Some Hats Fit But Feel Awkward

By Mohamud Tani, Ottawa, Canada ‎

That the two opposition political parties are forming an alliance of a sort to take the leadership of the house is an act of playing politics upside down. It totally breaks all rules of the game, and I am not sure whether it serves it's purpose. I do not have anything against the opposition parties forming alliances of policy issues, but this is completely a different ball of game. This is teaming up together for greed and power grasping. It is against the spirit and the letter of the result of the people's vote. Three political parties made a contest. They asked the people of Somaliland for their mandate to lead the lower legislative house. It was a three way run and one party took the lead. It got the most number of the seats. That party should have automatically captured the leadership of the house.

The speaker and his assistant should have come from the ranks of the winning party. They should also lead the subcommittees of the parliament. After all that was what the contest for parliament was all about. That one party wins and therefore leads the house. In this case in Somaliland the people gave the UDUB party the mandate to lead the house. Nobody argues that they won the three-way race and got the most number of votes and therefore the most seats in the house. If that is clearly indisputable, and the people made their choice so obvious, I do not think that the opposition parties should totally ignore the results of the vote and try to come from the back door to seize the leadership of the house in an unscrupulous act of political highwayman-ship. You win an election, you win. You lose an election, you lose. Manufacturing a win is a heresy. It a sin under every book of religion, and in any way you look at it, is just acting in a bad faith.

Politicians usually try to misinterpret the people's election results. We know how George Bush came power first time. Just recently, Mr. Schroeder of Germany tried to cling to power while his party won lesser number of votes than the present lady chancellor's party. I remember in 1970s, a British Prime Minster Mr. Edward Heath was defeated in the polls by Harold Wilson of the Labor party. Mr. Heath asked the queen if she would allow him a coalition government with the Liberals, so he could muster more votes than the Labor and therefore can continue as Prime Minister.

The Queen would have none of that. She bluntly told her PM that he lost the election. The party with the most seats will form the government. They are the ones who could make a coalition if they want. Here the Queen prefers a minority government under the party with most seats in the parliament, rather than a majority coalition government formed by those who lost the election.

Therefore, I would say that for our democracy which in it's infancy, it would be irresponsible from the leadership of the opposition parties to make use of a constitutional loop hole and try to ambush and kill the way the people of Somaliland cast their vote. While they can ally together in policy matters and can defeat any bill together, for it's true that they have more seats the governing party. Or for that matter can sponsor any bill they want passed, or can curb the excesses of the government in any way they deem necessary.

And while they have to do all that, for it is practically what they were elected for. I do not understand why would they trade their opposition mandate, which they got from the people with an agenda of wearing hats that were not tailored for them and assuming the leadership of the house in an unceremonious way. The people of Somaliland made their wish loud and clear. They voted UDUB party to lead the parliament of Somaliland . Any attempt to disregard the people's will is tantamount to a let down. It is a breach of faith. It is breaking the rules of the game. And it is the opposition party leadership who will end up answering many questions. . Politicians. I sometimes wonder!

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