For the sake of the Somali people, the despot must go.

Bashi A Moalin [email protected]

Somalia is in a state of crisis, and at the root of the problem is the despot, Abdullahi Yusuf.  He has overstayed his welcome in office, and the only question left is whether or not to call for his immediate impeachment.  It is true that many say we must not impeach the President for fear of the chaos that would follow his departure.  However, I believe that the risk of chaos is far greater if Mr. Yusuf is allowed to remain in power.  My purpose here is to argue that impeachment is indeed our only viable course of action.
It is a fact that the President has been a source of instability in Somalia since his inauguration.  One of his first acts was to bring twenty thousand Ethiopian troops into Somalia, without so much as consulting Parliament, in order to allow himself to rule the country as he wished.  He then exacerbated the situation by appointing his first prime minister, Gedi, also without parliamentary approval.   Mr. Yusuf thus has a history of flouting the safeguards of his office for purposes of serving his own self-interest – a dangerous combination for a  leader of an already troubled nation.
In the present day, the President shows no signs of reversing this trend of disturbing behavior.  Following  the release of a peace deal at a conference in Djibouti that would see him supplanted the following year, Mr. Yusuf attempted again to bypass Parliament and dismiss his current prime minister, who supported the peace deal.  But this action must not be allowed.  If the Somalian government wishes to cling to the few shreds of legitimacy it has left, it must at least follow its own documented guidelines, none of which are more important than the Interim Charter.  The Charter, in article 51, has this to say about the matter:

The President shall appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister and/or the government if it fails to obtain a required vote of confidence from Parliament.

The President may not dismiss the Prime Minister or deputy Prime Minister during the life of the Parliament under any circumstances other than those contemplated under clause 1 of this article. (As cited above.)

Plainly, the Charter is crystal clear about the circumstances under which the President may dismiss the Prime Minister.  Contrary to Mr. Yusuf’s claims, he may not dismiss the Prime Minister whenever he feels like it, but rather only when Parliament supports a motion of no-confidence in the minister.  Nonetheless, the President continues to impose his will on Parliament and on the Somali people.  This time though, he must not be allowed to get away with it.  By acting now, Parliament can redeem itself for past failures and make a positive contribution to the future of the Somali people.  Though it may seem a drastic move, the only means of removing a corrupt, uncooperative head-of-state is via impeachment.
There are two key reasons why impeachment, though drastic, is necessary.  The first is that which I have been arguing for thus far – that Mr. Yusuf is a source of instability in Somalia.  With his despotic, self-serving ways, he is causing far more harm than good and must be removed for the sake of the nation, if he will not go voluntarily.
The second reason is less obvious.  While Mr. Yusuf remains in power, terrorist groups such as al-Shabab are able to use the people’s anger towards him to galvanize support for their cause.  By presenting themselves as the alternative to a crooked and unpopular leader, al-Shabab is able recruit young people who would not otherwise be open to joining a terrorist organization.  However, if the President is impeached, these groups will lose their ability to cast themselves as a viable alternative in the eyes of Somali youth.  For both these reasons, if the President will not voluntarily step aside, he must then be removed.
Once the decision to impeach has been made, the Charter lays out specific guidelines for the process.  Article 43(b & c) read as follows:

(b) The President shall be impeached for the violation of the Charter only if a charge     against him or her has been preferred to Parliament.

(c) Where a motion for impeachment of the President is laid before Parliament.

            (i) The charge shall be preferred in a resolution moved after at least fourteen (14) days notice in writing and signed by not less than one-third of the total number of members of Parliament of their intention to move such a resolution:

            (ii) An investigation shall be conducted of the charge preferred or the cause of the charge and the President shall have the right to appear and to be represented at such an investigation;

            (iii) As a result of the outcome of the investigation, such a resolution shall be passed and voted by at least two-third majority of the members of Parliament;

            (iv) Such resolution shall have the effect of removing the President from his/her office as from the date on which the resolution is so passed.

Following the results of an investigation, the Charter clearly places the President’s fate in the hands of Parliament.  All that is required is the will to begin the process and the courage to see it through.
Impeachment, however, is not the end of the story.  The Somali people need a reason to believe that the next interim president will be a leader who acts in the best interests of Somalia.  So far the current strategy of holding a conference in a foreign nation and having the international community financially endorse a new leader has not been successful.  It could be considered a definition of insanity to repeat the same action and yet expect a different result; after observing a dropped object fall down to Earth ten times, one does not expect that on the eleventh attempt the object will suddenly fall up.  Likewise, there is no reason to suppose that the next Somali leader chosen in this flawed manner will be a person of character who will guide the country through the current state of crisis.  Thus, rather than repeat the same mistakes, the Somali people must instead take control of their destiny and choose their own government rather than have the rest of the world do it for them.  For surely, if one lets the burglar choose the lock for the front door, he will select the one that is easiest to pick.
As a result of being left out of the selection process, it is unlikely that the international community will support impeachment proceedings against Mr. Yusuf.  Many nations have already expressed their wish to see a transfer of power take place next year when the agreement reached in Djibouti comes into effect.  However, based on past and present actions, it is clear that the President will not so easily relinquish power, and surely his backers are more concerned with their own interests than with the fate of Somalia.  As such, the Somali people must reject both the despot and his supporters and cling instead to the principles of democracy, for it is through democracy alone that the country may save itself from anarchy.

Bashi AMoalin

12/23/08