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Somaliland: CANDIDATES; YOU WERE ALL WINNERS

By
Goth Mohamed
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“If things are happening according to your wish you’re lucky; if not you are very lucky because things are happening according to ALLAH’s wish”

Somaliland’s second local government election was held on 28th November 2012, this day as always was a special occasion for all Somalilanders regardless of their involvement, either acted as a candidate, president or civilian. In one way, it was a test to evaluate how this small non-recognized country can manage such election, in other way it was a proof that Somaliland is a mature enough to hold such election. It was a day that everyone was a responsible to keep the fragile and volatile stability in Somaliland and fortunately everyone showed that responsibility. On the other side, it was a day full of joy that left a lasting mark in the heart of all Somalilanders.

It is evident that in every competition there are many groups of participants and its human nature that Each individual or group always has a passion to win in any event as Henry Ford said “we were born to succeed, not to fail” also it is a part of life that every competition there must be a winner and a looser but does that mean the winners are better that the failures, not at all,

Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure, it does mean you haven’t succeeded yet. Failure doesn’t mean you have accomplished nothing, it does mean you have learned something. Failure doesn’t mean you have been a fool, it does mean you had a lot of faith. Failure doesn’t mean you have been disgraced, it does mean you were willing to try. Failure doesn’t mean you don’t have it, it does mean you have to do something in a different way. Failure doesn’t mean you are inferior, it does mean you are not perfect. Failure doesn’t mean you’ve wasted your life, it does mean you’ve got a reason to start again. Failure doesn’t mean you should give up, it does mean you should try harder. Failure doesn’t mean you’ll never make it, it does mean it will take a little longer. Failure doesn’t mean ALLAH has abandoned you, it does mean ALLAH has a better idea!  Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.’

Success is nothing more than the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.

A lot of research has gone into the subject of success and failure. All that we need to do is learn our lessons from history and it’s better to keep in mind that every success story is also a story of great failure.

Failure is the highway to success. Tom Watson Sr. said, “If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.”

If you study history, you will find that all stories of success are also stories of great failures. But people don’t see the failures. They only see one side of the picture and they say that person got lucky: “He must have been at the right place at the right time.”

Let me share someone’s life history with you. This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21 ; was defeated in a legislative race at age 22; failed again in business at age 24; overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26; had a nervous breakdown at age 27; lost a congressional race at age 34; lost a senatorial race at age 45; failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47; lost a senatorial race at age 49; and was elected president of the United States at age 52. Successful people don’t do great things, they only do small things in a great way.

All success stories are stories of great failures. The only difference is that every time they failed, they bounced back. This is called failing forward, rather than backward. You learn and move forward. Learn from your failure and keep moving.

In addition, Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb, Demosthenes, the greatest orator of the ancient world, stuttered! The first time he tried to make a public speech, he was laughed off the stage, Napoleon (most successful warrior in Europe) was a humble parentage and far from being a born genius, he stood forty-sixth in his class at the Military Academy in a class of sixty-five.

Another point that determines and separates losers and winners is having the will to win, those winners of life had that will, all they had passed difficult times and situation they persisted their will to win, for example, Oprah was raped at the age of nine, Bill Gates did not finish University Education, Ben Carson (one of the best neurosurgeons in the world) struggled academically throughout elementary school, Lionel Messi (the top scorer in the calendar year ever to see) used to serve tea at a shop to support his football training, Steve Jobs (founder of Apple Phone) used to sleep on the floor in friends’ rooms, returning Coke bottles for food, money and getting weekly free meals at a local temple, Tony Blair’s (British prime minister 1997-2007) teachers used to call him a failure and President Goodluck Jonathan (current Nigerian president) had no shoes.

What gave these great individuals the stamina to overcome severe setbacks and become successful? It is this bounce back ability and having a will that determines success.

Each person had an inner dream that lit a fire, which could not be extinguished. Great visions begin as an “inside job”. Napoleon Hill said, “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprint of your ultimate achievements.”

All of these men and women had one thing in common they had a passion for their work and sense of high self-esteem.

Setbacks are inevitable in life. A setback can act as a driving force and teach us humbleness, you will find courage and faith to overcome the setback. We need to learn to become victors, not victims. Fear and doubt short-circuit the mind. Setbacks make the life enjoyable as Albert Einstein once said I am stronger Because of my Hard times, I am wiser because of my mistakes, I am Happier because of my Sad Experiences…  and I would like to add one more thought to this valuable epitaph, which is I am a winner because of my failures.

This complements the poem from unknown poet that says:

I asked for strength and

ALLAH gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom and

ALLAH gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity and

ALLAH gave me brawn and brains to work.

I asked for courage and

ALLAH gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience and

ALLAH placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love and

ALLAH gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors and

ALLAH gave me opportunities.

Ask yourself after every setback: What did I learn from this experience? Only then will you be able to turn a stumbling block into a stepping stone.one thing that keeps the moving towards success is Perseverance which means failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth. It is better to remember that our greatest glory is not never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

This life is full of risks that deserve to be faced and encountered and as every action has a reaction so do every endeavor has a risk , such as to laugh is to risk appearing the fool; to weep is to risk appearing sentimental; to expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self; to place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss; to love is to risk not being loved in return; to live is to risk dying; to hope is to risk despair; to try is to risk failure. Nevertheless, risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, or live. Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves, they have lost their freedom. Only a person who risks is free.

The men who take risks and try to do something and fail are infinitely better and more experienced than those who try to do nothing and succeed.

Success is not measured by our position in life but by the risks we took and overcame to get there. Success in life is not determined by how we are doing compared with others, but by how we are doing compared with what we are capable of doing. Successful people compete against themselves. They better their own record and keep improving constantly.

Success is not measured by how high we go up in life but by how many times we bounce back when we fall down. It is this bounce back ability that determines success.

What makes a person successful? How do we recognize success?  To some people, success might mean wealth. To others, it is recognition, good health, good family, happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind. What this really tells us is that success is subjective. It can mean different things to different people. The definition that I feel summarizes “success” well is: Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.

