Somalia: Prime Minister Abdiweli is not a traitor
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I enjoy reading analyses by Hassan M. Abukar of wardheernews.com. His sense of history and his familiarity with key personalities in Somali politics inform his insights. However, I would like to take issue with Hassan over his views on the the Prime Minister of Somalia, Professor Abdiweli Mohamed Ali. I am not a spokesman for the Prime Minister; my intention is to point out where Hassan’s analysis changes into personal attack unwittingly.
There is difference between agreeing to what someone has said and using what someone has said as counterpoint to your view. It is not Prime Minister Abdiweli who claimed to have achieved a lot during his tenure as a prime minister, it is Hassan who made the pro-change assessment and challenged it with baseless argument from the Prime Minister’s detractors. Does that mean Hassan is wrong but they are right as far as their views on the Prime Minister is concerned? Hassan wrote:
“Abdiweli did well during his short stint as prime minister and might be re-appointed. The outgoing government headed by Shaikh Sharif and Abdiweli as its Prime Minister—in conjunction with AMISOM forces and the UN Envoy to Somalia, Ambassador Mahiga– deserve much credit for 1) the expulsion of al-Shabab from many parts of the south, including Mogadishu, 2) the writing and adoption of the new constitution, and 3) the ending of the transitional period of the government. Moreover, he brought Puntland on board.Abdiweli’s critics do not consider him an agent of change, and some see his close relationship with Kenya, a neighboring country which has strong territorial, economic and political interests in Somalia, disturbing”
Is it not clear to Hassan that he let PM Abdiweli’s detractors do the thinking for him after Hassan described Professor Abdiweli as an agent of change rather than a Prime Minister who is resistant to change? Hassan subtly alleges the Prime Minister is a traitor because of his ties with Kenya – a line of propaganda disseminated by anti-Abdiweli camps. By the way, I don’t know who these detractors are; I read Hassan making the point on behalf of unknown detractors. (Somalia has ties with Kenya , Dr Abdiweli does not). The propaganda was conceived by people who want Somalis to forget the debate on the Memorandum of Understanding allegedly signed by TFG in relation to the sea border shared by Somalia and Kenya long before Professor Abdiweli joined the TFG as cabinet minister. Hassan knows the Prime Minister was almost assasinated with cabinet members when he was making a speech at the National Theatre earlier this year. No investigation has been launched to find out those behind the suicide bombing at the National Theatre earlier this year. An MP, PM’s Political Adviser and two high-ranking officials from Somalia’s Olympic Committee were killed by the suicide bomber.
Liban Ahmad
libahm@gmail.com
Comment in context:
Who will be Somalia’s Next Prime Minister? By Hassan M. Abukar
http://www.wardheernews.com/Articles_12/Sept/Abukar/16_who_will_be_Somalias_next_PM.html
[...] View article: Somalia: Prime Minister Abdiweli is not a traitor [...]
My brother Liban, I disagree with you. Hassan never said or hinted that Abdiweli is a traitor. In fact, all my readings of his articles in Wardheer, I gather that he has a lot of respect for the prime minister. Remember when there was an attempt to kill Gaas, hassan wrote an article in which he made the difference between the good leadeship of Abdiweli and Farmaajo. Even in this article that you referred, he mentioned many positive accomplishments of the PM than any other candidate for the job. Because Hassan is an analyst, he has to mention what critics are saying about Abdiweli. He did the same thing with Farmaajo, Dodisho, etc. That is fair enough.
@Dalmar
Brother Dalmar,
I don’t question the respect Hassan has for the prime minister nor am I arguing Hassan is biased. Imagine me saying:” Dalmar is hard-working and honest person but other people think he is lazy and dishonest.” Why would I let other people challenge my view on a person in a piece of writing by me? (Hassan wrote: ” Abdiweli did well during his short stint as prime minister and might be re-appointed. The outgoing government headed by Shaikh Sharif and Abdiweli as its Prime Minister—in conjunction with AMISOM forces and the UN Envoy to Somalia, Ambassador Mahiga– deserve much credit…”)
Again, imagine me saying :” Many people think Dalmar is honest and hard-working but other people think he is lazy and dishonest.” In the second version I compare views two groups have on Dalmar- and is fair representation of opposing views. In the first version Hassan’s view is challanged by detractors’ view. No analyst or commentator will say ” This is what I think on this issue but others think….” The other point I made in my comment on Hassan’s piece has to do with Somalia-Kenya relations. When the prime minister is in Kenya or Ethiopia for a visit he is there for government business. His detractors can use any argument but it is the job of the writer not give a space to lies. To understand this, imagine you being the prime minister of Somalia and being labelled a personal friend of a foreign country.
The way I understood the article is different than Liban and Dalmar’s. Since the discussion was about people who might be prime minister, both the good and the bad were put on the table. If let us say Ismail wants to be prime minister, people should know his strength and the weaknesses. I believe abdiweli is the most qualified to be prime minister and he should be appointed. Having said that, there are some even in puntland who are not happy with him because of this or that. No human is perfect. Isn’t that the case? When the writer of the article at wardheer news mentioned “supporters” and “detractors”, it was in my humble understanding for us to see what all sides were saying. It does not mean that the writer of the article agrees with them. If he did not mention both sides, then no one will take him seriously. In other words he will be one-sided.
I congratulate Liban for bringing up this issue for discussion. I think we all on the same boat. Abdiweli is not a traitor no matter what some sick people say. The wardheer writer did not say that nor do we have to think so. let us all hope that Hassan sheikh mohamoud select Abdiweli because of his knowledge and experience.