“No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth.” John F. Kennedy
By: Suleiman Egeh
Somalilandsun – The article was a rumbling and confusing piece of work. On the one hand he was lecturing to the professor, while on the other hand he was pedaling a one-sided, distorted and disfigured history of Somaliland that is not backed or supported by any evidence or backing, which at the same time is far from the reality on the ground. This is a man whose criticism is replete with subjectivity, tribal hatred, jealousy, and what have you. He never mentioned a scintilla of good thing that has happened in the Republic of Somaliland. This is nothing more than a one man virulent crusade, whose harangue and lop-sided message never changes, but the messenger-the author changes his colors quite often to the level whereby, one can sometimes barely recognize him. The changing habit of this flame-breathing diehard tribalist could be equated with a chameleon.
He is a diehard Siyad Bare loyalist who just recently started snipping at Somaliland from his safe bunker in Europe. Siyad Barre is gone with the wind, but the mentality some of his loyalists and left-overs spouse for Somaliland and other progressive causes did not die and is well and alive. At the present time and beginning from the rebirth of the second Somaliland Republic, the good Siyad Barre old guard has transformed into a lying, virulent hate-filled group that harbor tremendous disdain for anything Somaliland. To them everything else, but Somaliland is good. If Somaliland is heaven they choose hell. If Somaliland is earth, they choose Venus. Their unbending, and unwavering mentality is so intense, so virulent, and so pathogenic that the only one thing that could potentially make them happy is nothing less than the total obliteration of the Republic of Somaliland and its people from the face of the earth. At the same time, these groups have a tendency of high degree of mutation and they are mutation-prone that is even more intense and frequent than the real retro-viruses, which are a group of RNA viruses that are responsible for deadly diseases ranging from AIDS, Hepatitis, B, C, human Papilloma virus and others. Mr. Hassan was the author of countless venomous, poisonous, and baseless harangues against the Republic of Somaliland. These articles are mostly an amalgam of exaggerations, lies, innuendoes, distortions of history and outright baseless propaganda pieces. Despite of their narrow, and tribal-motivated hatred, they claim to be diehard good nationalists, a meaningless word often embraced and excessively tossed around or wielded If you will by warlords, tribal lords like Hassan, terrorists, extremely corrupt thieves, civilian killers, extortionists, swindlers, and many other evil doers. They always use the word as a smoke screen to hide their underlying tribal tendencies and fascist ideology, when railing against their targets, and the things they abhor so much such as the Republic of Somaliland. For the record, the true nationalist tendencies of the Somaliland natives they naively manifested during the great betrayal of 1960, are so vivid in the memories of a good number of them, and are well-documented for the record. They did what they did, that rose to the level of blind nationalist tendencies and pipe dreams for the sake of unifying all Somali-speaking areas of the Horn of Africa. Back in the day, the gullible but rather naive people of Somalailand have dearly paid for those grave mistakes they committed in 1960. It is crystal clear to everybody that naked and mirage nationalism, to unify all the Somali-speaking states of the Horn of Africa was a disaster and an utter failure. Somaliland first Republic was lost in the dust of that so-called nationalism and the mythical dream of unifying all the Somali-speaking areas of the Horn of Africa by any means necessary. Moreover, this breed that often hides behind that empty shell called nationalism, and use kitchen sink tactics against anything that carry the name-Republic of Somaliland and its people. This new breed of people are more often than not motivated by tribal jealousy, animosity , and often conveniently call themselves unionist, nationalists and few other meaningless nouns, but deep down they are clannish/tribal radicals who are unhappy to what hasn’t happened to them and their former Somalia. Let me tell you sir; first of all allow me to shove a crash history course down your throat. For the record Somaliland and Somalia were always two separate countries. At the same time, it was Somaliland that was the major driver behind that miserably failed union, a union for all practical purposes that has never fully materialized, and immediately degenerated into a hell hole of favoritism, tribalism, regionalism, rampant corruption, segregation, tribal discrimination, ineptness, dictatorship, and political impotence.
“He is in his often confusing and rumpling piece has admitted the intractable malaise that has plagued “Somalia” or Somalia-Italiano for almost thirty years. Before, immediately jumping to his punching bag-Republic of Somaliland which he often throw at indiscriminate cluster bombs, and countless derogatory, inflammatory and often outrights lies and harangues. This is a man who usually has the tendency of operating under so many different names and titles such as (spokesman the now defunct Northern Unionists, SSC, Khaatmo and many others. “Your disenchantments go much wider than these Mogadishu specific problems and extend to what you consider the unacceptable inequities of the union. Few will dissent with your penetrating analysis and observations.”
Dr. Samatar’s disenchantment is the disenchantment of the overwhelming majority of Somalilanders. There is nothing new here and the thirty years misery that has befallen on our people has started in 1960. As soon as the Somaliland delegation arrived Muuqdisho, and unlike your unbending obsession that with your false pretense, the overwhelming majority of Somalilanders supported the reacquisition of their long lost independence and sovereignty. Somaliland is far from being one clan project. The latter is nothing but a rehash of a tired phrase often used by the anti-Somaliland Siyad Barre loyalists.
“The ineluctable question people are bound to be asking, and indeed have asked, is what prompted Prof Ahmed Ismail Samatar, the veteran nationalist par excellence, who tenaciously championed Somalia’s revival and unity through thick and thin for all these years to now uncharacteristically throw in the towel at this particular juncture of his political track in Somalia?”