One important factor that determines the success of a person is that the kind of attitude that person has which is either positive or negative.

A Hadith from our beloved prophet (PBUH) says

عن أبي هريرة – رضي الله عنه – قال : قال النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – : يقول الله تعالى : ( أنا عند ظن عبدي بي )

رواه البخاري و مسلم

“ALLAH only do what the people expect from him”, when you are in a competition always its better and helpful to keep in mind a positive expectation or result from that competition for example, being the winner of that competition you would play, so it is better to mind your thinking in a positive way about every action that you are taking, for example, If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t! If you like to win, but think you can’t, It’s almost a nothing and surely you won’t; If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost; For out in the world we find Success begins with a fellow’s will; It’s all in the state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are, you’ve got to think high to rise, You’ve got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize. Life’s battles don’t always go To the stronger and faster man, But sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.

Usually during competitions  you may hear someone saying “ I must not lose” you see he/she thinks of being looser rather than being winner and this is one of the characters of pessimistic people or negative ATTITUDE. As Yusuf Deyr once mentioned that Greatness comes with recognizing that your potential is limited only by how you choose your channels, how prepared you are, how resolute you are, and how persistent you are. In short, by your attitude.

Success is not an accident. It is the result of our attitude and our attitude is a choice. Hence, success is a matter of choice and not a chance.

As Shiv Khera said in his book, You Can Win, Winning is an event; being a winner is a spirit, for example, many candidates participated the election and only few candidates won the election and were awarded to be councilors. But does that mean that those who did not receive any award were losers or failures, not at all. In any event the participants have different objectives in mind; some might want to test their strength and they did and came out better than their expectations, others wanted to improve on their previous records and they did, While another group may had never participated an election in their life, their objective was to participate and show their ability to be among the candidates and they did it.

In conclusion I wish to say that the all the candidates participated the election were all winners regardless of who won the election.

Thank you.

NB: Failure is a delay not a defeat; it is a diversion not a dead-end.

AbdiRahman MOHAMMED

amaabby@yahoo.com

Makerere University

Kampala, Uganda 4862715

Getting Somalia Wrong:From Somaliland Perspective

By
Goth Mohamed
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Last  July at Hargeisa International Book Festival (HIBF), it was launched a book with the title ‘Getting Somalia Wrong; Faith,war and hope in a shattered state .Although this book was written for the international readers and has an important messages in it,  admittedly ,  Somalilanders seemed  it immaterial and irrelevant as we are striving to prove that we no longer have nothing to do with Somalia.  But we were wrong! We got  ‘’ Getting Somalia Wrong’’ wrong. This book is a rare and valuable account of admirable intellect that gives a concise picture of the contemporary Somalia which contains historically many administrations  and our break away Somaliland. It also gives  the clearest picture of all time to the  outside interested groups  willing  to get  a  proper diagnosis for the perplexed situation of Somalia.  Often Somalis which naturally includes Somaliland are remembered about  with  the worst connotations like Piracy, Extremism and Violence. This book tries to demystify the reality on the ground and rectify those misconceptions sensentionalized by the media.

The author of the book Mary Harper who is a journalist and writer, specialising in Africa and currently working as Africa Editor at the BBC World Service  has written a resourceful and contemplated account collected over the decade’s long experience of hers on Somali people , culture and problems. I’m not writing to  talk about the weaknesses or the strengths of the book but the point that I have pondered during reading this book is how the author put the situation of Somaliland and my review conveys this opinion supporting  it with evidences from the book.

The contents of the book goes back for clearer understanding to the ancient history of Somali people through early civilizations established at the coasts to the colonial rule and the followed dream of the great Somalia that could be considered as the root cause of the failure of the central government of the Somali Republic. Those carefully selected six chapters  are concisely and artfully put with clear and convincing language and are also organised in chronological manner. More importantly, the author devotes considerable space for lengthy direct quotes from Somali actors, allowing them to speak with their own voices, unfiltered by the author. After the last chapter ‘’ Somalia and the outside World’’ , she concludes with logical arguments and why many attempts on Somali reconciliation failed because of misguided policies and repeating the  same mistakes, that is, giving the highest priority to form a central government based in Mogadishu. Mary Harper suggests the world should seek the solution from a different perspectives and takes the case of Somaliland  reconciliation as a possible role model process.

Besides, convincing the world that Somalis has managed to do so well without a central government  because the clan-based lineage system of  Somalis is an effective way of governing society and the truth that Somalis were able to keep similar standard of living compared to their African counter parts, the author clarifies that western powers were very late to adopt the new ‘dual track’ Policy. Although Somaliland benefits the most from this approach as the international aid which was previously monopolised by the TFG will be distributed more fairly and effectively, it must be recommended for the world to give more attention to that new policy as certain things need to be  more correctly and suitably tweaked. Urging the TFG to give a recognition to Somaliland could be an appropriate suggestion for improving the ‘dual track’ policy to actually make a difference on the ground.

Mary Harper dedicates more than 14 pages for Somaliland noting down the successful popular peacemaking processes which unlike those political conferences of Somalia were neither foreign-funded nor held abroad but remained to  be an example of hope and potential to those parts of Somalia that always fail to extract themselves from an almost endless cycle of conflict and instability. The author also adds that designing hybrid system of government, whereby western-style institutions were fused with more traditional forms of social and political organisation, has gradually directed to the transformation of the Multi-party system. She also mentions how our late president Egal(May Allah rest his soul) has given our population the confidence that they could go it alone.  Qouting  the great African thinker,Ali Mizrui, as saying the Horn of Africa experiences a‘Tale of Two Somalias’ namely as the  Somalia of Mogadishu which continues to be the case of anarchy without order and the Somalia of Hargeisa which gathered a momentum as a case of ‘bottom-up nation building’ rooted in culture and energised from within, the author  agrees with him when she visited Somaliland.  She makes a short comparison between  Somaliland and Somalia writing that she had witnessed the existence of the‘Two Somalias’ and how they are world apart. Investigating further, because the territory is not internationally recognised and can not access big foreign loans for infrastructural and other developments , she proves that it’s something that frustrates president Ahmed Silanyo telling in his interview with her that Somaliland has been very patient about that and  hopes  their  patience  to be rewarded very soon.

