He is the first elected president in a decade, Somalis every where cheered this milestone that have not been seen for a decade. In fact , since the overthrow of the Somali civilian government by the army in 1969, it is the first democratic ballot by A Somali parliament, even though it"s members were selected in tribal power sharing scheme called 4.5. When he landed at the Mogadishu airport, hundreds of thousands of people, from all walks of life, descended to the streets of Mogadishu for celebration. The talk of the people is a decade long anarchy is finally going to end as everyone expected. There are high hopes for the people yearning for rule of law and government. Folks, I am not talking about president Farmaajo, but the equally celebrated and welcomed presidency of the Carta government led by president C/qasim Salaad Hassan. When his motorcade passed Villa-Somalia and went to a Hotel near the hospital were the mentally ill was cared , the people in Kaaraan districts and other neighborhood wondred whether he is checking in that hospital ( Adeer ninkaan xaguu ka Aadilahaa Villa-Somalia Maanakobia ayuu aaday). Today, after 17 years of that failure, Somali parliament have elected a new president with high hopes and expectations. People across the country have welcomed this election as a milestone and change for the right direction. Emotions are a well known trait of the Somali culture , but this welcoming emotions of the new president seem to be genuine. So, we dicided to put aside the early emotions and get in to the real business. in order to sort out the real issues facing the new president in the coming months , we did try to consult an experts mind who was not only one of the architects of the Carta government that failed 2000, but he is also a good observer who have witnessed many government failures and adventures in Somalia and in particular Mogadishu. Unlike many scholars who sit, evaluate and write from the ivory towers (Nin Daar Ku Jiraa Daruur Ma Arkee), Dr. C/raxman Baadiyow is one of the handful Somalis from the diaspora who went home , spent time and resources, and built lasting institutions like the Mogadishu university. He is a pragmatic politician and academic who understood and studied both social , governance and political issues facing Somalia. He not only talked about the real issues, but went home and contributed in a meaningful way. I consider him a nation builder who risked life to alleviate ignorance and teach a new generation of Somalis in the dark days of Mogadishu. In a round table setting , me and another group of local Somalis , have sat down with Dr. Baadiyow to discuss the road ahead and the implications of the next few years for the new president. We all agreed that president Farmaajo is a populist who tapped with the huge disappointments the Somali people have felt with the out going government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamuud. There were many questions, but I will focus those concerning governance, institution building ,competence and region geopolitics. It will not be word by word or actual transcript ,but a summarized version of the conversation according to Galbeedi. Round Table: How about these public campaign promises of Somali presidential candidates promising to fix the nations problems in today's environment?. Baadiyow: First of all, the president can not do any thing by himself. He needs to outline his program and implement his well defines program. Traditionally, a president sings, modifies or rejects programs prepared by his technical team like Prime minister , ministers or public institutions. In order to achieve his goals he needs a competent team to organize and implement his agenda. RT: As you have seen in 2000, C/qasim failed despite the out pouring support from the Somalis, is there any parallel between him and Farmaajo? Baadiyow: when C/qasim landed in Mogadishu, the opposition was weak. We told him after he landed in Mogadishu, to go directly to Villa-Somalia, which was occupied by a few militia, instead he went straight to a Hotel near the old Mogadishu district. It was the first act of his failure. He started with a Hotel and finished with a Hotel. It was the first indications of his failure . I wrote in this pages long ago about Muuse Suudi saying..Arreey Haday Bir noqotana waa ka leexahayaa, Haday Bac noqotana waa bujihaynaa(the bold are mine) First, it is clear the parliament have voted for change, but there is also another fact which clearly indicates that some of the vote was more likely against Hassan than for Farmaajo. Second , it will will be difficult to live up to these unattainable expectations without serious work and cooperating efforts by all Somalis. Some times , those same people who are showing their emotional support, will be the first to demand his ouster, if he does not deliver. Finally, the best indications of the failures of Somali presidents are: they always choose someone who is less competent of himself in terms experience, ability, competence, stature and leadership ( mar walba waxay soo urursadaan cid iyaga ka hoosaysa). They do not want someone who is more competent or would shine brighter than them and take the spotlight. leaders talk about building the army, police, public service, tax collection and so on, but these things can be built or organized by competent state institutions not pronouncements or trusted individuals(government is a modern institution, and it needs highly trained and competent people to implement it;s agenda( hebel lacagta ciidanka ha qaado waa ni wanaagsane iyo wax la mida ma shaqaynayso) bold is mine. Farmaajo can only succeed if the men and women he chooses to implement his program are more capable and competent than himself. He can choose his own office aides, but those who would serve and build the government institutions must be chosen by competence and merit. RT: what is the first task of the president? Baadiyow: he must choose a competent prime minster and give him the freedom to pick his cabinet and do his job. For the last eight years or so , a president from the Mogadishu area , usually picks a premier from the "D block" and quickly a triangle forms. The three angels of the triangle are the president, the Mogadishu business community and the prime minister. In order to set his agenda and isolate the premier, the president more than often, side steps the premier and connects his agenda with businessmen while ignoring the premier totally. If the premier tries to reassert his role and confronts the president, he is thrown out of the office with help of the business oligarchs and the parliament. That arm restringing continues and all important issues of the state is neglected. Jug meeshaada joog. He must show reconciliation and good will through out the country. Good leaders bring harmony and reconciliation after civil wars or elections that divide the people. He must build strong and lasting institutions , and finally , must be transparent and fight corruption within the government and the system. RT: what are the wrong steps that could hasten his failure? Baadiyow: There are reports that the failed group of former governments, including Shariif Ahmed and even some members of the last government are trying to be the inner circle that are trying to direct his agenda, if that is the case, expect gridlock and competing loyalties. He was elected to bring change and usher a new era , but if he keeps the company of the old guard while giving a lip service for change, the euphoria of the public could disappear quickly. RT: would you be willing to be the premier if the president asks you? Baadiyow: of course, if the duty calls , serve , I must. Having said that , I would not be someone who would accept interference, corruption and quarrel. I will clearly tell the president that " I will serve and do a competent work and would not tolerate interference( Si cad ayaan ugu sheegi in uu hawshayda ii daayo, haddii kale imikaba aynu kala joona, ka dibna dariiqa mustaqiimka ayeynu qaadi). RT: there is a lot of talk among Somalis about the presence of the foreign troops in the country and how to build a national army. What would happen if the foreign troops leave today?. Baadiyow: if these forces leave the country today, Al-shabaab will take over immediately. The withdrawal has to be gradual and must be coordinated. The Somali National Army must be rebuilt and equipped, and only competent and credible institutions can achieve that. As we speak we are a long way from the point. RT: how can the Somali state and people remove itself from the entanglement of the competing regional powers?, and what about Ethiopia? Baadiyow: Ethipia already had realized that it can not occupy or control Somalia, and we Somalis can not continue the constant war of fighting them. Now , mutually , we must find ways to co-exist peacefully. The issue of Al-shabaab and security worries of the region is genuine and must be considers as such, so countries like Djibouti, Ethiopia and others in the region, believe Somalia is the place to stop and defeat Al-shabaab before it became a big regional danger and crosses their borders . Having said that, it is the Somali federal leadership and their regional allies who introduced Ethiopia and others to Somalia and would like to continue for different reasons . A leader must govern on the consent of the people and implement their legitimate demands. If you rely on the support of the public , they will in return demand justice, transparency, development and security. Leaders who can not deliver the public demand whether by incompetence or greed , usually find alternative sources of power to keep the in power. That is why Hassan decided to rely on them in his final efforts to keep power. In fact, the idea of relying to foreign powers to keep the power was even used by Siyaad Barre himself. In 1987, rather than make a deal and reconcile with the Somali tribal insurgents against his government and keep out the Ethiopian influence , he made a deal with MIngestu Hailemariam in order to keep his power and eliminate the guerrilla movement. Mingestu did not stop the support of insurgents which eventually destroyed the country. The issue is legitimate leaders do not need the support of others to rule among their people. Finally , the 30 million Somalis in this region of horn of Africa must find peace prosperity and trade with hundred million Ethiopians who are 60% Muslim and thrive. We must build our country and find ways to co-exist peacefully with our neighbors. A democratic and competent Somalia does not anyone to keep it save, but it's own army and people. I do not blame others for our weakness and inability to defeat terrorism and build institutions. TR: how about the gulf countries and Egypt? Baadiyow: Egypt have been using the Somali blood for a while. There are clear facts that indicate Egypt was one of the main countries that forced Somalia to wage the war of 1977. Because of the Nile issues, they have being pushing as to war for a long time. It was Gemal Abdel Nasser who convened the 1964, Cairo agreement which made the colonial borders permanent, yet they still kept pushing as for war behind the scene. If we have to wage war and shed blood, it must be done by our own decision, not by the proxy efforts of others. Why would we deal with leaders like C/caziiz SISI who is murdering his own people. In my opinion , UAE ( united Arab Emirate) is waging a business war. They are playing different games but the crest of their interest is mostly business. When they supported SISI of Egeypt, they usually claim of their desire to defeat the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, but they were against the idea of Mursi and Egypt making Sinai a free port zone which could attract business around the world. With hundred million people and the tourism culture , Dubai and the frictional desert kingdom could loose both business and competition. They have been fighting with Djibouti , they destroyed Aden and many ports in the region. Their ultimate goal is to keep their business interest and eliminate competition( They do not produce any thing and anyone with nice ports and beeches can set up a free port..bold emphasis are mine). So The Somali state must look it's interest. The middle east is in big trouble and things could get ugly. Iran itself is in turmoil. There is a battle between the moderates and the extremists who are waging wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and many other places. The moderates went the hardliners to leave Iran , fight these wars and eventually loose, so they could take the helm. They have also a large ethnic minorities that could explode any time. On the issue of Berbera, that port could thrive and succeed without the gulf money. RT: how about corruption in the system and how to eliminate. Baadiyow: fighting corruption and showing transparency are among the top issues facing every Somali leader. There is a lot of resources within the country. The Telecom companies in Mogadishu alone could provide the government millions of dollars revenues if collected properly. If you show the public transparency and hard work , they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. TR: How about the Somali regional government and their efforts to build government institutions and deliver services to people? Baadiyow:. The regional governments came from the international efforts to fix the Somali problems and force some form of regional institutions in the local level. Local people were expecting services and institutions, while some are better than others most have became a tool carried by the leader in his bag. Look at the South West regional state, it became a one man institution. If there is parliament leadership Shariif Hassan will be the one deciding, if there is a regional president, he will lead and only him, and finally, if there is presidential candidate from that region it will Shariif Hassan but no one else It reduced the whole concept of the regional state to one man. The rest are not that much different. Soon people will be demanding transparency and service delivery. Rt: let us discuss some of the social issues . I do believe the Islamic movements and leaders have shown to be a weak link, that brought nothing but hardship to the people, so do you think that we must avoid the so called " Wadaad"? Baadiyow: I do agree the idea of labeling people as " Wadaad" or oher names. I would like the Somali people being addressed as a citizen (Muwaadin Soomaaliyeed) without any names. Throughout the years we have seen people claim as " Wadaad" and then trying to run away the label for political expediency. Look at Hassan Sheikh, he was a member of the non violent movement Islaax, and in 2006, joined the Islamic courts and became those waging the war against The Ethiopian supported government. Now after he won the office, he became the closet leader of the Ethiopian government in order to stay in power, doing exactly the opposite of what he did when he was " the Wadaad". These kind of people are opportunists who could wear any shirt. RT: how about the large number of Somali women in the parliament? Baadiyow: Iy is a good step taken forward. There is no Quraanic or Hadith tradition that could deny women for position of leadership. If you compare where we were in Carta two decades ago , it is a good progress. With time there will be more changes in favor of women's role. There was this story about a Somali elder who after he has been asked to nominate a women to parliament, and he said , I would not be answering in the here after about a woman in the parliament (Adeer Qiyaamaha Bilcan ayuu Baarlamaan geeyey la i dhihi maayo). With education and time a lot will change. RT: would you talk about social norms and the weakness of the public institutions. Baadiyow: there is a huge difference between personal responsiblitis and social responsiblities. In the western societies, usually they do not focus on the individual level or his personality, what they emphasis is the larger socitial good of the public, like: do not steal, damage property, respect others and don not break the law ans so on. That is why the things the public share are working. On the other hand we we focus the person , how good that person is , or how is honest , decent and God fearing which are all good human traits, but what counts is what you contribute in the larger society. If you good that will serve you, your family or your here after, but what also counts are how you behave in public office, or issues that you share with others ( hadaad qof wanaagsan tahay oo wanaagaaga aad gurigaaga iyo shaqsiydaada la joogta aday kuu gaar tahay, laakiin mushtamaca wanaagiisa iyo waxa dadka idinka dhexeeya sida aad u gudato ayaa umdda wax ka bedelaya, hebel waa nin fiican oo tukada oo edeb leh , wanaagaaga gurigaaga la joojag, aniga waxa wax ii taraysa sida aad hawsha ummadda ka dhaxaysa u gudanayso). If we are individually good by a lager numbers, why things that we share publicly are not working or in bad shape?, because rather focus on the social responsibility of the public at large, we are focus on personal levels, and most of the nations that focus on that issue have weak public institutions and systems. When we started Mogadishu university, we asked the students to pay a small amount of money to cover for the teachers, utilities and other services. We hired good and respected professors and told them that what ever these students could afford will cover your salary, so you must hold on your side of the bargain to show up o time and teach. After while, some of the most respected professors, even some Islamic scholars keep showing up late or even missing classes , yet they did not know that they were earning illegal money( xaaraan in ay cunayaan oo wiilkii lacagta bixiyey aysan class kii imanayn ma garanayaan). So ,after while we took steps to deduct money every time they miss a class. Initially they were shocked ,but things got better. While these people were honorable and good individually, they lacked the larger societal responsibility, so we must put emphasis the larger social responsibilities than the individual ones. That is the summarized version of the conversation. If there is any question we will pass to Dr. Baadiyow.

