On March 8, 2010, the President of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Mr. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a Muslim cleric, who until a year ago led the Islamic Courts Union ( Islamic Courts Union), began a 5-day long official visit to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Somalia’s former colonial power. The objective of the visit was all the more clear - to convince authorities in the UK to support Sharif’s government, particularly in its gigantic effort to defeat the ever elusive and religious fundamentalist group, Al-Shabab. The later has martyrdom-based suicidal killings as its signature, and it brags about its relationship with Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda wing of terrorism.

Mr. Sharif’s visit was marked by a lot of fanfare.  Most Somalis seem to have received the visit with a renewed and robust sense of hope and enthusiasm. The participation of Rageh Omaar, Somalia’s first class and worldwide re-known journalist, along with the indomitable, hope-inspiring Ahmad Naji, of the Whitechapel Theater, was but only the icing on the cake of several success stories his handlers ably organized.

Thanks to a well choreographic itinerary, President Sharif and his delegation hit all the right notes. No sooner he landed in England than he posted an op-ed piece on one of England’s prominent newspapers “The Guardian.” In it, he wrote the following:

There is nothing Somali about the violence afflicting our country. The extremists are waging war against our Somali flag, our Somali values and our religion. Witness their values: they blew up a graduation ceremony on 3 December last year, killing young Somali doctors, graduates and four government ministers. They are preventing the UN World Food Program providing humanitarian assistance to thousands of Somalis in desperate need.

Except a misplaced rhetorical title “Somalia is not a Failed State,” (truth be told, Somalia is by all accounts a failed state but should not stay that way), the piece was strong and helped him made his point across effectively.  

On March 9, 2010, he was fittingly received by Mr. David Milband, Britain’s foreign Minister, only to be followed by a warm reception at 10 Downing Street by none other than Prime Minister Gordon Brown. On March 11, a joint statement was published by the foreign and Commonwealth Office. The meetings that the President’s delegation had with UK’s highest authority have conveyed a powerful message to regional governments and to armed opposition groups – that the Mogadishu-based government is the only national government which the West will engage concerning the Somalia affairs and its territorial integrity).

And of course, the speech at Chatham House to the learned community (consisting of Somalis and Europeans) stands out as a well chosen forum to humanize the President’s face, a face that was at one point pinned on the top of the hit list of American anti terrorist commandos.  President Sharif, who could equally claim yesterday’s resistance leader and today’s deal maker, has shown us all that he has a keen sense of pragmatism. That may work to his benefit lest the art of politics hinges on deal making.

To a largely curious [European] audience at Chatham House, his words were equally humble and humanizing, most likely convincing many skeptics.  He said the following:

A little over a year ago, I was elected president of a country that many consider the most dangerous in the world. Over the last 20 years, Somalia has been synonymous with war and displacement. Now terrorism and piracy have been added to this list – and they threaten death and destruction far beyond our borders.

These words of course will reverberate with Western readers and may lead them to appreciate the challenge Somali leaders have faced with little or no means. The question remains whether the West would meaningfully engage Mr. Sharif’s government, or pay lip service as it did to several previous Transitional Governments. If the latter happens, then the only plausible offshoot from the President’s speech would be the fueling of the rage of Al-Shabab and other terrorist groups.

In comparison to the President’s visit to the United States of America last year, one could easily see this time an improved itinerary and organizational structure of his trip.  This time, there were no laissez-fair photo ops. Unlike his visit to America at the end of last year, where he posed for slapdash photo ops with kids and teenagers, this time he was photographed only with statesmen, or at a secured podium doing the nation’s business.  Needless to say, he conducted himself business like and stately.

Another well managed area of the President’s visit was the strategic use of both Somali and non-Somali media.  Not only did the President’s words were reproduced simultaneously by the Somali Service of the VOA and the BBC, but news was equally dispatched instantly to the Somali main Websites such as WardheerNews, Hiiraan and others in a manner not seen before. 

The President’s handlers, consisting of a coherent cadre of former activists, invited not only the individuals that they know, but anyone willing to work with them to receive the President’s news in a timely manner. The President’s handlers instantaneously shared news scoop this time with all the different sections of the community from which the President seeks legitimacy and accountability. Additionally, special sessions were arranged with CNN, Channel 4, and Aljazeera, two media giants to which the heavily news consuming Diaspora community remains hostage to. Thanks to the President’s handlers’ knowledge of the internet technology, all these were done seamlessly.

One may wonder who these handlers of the President are. They are a cross- clan cadre, who are drawn largely from the Diaspora community and are equipped with good education, a comfortable familiarity with the West’s culture, and a sense of patriotism. Some of them have longed for the right leader who would reach out to them in exchange for their service to help resuscitate their nation and its national institutions.  Some of the President’s handlers, in particular the offices of the President’s Protocol, Policy development and Media, have spent years on caucusing and debating the means and ways the country can be pulled out of its quagmire and stalemate.
 
If the members of this largely educated cadre earned our praise on how well they handled their boss’s affairs, their boss in turn deserves the credit for recognizing the help that he gets in the company of these fine men and women.  Isaac Newton once said “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants.” This visit is by far the best since the post civil war Somalia thanks to the handlers of the President.

Faisal Roble
E-mail: fabroble@aol.com
WardheerNews

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