In Conclusion, the book says that the outside observers have generally not realized that Somalis in general devised fascinating alternative ways of organising society and the fact that they could be considered stateless in many ways does not mean they are wrong, bad or threatening. One key example mentioned is the case of Union of Islamic Court which has emerged from the grass roots of the society rather than being imposed from the outside but soon the world saw them ‘threatening’ and we all know that the consequences got more worse. Somaliland which is now considered by the world as ‘ state-within-state’  also remains to be the author’s second successful example. But that is never enough. Bringing about lasting positive change in the territory needs more creative and adventurous approaches , as the author says. So , to this end,  giving Somaliland a recognition could inevitably complete what  Mary Harper  had to say to the outside world.

By Eng. Khadar Jeep

Ethiopia : 2013 Year of the Cheetah Generation

By
Goth Mohamed
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2013 shall be the Year of Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation.

“The Cheetah Generation refers to the new and angry generation of young African graduates and professionals, who look at African issues and problems from a totally different and unique perspective. They are dynamic, intellectually agile, and pragmatic. They may be the ‘restless generation’ but they are Africa’s new hope. They understand and stress transparency, accountability, human rights, and good governance. They also know that many of their current leaders are hopelessly corrupt and that their governments are contumaciously dysfunctional and commit flagitious human rights violations”, explained George Ayittey, the distingushed Ghanaian economist.

Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation includes not only graduates and professionals — the “best and the brightest” — but also the huddled masses of youth yearning to breathe free; the millions of youth victimized by nepotism, cronyism and corruption and those who face brutal suppression and those who have been subjected to illegal incarceration for protesting human rights violations. Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation is Eskinder Nega’s and Serkalem Fasil’s Generation. It is the generation of  Andualem Aragie, Woubshet Alemu, Reeyot Alemu, Bekele Gerba, Olbana Lelisa and so many others like them. Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation is the only generation that could rescue Ethiopia from the steel  claws of tyranny and dictatorship. It is the only generation that can deliver Ethiopia from the fangs of a benighted dictatorship and transform a decaying and decomposing garrison state built on a foundation of lies into one that is deeply rooted in the consent and sovereignty of the people.

Ethiopia’s Hippo Generation should move over and make way for the Cheetahs. As Ayittey said, Africa’s “Hippo Generation is intellectually astigmatic and stuck in their muddy colonialist pedagogical patch. They are stodgy, pudgy, and wedded to the old ‘colonialism-imperialism’ paradigm with an abiding faith in the potency of the state. They lack vision and sit comfortable in their belief that the state can solve all of Africa’s problems. All the state needs is more power and more foreign aid. They care less if the whole country collapses around them, but are content as long as their pond is secure…”

Ethiopia’s Hippo Generation is not only astigmatic with distorted vision, it is also myopic and narrow- minded preoccupied with mindless self-aggrandizement. The Hippos in power are stuck in the quicksand of divisive ethnic politics and the bog of revenge politics. They proclaim the omnipotence of their state, which is nothing more than a thugtatorship.  Their lips drip with condemnation of  “neoliberalism”, the very system they shamelessly panhandle for their daily bread and ensures that they cling to power like barnacles on a sunken ship. They try to palm off foreign project handouts as real economic growth and development.  To these Hippos, the youth are of peripheral importance. They give them lip service. In his “victory” speech celebrating his 99.6 percent win in the May 2010 “election”, Meles Zenawi showered the youth with hollow gratitude: “We are also proud of the youth of our country who have started to benefit from the ongoing development and also those who are in the process of applying efforts to be productively employed! We offer our thanks and salute the youth of Ethiopia for their unwavering support and enthusiasm!”

The Hippos out of power have failed to effectively integrate and mobilize the youth and women in their party leadership structure and organizational activities. As a result, they find themselves in a state of political stagnation and paralysis. They need youth power to rejuvenate themselves and to become dynamic, resilient and irrepressible. Unpowered by youth, the Hippos out of power have become the object of ridicule, contempt and insolence for the Hippos in power.

Ethiopia’s intellectual Hippos by and large have chosen to stand on the sidelines with arms folded, ears plugged, mouths  sealed shut and eyes blindfolded. They have chosen to remain silent fearful that anything they say can and will be used against them as they obsequiously  curry favor with the Hippos in power. They have broken faith with the youth.  Instead of becoming  transformational and visionary thinkers capable of inspiring the youth with creative ideas, the majority of the intellectual Hippos have chosen to dissociate themselves from the youth or have joined the service of the dictators to advance their own self-interests.

Chained Cheetahs

The shameless canard is that Ethiopia’s youth “have started to benefit from the ongoing development.” The facts tell a completely different story. Though the Ethiopian population under the age of 18 is estimated to be 41 million or just over half of Ethiopia’s  population, UNICEF estimates that malnutrition is responsible for more than half of all deaths among children under age five. Ethiopia has an estimated 5 million orphans; or approximately 15 per cent of all children are orphans! Some 800,000 children are estimated to be orphaned as a result of AIDS. Urban youth unemployment is estimated at over 70 per cent. Ethiopia has one of the lowest youth literacy rate in Africa according to a 2011 report of the United Nations Capital Development Fund. Literacy in the 15-24 age group is a dismal 43 percent; gross enrollment at the secondary level is a mere 30.9 percent! A shocking 77.8 per cent of the Ethiopian youth population lives on less than USD$2 per day! Young people have to sell their souls to get a job.  According to  the 2010 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report, “Reliable reports establish that unemployed youth who were not affiliated with the ruling coalition sometimes had trouble receiving the ‘support letters’ from their kebeles necessary to get jobs.” Party memberships is the sine qua non for government employment, educational and business opportunity and the key to survival in a police state. The 2011 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report concluded, “According to credible sources, the ruling party ‘stacks’ student enrollment at Addis Ababa University, which is the nation’s largest and most influential university, with students loyal to the party to ensure further adherence to the party’s principles and to forestall any student protest.”

