Written by Yusuf Dirir Ali,MD
On February 16th, 2012 The Aljazeera centre for media research published a report in its Arabic website that is misleading, superficial and lacks the neutral stance that Aljazeera is known to offer to its faithful followers from all over the world. This departure from factual and unbiased information will only damage the brilliant stature and the credibility of Aljazeera. Aljazeera reporters, editors and researchers must do a thrall research and do justice to all before they embark on publishing a prejudiced and damaging report such as the one in hand.http://studies.aljazeera.net/reports/2012/02/2012216113244122683.htm
It is inaccurate to say that Somaliland got its independence from Great Britain on June 27th 1960 as the Aljazeera report indicates. Somaliland got its independence from Britain on June 26th, 1960. Furthermore, the author of the report ignores to highlight the cause of Somaliland’s recuperation of its independence from Somalia.
The people of Somaliland were militarily, politically and economically dominated and oppressed for 30 years by the people of Somalia. There was a well documented but not widely reported genocide that was perpetrated against the Somaliland people for at least ten years before the defeat of Siyaad Barre's dictatorial regime. Thereafter, Somaliland came to the conclusion that there was no benefit for it to remain in a union with a politically doomed to failure and corruption riddled Somalia.
The Somaliland’s decision to leave the Somaliland-Somalia union was approved through a democratic national referendum that was held in 2001. This referendum took place only after the Mogadishu warlords undemocratically tried to persist in dominating Somaliland through military, economic and political intimidation subsequent to the Somaliland led defeat of Siyaad Barre’s regime and that is when Somalia warlords in Mogadishu unilaterally announced an unbalanced Somalia subjugated and made in Somalia for Somalia exclusive government and without consultation with Somaliland.
Later on, the Somalia warlords adopted a new illegal name for their state “The transitional Federal Government of Somalia” instead of the bilaterally Consensual name officially given to the Somaliland-Somalia union in July 1st, 1960 “the Somali Republic” this was again done singlehandedly by the warlords in Mogadishu with out seeking the input of Somalilanders.
Somaliland is democratic and in peace with itself and with the international community. Thanks to Somaliland, it is continuously fighting against sea pirates, terrorists and warlords and because of Somaliland; terrorism didn’t spread from Somalia to the Arabian Peninsula and to the rest of the world. Despite its meager economic capabilities, it is little known that Somaliland has even extended humanitarian aid to Somalia during the last Somalia famine.
It is an exaggeration to say that some tribes in Somaliland are forming their own administrations and Somaliland is crumbling from inside, as again incorrectly indicated by the Aljazeera report. That is very untoward and far from the truth; Somaliland has had exemplary internationally monitored multiple free and fair elections since 2001. There is no Arab country that can match Somaliland’s record in democracy and human rights. Thus, the Arab and Muslim worlds must be proud for what Somaliland has achieved without or with diminutive external help.
Apart from the State of Kuwait, which is renovating Somaliland’s airports no single Arab or Muslim country has contributed to the development of Somaliland. There where even Arab countries that participated and encouraged the genocide in Somaliland in 1980s. The planes and South African apartheid era pilots that bombarded and destroyed Somaliland cities killing hundreds of thousands of civilian mostly children, women and elderly were unfortunately funded by a sisterly Arab country.
After all these happenings and positive developments in Somalilandsome Arab countries are still supporting and encouraging the dismemberment of Somaliland through media cant and giving financial support to terrorist groups, which came into being within the last few months and were organized by few power hungry individuals, who are desperately struggling to get political power through international coercion, misinformation and violent means. These few individuals badly failed to contend in the democratic multiparty political system in the Somaliland's Political arena. These handful people who are mostly Somaliland nationals with USA citizenship were defeated both militarily and politically by the Somaliland people and their activities ceased to exist within Somaliland borders.
Somalilanders are not only the first Somali migrant community to Qatar, but are among the first Arab communities that contributed and are still contributing immensely in so many tangible ways to the development and progress of the State of Qatar and other Arabian Gulf countries.
Somalilanders acknowledge and are also natural admirers of the State of Qatar, its leadership and Aljazeera for their positive role in the pan Arab affairs and are surprised to read this biased report in Aljazeera’s website. I hope Aljazeera and the rest of the Arab media will encourage positive developments in the Arab and Muslim world such as the democracy, peace and the prosperity in Somaliland and not back the enemies of Somaliland. I hope Aljazeera and the rest of the Arab media will seek and use expert and impartial parties in their reports. The people of Somaliland and its democratically elected government deserve and ask for nothing but justice.
Yusuf Dirir Ali,MD
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
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