Heads of State and Governments
of the IGAD organization held a Summit on January 30th
in ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia. On the agenda was the current
development in Somalia.
The outcome was the decision
to extend the term of the current transitional federal
parliament, leaving just the balance of political power to
the Somali people.
IGAD is in no position to
extend the term of the Parliament. Furthermore, what they
are advocating is a contradiction. IGAD wants to help
Somalia rebuild their government, but they are preventing
Somalis from accessing the tools needed to do so. The
Parliament elects the president and the speaker of the
house – the Somali people will be left with minimal
decision-making power.
IGAD is no longer helping the
Somali people; they are taking advantage of the country’s
chaos. They claim that they are rebuilding the nation of
Somalia, but they are keeping hundreds of delegates
unnecessarily employed to do so. The money that would be
saved by employing a smaller parliament could benefit the
country’s infrastructure. Instead of keeping unnecessary
politicians on donated payroll, schools and hospitals
could be built, providing education, healthcare and
employment opportunities.
The Somali people are very
grateful for IGAD’s support in establishing an interim
government and they will continue to accept their support
and advice, but they can not allow IGAD to keep them from
making their own political decisions. For five years the
parliament was given the chance to prove itself and it has
accomplished nothing in that time. The end result was
always meant to be a new parliament that represents all of
all the regions of Somalia. This transitional national
government has had their chance, and they have failed to
deliver a date for a national election.
Now is the time
for Somalis to come together and have their voices heard.
Let it be known that Somalis will not be placated with a
Federal Government that has accomplished nothing in five
years. Ineffectiveness should not be rewarded with another
term.
By: Harbi Yusuf Osman
(aka Liibaan Bardacad)
Boston, Ma, USA
