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HAN
Note:
 IGAD
Breaking News (HAN) January 7th, 2006.
 Somaliland
Ethiopia
Eritrea
Djibouti
Kenya
Somalia
Sudan
Uganda
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Ethiopia: Time
for the Ogaden clan to decide
Nairobi (HAN)
January 7, 2006 - By: kilil5.com: Trade and Industry
Minister Girma Birru said some 502 investment projects in the textile,
garment, leather and leather products sectors have received licenses as
part of the efforts geared towards encouraging private investment in the
country.
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Ethiopia Somali Zone: Natural Resources.
For the sake of the Somali State and the 37 tribes that inhabit the State, the new administration, headed by Abdullahi Hassan “Lugbur”
and other Jigjiga Authority leaders, should either be strong enough to face these violent, hatred filled, tribally infected, selfish, corrupt, war-mongering individuals in their midst or allow other capable leaders from other tribes to rule the State.
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None of these were in the Somali State which produces most of these raw
products. The minister was speaking in a symposium organized encouraging
local investors into their local communities.
The Somali State is the least developed State in Ethiopia and attracts the
least investment in the country. There are many contributing factors.
Among them is lack of leadership in the Somali State. Leaders in the
Somali region totally lack commitment into the State. They have never
cared about their fellow citizens and the Somali region lacks any
accountability both from the citizens and from the Ethiopian federal
government. When there is no accountability, there is corruption and lack
of vision. And this is what has crippled the Somali State.
Time for the Ogaden clan To Decide, They can’t have it both ways The
biggest obstacle to any meaningful development and any resemblance of
governance in the Somali State is the cancer of tribalism. People are so
rooted to tribalism, that, they quickly corrupt any leader. There is a
minority voices in the Ogaden tribe, that is now becoming an
obstacle to any leader who wants to govern this region led by former Siyad
barre's army generals, like the former Navy general, Admiral Mohamed Omar
Osman, based in Eritrea. These minority voices in the Ogaden tribe, have
been corrupted and grew up in a culture of corruption, tribalism, and
conflicts. They are the by-product and remnants of former Siad Barre
regime from neighboring Somalia. These minority voices in the Ogaden
community, are so violent, and ruthless. They demand their way and
are willing to use intimidation and force to destroy other Somali clans
and use Eritrean weapons, Asmara Radio, Eritrean Diplomatic Channels, Al-itihad
support and small financial support to destabilize the deep rooted
brotherhood between the Somali clans in Ethiopia as well as Somaliland commercial
links within the region.
In fact, every leader in the Somali region knows this. No leader has so
far, shown the balls to confront and stand up to these bullies and
terrorists. Terrorist, because they use fear and intimidation to any
righteous person in the state. How many people did these bullies kill in
their homes? How many citizens, promising citizens have been gun-downed at
night or day light? These terrorists belong to the Ogaden tribe that
claims to be the majority.
These minority voices are either part, sympathize or have been part of
ONLF. The majority of Ogaden's are good people, peace loving, want
prosperity and development like all the citizens of the Somali State.
But, unfortunately, they have not stood up to these bullies that are
retarding any meaningful, new investment and development into the
State.
There is no need to mince words or being politically correct. The majority
of Ogaden people know the truth and they know these people. It is up
to them to decide if the Somali State will prosper economically by
attracting new investment, which will bring new highly needed jobs or to
stay the status quo. Time is neutral and does not change things.
With courage and initiative, leaders change things.
I speak for millions of reasoning people in the Somali State fighting
to improve our citizens, fighting greed, selfishness,
individualism and stupidity. And I speak for reasonable people who are
fighting to preserve our very existence from a macho intransigence that
refuses to make intelligent attempts to discuss.
We cannot afford to avoid raising the right questions. Our self-respect
and our moral integrity are at stake. For the sake of the Somali State and
the 37 tribes that inhabit the State, the new administration, headed by
Abdullahi Hassan “Lugbur” should either be strong enough to face these
violent, hatred filled, tribally infected, selfish, corrupt, war-mongering
individuals in their midst or allow other capable leaders from other
tribes to rule the State. There is no point proving fairness and
leadership to other tribes, when you can’t restrain your own. Mr.
president, charity starts at home.