Frustrated and in despair, many youths drop out of school and engage in a fatalistic pattern of risky behaviors including drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse, crime and delinquency and sexual activity which exposes them to a risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.  Poor  youths (the overwhelming majority of youth population) deprived of educational and employment opportunity, have lost faith in their own and their country’s future. When I contemplate the situation of Ethiopia’s youth, I am haunted by the penetrating question recently posed by Hajj Mohamed Seid, the prominent Ethiopian Muslim leader in exile in Toronto: “Is there an Ethiopian generation left now? The students who enrolled in the universities are demoralized; their minds are afflicted chewing khat (a mild drug) and smoking cigarettes. They [the ruling regime] have destroyed a generation.”

Unchain the Cheetahs

Many of my readers are familiar with my numerous commentaries on Ethiopia’s chained youth yearning for freedom and change. My readers will also remember my fierce and unremitting defense of Ethiopia’s Proudest  Cheetahs — Eskinder Nega, Serkalem Faisl, Andualem Aragie, Woubshet Alemu, Reeyot Alemu, Bekele Gerba, Olbana Lelisa and so many others — jailed for exercising their constitutional rights and for speaking truth to power. But in the Year of the Cheetahs, I aim to call attention to the extreme challenges faced by Ethiopia’s youth and make a moral appeal to all Hippos, particularly the intellectual Hippos in the Diaspora, to stand up and be counted with the youth by providing support, guidance and inspiration. In June 2010, I called attention to some undeniable facts:

The wretched conditions of Ethiopia’s youth point to the fact that they are a ticking demographic time bomb. The evidence of youth frustration, discontent, disillusionment and discouragement by the protracted economic crisis, lack of economic opportunities and political repression is manifest, overwhelming and irrefutable. The yearning of youth for freedom and change is self-evident. The only question is whether the country’s youth will seek change through increased militancy or by other peaceful means. On the other hand, many thousands gripped by despair and hopelessness and convinced they have no future in Ethiopia continue to vote with their feet. Today, young Ethiopian refugees can be found in large numbers from South Africa to North America and the Middle East to the Far East.

In this Year of the Ethiopian Cheetahs, those of us with a conscience in the Hippo Generation must do a few things to atone for our failures and make amends to our youth. President Obama, though short on action, is nearly always right in his analysis of Africa’s plight: “We’ve learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa’s future. It will be the young people brimming with talent and energy and hope who can claim the future that so many in previous generations never realized.” We, learned Hippos, must learn that Ethiopia’s destiny will not be determined by the specter of dead dictators or their dopplegangers. It will not be determined by those who use the state as their private fiefdom and playground, or those who spread  the poison of ethnic politics to prolong their lease on power. Ethiopia’s destiny will be determined by a robust coalition of Cheetahs who must unite, speak in one voice and act like fingers in a clenched fist to achieve a common destiny.

I craft my message here to the Hippos out of power and the intellectual Hippos standing on the sidelines. I say step up, stand up and be counted with the youth. Know that they are the only ones who can unchain us from the cages of our own hateful ethnic politics. Only they can liberate us from the curse of religious sectarianism. They are the ones who can free us from our destructive ideological conflicts. They are the ones who can emancipate us from the despair and misery of dictatorship. We need to reach, teach and preach to the Cheetahs to free their minds from mental slavery and help them develop their creative powers.

We must reach out to the Cheetahs using all available technology and share with them our knowledge and expertise in all fields. We must listen to what they have to say. We need to understand their views and perspectives on the issues and problems that are vital to them. It is a fact that we have for far too long marginalized the youth in our discussions and debates. We are quick to tell them what to do but turn a deaf ear to what they have to say. We lecture them when we are not ignoring them. Rarely do we show our young people the respect they deserve. We tend to underestimate their intelligence and overestimate our abilities and craftiness to manipulate and use them for our own cynical ends. In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to reach out and touch the youth.

We must teach the youth the values that are vital to all of us. Hajj Mohamed Seid has warned us that without unity, we have nothing.   “If there is no country, there is no religion. It is only when we have a country that we find everything.” That is why we must teach the youth they must unite as the children of Mother Ethiopia, and reject any ideology, scheme or effort that seeks to divide them on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, language, region or class. We must teach to enlighten, to uncover and illuminate the lies and proclaim the truth. It is easier for tyrants and dictators to rob the rights of youth who are ignorant and fearful. “Ignorance has always been the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of tyrants.” Nelson Mandela has taught us that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Educating and teaching the youth is the most powerful weapon in the fight against tyranny and dictatorship. In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to teach the Cheetahs to fight ignorance and ignoramuses with knowledge, enlightenment and intelligence.

We must also preach the way of peace, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, accountability and transparency. No man shall make himself the law. Those who have committed crimes against humanity and genocide must be held to account. There shall be no state within the state. Exercise of one’s constitutional rights should not be criminalized. Might does not make right! In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to preach till kingdom come.

We need to find ways to link Ethiopian Diaspora youth with youth in Ethiopia in a Chain of Destiny. Today, we see a big disconnect and a huge gulf between young Ethiopians in the Diaspora and those in Ethiopia. That is partly a function of geography, but also class. It needs to be bridged. We need to help organize and provide support to Ethiopian Diaspora youth to link up with their counterparts in Ethiopia so that they could have meaningful dialogue and interaction and work together to ensure a common democratic future.

The challenges facing Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation are enormous, but we must do all we can to prepare the youth to take leadership roles in their future. We need to help them develop a formal youth agenda that addresses the wide range of problems, challenges and issues facing them. All we need to do is provide them guidance, counsel and  advice. The Cheetahs are fully capable of doing the heavy lifting if the Hippos are willing to carry water to them.