He is the first elected president in a decade, Somalis every where cheered this milestone that have not been seen for a decade. In fact , since the overthrow of the Somali civilian government by the army in 1969, it is the first democratic ballot by A Somali parliament, even though it"s members were selected in tribal power sharing scheme called 4.5. When he landed at the Mogadishu airport, hundreds of thousands of people, from all walks of life, descended to the streets of Mogadishu for celebration. The talk of the people is a decade long anarchy is finally going to end as everyone expected. There are high hopes for the people yearning for rule of law and government. Folks, I am not talking about president Farmaajo, but the equally celebrated and welcomed presidency of the Carta government led by president C/qasim Salaad Hassan. When his motorcade passed Villa-Somalia and went to a Hotel near the hospital were the mentally ill was cared , the people in Kaaraan districts and other neighborhood wondred whether he is checking in that hospital ( Adeer ninkaan xaguu ka Aadilahaa Villa-Somalia Maanakobia ayuu aaday). Today, after 17 years of that failure, Somali parliament have elected a new president with high hopes and expectations. People across the country have welcomed this election as a milestone and change for the right direction. Emotions are a well known trait of the Somali culture , but this welcoming emotions of the new president seem to be genuine. So, we dicided to put aside the early emotions and get in to the real business. in order to sort out the real issues facing the new president in the coming months , we did try to consult an experts mind who was not only one of the architects of the Carta government that failed 2000, but he is also a good observer who have witnessed many government failures and adventures in Somalia and in particular Mogadishu. Unlike many scholars who sit, evaluate and write from the ivory towers (Nin Daar Ku Jiraa Daruur Ma Arkee), Dr. C/raxman Baadiyow is one of the handful Somalis from the diaspora who went home , spent time and resources, and built lasting institutions like the Mogadishu university. He is a pragmatic politician and academic who understood and studied both social , governance and political issues facing Somalia. He not only talked about the real issues, but went home and contributed in a meaningful way. I consider him a nation builder who risked life to alleviate ignorance and teach a new generation of Somalis in the dark days of Mogadishu. In a round table setting , me and another group of local Somalis , have sat down with Dr. Baadiyow to discuss the road ahead and the implications of the next few years for the new president. We all agreed that president Farmaajo is a populist who tapped with the huge disappointments the Somali people have felt with the out going government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamuud. There were many questions, but I will focus those concerning governance, institution building ,competence and region geopolitics. It will not be word by word or actual transcript ,but a summarized version of the conversation according to Galbeedi. Round Table: How about these public campaign promises of Somali presidential candidates promising to fix the nations problems in today's environment?. Baadiyow: First of all, the president can not do any thing by himself. He needs to outline his program and implement his well defines program. Traditionally, a president sings, modifies or rejects programs prepared by his technical team like Prime minister , ministers or public institutions. In order to achieve his goals he needs a competent team to organize and implement his agenda. RT: As you have seen in 2000, C/qasim failed despite the out pouring support from the Somalis, is there any parallel between him and Farmaajo? Baadiyow: when C/qasim landed in Mogadishu, the opposition was weak. We told him after he landed in Mogadishu, to go directly to Villa-Somalia, which was occupied by a few militia, instead he went straight to a Hotel near the old Mogadishu district. It was the first act of his failure. He started with a Hotel and finished with a Hotel. It was the first indications of his failure I wrote in this pages long ago about Muuse Suudi saying..Arreey Haday Bir noqotana waa ka leexahayaa, Haday Bac noqotana waa bujihaynaa(the bold are mine) First, it is clear the parliament have voted for change, but there is also another fact which clearly indicates that some of the vote was more likely against Hassan than for Farmaajo. Second , it will will be difficult to live up to these unattainable expectations without serious work and cooperating efforts by all Somalis. Some times , those same people who are showing their emotional support, will be the first to demand his ouster, if he does not deliver. Finally, the best indications of the failures of Somali presidents are: they always choose someone who is less competent of himself in terms experience, ability, competence, stature and leadership ( mar walba waxay soo urursadaan cid iyaga ka hoosaysa). They do not want someone who is more competent or would shine brighter than them and take the spotlight. leaders talk about building the army, police, public service, tax collection and so on, but these things can be built or organized by competent state institutions not pronouncements or trusted individuals(government is a modern institution, and it needs highly trained and competent people to implement it;s agenda( hebel lacagta ciidanka ha qaado waa ni wanaagsane iyo wax la mida ma shaqaynayso) bold is mine. Farmaajo can only succeed if the men and women he chooses to implement his program are more capable and competent than himself. He can choose his own office aides, but those who would serve and build the government institutions must be chosen by competence and merit. RT: what is the first task of the president? Baadiyow: he must choose a competent prime minster and give him the freedom to pick his cabinet and do his job. For the last eight years or so , a president from the Mogadishu area , usually picks a premier from the "D block" and quickly a triangle forms. The three angels of the triangle are the president, the Mogadishu business community and the prime minister. In order to set his agenda and isolate the premier, the president more than often, side steps the premier and connects his agenda with businessmen while ignoring the premier totally. If the premier tries to reassert his role and confronts the president, he is thrown out of the office with help of the business oligarchs and the parliament. That arm restringing continues and all important issues of the state is neglected. Jug meeshaada joog. He must show reconciliation and good will through out the country. Good leaders bring harmony and reconciliation after civil wars or elections that divide the people. He must build strong and lasting institutions , and finally , must be transparent and fight corruption within the government and the system. RT: what are the wrong steps that could hasten his failure? Baadiyow: There are reports that the failed group of former governments, including Shariif Ahmed and even some members of the last government are trying to be the inner circle that are trying to direct his agenda, if that is the case, expect gridlock and competing loyalties. He was elected to bring change and usher a new era , but if he keeps the company of the old guard while giving a lip service for change, the euphoria of the public could disappear quickly. RT: would you be willing to be the premier if the president asks you? Baadiyow: of course, if the duty calls , serve , I must. Having said that , I would not be someone who would accept interference, corruption and quarrel. I will clearly tell the president that " I will serve and do a competent work and would not tolerate interference( Si cad ayaan ugu sheegi in uu hawshayda ii daayo, haddii kale imikaba aynu kala joona, ka dibna dariiqa mustaqiimka ayeynu qaadi). RT: there is a lot of talk among Somalis about the presence of the foreign troops in the country and how to build a national army. What would happen if the foreign troops leave today?. Baadiyow: if these forces leave the country today, Al-shabaab will take over immediately. The withdrawal has to be gradual and must be coordinated. The Somali National Army must be rebuilt and equipped, and only competent and credible institutions can achieve that. As we speak we are a long way from the point. RT: how can the Somali state and people remove itself from the entanglement of the competing regional powers?, and what about Ethiopia? Baadiyow: Ethipia already had realized that it can not occupy or control Somalia, and we Somalis can not continue the constant war of fighting them. Now , mutually , we must find ways to co-exist peacefully. The issue of Al-shabaab and security worries of the region is genuine and must be considers as such, so countries like Djibouti, Ethiopia and others in the region, believe Somalia is the place to stop and defeat Al-shabaab before it became a big regional danger and crosses their borders . Having said that, it is the Somali federal leadership and their regional allies who introduced Ethiopia and others to Somalia and would like to continue for different reasons . A leader must govern on the consent of the people and implement their legitimate demands. If you rely on the support of the public , they will in return demand justice, transparency, development and security. Leaders who can not deliver the public demand whether by incompetence or greed , usually find alternative sources of power to keep the in power. That is why Hassan decided to rely on them in his final efforts to keep power. In fact, the idea of relying to foreign powers to keep the power was even used by Siyaad Barre himself. In 1987, rather than make a deal and reconcile with the Somali tribal insurgents against his government and keep out the Ethiopian influence , he made a deal with MIngestu Hailemariam in order to keep his power and eliminate the guerrilla movement. Mingestu did not stop the support of insurgents which eventually destroyed the country. The issue is legitimate leaders do not need the support of others to rule among their people. Finally , the 30 million Somalis in this region of horn of Africa must find peace prosperity and trade with hundred million Ethiopians who are 60% Muslim and thrive. We must build our country and find ways to co-exist peacefully with our neighbors. A democratic and competent Somalia does not anyone to keep it save, but it's own army and people. I do not blame others for our weakness and inability to defeat terrorism and build institutions. TR: how about the gulf countries and Egypt? Baadiyow: Egypt have been using the Somali blood for a while. There are clear facts that indicate Egypt was one of the main countries that forced Somalia to wage the war of 1977. Because of the Nile issues, they have being pushing as to war for a long time. It was Gemal Abdel Nasser who convened the 1964, Cairo agreement which made the colonial borders permanent, yet they still kept pushing as for war behind the scene. If we have to wage war and shed blood, it must be done by our own decision, not by the proxy efforts of others. Why would we deal with leaders like C/caziiz SISI who is murdering his own people. In my opinion , UAE ( united Arab Emirate) is waging a business war. They are playing different games but the crest of their interest is mostly business. When they supported SISI of Egeypt, they usually claim of their desire to defeat the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, but they were against the idea of Mursi and Egypt making Sinai a free port zone which could attract business around the world. With hundred million people and the tourism culture , Dubai and the frictional desert kingdom could loose both business and competition. They have been fighting with Djibouti , they destroyed Aden and many ports in the region. Their ultimate goal is to keep their business interest and eliminate competition( They do not produce any thing and anyone with nice ports and beeches can set up a free port..bold emphasis are mine). So The Somali state must look it's interest. The middle east is in big trouble and things could get ugly. Iran itself is in turmoil. There is a battle between the moderates and the extremists who are waging wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and many other places. The moderates went the hardliners to leave Iran , fight these wars and eventually loose, so they could take the helm. They have also a large ethnic minorities that could explode any time. On the issue of Berbera, that port could thrive and succeed without the gulf money. RT: how about corruption in the system and how to eliminate. Baadiyow: fighting corruption and showing transparency are among the top issues facing every Somali leader. There is a lot of resources within the country. The Telecom companies in Mogadishu alone could provide the government millions of dollars revenues if collected properly. If you show the public transparency and hard work , they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. TR: How about the Somali regional government and their efforts to build government institutions and deliver services to people? Baadiyow:. The regional governments came from the international efforts to fix the Somali problems and force some form of regional institutions in the local level. Local people were expecting services and institutions, while some are better than others most have became a tool carried by the leader in his bag. Look at the South West regional state, it became a one man institution. If there is parliament leadership Shariif Hassan will be the one deciding, if there is a regional president, he will lead and only him, and finally, if there is presidential candidate from that region it will Shariif Hassan but no one else It reduced the whole concept of the regional state to one man. The rest are not that much different. Soon people will be demanding transparency and service delivery. Rt: let us discuss some of the social issues . I do believe the Islamic movements and leaders have shown to be a weak link, that brought nothing but hardship to the people, so do you think that we must avoid the so called " Wadaad"? Baadiyow: I do agree the idea of labeling people as " Wadaad" or oher names. I would like the Somali people being addressed as a citizen (Muwaadin Soomaaliyeed) without any names. Throughout the years we have seen people claim as " Wadaad" and then trying to run away the label for political expediency. Look at Hassan Sheikh, he was a member of the non violent movement Islaax, and in 2006, joined the Islamic courts and became those waging the war against The Ethiopian supported government. Now after he won the office, he became the closet leader of the Ethiopian government in order to stay in power, doing exactly the opposite of what he did when he was " the Wadaad". These kind of people are opportunists who could wear any shirt. RT: how about the large number of Somali women in the parliament? Baadiyow: Iy is a good step taken forward. There is no Quraanic or Hadith tradition that could deny women for position of leadership. If you compare where we were in Carta two decades ago , it is a good progress. With time there will be more changes in favor of women's role. There was this story about a Somali elder who after he has been asked to nominate a women to parliament, and he said , I would not be answering in the here after about a woman in the parliament (Adeer Qiyaamaha Bilcan ayuu Baarlamaan geeyey la i dhihi maayo). With education and time a lot will change. RT: would you talk about social norms and the weakness of the public institutions. Baadiyow: there is a huge difference between personal responsiblitis and social responsiblities. In the western societies, usually they do not focus on the individual level or his personality, what they emphasis is the larger socitial good of the public, like: do not steal, damage property, respect others and don not break the law ans so on. That is why the things the public share are working. On the other hand we we focus the person , how good that person is , or how is honest , decent and God fearing which are all good human traits, but what counts is what you contribute in the larger society. If you good that will serve you, your family or your here after, but what also counts are how you behave in public office, or issues that you share with others ( hadaad qof wanaagsan tahay oo wanaagaaga aad gurigaaga iyo shaqsiydaada la joogta aday kuu gaar tahay, laakiin mushtamaca wanaagiisa iyo waxa dadka idinka dhexeeya sida aad u gudato ayaa umdda wax ka bedelaya, hebel waa nin fiican oo tukada oo edeb leh , wanaagaaga gurigaaga la joojag, aniga waxa wax ii taraysa sida aad hawsha ummadda ka dhaxaysa u gudanayso). If we are individually good by a lager numbers, why things that we share publicly are not working or in bad shape?, because rather focus on the social responsibility of the public at large, we are focus on personal levels, and most of the nations that focus on that issue have weak public institutions and systems. When we started Mogadishu university, we asked the students to pay a small amount of money to cover for the teachers, utilities and other services. We hired good and respected professors and told them that what ever these students could afford will cover your salary, so you must hold on your side of the bargain to show up o time and teach. After while, some of the most respected professors, even some Islamic scholars keep showing up late or even missing classes , yet they did not know that they were earning illegal money( xaaraan in ay cunayaan oo wiilkii lacagta bixiyey aysan class kii imanayn ma garanayaan). So ,after while we took steps to deduct money every time they miss a class. Initially they were shocked ,but things got better. While these people were honorable and good individually, they lacked the larger societal responsibility, so we must put emphasis the larger social responsibilities than the individual ones. That is the summarized version of the conversation. If there is any question we will pass to Dr. Baadiyow.