The above named rumbling article called Dr. Samatar a veteran nationalist par excellence and so sorrow that as an intellectual. This man is a master of exaggeration, and a jack of all propaganda. If the man was a microscope he would have been an electron microscope with total magnifications of 100,000. The man is a relentless propagandist, die hard tribalists, devote Siyad Barre loyalists and hallucinating hypocrite masquerading as a nationalist while at the same time promoting his clan lines. The man is a deeply tribal and sectarian-minded individual. I know the man is no more nationalist that Professor Samatar or anybody else for that matter.
I am so surprised, flabbergasted and taken a back when it became a crime when somebody went back to his native land, talk, discuss and mingle with his own people. Professor Samatar came from a rather large and gigantic nation with ancient history, civilization, and culture. He came from a nation that cherishes discussion, and dialogue. People constantly make mistakes and the best among them is the one who confesses his/her wrongs. This man writes pieces which are often nothing, but unsubstantiated harangues against the republic of Somaliland. They are often full of baseless propaganda that is never supported or backed by a proof or back up that could dissect the paper in depth, longitudinally, diagonally, or cross section wise.
Osman Hassan: “You have every reason to feel shocked not because you did not win the presidency but in awakening to the harsh depressing reality in Mogadishu and to feel irrelevant and powerless in an environment where the twin evils of corruption and clan, in turn or in combination, have trumped national interest . Be that as it may, I share with many others that you are wrong in the lesson you drew and the actions you took”.
Rebuttal: False because no matter what he does, due to your burning and incurable tribal bias and hatred you would have never say anything good about professor Samatar or anybody else from the Republic of Somaliland for that matter. Despite all the bad things happening in Muuqdisho, your real nemesis is still Somaliland and its people.
Osman Hassan: “You have deployed your mighty intellectual force to justify why you had deserted Somalia and embraced the secession, hitherto untouchable. Your reasons are that you saw yourself politically excluded as a northerner and also because you consider Somalia beyond salvation. The first reason is not true as I argued above and the second one is a moot point. Somalia’s problem is one of leadership as you yourself have pronounced on different occasions. And sooner or later, the right one is bound to emerge. Otherwise, it has no other existential problems given its people, apart from the secessionists support a united, stable and prosperous Somalia. For these reasons, Somalia is bound to eventually emerge from its doldrums. It is only a matter of time and more time is what you have not given it.”
Rebuttal: False both are true and the record speaks for itself. Let me take the first one is true because there was never a secession, but rather a retrogression or the re-acquirement of a lost independence and sovereignty and the second is also true because without Somaliland, Somali-Italiano can’t be revived. The following is the way I see it: The former Italian Somalia is almost split into Jubaland, Puntland, Baidawaland, Banderland, Galmudug, and Merca-Jamma land. There is a real an already existing political, military and social stalemate which appears to be increasing and intensifying among these groups. Somaliland once again unified with the former Somalia is close to impossible:
Impossible Scenario one: Somaliland will never voluntarily or involuntarily will unify with Somalia (Italian Somaliland).
Impossible Scenario two: In order to save Somalia-Italiano, the only other option left will be forcing Somaliland to unify with them, and the latter, means an all-out war with Somaliland, in which case the four million plus Somalilanders who are already much stronger than during their earlier war of liberation against Siyad Barre, will put up a formidable resistance which will make the operation a rather bloody struggle, but at the end, Somalilanders will decisively win it, and will make them even in a more stronger position than ever before. This means the Republic of Somaliland and its people will only be peaceful with all their Horn of Africa neighbors only if their self-determination, independence and sovereignty are respected.
Osman Hassan: “By contrast, if any place is doomed, it is Somaliland: not the former British colony of that name, for that had been defunct since the union, but the one-clan secessionist enclave calling itself by the same name which you have now espoused.”
Rebuttal: This is entirely a false premise because there is no scenario under which the Republic of Somaliland will be doomed (wicked and sadistic wish). If somebody is doomed it is the former Somalia, an entity that is already doomed/defunct, and there is very little or no chance of its revival. Again the second premises that Somaliland is a one clan project is false, because Dahir Rayaale a non-Isaak Somalilander was a president of Somaliland for eight years.
Osman Hassan: “A secession opposed by almost four of the five clans in the north, the rest of Somalia and shunned by the international community is unsustainable. Given these realties, it is only a matter of time before the secession collapses and falls apart. Of all people, this should be clear to you and yet you chose belatedly to jump to a sinking ship.”
Rebuttal: False: The above statement is categorically false because there is no such thing called 4 out of 5 clans are opposed to Somaliland independence, the overwhelming majority of Somalilanders 97% has approved the Republic of Somaliland independence. No sense regarding clans was taken but a real referendum was taken in the early nineties, and overwhelming majority of Somalilanders has chosen independence. There are no Somalilanders in their right mind that will choose to be part of a now defunct Somalia that only exists on paper. Your premise is nothing but a baseless. There is no such thing as international community. The people of Somaliland are drivers of their destiny. They have taken back their independence and sovereignty by demand and force, and not answer to anyone, but themselves. I think you saying the false myths you are pedaling here, because you are out of touch with the realities on the friend.
Suleiman Egeh a freelance author and a science instructor
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