Donald B. Kipkorir
10 October 2008
column
Nairobi — When I called for Somali's division last week, I expected the vitriolic reaction I have received from the war-weary country's refugees in the US, Britain, Denmark, Eritrea and Mogadishu.
But what shocked me most was the reaction of Somalis with passports of Kenya, America, the UK, Denmark and Canada.
Websites and blogs have been set up that have deliberately misinterpreted my views on Somalia's annexation. My article was not based on religious considerations -- far from it.
I stand by my position that Southern Sudan is our strategic ally and not the Khartoum government.
The Khartoum administration has aligned itself with the Middle East Arab countries, whose world view is different from Kenya's.
Somalis who have reacted angrily to my thoughts have the mistaken view that they are Arabs and that Kenyans are blacks. Some even called me a monkey or a nigger, saying that blacks are predestined to serve them.
Somalis and Oromos of Ethiopia are Cushitic in race, while Arabs are Semitic. Somalis' future thus lies in being one with their cousins in either Kenya or Ethiopia, and not on creating an Arab caliphate in East Africa.
Kenya and Ethiopia have a duty as the brother's keeper to impose peace on Somalia -- and annexation is one of the options.
In denouncing my thoughts and supporting the pirates and the Islamic Courts Union in their country, and even calling them patriots, Somalis carrying passports of other countries other than theirs have crossed the line of treason.
One cannot carry a country's passport and owe allegiance to another. This split loyalty brings to the fore the issues of tribalism, nationalism and patriotism.
Tribe is the least denominator of nationhood. In it people share a language as well as culture and cultural beliefs. Richard Hendler, a highly regarded anthology professor at the University of Virginia, USA, says that nations have "...boundedness, continuity and homogeneity..."
When the European imperial powers divided Africa among themselves in the mid-19th Century, artificial state boundaries were imposed on us. Within these borders we have striven to cobble up nation-states, but with varying degrees of success.
However, due to the boundaries, our loyalty is now to the state, and not the tribe, when the two conflict. My ethno-nationalist beliefs do not in any way undermine my loyalty to Kenya despite its imperfections. Nationalism is our spiritual consciousness.
However, a state is not nothingness; it is limited in space and time. It has clearly defined boundaries and a common language, principles, flag and national ethos and strategy.
Kenya, by all standards, is a state, while Somalia is a state in name only as it does not even have one flag.
Ethical nationalism principles demand that when the interests of one's state conflict with those of another, all citizens must come together.
Patriotism, the higher ideal that calls for the love of one's country above all else is not synonymous with sycophancy or blind subservience to the state. Roman Catholics' allegiance is to the pope in Rome and Muslims to the ummah, but the fealty is ecclesiastical and does not supplant the temporal authorities.
Thus, thinking of setting up a Catholic holy state or an Islamic caliphate in Kenya amounts to treason.
Treason and sedition laws in Kenya and many other countries are aimed at preventing the people from undermining national interests.
It is in the strategic interest of our country that a caliphate is not set up in East Africa. And this converges with the strategic interests of many other countries, including most, if not all, Islamic ones.
Thus, when people carrying passports of Kenya, Canada, the UK, Britain and Denmark e-mail or publish articles supporting an Islamic caliphate's actions, they cross their nationalism and patriotism lines.
How can one justify the Somali pirates' actions? How can one turn a blind eye to the country's failed status? And how dare one claim that Somalia is better off than Kenya?
Kenya cannot make much progress as long as Somalia remains the sick man of eastern Africa, and Ethiopia cannot export or import goods as long as Somalia remains a failed state. History places the onerous duty on Kenya and Ethiopia to resolve the Somalia problem.
Somalis in Kenya and those ensconced in the luxury and freedoms of Europe and the US must hold their peace.
Somalis in the diaspora must choose what passport they wish to carry; one cannot enjoy the citizenship and privileges of a peaceful country and want Kenya to live next to one that gives sanctuary and succour to its enemies.
Kenyans have a patriotic duty to safeguard national interests, irrespective of tribal, religious and political persuasions.
