SOMALINET NEWS ...Archives
SOMALIA: MR GEDDI AND THE WINDING ROAD AHEAD May 18, 2005
<|somalipm.jpg|Somali PM|left|>After a weeklong visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Somali Prime Minister Mr. Ali Mohamed Geddi came back to Nairobi, his government’s temporary headquarters.
Mr. Geddi, a former veterinary professor has very hard and complicated work ahead of him.
One third of parliament members left for Mogadishu without consulting him. Mogadishu warlords refused to accept African troops. Baydabo, one of the two cities he and the president planned to use until the capital is secured fell into the hands of their opposition last month.
Despite of all of this and many other problems like financial shortcomings and corrupt politicians, Mr. Geddi is determined to turn Somalia around. However, many people do not take him serious since he is not one of the warlords and doesn’t have militia and heavy weapons.
The PM says all Somalis would love to see Somalia liberated from the handful of warlords who control all aspects of everybody’s life. His agenda is to isolate them by gaining public trust. He says the warlords who crippled Somalia will not continue their dominance if the little boys they use are given a better alternative.
One of his soft rivals is the Speaker of the House, Mr. Sharif Hassan Adan who allegedly sided with Mogadishu warlords for political and other reasons we decided not to publish.
Mr. Geddi’s hope to make Somalia a habitable and safe place depends largely on world community and the success of the African troops. No matter how much public support he is enjoying now, use of force is necessary in order to accomplish some of the tasks ahead.
Few individuals made fortunes from the absence of government and will do whatever it takes to bring down anyone who tries to establish one. For instance, there are over sixty roadblocks where armed men extort money from drivers and passengers in Mogadishu alone. A Somali website (midnimo.com) published the ownership of these roadblocks a couple of months ago. According to midnimo.com most of them belong to well-known warlords who are now campaigning to bring the new government down. These same men are now beating the patriotic drum and saying we don’t want Mr. Geddi because he is going to bring foreign forces into the country.
The prime minister argues the armed men who oppose him have no vision except make fortunes at the expense of the general public. He says his government will open an office in the heart of Mogadishu and nobody can stop him from coming to the city. He hails from Mogadishu area native Abgal tribe and has good support among his clansmen.