He is the first elected president in a decade, Somalis every where cheered this milestone that have not been seen for a decade. In fact , since the overthrow of the Somali civilian government by the army in 1969, it is the first democratic ballot by A Somali parliament, even though it"s members were selected in tribal power sharing scheme called 4.5. When he landed at the Mogadishu airport, hundreds of thousands of people, from all walks of life, descended to the streets of Mogadishu for celebration. The talk of the people is a decade long anarchy is finally going to end as everyone expected. There are high hopes for the people yearning for rule of law and government. Folks, I am not talking about president Farmaajo, but the equally celebrated and welcomed presidency of the Carta government led by president C/qasim Salaad Hassan. When his motorcade passed Villa-Somalia and went to a Hotel near the hospital were the mentally ill was cared , the people in Kaaraan districts and other neighborhood wondred whether he is checking in that hospital ( Adeer ninkaan xaguu ka Aadilahaa Villa-Somalia Maanakobia ayuu aaday). Today, after 17 years of that failure, Somali parliament have elected a new president with high hopes and expectations. People across the country have welcomed this election as a milestone and change for the right direction. Emotions are a well known trait of the Somali culture , but this welcoming emotions of the new president seem to be genuine. So, we dicided to put aside the early emotions and get in to the real business. in order to sort out the real issues facing the new president in the coming months , we did try to consult an experts mind who was not only one of the architects of the Carta government that failed 2000, but he is also a good observer who have witnessed many government failures and adventures in Somalia and in particular Mogadishu. Unlike many scholars who sit, evaluate and write from the ivory towers (Nin Daar Ku Jiraa Daruur Ma Arkee), Dr. C/raxman Baadiyow is one of the handful Somalis from the diaspora who went home , spent time and resources, and built lasting institutions like the Mogadishu university. He is a pragmatic politician and academic who understood and studied both social , governance and political issues facing Somalia. He not only talked about the real issues, but went home and contributed in a meaningful way. I consider him a nation builder who risked life to alleviate ignorance and teach a new generation of Somalis in the dark days of Mogadishu. In a round table setting , me and another group of local Somalis , have sat down with Dr. Baadiyow to discuss the road ahead and the implications of the next few years for the new president. We all agreed that president Farmaajo is a populist who tapped with the huge disappointments the Somali people have felt with the out going government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamuud. There were many questions, but I will focus those concerning governance, institution building ,competence and region geopolitics. It will not be word by word or actual transcript ,but a summarized version of the conversation according to Galbeedi. Round Table: How about these public campaign promises of Somali presidential candidates promising to fix the nations problems in today's environment?. Baadiyow: First of all, the president can not do any thing by himself. He needs to outline his program and implement his well defines program. Traditionally, a president sings, modifies or rejects programs prepared by his technical team like Prime minister , ministers or public institutions. In order to achieve his goals he needs a competent team to organize and implement his agenda. RT: As you have seen in 2000, C/qasim failed despite the out pouring support from the Somalis, is there any parallel between him and Farmaajo? Baadiyow: when C/qasim landed in Mogadishu, the opposition was weak. We told him after he landed in Mogadishu, to go directly to Villa-Somalia, which was occupied by a few militia, instead he went straight to a Hotel near the old Mogadishu district. It was the first act of his failure. He started with a Hotel and finished with a Hotel. It was the first indications of his failure I wrote in this pages long ago about Muuse Suudi saying..Arreey Haday Bir noqotana waa ka leexahayaa, Haday Bac noqotana waa bujihaynaa(the bold are mine) First, it is clear the parliament have voted for change, but there is also another fact which clearly indicates that some of the vote was more likely against Hassan than for Farmaajo. Second , it will will be difficult to live up to these unattainable expectations without serious work and cooperating efforts by all Somalis. Some times , those same people who are showing their emotional support, will be the first to demand his ouster, if he does not deliver. Finally, the best indications of the failures of Somali presidents are: they always choose someone who is less competent of himself in terms experience, ability, competence, stature and leadership ( mar walba waxay soo urursadaan cid iyaga ka hoosaysa). They do not want someone who is more competent or would shine brighter than them and take the spotlight. leaders talk about building the army, police, public service, tax collection and so on, but these things can be built or organized by competent state institutions not pronouncements or trusted individuals(government is a modern institution, and it needs highly trained and competent people to implement it;s agenda( hebel lacagta ciidanka ha qaado waa ni wanaagsane iyo wax la mida ma shaqaynayso) bold is mine. Farmaajo can only succeed if the men and women he chooses to implement his program are more capable and competent than himself. He can choose his own office aides, but those who would serve and build the government institutions must be chosen by competence and merit. RT: what is the first task of the president? Baadiyow: he must choose a competent prime minster and give him the freedom to pick his cabinet and do his job. For the last eight years or so , a president from the Mogadishu area , usually picks a premier from the "D block" and quickly a triangle forms. The three angels of the triangle are the president, the Mogadishu business community and the prime minister. In order to set his agenda and isolate the premier, the president more than often, side steps the premier and connects his agenda with businessmen while ignoring the premier totally. If the premier tries to reassert his role and confronts the president, he is thrown out of the office with help of the business oligarchs and the parliament. That arm restringing continues and all important issues of the state is neglected. Jug meeshaada joog. He must show reconciliation and good will through out the country. Good leaders bring harmony and reconciliation after civil wars or elections that divide the people. He must build strong and lasting institutions , and finally , must be transparent and fight corruption within the government and the system. RT: what are the wrong steps that could hasten his failure? Baadiyow: There are reports that the failed group of former governments, including Shariif Ahmed and even some members of the last government are trying to be the inner circle that are trying to direct his agenda, if that is the case, expect gridlock and competing loyalties. He was elected to bring change and usher a new era , but if he keeps the company of the old guard while giving a lip service for change, the euphoria of the public could disappear quickly. RT: would you be willing to be the premier if the president asks you? Baadiyow: of course, if the duty calls , serve , I must. Having said that , I would not be someone who would accept interference, corruption and quarrel. I will clearly tell the president that " I will serve and do a competent work and would not tolerate interference( Si cad ayaan ugu sheegi in uu hawshayda ii daayo, haddii kale imikaba aynu kala joona, ka dibna dariiqa mustaqiimka ayeynu qaadi). RT: there is a lot of talk among Somalis about the presence of the foreign troops in the country and how to build a national army. What would happen if the foreign troops leave today?. Baadiyow: if these forces leave the country today, Al-shabaab will take over immediately. The withdrawal has to be gradual and must be coordinated. The Somali National Army must be rebuilt and equipped, and only competent and credible institutions can achieve that. As we speak we are a long way from the point. RT: how can the Somali state and people remove itself from the entanglement of the competing regional powers?, and what about Ethiopia? Baadiyow: Ethipia already had realized that it can not occupy or control Somalia, and we Somalis can not continue the constant war of fighting them. Now , mutually , we must find ways to co-exist peacefully. The issue of Al-shabaab and security worries of the region is genuine and must be considers as such, so countries like Djibouti, Ethiopia and others in the region, believe Somalia is the place to stop and defeat Al-shabaab before it became a big regional danger and crosses their borders . Having said that, it is the Somali federal leadership and their regional allies who introduced Ethiopia and others to Somalia and would like to continue for different reasons . A leader must govern on the consent of the people and implement their legitimate demands. If you rely on the support of the public , they will in return demand justice, transparency, development and security. Leaders who can not deliver the public demand whether by incompetence or greed , usually find alternative sources of power to keep the in power. That is why Hassan decided to rely on them in his final efforts to keep power. In fact, the idea of relying to foreign powers to keep the power was even used by Siyaad Barre himself. In 1987, rather than make a deal and reconcile with the Somali tribal insurgents against his government and keep out the Ethiopian influence , he made a deal with MIngestu Hailemariam in order to keep his power and eliminate the guerrilla movement. Mingestu did not stop the support of insurgents which eventually destroyed the country. The issue is legitimate leaders do not need the support of others to rule among their people. Finally , the 30 million Somalis in this region of horn of Africa must find peace prosperity and trade with hundred million Ethiopians who are 60% Muslim and thrive. We must build our country and find ways to co-exist peacefully with our neighbors. A democratic and competent Somalia does not anyone to keep it save, but it's own army and people. I do not blame others for our weakness and inability to defeat terrorism and build institutions. TR: how about the gulf countries and Egypt? Baadiyow: Egypt have been using the Somali blood for a while. There are clear facts that indicate Egypt was one of the main countries that forced Somalia to wage the war of 1977. Because of the Nile issues, they have being pushing as to war for a long time. It was Gemal Abdel Nasser who convened the 1964, Cairo agreement which made the colonial borders permanent, yet they still kept pushing as for war behind the scene. If we have to wage war and shed blood, it must be done by our own decision, not by the proxy efforts of others. Why would we deal with leaders like C/caziiz SISI who is murdering his own people. In my opinion , UAE ( united Arab Emirate) is waging a business war. They are playing different games but the crest of their interest is mostly business. When they supported SISI of Egeypt, they usually claim of their desire to defeat the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, but they were against the idea of Mursi and Egypt making Sinai a free port zone which could attract business around the world. With hundred million people and the tourism culture , Dubai and the frictional desert kingdom could loose both business and competition. They have been fighting with Djibouti , they destroyed Aden and many ports in the region. Their ultimate goal is to keep their business interest and eliminate competition( They do not produce any thing and anyone with nice ports and beeches can set up a free port..bold emphasis are mine). So The Somali state must look it's interest. The middle east is in big trouble and things could get ugly. Iran itself is in turmoil. There is a battle between the moderates and the extremists who are waging wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and many other places. The moderates went the hardliners to leave Iran , fight these wars and eventually loose, so they could take the helm. They have also a large ethnic minorities that could explode any time. On the issue of Berbera, that port could thrive and succeed without the gulf money. RT: how about corruption in the system and how to eliminate. Baadiyow: fighting corruption and showing transparency are among the top issues facing every Somali leader. There is a lot of resources within the country. The Telecom companies in Mogadishu alone could provide the government millions of dollars revenues if collected properly. If you show the public transparency and hard work , they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. TR: How about the Somali regional government and their efforts to build government institutions and deliver services to people? Baadiyow:. The regional governments came from the international efforts to fix the Somali problems and force some form of regional institutions in the local level. Local people were expecting services and institutions, while some are better than others most have became a tool carried by the leader in his bag. Look at the South West regional state, it became a one man institution. If there is parliament leadership Shariif Hassan will be the one deciding, if there is a regional president, he will lead and only him, and finally, if there is presidential candidate from that region it will Shariif Hassan but no one else It reduced the whole concept of the regional state to one man. The rest are not that much different. Soon people will be demanding transparency and service delivery. Rt: let us discuss some of the social issues . I do believe the Islamic movements and leaders have shown to be a weak link, that brought nothing but hardship to the people, so do you think that we must avoid the so called " Wadaad"? Baadiyow: I do agree the idea of labeling people as " Wadaad" or oher names. I would like the Somali people being addressed as a citizen (Muwaadin Soomaaliyeed) without any names. Throughout the years we have seen people claim as " Wadaad" and then trying to run away the label for political expediency. Look at Hassan Sheikh, he was a member of the non violent movement Islaax, and in 2006, joined the Islamic courts and became those waging the war against The Ethiopian supported government. Now after he won the office, he became the closet leader of the Ethiopian government in order to stay in power, doing exactly the opposite of what he did when he was " the Wadaad". These kind of people are opportunists who could wear any shirt. RT: how about the large number of Somali women in the parliament? Baadiyow: Iy is a good step taken forward. There is no Quraanic or Hadith tradition that could deny women for position of leadership. If you compare where we were in Carta two decades ago , it is a good progress. With time there will be more changes in favor of women's role. There was this story about a Somali elder who after he has been asked to nominate a women to parliament, and he said , I would not be answering in the here after about a woman in the parliament (Adeer Qiyaamaha Bilcan ayuu Baarlamaan geeyey la i dhihi maayo). With education and time a lot will change. RT: would you talk about social norms and the weakness of the public institutions. Baadiyow: there is a huge difference between personal responsiblitis and social responsiblities. In the western societies, usually they do not focus on the individual level or his personality, what they emphasis is the larger socitial good of the public, like: do not steal, damage property, respect others and don not break the law ans so on. That is why the things the public share are working. On the other hand we we focus the person , how good that person is , or how is honest , decent and God fearing which are all good human traits, but what counts is what you contribute in the larger society. If you good that will serve you, your family or your here after, but what also counts are how you behave in public office, or issues that you share with others ( hadaad qof wanaagsan tahay oo wanaagaaga aad gurigaaga iyo shaqsiydaada la joogta aday kuu gaar tahay, laakiin mushtamaca wanaagiisa iyo waxa dadka idinka dhexeeya sida aad u gudato ayaa umdda wax ka bedelaya, hebel waa nin fiican oo tukada oo edeb leh , wanaagaaga gurigaaga la joojag, aniga waxa wax ii taraysa sida aad hawsha ummadda ka dhaxaysa u gudanayso). If we are individually good by a lager numbers, why things that we share publicly are not working or in bad shape?, because rather focus on the social responsibility of the public at large, we are focus on personal levels, and most of the nations that focus on that issue have weak public institutions and systems. When we started Mogadishu university, we asked the students to pay a small amount of money to cover for the teachers, utilities and other services. We hired good and respected professors and told them that what ever these students could afford will cover your salary, so you must hold on your side of the bargain to show up o time and teach. After while, some of the most respected professors, even some Islamic scholars keep showing up late or even missing classes , yet they did not know that they were earning illegal money( xaaraan in ay cunayaan oo wiilkii lacagta bixiyey aysan class kii imanayn ma garanayaan). So ,after while we took steps to deduct money every time they miss a class. Initially they were shocked ,but things got better. While these people were honorable and good individually, they lacked the larger societal responsibility, so we must put emphasis the larger social responsibilities than the individual ones. That is the summarized version of the conversation. If there is any question we will pass to Dr. Baadiyow.

