Ballot for Upcoming Elections must Include Referendum Statement on Dissolving the Union with Somalia
Somaliland has held a referendum in 2001 throughout the country for ratifying the new constitution. That referendum was designed for the approval of the Somaliland Constitution, but it never intended to help the Somaliland case of dissolving its union with Italian Somalia.
Given the historical facts that the union between Somaliland and Somalia was never ratified by combined parliament members of the two countries – Somaliland & Somalia, and subsequent oppression and abuse of the successive regimes of the Somali Republic from 1960 till the end of April 1991 that resulted the genocide and destruction purported by the Somali military in 1988, the people of Somaliland have exercised their right to decide their own destiny by reclaiming their sovereignty. The UN and African Union seats for the Somali Republic have been illegally given to the Somali Federal Government, denying the rights of 4.5 million Somalilanders who are not part of that government at the moment.
Somaliland has been a viable state with a strong government for almost 30 years now, seeking to dissolve its union with Somalia legally, and has made this clear to countries in the region and to the world community as well. In many venues, Somaliland has tabled its case for self-determination and recognition as a sovereign state with Somalia
Somaliland has participated in many talks involving negotiations with Somalia hosted and facilitated by foreign counties in the presence of foreign observers. So far, there are no meaningful results from the encounters between Somaliland and Somalia at all, other than written promises that have not been fulfilled. The reality is that Somalia is not an honest participant of these talks and only wants to drag the Somaliland issue for ever.
But the question is: what does Somaliland plan to do if this is the decision of Somalia?
In Somaliland also in the Sool and Awdal regions, there are those who argue that they have been coerced and are not happy with Somaliland’s independence and that they still want to unite with Somalia. Likewise, similar statements are made by the Somali government.
It is incumbent upon the people of Somaliland and their government to come up with another solution for achieving and realizing the goals and objectives of this nation, otherwise we would never move on from where we are today, had we not changed our approach to this issue.
It has already been agreed by the government and the national political parties to hold the local governments and parliamentary elections soon across the country, which would definitely cost a lot of money to make them happen and would attract the attention of the international community.
With elections looming, Somaliland has a golden opportunity to show the world that the people of Somaliland do not want to be reunited with Somalia, if a referendum statement asking electorates whether they want to regain their sovereignty or want to stay in the union with Somalia is included in the election ballots and supervised by the UN and AU observers.
Such a referendum for self-determination is not a tool that is new to the world, it has already happened in many countries such as South Sudan and East Timor.
The Somaliland government’s efforts to seek recognition should not be limited only to a single route or venue but that quest needs to be diversified by utilizing the other available options such as this referendum, which will put a tremendous pressure on the world community when its outcome comes to light.
This undertaking would not cost Somaliland a penny more than what was originally intended to spend on holding the elections. It is a precious chance to once again demonstrate to the world that people of Somaliland has spoken again and has chosen to reclaim their sovereignty and statehood of 1960. Somaliland people have learned their lesson in a painful way and another unification with Italian Somalia is next to impossible.
About the author:
Omer Ahmed Hassan (MBA)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author/authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Somaliland Intellectuals Institute (SII), its partners, or sponsors. SII is a non-partisan organization that seeks to publish well-argued, policy-oriented articles on Somaliland foreign policy and nation's priorities in education, healthcare, economy, energy, and infrastructure.