The Follies of the Somaliland Gurrti

The Follies of the Somaliland Gurrti should not Cloud the Search for Sustainable Peace
WardherNews Editorial 
April 06 , 2009

By the time this editorial hit's the print, Hargaysa and other major cities in Somaliland may have witnessed massive defiant demonstrations organized by the KULMIYE/QARAN opposition parties to protest the term extension the House of Elders, aka Guurti, just passed by a vote of 42 against 37 in favor of the President's request.

Mr. Dahir Rayale	Mr. Ahmed Yusuf

The ruling by the Guurti would extend the sitting president's term, which would have constitutionally expired by April 6, 2009 to September 29, 2009.

The controversy over the extension [second time] of the presidential election, a proposal so hard pushed and drafted by the Rayale camp, is immense! It is invoking raw reactions in many corners of the society. From the region's otherwise obedient, disciplined and conformist political parties (e.g., KULMIYE/ QARAN) to the 
Diaspora-based Somaliland forum, Rayale's regime is receiving stern condemnations across the country. Some argue that the Rayale administration, which does not show any signs of relinquishing power any time soon, is well in its way to an autocratic rule system, and may even employing any means necessary to extend the life of its rule; others argue that the Rayale tactics have bifurcated Somaliland clans, whose goals and objectives were until now shaped and solidified during the years of resistance under the leadership of the now defunct Somali National Movement (SNM). 

However, Rayale supporters are not without arguments. If hardliners like KULMIYE take the presidency, the Rayale camp openly argues, the country would be ruled by SNM remnants. But what is wrong with that, one may ask? The Rayale camp answers this by saying KULMIYE is not representative of the aspirations of the inhabitants of Somaliland. A recent comment by the sitting Vice Presidents, Ahmed Yusuf Yasin, which many read as a prelude to a grandiose plan of "back-to-union," secretly hatched up by the Rayale camp, a suspicion that clouded the image of Rayale for many years, did indeed worsen matters. 

All these uncertainties and ideological conflicts are compounded by the unprecedented levels of corruption associated with the Rayale regime, to which some liken it to the autocratic, divisive and corrupt system of the Barre government that ruled Somalia between 1969 and 1991. 

Political activists and leaders in Somaliland are equally blaming, this time with stern condemnation, the hitherto revered House of Elders, or the Guurti, for being a culprit in the perpetuation of the Rayale regime. With its acquiescence of the regime's proposal of yet another extension of a corrupt rule, the Guurti is seen by many as a defaulted and failed institution. The Somaliland forum, a pro-KULMIYE group, went as far as speculating that the extension may be another unwanted impediment to Somaliland's search for world recognition for statehood. It went on to even criticize the Guurti of becoming a hidden hand of the Rayale regime, often enabling him to achieve his autocratic goals. 

There is another weighty lesson to be gleaned from the danger associated with a tribally-based, largely uneducated house of Elders, when it votes on such an important constitutional issue along tribal lines. Of the 42 representatives that voted for the president's request for extension (out of 79 votes), over 95% reflected regional/clan coalition that is, as some argue, setup to deny the East-based KULMIYE party, headed by the erstwhile former SNM leader, the chance to win the presidency seat. 

In fact some even went as far as saying the current divide in the Guurti, with all but 3 of the Habaryonis Guurti members, going for the proposal, is a reflection of a well-know expression that Mr. Hussein Ali Du'ale (Cawil) Finance Minister and a Habaryonis himself, said about Mohamed Ahmed Silanyo, who is Mr. Rayale's opponent. It is reported Cawil saying "inta aan noolahay Silanyo madax wayne ka noqon maayo Soomaliland" which is to say that "Ahmed M. Mohamoud Silanyo would never become the president of Somaliland as long as Cawil is alive." Awil, himself an influential figure from the Burco region, is one of the most powerful ammunitions that Rayale has on his side.

With so many latent issues of mistrust and misperception of each political divide in place, WardheerNews is confident that cool minds would prevail this time too, as they have done many times in the short history of Somaliland. It is worthwhile to take consolation in the recent past where Ahmed Silanyo showed his capacity of a leadership; this came following a decision rendered by the supreme court that was unfavorable to the opposition and ruled it in favor of the less known Rayale for the presidency (a margin of two hundred votes swayed the decision). Silanyo, who ran a strong campaign, painfully but respectfully accepted the ruling of the supreme court.

We hope that, after tomorrow's expectedly peaceful demonstrations, the leadership of KULMIYE/QARAN would call on their supporters to move on and accept the Guurti decision. September is just around the corner. Therefore, it is imperative to remain vigilant of not letting the Rayale administration transform itself into another autocratic rule, while keeping eye on the price, that is not to destroy the enviable peace and tranquility that the residents of Somaliland worked so hard.

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