President Mentioned Abdulahi Deni spoke in Qardho metropolis on Saturday, August 12, 2013, concerning the progress that the town has made because the election of the town council final 12 months. On the finish of his speech, the President took benefit of the chance to speak concerning the outcomes of the elections for the 30 different district councils, which happened on Might 25, 2023, and the upcoming presidential election, which is able to happen on January 8, 2024.
President Deni acknowledged that he’s able to convey the federal government nearer to the individuals. In the event that they reelect him, he’ll serve them; if not, he’ll stroll away. The President additionally urged the Mideye Celebration to not be afraid of the upcoming election, as they may win in the identical method that they gained towards his occasion within the Qardho council election final 12 months.
President Deni certainly spoke to the hearts of the individuals and instructed them what the Puntlanders needed to listen to. He instructed them that it was time for Puntland to maneuver away from the outdated system by which conventional elders chosen their representatives to the brand new system by which each Puntlander would be capable to vote for whoever they needed. President Deni added that this is able to imply that these elected could be accountable to the individuals.
President Deni additionally stated that the method he was engaged on would result in that system, although those that have been elected on Might 25 haven’t but been in a position to serve individuals due to disagreements between the events.
Nonetheless, earlier than Puntland can transfer from the outdated system to the brand new system, two issues have to be in place. First, the brand new system ought to have a roadmap that can result in all of the constructive issues that the President described in his speech. Second, the roadmap needs to be agreed upon by all of the stakeholders.
A New Set of Stakeholders
At first of the democratization course of, President Deni clearly acknowledged that the brand new stakeholders of the brand new system have been the 9 associations, which is able to compete to change into the ultimate three events as acknowledged within the Puntland structure. The President insisted that there was no room for conventional elders or any particular person politician who was not a member of an current affiliation.
If that have been the case, Puntlanders would anticipate President Deni to make sure that the method of reaching one individual, one vote could be accepted by every affiliation. If one affiliation had any questions, then the President and his workforce could be anticipated to attempt to convey that affiliation on board by means of negotiation and compromise, which might most likely take time.
Studying from the Previous
All of the earlier Puntland presidents who’ve tried to implement the brand new system stopped the method once they have been unable to maneuver ahead, primarily due to disagreements concerning the course of and due to a scarcity of time to resolve the problems inside the president’s time period. In consequence, they needed to revert to the outdated system beneath which that they had been elected.
These presidents didn’t think about that the outdated system was so dangerous that they couldn’t return to it. As a substitute, they acknowledged that the system was typically accepted and that it was the system that that they had been elected beneath. When the primary disagreement arose concerning the course of, between the Horseed and Youth associations on one aspect and the remainder of the associations, the President and his workforce didn’t try to convey them on board by means of negotiations.
As a substitute, the President accused these two associations of not being critical about democratization. He stated that they believed that it was now their flip to change into the president by means of the outdated corrupt system, although the system that President Deni now calls corrupt is similar system beneath which he was elected and which has served Puntland efficiently for the final 25 years. The primary mistake President Deni made was when he proceeded with the method with out involving these two associations.
The second mistake that President Deni made, which all of the earlier presidents of Puntland averted, was that when he realized that holding elections in three of the districts, which included the capital metropolis, was not possible, he instructed the Non permanent Puntland Election Fee (TPEC) to proceed the elections within the different 30 districts.
Any cheap president would postpone the elections till an answer has been discovered for these three districts. If the President is unable to resolve the problems stopping the elections in these three districts, then how can Puntlanders be assured that he can remedy every other issues which will come up from such subject?
All the opposite presidents put the method on maintain once they encountered such points, realizing that the wants of Puntland are better than their very own particular person need. Additionally they knew that the following elected president would decide up the place they left off.
President Deni had a greater likelihood of success than all these different presidents as a result of he was in a position to maintain elections in all 33 districts concurrently, if he had given the method a bit extra time. If he couldn’t proceed to carry presidential election at that time, then at the very least he would have been often called the primary president to carry council elections in all 33 districts of Puntland. Any president elected on January 8, 2024, whether or not it’s President Deni or another person, would have been in a position to construct upon that basis.
Nonetheless, President Deni adopted a “my method or freeway” perspective. He instructed TPEC to proceed the elections, probably to reveal to the puntlanders that these opposing his election in these three districts can’t cease him.
Solely 177,000 individuals voted within the election. The three events that gained the election have been the identical three associations that competed within the preliminary three trial districts. In these districts, President Deni’s affiliation didn’t carry out effectively as a result of the opposite two associations cooperated with one another. To keep away from repeating the identical failure, President Deni then determined to vary the structure, growing the variety of associations that would change into events from three to eight.
The proposed variety of events included associations that didn’t take part within the Might 25, 2023, election. Throughout this introduction of this constitutional change, over 30 individuals died, and to at the present time, President Deni has not addressed the incident, recognized these accountable, or supplied condolences to the households of those that died in that battle.
Now, the Mideye Celebration, the second largest occasion within the Might 25, 2023, election, has issued a press release condemning the President’s remarks within the Qardho Assembly and known as for President Deni to return to the negotiation desk. Puntlanders now see the truth on the bottom: President Deni doesn’t even have the assist of these he known as the brand new stakeholders. Most analysts are asking if three events are at present oppose to his roadmap, and President Deni nonetheless persevering with the one sided course of, the place does he result in Puntlanders? The reply to that query is evident: useless finish.
The best way ahead
The fact is that until the following president is elected beneath a system acceptable to all stakeholders, the elected president is not going to get pleasure from one other five-year mandate throughout which Puntlanders settle for their presidency.
The answer is evident. The method must be agreed by everybody, and President Deni should cease dictating the method in a method that advantages solely him. It’s time for President Deni to return to his senses and resolve what legacy he needs to depart for Puntland. The one viable possibility is for the president to take a seat down with the opposition on the negotiation desk and agree on a method ahead.
If President Deni is elected once more by means of an agreed course of, he can have a chance to finish this system he has began; if not, whoever is elected can proceed from the place he left off. If that occurs, President Deni shall be remembered in historical past as the primary president to carry metropolis council elections, regardless of the various errors he has made. In any other case, he shall be remembered as a president who sought to stay in energy by any means crucial.
Lastly, Puntlanders also needs to scrutinize President Deni’s phrases to see in the event that they align along with his actions. Puntlanders ought to acknowledge that Puntland existed earlier than President Deni and that it’s going to proceed after his tenure. It’s extra vital for all Puntlanders to work collectively in constructing a system beneath which elected officers are accountable, thus fostering progress in Puntland.
By: Mohamed Abdiqafar Haji Hussein
E mail: mohabdhus@gmail.com
Atlanta, Georgia
