Clan and State

Clan And State , the Somali Context

IN function, organization, development, ambition, goals, aims, attainment, philosophy and growth, state and clan  are in a state of total  antitheses. Since  state originates from clan or say since clan is the mother of states or again say since state is the offshoot of clan ,they  are related and belong to each other in terms of social provenance. What I  mean here is that clans were primitive, divided and disintegrated people without singular leadership, but over time  after they become conscious of their weak and  disharmonious state, they stood  up to organize themselves, build institutions, elect singular leadership and go on in pursue of hoped-for development.

To be clear with what we are discussing, it is appropriate that we look for a source of written and researched document to help us understand the difference between a clan and a state. The Collins Cobuild English  Dictionary puts the difference of the two terms as follows:

Clan : Group of families that are related to each other because they are all descended from the same ancestor. And the definition of state is put like this. State : A country , usually when it is considered in terms of political organization and structure.

Here, the outstanding variance is epitomized by two terms: Organized and Structured and the opposite.

In fact a clannish environ is in a chaotic, lawlessness, divided and always in a situation of clangor and clamor, because the forceful job description, functioning discipline, documented law and order are totally absent, and the chief who claims to control the situation lacks institutions to keep situation under control such as security forces, courts, laws to be followed and socially binding and other acknowledged bylaws. Out of this lawless milieu, the chief uses his charisma, astuteness and sometimes resorts to his hidden and mystic power of being a saint and may call down God’s anger on the opponent, a claim of concealed extraordinary power. In contrast people normally give heeding to visible power and physical authority that the concerned is aware that if he does not comply with the established discipline, actions may be taken against him. That is how to keep harmonious social order, which is not known at the chief and his surroundings.

A clan usually remains a zero level of social development and organization where total transformation is inevitable to be launched if real leadership is to be used as a tool for change. An outstanding example of total social transformation can be taken what Prophet Mohamed(Peace be Upon) found in the Arabian Dark days, Jaahiliya,  where it  was normal that a father would bury his daughter alive because she was simply a female, to just mention one instance  in addition to the  myopic worshipping of  idols. The horrible situation was a clan killing another clan because they were divided into “they and we”. This was the highest mark of depiction of ignorance, shedding human blood for no good reason and always remaining in such a treacherous and malignant environ and senseless hatred.

But by the virtue of an ideal and single-minded leadership, with the help of Allah, and with the aid of the loyal men trained and oriented according to the teaching of  Qur’aan and  Hadith, in two decades time, there appeared in the place of  ignorance enlightened community  , worshippers in the night and mujahidin in the day time. The Prophet and his men did not use a single bullet to cower people. Instead they resorted to the purest method of teaching human, the way of Allah, and in a very short period of time they succeeded to launch a total social transformation in Arabia and other target area. This amazing achievement had never been attained through threat or violence, but through good will, good language, tolerance, consultation, mutual understanding and real portrayal cooperation and brotherhood in the path of Allah. There was no rich class or poor class; the rich were helping the poor and the poor stayed patients if resources were not in plenty. And removing people from the darkness of ignorance to the shining light of knowledge and the way of Allah, this complete transformation had been realized, with everlasting way of building ceaseless inspiration and aspiration.

   As Naima  Osman indicated in her recent essay published by Hiranonline, the problem of failure of leadership greatly contributes to and plays a great role in the ailing circumstance:

Over the past 32 years, Somali elites, politicians, educators, elders, and the public at large were seeking to find a stable Somalia that is at peace with itself. All attempts have failed to deliver a tangible and lasting solution. Renewed clan tensions and robbery of government meager resources dominated the news.

 Most politicians run for an office to accumulate wealth. They have no mercy on the plight of the people. The root cause of the entire leadership failure is related to the culture of nominating unqualified people to lead government institutions.

   Wanting to just add some comment to this very good expression, I may go back to 1980s when the ministry of health came under the leadership of three generals as : Abdalla Fadil, Musa Rabbile Goot and  Omar Hagi Masalle. At the same time, there were qualified doctors who were ready to take up the leadership of the ministry of health, one of the most important institutions of the country.