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WE SHARE THE HATE OF PEACE WITH OUR NEIGHBOURS LIKE KENYA,WHO CAN NEVER AGREE AN ISSUE WITH OUT THE PRESENCE OF A WHITE MAN.WE DO NOT SHARE WITH OUR KENYAN BROTHERS THE HABIT OF HACKING AND KILLING WITH MACHETES.WE DIFFER ON THAT.WE SHARE OUR KENYAN BROTHERS TO STARVE.WE DONT SHARE OUR KENYAN NEIGHBOURS THE AIDS.WE ARE THE MOST FREEDOM LOVING PEOPLE ON EARTH.WE DONT LIKE GOVERNMENT,LET ALONE FOREIGN OCCUPATION OR INTERVENTION.WE HATE TAXES AND ESTABLISHMENT INTERFERING OUR LIVES. IF ARE LEFT ALONE,AND THERE WOULD BE NO ARMING OF OUR PEOPLE AGAINST EACH OTHER BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES WE WOULD BE IN PEACE.FOR KENYA ANNEXING SOMALIA..HA HA..HA..JUST PIRATES BRIGADE IS ENOUGH TO MARCH ALL THE WAY TO NAIROBI WITH LITTLE RESISTANCE FROM KENYAN ARMY. ABOU ETHIOPIA? HISTORY TEACHES US THEY CAN NOT STAND AGAINST SOMALIA WITHOUT A EUROPIAN OR FOREIGN POWER RESCUING THEM IN THE LAST MINUTE.
i dont think a country that cant even handle its own security can match to garissa let alone nairobi... if this somali guy thinks that somalia has no aids and that they dont kill each other i would invite him to watch aljazeera the muslim news tv station... oh i forgot most somalis dont have tv's let alone cable tv... i think that kenya should either invade that foresaken somali state or close our borders completely they are parasites...
I wholeheartedly agree with Modaheer291. Ethiopia and Kenya can't defend themselves from the tenacity, ingenuity and ferocity of the Somali warrior. But that is beside the point. Correct me if I am wrong, as I do not follow Kenya's politics (I admit unabashedly I could care less)they are the same folks who hacked each others heads off for an election just months back. Kenyans live in LA LA land if they think they are a nation living in peace. Underneath that seemingly tranquil surface lies a smoldering volcano about to release its energy and scald anything and anybody that comes across it. In due time Kenya will disintegrate into however many tribes call themselves Kenyans. Ethiopia is no exception. There are over 200 tribes in Ethiopia! Don't tell me they coexist peacefully. I take my Somalis any day. ONE people. ONE faith. ONE culture.
By the way to the person who left the first comment: I come from Djibouti and proud to call myself Somali. I don't agree with your premise that Djibouti and Yemen want to annex Somalia. Quite the contrary, I do believe in the SOOMALI WEYN (the 5 stars). Don't know the 5 stars? Ask someone who does as I am not in the mood to teach an ignorant hominoid such as yourself.
Tell em' Brother!!! Tell em'!!! Not just Kenyans and Ethiopians but also all the international community and their neighbors - the Djiboutians, the Yemenis - feel the same way you expressed in your article. There are some pigs(for the lack of a better word) in Somalia - who call themselves "Arab" and think they are tough - and believes in instability. And stability begins by forming a central government. What they couldn't comprehend is transitional government is the FIRST STEP to form a central government. Today they are fighting to destroy their T.F.G. - meaning destroy their own country. One thing is for sure - the Kenyan and Ethiopian brothers will stand together until Somalia forms a government that is CIVIL AND FRIENDLY to its neighbors. Did I say the new Somalia government MUST BE CIVIL AND FRIENDLY WITH ITS NEIGHBORS??!! AND IT'S NOT NEGOTIABLE!!! We can't afford any more animosity in this world - especially when they consume our resources and enjoy the peace and freedom we provided them. So it's very simple - recognize and respect your neighbors then you can have a country. If you wage jihad on your neighbors, you will never have a country and will never have peace as long as we(peace-loving kenyans and Ethiopians) are alive. One last question I have, where have you been all this time Mr. Kipkorir? Africa need more geniuses like you and keep writing your "straight forward, no non-sense" article. EXCELLENT RENDITION.