The resignation of the last warlord president of Somalia from office creates both an opportunity for alternative leadership and sadly a perceived power vacuum risk.  Within 30 days or so, a new president must be elected by a bigger and blown-up parliament probably by inclusive power-sharing government. That is very perplexing by just considering the low standards of Somali politics and the customary slow adherences to set time frames of Somalis. 

The nuisance of spoilers could cause a blow to the power sharing stipulated in the recent Djibouti agreement between the transitional government and the moderate Islamist and hence, create the perceived power vacuum risk. The recent Sufi Vs Shabaab sectarian infighting could be a precursor to future descent to more anarchy and violence in Somalia. Some equate this new sectarian struggle as the Somali version of The Iraqi Anbar Awakening and rejection of the revolting extremism of the Shabaab insurgents. One thing is for sure, the Sufis are not the sons of Somalia; evidence suggests they collude with the Ethiopian occupation army and discredited warlords. Likewise, Shabaab are not the saviors of Somalia and their extreme sins of grave-scrapping and shrine demolitions should be shunned. 

Somalia has abundance of petty politicians, mostly male, incompetent and somewhat tainted in clan rivalries and blood. Warlords and their cohorts – who came to prominence by the barrel of the gun - are members of the parliament. We all know who they are and have witnessed the terror and destructions they have created in the past 18 years.  

The men vying for power are part of the transitional government or would join the ranks soon. Some of them are rather incompetent or are beholden to foreign interests. Somalis need to learn from history and never put up with any faction leader or fanatic; or anyone that would bear resemblance of the last warlord president. He was a rebel, faction leader, stubborn, clannish, and above all a warlord.  

What kind of president does Somalia need and what is the job waiting for the president? 

Before we answer that question, we need to reminisce our past and the first time Somalia had a president. We had a great president and his name was Aden Adde, may Allah bless his soul. Almost every Somali I know respects him. Adde was not a soldier, warlord, or murderer. He didn’t ascend to power because he led a clan or had clan militias. He was not a religious scholar, fanatic or charlatan. He was an ordinary man who loved his people and country. Maybe we need a man/women like him to lead us out of this misery. Is there anyone like Adde around now? 

Almost two decades of mayhem and misery should teach us to get rid of awful men who were part of the civil war and our suffering. A new blood of leaders, clean of any war crimes, immune to the clannish curse, is needed. We need leaders, who are capable to unite a divided, starving and warring people; a leader who is conscious that Somalia’s image of a failed state and basketcase nation is a disgrace and intolerable; a leader who can reconcile people and rebuild alliances for the common good; a leader who is above petty personal clashes; a leader who can restore law and order without resorting to shelling civilian residences or displacing people out of their homes; a leader who doesn’t need clan militias to protect him; a leader who doesn’t have clan advisors or spokespersons and  a leader who doesn’t declare Jihad on Muslims and non-Muslims. We need a president who can lead a government that can form an environment to promote peace, stability, education, employment and not warlord dictatorship or Taliban-like terror theocracy. 

Anyone who dares to volunteer for such onerous tasks must be courageous, and above all exceptionally qualified. Let us try to jot down some of the credentials and qualifications that are needed from such brave leader. 

First thing first, the ideal leader would be a god-fearing person endowed with a sound judgment, education and unconditional patriotism to the nation of SOMALIA. The last warlord president and the other warlords around have few of these qualities. Clannish sycophants surround us and we let them dominate us and pave the fate of our people for the worse. Their only ambition is to pursue clannish agendas. Their intellectual capacities and judgments are questionable. We need to exclude these guys and designate them like the pariahs they are. 

Somalis are generous to assigning bogus scholarly accolades to people who either have dubious diplomas, apprentices or credentials.  Just look at our so-called leaders. Every one of them is undeservedly a doctor, engineer or Sheikh without anything to show off for such venerable titles. Somalia needs a leader who is educated and went through schooling at higher institutions of learning.  

We need an experienced leader with a proven track record in terms of leadership, cooperation and coalition building.  We need a leader who can unify our people and can rise above the clan and sectarian divisions that is destructively plaguing us now. Somalia needs a leader who can abide by the constitution and is not above the law. The president must know his/her limits and must respect the balances of power and other branches of government. The leader must practice tenets of democracy, which are as simple as not limiting the freedom of expression, association and individual liberty. The leader must be sophisticated, world-savvy, not someone who shuns other systems or civilizations. 

Who could that Somali leader or president be? And where we can find a Somali with such characteristics who is ready and qualified enough to take the helm of leadership in chaotic and poor Somalia? 

Making the right decision is imperative to the survival of Somalia and its restoration as a viable nation-state. Let us be very careful and not repeat the past mistakes. Let us find the right person/persons to lead us out of this mess with Allah’s help and blessing.  If we mess this opportunity as we have done in the past, the consequences would be irremediable. 

By Abdulkadir Mohamed - Ato

E-Mail: [email protected]