GAROWE ONLINE EDITORIAL | We must learn to analyze ideas and principles, not persons or groups, if we wish to survive over the next decade.

Hope is a powerful human emotion that, when all else is lost, offers the flicker of a light at the end of a long and dark tunnel. It is hope that keeps the people of Somalia surviving yet another day. Despite the ignominy, the shame, and the unspeakable injustices, the Somali people hold on to that dear hope, that one day, Somalia will recover from the self-hate, the self-destruction and the self-inflicted wounds, with the Grace of Allah.

Today, January 26, 2011, marks 20 years to the day when former Somali strongman and President, Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre, fled the country and Mogadishu was seized by bloodthirsty warlords who literally raped, robbed and destroyed Somalia. We can say that, without a doubt, the national psyche of that particular day is much different from today's thinking. For those who favored a violent, direction-less and destructive revolution on January 26, 1991, today marks the epitome of failure and the burden of a shameful guilt. To them, we say history is neither stoppable nor reversible, so burden not your souls, but be genuinely concerned for how to save our future generations of Somalis.

We are all fed up with Somalia's history of violence, of socio-political disintegration, and of the killers' rise to positions of power. We are all fed up with the stories of Somali refugee camps, of Somali migrants drowning on the high seas, of the Somali victims of daily bombings in Mogadishu and other parts of the country, of the Somali Diaspora's challenges of integration, and of the Somali youth's lack of identity and direction. These are all the after-effects of a bloody and aimless armed revolution against a sitting President. We are all tired of the lying politicians, of the phony religious men, of the friendly crooks, and most worryingly, of the af-miishaar in every clan, whose primary duty in two decades of war and disintegration has gained him personal profit on an immense scale.

What the future holds for Somalia and the destiny of the Somali people remains a mystery. But one thing is without a doubt: if we, the Somalis, wish to save our own future and chart our own path to destiny, we must learn to self-organize, to forgive, and to selflessly protect our national interests against our own kith and kin who bring destruction to our homes. It is not a message for any particular clan or faction, but rather a general message which starts at the grassroots level, in family homes and in social settings.

If every proposed solution to Somalia is attached to a particular clan or faction, then immediately discredited, how do we ever reach a solution? The undeniable fact remains that every idea originates with an individual or a group. What is vital is to support or reject that idea, not based on the originators or their intentions, but rather based on that idea's principles and its capacity to unite the people around a common purpose. We must learn to analyze ideas and principles, not persons or groups, if we wish to survive over the next decade.

The world is closely watching developments in Somalia. As we well know, not all of the world's communities are friendly to Somalis or wish to see the reemergence of a strong and united Somalia, for this might be detrimental to narrow regional or global interests.

Under such circumstances, a fundamental understanding of our history combined with our ability to unite around principles and a common purpose will be vital to our collective survival. Indeed, even after 20 years of war and loss, much has been learned and earned. Today, it is in this garden of hope and renewal that we must plant the seeds of forgiveness, of new ideas and conduct, and of working diligently towards restoring trust among the Somali people.

On behalf Radio Garowe/Garowe Online, we send our sincere condolences to all the Somali people around the world for 20 years of war and hardship, and pray to Allah Almighty to make the coming decades a time of lasting peace, justice and prosperity for Somalia.

Garowe Online Editorial
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