Ethiopian Youth Must Lead a National Dialogue in Search of a Path to Peaceful Change

I have said it before and I will say is again and again. For the past year, I have been talking and writing about Ethiopia’s inevitable transition from dictatorship to democracy. I have also called for a national dialogue to facilitate the transition  and appealed to Ethiopia’s youth to lead a grassroots and one-on-one dialogue across  ethnic, religious, linguistic and religious lines. I made the appeal because I believe Ethiopia’s salvation and destiny rests not in the fossilized jaws of power-hungry Hippos but in the soft and delicate paws of the Cheetahs. In the Year of the Cheetahs, I plead with Ethiopia’s youth inside the country and in the Diaspora to take upon the challenge and begin a process of reconciliation. I have come to the regrettable conclusion that most Hippos are hardwired not to reconcile. Hippos have been “reconciling” for decades using the language of finger pointing, fear and smear, mudslinging and grudge holding. But Cheetahs have no choice but to genuinely reconcile because if they do not, they will inherit the winds of ethnic and sectarian strife.

In making my plea to Ethiopia’s Cheetahs, I only ask them to begin an informal dialogue among themselves. Let them define national reconciliation as they see it. They should empower themselves to create their own political space and to talk one-on-one across ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender, regional and class lines. I underscore the importance of closing the gender gap and maximizing the participation of young women in the national reconciliation conversations. It is an established social scientific fact that women do a far superior job than men when it comes to conciliation, reconciliation  and mediation. Dialogue involves not only talking to each other but also listening to one another. Ethiopia’s Cheetahs should use their diversity as a strength and must never allow their diversity to be used to divide and conquer them.

Up With Ethiopian Cheetahs!

Africans know all too well that hippos (including their metaphorical human counterparts) are dangerous animals that are fiercely territorial and attack anything that comes into their turf. Every year more people are killed by hippos (both the real and metaphorical ones) in Africa than lions or elephants. Cheetahs are known to be the fastest animals, but their weakness is that they give up the chase easily or surrender their prey when challenged by other predators including hyenas. A group of hippos is known as a crash. A group of cheetahs is called a “coalition”. Only a coalition of cheetahs organized across ethnic, religious, linguistic and regional lines can crash a crash of hippos and a cackle of hyenas and save Ethiopia.

In this Year of Ethiopian Cheetahs, I expect to make my full contribution to uplift and support Ethiopia’s youth and to challenge them to rise up to newer heights. I appeal to all of my brother and sister Hippos to join me in this effort.  As for the Cheetahs, I say, darkness always give way to light. “It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars.” Ethiopia’s Cheetahs must be strong in spirit and in will. As Gandhi said, “Strength does not come from physical capacity”, nor does it come from guns, tanks and war planes. “It comes from an indomitable will.” Winston Churchill must have learned something from Gandhi when he said, “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” Ethiopian Cheetahs must never give in!

Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam teaches political science at California State University, San Bernardino and is a practicing defense lawyer.

Previous commentaries by the author are available at:

http://open.salon.com/blog/almariam/

www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/ 

Amharic translations of recent commentaries by the author may be found at:

http://www.ecadforum.com/Amharic/archives/category/al-mariam-amharic

http://ethioforum.org/?cat=24

 

 

Region could get first foreign branch campus this year

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The horn of Africa’s self-declared state of Somaliland may get its first foreign university by mid-2013, if plans by a private university in Kenya to open a branch campus there come to fruition.

 

The rapidly expanding though relatively new Mount Kenya University, headquartered in Thika in central Kenya, is planning to open a campus in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa.

Mount Kenya has been on an ambitious regional expansion trajectory barely 10 years after being founded, and has in the past year opened campuses in Kigali, Rwanda, and in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The university also has a virtual campus in Nairobi.

“Our goal is to take higher education to all those who need it in this region and beyond. Somaliland is part of our expansion programme,” said University Chair Simon Gicharu.

He said Somaliland – a stable region in turbulent Somalia – was an attractive investment destination, including in the field of higher education.

“This is one place where we think we can succeed greatly if we open a campus of Mount Kenya, because the administration there is receptive to investment ideas and the thirst for education is very high,” Gicharu added.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia after chaos erupted in the country 21 years ago, establishing its own thriving democracy and economy.

But it has faced major hurdles in getting official recognition from the African Union, the United Nations and regional governments, which fear that recognising Somaliland as an independent state could spur breakaways of various Somalia regions and breed chaos. Currently, Somaliland is internationally recognised only as an autonomous region.

Somaliland boasts of 14 tertiary institutions, many of them private and some offering degree courses.

A fairly liberal state that holds regular elections, Somaliland actively encourages the education of girls under a moderate version of Islam and in the absence of the hardline Islamists that hold sway in the rest of Somalia.

Mount Kenya University has been targeting areas that other Kenyan universities have shied away from, and recently opened a campus in the remote northern Kenyan town of Lodwar in Turkana, where there is a strong presence of South Sudanese refugees.

Simon Gicharu said the campus targeted both the pastoralist community and the hundreds of refugees and aid workers operating from Kakuma refugee camp.

Experts said the bold move into Somaliland was due to stiff competition in the East Africa region, mainly from Ugandan universities.

“The Ugandan universities continue to be the most aggressive and attractive to students and parents throughout the region due, among other factors, to low fees,” said Dr Patrick Mbataru of Kenyatta University.

“The room for expansion in East Africa is getting even more squeezed and universities must look further afield if they wish to grow,” he told University World News.

Ugandan institutions such as Kampala International University and the universities of Busoga, Makerere and Kampala have emerged as regional expansion giants, establishing campuses across the entire region and partnering with local colleges.

They have particularly taken advantage of the high cost of postgraduate studies to offer masters and PhD courses at affordable prices, attracting thousands of students who had abandoned hopes of pursuing their dreams because of the high fees charged by many institutions.

With the region now “flooded” with post-secondary institutions, Mabatau said the new frontiers for expansion had become the new state of South Sudan, the stable Somalian states of Somaliland and Puntland – and Somalia itself, if it emerges from turmoil.

University World News
Sunday, January 06, 2013
By: Maina Waruru

Somaliland: Keeping peace and Stability in Search Prosperity

By
Goth Mohamed
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Right ho! Goes the rallying cry of the cattle herders in the Wild West as they bark orders to embark on their normal chores and daily duties.

Right ho! We say to fellow Somalilanders for it’s a new chapter in a new period in the local governance sector for national development.