He is the first elected president in a decade, Somalis every where cheered this milestone that have not been seen for a decade. In fact , since the overthrow of the Somali civilian government by the army in 1969, it is the first democratic ballot by A Somali parliament, even though it"s members were selected in tribal power sharing scheme called 4.5. When he landed at the Mogadishu airport, hundreds of thousands of people, from all walks of life, descended to the streets of Mogadishu for celebration. The talk of the people is a decade long anarchy is finally going to end as everyone expected. There are high hopes for the people yearning for rule of law and government. Folks, I am not talking about president Farmaajo, but the equally celebrated and welcomed presidency of the Carta government led by president C/qasim Salaad Hassan. When his motorcade passed Villa-Somalia and went to a Hotel near the hospital were the mentally ill was cared , the people in Kaaraan districts and other neighborhood wondred whether he is checking in that hospital ( Adeer ninkaan xaguu ka Aadilahaa Villa-Somalia Maanakobia ayuu aaday). Today, after 17 years of that failure, Somali parliament have elected a new president with high hopes and expectations. People across the country have welcomed this election as a milestone and change for the right direction. Emotions are a well known trait of the Somali culture , but this welcoming emotions of the new president seem to be genuine. So, we dicided to put aside the early emotions and get in to the real business. in order to sort out the real issues facing the new president in the coming months , we did try to consult an experts mind who was not only one of the architects of the Carta government that failed 2000, but he is also a good observer who have witnessed many government failures and adventures in Somalia and in particular Mogadishu. Unlike many scholars who sit, evaluate and write from the ivory towers (Nin Daar Ku Jiraa Daruur Ma Arkee), Dr. C/raxman Baadiyow is one of the handful Somalis from the diaspora who went home , spent time and resources, and built lasting institutions like the Mogadishu university. He is a pragmatic politician and academic who understood and studied both social , governance and political issues facing Somalia. He not only talked about the real issues, but went home and contributed in a meaningful way. I consider him a nation builder who risked life to alleviate ignorance and teach a new generation of Somalis in the dark days of Mogadishu. In a round table setting , me and another group of local Somalis , have sat down with Dr. Baadiyow to discuss the road ahead and the implications of the next few years for the new president. We all agreed that president Farmaajo is a populist who tapped with the huge disappointments the Somali people have felt with the out going government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamuud. There were many questions, but I will focus those concerning governance, institution building ,competence and region geopolitics. It will not be word by word or actual transcript ,but a summarized version of the conversation according to Galbeedi. Round Table: How about these public campaign promises of Somali presidential candidates promising to fix the nations problems in today's environment?. Baadiyow: First of all, the president can not do any thing by himself. He needs to outline his program and implement his well defines program. Traditionally, a president sings, modifies or rejects programs prepared by his technical team like Prime minister , ministers or public institutions. In order to achieve his goals he needs a competent team to organize and implement his agenda. RT: As you have seen in 2000, C/qasim failed despite the out pouring support from the Somalis, is there any parallel between him and Farmaajo? Baadiyow: when C/qasim landed in Mogadishu, the opposition was weak. We told him after he landed in Mogadishu, to go directly to Villa-Somalia, which was occupied by a few militia, instead he went straight to a Hotel near the old Mogadishu district. It was the first act of his failure. He started with a Hotel and finished with a Hotel. It was the first indications of his failure I wrote in this pages long ago about Muuse Suudi saying..Arreey Haday Bir noqotana waa ka leexahayaa, Haday Bac noqotana waa bujihaynaa(the bold are mine) First, it is clear the parliament have voted for change, but there is also another fact which clearly indicates that some of the vote was more likely against Hassan than for Farmaajo. Second , it will will be difficult to live up to these unattainable expectations without serious work and cooperating efforts by all Somalis. Some times , those same people who are showing their emotional support, will be the first to demand his ouster, if he does not deliver. Finally, the best indications of the failures of Somali presidents are: they always choose someone who is less competent of himself in terms experience, ability, competence, stature and leadership ( mar walba waxay soo urursadaan cid iyaga ka hoosaysa). They do not want someone who is more competent or would shine brighter than them and take the spotlight. leaders talk about building the army, police, public service, tax collection and so on, but these things can be built or organized by competent state institutions not pronouncements or trusted individuals(government is a modern institution, and it needs highly trained and competent people to implement it;s agenda( hebel lacagta ciidanka ha qaado waa ni wanaagsane iyo wax la mida ma shaqaynayso) bold is mine. Farmaajo can only succeed if the men and women he chooses to implement his program are more capable and competent than himself. He can choose his own office aides, but those who would serve and build the government institutions must be chosen by competence and merit. RT: what is the first task of the president? Baadiyow: he must choose a competent prime minster and give him the freedom to pick his cabinet and do his job. For the last eight years or so , a president from the Mogadishu area , usually picks a premier from the "D block" and quickly a triangle forms. The three angels of the triangle are the president, the Mogadishu business community and the prime minister. In order to set his agenda and isolate the premier, the president more than often, side steps the premier and connects his agenda with businessmen while ignoring the premier totally. If the premier tries to reassert his role and confronts the president, he is thrown out of the office with help of the business oligarchs and the parliament. That arm restringing continues and all important issues of the state is neglected. Jug meeshaada joog. He must show reconciliation and good will through out the country. Good leaders bring harmony and reconciliation after civil wars or elections that divide the people. He must build strong and lasting institutions , and finally , must be transparent and fight corruption within the government and the system. RT: what are the wrong steps that could hasten his failure? Baadiyow: There are reports that the failed group of former governments, including Shariif Ahmed and even some members of the last government are trying to be the inner circle that are trying to direct his agenda, if that is the case, expect gridlock and competing loyalties. He was elected to bring change and usher a new era , but if he keeps the company of the old guard while giving a lip service for change, the euphoria of the public could disappear quickly. RT: would you be willing to be the premier if the president asks you? Baadiyow: of course, if the duty calls , serve , I must. Having said that , I would not be someone who would accept interference, corruption and quarrel. I will clearly tell the president that " I will serve and do a competent work and would not tolerate interference( Si cad ayaan ugu sheegi in uu hawshayda ii daayo, haddii kale imikaba aynu kala joona, ka dibna dariiqa mustaqiimka ayeynu qaadi). RT: there is a lot of talk among Somalis about the presence of the foreign troops in the country and how to build a national army. What would happen if the foreign troops leave today?. Baadiyow: if these forces leave the country today, Al-shabaab will take over immediately. The withdrawal has to be gradual and must be coordinated. The Somali National Army must be rebuilt and equipped, and only competent and credible institutions can achieve that. As we speak we are a long way from the point. RT: how can the Somali state and people remove itself from the entanglement of the competing regional powers?, and what about Ethiopia? Baadiyow: Ethipia already had realized that it can not occupy or control Somalia, and we Somalis can not continue the constant war of fighting them. Now , mutually , we must find ways to co-exist peacefully. The issue of Al-shabaab and security worries of the region is genuine and must be considers as such, so countries like Djibouti, Ethiopia and others in the region, believe Somalia is the place to stop and defeat Al-shabaab before it became a big regional danger and crosses their borders . Having said that, it is the Somali federal leadership and their regional allies who introduced Ethiopia and others to Somalia and would like to continue for different reasons . A leader must govern on the consent of the people and implement their legitimate demands. If you rely on the support of the public , they will in return demand justice, transparency, development and security. Leaders who can not deliver the public demand whether by incompetence or greed , usually find alternative sources of power to keep the in power. That is why Hassan decided to rely on them in his final efforts to keep power. In fact, the idea of relying to foreign powers to keep the power was even used by Siyaad Barre himself. In 1987, rather than make a deal and reconcile with the Somali tribal insurgents against his government and keep out the Ethiopian influence , he made a deal with MIngestu Hailemariam in order to keep his power and eliminate the guerrilla movement. Mingestu did not stop the support of insurgents which eventually destroyed the country. The issue is legitimate leaders do not need the support of others to rule among their people. Finally , the 30 million Somalis in this region of horn of Africa must find peace prosperity and trade with hundred million Ethiopians who are 60% Muslim and thrive. We must build our country and find ways to co-exist peacefully with our neighbors. A democratic and competent Somalia does not anyone to keep it save, but it's own army and people. I do not blame others for our weakness and inability to defeat terrorism and build institutions. TR: how about the gulf countries and Egypt? Baadiyow: Egypt have been using the Somali blood for a while. There are clear facts that indicate Egypt was one of the main countries that forced Somalia to wage the war of 1977. Because of the Nile issues, they have being pushing as to war for a long time. It was Gemal Abdel Nasser who convened the 1964, Cairo agreement which made the colonial borders permanent, yet they still kept pushing as for war behind the scene. If we have to wage war and shed blood, it must be done by our own decision, not by the proxy efforts of others. Why would we deal with leaders like C/caziiz SISI who is murdering his own people. In my opinion , UAE ( united Arab Emirate) is waging a business war. They are playing different games but the crest of their interest is mostly business. When they supported SISI of Egeypt, they usually claim of their desire to defeat the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, but they were against the idea of Mursi and Egypt making Sinai a free port zone which could attract business around the world. With hundred million people and the tourism culture , Dubai and the frictional desert kingdom could loose both business and competition. They have been fighting with Djibouti , they destroyed Aden and many ports in the region. Their ultimate goal is to keep their business interest and eliminate competition( They do not produce any thing and anyone with nice ports and beeches can set up a free port..bold emphasis are mine). So The Somali state must look it's interest. The middle east is in big trouble and things could get ugly. Iran itself is in turmoil. There is a battle between the moderates and the extremists who are waging wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and many other places. The moderates went the hardliners to leave Iran , fight these wars and eventually loose, so they could take the helm. They have also a large ethnic minorities that could explode any time. On the issue of Berbera, that port could thrive and succeed without the gulf money. RT: how about corruption in the system and how to eliminate. Baadiyow: fighting corruption and showing transparency are among the top issues facing every Somali leader. There is a lot of resources within the country. The Telecom companies in Mogadishu alone could provide the government millions of dollars revenues if collected properly. If you show the public transparency and hard work , they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. TR: How about the Somali regional government and their efforts to build government institutions and deliver services to people? Baadiyow:. The regional governments came from the international efforts to fix the Somali problems and force some form of regional institutions in the local level. Local people were expecting services and institutions, while some are better than others most have became a tool carried by the leader in his bag. Look at the South West regional state, it became a one man institution. If there is parliament leadership Shariif Hassan will be the one deciding, if there is a regional president, he will lead and only him, and finally, if there is presidential candidate from that region it will Shariif Hassan but no one else It reduced the whole concept of the regional state to one man. The rest are not that much different. Soon people will be demanding transparency and service delivery. Rt: let us discuss some of the social issues . I do believe the Islamic movements and leaders have shown to be a weak link, that brought nothing but hardship to the people, so do you think that we must avoid the so called " Wadaad"? Baadiyow: I do agree the idea of labeling people as " Wadaad" or oher names. I would like the Somali people being addressed as a citizen (Muwaadin Soomaaliyeed) without any names. Throughout the years we have seen people claim as " Wadaad" and then trying to run away the label for political expediency. Look at Hassan Sheikh, he was a member of the non violent movement Islaax, and in 2006, joined the Islamic courts and became those waging the war against The Ethiopian supported government. Now after he won the office, he became the closet leader of the Ethiopian government in order to stay in power, doing exactly the opposite of what he did when he was " the Wadaad". These kind of people are opportunists who could wear any shirt. RT: how about the large number of Somali women in the parliament? Baadiyow: Iy is a good step taken forward. There is no Quraanic or Hadith tradition that could deny women for position of leadership. If you compare where we were in Carta two decades ago , it is a good progress. With time there will be more changes in favor of women's role. There was this story about a Somali elder who after he has been asked to nominate a women to parliament, and he said , I would not be answering in the here after about a woman in the parliament (Adeer Qiyaamaha Bilcan ayuu Baarlamaan geeyey la i dhihi maayo). With education and time a lot will change. RT: would you talk about social norms and the weakness of the public institutions. Baadiyow: there is a huge difference between personal responsiblitis and social responsiblities. In the western societies, usually they do not focus on the individual level or his personality, what they emphasis is the larger socitial good of the public, like: do not steal, damage property, respect others and don not break the law ans so on. That is why the things the public share are working. On the other hand we we focus the person , how good that person is , or how is honest , decent and God fearing which are all good human traits, but what counts is what you contribute in the larger society. If you good that will serve you, your family or your here after, but what also counts are how you behave in public office, or issues that you share with others ( hadaad qof wanaagsan tahay oo wanaagaaga aad gurigaaga iyo shaqsiydaada la joogta aday kuu gaar tahay, laakiin mushtamaca wanaagiisa iyo waxa dadka idinka dhexeeya sida aad u gudato ayaa umdda wax ka bedelaya, hebel waa nin fiican oo tukada oo edeb leh , wanaagaaga gurigaaga la joojag, aniga waxa wax ii taraysa sida aad hawsha ummadda ka dhaxaysa u gudanayso). If we are individually good by a lager numbers, why things that we share publicly are not working or in bad shape?, because rather focus on the social responsibility of the public at large, we are focus on personal levels, and most of the nations that focus on that issue have weak public institutions and systems. When we started Mogadishu university, we asked the students to pay a small amount of money to cover for the teachers, utilities and other services. We hired good and respected professors and told them that what ever these students could afford will cover your salary, so you must hold on your side of the bargain to show up o time and teach. After while, some of the most respected professors, even some Islamic scholars keep showing up late or even missing classes , yet they did not know that they were earning illegal money( xaaraan in ay cunayaan oo wiilkii lacagta bixiyey aysan class kii imanayn ma garanayaan). So ,after while we took steps to deduct money every time they miss a class. Initially they were shocked ,but things got better. While these people were honorable and good individually, they lacked the larger societal responsibility, so we must put emphasis the larger social responsibilities than the individual ones. That is the summarized version of the conversation. If there is any question we will pass to Dr. Baadiyow.

