This hasty decision on the part of Prime Minister Farmaajo disappointed the Somali people, especially those who were demonstrating in Mogadishu and came out to show their support. The people protesting in the dangerous streets of Mogadishu showed their support to the prime minster, while underlining their dislike for the two Sharifs – The president and the speaker of the parliament. Mogadishu residents believed that Mr. Farmaajo presented their best hope of restoring peace in Somalia. Abdalla Ahmed describing the protestors in Mogadishu wrote, “The demonstrators, mostly women, students, youth and elders of Mogadishu have opposed the prime minister’s resignation and they strongly criticized the speaker of Somalia parliament Sharif Hassan for his hypocrisy”. Anab Hassan Elmi, the deputy chairperson of the national women’s organization said that “We, as women believe that the prime minister of Somalia Mr. Mohamed as the most important and most hard worker, we will never accept him to quit office.”
Its becoming clear to the residents of Mogadishu that the two Sharifs cared only for their benefit only, acting like that they disagreed, but in actuality, were working behind the scenes and put plans into action inorder to prolong their rule. The recent conference held in Nairobi called and organized by the UN envoy for Somalia Mr. Mahiga, to discuss a way out of the political deadlock of Somalia’s transitional institutions before the expiration of their mandate in August 2011, Sharif Hassan, the speaker of the parliament attended while Sheikh Ahmed, the president, refused to participate, because of what he called at the time ‘external involvement of Somalia’s affairs’. However, when he was called to attend the Kampala accord, he immediately flew to reach an agreement with his opponent, the speaker of the parliament.
In addition to the demonstrator’s abhorrence of the two Sharifs, the prime minster encouraged them to continue expressing their feelings, and later stated that he will not resign until the parliament decides on the Kampala accord. Those familiar with the prime minister said that he knew that the deal reached in Kampala was final and that he could not challenge the two Sharifs who represented the two most powerful institutions in the TFI, but wanted to use Mogadishu residents as a tool to negotiate his exit. It was rumored that all of the TFG former Prime ministers, Gedi and Abdirashid were bought out to leave office. Farmaajo prhaps calculated that with the support of Mogadishu people he could negotiate a better deal than the other ex-primiers.
As reported in Somali websites, the prime minister resigned after meeting with both the president and the commander of AMISOM troops in Mogadishu. This sudden resignation shows that the prime minister was offered a deal he could not refuse. He failed to realize that he told Mogadishu residents and the Somalis at-large that he would not resign until parliament votes on the Kampala accord. To add insult to injury, he stated during the press conference of his resignation that he decided to resign because of “the situation of our country and for the interest of the Somali people”. Interest of what people? Did he imply those who were marching in the dangerous streets of Mogadishu to show the two Sharifs that their days were over and they “cannot fool all the people all the time”?
Mogadishu residents are asking how it can be of any interest to the Somali people by leaving behind the two Sharifs to be in power without fighting to win the right of the Somali people who were willing to stand behind him? Instead of being on the people’s side, Prime minister Farmaajo hinted that “ he will remain in Somalia to take part in nation building and help the ongoing peace process by working with the current interim government “.
It was also reported in major Somali websites that the prime minister will go to Kampala for consultation. This report also raises eyebrows in most of Mogadishu residents and others as to why the prime minister is travelling to Kampala after leaving his office? Why did he abruptly resign from his post after declaring that he would not resign until parliament decides on the Kampala accord? Why does he have to work with the current government that ousted him? What makes him think that working with the two Sharifs that the Somali people dislike is in the best interest of the Somali people?
The answers to these questions will only lead us to the fact that the prime minister negotiated a better deal than all the other prime ministers before him, who are alleged to have left the office after they took handsome amount of money. Perhaps Mr. Farmaajo is thanking residents of Mogadishu for that deal. In his press conference, he stated: “I am extending my appreciation to the people and the republic of Somalia particularly the protesters…I will never forget your role”. Of course!
The outcome of this resignation is that Somali people finally realized the intentions of the two Sharifs who want to rule Somalia forever. They can no longer act as they are enemy unto each other or opponents for that matter. In every meeting held in Mogadishu organized by Somali elders, they disagreed with each other to show the public that each one of them is working for the interest of the people. All of sudden, when the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, invited them and they got time to talk face to face they came up with a deal that prolonged their rule.
Their plan is to disagree once again soon after the nomination of the next prime minister. Whether he or she will be approved by the use of hand raising, the two Sharifs will undoubtedly come up with a new deceptive style to show to the people that they are not as friendly as others perceive them to be. Somali people hope this time around, it will not work. The outcome of this resignation is that no matter how PM Farmaajo tried to appear as the people’s Prime minister, he showed his true colors of negotiating his exit instead of fighting for the people who showed their support in the streets of Mogadishu.
Mohamed A. Hussein
E-Mail: MohAbdhus@aol.com.
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