It is our aspirations which should reflect upon our lives such that we should always remind ourselves what the best ways in store for us are indeed supposed to be.

We have to steer away from all turbulent currents in order to get our vessels home in one piece.

Our esteemed readers may wonder some aloud, as to why we emphasize repeatedly the need for peace and stability maintenance. Such noble causes need the steady and sober minds to assert it at all costs and opportunities.

No development or prosperity can ever be achieved under circumstances that are not conducive in the first place.

Whereas we should pull together concerted efforts to put our factors of production into good use, we rather opt for retrogressive ways.

The culture of tribal oriented and clannish mentality is something well known to all as devilish. No positive steps can ever be achieved if such innuendoes are injected into the mainstream social fabrics.

The parliament and the Guuurti should take care not enter the wrong chapters of history. They shouldn’t give raw deals to their subjects.

We have perpetually asked them to be at the forefront of national cohesion, harmonious inter-communal living, development oriented projects and all aspects that are a plus as far as lifting up of the socio-economical and socio-political standards of the populace is concerned.

By the way, are our people really aware of the painstaking efforts our foes out there take to and jump on every tiny opportunity available to undermine SL with hopes of blocking sovereignty all together? Do our readers know how many dogs of war are out there in our foes’ payrolls soldiering on through the powers of pen to diminish our integrity just as they hire assassins?

On the contrary, how much moral or material support do we inject to pep up our aspirations and/or counter such offensives?

We should support the government at all costs for it is incumbent upon us to do so. No country or nation achieves aspirations without the unconditional and selfless support of her populace.

Our readers may not know that enemies of this country are at pains to come to terms to the fact that SL and Somalia are to have talks.

This is because they know what the talks entail all about. Our people should be rest assured that when the real talks begin it will be to call the spade by its rightful name.

We were bound with no holy communion before just as we aren’t now. This is what all our enemies should be reminded without living in inept wishful thinking.

The state needs the socio-eco-political support from its subjects so as to reach its ideals.

This is what we have been reiterating to the chagrin of many.

We surely elected our President and we should rally around him, come rain come sunshine.

Perhaps the hardest talks for the southerners are how to deal with Puntland and Jubaland.

Thanks their own funeral.

Ours is to keep peace and stability in search of prosperity.

M.A EGGE

Somaliland: Eng. Warsame officially Takes Offices Today

By
Goth Mohamed
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The Newly Elected Mayor of Hargeisa Hon Eng. Yusuf Warsame Said has of today officially assumed office  after his predecessor Hon Eng. Hussein Mohamed Jicir handed him the Key to the city of  Hargeisa  in a ceremony which was presided by the Interior Minister Hon Mohamed Nur Arrale(Duur)and was held  at the civil services commission  headquarters.

The Outgoing Mayor of Hargeisa Hon Eng. Hussein Mohamed Jicir during the handing over ceremony touched on the many accomplishments he and his team had managed to achieve in the past ten years in office.

“Me and my team had in the past five years had made every effort in our disposal to uplift the face of the capital city not to mention the construction of more than 58 new tarmac roads in almost every ward of the city of Hargeisa”,said the outgoing Mayor Eng. Hussein Mohamed Jicir.

The New Mayor of Hargeisa Hon Eng. Yusuf Warsame Said thanked the outgoing Mayor and his team for their hard work and impeccable service that they had rendered the people and the city of Hargeisa in the past 10 years.

“I am ready for the hard work ahead of me and i know it is not an easy task which lies ahead of us, but me and my team shall introduce massive changes to the crumbling infrastructure of our urban centre and I urge the good people of Hargeisa to work with us because with their cooperation, I believe we can achieve much”, Said Eng. Warsame.

The Minister of Interior Hon Mohamed Nur Arrale (Dur) during the ceremony said, much is expected from the incoming mayor and his team by the people of Hargeisa and his ministry are ready to work hand in hand with the newly elected Mayor and his team.

Goth M Goth

Somalilandpress.com

Somalia: New year speech of Somalia’s Wagosha leader

By
Goth Mohamed
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Assalamu Aleikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

We all thank God for allowing us to be here again in this new year of 2013, in a time that we recall what we have achieved last year. On behalf of the Wagosha clan of Jubba land in Southern Somalia, I am greeting you and congratulating you on the new year of 2013, bearing in mind that our country has a long way to go to end the prolonged civil war. A lot have been achieved last year nationally, like the creation of the new Somali government after 22 year of civil war and chaos in our beloved country. I would like to congratulate President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, his Prime Minister Abdi Shirdon Farah, the entire cabinet, and the parliamentarians for their tireless efforts to help the country out of the current mess.
After that our country faces many challenges, politically, economically and security wise. All these challenges can be dealt with the unity of Somali people, leaving behind their differences and holding sincere talks, with the participation of genuine representatives of the concerned groups.
Somalia and International community
It has been a very crucial victory for Somalia to reappear in the international stage as a formal and official government legally elected by Somali people. The President has shown his mature manner in dealing with the international community, specially the regional neighboring countries. I believe all his visits abroad since coming to power were important to the country and to the people of Somalia.
The international community on their side, despite carrying the burden of helping a country, that is beginning everything from the scratch, yet they are expected to recognize and respect the sovereignty of our country, which is a full member of the UN.
Somalia is part of a wider problem that exists in the Horn of Africa and the international community needs to get more effective at conflict prevention, better coordination by the international community as a whole. Some may think that the issue of Somalia is the hardest ever in this world, but always the approach of the international community was not well evaluated or not well coordinated, because of listening views of one side and ignoring the others.
Social Services
Somalia has been without a strong central government since 1991, and its not going to be an easy task to fulfill everything in one day. We know the country needs services like education, health, security and other important things.
We must expect many disappointments, and many unpleasant surprises, but we may be sure that the task which we have freely accepted is one not beyond the compass and the strength of the Somali people, who showed bravery and generosity during the 22 years of ordeal and endless fighting.
Early in 1992, After his visit to Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, the British Foreign Affairs Secretary had to say these words, given the extent of the destruction our country is facing until today
“One million people have died in those 20 years, out of an average population of nine million. More people are dependent on food aid – literally kept from starvation – than the entire population of Edinburgh, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Liverpool put together. If you are born in Somalia today you can hope to live to the age of 48, roughly the same average life expectancy of people in Britain in 1880. Large areas of the country are controlled by extremists and militants. Most people live without access to justice and human rights, and Somalia has become a haven for the some of the worst criminality and terrorism in the world. Piracy has flourished and innocent British holidaymakers have been seized in neighboring countries and surrounding waters, including Kenya and the Seychelles”.

