Somalilandsun – Whereas people have rights to agree to disagree so too do they have rights of disagreeing to agree.
We have always held the outcomes of our Guurti verdicts as quite tenable for the past two decades. Whatever decisions that they have been making have always gone down well with the people, the subsequent administrations of the day and, at the same time, has always arbitrated on whatever any warring factions were at logger-heads ending them in very amicable terms.
So, too, have the same decisions, verdicts, pronouncements and judgements emanating from the same Guurti been hailed widely by both friends and foes of Somaliland.
Now that they have just made some pronouncements as to how they have deemed it to be fit the electoral bone of contention that threatened to tear the country apart, we do not see any sound reasons for SL to bear the brunt of IC’s uncalled for wrath.
Of course SL is not a prefecture of any sort for it to be lashed out at anyhow. We are a sovereign country which runs her affairs in the de-facto nature that it governs herself.
We did try our best as Somalilanders to do things in our own small ways, in our own traditional ways that serves our purpose fully.
The country of course welcomes every sort of bilateral relations and commitments from all sectors that are in collaboration with us.
In the same spirit of bilateral relationships, what comes fore is the reciprocal natural respect that must be depicted, shown and induced by any visiting parties.
We expected diplomatic tones to be put into gear, but never, never, the tongue-lashing we have just witnessed from the IC, unleashed on us unfairly.
It reminds us of the Amb. Hempstone times in Kenya where the US used hook and crook to impose “upcoming young Turks” over the Kenyan population- in the long run the world witnessed the bad seeds sown then which brought forth similar bad products!.
It reminds us of the crooked Booker house SAPs programs that Moi rejected for their veiled neo-colonial policy hence the IC unfairly branded him a dictator and a crook for guarding the poor Africans’ God –given rights!
It reminds us of a class monitor or a school prefect who engages his/her bossy stature over fellow pupils or students.
Better still, it not only reminds us, but EVOKES colonial mentality of the white folks waving swishy wands over “black” evil folks who “are not civilized”.
Whatever the case, the language of the new cyber-age should have toned down to that of respectful diplomacy.
As for the talks of “20th May”, the people of course welcomes it.
The President himself pledged in his fifth speech to the National Assemblies Parliament (of both houses) that he was ready for, and welcomes, dialogue between the opposition parties and the ruling one and the government.
The Guurti has expounded on their reasons for making such decision as concerns the elections.
Whatever the merits and de-merits of their verdict, the good omen is that SL always survived on indulging into sincere conciliatory dialogues whenever any hiccups of disharmony threatened stability; hence to this spirit has the VP announced the 20th May meeting whereby such may be pondered upon to thrash out differences.
As for this column, we wish them all the best, but without any qualms, demand that SL must be respected for what she is.
It is our home grown traditions and constitutional procedures that have made us reach where we are today.
An original editorial of The Horn Tribune-THT an English weekly newspaper published in Hargeisa by the Somaliland state owned Dawan Media Group-DMG
