A
government that is loosing the hope and the trust of its most valuable resource:
The S/land Youth
Posted
by: Yousif A. Abdi-Odowaa London, UK
Following the disturbingly breaking news of
the arrest and then the kangaroo style court sentencing on the same day of the
140+ Secondary School and university students in Hargiesa, on the day of the
commemorations of the 13th Anniversary of Somaliland. I could not
help -as a young Somalilander, who more or less understand and relate to their
underlying concerns- BUT to highlight the underlying grievances that caused them
to bring the city into chaos.
To set the tune; the Somaliland youth are
probably the most unfortunate, wasted talents, deprived youth in the 3rd
world as well as simultaneously being the most ambitious, high hoping,
aspiration driven in the world. They
have not gained or achieved any substantiated or tangible achievements in the
past 15 years, what energised and kept them going on is the hope that one day
they will play a catch up and will have the environment and opportunity to
achieve their potential.
Quite rightly so, they sensed such hope
coming following the historical presidential elections in last year. They expected a president and a government that has the
legitimate and the mandate to break free from the clan-based rule, which so
often hampered the country’s social and economic developments.
And who could blame them for such
expectations? Wasn’t that the sole and the underlying reason of deserting the
clan based political structure in favour of a free and fair democracy?
On the contrary, they watched in desperation
and in disbelief the little hope that they had evaporating in front of their
eyes within one year of casting their votes for a change and hope!
Almost on a daily basis, they witness a
government squandering the little resources that the country has, a government
with no strategic planning and vision for its own people, a government that its
ranks is filled in with incompetent and corrupted ministers -with the exception
of a few-, a government that don’t have a clue that the most valuable
resources of the country is its youth, which require to be developed and
nurtured delicately and skilfully with the little resources available.
Similarly and more sadly they also witness
their classmates and friends desperately fleeing the country and throwing
themselves into the hands of scrupulous human traffickers who exploit their
naivety by loading them up into wooden boats to send them over the Mediterranean
seas, promising them that they will be smuggled into Italy illegally for better
opportunities in Europe. More often this ends in tragedy, just over a few weeks
ago about 15 youngsters from Hargeisa has perished in the high waters of the
coast of Sicily.
You may forgive the youth who congregated
Khayriyda to listen to the president give his 18th may ceremonial
speech to think that the president will be using this opportunity as a platform
to address their grave concerns, raising their hopes/aspirations as well as
laying bare his policies to the multiple challenges facing the nation.
To their astonishment, the president has
opted for the wrong speech at the wrong time, wrong place and with the wrong
audience. He re-ran the speech that he made on his return to the country
following his trip to the UK and Belgium, which was basically a run down of what
has already been in the public domain for months! As well as re-stating ONE MORE
TIME the fact that he has turned down an offer to extend his presidency for 3
years prior the elections in favour of free and fair elections, to be fair he
also address the water shortages faced by the city and a program put in place to
solve such shortages. THAT WAS ABOUT IT…..nothing more, nothing
less!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder then that the listening youth have
exploded in fury, gathered around and marched on the highway leading to the
presidential palace, shouting anti corruption slogans on the way. The march was
forcefully disrupted by the police, who used live firearms to disperse the
marchers, forcing the city dwellers and passers by running for cover. What
prompted the police to respond to a peaceful march in such a fashion is a
question for another day!
But as far as this appalling mass arrests is
concerned; I hope that the government will realise the impact of this on all the
youth of country, diffuse the deteriorating situation, release the youngsters,
-whose many of them are about to sit for their yearly exams- as soon as possible
and above all to re-think its strategy towards its youth by lying the
foundations of a viable, credible and sustainable educational system,
economizing and utilising the little resources that the country has for the
competing demands of the country and to the best of its abilities. If not, the
consequences are not worth contemplating!!!
Yousif A. Abdi-Odowaa
London, UK
captain25@hotmail.com