He is the first elected president in a decade, Somalis every where cheered this milestone that have not been seen for a decade. In fact , since the overthrow of the Somali civilian government by the army in 1969, it is the first democratic ballot by A Somali parliament, even though it"s members were selected in tribal power sharing scheme called 4.5. When he landed at the Mogadishu airport, hundreds of thousands of people, from all walks of life, descended to the streets of Mogadishu for celebration. The talk of the people is " a decade long anarchy is finally going to end" , as everyone expected. There are high hopes for the people who were yearning for rule of law and government. Folks, I am not talking about president Farmaajo, but the equally celebrated and welcomed presidency of the Carta government led by president C/qasim Salaad Hassan. When his motorcade passed Villa-Somalia and went to a Hotel near the hospital were the mentally ill was cared , the people in Kaaraan districts and other neighborhood wondered whether he is checking in that hospital ( Adeer ninkaan xaguu ka tagi lahaa Villa-Somalia Maanakobia ayuu aaday). Today, after 17 years of that failure, Somali parliament have elected a new president with high hopes and expectations. People across the country have welcomed this election as a milestone and change for the right direction. Emotions are a well known trait of the Somali culture , but this welcoming emotions of the new president seem to be genuine. So, we decided to put aside the early emotions and get in to the real business. in order to sort out the real issues facing the new president in the coming months , we did try to consult an experts mind who was not only one of the architects of the Carta government that failed 2000, but he is also a good observer who have witnessed many government failures and adventures in Somalia and in particular Mogadishu. Unlike many scholars who sit, evaluate and write from the ivory towers (Nin Daar Ku Jiraa Daruur Ma Arkee), Dr. C/raxman Baadiyow is one of the handful Somalis from the diaspora who went home , spent time and resources, and built a lasting institutions like the Mogadishu university. He traveled to Hargeisa, Boosaaso (set up a branch in Boosaaso), Hiiraan , Garoowe, Jubba, Djibouti and between. He is a pragmatic politician and academic who understood and studied both social , governance and political issues facing Somalia. He not only talked about the real issues, but went home and contributed in a meaningful way. I consider him a nation builder who risked life to alleviate ignorance and teach a new generation of Somalis in the dark days of Mogadishu. In a round table setting , me and another group of local Somalis , have sat down with Dr. Baadiyow to discuss the road ahead and the implications of the next few years for the new president. We discussed politics, regional geopolitics and some social issues. We all agreed that president Farmaajo is a populist who tapped with the huge disappointments the Somali people have felt with the out going government of Hassan Sheikh Mohamuud. There were many questions, but I will focus those concerning governance, institution building ,competence and region geopolitics. It will not be word by word or actual transcript ,but a summarized version of the conversation according to Galbeedi. Round Table: How about these public campaign promises of Somali presidential candidates promising to fix the nations problems in today's environment?. Baadiyow: First of all, the president can not do any thing by himself. He needs to outline his program and implement his well defines program. Traditionally, a president sings, modifies or rejects programs prepared by his technical team like Prime minister , ministers or public institutions. In order to achieve his goals he needs a competent team to organize and implement his agenda. RT: As you have seen in 2000, C/qasim failed despite the out pouring support from the Somalis, is there any parallel between him and Farmaajo? Baadiyow: when C/qasim landed in Mogadishu, the opposition was weak. We told him after he landed in Mogadishu, to go directly to Villa-Somalia, which was occupied by a few militia, instead he went straight to a Hotel near the old Mogadishu district. It was the first act of his failure. He started with a Hotel and finished with a Hotel. It was the first indications of his failure I wrote in this pages long ago about Muuse Suudi saying..Arreey Haday Bir noqotana waa ka leexahayaa, Haday Bac noqotana waa bujihaynaa(the bold are mine) First, it is clear the parliament have voted for change, but there is also another fact which clearly indicates that some of the vote was more likely against Hassan than for Farmaajo. Second , it will will be difficult to live up to these unattainable expectations without serious work and cooperating efforts by all Somalis. Some times , those same people who are showing their emotional support, will be the first to demand his ouster, if he does not deliver. Finally, the best indications of the failures of Somali presidents are: they always choose someone who is less competent of himself in terms experience, ability, competence, stature and leadership ( mar walba waxay soo urursadaan cid iyaga ka hoosaysa). They do not want someone who is more competent or would shine brighter than them and take the spotlight. leaders talk about building the army, police, public service, tax collection and so on, but these things can be built or organized by competent state institutions not pronouncements or trusted individuals(government is a modern institution, and it needs highly trained and competent people to implement it;s agenda( hebel lacagta ciidanka ha qaado waa ni wanaagsane iyo wax la mida ma shaqaynayso) bold is mine. Farmaajo can only succeed if the men and women he chooses to implement his program are more capable and competent than himself. He can choose his own office aides, but those who would serve and build the government institutions must be chosen by competence and merit. RT: what is the first task of the president? Baadiyow: he must choose a competent prime minster and give him the freedom to pick his cabinet and do his job. For the last eight years or so , a president from the Mogadishu area , usually picks a premier from the "D block" and quickly a triangle forms. The three angels of the triangle are the president, the Mogadishu business community and the prime minister. In order to set his agenda and isolate the premier, the president more than often, side steps the premier and connects his agenda with businessmen while ignoring the premier totally. If the premier tries to reassert his role and confronts the president, he is thrown out of the office with help of the business oligarchs and the parliament. That arm restringing continues and all important issues of the state is neglected. Jug meeshaada joog. He must show reconciliation and good will through out the country. Good leaders bring harmony and reconciliation after civil wars or elections that divide the people. He must build strong and lasting institutions , and finally , must be transparent and fight corruption within the government and the system. RT: what are the wrong steps that could hasten his failure? Baadiyow: There are reports that the failed group of former governments, including Shariif Ahmed and even some members of the last government are trying to be the inner circle that are trying to direct his agenda, if that is the case, expect gridlock and competing loyalties. He was elected to bring change and usher a new era , but if he keeps the company of the old guard while giving a lip service for change, the euphoria of the public could disappear quickly. RT: would you be willing to be the premier if the president asks you? Baadiyow: of course, if the duty calls , serve , I must. Having said that , I would not be someone who would accept interference, corruption and quarrel. I will clearly tell the president that " I will serve and do a competent work and would not tolerate interference( Si cad ayaan ugu sheegi in uu hawshayda ii daayo, haddii kale imikaba aynu kala joona, ka dibna dariiqa mustaqiimka ayeynu qaadi). RT: there is a lot of talk among Somalis about the presence of the foreign troops in the country and how to build a national army. What would happen if the foreign troops leave today?. Baadiyow: if these forces leave the country today, Al-shabaab will take over immediately. The withdrawal has to be gradual and must be coordinated. The Somali National Army must be rebuilt and equipped, and only competent and credible institutions can achieve that. As we speak we are a long way from the point. RT: how can the Somali state and people remove itself from the entanglement of the competing regional powers?, and what about Ethiopia? Baadiyow: Ethipia already had realized that it can not occupy or control Somalia, and we Somalis can not continue the constant war of fighting them. Now , mutually , we must find ways to co-exist peacefully. The issue of Al-shabaab and security worries of the region is genuine and must be considers as such, so countries like Djibouti, Ethiopia and others in the region, believe Somalia is the place to stop and defeat Al-shabaab before it became a big regional danger and crosses their borders . Having said that, it is the Somali federal leadership and their regional allies who introduced Ethiopia and others to Somalia and would like to continue for different reasons . A leader must govern on the consent of the people and implement their legitimate demands. If you rely on the support of the public , they will in return demand justice, transparency, development and security. Leaders who can not deliver the public demand whether by incompetence or greed , usually find alternative sources of power to keep the in power. That is why Hassan decided to rely on them in his final efforts to keep power. In fact, the