SOMALIA: POVERTY, POLITICS AND POWER

Reposted from 2019 WDM articles

A country, where people are suffering from unemployment rate of nearly 90%, political parties are unheard of for 50 years, politicians are too polarized and clannish, scarce public resources are looted and used against the poor to remain poor and bribe them when needed for political advantage, the few educated are selfish, corrupt, short-sighted and intellectually bankrupt to rise up above tribal bickerings at arm-chair lazy debates, schools of poor quality ill-educate the youth, such a country will not create opportunities for the persons of Ilhan Omar’s strength and talent or the rise of Abdiqawi Yusuf and Ahmed Hussein Dirir, the President of International Court of Justice at Hague, and Canada’s Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, respectively. Those personalities had managed to flee their country of origin, Somalia, to become what they are today elsewhere in a globalized world.

 Those, who practise in corruption, cronyism and nepotism in public service are blind to cultivation of talent under meritocracy. They also feel vulnerable and threatened in their privileged existence to open up to and widen opportunities for others. Poor leadership in all spheres of life and endeavors tap into that school of thought on protectionism and maintenence of status quo. This is what has happened to Somalia, a nation of poets and powerful minds.

The vicious circles of Poverty, Politics and Power embedded in Somalia’s socio-economic circles, especially in today’s religious and political elites in all urban centers of Somalia must be uncoiled to expand opportunities to all citizens. That way the New Somalia would produce not only its abundant native talents of Ilhan type, but also attract more from other countries to help explore and extract Somalia’s resources of the near and distant future.

 In conclusion, Somalia’s traditional leaders are no longer the sacred cows as they become as corrupt as Nigerian Chiefs. It is time to revisit and do away the ills of Somalia’s clan system. How could one defend serial murderers and serial rapists to remain a clan leader?

https://amazon.com/author/ismailwarsame