A Critique of Kulmiye

[Liqaye]

Since the end of the Somaliland election, Kulmiye has garnered a tremendous success. Though Kulmiye has always been triumphant as the election results demonstrated. However, it seems that this achievement has grown since the end of the election. Now more Somalilanders cite Kulmiye as their party of preference. The number of Somalilanders who are willing to lend an ear to speeches and statements of Kulmiye are on the rise. The baseless and nonsensical rumor, that a group of bloodthirsty fanatics are at the helm of Kulmiye, is the gossip of the intellectually challenged. The bulk of Somalilanders view Kulmiye as the only political party capable of c*****ng out new course for Somaliland. However, what needs to be studied and understood is the nature of this victory, how it came about and the things Kulmiye could do to maintain and improve this singular performance?

Kulmiye response to any inquiry about its performance since the end of the election is a broadened support base. This is manifested by the increasing number of individuals who are loyal to Kulmiye. During the elections Udub and its supporters portrayed Kulmiye as party of extremists who would plunge Somalilander into chaos. The fact that very few people pay attention to this baseless allegation demonstrates how victorious Kulmiye is. The bulk of Somalilanders see it for what it is, a smear campaign conducted by the government to paper over its failures. The majority view Kulmiye as a party of moderation and responsibility, as the only political party with the necessary expertise and leadership to tackle the country’s problems. The hundreds of people who waited at the Egal Airport to greet Silanyo, and thousands who lined up along the streets of Hargeisa to welcome him attest to the burgeoning positive image of Kulmiye. In Europe and North America, thousands of Somalilanders come out to welcome Kulmiye representatives. However, how Kulmiye acquired this success must be understood.

The substantial support that Kulmiye has inside and outside the country can be attributed to two factors: the singular effort of Kulmiye and the weakness of its rivals—Udub and Ucid. Kulmiye’s concession to unfair defeat has demonstrated to most Somalilanders the degree of sacrifice this party is willing to make for this country. It invoked memories of the heroic SNM period, when men gave up luxury to fight for higher ideals. They realized that had Udub faced similar decision, it would have induced civil war in Somaliland. The presence of courteous and cultured individuals such as Siraad, Mohamed Dhimbiil and Mohamed Kahin has endeared this party to Somalilanders. The civic manner in which Kulmiye spokespersons set forth their criticism of the government has done a lot to enhance the image of the party. Nevertheless, the blunders committed by its rivals have also contributed a great deal to the victory of Kulmiye.

During the election Udub was the only major rival of Kulmiye. As the election results indicated, Udub had a large following inside the country. However, since the end of the election, this support base has shrinked. Several reasons account for the substantial fall in the number of Udub partisans. The large cabinet appointed by Mr. Riyaale has shown that this government flouts the idea of fiscal responsibility. The public slander of Raaqiya Omar by the interior minister has confirmed the rumor that Riyaale has a thing for goons, thugs and Qaad dealers. Riyaale’s indifference to the flagrant corruption of his ministers and civil servants has debilitated Udub as a political party. Cawil’s allegation of Silanyo and his public statement that he has joined Udub to take revenge for his tribe have convinced many Udub supporters that voting for Udub was a mistake. The lack of vision and blatant violation of the constitution disappointed a majority of Udub supporters. Another development that helped Kulmiye is the growing public perception of Faisal Ali Waraabe, the leader of Ucid, as a sycophant who fetched up in Somaliland for only ministerial position, and as a ridiculous figure with zero ideas and no leadership skills. His attempt at ingratiating himself with Udub during the election disgusted Somalilanders. Kulmiye shouldn’t worry about this man, because he is man with too many defects and little quality. However, Kulmiye should be concerned about the area where it failed.

Examination of the speeches and statements of Kulmiye leaders reveals that Kulmiye follows wait- and- react strategy. The government commits a blunder and Kulmiye reacts by criticizing the government for it. This is a good strategy. However, it isn’t sufficient for the purpose of removing Udub from power; Kulmiye should focus on domestic issues. For example, rampant land disputes in Somaliland are good opportunity which Kulmiye has neglected. The land problems are depressing issue to a large number of Somalilanders. They lost relatives and so much money over this solvable problem. Disregard of this issue by the government and the opposition is the reason so many Somalilanders abroad despaired of the country. Kulmiye should exploit this issue. It should draw public attention to it. Kulmiye should establish a committee that studies this problem and offers solution to it. This will enhance Kulmiye’s image as a caring and serious political party. Other problems Kulmiye should focus on are the poor infrastructure, grim medical system, lack of water, government corruption and the neglected regions such as Togdheer, Sanaag and Sool. Kulmiye shouldn’t only concentrate on these issues, it should rehash it. Many respectable men hide the fact that they learned from or use many theories developed by Hitler about the masses. Masses quickly forget and repeating things over reminds them of what the problem is. Kulmiye must convince the masses that there is nothing but problems in Somaliland. The ********* and foolishness of the government will help Kulmiye in this aspect.

It is indisputable fact that Kulmiye has performed well since the end of the election. The larger following it has both inside and outside the country proves this claim. Effective Kulmiye leaders and extremely weak and unimaginative rivals account for the success of Kulmiye. However, had Kulmiye focused on domestic issues, it would have achieved even better performance. Kulmiye should understand that historically emphasis on the domestic issues is the only road to power.

 

Mohamed G. Ali

mgali@rogers.com

Ottawa, Canada