Somalilandsun – As a young man striding purposely in his Saville Row suit in the 1950s through the streets of Burao, where Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud cut a dashing figure
Elders would say that young man will reach far. Armed with his university degrees, his friends would say he was a confident man.
Confident in his present and full of optimism for the future, after all Independence was not that far away.Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud throughout his long illustrious career has shown that he cares, yes he has been said to be ambitious but you cannot fault him for that.
He has developed such a strong bond with kin that he has become to be known as a family stalwart. Such is the loyalty he inspires that one cannot help but think of old medievil times, when men would go to hell and back for their leader.
He is tenacious, calculating and does not suffer fools gladly.
More often than not, such a leader will go to the ends of the earth for his nation.
This begs the question, “how does the president want to be remembered?”.
Does he want to be remembered as one of our great leaders who stood up to the despot Siyad Barre, the man who announced to the world that the SNM had captured Burco, the man who stood against dictatorial tendencies in previous governments,
the man who for the sake of the nation accepted the 80 vote margin, the man who gracefully took the mantle of leadership from the previous government?
OR, does he want to be remembered as the president who was not aware of what was going on under his very nose. The rampant corruption, the unfettered nepotism, the callous disregard for the rule of law, the prevailing attitude where the law of the jungle is all pervasive and dissent is viewed as blasphemy. Whose underlings laid bare to government coffers and almost started a civil war?
As the president who brought our very system of government to its knees, where no one knows where the presidency ends and the legislature begins? And had to be rescued by the intervention and wisdom of our elders?
Dictatorial tendencies sometimes morph from good intention,remember the vile dictator Siyad Barre came to power on a wave of popular sentiment.
Somalilanders will sink or swim together and my hope is that the President will leave a legacy that future generations will look back on as being more than just adequate. It is entirely up to our President and I hope Allah gives him guidance.
Alaa Mahad Leh
Long live Somaliland
Hassan Mohamed
