- [SW Country] (
Rashid Yahya Ali )
SECESSION: HEADLONG DIVE
INTO THE PAWS OF THE BEAST: :Posted on 5 Dec 2005
SECESSION: HEADLONG DIVE INTO THE PAWS OF THE BEAST
Rashid Yahya Ali
December 01, 2005
Waddankey ku noolayd
abido waaqeed ay joogtay From eternity, their ancestral land since
beginning of time,
Ummad waaraad loo qaybsadoon kaba walaacaynin divided, pieces and
parcels indifferent if it is chopped into spheres
Ummad aan ka waababa aqoon dabinka weegaaran Ignorant and unwary to the
laid traps and the pits concealed
Ummad wadajirkii diiddanoo kala waswaasaysa Fratricidally paranoid,
rejecting unity and inflicted with delusion
Ummad waddici gobonimadiyoo wacan gumaystiina Faithful to yoke, scorns
liberty and inviting the tyrant colonist
Ummad uu wadkeedii galoo waalo tumanaysa !!!! In the hour of death,
unbeknown, a nation dancing intoxicated
Eng. Cibaar
45 years and few months ago, the first azure blue flag for the birth of
a nation called Somalia was hoisted in Hargeisa. Exactly in that same
moment at that same square, the first colonial flag was lowered,
ushering a dawn of freedom and nationhood to a people who long struggled
for self determination and to take charge of their destiny. In less than
a week, approximately 1000 Km to the South, in the city of Mogadishu on
the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, another symbol of colonialism came
tumbling down. Foreordained by common heritage, binded by unbreakable
bond of fraternity and a shared faith, both peoples embraced each other
in unison and merged to form one nation, the Democratic Republic of
Somalia.
Regrettably, that very same hollow ground, the symbol and birth place of
our nation, today stands starkly to be stained with an eternal infamy by
turning it into the graveyard of those noble dreams and the chopping
block of the very nation which our fathers so valiantly fought for its
birth.
Granted, the honorable intentions of our founding fathers were not
realized. The goodwill set forth by our brethren in the North and their
counterparts in the South to build a nation founded on brotherhood,
unity, justice and freedom under which the Somali family is sheltered,
protected and nurtured to prosper and multiply never came into fruition.
The noble cause was not fully reciprocated and the dreams of our nation
were hijacked by spineless political opportunists beholden only to self
aggrandizement and thievery. As a result, the aspirations of our people
dwindled into institutionalized tribal patronage, political decay and
ultimately into dictatorial despotism.
In the latter years of the nation’s turbulent history, the country took
a worse turn to more repression and state sanctioned violence against
any perceived threat to the authoritarian rule of Siad Barre. Consequent
to the scorched-earth policies of the dictator, devastating military
assaults were unleashed against major cities and population centers in
the North. Indiscriminate shelling and aerial bombardment led to
estimated 50–60,000 civilian deaths and over 400,000 refugees fled to
Ethiopia. Helplessly, the entire country watched with horror as entire
towns were obliterated and citizens were subjected to incalculable
losses and pains. Similar atrocities, though nothing on the scale of
barbarity, were also committed against the people of Bari, Mudug,
Galgudud and the Bay regions. The entire land was then under the
clutches of a ruthless tyrant, bereft of moral fortitude to spare the
innocent and the unarmed.
Now that the tyrant is gone, the North is relatively stable and the rest
of the country is trapped in a seemingly intractable conflict, what
would our forefathers have done? Is secession a panacea to the North?
Will it cure the many social ills lurking beneath and ready to erupt at
any moment as it did in the South? Is the greatest concern facing our
brethren in the North fear of domination and the hegemony of the South?
Is the south a burden or partner for a better and more prosperous future
and common destiny?
By all odds, Somalis in the South hold nothing but respect, admiration,
a sense of solidarity and common nationality towards their brethren in
the North. They are encouraged and emboldened by the great achievements
taking place in the North, from institution building, free elections and
the budding seeds of democracy taking root in the region. The sense of
security and peace prevailing throughout the North is a source of pride
as well as a motivating factor for the South to put its act together and
steer the nation towards a dawn of peace. Still, many are disturbed and
saddened by the secessionist drumbeat emanating from the North to
dismember the country. They don’t see justifiable grounds in breaking up
the country. Being aware and never complacent on the cruelties subjected
to the people of the North and their legitimate grievances, Southerners
contend that unity has far more promises and brighter future than
separation.
