In my last article, I promised that I will answer the question I was asked by my friend Bahdon (what would I do if I were Rayale?) in an article. In this piece I will try to explain in details what I would do if I were Rayale. But before I do, I would like to shed some lights on the meaning of ‘leadership’ and the characteristics of a leader. I would then act like the president and spell out what I would do in the course of my little time on the chair.
Leadership
In its simplest form of definition from the encyclopedia, ‘Leadership is the ability of an individual to set rules for others and lead from the front. It is an attitude that influences the environment around us’.
Leadership is learned in many ways. It is a fact that one is not born to be a leader any more than he/she is born to be a doctor or an engineer. One might say that there is no best way to learn anything. But when it comes to leadership, I believe that the best way to learn leadership is through our religion. Yes, our good religion teaches us many things.
Through reflections of our nature we can learn many good things. We all can remember the story of Haabiil and Qaabiil and the little bird Allah (SW) sent to teach burying the dead. Geese flying in groups are a lesson for the human beings to learn the benefits of working together and leadership. And there are countless stories of how we as human beings can learn from Mother Nature.
Like wise leadership traits can be learned in the emulation of the divine qualities of all mighty, the creator of the universe - Allah (SW); Divine qualities of Asma' al-xusnaa (the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah) can teach us a lot about leadership qualities.
Before I get into the characteristics of a leader, I must mention the fact that a leader is first and foremost responsible and subservient to all mighty Allah (SW). Secondly, a leader is responsible to the community, whose loyalty could only be expected if he fulfilled his obligations to them. The ideal leader therefore, is a servant – both to Allah and to the people.
Characteristics of a leader:
A leader must be tough and forceful
Being a leader involves being an effective implementer. A leader must enforce the rules and regulations of the land. A leader models leadership qualities by ensuring that the laws are not taken solely by the hands of a few. A leader must communicate these principles in speech and in deed clearly. A leader must be tough and forceful when the need of the community calls on action.
This characteristic reflects the names of all mighty Allah (SW) - (al-casiis, Mighty, al-Qawi, the Strong.)
A leader must listen
For a leader to be conscious of the needs of his people, he must be a very good listener. He must remain in touch with the people. He must not stand aloof but must be accessible to all and listen to their needs and must visit them so that he observes and knows what the plight of the people is.
This characteristic reflects the names of all mighty Allah (SW) - (al-Samiic, the All-Hearing, al-Basiir, the All-Seeing)
A leader must be a facilitator
An effective leader must be a facilitator. For his nation to be successful, a leader must conduct continuous broad public dialogue, with a great variety of suggestions and opinions. A leader must find creative ways to prioritize and balance all the interests of the people in a fair and inclusive way.
This characteristic reflects the name of all mighty Allah (SW) - (al-xakiim, the All-Wise)
A leader must be a Trustee
A leader must work hard to build mutual trust and agreement on principles of fairness among his people, as a basis for cooperative efforts in which all have some expectation of shared benefit. An effective leader must always make sure that all groups (tribes) trust each other and not take advantage of each other. A leader must be a unifier. A leader must find and provide a means to solve all problems in the best way.
This characteristic reflects the names of all mighty Allah (SW) – (al-Muqaddim, the Expediter, al-Jamic, the Gatherer, and AL-wakil, the Trustee.)
A leader must be a governor
An effective leader must direct, manage, conduct, govern, measure, and plan actions which happen in his country. A leader must not allow a community (tribe) to dictate to others and take advantage of the other community or tribe and try to bend the will of the other partner.
This characteristic reflects the name of all mighty Allah (SW) – (al-waali - the Governor)
A leader must be just
A leader must stand for justice. He must be an eminently just man. A leader must be the sort of a man who opposes if he believes some thing is unjust. A leader must preach and practice equality. A leader must see the loop holes of the constitution and close them for good. A leader must stand for the rights of all.
This characteristic reflects the name of all mighty Allah (SW) – (al-caadil - the Just.)
These are a few of the many characteristics a leader can learn through the emulations of the divine qualities of all mighty Allah (SW). I am not saying that a leader must be perfect but one thing that is worth mentioning is the fact that the leader must keep in mind he will answer for his deeds in the judgment day infront of All mighty Allah but not in the house of the GUURTI.
Basing my points on the above characteristics of a leader, here is what I would do if I were honorable Rayaale – The president of Somaliland:
First and foremost, It is a sure thing that there is a need which is calling for an action in Somaliland and to act on it needs toughness. I would therefore, act and emulate like the ‘al-qawi’ characteristic and commit myself to be tough and prepare myself to answer for the call.
I would live on the reflections of my name – Dahir (clean). I would dedicate myself to Dahir (clean) Somaliland from the mess it accumulated for the last sixteen years politically, socially and economically.
A good leader is he who always keeps in touch with his people. A leader must listen and experience the plight of his people. To fulfill and emulate the ‘al-samiic and the ‘al-basir’ characteristics, I would prepare myself for a long journey. I would visit Awdal from corner to corner and conduct broad public dialogue with the people of Awdal, listen to them, get their opinions and see first hand the economical difficulties people of Awdal are facing. That also fulfills the ‘al-muqaddim’ and ‘al-wakiil’ characteristics. Of course, I would stay an extra day in Qunujeed to see the surroundings, climb the mountain and have a sneak at Gogti.
I would then prioritize the consultations and emulate like the ‘al-waali’ characteristic. I would set up a uniform committee which reflects the founding tribes of the confederacy of Somaliland and gather people from all walks of life and instruct them to get their heads together and come up with a just and fair formula to share the power in Somaliland. I would study their recommendations and reject if I see them imbalanced with out any reservations. But if the recommendations seem to be fair I would amend them into the constitution.
A leader is to be fair and preach equality all the time. This characteristic emulates the ‘al-caadil’ divine quality. This quality is the most important but seems to be lacking in Somaliland. In acting like it, I would abolish the cabinet and all the nominated committees. I would then nominate a fair and just cabinet and committees that reflect the shape of the people of Somaliland in accordance to the proportional clan population. In addition, I would decree that the house representatives be elected in accordance to the new fair formula as well as the Gurti.
Somaliland is comprised of six regions. Awdal is the only Samaroon region. To play fair and let Awdal compete with the other regions, I would divide Awdal into at least two regions and let the other region(s) be named by its people. This puts Awdal in a fair leveled play ground.
In conclusion:
I would be tough and forceful when the need of any community calls on action. I would always remain in touch with the people. I would not stand aloof but would be accessible to all and listen to their needs. For Somaliland to be successful, I would conduct continuous broad public dialogue and would work hard to build mutual trust and agreement on principles of fairness among my people. If I were Rayale, I would not allow any particular tribe to dominate and take advantage of the other tribes. If I were Rayale, I would stand for justice and would be an eminently just man. I would be the sort of a president who opposes if some thing smells unjust.
That is what I would do if I were Rayale. Unfortunately, I am not Rayale and I don’t want to be the President of Somaliland but would gladly beg for the vice-president of Kulmiye … and that is if you know what I mean !!!
To the president, honorable Rayale, with all due respect, emulate the divine qualities and act on the reflections of your name (Dahir) and I assure you that you will leave a legacy for Somaliland as well as Awdal and will never here the names of the “….”
Now, to my friend Bahdon, you got it right, here is my question to you:
What would you do if you were Siilaanyo?
This article was first published on 2008-8-28
Suleiman Abdi Dugsiye
douksi@warsanmag.com
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