This simple account is in depiction of how human being can make change, if they want to and act accordingly seriously.  And this is an example of how to build a state, regardless of its methodology and means and depending on the aim and purpose behind the action to be taken, anyway let’s say a social service and delivery of message, each one’s message is the goal.

Clannish countries like Somalia suffer a kind of confusion of leadership, because clan leadership and national leadership cannot remain as a espoused couple. A clan leadership and national leadership work in opposite ways. While the national leadership fights for uniting the nation, the clan leaders battle for dividing the nation and each clan chief takes a part of the people to let them remain under his loyalty.  This tenacious confusion is a real challenge to the management of the country, in particular these days where political crises are created by locals and foreigners for Somalia according to each part’s interest.

As a  Sudanese thinker referring to the absence of the central government of Somalia pointed out years back,  a nation without central government is nothing but a human being without backbone,, because those who secede from the central government on the basis of tribal cause will finally disintegrate into smaller cleavages, much less than a state. The point these guys are missing is that if every clan leader is given political recognition, then Somalia will at least disintegrate into 35 clan families, which is more of a headache than a solution.

Since the collapse of the central government of Somalia in 1991 power of chieftaincy increased taking advantage of the absence of the central authority. But obviously, this is at the expense of the national interest, a country without security forces to defend it where foreigners, civilians and otherwise, just enter freely and exit the country freely. The present central government, with its inherent weakness, at least enjoys the voice and say of a legitimate central authority. When some years back the Kenyan government launched its rapaciously illegal desire to annex part of the marine territory of Somalia, the government of Somalia submitting a complaint about the Kenyan encroachment to the International Court of Justice which ruled the disputed territorial water in favor of Somalia. This means that the voice of the Somali government was heard and respected.  What no Somali with right conscience will never forget and forgive was that Abdiwali, the then leader of the Northeastern region of Somalia threw his support behind the Kenyan claim, showing his arrant hatred towards the Somali people and their rightful territorial integrity. This is also part of the adversary tendency of clan against another clan. In fact, the case in dispute is not an argument among Somali clans, but between Somalia and a foreign claim, an enemy already enjoying and ruling part of the Somali territory, taking advantage of colonial misdeeds.

As a complex example out of secessions and lawlessness, three parties laid claims to Las-Anod town:  The North Western region, the Northern Eastern region and the late Dr. Galaydh at the time fighting for getting recognition for Khatumo. Can we have a fair-minded judge to study the complex case and impart a just verdict?

One extremely complex scene could take us back to recall the conflict for power sharing among clans. The Keyan hosted Somali clan conference which kept continuing for 24 months starting in 2002 and ended in 2004 was astonishingly complex scenario.  This was a conundrum. If we fail to deliver ourselves from the shackles of clannish fiefdom, then we will end up in a ceaseless struggle and permanent accusation and counter accusation and the world will view us as strange people who are fond of disputes and pugnacity and fruitless discussions. And under this cantankerous and ever increasing argumentative negative portrayal will put into question if the sovereignty and true governance of Somalia can any longer exist. A serious warning. And this milieu will forever go on until we will be able to come to the grip with  reality and choose the right path of leading a country , not a clan, where personality of  cult will  have a  vital position, but  where  discipline, job description, mutual understanding, tolerance, law and order will dominate our environment, and as a result we will be able to build a structured and institutionalized  offices  whose singular objective and target are to serve the modern state of  Somalia, with empowered  single-minded leadership , trustworthy  , selective and  mandated by the people . To accomplish a modern task of a modern state, we must separate   the conflict-ridden notion of the clan leadership and the chief and the national leadership of the daily executive task and the statesmen whose job is focused on uniting the nation and providing citizens with the service they deserve, health, education, employment, accommodation and security. Nations are built by committed statesmen, not by clan chief.

Ahmednur Sheikh Ali.