Re: The Independent State of Somaliland

Mr. Okumu and Mr. Owino

I have read your ideas and I am pleased how you have explored the situation we are now. Infact it is good that Mr. Okumu mentioned Finland and its history. To add more Finland got her independence from the Communist Russia in 1917. After that it immediately had her currency the Finnish Mark upto 1995 when it joined the European union. But 60% of Finnish foreign trade was with the Soviet union and that boosted the economy during the cold war.

After the collapse of soviet union for Finland to survive it joined the EU to protect itself from constant devaluation of the Mark and the unstable economy. I do not know how long Mr. Okumu and Mr. Owino has been living in England. If long enough you would remember that Britain was one of the countries which was against Finland joining the European Union because of its poor economy at the that time. Where 30-40% of the work force were jobless and the weak Finnish Mark. What I am saying is this, any nation can be independent, but following the present econonomic situations you will have to be dependent in a good well organised environment to survive well. Another thing is the ethnic people living in Finland. The people called Finnish came to the land now called Finland from Hungary, and on their way here their other brothers remained in Estonia, but the land called Finland had its own inhabitants, called the Samea, who have a language of their own and have been fighting for their recognation just as the Australian aborigins up to now. Now they can learn in school their mother language also as a subject. There are also the Swedish speaking, the Gypsies and the Russians. Finalnd has 2 official languages Finnish and Swedish. The Russians are now fighting for their language to be made official. What I am saying is that if Finland yield to these independent situations, there will be no country called Finland left, but under the European union the country is safe because the umbrella covers everybody.

You can see even that now in Scotland it does not bother the English people very much about Scotish independent since there is a EU law which everybody is hopping might be ratifyed.

Okey lets go back to kenya: We all like to be an expert on something. Being an expert does wonders for our self confidence. But we need to remember how limited and partial our expertise can be. 60-70% of Luos are living around Lake Victoria, and upto now that lake`s water and land around that lake up to the Nile in Cairo has not been resolved. With Egypt holding and deciding how that water can and should be used. We have not solved that yet. And as a big country Kenya or east Africa Union we do stand a chance of solving it with no fear of things LIKE DAFUR area right now. The few luos do not have a chance of fighting a big coiuntry like Egypt at the moment. That water is more important to Egypt than the oil in DARFUR area now giving Sudan headache. Remember water is LIFE.

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?. Mr. Okumu went back to Histrory which is a very good thing. I will add this the Communist leaders told their people that communism gave people freedom from hunger and unemployment, but they ignored the fact that freedom FROM is very DIFFERENT from the FREEDOM TO``. We are living today, the future of course does not exist. the future is no more than the idea in our minds.

We are the leaders in our community or a part of those who will be leaders. I still believe that an effective leader does not propose a certain course of action until he has carefully looked at the difficulties and the consequences involved. It is not what happens to us which determines what we do but how we intepret what has happened to us. No two people intepret a situation in exactly the same way. Even at the moment if a luo is or was the Kenyan President he will not accept apart of Kenya to be indepedent believe me or not.

I am saying, let us bring ideas to the table for what is good for our country kenya and how we can integrate that good nation, i think we do have a chance if we go for Majimboism instead of some Somaliland type of independence. Look what somali people have gone through, look at DAFUR how many years has it took them and how many years will it take them to build it to look like London or Helsinki where some of us are staying right now?.

And whose blood do you want to split?.

People do what they do not because their action are the outcome of some physical changes which can be expressed in the form of a scientific law, but because thay have intepreted a situation in a particular way and this will go on for a very long time. Well somebody said Take great care when everyone diagrees with you. BUT take even greater care when everyone agrees.

To me having one Kenya as a country with majimboism is more appropriate than some thing like somaliland or DAFUR. If it happens like Dafur or Somaliland i do think that even people who are now suggesting it might remain in exile until things turns out better which might not happen in our generation. And will be reading news how our dear brothers are being slaughtered from a distant country.

Bye Paul Nyandoto, Finland. 15th. May 2007.

PAUL O. NYANDOTO M.D
E-mail: paul.nyandoto aT pHsotey doT fI
or
E-mail: Paul.nyandoto At pshp Dot  Fi