By Abdisalam Ali Farah (Biligsey)
A Somali Dictum says:
“Rag caddaalad waayaa Sidii Cawsha kala Yaac”
(Roughly meaning: Like a bunch of frightened gazelles people living in unjust society are torn asunder)
We often talk about the collapse of the Somali State structure in 1991 and the widely-spread out negative images it left behind: fratricidal war, massive dislocation and displacement, production of huge refugee population, and a lowered political standing of the Somali personality in relation to other nations and nationalities.
The pertinent question here is how and why this national tragedy befell on us. The answer is simple and straightforward: The breakdown of the justice system and the total desperation this has brought about to the citizens, as Somalis lost confidence in the then existing justice system both at the court level and within the government administrative and management systems of recruitment and dispensation of contracts and development programs, as well.
There is a lesson to learn here: how can we prevent a similar tragedy from happening again? They say history is learned in order not to repeat the mistakes done in the past. Therefore, considerable emphasis and investment should be put on the revival and the strengthening of the Somali justice system in its entirety. The state’s justice sector must get a great deal of attention, as a result. It must get tough, highly-trained legal minds to lead the justice system for organizations are the people in it. When and if a Somali professional is not found to fill the gap let others come in and get the work done.
The irony here is, however, the injustices that brought down the Somali state still continue to this day by leaps and bounds. Apparently, no lessons have been learned. As a result, what you have is a hopeless, demoralized citizenry. People have no choice but to look elsewhere. This is true, specially, for the much-needed educated youth with different professionals coming from different sources, thereby, leading the government to lose these youngsters’ potential contribution to the re-building of the state itself. We often hear droves of young desperados crammed in rickety boats flee and die in their hundreds in the faraway seas or in the Libyan deserts sacrificing their lives to get justice and jobs in an, increasingly, xenophobic Europe.
On May 15, 2022, a new president was sworn in and soon a new government will be formed. The hope is that the newly-elected president would take care of the justice system. Just as the federal level, in the provinces emphasis is placed on the executive and legislative branches of government, particularly, the executive. Although the three branches of government are meant to check and balance each other, the justice sector is not as visible as the other two. The justice departments are full with inadequacies: inadequate judges, inadequate administrators, inadequate funds, and inadequate office spaces/buildings.
In Chapter 2 of the Somali Provisional Federal Constitution, it is amply highlighted and explained the Fundamental Rights and the Duties of the Somali Citizen. To fight for the rights given in the Constitution, every Somali citizen must learn by heart the bill of rights provided therein. In Schools, TVs and Radios, public gatherings citizens must be taught their rights and responsibilities, as well. Rights are fought for and preserved. In America, women were given the right to vote only in 1920 and in the UK 1928 after a protracted, nonstop fight. No man or woman, for that matter will get his/her rights on a silver plate as they say. Only people with heightened awareness will cross that line!
I tend to equate Somali society as a group of people traveling on a boat. In order for this boat to survive the people in the boat must, to some extent, agree on the protection and the well-being of the boat, as well as, the people in it. When some of the passengers feel betrayed or their God-given rights have been taken away by their peers, one can understand what the outcome of the situation would look like. Desperation will set in and some might feel happy to see the wreckage of the boat as a “solution”. As a society either we will, together live on or together we will perish! In an unjust polity, there is no halfway point!
Abdisalam Ali Farah (Biligsey)
Email: [email protected]
We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com. WardheerNews will only consider articles sent exclusively. Please email your article today . Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of WardheerNews.
WardheerNew’s tolerance platform is engaging with diversity of opinion, political ideology and self-expression. Tolerance is a necessary ingredient for creativity and civility.Tolerance fuels tenacity and audacity.
WardheerNews waxay tixgelin gaara siinaysaa maqaaladaha sida gaarka ah loogu soo diro ee aan lagu daabicin goobo kale. Maqaalkani wuxuu ka turjumayaa aragtida Qoraaga loomana fasiran karo tan WardheerNews.
Copyright © 2024 WardheerNews, All rights reserved
