The new president of the Somali regional state must be a uniter not a divider as well as the Best Qualified.
Op-ED
by Farhan S Mohamud.
Shall we say good riddance, or does it matter the dismissal of former president Abdullahi Hassan Lugbur?
Under the former President, the Somali regional administration was mired in acrimony, and mayhem. Ethnic violence and rebirth of ONLF insurgency appears to have nullified the political and developmental gains of the last 15 years. The renewed ONLF insurgency and its military strengthening have potentially set the region on the dangerous road to anarchy and collapse of its autonomy. While other states under the Ethiopian federation continue to take promising steps toward good governance, capacity building, development, and the provision of services to their citizens, the Somali region declined under Abdullahi Hassan Lugbur. Such trepidations stem from the lack of capable leaders, leadership styles, and primitive loyalty to clan, and agonizing corruption.
The Somali region is the only regional state in the Ethiopian federation with the dubious distinction of having more than 18 presidents since the establishment of the federal system in Ethiopia. Abdullah Hassan Lugbur, with his 3 plus years, was the second longest serving president of the region. The primary reason of the region’s political restlessness; leaders are valued at the expense of leadership, while individuals are celebrated at the expense of institutions.
While I don’t believe the departure of Abdullahi Hassan Lugbur will change the current political landscape or bring a new air of freshness in leadership quality, or bring to an end the endemic paralyzing corruption, I still welcome his departure for the simple reassuring fact that he got what he deserved and the notion of holding him accountable. To be fair, the region’s problems are not all his fault-there are many parties, including the federal government that share part of the blame.
The two important questions are; who is the likely to be next president? Who is the best qualified person to lead the region from the current mismanagement and lawlessness?
There are three front runners to become the next presidents even though there may be surprises. But in all likeliness, the front runners right now are Abdifatah Sheikh Abdullahi, Da'ud Diriye, and Abdi Mohamed Omar “Iley”.
Abdifatah Sheikh Abdullahi is the head of the governing party SPDP and has been a long time minister of education in the region. Abdifatah is the most likely candidate and best qualified to be the next president in the current crop of leaders. Not only is he well educated with a masters degree from London, he also possesses a much needed missing commodity in the current crop of leaders in the region; vision, pragmatism and leadership. How is this important? Well, Leaders are men and women who furnish visions and directions in all social contexts. Visions are the grand schemes that frame the path to the future in light of present constraints and opportunities. Leaders need to have imagination, perspective, and drive. Talking to people who have worked with Abdifatah for a long time and people who know him well say that he may be the best suited in mobilizing broad constituencies and uniting them around a common purpose, but, also the best visionary and most adaptive in translating grand ideas into manageable policy options.
Another most likely candidate is Da’ud diriye, who has been the de-facto president of the region for some time now. Mr. Da’ud Dirie is the most powerful individual at the moment in the region- has been primarily behind the downfall and demise of Abdullahi Hassan Lugbur. There has been a power struggle for the past 18 months between two factions; one led by Da’ud and his lieutenant Abdi Iley and the other one by the former president Lugbur and Abdifatah Sheikh. Most likely, the power struggle between the two factions will continue despite the departure of Lugbur. Da’ud Diriye is well educated, possesses strong leadership qualities and arguably is the most decisive and capable leader among the current crop of leaders, but is also plagued by clan prejudice, is divisive, fashions his own rules, creates his own decrepit rules to centralize power to himself, fosters ethnic exclusiveness, and is well known for his ethnic mobilization and elite aggrandizement. More troubling is Mr. Da’ud’s tendencies to narrow decision-making to a coterie of presidential courtiers.
It’s the observation and conclusion of everyone I talked that, though Da’ud possesses some strong leadership qualities that are much needed at the moment; he lacks the realist, pragmatic and consensus building leadership qualities that is needed in a region plagued by ethnic fault lines, mistrust and clan, sub-clan polarization. Therefore, he is not the ideal leader that the region needs at the moment. Worse yet, Mr. Da’ud is one of the key Ogaden Politicians blocking the much needed debate on how to resolve the lingering clan animosities, particularly between the Sheekhaal sub-clans and Ogaden sub-clans in the Raaso region. The Sheekhal sub-clans have been blocked and denied political participation and representation in the region and Mr. Da’ud has been a big participant and a lead advocate in the Ogaden sub-clans effort to deny the Sheekhal sub-clans any political representation or participation both federal and regional level. There needs to be a permanent compromise between these groups, predicated not on political politeness and procrastination, but a frontal approach to the multiple, but surmountable, schisms that rend them apart. A lasting compromise is important not only between these feuding Sheekhal and Ogaden sub-clans but between all the competing Somali clans who call the region their home, to recreate a modern Somali regional government, that is comfortable with itself. Sturdy nations are built through shared institutions and symbols, but more crucially, through the purposive cultivation of common visions for the future
The third most likely candidate is Mr. Abdi Mohamed Omar known as “Abdi Iley”. Abdi Mohamed Omar has been in charge of the region’s department of security bureau for the past two years. According to many, he has been the “yes man” of Mr. Da’ud Dirie and lacks the vision, independence, and creative mind needed to be a successful leader to unite the many feuding and often conflicting interest parties in the region. Many academicians and political observers of the region believe that he often makes hasty decisions and acts on them without any thoughtfulness or deliberations. His hasty decision making and sometimes impulsive decisions, have resulted disastrous consequences in the region in the past two years, he has been in charge of the region’s security and justice department. Many believe that he is easily manipulated and influenced by others in his decision making and areas of responsibility. Others accuse him of often dovetailing into ethnic polarization and political opponents’ witch-hunting. There are numerous and well documented cases where he abused his position of power, displayed an amateur disregard for the law and acted in away detrimental to the rule of law. He therefore lacks the required personal connection between the president and the people, the political art and professionalism of a president, proficient leadership and capacity to organize-such as the ability to formulate policy and mobilize broad constituencies and government departments around his policies while respecting divergent opinions and options. I will be very surprised if he is appointed to be the region’s next president. I also believe it will have a very severe and devastating consequence for the region if he were to become the next president.
From the surface, the Somali region has got competing,divisive clan blocks that seem to present a picture of ethnic polarization, and competition. There needs to be a debate on how to resolve the lingering clan, Sub-clan animosities, and discussion for the need to have permanent compromise between the many Somali sub-clans. In my humble view, the problem is not the organization of politics along clan lines, but more accurately, lack of capable leaders and leadership. The Somali region unfortunately never had leaders, men and women who will rise above the amateur, evil clan politics and into leaders who will furnish visions, and directions in all social contexts- leaders with imagination, perspective, and drive. The region is desperate for a leader with the ability to mobilize broad constituencies, a leader who can unite all competing and often antagonistic clans and sub-clans into a common purpose, a leader who can respect the rule of law and divergent opinions and options and finally a leader who truly believes in his heart, his primary responsibility is to serve all with equality, fairness an impartiality without regard to ones clan, sub-clan and a leader who has and will always look only after the interest of the region and its citizens. I believe, with the above individuals who are most likely candidates at the moment, Abdifatah Sheikh Abdullahi is the best candidate. I hope there are better choices out there and I’m willing and curious to hear kilil5 reader’s choices and their suggestion as to who might be the most likely candidate and or best candidate for the region going forward.
Farhan S Mohamud
kilil5 contributor.
Post your comments who might be the best candidate,who do you think will be the likely candidate, who is the best qualified to be next president. ONly good comments will be posted and shared with the readers.
VOA 13pm GMT
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