I wrote this On Sunday, December 20, 2009
Kulmiye party is currently in the same or worst situation as inner political struggle taints the success of the party in the last 10 years.
(M e d e s h i)
London: UDUB, Somaliland’s ruling party, in disarray
In the past two months, I have attended two meetings in London organised by UDUB, the ruling party of Somaliland, one in Shepherds Bush and the other in Woolwich. After this experience, I can confidently state that UDUB is in disarray. The organisers clearly lack both coordination and communication skills, as no more than 50 people were present at both meetings – despite the presence of more than 50,000 Somalilanders in London. I also observed power struggles among the organisers, as they blamed each other for the lack of supporter turnout. Most of UDUB’s so-called executives seemed to be self-nominated and without portfolio.
The best example of UDUB’s unprofessional organisation involved the scheduled arrival at Heathrow of the Somaliland Minister of Interior Affairs in the evening of Monday October 19, 2009. I was amongst those invited to welcome the minister, and others had made the effort to travel all the way to London from Sheffield, a journey of several hours. I arrived at the airport at 9.30pm, well ahead of the expected arrival time of 10pm. After spending 20 minutes fruitlessly wandering around the arrivals terminal, I called one of the UDUB representatives who had invited me to the welcoming event. I was surprised to learn that the minister had arrived at 8:30pm and already been taken to a hotel in north London by his relatives. This is an example of how poorly the UDUB party operates – both inside and outside the country. The same miscommunication and mismanagement is happening in Somaliland, but mainly escapes publicity because of the lack of freedom of press.
I have come to realise that the quality and professionalism of UDUB members is low compared to those of Kulmiye. While Kulmiye supporters include the educated and elite, they have a better chance of ruling Somaliland properly. UDUB appears to be supported by clan-oriented people who care little for the welfare of their fellow citizens. The ministers of Public Works Department, Finance, Interior Affairs and, in particular, Foreign Affairs are all examples of UDUB members who are in power because of their clan lineage.
It is about time that the people of Somaliland wake up and take the opportunity to promote those who will support good governance, democracy and prosperity for the country. In my opinion all the current Somaliland political leaders have had their day, so the public’s choice in the upcoming elections is to pick the lesser of two evils. I still believe that Somaliland needs and deserves new political leaders with fresh visions for the future, regardless of who wins this next election.
Written by M. Ali with editing of Sarah Howard