I believe that we must expect many disappointments, and many unpleasant surprises, but we may be sure that the task which we have freely accepted is one not beyond the compass and the strength of the Somali people, who showed bravery and generosity during the 22 years of ordeal and endless fighting in their country.

Regional states, Jubbaland crisis
According to the constitution, Somalia has to adopt a new political system based on federal states within the Somali Republic. To my understanding in some cases few people have misunderstood the kind of federal system the constitution calls. For example for the case of Jubbaland, people from Ethiopian region of Zone Five and others from Kenya’s North Eastern Province have gathered in Kismayo to set upo a regional administration based on clan. Its obvious that these people are violating the country’s constitution, because they are officially foreigners who are meddling Somalia’s internal affairs.
Ahmed Madobe, Mohamed Abdi Gandi, Kenya’s state minister for defense Mohamed Yusuf Haji, his son Nuradin, and other Somali Kenyan politicians have made up a clan project supported by other warlords from Puntland to invade Jubbaland and exterminate the real inhabitants of the region. As President Hassan Sheikh of Somalia earlier said that all conflicts in Jubbaland were created by outsiders, this project is not different from previous wars that destroyed the lives and the property of Jubbaland indigenous people.
The aim of the Ogadeni clan mongers is to take over by forces the entire Jubbaland area, while Puntland warlords have revenge motives against Marehan and also a repeat conspiracy of massacring other communities in the region, including the Wagosha majority.
Kenyan government is being used to pursue clan interests, while the international community funded the Nairobi military operations in a bid to eliminate Al Shabab militants. With the instructions of Kenyan Ogadeni officials, Kenya Defence Forces helped only Ogadenis to capture Kismayo, deliberately neglecting Marehan clan militants in Gedo region. Its clear that the Marehan militants are under Kenyan military sanction, because there is fear that if they move ahed and liberate all areas in Gedo region, they will also come to Kismayo, something that will annoy the Kenyan Ogadeni politicians and the entire Ogadeni clan.
In this case there is no any genuine operation against Al –Shabab in southern Somalia, and instead there is one clan being helped by a foreign country against other clans in the region.
Opposing to the stand of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Jubbaland crisis, which is to adopt a bottom up approach of reconciliation, Kenyan Ogadeni politicians launched an operation to deport Somalis from Nairobi, and this operation caused looting of Somali property and other damages.
The Wagosha clan has been calling for genuine reconciliation and talks, but that does not seem possible at the moment, because of the obstacles set up by the invaders from Ethiopia’s Zone Five Region and those from Kenya’s North East Province and Puntland.
We managed to hold talks with many Somali clans, who fully understood our case, and in support of Wagosha people to have the absolute rights of their land, prominent Hawiye clan elder Mohamed Hassan Had accused foreigners from Ethiopia and Kenya’s North East Province of being obstacle to the peace of Jubbaland. http://rajonews.com/2013/01/02/dhagayso-nabadoon-xaad-kismaayo-wax-qasaya-dad-ka-yimid-kilinka-shanaad-iyo-nfd/
 
Self defence call to Wagosha people
In 1991, when the Wagosha clan faced the worst genocide ever in the Somali history, carried out by an alliance of Darod clans, the Wagosha clan organized themselves in different forms. More than twenty years now these efforts have resulted public awareness among the Wagosha wherever they are, and everyone is ready toi die for his land. The world listened to the lies of the criminals, and even helped in creating false history against our people with the aim of destroying completely our future and our rights.
Thanks to the situation on the ground that facilitated our people to arm themselves with only one and genuine reason of self defence and liberation.
We will not only fight to save our people, but to save the Horn of Africa Region and the world.Region and the world.
As the former British premier Churchill said during the world war two.“This is no war of domination or imperial aggrandizement or material gain; no war to shut any country out of its sunlight and means of progress. It is a war, viewed in its inherent quality, to establish, on impregnable rocks, the rights of the individual, and it is a war to establish and revive the stature of man. We are sure that these liberties will be in hands which will not abuse them, which will use them for no class or party interests, which will cherish and guard them, and we look forward to the day, surely and confidently we look forward to the day, when our liberties and rights will be restored to us, and when we shall be able to share them with the peoples to whom such blessings are unknown”. (Winston Churchill).
We know that the invaders considers themselves as heroes of or born to be fighters, but I tell my people no aggressor has the right to be respected at all.
Stalin the Soviet leader during the war said “Of course not! History shows that there are no invincible armies and never have been. Napoleon’s army was considered invincible, but it was beaten successively by the armies of Russia, England and Germany. Kaiser Wilhelm’s German army in the period of the First Imperialist War was also considered invincible, but it was beaten several times by Russian and Anglo-French troops, and was finally smashed by the Anglo-French forces.”
In every war, the enemy uses tactics like dividing people or wooing them with money and other valueless materials, so we have to bear in mind to wage a ruthless fight against all dis-organizers, deserters, panic-mongers, rumor-mongers, spies, enemy followers and anyone who is undermining the blessed and the legitimate struggle of the Wagosha people.
In this kind of struggle we should not forget to adopt all forms of combating the enemy, lime fomenting guerrilla warfare everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone, all sorts of communications.

For the complete destruction of the invaders!
Death to the invaders!
Long live our glorious Motherland, her liberty and her independence!
Under the banner of Liberation or death
Victory  To Wagosha!

Engineer Yarow Sharif Aden
Leader of Wagosha people

Somaliland Cries Out For Leadership

By
Goth Mohamed
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The chaos surrounding the recently concluded local council elections and the administration’s track record over the last two and half years, have proved one thing, although Somaliland has a democratically elected President in Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud “Silaanyo” it does not have a strong leader.

