By: Mohammed Hirmoge
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud seems to have borrowed one more trick from his predecessor: the art of buying time. The only problem? He’s not quite doing it like the master. On May 30th, under heavy pressure from the diplomatic corps, the president announced a National Dialogue, supposedly to chart a path towards inclusive politics and a consensus on elections.
It was just one big smokescreen. Instead of dialaogue, what actually happened was a lacklustre gathering of “loyal” Federal Member States and the big chief himself. That quickly morphed into the launch of his grand political party. Sure, elections were discussed, but let’s be honest, re-election was the only item on the menu. And boy did they discuss that!
Then came more pressure. The opposition formed an alliance and issued a communiqué. The president responded by calling for a second round of dialogue. Another smokescreen. The twist this time, he delivered a sermon to a room full of so-called political party leaders, most of whom no one had even heard of. You get the drift: another delay tactic, another bid to ease the heat. I am sure it was a great speech too, the president can talk for hours.
Still not enough? A third invitation followed, this time for talks with the opposition, who had one clear condition: include Puntland and Jubaland. The president’s response? A classic deflection: “Let’s talk first, then we’ll bring in the Federal Member States.” You see the pattern, right?
Three smokescreens in four weeks. I think at this point we know there won’t be constructive dialogue, and that’s because, we know the real issues, and the admnistration isn’t ready to confront them. The band-aids won’t hold either. We also know the government will blink, it always does. Question is, for how long can this administration keep playing musical chairs, and at what cost, both political and security?
My unsolicited advice to the Head of State: If you need more tricks, pick up the phone and call Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo. Your sleeve’s already empty, and it’s only June. If you wanna address issues, confront them now. Seek solutions, not delays.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Somali Stream.