Problems in the Somali State are man made or more specifically, lack of
leadership at the top. Therefore, Leadership can solve them. First, Mr.
President, lead by an example, and we will all follow you. No problem of
human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often
solved the seemingly unsolvable, and we believe the Ogaden tribe can
liquidate this violent, selfish, divisive, war-mongering minority if they
want and decide. But, the million-dollar question is: are they prepared?
The Somali State citizens and leaders are sick and tired of being afraid
to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as “anti-ogaden”
by these violent minority in the Ogaden community, that use tribal
websites to attack their opponents. They misuse freedom of speech in the
Internet to misinform a very ignorant and unsuspecting population. These
minority voices are the only Somali speaking people and Somali websites
that do not shy away, from tribal
“ululation”. Though almost every Somali speaking
individual in all parts of the world, declare their allegiance to their
tribe to their own detrimental consequences, as seen in neighboring
Somalia, almost none, are as proud, and, “ululating” as
these Ogaden Minority voices.
It is strange and beyond stupidity, that, they can verbally attack anyone
else without restraint, and with full protection, but, hold themselves
above the same type of criticism. You will see these minority groups
completely melt down and loose any awareness; whatsoever of even what they
write and say. Those of us who shout in making character
assassinations are all too frequently those who, by their own words and
acts, ignore some of the basic principles of tribal decency. Too often
what we call hate as if it were deeply rooted tribalism or clanism, is
simply ignorance, anxiety, paranoia, fear, and insecurity. These minority
voices in our midst are nothing but, the above.
Mr.president, to be strong leader, you must be
long-suffering as you seek to right the wrongs of your people and that of
the Somali State Citizens.
Mr.President, no generation can choose the age and the circumstance in
which it is born, but through leadership, it can choose to make the age in
which it is born an age of change, an age of development, an age of new
opportunities, an age of prosperity, an age of peace and justice. Look no
further than Nelson Mandela or Rajev Gandhi for inspiration, for their
people were in similar circumstances.
Only leadership, with the intangible combination of courage, boldness, and
will, can lead us out of the crisis, out of poverty that all citizens of
the Somali state find themselves, out of unending tribal conflict and
animosity, out of the primitive state in which most of our citizens are
in, out of the culture of corruption in which we find ourselves, out of
tribal hegemonies that an elite minority manipulates, out of the hatred
spread by few minority to enhance their culture of deception. Leadership
can mitigate the misery of the Somali State and its citizens.
Mr.President, these are the enemies of the Somali State: ONLF and whoever
sympathizes with them, the minority violent elites who are former remnants
of Siad Barre regime, from neighboring Somalia, poverty, famine, hunger,
ignorance, and disease. They are our enemies that we can overcome, if the
Ogaden people decide to.
The majority of the Ogaden People want justice, they want a government of
unity that reflects the 37 tribes that call their home, the Somali State. But,
they should be real with the rest of the Somali State people. It is time
they get rid of their bad apples. Somali State citizens are not stupid. W
know every thing, we know the indecision of the Ogaden leadership to face
the facts on the ground.
There is no colonist in Ethiopia; there is no fighting for freedom as the
ONLF still claims. There is a constitutional rule in Ethiopia, there is
finally a Somali State, where Somalis govern themselves, there is a Somali
State led by a government whose head of State is an Ogaden person.
In fact, Mr.Abdullahi Hassan lugbur’s government
consists 85% Ogaden individuals. So, let us be real with all citizens of
the Somali State. Unless your regime is the colonizer of the Somali State,
then, tell us, who, the freedom fighters of the “ONLF” are claiming to
liberate us from?
Finally, let me speak directly to the Ogaden people,
for at the real heart of a battle for equality, is a deep-seated belief
for the common good. Equality depends not on the force of arms or
intimidation, but, depends upon the force of moral right; not on recourse
to violence, but on respect for other tribes, respect for your fellow
Somalis, respect for the law and order.
We seek Justice and equality. We seek unity. But we
will not accept the peace of stifled rights, or the order imposed by fear,
or the unity that stifles protest and deserved critism. For peace
cannot be purchased with your desire to dominate all the other tribes that
share the Somali State with you or your desire to keep silent, among the
troublemakers among you and about ONLF.