President Silaanyo could not have reached this exulted position without talent and drive, but one thing is clear, he is and will always be bureaucrat, a follower but not a leader. There is also the question of his age and infirmity.

Some Somaliland analysts have stated that President Silaanyo has come to the presidency too late and too old. They argue that if he had reached this position early in his career things may be different. Maybe and maybe not.

Somalilanders know each other very well. We know who we are. We know are abilities and our limitations. We know our lions and our hyenas.

Somalilanders have always known that President Silaanyo was never in the mould of dynamos like the late Mohamed Ibrahim Egal, nor the countless heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice in freeing the country from the defunct union.

Don’t get me wrong, President Silaanyo has many fine attributes. He is first and foremost a decent person, always was and always will be. But he is not a leader. He is not someone who engenders either respect or fear, and that is a fatal flaw in a politician.

Does anyone imagine that President Silaanyo could have managed with the late Egal did and disarm the community militia? Survive an internal conflict? Cajole, threaten and pacify countless armed men? Build consensus through dialogue and discussion? Create institutions? No, I don’t think so.

Some would argue that they are differing Presidents for differing times. This argument has some weight. At the time of the late President Egal’s tenure, Somaliland was a devastated place. It needed a strong leader to survive and thrive. And now the country requires a different leader to navigate the different political climate in the region.

But, how can one explain the descent to chaos, corruption and foreign policy failure that has taken place under the administration of President Silaanyo?

President Silaanyo inherited a nation with deeply laid down foundations for democracy, progress, inclusion and tolerance. Yet, under his administration at this both our internal and external policies are in a mess. Not only has this administration manage to botch a fairly routine low level elections, external forces are running rings around us in terms of international exposure.

Not even the much maligned administration of former President Dahir Riyale Kahin had reached such a nadir. After all, he kept the peace, strengthened the nation, moved forward the democratic process and gracefully relinquished power.

It all comes down the fibre of the man or woman holding the position. If you are not the decider, the final decision maker, then countless non-entities will make the decision on your behalf and plunge the nation into chaos.

And this is exactly what is happening in the in administration of President Silaanyo. Out of touch, infirmed, elderly, he is merely a figure head.

The father of the nation has fallen asleep at the helm, and the children are steering the ship of state. But, rest assured, this too shall pass. As with all things, good times, bad times and tough times all shall pass.

There are two years left on President Silaanyo’s mandate, let us hope that, Insha’Allah, Somaliland will reach the 2015 presidential vote intact, strong, united and progressive.

By C.M. Abokor

ruraledcomm@yahoo.co.uk

Deadly grenade attack in Kenya's Dadaab camp

By
Goth Mohamed
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The explosion at the Dagahaley refugee camp in Dadaab occurred on Friday evening at a popular restaurant, normally frequented by locals.

“The seven victims sustained multiple shrapnel wounds from the grenade blast in different parts of their bodies and were rushed to hospital where they are still admitted and receiving treatment,” the Red Cross said in a statement.

The Dadaab refugee camp complex, the world’s biggest, lies about 100km from the border with Somalia.

“We lost two people and others have been injured,” Philip Tuimur, the regional police chief, said. Another police source  said the grenade was thrown from a moving vehicle.

Shabab violence

Dadaab has sheltered Somalians fleeing violence and drought for more than 20 years, and their numbers currently stand at nearly half a million.

Attacks have increased within Kenya since Nairobi sent army soldiers into southern Sudan to fight Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked Shabab fighters in late 2011.

Similar attacks and cross-border raids in the region have been blamed on the fighters or their Kenyan supporters, who have vowed revenge.

The Shabab still control large parts of southern Somalia, despite African Union troops, allied Somali forces and Ethiopian soldiers having wrested control of several key towns.

Kenyan troops, now integrated into the African Union force, seized the Shabab bastion of Kismayo, a key southern Somali port, in September.

That led to warnings of retaliation from both the Islamist insurgents and their Kenyan supporters.

But the Shabab have denied involvement in previous similar bombings.

Displaced Somalis

Violence in Kenya, ranging from attacks blamed on Islamists, inter-communal clashes and a police crackdown on a coastal separatist movement, have raised concerns over security ahead of elections due in March 2013.

Five years ago, elections descended into deadly post-poll killings that shattered Kenya’s image as a beacon of regional stability.

In Somalia in 2011, famine caused by extreme drought exacerbated by conflict claimed tens of thousands of lives and affected more than four million people, according to the United Nations.

Over a million Somalis are displaced inside the country, while over a million are refugees in neighbouring nations, according to UN figures.

Source : Aljazeera

President Guelleh Of Djibouti Calls For Release Of Prisoners Held By Eritrea

By
Goth Mohamed
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President Guelleh of Djibouti calls for release of prisoners held by Eritrea. The President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, in his New Year address to the Nation has called once again for the release of the prisoners of war seized by Eritrea during Eritrea incursions into Djibouti when Eritrea attacked Djibouti in June 2008.

In his message, the President said it was fitting that Djiboutians should remember and honour those martyrs who had died in the service of their country. He said that especially the country should remember those still detained in Eritrean prisons. “We pray that they will be returned to us in 2013”, he said, and added that “we will spare no effort to see this come true, and that we will be able to reach a speedy and favourable end” to the conflict over Ras Dumera.” Djibouti has repeatedly called for the release of the prisoners of war still suffering in the prisons of Eritrea, a call ignored by the Government of Eritrea. Nor has there been any progress in resolving this since the end of the fighting, despite the efforts of the Emir of Qatar to mediate between the two countries.

The President mentioned that 2012 had seen the completion of a number of projects, including the port of Doraleh, and of others now in process among them the new port of Tadjoura, a memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia for a cross-border supply of drinking water and seawater desalination plant agreed with the European Union. He also reminded his listeners that 2013 was an election year for the House of People’s Representatives, and for the first time this will involve proportional representation. He called upon his listeners to be responsible, sincere and increase their participation in publicaffairs. –MFA

 

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