This nation was entrusted to us by our ancestors to look after our
fellow countrymen and pass it, in whole not fragmented, on to the next
generation. If Somalia, under these extreme deprivations, is allowed to
disintegrate into small, weak estates, the fate of its people is
troubling and worrisome. A hand washes the other and the close fraternal
ties which embelled our forefathers to seek each other to award us a
sovereign nation is is truly worth cherishing, especially when the rest
of Africa was falling apart and fathers and sons, brothers and cousins
were divided and fenced under imaginary colonial borderlines. There are
insatiable hounds salivating, ready to devour us at any moment of
perceived weakness. Many have already shown their true colors and it is
depressingly heart breaking to see fellow Somalis waving the plight of
other Somalis on the international arena as a valid justification to
dismember the country or espousing the arch enemy of anything Somali and
giving unbridled access to the waterways of the Red Sea to win their
recognition.
One needs to question the true intentions of the current Zenawi
administration in Addis Ababa. Are its overtures to the North really
genuine and sincere? If so, why almost every warlord, from the highlands
of Hargeisa to the plains of Puntland to the riverine swamps of Hiiraan
to Middle Shabelle and on to the plateaus of Bay and Bakol and onwards
to Gedo, all the way to the Kenyan border, are all equipped, trained,
financed and coached by none other than Zenawi’s administration?
Ask why almost every bullet and shell which maims and murders innocent
Somalis could be directly traced back to the western border? Ask why
over 7 million Somalis in the so called 5th zone are falling far behind
in basic services and infrastructures such as hospitals, schools and
watering wells? Why almost ¾ s of the Ethiopian army bases are all
located on the Somali frontier? Do they really wish good for the North?
Just ask.
Mar hadday is wada waydayoo wiririflaynayso Confounded roaming
aimlessly, bereaved and lost
Mar hadduu wahsigu tabar ka yahay iyo walaahowgu Disposed to idleness
and with insanity mumbling
Mar hadduu waraabiyo dugaag ku ag wareegaayo Hunted by predatory beasts,
when stalked by hungry hyenas
Wan dhaylaa sidiisii haddii weerar lala maagay Like the vulnerable calf
when assaulted and devoured
Oo waaxyaheed lagu murmoo la wasladeynaayo In pieces when her flesh is
torn apart and carrion scavenged
Iyaduna walaalba u qabtiyo ehel wanaag doon ah Yet beholds the
carnivores like brethren or sincere friendly kinfolk
By Eng. Cibaar
The blossoming freedom, democracy and the indomitable spirit of our
people in the North suffices to withstand any temptation to alter their
hard won civil liberties and autonomy should they choose to remain in
the union. It is not the intent of the South to diminish or take away an
iota of the freedoms won in the North. Furthermore, the Interim Charter
stipulates in chapter 4, Article 11 that The Transitional Federal
Government of the Somali Republic shall have a decentralized system of
administration based on federalism – That the Somali Republic shall
comprise of: -
(a) The Transitional Federal Government.
(b) State Governments (two or more regions federate, based on their free
will) and
(c) Regional Administrations
Those guarantees must at minimum suffice to put to rest any concerns or
fears of eroding the exclusive regional rights of our brethren in the
North. Moreover, by remaining in the union, the North as a fully
autonomous region and an integral part of the nation will serve as a
bulwark against the excesses of any central government, the bedrock
bearing the weight of freedom, the pillars of democracy and the
foundation for a federal government in Somalia. On the contrary, its
secession from the rest of Somalia will inarguably whet the appetite of
larger and more powerful neighbors, such as Ethiopia, to reduce its
sovereignty to a mere sphere of influence. It took the Eritreans over 30
years of toil and tears to disentangle themselves from the paws of the
beast.
The South does not insist on unity for ulterior motives. It does not
seek unison because of its anarchy and your stability, not because of
destitution and for your riches, nor because of weakness and your
impregnability, but simply because from a sense of duty and fraternity.
For sustaining the eternal flame of freedom burning in the hearts of
millions of other Somalis and for posterity. They intend no malice nor
harbor envy, unlike many whose friendship and recognition is sought.
This nation, Somalia, conceived in the love of freedom, delivered in
brotherly union, nurtured by a rich culture and guided by a righteous
faith, will rise and must rise majestically to an oasis of peace, a
beacon of hope and justice and it shall take its rightful place among
the nations of this earth. It will rise to its destiny, the land its
founding fathers wanted it to be, democratic, free and prosperous. It
must and it will, Allah willing.
Rashid Yahya Ali
Baltimore, MD
Rashid_Ali_66@hotmail.com
[Country] |