The Makhir Political Action Committee (MPAC) welcomes the growing public chorus to establish an inclusive and deliberative constitutional review process whereby representatives of the federal government, its member states, civil society organizations, and segments of our society at the margins of authoritative decisions come together to discuss and hopefully resolve the constitutional crisis before the Nation.
In particular, the ongoing attempts to modify and/or change the provisional constitution, which aim to replace the longstanding parliamentary system with a drastically different presidential system, absent a national consensus, may rollback decades of progress that have been achieved toward re-establishing a functioning federal government firmly built on an inclusive and democratic political process. This process is to ensure that critical national priorities are achieved through a balanced power-sharing structure in the interests of all stakeholders from the 18 regions of Somalia.
Somalia is at a perilous juncture. The solidarity and unity of its people is paramount for the nation to stave off existential threats such as Ethiopia’s covetous desire to annex parts of Somalia’s maritime and territorial integrity. Therefore, establishing an inclusive and deliberative constitutional review process in hopes of mending the widening schism among Somalis caused by winner-takes-all politics and hyper-clannism appears to be the perfect regime to cure the nation’s ills.
History teaches us that issues are best resolved through dialogue and direct consultation with all stakeholders. For 32 years, we have tried all manner of coercive means to gain political advantage over one another and we are still at it. It is insanity and national shame that we keep doing the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result.
At its core, a national constitution is a social contract. The Somali Society should be accorded the right to deliberate on and to consent to the new articles that would guide its political and moral compass for generations to come. Absent a national consensus, if the proponents manage to succeed in passing the current draft law through an Act of Parliament and later the president’s desk, it will amount to a pyrrhic victory that will have set back Somalia’s march toward reconstituting its nation.
Makhir Political Action Committee (MPAC)
Email: [email protected]
