Somaliland 2003 Presidential Election
A Personal reflection from an outsider inside the process
Some would argue this election was a flawed process not meeting standards. What standards? Look at the USA, the brexit vote in the UK — to achieve what? The Somaliland presidential elections delivered results on an expectation not seen elsewhere in the Horn of Africa; possibly akin to the elections in South Africa post Apartheid.
There was a sense of accountability appearing after people queued through a long day to vote for their chosen candidate. The election affirmed all people were part of governance structures and those structures should answer to all people.
People had been victims of violence dating back a generation as Said Barre launched offensives against people who always would be different in terms of how they viewed their linkages to the World beyond the pastoralist economy uniting Somalis across the Horn of Africa. Looking out across the Gulf of Aden grants a different perspective to feeling the Indian Ocean lapping at your toes. The sharks may migrate, the feel of Ethiopia locked inland behind you is a constant; but trade linkages change and colonial heritage remains well beyond the Cold War Soviet and United States arming and dabbling in politics. Hargeisa has a particular feel to it different from Djibouti to the north and west, more cosmopolitan than Bossaso or Garowe to the East and somehow more welcoming than the bustling markets of Mogadishu.
The 2003 election pitched the incumbent, Dahir Riyale Kahin, Riyale, against Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo, Silanyo. A third party leader also stood Faisal Ali Warabe. All three are amiable, cosmopolitan gentlemen to talk with. Their pasts were different and matters of contention to some as Riyale came from a policing background with the old Somalia dictator Siyad Barre. Silanyo is a fantastic gentleman, possibly too academic for the cut and thrust of politics in these formative years. Few were able to take part in issues based debate on Somaliland futures, Faisal, a second intellectual, and definitely in third place when it came to party or clan based strength. Connections were found with all three — I once put one of Silanyo’s daughters in touch with people to get her a Somali passport (‘I am Welsh Paul. How do I get a Somali Passport?’). Faisal was a person to debate with as he sought a way forward. Riyale a taciturn man who you always felt was inside your head — lessons from the Russian tactical training?
Somaliland, the whole of the semi-arid Horn of Africa, is uncompromising countryside and breeds hard people. But always, always, built into the culture is the need to live together. To fight — yes, but to know everyone has to live on meagre resources. So fight, win and move on drawing through the lessons from the battle for the struggles ahead. Somalilanders note how they taught the southern Somalis how to fight but forgot to teach them the second and third lessons. The making peace and living together parts are absent too often and people have continued to be manipulated by outside influencers perpetuating the conflicts and subjugation fuelling further grievances for conflicts.
We, as the European Union, were supporting people doing for themselves; Somalilanders had definitely proven they were doing for themselves. Already setting standards as we savoured a large explosion as UNMAS, UN Mine Action, and the Somaliland Army blew up the remaining stock of land mines to place Somaliland at the forefront of meeting the Ottawa Convention. Made for a lively morning to watch a huge hole appear for a positive cause.
The election run up was not as combustible; certainly not violent although there were veiled threats and almost continuous pressure to subvert process. The Electoral Commission stood firm and resolute delivering a process setting standards all were amazed at in terms of inclusion and capability to build further accountability.
There were tremendous logistical issues and we cannot shy away from the issues of those who were still disenfranchised. Often dressed as separatist or even historic cases for linkages back to Ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of the Punt, there were, remain, small minded people who think further subdivisions will give a panacea solution to the ills of political process everywhere. Big men will always be big men and the only people to gain are those selling flash suits and cars to whoosh these big men to supposedly ever more important meetings about meetings.
Yes, continued to be reports of problems in Khaatumo claimed areas; but where does secession end and selfishness of a few individuals begin? There appears a constant quest for self-determination. Of who? For what? In 2003, and there does not appear too many changes in the lines of argumentation, it was argued some wanted recognition not because of any altruistic desire to lead the delivery of water, food, health and education and a brighter future for people. No, some said nothing would change for the majority — we would have another big man going off to endless meetings about sustainability and the fragility of the environment whilst quietly negotiating with oil companies to exploit the resources
April 14th, the Election Day saw a clampdown on moving around to try and forestall the flaws we knew were there in voter registration. There was trucking, no buses braving the back roads with potholes bigger than our mine destruction crater, of people between voting centres with much chemistry to find how to clean Jensen Violet from your voting hand.
Our car was a supermarket 4x4. A Land Rover Discovery with the enormous 4.6 litre fuel injection petrol fired engine driving an automatic gearbox, I asked an old friend what he thought. ‘Who brought that heap of crap? Give the useless thing away and get anything else’ was his response. It let us down a few times; led to some fractious moments when I have a senior EU official marooned in the sun with not even a tree for shade. Brought home the realities people face and probably made for an interesting report to Brussels.
