Does Supporting Farmaajo Represent Rise of Nationalism?
By. Ibrahim Sultan
First Published on March 09, 2021
On February 6, when
talks in the city of Dhusamareb broke down without an agreement on the date of
the next elections, international observers were alarmed at the intransigence
of some leaders and sent a strongly worded letter to the two parties.
Somalia is a
divided country with a long history of civil wars, famine, and failed local
leaders. The country is trying to gradually return to normalcy, and any
political deadlock is a setback for the fragile political system. Some Somalis,
angered by the conference’s disappointing results, took to a virtual parliament, but oddly enough, most of them were supportive of President Mohamed Abdullahi
Farmaajo.
I am astonished
that most of my fellow countrymen support Farmaajo, and I always ask them why.
Here are a few of their answers: “We want to get out of the maze of warring
leaders,” “Farmaajo brings back the glory of Somalia,” “He pays government
employees’ salaries smoothly, unlike his predecessors,” and “He wants to put an
end to foreign interferences.”
By and large,
Somalis who support Farmaajo are typically ambitious, non-tribal, and less
politicized, and want to live with dignity. But upon dissecting the issue and
logically deducing their responses, here’s my take.
Somalis suffer from
nostalgia, but the truth is that the past was not innocent. Somalis have
suffered from dictatorship and civil wars for decades.
They misunderstand
the concept of a federal system. The federal system is a flexible, bifurcated
system that gives wide powers to the states, but it is not a system of personal
glorification or blind trust.
What I would like
to say is that nationalism is a good thing that motivates a person to love
their country and help build it, or rebuild it in the case of Somalia, but two
things are worth mentioning. Nationalism needs to be controlled, revised, and
directed, like any other concept, so that it does not turn into a destructive
force. We must educate Somalis on healthy nationalism because there is no doubt
that they are the future leaders of the country.
Further, some
thinkers question its usefulness on a global level. Because if everyone cares
about their country only and does not pay attention to others, then how can
life and cooperation exist in an isolated world especially when the world has
become so interconnected and globalized? We do not want Somalia to be closed in
on itself again; openness is the future.
Why do Somalis
prefer the idea of a “strong leader” over “successful politics”? This has to do
with Somali traditions that glorify individual leadership in poems and myths
and negates the importance of accountability and participation, also, this
phenomenon is shared by some developing societies, which arises more in
situations of despair.
Will Farmaajo be
re-elected? The return of Farmaajo is difficult. A Somali president has not
returned for a second term in decades.
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