In the beginning, HSM treated Hiiraan with disrespect
and heavy-handedness. He sent his boyish-looking, interior minister and federal
affairs, Abdurahman Odowaa, to the region to start the formation of the new
federal state combining Hiiraan and Shabelle. The young man, widely believed to
be a member of Dammul-Jadid, the secretive group that controls Villa Somalia
and Mogadishu’s economy, failed in his attempts to garner support from various
tribal leaders. Clan elders simply ignored him and treated him as a “youngster”
and an extension of HSM.
Consequently, Odowaa and Mohamed Mukhtar, another
cabinet minister, were sent to Beledweyne to enlist support, but that did not
work either. Some of the elders simply told the duo that one of them was
welcome (Mukhtar) and the other (Odowaa) was not. It took HSM a long time to
realize that Odowaa was no longer welcome in that region.
A few clan leaders in Hiiraan and Shabelle then
attempted to form a state region. They failed because the international
community did not lend a helping hand and some clans boycotted the gathering. Afterward,
Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid came to Beledweyne and persuaded Hiiraan leaders
to acquiesce in the formation of a state that combined Hiiraan and Middle
Shabelle. Sharmarke admitted to the elders that the federal government had made
mistakes in its dealing with the region. The elders then tentatively agreed to
participate in the formation of the state.
When HSM heard that his premier and political rival
succeeded where his young envoys failed, he decided to go to Beledweyne himself.
The president did not want Sharmarke to take any credit for the successful
talks.
Hiiraan verses Shabelle
The Xawadle, one of the largest clans in Hiiraan, and
its elders have serious grievances with the new federal process of state
formation. They are angry that Hiiraan, one of the eight original regions formed
after the country gained its independence, is being lumped with Shabelle. The idea that it now has to share power with
Middle Shabelle is mindboggling. As Ugaas Hassan Ugaas Khalif of Xawaadle clan
succinctly put it: “Hiiraan was a region after independence when Jowhar was a
mere district.” He said that Hiiraan,
for instance, will not accept four seats in the Upper House when Shabelle will
also have four seats.
State
parliament elections
After the arm twisting of various clan elders in both
Hiiraan and Shebelle, HSM succeeded in making Jowhar the new capital of
HirShabelle. About ninety eight members were selected for the state parliament.
The presidency was given to Xawaadle,
the speakership to Gaal Jecel, and the vice presidency to Abgaal. Two elections, one for speaker and the other
for president of the state, were first conducted this month.
Initially, the post of the speaker was supposed to
be an easy choice between Abukar Hassan Ali, an educated politician with
experience in government and the court system, and Sheikh Osman Barre, a
traditional tribal leader. HSM took no chances and made sure “his people” won
the selection process. He backed the traditional elder because he was someone
whom he could influence. Moreover, he suspected that Abukar Hassan Ali, who had
worked with the former head of the country, President Sharif Ahmed, was too
independent to court. Besides, Sharif Ahmed was a rival of HSM and the two are currently
competing for the country’s presidency.
HSM sent two political operatives and Members of Parliament
to buy votes in HirShabelle’s state elections: Dahir Amin Jeesow and Amina Mohamed
Abdi. The two came to Jowhar with loads
of money. Some sources say that they brought with them several hundred thousand
dollars. The duo distributed funds to members of the state parliament to elect HSM’s
pick, Sheikh Barre, and defeat Ali. According to reliable sources, about $6,000
was given to each state parliamentarian, who in return promised to vote for
Barre. It worked. Suddenly, Barre, the dark horse in that race, won 61 votes. So,
HSM was the ultimate winner.
Once the speaker was chosen, the president of the
state was selected. Three candidates were in the running: Ali Abdullahi Osoble,
Ali Mohamed Arale, and Mohamed Abdi Waare. However, Arale’s brother (Abdikarim)
is married to Ossoble’s sister. Therefore,
Ali Arale withdrew from the race.
Ali Ossoble, whose father served as a cabinet member
in Siad Barre’s government, is a quiet man not known for political activism.
His detractors say that he is the type of politician HSM loves to deal with;
malleable, weak, and un-engaging. In
political parlance, he poses no threat to Villa Somalia. Ossoble was selected
as the president of HirShabelle with exactly 61 votes. What is magic about the
number 61? Some believe that the $6,000 given to 61 members of the state
parliament paid for votes for both the new speaker and state president; they were
a package deal. In politics, these critics say, there is no coincidence.
In a BBC interview, Ossoble denied that the election
was questionable. He was introduced to the international community in Mogadishu
last week and then went to Beledweyne. Ugaas Hassan, who had denounced the
formation of HirShabelle as an illegal entity made and manufactured elsewhere, met
Ossoble. Ossoble’’s goal was to bring the chieftain with him to Jowhar so he
could attend the swear-in-ceremony for the new president. It did not happen.
When asked what the two had talked about, Ugaas Hassan issued a terse reply:
“We only discussed about our clan.”
In the next article, I will address the selection of
members of the Upper House from HirShabelle which has yet to be finalized. Sit tight and enjoy the ride.
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