Re: The Independent State of Somaliland

Jaduong’ Paul

You asked: "The other day Mr. Owino was speaking about Majimboism which I stated very clearly that if given a chance I will vote for. Then the next time he gives us an example of Somaliland which is a completely an Independent state. MAJIMBOISM AND A COUNTRY are quite different things. So which one are they speaking about? Do you want Majimboism or do you want something like Somaliland , which is like a luo country?"

My response is that I really do not see any contradiction between supporting self-determination/secession, and federalism/majimboism. Although both systems – self-determination and majimboism – are substantially different, I see their goal as essentially being that of bestowing people with rights and mechanisms for controlling their resources. I see them as different pathways to the same destination.

Self-determination and majimboism, for me, are merely different means to an end. One path leads through self-determination; the other path through majimboism, but their goal is the same: the bequeathing of people with the right to have control and say over their resources, destinies, their lives. People no longer want their lives to be at the mercy of heartless ethnic chauvinists and pen and paper-pushers operating in far-away capitals anymore.

After many years of so-called independence, people have seen the perils of a centralized political system and they want it to go. They want the centralized political system to be replaced by either majimboism or self-determination. They want to control their lives; their resources. They want to be governed by people they know and identify with, and who in turn know them and can identify with them.

I must confess that personally I support self-determination [my reasons are ideological and intellectual and I would be willing to explain further if you ask me], but I am democratic enough to be willing to concede and wait and see how the majimbo system will be introduced, implemented, and operated.

If the majimbo system is introduced and implemented and it enables people to have control over their resources, I would not complain very much. I would accept it as the will of the majority even though my heart would still be where it has always been: with self-determination.

Meshack Owino