Abaq
VIP
Disclaimer:
I am a political commentator. I study the politics of the day and comment upon any salient points I come across. The commentary should not be taken to represent my personal opinion on the matter unless explicitly stated as such.
The current constitutional changes have brought to the forefront an old debate, one which predates the FGS itself but most Somalis fail to comprehend. Whether by happenstance or design, the debate is buried by layers of tribal insults and sophistry such that many fail to appreciate the finer detail.
Let me say it clearly at the beginning, Puntland's stance is not based on qabyaalad or the need to always be in control. Rather, if one is fair, Puntland's (I mean here the MJ elite's) position on this debate has remained constant since the early 90s.
When the civil war happened in 1991 and the total collapse of the state followed, major atrocities took place in the country. Dadkii way kala irdhoobeen - all good will and trust was lost between the clans. Each man returned to his ancestral homeland. To prevent the further decay of the country and total balkanization, the Somali elite accross all clans attemoted to bring the nation back together again and to reconstitute the fallen state (Abdullahi Yusuf, Caydiid, Abdirahman Tuur etc). The major sticking point at the time and today was the form of government and how power would be shared. The MJ position then was quite clear: dadkii way is dileen oo way kala aamin bexeen, sida kaliya ee la isugu soo celin karo waa nidaam federaal ah oo wax la wada leeyahay waxna la kala leeyahay si loo kala badbaado - the people have killed each other and all trust has been lost, the only way to reconcile the people is with a federal system where some things are shored and others devolved. At the time, Hawiye led by caydiid and Iiddoor led by Tuur refused federalism. Irir viewed themselves as victors of the civil war and as such they felt it was their right to dictate the terms of the peace and they didn't want federalism, they wanted a North-South system based on centralism. MJs refused and went on to create their own system.
Fast forward to when the TFG was created, once again MJ stated their demands for them to return to the table: federalism and power-sharing. Just like 4.5, federalism was accepted as an imperfect solution to bring the nation back together again after a brutal civil war.
This is where many proponents of centralism and supporters of HSM's centralising policies go wrong. They claim that Somalis never agreed upon Federalism. It is true that a referendum was never held, however Federalism and 4.5 were bargaining positions to bring the main warring sides together to revive the state. They are the two original pillars upon which the Somali state was reconstituted and the reason Puntland returned to the state building process in the first place (specifically federalism for them). Now, one party of the agreement (Hawiye) cannot unilaterally walk away from one of the fundamental points upon which the peace sits, namely Federalism. To do so, they have to negotiate with the original signatories (namely Puntland here). If Hawiye (or HSM as he currently represents them) persist on this choice, then Puntland will have every right to walk away as they can legitimately claim the original agreement has been broken.
In summary, Somali underwent a brutal civil war. Peace and revival of the state was brought by compromise not the barrel of the gun. That peace rests on two pillars: 4.5 and federalism. No one party can remove either pillar without the consent of all the original signatories.
I am a political commentator. I study the politics of the day and comment upon any salient points I come across. The commentary should not be taken to represent my personal opinion on the matter unless explicitly stated as such.
The current constitutional changes have brought to the forefront an old debate, one which predates the FGS itself but most Somalis fail to comprehend. Whether by happenstance or design, the debate is buried by layers of tribal insults and sophistry such that many fail to appreciate the finer detail.
Let me say it clearly at the beginning, Puntland's stance is not based on qabyaalad or the need to always be in control. Rather, if one is fair, Puntland's (I mean here the MJ elite's) position on this debate has remained constant since the early 90s.
When the civil war happened in 1991 and the total collapse of the state followed, major atrocities took place in the country. Dadkii way kala irdhoobeen - all good will and trust was lost between the clans. Each man returned to his ancestral homeland. To prevent the further decay of the country and total balkanization, the Somali elite accross all clans attemoted to bring the nation back together again and to reconstitute the fallen state (Abdullahi Yusuf, Caydiid, Abdirahman Tuur etc). The major sticking point at the time and today was the form of government and how power would be shared. The MJ position then was quite clear: dadkii way is dileen oo way kala aamin bexeen, sida kaliya ee la isugu soo celin karo waa nidaam federaal ah oo wax la wada leeyahay waxna la kala leeyahay si loo kala badbaado - the people have killed each other and all trust has been lost, the only way to reconcile the people is with a federal system where some things are shored and others devolved. At the time, Hawiye led by caydiid and Iiddoor led by Tuur refused federalism. Irir viewed themselves as victors of the civil war and as such they felt it was their right to dictate the terms of the peace and they didn't want federalism, they wanted a North-South system based on centralism. MJs refused and went on to create their own system.
Fast forward to when the TFG was created, once again MJ stated their demands for them to return to the table: federalism and power-sharing. Just like 4.5, federalism was accepted as an imperfect solution to bring the nation back together again after a brutal civil war.
This is where many proponents of centralism and supporters of HSM's centralising policies go wrong. They claim that Somalis never agreed upon Federalism. It is true that a referendum was never held, however Federalism and 4.5 were bargaining positions to bring the main warring sides together to revive the state. They are the two original pillars upon which the Somali state was reconstituted and the reason Puntland returned to the state building process in the first place (specifically federalism for them). Now, one party of the agreement (Hawiye) cannot unilaterally walk away from one of the fundamental points upon which the peace sits, namely Federalism. To do so, they have to negotiate with the original signatories (namely Puntland here). If Hawiye (or HSM as he currently represents them) persist on this choice, then Puntland will have every right to walk away as they can legitimately claim the original agreement has been broken.
In summary, Somali underwent a brutal civil war. Peace and revival of the state was brought by compromise not the barrel of the gun. That peace rests on two pillars: 4.5 and federalism. No one party can remove either pillar without the consent of all the original signatories.
