The Somaliland was outraged by an out-of-context misinterpretation which gossip-mongers and Somaliland political parties made to the analogies that ex-minister of finance Abdel Aziz M Samaale made at the handover ceremony of ministry on Saturday.
Mr. Samaale, a learned scholar in Koranic and oriental studies, made allusions to stories of conspiracy and deception included in Sura Yusuf of the Holy Koran to highlight a suspicion of subversion he harbors. He believes that this lead, largely, to the sudden change of heart inherent in the President’s transfer of responsibilities made to him in latest reshuffle. Mr. Samaale alluded to the story of deceit and envy which led to Nebi (prophet) Yusuf being dropped to a bore hole by his own brothers. When they returned to their father, Prophet Shu’aib, wailing, howling, and shedding crocodile tears, they told him that wolves devoured him after they left him alone for a short period to look after the herd alone.
The story, whose verses he recited, was that of the wife of the Pharoah at the time who erringly accused him of wrong-doing that she later regretted.
In both stories, the objective was to highlight that there were elements that intentionally worked hard to put a distance between him and his closest ally and mentor, the President. Mr. Samaale did not make any bones of airing his suspicion that his erstwhile political opponents within the ruling party and the government were behind the unexpected chill of relations between him and the President.
In both stories, Mr. Samaale meant to underline that he will bide his time and the truth will eventually bare the selfish machinations of his adversaries bare, absolving him from all blame. The wedge placed there, he made it clear, will be automatically removed by time, and that ‘saboteurs’ will trip over themselves on their own.
The audience at the ceremony understood it as such and never lent any other shades to the analogies made.
‘Backfire’
It was later in the evening that elements who wished to win the favors of the presidential palace went to full time gear. In their haste, they gave Samaale’s words a misinterpretation that was more damaging to the palace than anything a whole army of saboteurs could have wrought. They took the words so out of context that they insulted not only Mr. Samaale but more so to the First Lady, Islam, Somaliland cultural norms, and the whole nation.
They forgot that any allusion made to the First Lady in connection with any aspersion to her person or integrity, reflected back to all Somalilanders young and old, here or anywhere as the First Lady embodied all that was good and honorable in the nation as its First Lady. In effect, the First Lady was the mother of the nation as long as the President was in power and for all time that followed (Um el Ummah).
Political Parties?
At least the hand of Waddani was not concealed, not hidden at all.
The very next morning, all the media that tow the Chairman’s lead along clan lines published the grossly misconstrued intentions of the outgoing minister. Not that alone, but they passed it on to their puppeteers, running them from afar, such as the southern media pirate –Dahir Alasow- who spelt out what the architects laid forth. This ex-checkpoint killer of Mogadishu, Alasow, never lost a second to abrogate all that Somaliland stood for since the ascent of President Siilaanyo to power in 2010.
Outrage
The public were at first shocked by the intensity of the hate emanating from the misinterpretations. Then they were outraged by the gall and temerity of the perpetrators.
“Samaale could have never said what they intimate he said,” a lady at the Waaheen parlors said. “He is a sheikh and we all know why he was driven to recite the verses”.
“These people are nitwits, and would never be anything else,” another responded.
“Samaale has shown his mettle and loyalty to the President in the most practical of terms – and ways. Nothing a detractor says would diminish any of his illustrious history. Many of us are grateful to what he has achieved in only three years in office,” a young college student added.
Grapevine
It is expected that Mr. Samaale and the palace mend any fences that might have been possibly bent by the gusts of envy and bad intentions to drive each side to extremes that can be avoided. The process leading to this development was speeded up by the velocity on which subversive elements wish to severe all relations between the two sides.
Somaliland has a tradition of settling its own rifts and scuffles without making much ado of it. This will be no different.
Listen to Mr. Samaale’s words in their original context:
