By Ibrahim G. Sharmarke

As one of the passionate readers of WardheerNews and a frequent contributor, I tend to let most of the irritating works slide mostly for fear of being labeled as a constant critic of fellow contributors’ articles. But after reading Hassan Abukar’s  Abdiweli Gaas and Villa Somalia: A Cautionary Note published on WardheerNews on January 11th 2014, I had two stark choices: to assign Abukar, my favorite analyst, to my infamous list of  “don’t bothers”  or to respond and reason with him publicly and in the open. And the later is what I have resolved to do. I will be brief, I promise.

In a brazen departure from being [or the appearance of] a rational and well informed analyst, Hassan Abukar seems to indulge in a welter of innuendos, name-calling, far-fetched conclusions as well as prescribing  simplistic and euphoric solutions to a staggeringly complex issues of nation-building and collective healing. It is entirely wrong to write [or say] anything without weighing the impacts that your assertions or utterances will have on your readers- some of them Somali teens in Western Europe or Northern America.

The first assertion that makes the rational reader to chuckle is Abukar’s claim that  a source told Mr. Abukar that President Mohamud had promised  that he would give the Premier seat to President Gaas’s clan.  I have no personal knowledge of Hassan Abukar so it leaves me wondering how well informed his sources can be.

Firstly, as I said above, this begs clarification for theories are widespread that President Gaas did not want the Somalia Prime Minister’s seat for a person from Puntland lest that appointment diminishes his chances of being elected as the President of Puntland State.  For this possibility, don’t look further than Minister Awil (Mohamud Hassan Suleiman) who is believed to have lost the hope of his Federal ministerial seat the day Dr. Gaas, a close relative of his, was elected the President of Puntland.  And also further note that Abdiweli Gaas won by only one vote.

Secondly, unless singled out by a sub-clan qualifier, one can argue that the Premier post still went to Dr. Gaas’s clan – Daarood. Thus, an analyst of Abukar Hassan’s caliber cannot be forgiven to even abandon the pretense of recognizing  the rights of Dir and  Fifth clans to assume the Federal Premiership. It is truly myopic to view Somalia as a Darod-Hawiye joint venture, and therefore to clamor for Puntland’s turn for the Premiership after Marehanfolk’s turn is just absurd. Where are the party primary elections? Why the unfair entitlements?

Also in his allusion that Mohamud and Gaas are “in all practical purposes” equals, Abukar seems to confuse whether Puntland is in Somalia or the later is in the former. The essence of the article seems to convey this: Hassan Sheikh = very bad. Dr. Abdiweli Gaas = very good. But WardheerNews readers expect better and more from the likes of Hassan Abukar.

My late father, Haji Guuleed [RIP] once counseled me this: “If you hate someone, don’t allow him to drive you crazy.” Abukar seems to harbor a passionately feeling towards the President in office to the extent that the he seems to be on the verge of losing sanity in his comments about the Presidency.

What Mr. Abukar and other Presidents-bashers  are failing to notice is that we all are potential presidents, prime ministers, ministers, and MPs and no one will appreciate to be blindly trashed when  they get to the office. This guy [Hassan Sheikh] will not be in The Villa forever. In fact like any other democratically elected leader, his days in office are numbered. It is therefore very wise that we cooperate with him to the extent possible, help him and his government steer the nation to the path of recovery, reconstruction and reconciliation so that we can inherit a better Somalia; and one of us a beautiful Villa Somalia.

Somali authors and analysts like Abukar are suited to meticulously analyze and  constructively criticize the negative policies and practices of  their leaders in a manner that does not tarnish the leaders’ personal reputation and -in a boomerang effect- paint us as a people in a bad light.

Ibrahim G. Sharmarke
Email:igsharmarke@gmail.com