You must understand the politics of your community and you must know what
bad politics is supposed to produce. Look no further than our neighbors
Somalia and the ONLF. And until Ogaden leadership can unite and
solve the crisis within the Ogaden community, you will always be mislead,
lead astray, or deceived or maneuvered into supporting someone politically
who doesn’t have the good of Ogaden community at heart. And this will
have never-ending consequences to the Somali State. It will
affect all of us, it will divide all of us, and we will lag behind the
rest of Ethiopia in development, in new investment, in prosperity, in
education, and in health.
The rest of Ethiopia will continue dominating our region. Now, it is all
about competition among the states for new investment, and for federal
funding from roads to schools.
But, in a state of ignorance, divisiveness among our
people, poor leadership mired in their own self promotion and tribal
righteousness, then, the rest of the world will be watching the sad images
of poverty, hunger, blood shed, and our own primitive looking, primitive
living, primitive reasoning that doesn’t reflect people of the 22nd
century, but, that of the dark 14th century and uncivilized societies.
Finally, I want to speak to those who call our
Somali State, or Somali region, “Ogadenia”. I mean, how stupid are
these people, do they really believe themselves or their Slogan? What they
are actually doing is a contradiction to them. On one hand, they and their
sycophants claim to fight for freedom, while, also enhancing colonial
Slogans and ideas. They should have done a little bit of history how the
“Slogan Ogadenia” was started and used by previous Ethiopian rulers.
Just incase they haven’t done their homework, the Slogan
“Ogadenia” was used by previous colonizers in an attempt to
divide and give away part of what is now known as “ the Somali
State or Kilil5”. The Colonizers called “Ogadenia” only
four of what are now the nine current provinces that the Somali State
consists. These Idiotic minorities who refer our Somali
State, Ogadenia, must have forgotten, the thousand martyrs, heroes who
gave their lives to help liberate their fellow Somalis from previous
ruthless regimes and imperialism.
These sons and daughters belong to every Somali tribe that
exists today in many parts of the world. Some never
saw “Somaligalbeed” until their moments of
death. They came from far, far, lands. They didn’t die for “Somaligalbeed”
to be reduced to a tribal name Ogadenia. Nor did
they die, for the Somali people in the region, to be divided along tribal
lines.
These minority few, are the individuals living in
luxury hotels in western societies. They are the ones that sit in million
dollar rent offices in high-rise buildings. They collect millions
of dollars in a very deceiving, fact twisting, propaganda filled mission
statements written by highly paid lawyers, under the name of liberation
movements and humanitarian assistance in unsuspecting western democracies
or individuals. The majority have their families living abroad,
so, they have nothing to loose, while, causing all sort of hell for a
powerless ignorant, poor communities in the Somali State.
Do us all a favor, Safe us from your idiotic Ogaden
Slogan by shuffling it down to your throat. At least, it will shut your
mouth and safe you from embarrassing yourself and your community.
I also would like to thank Kilil5 Online publishers by establishing such a
well designed website that provides a voice for all the citizens of this
great Somali State. My hope is that you will be different from the tribal
websites and expose the ugliness, the corruption, the injustice, the
inequality existing in the state and the few who want to hijack the name
of the region and change into their own tribal name. By: kilil5.com
Opinion Contributed By: Habib Ali (mataan)
Website: www.kilil5.com - Somali zone Ethiopia
*The Note Sources expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Geeska Afrika Online, HAN, Editorial Board, www.geeskaafrika.com or our global writers and reporters. The views are solely that of the source and you can reach
them at: By: www.kilil5.com
Background
Historical Note: "The
major Somali clans in Ethiopia are: Issa, Abaskuul, Ogaden, Sheikhash,
Isaq, Dir, Akisha, Bartira, Gadabursi, Majeerteen, Dhulbahante, Habargidir,
Leelkase, Murursade, Ajuuran, Midgo, Tumal, Gari, Gurgure, Reer Baare,
Reer Shabeele, Gugundhabe, Dagoodi, Hawadle and others... The success or
failure of the last election in Jigjiga will determine which road the New
Somali zone in Jigjiga adhere to: a continuing compromise or a frustrated
abandonment of their ideals for peaceful society within the state."
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