In 2 Sense

[DeadlyVision]

Hellow politic heads,

I would like to start off a new topic since I never tried any other topic except the poetry section. Anylovingway; here goes one artical that got me gaining back my hope for Somalia and Somalis to unite or to be controle that being contrary to my hope. From Aljazeerah I read this.

Enjoy_ give your feed back and let me see if I should share more insides. And for those who already know, do not critsise just analyse!

 

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Somali Federalism: Ethiopian Colonialism

 

By Hussein Osman

 

Al-Jazeerah, March 29, 2005

 

 

 

An article entitled “Somali Federalism†published on Al-Jazeerah and dated March 24, 2005 by Ali M Ali detailed events in Somalia and the role of Ethiopia in interfering in the internal Somali affairs allegedly to “try to disintegrate Somalia and explore numerous Somali ports†gave the impression that federalism may not be appropriate for Somalia. Whether that is the case or not is not for a non-Somali like myself to judge. Therefore, the intention of this commentary is not to pass a final judgment on this matter, but rather to alert our Somali writer and all concerned that the article is being used by hostile anti-unity Eritrean tabloid websites to continue their campaign of misrepresentation against federalism in general and to distract and confuse the agendas of the newly formed Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA) that is struggling to remove the dictatorial regime in Asmara. Federalism is not a method of oppression and disintegration, and if used for that purpose by Ethiopia or any other entity, it will definitely fail. Federalism is a system of governance for equitable power sharing between all members of a nation; it is a system for wealth sharing, fair economic development, fair representation, independent judicial system, and unity in diversity. It is a system of governance that has enabled many multicultural nations of the world including the United States, Canada, Switzerland, South Africa and Nigeria to form united strong nations.

 

As the writer indicated “..., at the right circumstances and time, it [federalism] would positively serve all Somalis to be re-united again under a good and patriotic federal governmentâ€. Yes, indeed, if Somalia structures an appropriate and independent federal system of governance that is suitable to its specific internal conditions, it will join the stable and free federal nations of the world that it truly deserves. Therefore, I agree with the writer that the problem is not with federalism per se, but with the current conditions in Somalia, and the imperial aspirations of Ethiopia ever since the creation of the countries that border Ethiopia. It is self evident that the Eritrean people suffered, the most, from the colonial aspirations of proper Ethiopia and its stooges in the past and present. In retrospect, I wish to encourage our Somali brothers and sisters to direct their political analysis on the roots of the problem, rather than the form of government, such as the current Transitional Federal Government (TFG). It should also be pointed out that federalism was recommended and supported for Somalia by IGAD states, the UN, the EU, African Union, Arab League and the peace-talks international partners. Therefore, most scholars of politics envision that federalism is the most helpful system of governance for Somalia, if properly implemented, to overcome the difficulties of the nation. Nevertheless, the imperial aspirations of Ethiopia are always a cause for concern.

 

The declaration of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in October 2004 as means for reconciliation and re-uniting the Somali people was supported wholly by many interested parties of the International community, and was regarded as a breakthrough to resolve the protracted crisis of statelessness and civil strife in Somalia. The success of the peace process and re-uniting of Somalia will ultimately depend on the people of Somalia and the support of the international community for their effort, and not necessarily on federalism or centralism. I hope the Transitional Federal Parliament will utilize its interim constitutional authority to form a genuine government of national unity that reflects the aspirations and wishes of the Somali people rather than attempt to impose their own agenda on the transitional government. The international community, on the other hand, should monitor the progress of the transitional federal government to make it clear to the TFG that the recognition and support it desperately needs will not be sufficiently materialized without the clear demonstration by the TFG of implementing the sound principles of federalism. It is also recommended that the reconciliation effort between Somalis should include Somaliland. It is worth noting that the international community has resisted the continues demand of Somaliland for international recognition, and they have managed largely to exclude Somaliland from the “peace dividend†provided by the international community in the form of donations, developmental aid by donor nations as a means of pressure and conflict resolution.

 

The international community should assist the Transitional Federal Government to demobilize militias, reintegrate militias into civilian life, stop the flow of arms to warlords, establish the rule of law, and actively support its effort in creating an independent and effective national judicial system that can interpret the law and guarantees the right to fair trial, prohibition of torture, inhuman punishment, access to prisoners by humanitarian organizations, prohibition of death penalty, and general observance of human rights. The international community should not leave the question of Somaliland pending. The international community and the transitional government should address the claims of Puntland to the regions of eastern Sanaag and Sool, which lie within the colonial boundaries inherited by Somaliland to defuse future armed conflicts. They should also guarantee the independence of the federal government from foreign influence such Ethiopia in view of the concerns of the citizens of Somalia including the above cited writer.

 

Federalism, if applied properly, will not disintegrate Somalia. It will unite Somalia. The evidence and experiences of the international community on the merit of federalism in solving violence and destruction caused by cultural, ethnic or territorial conflicts are unquestionably clear. Federalism is a constitutional democratic decentralized system that permits the division of power between a central federal government and the states. There is nothing weak or negative about federalism. It is a system that advocates unity in diversity. It is a system of greatness and peace. It is a system for justice, peace and coexistence. The Eritrean Federal Democratic Movement (EFDM) is one of the lead advocates of federalism in Eritrea and believes in the positive virtues of the federal system to provide respect and appreciation for differences in ethnic, religious, cultural, linguistic and social heritages. Somalia, may not perfectly fit the traditional pre-requisites of a multicultural society, but let us not forget for instance that the United States federal system was founded not on cultural differences, but rather on economic efficiencies and competition between the states. Federalism can have many forms, types and versions with specific remedies for all differences between regions of a single nation. Let us hope that Somalia, and Eritrea both overcome their separate domestic issues without the meddling of foreign colonial entities, particularly Ethiopia and its collaborators so we can once again become the source of peace and aspiration for our peoples. We wish the great united sister nation of Somalia, peace, justice and stability, and we hope that we can both very soon overcome our difficulties and join hands to resume our historical cooperation and collaboration to accomplish great success stories for our peoples. May our people triumph over our common enemies. May God enrich our peoples love for each other. May God help us both to accomplish the dreams and aspirations of our peoples for peace, justice, prosperity and stability.

 

And May God bless all of us