IN SOMALI POLITICS NOTHING MOVES WITHOUT THE PEOPLE OF PUNTLAND LEADING THE WAY

The sooner the Somali politicians honestly acknowledge and recognize these historical facts, the better off Somalia shall be.

It was the people of Puntland who were the backbone of Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan’s struggle against the colonial and imperial powers of Western Europe. It was Puntland territories from which Ahmed Gurey launched his historical struggle against Abbasynia. It was mainly the former leaders of Puntland origin, who successfully secured the independence of Djibouti, of course, together with the rest of Somalis. It was the people of Puntland, who bankrolled SNM for three years before it could stand on its own feet. It was USC, which was itself a part and later became a splinter group of SSDF.

European colonial powers came to Somalia in the 19th century with the people of Puntland enjoying the rule of local Sultanates (not foreign.)

Historically, it is tatamount to a political suicide for a Somali leader or a prominent politician to try to marginalize people of Puntland. Siyad Barre tried and eventually failed badly. General Mohamed Farah Aydid thought he had arrived politically and with his delusional impulses, attempted to overplay his hands. He ended up being murdered by his own clan militia.

People of Somalia take their political wisdom, ideas for the political marketplace and statecraft from people of Puntland origin. No exaggeration – these are facts based on keen observations, history and statistics.

Now, Talk about democratic transition to multi-party elections in Somalia. I could bet that no one-person one-vote will ever take place in Somalia without Puntland leading the way and registering that record first.

Puntland’s responsibilities to her own constituency and to the people of Somalia, therefore, are heavy burdens to bear. The State must move first and set out the record for others to follow. It is what it is.