A Letter to President Hassan
Bashir Ashkir Musse
ashkireau@gmail.com
December 12th 2013
OPINION
This is a letter to President Hassan Sh. Mohamoud. Greetings and good health, Mr. President. It is our hope that you have put your New Year’s resolution in place. We acknowledge the daunting task before you—naming a new prime minister. We similarly admit that you are being tested. And with the innocent, clan-backed, ill-informed candidates in circulation, we understand the undue pressure placed upon you. This is not new, by the way. It is something that came with the position you hold.
Mr. President, we are writing you this letter to share the mood of the people of this country with you. We are doing so mindful of the enormous challenges that lie ahead.
Mr. President, at the risk of sounding naïve, I want to propose that this country is not ready for federalism, and neither for democracy. Statistically speaking, the majority of our people do not really understand these concepts clearly. And if they do, they do not see a match between them and their lifestyle. Besides, most of the politicians do not even get it, let alone the mass. Things like tribalism and minimalist versions of power-driven, semi-warlords teachings, that are incompatible with the concept of decentralization and grassroots empowering, cloud our reasoning. I bet you already read the average mood of those visit you at Villa Somalia.
Worse still, the moral standard of our fellow citizens is below average. The two-decade-old chaos not only destroyed properties but also intellectual capacity. And because of this, what used to look like wrong now looks great and innovative to the common folk. In short, shame and indignity are now everyday pleasure and gratification. What we did regularly became lifelong standard. Indeed Aristotle, the great philosopher put it this way, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
In addition, our nonconformist culture developed a powerful live-alone-by-force style where cooperation and fair dealing are less important. Every socio-economic aspect of our setting was characterized by our barbaric style of win-lose philosophy. Anything that could not add to our pie was the unworkable. This idea went along with independence spirit. In fact, the 1969 military coup was based on the same dilemma. This is the very reason that we have had seven prime ministers in 9 years is because of our indifference about how the world of politics works.
It never dawned on us that the world we live in has changed. Because we were continuously exposed to the idea of seeking advantage, we ended up on the wrong side of history. We failed to understand that societies share resources fairly and equally through political distribution, and redistribution.
This is there prime challenge here for you. Mr. President, you are president at a time when our people confuse successful leadership with mediocrity. You are president for people who never accustomed to being ruled democratically. You are president for people who lost their moral attitude to a protracted civil war. That is why a new direction is necessary.
Back in July, I argued in one of my articles that the country would be better off with a dictator, and I am repeating myself today. This may look cynicism or sarcasm, but the following was, and still is, my analogy: for federalism to work there must be political socialization and sound civic education sown in the minds of people. There has to be a correct political awakening that brings up people with root-building awareness. Nationalism and patriotic discipline are key for both federalism and effective democracy. Ideally, federalism requires an immeasurable tolerance and limitless cooperation among citizens. We do not have such a capacity. Zero. Let us disregard it for good.
Another idea that we need to throw out of the window is democracy. Of course, democracy is a great concept, but requires a great deal of moral ground and a civilized people. Yes, it is about the power of the people. Nevertheless, as Thomas Hobbes argued in his classical theory, people with low moral standard cannot experiment democracy and its elements. In short, both federalism and democracy simply do not go beyond our throat. We cannot practice something we do not understand.
Paradoxically, if the same trend continues, we will have 20 prime ministers in 2021 without tangible progress. That is why the best prime you come up with will fail a flat.
Now Mr. President, here is the question of the day. Can we afford to replace one prime minister after another until 2021? In my view, the country cannot afford that, and we should never allow it to happen. Contrarily, we want a new technique and a different strategy to work with during the next 8 years. Perhaps, the E + R = O (event plus response equals outcome) success formula is highly relevant here. The take-away from this formula is that your outcome will largely depend on your responses to daily events. Appoint a pedestrian PM and you will get a mediocre result. This is natural law.
I am a student of Niccolo Machiavelli, the world’s father of the concept of dictatorship. And after examining the facts on the ground, I am persuaded that the only solution to our problem is to establish a central system from where policy and power command originate. When you do this, you will make your reign unified, and our records straightened. However, this requires a tremendous force to take effect. I am of the view that if, deep inside you, there is the view that only an iron hand can solve our problems, you can safely lead a brave crusade against falsehood and save the country. We must remember, as per William Bryant, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice”.
Despite what our western friends are lecturing, aristocracy is a perfect system for us. Instead of having too many chickens, the few with the potential mindset and intellectual capacity can lead the country.
To sum up, whatever your strategy for power, if you cannot become a despotic, become an absolute king; and if you cannot become a powerful king, become an aristocrat. In fact, you can put a patriotic claim forward and take us in a new direction. Stated differently, if you cannot establish yourself in a single power command, the country will lose hope and run into piece. By then, every single obligation the country has on you asks you to get yourself out of the way. If you fail to become different, you should consider resigning. This is so because sometimes, according to John Assaraf, it is always a nice option to walk away from a career that no longer fits with our goals.
Bashir Ashkir Musse
ashkireau@gmail.com
Managing Director of Somali Academy for Management
Use Facebook to Comment on this Post
