SOMALILAND: My dream country, not yet!

"Oh my country! When right, keep it right; when wrong, set it right!" – Carl Schurz

THE REPUBLIC of Somaliland has been a 'new' country in the midst of hostile region for the last nineteen years. For almost these two decades, several praiseworthy work have been brought to fruition. Our petty differences are no longer unbreakable barriers. Thanks to Almighty Allah for He has kept us peace and unity when so many others are still in sorry state.

Our strength as a nation is found in unity, not division. Yes! With unity we are better-off. Many have admired that we at least managed to bring ends meet while there is no remarkable foreign assistance. That they call it miracle! We are optimistic about the foreseeable future though we do not know how long it will hold true for us.

But today the Somaliland I see is not the one I used to be proud of. It seems something has gone wrong in the middle. Right now, our motion is like that of tortoise! We are dragging our feet everywhere. Our tyres are punctured for a reason unknown! So let this essay be a wake-up call for Somalilanders. I dare to comment such scenario positively before it gets too late even though the word positive may sound differently among us.

This country has longed for a visionary leadership who would not lead us astray.  I dream of a leader that is elected not because of the clan he happens to be; nor the mere promises he makes during election campaigns, but because the wisdom of his political character and maturity. We are desperately in search of a leader that no more gets hectic about the worldly things but instead thinks seriously about the means of taking services closer to where life is impossible. A leader that stays awake to act in response to demands of the voiceless society.

My concern today is whether we will stop importing the extraneous political ideologies which we swallow as they are. If those ideologies worked well for another country; it may not be fine with us at this defining moment. Uniqueness is very imperative, so let it be for that country. Unquestionably we are obliged to discover what we really stand for and then set new dimensions.

I dream of such a country, where transparency is the catchphrase for governance. We desire a country whereby the police improve their work ethics and become people-friendly, a country where teachers are respected and well-paid. A country where useless degrees and examinations will be done away with and only students with an aptitude and talent will go in for higher education.

More so, I look forward to a country where people get serious about the value of education and understand that schools are the platform where tomorrow's religious scholars, doctors, engineers, civil servants, to mention but a few, are trained. If our students are not well taken care of today, needless to say they will end up in a dark future.

In the same spirit of patriotism, I look forward to a country where, its youth will genuinely interact in a meaningful way beyond their localities instead of quarreling about the 'dirty politics' and making stories about tribalism in streets.

I look forward to a country where people are no longer crazy about consumingQaad but rather take books and go to schools, work for the well-being of their families and on the top of all, serve for their communities.

In this respect I call upon every Somalilander to put the interests of the common way above their personal interests. Fortunately, for all that I suggested, none requires a big conference to debate. They are all just do-it-matter! These dreams are built upon attainable pillars and for whose realization, many like me, are committed to the last drop of their blood. Let's work for a time where we will be an example of peace, prosperity, progress and brotherly co-existence to our neighbors and world at large.

By Abdikadir D Askar, exclusive to Somalilandpress, 28 January 2010

To see his previous post:- Youth: The Ambassador of future

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Abdikadir D. Askar is a youth activist based in Uganda. He writes about the political and social issues. He can be reached at siraskar@live.com.

Askar