After the collapse of the previous Somalia’s government in 1991, Somalia descended into civil war, clan conflict, terrorism, famine, droughts, and a dysfunctional state. Since 1991, Somalis intellectuals and the international community have formed successive governments, but the efforts have ended vainly and hopelessly due to warlords, clan militias, predatory commercialists, terrorist groups, and indirect elections marred by vote-buying, corruption, intimidation, and little public participation. In addition, this could not bring any effective outcome for the citizens, and the country is still suffering from insecurity, weak institutions, a fragile state, poverty, terrorism, and a lack of public service.
In this opinion article, I examine how the strong state and its institutions contribute to the useful and effective process of democracy because strong institutions shape and constrain the behaviors of people, enforce the law, control violence, resolve conflict, and provide public service. Furthermore, the state is a central determinant of economic and human development, effective social order, as well as constrained conflict and public service depending on the ability and capacity of the state.
In the case of Somalia, the state was dominated by clans, and power was dispersed among the hands of society and tribes. However, armed clans, some of the traditional elders, warlords, terrorism, and predatory business people made it difficult to revive the state, and the democratic process is extremely difficult to achieve in anarchic situations. Indeed, states cannot be democratic if they cannot enforce the law and control violence. A state with capacity, a middle class, and educated citizens can guarantee and ensure democracy, but a violent society like Somalia, which lacks a strong state cannot achieve democracy.
In 2004, research was conducted by the United Nations in Latin American states, and the majority of people indicated that they prefer autocratic leaders who bring food and water on the table rather than elected leaders who cannot. Furthermore, clan conflicts, clan-power sharing, poverty, extreme inequality, a lack of civil society, and illiteracy are undermining Somalia’s democratic process.
The German scholar Max Weber defined a state as “a human community that successfully claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.” Somalia has no effective state because its security and economy depend on the international community, such as African Union troops (AMISOM) backed by the United States of America and European Union countries, and the international community has provided important support to Somalia over the last thirty years in terms of humanitarian intervention, budget support, and other material assistance. The international community does not honestly want the establishment of state revival and institutions to build Somalia. They are seeking their vested interest due to the geopolitical location of the country. Somalia’s politicians tend to embezzle national properties rather than state building, economic growth, and development, enhancing the lives of citizens and achieving universal suffrage and inclusive politics.
A strong state paves the way for the Somali people and also brings order, security, public service, and free and fair democratic elections. Indeed, democracy costs nothing to them because the country is very vulnerable to international and regional interference.
During the election period, we hear this candidate is backed by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, or western countries. Selected leaders are working in the interest of a foreign country rather than in the national interest of Somalia. The lack of a strong state can prevent this political interference from foreign actors and protect the national interest. On the other hand, “Democracy is a political system that holds fair, contested elections regularly with universal and adult suffrage.” Democracy guarantees freedom of speech, protection of minority rights, the rule of law, and civilian command of armed forces. Democracy is a system of governance that provides the best mechanism to fight against poverty and social inequality. And it has accountability, transparency, a sustained state, separate power, and limited power abuse, but it takes time for the country to achieve it. States and institutions require time to mature to attain democracy, and it is difficult for democracy to grow and flourish in anarchy-states like Somalia.
Conclusion: it requires that the intellectuals, politicians, scholars, youth, and women of Somalia must focus on state and institutional building. The extension of the president’s term to six or seven years is critical for the state and its ability to achieve self-determination, economic growth, and development, as well as educated people and the middle class for useful democracy. On the other hand, decision-making is very slow in a democratic state which can have a negative effect on the state building process. For example, the telecommunication bill approved by Somali lawmakers in 2009 was ahead of the parliament for at least nine years. Finally, a strong state is very important for avoiding foreign interference and other local rent-seeking groups and mercenaries who work for foreign interests and destroy the country.
Author: Ahmed Mohamoud Mohamed