Who really butters Goth, Cullen Breads?
By: M.A Egge
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Despite the fact that it has never been in the tradition of this column to do rebuttals on opinion items by individuals (especially those based abroad) we are however indebted to point out, expose and set issues right when the aspirations of the peoples of the country is really targeted.
When the writings of a Bashir Goth and a Jasper Carlsen Cullen claim that Somalilander majority would like a re-united Somalia, we feel that it is not only a joke too far, but indeed, they are only but words and acts of dogs-of-war in action.
For both pen mercenaries, we believe that the needs for monetary and tribal whims (for Goth in particular) are the impetus that propelled them to assume that:-
1. Majority of Somalilanders would like/want re-union with Mogadishu.
2. Fowzia (Somalia FM) is the inter-sector cum catalyst of the reversion to greater Somalia.
If Goth would only be the somewhat the consistent writer he had been at Awdalnews.com/net, he would have qualified his statements by backing them with verifiable facts to justify his about-turn sympathetic attitude towards Somalia union.
Secondly, if he was really the pragmatic character he so painfully portrayed to have cultivated over the years, he would have at least mentioned the pre-election incident at Burao, the Sanaag outcry or the post-election violence at El-Afwein.
By focusing on and manipulating the Borama, Zeila and Lowyaddo locations again and again in his article, we are not taken aback but, assuming his culture as a “Somalilander-tribally-crutched” mindset (his own words), we take it to understandably denote that he only thought of or defended his own backyard where he hails from.
It is a pity that all those years abroad, with all the education, all his responsibilities etc have not had nor nurtured him rise above the water.
He showed that he does not give (or never gave) a damn about the residents of the eastern parts of the country nor their plights at all.
In his article “Divided Somaliland and the way out” posted to websites Goth is not confident enough as to advice well on “the way out” apart from insinuating that the pop
ulace either perish in resignation or bank on Fowzia!
Goth should get out of the clannish/regional cloak and tackle issues squarely.
On the same note, a Jasper Carlsen Cullen who claims to be a free-lancer based in Kenya, posts in the websites an article akin to that of Goth. See both at Somalilandpress.com or any other site focusing on the Horn of Africa.
In “A third way out for Somaliland and Somalia”, the writer “justifies” Somalilanders’ wish to re-unite with the south by way of courtesy of the sentiments of ‘a Somalia politics researcher based in Hargeisa’ a Abdifatah Taher (someone completely unknown to local media).
Cited therein is the possibility of Fowzia to cement the re-union!
How impish the claims are!
He too argues that the people are sympathetic to the re-union course.
Cullen ridiculously reduces the plight and aspirations of Somalilanders today as those of settling on a loose union that only entails war-on-terror collaborations! He, too, does not give the “Third Way” option vividly other than alleging the softening of the hearts of the people to re-union.
By the way, perhaps Goth or other scribbling-mercenaries should have battled it out with the National Assemblies Parliament and the political party heads for agreeing to go along the elections minus the electoral process of the pre-registering of voters for elections.
How can the courts take to arbitrating in litigations where there are no prior records to facilitate the ordering of by-elections or taking to decisions that fully bind beyond the slightest of doubts?
It should be noted by everyone that in FM Dr. Omar meeting with UK cabinet member three weeks ago, SL accepted to rectify the electoral shortcomings (prior to final IOE report) in line with the expected international observers’ recommendations, if any.
The Guurti also have since ordered for the setting up of put safety nets to deter future anomalies.
Please note that:-
Given that the so called mother of democracy have officially admitted shortcomings in their electoral laws hence are reviewing their constitutions after 700 years of exercising elections;
Given that the so called champions of democracy for over 200 years did not allow the women to vote until less than five decades ago hence some of their states (in the US) still use today barbaric laws) which are tailored to deter potential natives and coloured (blacks) from voting (e.g. a traffic offence once convicted are ineligible to register as a voters).
Given that the greatest democratic nation (by population) brought India untold number of litigations;
Given that the most technologically advanced and arguably richest nation today denies Chinese people to go to polls;
Given that the richest and most powerful nations in the Islamic world today considers voting as something abominable;
Given that the Rwandese and Kenyan peasants were murdered by the tens of hundreds of thousands in tribal power brokerages scenarios;
Given that our regions in this corner of the world have never tasted the fruits of one- person-one vote as we have done;
We see, feel and believe that such writings are outrightly abusive to our essence and to the memories of our past struggles, to our present endeavours and to our aspirations as a whole, not withstanding whatever our future portends.
The writer M.A Egge is the editor of the Horn Tribune weekly weekly newspaper published in Hargeisa by the state owned Dawan Media Group
Email: eggebodle@gmail.com