idea of relying to foreign powers to keep the power was even used by Siyaad Barre himself. In 1987, rather than make a deal and reconcile with the Somali tribal insurgents against his government and keep out the Ethiopian influence , he made a deal with MIngestu Hailemariam in order to keep his power and eliminate the guerrilla movement. Mingestu did not stop the support of insurgents which eventually destroyed the country. The issue is legitimate leaders do not need the support of others to rule among their people. Finally , the 30 million Somalis in this region of horn of Africa must find peace prosperity and trade with hundred million Ethiopians who are 60% Muslim and thrive. We must build our country and find ways to co-exist peacefully with our neighbors. A democratic and competent Somalia does not anyone to keep it save, but it's own army and people. I do not blame others for our weakness and inability to defeat terrorism and build institutions. TR: how about the gulf countries and Egypt? Baadiyow: Egypt have been using the Somali blood for a while. There are clear facts that indicate Egypt was one of the main countries that forced Somalia to wage the war of 1977. Because of the Nile issues, they have being pushing as to war for a long time. It was Gemal Abdel Nasser who convened the 1964, Cairo agreement which made the colonial borders permanent, yet they still kept pushing as for war behind the scene. If we have to wage war and shed blood, it must be done by our own decision, not by the proxy efforts of others. Why would we deal with leaders like C/caziiz SISI who is murdering his own people. In my opinion , UAE ( united Arab Emirate) is waging a business war. They are playing different games but the crest of their interest is mostly business. When they supported SISI of Egeypt, they usually claim of their desire to defeat the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, but they were against the idea of Mursi and Egypt making Sinai a free port zone which could attract business around the world. With hundred million people and the tourism culture , Dubai and the frictional desert kingdom could loose both business and competition. They have been fighting with Djibouti , they destroyed Aden and many ports in the region. Their ultimate goal is to keep their business interest and eliminate competition( They do not produce any thing and anyone with nice ports and beeches can set up a free port..bold emphasis are mine). So The Somali state must look it's interest. The middle east is in big trouble and things could get ugly. Iran itself is in turmoil. There is a battle between the moderates and the extremists who are waging wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and many other places. The moderates went the hardliners to leave Iran , fight these wars and eventually loose, so they could take the helm. They have also a large ethnic minorities that could explode any time. On the issue of Berbera, that port could thrive and succeed without the gulf money. RT: how about corruption in the system and how to eliminate. Baadiyow: fighting corruption and showing transparency are among the top issues facing every Somali leader. There is a lot of resources within the country. The Telecom companies in Mogadishu alone could provide the government millions of dollars revenues if collected properly. If you show the public transparency and hard work , they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. TR: How about the Somali regional government and their efforts to build government institutions and deliver services to people? Baadiyow:. The regional governments came from the international efforts to fix the Somali problems and force some form of regional institutions in the local level. Local people were expecting services and institutions, while some are better than others most have became a tool carried by the leader in his bag. Look at the South West regional state, it became a one man institution. If there is parliament leadership Shariif Hassan will be the one deciding, if there is a regional president, he will lead and only him, and finally, if there is presidential candidate from that region it will Shariif Hassan but no one else It reduced the whole concept of the regional state to one man. The rest are not that much different. Soon people will be demanding transparency and service delivery. I do believe that should be serving the needs of the people not the leaders. few years ago , with groups of politicians , I went to Kismaayo to avert the tribal issues of 1991 from rearing it's ugly head again and taking the community apart. . RT: How about Somaliland and their apparent dysfunction and other issues. Baadiyo: First of all unless the problems of the south are sorted out security wise and other issues in Mogadishu, it is a premature to discuss the union. It will futile for Somaliland to throw itself in unstable place were Al-shabaab insurgency is active in many parts of the country. As a peaceful place, you do not immerse in a conflict zone. Having said , I think the people of Somalaind have reached a stage where in the near future for the south to extend an olive branch. Unemployment are at the highest levels, there are no apparent developments that lift the economy and the people are fed up of the constant quarrel that could bring bad things. The Somali government could take huge steps by appointing a prime minister from the north which could change the whole political landscape, but I do not think that will happen. The conflict with the Somaliland elite not the people had started after the union of 1960, and it has taken different shapes throughout the years. I think a genuine reconciliation from the Somali leadership of both sides should repair those wounds. Rt: let us discuss some of the social issues . I do believe the Islamic movements and leaders have shown to be a weak link, that brought nothing but hardship to the people, so do you think that we must avoid the so called " Wadaad"? Baadiyow: I do agree the idea of labeling people as " Wadaad" or oher names. I would like the Somali people being addressed as a citizen (Muwaadin Soomaaliyeed) without any names. Throughout the years we have seen people claim as " Wadaad" and then trying to run away the label for political expediency. Look at Hassan Sheikh, he was a member of the non violent movement Islaax, and in 2006, joined the Islamic courts and became those waging the war against The Ethiopian supported government. Now after he won the office, he became the closet leader of the Ethiopian government in order to stay in power, doing exactly the opposite of what he did when he was " the Wadaad". These kind of people are opportunists who could wear any shirt. RT: how about the large number of Somali women in the parliament? Baadiyow: Iy is a good step taken forward. There is no Quraanic or Hadith tradition that could deny women for position of leadership. If you compare where we were in Carta two decades ago , it is a good progress. With time there will be more changes in favor of women's role. There was this story about a Somali elder who after he has been asked to nominate a women to parliament, and he said , I would not be answering in the here after about a woman in the parliament (Adeer Qiyaamaha Bilcan ayuu Baarlamaan geeyey la i dhihi maayo). With education and time a lot will change. RT: would you talk about social norms and the weakness of the public institutions. Baadiyow: there is a huge difference between personal responsiblitis and social responsiblities. In the western societies, usually they do not focus on the individual level or his personality, what they emphasis is the larger socitial good of the public, like: do not steal, damage property, respect others and don not break the law ans so on. That is why the things the public share are working. On the other hand we we focus the person , how good that person is , or how is honest , decent and God fearing which are all good human traits, but what counts is what you contribute in the larger society. If you good that will serve you, your family or your here after, but what also counts are how you behave in public office, or issues that you share with others ( hadaad qof wanaagsan tahay oo wanaagaaga aad gurigaaga iyo shaqsiydaada la joogta aday kuu gaar tahay, laakiin mushtamaca wanaagiisa iyo waxa dadka idinka dhexeeya sida aad u gudato ayaa umdda wax ka bedelaya, hebel waa nin fiican oo tukada oo edeb leh , wanaagaaga gurigaaga la joojag, aniga waxa wax ii taraysa sida aad hawsha ummadda ka dhaxaysa u gudanayso). If we are individually good by a lager numbers, why things that we share publicly are not working or in bad shape?, because rather focus on the social responsibility of the public at large, we are focus on personal levels, and most of the nations that focus on that issue have weak public institutions and systems. When we started Mogadishu university, we asked the students to pay a small amount of money to cover for the teachers, utilities and other services. We hired good and respected professors and told them that what ever these students could afford will cover your salary, so you must hold on your side of the bargain to show up o time and teach. After while, some of the most respected professors, even some Islamic scholars keep showing up late or even missing classes , yet they did not know that they were earning illegal money( xaaraan in ay cunayaan oo wiilkii lacagta bixiyey aysan class kii imanayn ma garanayaan). So ,after while we took steps to deduct money every time they miss a class. Initially they were shocked ,but things got better. While these people were honorable and good individually, they lacked the larger societal responsibility, so we must put emphasis the larger social responsibilities than the individual ones. That is the summarized version of the conversation. If there is any question we will pass to Dr. Baadiyow.

This guy Dahir Calasow is the worst incarnation of the Somali race. Siyaad Mohamed Shire was not a minister, general or policy maker. He was one of the staff's of the prime minister Cali Geedi. How can a mere office aide would murder or lead the C/laahi Yusuf government. Lately , he was a counselor officer in Nairobi and Jeddah. He has some experience running the office. He is appointed as chief protocol officer by Farmaajo. It is a simple job. Calasow is sewing hatred and distrust among his community and Unaka" which fought deadly battles in early nineties. We all assume that conflict was in the past and people are looking ahead of the future. We should stay away from this kind of people who insight or created war from nothing.

In his early days, like most people , I was accepting some shake up of the system, but this man is just disrupted and chaos.The United Nations is usually a rich man's club, and have not done much for the developing nations. It must be reformed, but I believe Trump intends to push the UN in his own way. He will only make them worse. On the issue of Palestine, to be correct, he did not say that he believes " one state solution", but actually said , " I will agree one or two state , wherever both of them agree. By the way there were some Palestinians who always believed that one state , democratic and multi ethnic state that must be shared by both. Edward Said was on of them. Actually, the two state solutions were an idea advocated by the Jewish national leadership and their American friends. They were afraid that in the long run the 3 million Palestinians could increase and undermine the Jewish character of Israel, so the deal was to arrange two states side by side. Trump could not change or negate the two state solutions. He does not lead the foreign policy of the nation. Every thing he campaigned was refuted publicly by his own cabinets or, he , himself back tracked whether is is NATO, Russia, settlement and many things. The man is narcissistic , how can do any work while watching TV hours every day and responding with his displeasure on twitter. You know what , he may even quit after while. As the leader of the U.S, he needs to read, analyze and work 12 hours or more. In his former job, most of the real state transaction are done by lawyers and been counter accountants , although he declared bankruptcy which means he never listened his accountants. Within three weeks , he already took three vacation in his Florida home, to play golf. As months go , he will be weakened . How long he will be keep insulting the media and those who disagree with him.

Since the republicans are controlling both houses of congress , the chances of early impeachment has to wait until the mid term election of 2018. In the meantime the captain of the titanic keep speaking not only false but easily verifiable lie. Today he said , his electoral victory was the largest since Ronald Reagan. When asked about the false statement , he said, "someone just gave me this information". Electoral numbers for the last 37 years. Donald Trump 2016 306 Barack Obama 2012 332 Barack Obama 2008 365 BILL Clinton 1996 379 George Bush Sr, 1984 426 As you can see, the guy is out of touch. We will keep updating this tread until impeachment 2019.

In late January, the state department told Trump through his counsel that Gen. Flynn did not disclose the truth about his Russian meeting. He was latter told about the investigations. In order to confuse people distract the media, he signed the so called Muslim ban without even consulting to the justice department, state department or the homeland security. He was creating smoke screen to divert the attention. He consulted a young punk called Steve Miller and the failed former White supremacist blogger named Steve Bannon. Together, they drafted an executive order to ban Muslims without checking if it was legal or not. Well, Gen. Flynn must tell the truth to avoid being locked (he campaigned with Trump calling that Hillary should be locked for mishandling classified email).He must expose the conversation he had with Trump about Russian sanctions. Watergate started just like this: When did the president knew this and who told him?. The con man is in trouble.

The nut cases and crazy ones following Trump throughout the camoaign were eliminated early, but somehow Gen. Flynn ended up as the national security adviser. If you remember, there were few nut cases rejected by Trump ,the likes of Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, rick Santorum and few others. It seems the republican party is slowly taking over the white house. Every thing is set for Mike Pence. in fact he did recommend most of the cabinets. The Texas boys, the oil barons and the Bushes got Rex Tilerson and Rick perry while other important ones are career military guys. Soon Steve Bannon and other lunatics will be out. This week the CIA denied giving clearance to an aide to Flynn. well, it is less than a month and some of the lies were refuted by the justice. The lunatic General assured the Russians about break of the sanctions and then lied. I though Trump would have finished at least until 2019, but the noose is already tightening.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/13/politics/michael-flynn-white-house-national-security-adviser/index.html#

Gooni iyo Oodweyne waa idin Salaamay. Oodweyne , you said the issue is not "the morality of what was incumbent for us", but challenges posed by the Farmaajo presidency toward Somalilnd. So, let us discuss the implications of president Farmaajo. The new president, when he was asked about Somaliland , he said " Dhibka Soomaaliya ma billaaban 1991, ee waa mid bilawday 1960, Reer woqooyiga waa la takoora , dhibkaas ay kaa cabanayeena inaga dhexdeena ayuu ka bilawday 1991, dawladnimana waan soo celin weynay. Waa in dib u heshiisiin sax ah aynu samayno. Dadkaasi waa dad la yaqaano, waa in loo yeelaa waxa ay rabaan si midnimo qaran loo helo, waa arin muhiim ah oo ka muhiimsan afar sano iyo toban , waa arin taabanaysa jiilka soo socda boqolka sano ee soo socda". waan soo koobay hadalkiisa oo waxoogaa isku toosiyey, maadaama farmaajo reer Xamar yahay af soomaaliguna ku kooban yahay". Like any Somali president he believes the unity and territorial integrity of the republic should be maintained regardless of what came abut the Somali civil war of early nineties. Since Farmaajo is related to Siyaad Barre and is haling from GEdo region, it will be difficult for him to charge on toward Somaliland at this time , yet that does not mean he will allow disintegration. The somali civil of eighties had created a lot of distrust, animosity and fear among Somalis. Some groups who thought they have won the war, have not only paid a heavy price, but did not gain any meaningful progress, although some like Somaliland are better than others. Having said that the tribal distrust and fear of others is stronger in certain regions while diminishing in other parts. The distrust of the SNM community of every thing " D Block" or in particular Gedo region must be bridged and reconciled. It is the last remaining puzzle of the Somali unity and reconciliation. It was the Galgduud and Mohamed Farah Caydiid Community that fought the Siyaad Barre regime in the south. The Caydiid led USC was fierce in it;s hate toward the "D Block" and Siyaad Barre without even distinguishing the people and the regime. AS we remember he went After Barre with zeal and he even forgot about forming government or politics, although " Manifesto" and others had different plans. Today, the Caydiid and Galagduud communities who fought Siyad Barre, are the biggest supporters of Farmaajo, and both of these people forgot and forgave what took place twenty years ago. In order for Somaliland and the Somali people in general to survive these dangerous world of competing interests , we must swallow our tribal pride especially with the advent of crude , calculated policies of the some democratic countries. It seems that while we Somalis and many others are leaving tribal , ethnic and the politics of identities, Some European and Americans are reversing their democratic ideals and are becoming tribal. The war instigated by the corrupt and rich gulf states and arrogant extremist Iranian Shia hegemony will remake the middle east in the coming future. Five historical capitals of the middle east have been burned already by these sectarian war. Damscus, Bahgda, Aden, Sana and Tripoli have been destroyed, and with grace of Allah Cairo and Istanbul have survived. With few Shillings we may even buy that war and bring to our shores in Berbera. The long range missiles of Iran could rain in Hargeisa and Berbera. I urge the Somaliand parliamentarian to reject this just like other Somalis rejected the Ethiopian influence in their lives. Twenty six years have passed since Somaliland declared secession , yet it seems we are just crawling of the gate. Since this thread is not about what Somaliland done or does not I will leave it there. Ten or more years ago, in a weekend outing , when the Embagati , Kenya process was under way, I did visit some northern friends , many from Hargiesa and Borama, chewing Qat in a house. It was in the heydays of Dahir Rayaale regime and many of his sub clan were there spewing their zeal toward me. When I told them that colonel C/laahi Yusuf could be the president and will be coming to the countryside surrounding Togdheer, they all laughed as the boasting of " Nin Muqdisho ku waashay". At the time the Sool region was under the Puntland administration. Just like many Somalis who follow the out dated logic of repeating that certain tribes could only rule the messy and anarchist Somalia, they dismissed the possibilities of different outcomes. Rather take account of human ingenuity or the surprise political outcomes that could change every thing , they kept saying "reer hebel Somaliya ma xukumayaan ama waa la nacay', regardless, this man was not elected by the "D Block', many in Jubba like "Xidig' compained with Hassan Sheikh. Shariif Ahmed was an old guard seen before and Hassan put all his hopes on Ethiopia, while Cumar Sharmaarke was seen as weak . He was the next best . We, the Reer Woqoyi" unionist believe that we have certain ability and competence that the southern Somalis lack and without us there will never be a strong and great Somalia. Look at the media and culture, for tweet years they could not compose any thing meaningful. I maybe wrong but certain elites of the south are always worried about " Beeso" and could sell his favor, although that culture is now prevalent in somliand and other places. Remember, the October revolution could not have gone any where for the first ten years without the huge northern brain and trust. Without Ismaciil Cali Abokor, Ahmed Saleebaan Dafle, Muuse Rabile and others , it could not have moved quickly. After Siyaad bArre arrested Ismaciil C. Abokor and many members of the SRC, certain members of the Gedo community went to Siyaad Barre and told him that " Haddii Ragii saaxiibadaa ahaa ee kacaanka kula waday aad xabsid geliso , ogow in aadan meel gaadhayn". Even today, the new leader of the Somali Senate have shown to be independent and nationalist, and the way C/raxman Beyle managed both the election of the speaker of the parliament and the president have shown the people the honesty and competence of the northern Somalis. We Awdalites do not have any animosity toward anyone, but in Mogadishu , all the northerners had to stick together to survive the bombing of al-shabab and other freelance criminals targeting people for one way or another. The Habro are our leaders today and it seems we will live or die by their decisions which is a difficult thing to swallow, but most people believe sticking together and making a collective decision is better that dis-integration and anarchy, Farmaajo has a huge task of first cleaning corruption in government, building Somali army, and chasing Al-shabaab and their sponsors from the south. I believe he will show good will and brotherhood toward Somalialnd while affirming unity and territorial integrity. In the mean time, the distrust between the "Dblock" and the SNM community must be resolved and president Farmaajo has an opportunity to reconcile this issue. Xildhibaan Zakaria H. Mohamuud waxa uu yidhi " Soomaali hadaanu nahay la inagama adkaan karo, laakiin waa la in lugoyn kara. Lugooyadu way ka daran tahay dagaalka. Si aynu uga badbaadno dadkan raba in ay bariga dhexe ku celiyaan qabaa'il iyo firqooyin waa in aynu qaran adag dhisanaa. There are great powers who want to remake the middle east and Africa to their original way of tribes and sects. It did already destroy old civilizations that lives side by side for thousands of years. Somalilnd trying to separate is small part of the game.