Election Day Daisy Disco did not let us down. Nor did the people. Spontaneous organising saw water provided for those queuing to vote, the entrepreneurial nature came out as samosas and soft drinks were swiftly on sale. As there was no traffic, the camel herders took to the main Hargeisa to Berbera road to drive camels down for shipping to Egypt. We crawled through kilometres of camels — a camel jam; literally thousands of camels on their way to be someone’s dinner and hopefully provide enough income for people in Somaliland and Ethiopia.
In Burao, there were issues of men more concerned with getting out of the sun to chew ‘khat’ leaving the women to endure come the afternoon sun. Pissed off, some poignant comments were made to a few but we were not going to change generational behaviour overnight.
Women were voting — Yes!
In fact, looking around, teenagers were voting too. What did they have to say? It is our country as well. Not going to argue with altruism.
We, myself and my always companion on my travels throughout 2001 to the end of 2003, stopped in a number of small polling stations along the road. All parties had their people inside the polling stations and the mood was jovial everywhere. In the small villages, the polling would be inside a teashop built of wattle and daub where flies buzzed wondering where the sweet tea had gone. The smell of camel’s milk was all-pervasive to make us all remember whatever the outcome of the vote, the grind of life would be back tomorrow. Finding water, making sure food was available for the family.
We had tea with relatives in a village just south of Sheikh, stopped in to see how Sheikh was voting before descending the scarp edge leaving behind the cooling breezes and descending to the coastal plain. I sat and watched as an old blind lady, of an age to know British rule where votes were definitely not mentioned, come and tell one of the people where she wanted her cross to be placed on the ballot box. All very open, some exchanges of opinion and a very flamboyant showing of the ballot paper before it went into the box. This more for my eyes than for all the others in the polling centre. Hardly surprising given the trust levels among people who live hand to mouth and with each other day in day out. These villages remain close-knit communities with real mutual support systems; a lesson for all now talking resilience.
Berbera was buzzing with a couple of schools taken over for voting. Mid-afternoon, the queues were still apparent and the carnival atmosphere being maintained when the majority of times people would be taking a siesta to avoid the oppressive heat. Jensen violet was much in evidence and people showed their little pinkies now a nice deep colour signifying they had done their part in voting; in being part of positive development for accountability.
We finished back in Hargeisa in the early evening with people still waiting to vote, the conversations continued along the lines of voters, mainly of younger people as deference had been exercised in unspoken social rules as to who could stand and wait the longest. People saw voting as something different. They wanted things to change because of voting but knew tomorrow would be back to the daily grind with all its frustrations and mundanity the vast majority of us live with in terms of making a living. The different day was closing and we were to wait for the results as ballot boxes came to the counting centres.
The next few days were fraught as people asked how the results would come out. April 19th the results were announced and Riyale was shown to have polled just eighty, 80, eight and a zero, more votes than Silanyo: 205,595 against 205,515 with Faial receiving 77,433. 10,096 ballots were deemed invalid — I wondered how many more people had asked someone else to mark who they wanted to occupy the big chair and how many were doing this for the first time with little guidance as to what voting entailed. No one turned a blind eye; all would see the process enhance the reputation of all the people in Somaliland.
There were protests, tyres burned in a couple of places in Hargeisa but no violence on the levels seen in neighbouring countries. In fact we, with our prominent EU signs, were welcomed and found a barricade being cleared for us to drive through. There was angst among some of the elites but people had already gone back to making a living. Silanyo came to see me at the EU Office but the guards did not let him in (It was Saturday and, officially, the office was closed). A fellow Brit (he let me off being a soft Englishman), he wanted an outsider to talk with on the just announced result. I went to him Sunday morning and we talked about how to go forward. I am sure I was one of many he talked with but I felt privileged to sit with him, act as his outsider sounding board. He decided, in true statesman-like fashion, respect for the Office and Somaliland came first. Somaliland continued to grow in stature and showed how different the cosmopolitan cities of Somaliland were from those of the south where bullets and bombs remain the rebuttals to debate and dialogue.
Somaliland may not have official recognition. It does, however, have gratitude and appreciation from all those who have worked with Somalilanders making things happen.
Yes, there remain challenges. And the people themselves will meet these when given the right support and opportunities.
Quality leaders are only as good as their followers — Somalilanders have continually proven this to be the case as they build accountability.
Long live true democratic processes going far, far, beyond the somewhat sterile act of voting when the other parts of good governance are not in place.
