Somalia’s state of affairs resemble the story of George Orwell “Animal Farm”

Somalia’s state of affairs resemble the story of George Orwell “Animal Farm” By Abdisalam Garjeex Unlike some of my compatriots, I’m extremely skeptical of the current political process. When you remember the grim history that has left Somalia and its people into the disarray we find them in now, it is not unimaginable to assume that our nation’s worst afflictions are yet to come. It is incredible that we refuse to learn from the past and take caution in regards to the direction in which we are headed. Let no one tell you this path is unfamiliar. A house built without strong foundation is doomed to collapse. You can’t be a viable government when you’re working with an inherently flawed parliament with no obvious sense of transparency and a palpable disregard of all that is good governance. First and foremost, do we all want and agree to build a state in which we all share its benefits and responsibilities? The answer is simple, we do not. We’re far more interested in personal gain or what’s in it for the clan. All the while, we forget that our government needs our participation and investment. We need willing taxpayers for institutions; we need proper sanctions and regulations in order to provide goods and services to our people, we need to remember what it means to love your country and mean it. Instead imagine a national army with no national allegiance based in clan loyalties? Is that the protection we seek? The first prerequisite for us to become a successful society is to bury the hatchet and to genuinely reconcile our differences in order to live side by side in a peaceful manner. If we can’t even come together for some basic conflict resolution how can we think of creating a fully functioning and reliable government? In two decades, 14 reconciliation conferences were held and none yielded a good result – this should have been a lesson learned, but instead we repeat the process, hoping this time that it will produce a different outcome. Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.” Who are the stakeholders? Current TFG are leaders whose main intention is to reclaim the power at any cost, whether it is paying bribes or using assassination squads; they manipulate their supporters with their ill-gotten wealth. Hungry traditional elders willing to support or nominate the highest bidder – they don’t represent anyone other than their greed. The Diaspora who claim they want to save the country, but are really jostling for position of power. Islamists disguised as men of great faith; they use suicide bombing to terrorize the public. They are more concerned with wealth and power just like the other players and little with God. Old parliamentarians, notorious for their immoral acts, willing to give their vote to anyone even for a small amount of money. Some of them will return to the new parliament. Ex-warlords waiting on the side for opportunity to come back, create chaos, and instill fear. African peace-keeping forces, mainly from Uganda and Burundi willing to fight with Al-shabaab for a few hundred dollars. You also have African leaders like Musevani who want to pocket the money paid by the USA in the name of war on terror; he diverted the attention of his army and population to this peace-keeping mission, so that he can stay in power longer. United Nations and Non-government agencies benefitting from the hardship and chaotic situation of Somalia by spending billions of dollars that never reaches the needy and the suffering people. Ninety five percent of the money allocated to Somalia’s humanitarian and development projects goes back to the expatriates for their luxury hotels, residences and vacation homes. Western countries particularly the USA spend close to a billion dollar a year to cover the costs of the peacekeeping forces while aiming to fight a proxy war with Al-qaeda affiliated islamists. They have no intention of nation building and as long their purpose is served on their behalf, it is well and good. The invention of dozens of State Government that doesn’t exist, but in name are fighting for a piece of the pie and are falsely claiming they represent the aspirations of their people and defending their rights. The silent majority in the refugee camps, displaced by the war and famine are victimized for the past two decades – they are hopeless and only wish to see peace and rule of law come back one day. Mogadishu’s Animal Farm The story is set on the Police Academy Farm, owned and operated by Mr. Xirsi. One night the pig, Jimcale, tells all the other farm animals he has realized that the misery of their daily lives is all due to the tyranny of human beings, and that if they work to overthrow the humans their lives will become easy and comfortable. After Jimcale dies, the donkey and pig (Warfaa and Shire) start teaching his ideas (which they develop into a system of thought called Animalism) to the other animals. A few months later, Mr. Xirsi gets drunk and forgets to feed the animals, who become so hungry that they rebel and drive the human beings off the farm. They rename the farm 'Animal Farm' and write the draft constitution of Animalism up on the wall of the barn. Xirsi comes back with a group of armed men and tries to recapture the farm, but the animals, led by Jimcale’s followers, defeat the men. After many years, life is just as hard as it ever was. The pigs start walking on two legs. None of the draft constitution is left on the barn wall. A group of human farmers come to see the farm, they quarrel with the pigs over parliamentarian seats - and the animals discover they can no longer tell which is human and which pig is. The big players of the Somali transition are like some of the shady characters in the story Shire: is a black pig. He is rather fierce-looking. He doesn't talk much, but has a reputation for getting his own way. Later he becomes the Leader of Animal Farm and is hero-worshipped by the other animals. The Dogs: Become the 'police' for Shire. Originally there are three dogs on the farm, Xafido, Fardosa, and Gacal. When Xafido and Fardosa give birth to nine puppies between them, Shire says he will educate the young puppies and secludes them in a loft in which he trains them to be his personal guard. The dogs become his weapon of terror, tearing out the throats of his political opponents. Warfaa: The donkey is the oldest and worst-tempered animal on the farm. He only seems to care when he is in charge of the farm since he says ‘I should remain in charge. He is very cynical; he seldom talks and never laughs. He is also very intelligent and insightful. He is secretly devoted to Shire in his own way, and the two of them usually spend their Fridays together chewing Qat side by side. Xirsi: The farmer. In previous years, while he worked the animals hard, he used to be a capable farmer. Recently, though, he lost money in a lawsuit, became depressed, and started drinking heavily. He no longer gets much done and he spends a lot of time drinking and reading the newspapers in the kitchen. Saalax: A pig, small and fat with round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements and a shrill voice. He is very persuasive, can convince anyone of anything, and when arguing a difficult point he has an almost hypnotic way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail. Saamir: A pig. Vivacious, creative and quick in speech, but not considered as 'deep' as Shire. After he is expelled from the farm, Warfaa and Shire identify him as the 'enemy' and blame him for everything that goes wrong. Guuled: The male cart-horse is very large and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. He has a white stripe down his nose, which makes him look slightly stupid, and in fact he isn't highly intelligent, but he is steady, very hard-working and respected by all. Cawrala: A cat. She is always looking for the most comfortable place to sleep and disappears whenever there is work or danger around. Nuur: A tough, shrewd dog. He is money-minded, drives hard bargains and is always taking people to court. The meeting and the song The Meetings: Held every Friday. The animals all gather in the barn, the coming week's work is planned out, resolutions are put forward (always by the pigs) and then debated and voted on. The meetings end with singing “Somaaliyey toosoo isku tiirsada”. ‘Somaaliyey toosoo isku tiirsada’: A song that comes to Jimcale in a dream. He believes it was sung by the animals of long ago and has been lost to memory. The song is about freedom from the cruelty of humans, and the riches the animals will have when they are free. Abdisalam Garjeex Email: amabdulle@hotmail.com Ashburn-Virginia (USA) Wardheernews.com -------------- Footnote: - The story originated from George Orwell’s book “Animal Farm”; names and places were altered http://samotalis.blogspot.com/