Bogga Wararka ee www.Somaliland-democracy-watch.co.uk

Don't Vote Blindly

Waxa qoray: Faisal Aideed, Dhahran SA

We somalilanders have the duty to go to the polls in less than a week and vote . we have the opportunity moreover, to elect public officials who will work for the policies that reflect our needs. there virtue or lack therof is a judgment not only on them, but on us. Because of this, I urge my fellow citizens to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rehetoric critically, and to choose their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or mere self-interest. We should not be in the dark about where the parties and candidates stand and we should not vote blindly.

I am deeply concerned about the spread of corruption, which is a virus capable of discrediting public institutions and private corpoations and having a devastating impact on the human rights of populations, and thus undermining society and its development, affecting in particular the poor. I am convinced that example should be set by governments in ensuring the integirty of their officials which apparently the current administration failed to acheived so far. Corruption and unethical behavior by public officials are serious threats to basic principles of our religion.

Knowlege: In this day of high-tech complexity, is the old adage "Knowlege is power" as relevant as it used to be. leaders have had a to rely on the expertise of their workers since before the Industrial Revolution, nowadays understanding what your ministers do is an even more daunting challenge. It is more important than ever for a leader to design good systems of reporting, hiring the right people, and put togather the proper multidisciplinary advisory groups. a leader needs enough understanding to fashion an intelligent strategy which apparently the current somaliland administration lacking too. The people in power are the poeple who are constantly able to discover new and relevant knowlege.