Government Has No Business in Zeila’s Local Democratic Elections By Suleiman Egeh

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Government Has No Business in Zeila’s Local Democratic Elections: If Somaliland’s current Administration Reverses the Democratic Election in Zeila, the Gadaboursi Has No Choice but to Defend their Rights by Any Means Necessary

Dawlada Ha Joojiso Fara Galinta Ay Ku Hayso Natiijdii Ka Soo Baxday Doorashadii Xorta Ahayd EE Ka Dhacday Magaalada Barakaysan EE Zeila. Xaqna Uma Laha Inay Fargaliso Arimaha Hoose Ee Magaalooyinka Dalka. Faragalinta Arimaha Hoosa EE Dadka Waxa Loo Yaqaanaa Kalidii Talisnimo.

“The above-named picture is that of the ancient tomb of Sheikh Ibrahim Zeili, Imam Sheikh Kaariye and his family were the traditional Maruuds of the of Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Zeili  sacred tomb. This gigantic gate was one of the four gates of the ancient walled city of Zeila. I believe this gate is “Bab” Al-Sharaq or the eastern gate of the ancient city of Zeila. The city is surrounded by a re-enforced wall that has four gates. The names of the four gates were “Bab Al-Sharaq” (Eastern Gate), “Bab Al-Qarab” (Western Gate), “Bab Al-Nasiib” (Lucky Gate), and “Bab Al-Baxar”, (Sea Gate)” In Zeila are buried so many of our heroes and legends. Zeila is a place too big, too ancient, and too precious to be ceded to thankless aliens who have invaded from Ethiopia.

Background information

Jerry meandering, voter and jury nullification was a common place in the old Jim Crow deep  southern United States such Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Texas, Arkansas, S. Carolina and others. The black votes did not count more than a century after passing amendment 14 of the U.S. constitution where black people were allowed to become U.S. citizens.  It is also something so common in African dictatorships where elections are not allowed or they are shamelessly rigged nullifying the power of the voters. In 2012 so many years far away from 19th and early 20 the century Alabama or Georgia, Something like this is unfolding in front of our eyes in the ancient port city of Zeila, where the Siiraanyo administration is plunging the country into chaos by maneuvering and scheming to nullify the votes of the democratic votes of the people of Zeila. There are foreign hands behind this, but no foreign hand or anybody else has the power to reverse the free votes of the people of Zeila.

The government has neither authority nor jurisdiction to interfere in Zeili’s municipal elections. This is a local affair they need to take out their hands off. Government interference in Zeila elections is illegal and wrong. What we have is a de-centralized democracy.  Reversing the peoples’ voice in Zeila where the majority community came on top, in a relatively free and fair elections will be a historical blunder. The free people of Zeila succeeded and won the election, despite the shipment of thousands of foreigners from Djibouti, and illegal and unlawful event where the government failed to stop the foreign onslaught. They miserably came short to close the border in order to stop the massive foreign shipment of foreigners to Zeila.  Instead of being accountable of their mistakes and blunders, the Siiraanyo government is pressuring the people Zeila to accept an unelected foreigner to be their mayor.  In other words, the Sirranyo government has in principle nullified the people votes and the whole election in Zeila, which really amounts to a declaration of war against the Gadaboursi.  Somaliland’s current president did not know much about the long and rich history of Zeila . One thing I can’t understand or fathom is how dare he is attempting to reverse the peoples’ election. The Gadaboursi are too naïve to let this man get away in reversing and nullifying the peoples’ voices. The current Zeila problem may eventually degenerate into the start of a long awaited Gadaboursi struggle for the re-liberation of Djibouti. For the last thirty years, Djibouti became the center of conspiracies against the people of Zeila in particular and the people of Somaliland in general. Clearly Djibouti’s so-called independence in 1977 became a substantial liability and a threat to the existence of the people of Somaliland. If there is any respect for Gadaboursi and their huge contribution to the peace and development of Somaliland, Siiraanyo would not have been demanding them to give up what they get through the ballot box in Zeila. Siiraanyo knows how Djibouti and its dictator put an obstacle in front of the independence of Somaliland. He must know tiny Djibouti is one of Somaliland’s most ferocious enemies. In fact Djibouti poses the biggest and most dangerous threat to Somaliland and its sovereignty. Siiraanyo today mixed the true Somalilanders the Gadaboursi to the enemies of Somaliland the Essas. For Gadaboursi the Zeila problem is pivotal, had we not struggle hard today, we will lose another golden opportunity. Many Gadaboursi regret their failure to wage a struggle for equity and civil rights against Djibouti’s one clan dictatorship, the same time the SNM started their struggle against Siyad Barre. Had we done that our political fortunes would have been different today? “Power was never given, it must be demanded. It never was and never will.” Frederick Douglas

Reflecting back to what had happened when the tiny state-let of Djibouti acquired its token independence in 1977, one can look into the pros and cons of that so-called independence.  Since its inception by the French colonialists beginning from the 1850s, the Gadaboursi and Essa have a co-ownership of Djibouti, or what was the then called French Somaliland.  The first governor of Djibouti during the French colonial times was “Haji Diide”, who was a prominent Gadaboursi leader. Between 1977-present the Essas have ethnically cleaned thousands of Gadaborsi and Isaaks from Djibouti.  It is ironic those people soaked with the blood of innocent Gadaboursi want to take Zeila power without election. The Essas made Djibouti a place dominated by a one clan dictatorship where people has no rights, where political prisoners are plentiful, no free media so to speak of exists, elections are rare or rigged, and human and civil rights are absent from the dictatorship’s dictionary.

The Essas forgot and may have amentia that the Gadabursi was the only tribe that showed so much kindness to them in the sixties. They gave the Essas two parliamentarians from Zeila that can come out without election (unopposed). That really means they did not have much presence there, so they will get the two MPs with election. I believe that was a historical mistake on the part of the Gadaboursi, who selflessly and wrongly thought Essas were “their suffering brothers” because they were deported from Djibouti by the “French” and from “Aisha” by the Amharis. Thanks to the Gadaboursi naivety and historical mistake to think Essas were suffering brothers. Moreover, the current Djibouti dictator is a vicious triblalist and village chieftain. Dictator Geelle, has single handedly given equal MPs to Essas and Gadaboursi in the dysfunctional foreign made so-called parliament for the former Somalia. This means the Essas are numerically the same as the Gadaboursi which is a baseless joke.

Now he is fighting tooth and nail to take Zeila for good. Gadaboursi will be naïve and stupid to succumb to that pressure and tricks. The Gadaboursi motto and response to that naked aggression   is “over my dead body.”I think the time to discuss the re-liberation of Djibouti has come. I will sign out my piece by the legendary Ugas Noor’s quote “ Esse Dhul Ma Deeqo.” Esse’s actions for the last 50 years are vivid demonstrations of Ugas Noor’s quote.

Suleiman Egeh is a free-lance writer and senior science instructor

Suleiman Egeh soleimoneg@yahoo.com