This issue of looted properties is a huge problem, it doesnt help bringing somalis closer together nor will it help with international investor confidence, i mean after-all if they dont respect each other properties, you think a foreigner will risk his property? foreigners will always assess the how well the rule of law is among the people itself as a sign before dumping any sort of business orientated money. Right now we are only getting 'political' investment into areas like ports, airports, military bases. Notice how that's infrastructure needed for 'war'? places to dock jetfighters(airports), places to dock naval vassals(ports), places to store equipments(military base).
It's going to be hard to grow somalia business economy if these looted properties are not settled. But dont mistake that with solving our political problems!!! if people think just giving back homes and saying cafis is going to solve somalia political woes, they have another thing coming. Noone had looted property in the 1960s and yet we still saw 'northern coups', we still saw assasinations of presidents, we still saw clan parties in the 100s, we still saw rebel groups forming in the late 70s and 80s. Noone occupied anyone properties when this was all occurring!!!
There is a huge lack of trust and I say the political structure is the problem. We are trying to implement a foreign system time after time since the 60s. It was first democracy, then communism, now it's islamism and deep down the people dont 'buy' it nor is it something they even can relate too, they lose confidence in the system and resort back to tribalism which is what they do believe in. This is when an opportunistic politician comes along and assesses the grievances in the community and rides along on that 'tribal' card to achieve their personal objectives of seeking power, influence, wealth, etc.
Somalia political woes is lack of trust and this has it's roots from inheriting a foreign system, if anyone says otherwise are just focussing too much on the after effect symptoms(corruption, rebel groups, shabab, warlords, etc) where-as they need to focus on what caused those side-effects to come and the further they go up the chain they will see eventually it is 'lack of trust' and when they assess what caused the lack of trust it is pointing straight to the system your trying to create, a fake ungenuine an unbuyable system that is alien to the people's way of life and values. People die for values things they believe in. If you want to know what somali values are, ask them what are they prepared to die for. It's usually their tribe, so now you know automatically what this people 'real culture' is. But what our leaders do is ignore that and bring them something they aren't genuinely prepared to die for because they don't believe in it. Ask a somali if he is prepared to die for democracy and they simply look at you crazy lol. It's cause they don't believe in it.
Our issues stems from colonialism, the rest are side effects that were generated from the lack of trust like looted properties, corruption, civil war, rebel groups, clan parties. So as Somalis hopefully at our reconciliation conference, we address first and foremost the lack of trust and how to cure it and what sort of system can cure it, what sort of check n balances are we going to need to enhance trust levels. Are we going to rely on a parliament that can be bribed? a highcourt that can be paid off? you see the western check n balances are simply not suitable for us. Thats why I say we need a NATO pact!!! Where it says clearly what each state or federal authority responsibility is, their duties, and most importantly the consequences for not fulfilling it. The consequence part is what is going to restore trust, having no consequences as it is now, is just not going to cure anything but keep us in the same situation. Consequences need to be tough like 'removal of the govt, removal of the capital, removal of regional presidents, military options, economic options, seccession options' things that are real consequences that will make everyone 'behave' because they know the consequences far outweigh the benefits gained by not following the system.
We need consequences to ensure people follow the system we agreed on, without it, I honestly suspect we will be back to where we were before with lack of trust and in the future we will see new 'groups' arising that will fight the government of the day. This time the geopolitics is islamism, back in the 80s it was rebel groups as that was popular fighting communist regimes in africa, in the future it might be a different geopolitic which will impact us because we failed to address the trust factor among our society so we will always remain prone to geopolitics. Why u think Turkey-Malaysia-Dubai isn't prone to geopolitics of islamism? they answered the trust factors in their society and the people bought it. It's not because they are democracies,because dubai is no democracy, it doesn't really matter what system you have as long as the people trust each other because trust is needed for humans to cooperate and work together. Once we achieve a trust mechanism a real one not these fake western check n balances that we currently have, somalia will move on and will never be affected by any sort of geopolitic or local grievances. That will ensure investments come rolling in because the nation stability is rock hard because the people 'love' their system.
I honestly wait eagerly what the interior minister has in store for this reconciliation conference because answering somalia lack of trust and it's resolutions is going to determine if we are become a stable country or not.
Somalia belongs to Somalis.
