SHARIFF HASSAN – Please
Resign and Go home. August
23, 2005 By Abdulkadir M.
Khalif.
Shariff Hassan, the Speaker of Somali Federal
Parliament is the most famous House Speaker in the World. He is known
for standing up to both the head of state and the head of Government of
the fledgling Democracy that is Somalia.
He has got his fame by splitting the House to the point where neither
faction can form a quorum. Instead of bringing the fractious members
together to form a quorum he has divided them into two factions, one of
which he himself leads. In the process he has voted himself out of his
role as a neutral arbitrator of the House and declared himself a de
facto leader of an opposition group. He is therefore no longer a speaker
of that august assembly and should be ignored by all. His deputy should
take over without any further consultation and call the House to order
as soon as possible. According to the rules and procedures of all
parliaments there is actually no dispute within the Somali Federal
Parliament but only confusion about who should do what and how.
Shariff Hassan should take his seat as a member of parliament
representing his clan within the Digil and Mirifle Ethnic Block. If he
was given that position as a gesture of recognition to the Digil and
Mirifle peoples he should consider passing it over to a more capable
person. If that is seen as an extreme measure we should probably
consider granting him leave to attend a crush course in parliamentary
rules and procedures some where else. He should not be allowed to expose
his ignorance and paralyze the running of this unfortunate country that
has already suffered so much for so long. Any further delay in taking
some sort of action to control this man will bring Somalia ever closer
to an inevitable explosion, something for which he will stand condemned
and for which he will bare full responsibility for eternity.
As a member of the Digil and Mirifle Block, I have a special grudge
against him. I view the Shariff’s intransigence as the sole reason for
the Government not setting camp at Baidoa. I consider that a very
unfortunate thing and a great blunder committed against our people. I am
of the opinion that with the Government in Baidoa the Digil and Mirifle
people stand to benefit more than any other people at a time when the
entire world is ready to extend a helping hand to the Government of
Somalia. If any body has any doubts he/she only needs to look at what is
now going on in Jowhar. Property prizes are up, development is fast
moving in, airports and streets and other infrastructure are being
rehabilitated and all businesses are having a bonanza. Why are the
Shariff and Xaabsade denying our people such prosperity? Have we not
suffered enough over the years and is not an opportunity for us to
benefit from the rest of this country? Are our farmers
and youth not ready for the challenge of hosting a Government? Are
people like the Shariff and Xaabsade not aware that because of their
influential position they stand to gain financially more than any body
else. Why can’t the sharif just move to Baidoa and call the Parliament
to convene there for one session and see what will happen to the hotels
and restaurants of that beautiful city?
We the Digil and Mirifle people should not waste time any more and
should take immediate action to do the following things before we
are ignored and consigned to the periphery once again:
• We should call upon all our Ugasses and Malaaqs to
convene an emergency meeting to reconsider their nominations to the
Federal Parliament and take necessary corrective measures.
• We should use all our intellectual and other
resources to prevail upon the Shariff and make him give way to the
proper running of the country.
• We should prevail upon all the warring armed
ministers within our community and force them to reconcile and burry
their differences for the benefit of our people and country.
• We should start the necessary preparations for the
re-establishment of the Southwest State with its capital at Baidoa and
its main port at Kismaayu in collaboration with all the peoples of all
the six regions of that State.
• We should take immediate actions to bring the
Federal Authorities to Baidoa and all future parliamentary sessions
should take place in Baidoa in order to help that city recover quickly.
• We should remember that if the country explodes
once more, all the opportunities that would have come with peace and
reconciliation would be lost and that it would be blamed on the Shariff
and through him the Digil and Mirifle people who gave him the immense
authority which he used so carelessly and so dangerously.
Abdulkadir M. Khalif
Khalif8888@hotmail.com
|
The
opinions contained in this articles are solely
those of the writer, and in no way, form or shape represent the editorial
opinions of Africa News Online.
|
