An Opinion Piece By Abdirashid Sheikh Mohamud, Chairman* of the Labor Party of Puntland State of Somalia
Many Puntlanders were astonished when they heard President Said Abdullahi Deni talking to the Kaah Party team about the democratization process in Puntland. It seemed the president did not even comprehend what democratization entails. He does not understand that democratization is all about people electing those they believe will represent them. The people came out to vote for those they thought could address their issues. They do not want their vote to be used for self-interest.
President of Puntland Said Abdullahi Deni told his team that last year’s one person, one vote was about learning the campaign. Some parties did not know how to campaign and win votes. As a result, some of the districts that his party, Kaah, won were given to other parties that did not win enough votes to make it look like the election was fair. President Deni even gave an example of a district that his party won, where the votes were given to the Sincad party. The district President Deni mentioned was Burtinle.
The president did not realize that what he was proud of – giving other parties the votes – were actually the votes of the people who came out to vote for those individuals who campaigned for their votes. President Deni publicly stated that last year’s one person, one vote was actually a joke. How can the president be proud of telling the people publicly that he gave their votes to other parties? It seems like the president thinks democratization can be managed as he sees fit, and his plan is to remain in power that way.
For example, the president urged the people of Nugal that it is for their benefit to vote for someone in the Kaah party, whose performance they have already seen, because those performances were actually sponsored by his government. The other party members who may claim that they would be able to do this and that may not be able to fulfill their promises because they do not have any government backing.
Essentially, the president is telling people that if they want to continue whatever was performed before and more, they have no other choice but to vote for his party, Kaah. He urged his team that this time around, President Deni wanted to win all three districts because now he felt that other parties should work hard to campaign. Basically, he implied that since he has five more years, he would do whatever he wanted to.
Others who know President Deni well stated that it is not surprising if the president loses all three districts because he wants to show people that this is real democratization, where even the president’s party can lose. President Deni now feels that he can do anything he wants if he was able to tell people that their votes were given to other parties just to make the election appear fair.
My party, the Labor Party, was assigned to be chaired by someone who was a member of Kaah since president Deni was elected in the last term. The reason the Labor Party was taken away from me and given to a Kaah member was because I refused to nominate a person the president and ex-chairman of the parliament wanted for the Puntland Election Commission. When I complained to the court, which initially favored my case, I was told my case and all the documents were taken by the judge to Sweden for a vacation. That case was not solved, yet the Puntland Election Commission, which does not even have a chairperson and some of its members are yet to be nominated by the parties, wants to proceed with the election to please the president after he returned from the UAE for an undisclosed trip.
Puntland of people sooner or later would realize the real intentions of President Said Abdullahi Deni, whose only strategy is to divide and rule. His division is now at the lowest level, within family members. For example, the person assigned by the president and ex-speaker of the parliament was my cousin, in order to make it look like the issue is a family matter. Mohamed Faroole, chairperson of the Horseed Party, was given a ministerial position while removing his cousin from that position to create conflict within the Faroole family. This is as low as it can get when it comes to the divide and rule strategy of the government.
But I hope there will come a day when the people of Puntland will realize who they are dealing with as the president of Puntland.
Abdirashid Sheikh Mohamud | Labor Party chairperson | Email: [email protected]
* PS: While Mr. Abdirashid Mohamud claims the chairmanship of the Labor Party, MP Dhashane is the sitting and recognized Chairman of Puntland’s Labor Party
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