Oodweyne said "it was the arrogant way, HSM, went about abusing everyone in Xamar (with a not so subtle hint that says unless you behave, Hassan, being a president living in his town, can always add you to the casualty of the terror). And, lastly, it was the brazen way, the Ethiopians tried to carry him on their shoulders to the finish line, while everyone else was either expect to assist that, or moving out of the way." Somalis identified him as the Ethiopian candidate that is major one . Today, I did ask an older gentleman who has inside sources from Mogadishu to explain the surprise win of President elect Farmaajo. He said, the first indication was that there was not huge money involved in the presidential election as reported by many people. While most members of the parliament went through a grueling process during their election, they wanted to prove to people that they were worth of the task in front of them. He said also the women factor plated great role. Since they are married to different tribes, sometimes opposite of their own they did not have the tribal loyalties men have. finally , all the twenty candidates agreed to defeat Hassan Sheikh collectively. I never believed the so called " reer Hebel baale" like many northerners who bury their head in the sand and expect someone favorable

President Farmaajo was a prime minister and have seen the foreign run Somali government before, this is his second chance as the leader not the manager. The Somali people every where have shown him a good will and support toward him. If he succeeds, the whole Somali people will succeed. I urge OOdweyne and others to give the man a chance to help the ailing Somali people every where. In Somaliand 1.5 million people are affected by drought and food shortage, the Berbera port have been sold to corrupt gulf leaders with few shillings. They may even want to being the disastrous Yemen war to our shores. It was Hassan Sheikh who signed that agreement. It was also a corrupt politician Named Ismaaciil Buuba who took part in the distribution the financial campaign to buy people from the opposition party of Wadani.I welcome the leadership of WAdani for rejecting the deal. We Somalis are all victims of our own policies. The Somali people through the parliament has spoken loud and clear, they have given the power to a new generation of leaders who does not bow to no body but to Somali people. Farmaajo was elected because the people are tired of relay presidency that does not cure the problems. He did not use or called tribes during his campaign. He did not attack his opponents and other candidates, in fact he ran a positive campaign that appealed to the pride and hope of the people. I was one of those who wrote him off. I thought he was not prepared money wise or the MOgadishu game, but the Somali parliamentarians had another agenda. They wanted to show people how worthy they were of the position the were occupying at this juncture of the Somali history. They did what was right. They elected a Somali nationalist . Hassan Sheikh, may Allah protect him , has done some tangible work for the last four years and we shall thank him for every good thing he done. His constant smile and positive attitude will be missed, yet he does not cure the physiological problems Somalia have endured for twenty five years. The nation could be poor, but the pride of the people and the nation must be maintained regardless of the wealth or poverty. While we value the help of our neighbors for their help against Al-shabaab, we believe that poor , weak and corrupt nations like Burundi or Sierra leone should not be substitute for Somali national army. This election showed democracy in action in Somalia. People around the world have watched free men and women exercise their duty without coercion and intimidation. Somalis, it is a new day and a new beginning. Certainly you could celebrate every where. We really need this one to last. May Allah help the new president and our people every where.

C/weli will be finished soon. Faroole is one of the strong guys in Somalia. He could have stopped Damujaddiid and Hassan Sheikh if he were in charge of Puntland.

https://youtu.be/omAVDZzghLM?t=3

No one thought this election to be consequential, or game changer for Somalis in their quest to gain back their state, but the actions of our enemies and rivals seem to point in different direction. There is desperation from Ethiopia and their puppet regional administrations. For them , this election is do or die. Are we in the crossroads?( kadartii ayaynu taaganahay, ama dib baynu u soo dhici ama waynu ka bixi). Status quo, despotism and one party state system of government has weakened the Ethiopian government. The oppressed ethnic communities have became restless and are demanding freedom and democracy. Peaceful protests are met with violence ,mass arrests and torture. There is a fear among the leaders that one day the gene might leave the closed box and after that all may crumble. An independent and resurgent Somalia is a threat to many governments in the region. A democratic and independent Somalia is a threat not only to Ethiopia, Djibouti, and many in east Africa, but also to the gulf monarchies. Nations, regardless of their power, economy and resources try to be independent as much as possible. Just like family, home and personal affairs, you must clean up your own problems, then cooperate and work with others to reach a common goal. Today in Somalia we have leaders who could not tie their own shoes without the consent of the neighboring governments. In this election, the president of the Somali Republic has became a symbol of weak leadership implementing the wishes of the rival powers of Somalia. If that is not the case , why would the Ethiopian government insist on his re-election?, What would they lose if another leader takes the power?,. As we speak the Ethiopian leadership is scrambling to find whatever ways to bring Hassan Sheikh back. C/weli Gaas, the leader of the Puntland regional state, was ordered to go to Mogadishu and help Hassan. He will be arm reselling and pushing the Puntland members of parliament toward Hassan Sheikh. All the leaders of the regional governments were ordered to elect Hassan. Our hope is that the members are independent and will vote their conscience or personal interest, rather than the orders of their regional leader. Our president, Hassan Sheihk, decided be identify himself with the interest of Ethiopia, as such , Somalis who want to remove the Ethiopian albatross from their necks should give him the boot and elect another leader. Few weeks ago I had a conversation with Dr. C/raxman Badiyow, who abandoned his quest to run for president after it became apparent that the interference of foreign powers like Ethiopia , United Arab Eremites and others, made it difficult to wage an honest and free election. This two nations are described by Somalis and the international community as spoilers. One is carrying a huge bag of money, while the other is using intimidation, coercion and blackmail to achieve it's goal . He said ," Traditionally elections should bring people together" , making the analogy of prayers, he said "Salaadu waxay ka bilaabataa Qiblada oo loo jeesto iyo niyada oo lala yimaado" He said, the Somali leader must bring to the table three basic things in order to succeed. 1-he must reconcile the nation: good leaders bring people together after elections and after long civil war. 2-must build institutions: without competent institutions whether it's police , army or other government services, you will be just a giant mess. 3-must be transparent: if the leader explained to people the lack of resources and is willing to share the hardship to achieve the greater goal , the populace will do the necessary sacrifices. The problem is the leadership keeps talking about the lack of basic salary for soldiers and others , while on the other hand spending millions for political favors( Haddi aad dadka tidhaado waxba ma hayee intan aynu ku wada noolaano, gaajada way kula qaybsan). Dr, Baadiyow said, " four years ago when Hassan Sheikh was elected, I said to people ,"Somalia is doomed" (Soomaali god bay ku dhacday), yet like everyone else, I gave him a chance to redeem himself, because I knew him". Also, there are reports that C/weli Gaas will be going to be the next prime minister . Keep in mind Hassan Sheikh gave C/weli Gass hundreds of thousands to contest the last Puntland election. Long ago many people in Puntland told us that C/weli was an associate of Damujadiid who will always rescue Hassa Sheikh in time of need. He fooled everyone as the false opposition to Damujadiid. Dear Somali parliament, A wind of freedom and independence is blowing in Somalia. As the mother and foundation of the Somali state , you must make history and make a clean break from the policies of our rivals. There is a cloud of suspicion , corruption and dirty tricks over your head , and most Somalis are not pleased the way many of you have been selected, yet you are the legitimate arbitrator of the Somali state and future. How you vote next Wednesday will shape the future of the next generations of Somalis. You have a solemn duty to cast your vote for whom ever you think will lead this nation to better security , cohesiveness and independence. Everyone is afraid of your vote. Despots and dictators always fear the ballot box. C/weli, Shariif Hassan, Ahmed madoobe are all afraid of your vote. Have you seen what happened to the puppet leader of Galmudug handpicked by Hassan Sheikh?, he was throw out. Hassan Sheikh spent millions to elect C/kariim Guuleed, yet he could not even do the basic leg work of bringing Ahlu Sunnah and others on board. They have no capacity to manage small things regardless of how much money they are given. Dear Parliament it is your turn to make a huge statement.

Barwqqao, ma ololihii Hassan Sheikh baad ku biirtay. Ina Adeer sobobta miyaad noo shoogi kartaa?

YoniZ, I think we won the first round hands down. The issue in not the EEZ (economic exclusive zone). It is about the way the boundaries are measured. After the final victory, we need a navy to enforce the law. But first , we need to elect a tough president.

Few months ago , I analyzed the Somali candidates for president in 2016. As I wrote in these pages, some were pretenders while others were strong contenders. I concluded that the current president, the prime minister and former president Shariif Ahmed as the candidates who have the best chances to win this. I did not say they were the best among the candidates, but it was a matter of choosing between ad choices. I did mention about the toughness of Mohamed Nuur Tarzan, the wisdom and experience of Dr. C/raxman Baadiyow and others who could have done well as a presidents of a nation rising from the ashes of anarchy, tribalism, and famine. judging about the money and the corruption involved about the parliament, I concluded that the best of the three mentioned above would have the material means to win this election. I reasoned that among those three , The prime minister would represent a change compared to Shariif Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh. Having said that , if you asked me who is the best among the candidates regardless of money and connection ?, I would say Zakaria Haji Mohamuud is the best . He is not only tough, but he is strong and patriot. Unlike Hassan Sheikh and many others, he could see the big picture of the nation and it's potential. He has been intimidated by Ethiopia and others, yet he never gave up or lost hope. He is among the few who believes that Somalis could build their country by themselves while welcoming those who offer help. He does not believe tribal army or militia like Hassan Sheikh and his cronies. Waxa aan ku raacay waxa uu leeyahay , " yaa Soomaliyaay". Haddii la doorto Zaharia dhamaantayo waa u gurmaanaynaa waana taageeraynaa.

I think We will be lucky if that kind of a guy comes. Waa in baarlamaanka dhambaal Soomaalidu u dirtaa . Waa haddii larabo in aynu isbedel run ahi yimaado. Farmaajo iyo kuwa kale caruur geel aday ayey noqonayaan marka Zakariye loo fiiriyo

Che, I think the opposition to Trump is larger than we all thought. Look at the women's march within a week of organizing close to a million showed up. He has the lowest approval rating of a president in his first day in office. The reason Stephen Bannon and company are rushing for all these executive orders are they may not last. If the mid term election comes and republicans loose the house, he will be in trouble. They are afraid, or he knew he may not last for whatever reasons. By the way Che, looking the Somali election, I saw Zakariye Haji Mohamuud. A tough man who is thousand times stronger than Culusow or Ina C/rashiid. I think Somalis should support that guy. What do you think

Yes. It is a terrorism by a white terrorist. actually the whole government went to the city where the crime happened and held a vigil. The prime minster, conservative leader Rona Ambrose and NDP leader Tom Mulcair all rose inside parliament in unity.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwirlLbGmuvRAhXp34MKHXw8Cv4QFggsMAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestar.com%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2F2017%2F01%2F30%2Ftrudeau-faces-challenging-times-after-quebec-city-attack-and-chaos-in-us.html&usg=AFQjCNHnEEZfvU8Ak7T_sZZZyENDLy7WWg A deranged right wing extremist killed six Canadian Muslim worshipers in a mosque in Quebec.. Just like the crazy Neo-Nazi kid, Dylan Roof , who shot and killed church worshipers in South Carolina, this one is motivated by hate and extremism. In these days, bad things, like this tragedy could happen around the world. The main thing is how communities and societies react. The Canadian people and the government reacted with the right attitude of offering help and encouragement to the people in Quebec Muslim community and Muslim Canadians around the country. Both the prime mintier and the opposition leaders stood united to condemn this crime and console the families of the victims. Here in Alberta, we had a vigil tonight at the Alberta legislature. The Premier and the opposition progressive conservative candidate Jason Kenny offered support for the community. Condolences for the victims. We all pray for peace. Certainly this was an isolated crime by a deranged man.

Brother Che , I agree. We Somalis have played fast and loose about the issues of nationhood, homeland and sovereignty like tribal games that could be discarded as we wish. It is easy to start a fire, but it won't be easy to stop. For years I had seen Somalis leaving the diaspora and building things in Nairobi, Uganda and other places. They were mostly southern Somalis, and I used to wonder, Why would any Somali spend millions in an African country that could go in a flame without notice?. why not spend the money in Hargeisa or Boosaaso?. America defeated communism not by building weapons , but by ideas of freedom and openness. Do not forget this German American bully does not believe any of the things that he is pronouncing. If Obama was a republican , Trump would have run as a democrat. He is a fraud and will fail. Of course he may get some trade concessions, but millions of people will not be coming to the former land of the free. America has been a heaven for refugees and people escaping from persecutions around the globe. It was the shining light that attracted everyone. Not anymore. Targeting the most venerable people who are escaping war is not only illegal but cruel. Trump will not make America great, but will make america, small, mean and irrelevant. A man who would not pay the salary of his workers , who took advantage of everyone he encountered will not build America. He does not even know the weight of the executive orders he was signing. He was smiling like a showman, who does not grasp the enormity of his actions. George Soros , an experienced businessman said " the buffoon is shocked by the victory and he is going to be a disruptive ".