THE ELDERS HERE].....;and Major Frederick
Mercer Hunter, Assistant Political Resident, the
former for themselves, their heirs and successors, and
the latter on behalf of the British Government, do
each and all, in the presence of witnesses, affix
their signatures, marks, and seals, at Aden, on the
26th day of December, 1884, corresponding with the 9th
of Rabu-al-Awal, 1302

F. M. Hunter
(the marks of Elders named.)

Agreement with Habr Toljaala, Aden, December 26,1884

_____________________________________________________________________________________
We, the undersigned Elders of the Habr Gerhajis tribe,
are desirous of entering into an Agreement with the
British Government for the maintenance of our
independence, the preservation of order, and other
good and sufficient reasons.

Now it is hereby agreed and covenanted as follows:-

ART. I. The Habr Gerhajis tribe do hereby declare that
they are pledged and bound never to cede, sell,
mortgage, or otherwise give for occupation, save to
the British Government, any portion of the territory
presently inhabited by them, or being under their
control.

ART. II. All vessels under the British flag shall have
free permission to trade at all ports and places
within the territories of the Habr Gerhajis, and the
tribe is bound to render assistance to any vessel,
whether British or belonging to any other nation, that
may be wrecked on the above-mentioned shores, and to
protect the crew, the passengers, and cargo of such
vessels, giving speedy intimation to the Resident at
Aden of the circumstances, for which act of friendship
and good-will a suitable reward will be given by the
British Government.

ART. III. All British subjects residing in or visiting
the territories of the Habra Gerhajis tribe shall
enjoy perfect safety and protection, and shall be
entitled to travel all over the said limits under the
safe-conduct of the Elders of the tribe

In token of the conclusion of this lawful and
honourable bond, Ahmed Ali, ........and Major Frederick Mercer
Hunter, Assistant Political Resident at Aden, the
former for themselves, their heirs and successors, and
the latter on behalf of the British Government, do
each and all, in the presence of witnesses, affix
their signatures, marks, and seals, at Aden, on the
13th day of December, 1885, corresponding with the
28th of Rabi-al-Awal, 1302

F. M. Hunter
(Signatures of Elders)
Agreement with Habr Gerhajis, Aden, January 13,1885

_____________________________________________________________________________________

WHEREAS the garrisons of His Highness the Khedive are
about to be withdrawn from Berbera and Bulhar, and the
Somali Coast generally, we, the undersigned Elders of
the Habr-Awal tribe, are desirous of entering into an
Agreement with the British Government for the
maintenance of our independence, the preservation of
order, and other good and sufficient reasons.

Now it is hereby agreed and covenanted as follows:-

ART. I. The Habr-Awal tribe do hereby declare that
they are pledged and bound never to cede, sell,
mortgage, or otherwise give for occupation, save to
the British Government, any portion of the territory
presently inhabited by them, or being under their
control.

ART. II. All vessels under the British flag shall have
free permission to trade at the ports of Berbera,
Bulhar, and other places in the territories of the
Habr-Awal tribe

ART. III. All British subjects residing in or visiting
the territories of the Habr-Awal shall enjoy perfect
safety and protection, and shall be entitled to travel
all over the said limits under the safe-conduct of the
Elders of the tribe
......

In token of the conclusion of this lawful and
honourable bond, Abdellah Liban, ........and Major Frederick Mercer
Hunter, the officiating Political Resident of Aden,
the former for themselves, their heirs and successors,
and the latter on behalf of the British Government, do
each and all, in the presence of witnesses, affix
their signatures, marks, and seals, at Berbera, on the
21st day Ramdhan, 1301, corresponding with the 14th
July, 1884

F. M. Hunter, Major,
Officiating Political Resident, Aden.


Agreement with Habr-Awal, Berbera, July 14, 1884

sxb do you see the name of the people of sool,sanaag iyo cayn on this shameful list?
do did not accept this then and we will not accept now. we will forever be for somalia

[Goljano Lion]

malakumod
You seems to have no honest clue of what the hell you r talking about, bitching and spreading lies about Somaliland won’t help your cause, I can understand you are very passionate about your SCC but the truth is nobody is holding back dhuloz, the problem is dhuloz,s poltical philosphy, as clan nobody knows what you want,
my advice would be sort out your poltical differences and come up with alternatives politics regarding your political impasse and dilemma

[marcassmith]

NEWS AFRICA
Somaliland holds presidential poll

Dahir Riyale Kahin, the incumbent president, won by just 80 votes in 2003
The people of the self-declared republic of Somaliland have begun voting in the region's second presidential election.

Three men, Dahir Riyale Kahin, Ahmed Mohamud Silanyo and Feysal Ali Warabe, are vying to become president of the unrecognised region, a haven of relative peace in the northwest of Somalia.

The candidates held their campaign rallies on different days in order to avoid bouts of violence between supporters.

All three candidates promised to seek out more international recognition of Somaliland to maintain the region's security and economic development.

'Slow start'

Al Jazeera's Mohamed Adow, reporting from a polling station in Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital, said voting was "off to a painstakingly slow start".

"This election means a bridge to international recognition and it will show the world that Somaliland is practising democracy"

Hussein Abdullahi Bulhan, head of Hargeisa University

He said voters began gathering at polling stations before dawn, with queues stretching into neighbouring roads.

"The president, after he cast his vote, told the people gathered here and the media that these elections are very crucial to the future of Somaliland," Adow said.

"[President Kahin] said recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, as an independent republic, is on the way."

Many voters share the candidates' and president's hopes for statehood and expect the election to bring Somaliland more respect.

"This election means a bridge to international recognition and it will show the world that Somaliland is practising democracy," Hussein Abdullahi Bulhan, the head of Hargeisa University, said.

Security has been tightened across the region following an audio message warning from the leader of al-Shebab, an Islamist group fighting Somalia's government, warning voters to stay home or "face the consequences" if they cast their ballot.

"All our country's forces are locking the borders. Movements and transport inside Somaliland are also forbidden except for those authorised by the national election commission," Mohamed Saqadi Dubad, a police chief, said.

A nationalistic vision of a unified Somalia is essential to some of the al-Shebab leaders.

Hopes for peace

More than a million people have registered to vote at more than 1,000 polling sites which will be monitored by dozens of international observers.

In video

Voters want Somaliland to be recognised as an independent country

Steve Kibble, an observer with the British organisation Progressio, said his group was encouraged that residents wanted to carry out a peaceful election that is recognised nationally and internationally.

"At this stage, we expect that such an outcome can be achieved," Kibble said.

Kahin, leader of the Democratic United National party, or Udub, was elected president in the first president election in 2003, with 42.08 per cent of ballots cast in an election won by 80 votes.

Somaliland's second presidential election has been frequently delayed. It was first scheduled for 2008, and then for 2009.

Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 and has been
relatively peaceful and stable compared with the rest of Somalia, which
descended into anarchy following the 1991 ouster of longtime ruler, Mohamed
Siad Barre.

The region has its own security and police forces, justice system and currency, however it is not recognised by any other state.

Polls opened at 0400GMT until 1500GMT and results are expected in one week.

source: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/afric ... 34773.html