Wake up!!!!

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Wake up!!!! ; by : Prof. Abdi Ali Jama.

Markets are for exchanging goods and services. However, there are some things which are not culturally for market. Societies with different cultures decide which things are not for sale. However, those things are marketable if left unregulated; That is, they can be exchanged and set prices for them, but societies that respect themselves do not legitimize them to be bought and sold. Such things, among others, are drug dealing, human organs , vote purchase and sex trade or even exam- related corruptions like cheating and exam paper trading.

It is unethical and hence illegal to conduct such above mentioned activities, though marketable, in Muslim and nonMuslim countries alike. If something is illegal and unethical, public disgrace and stigma is associated. In this context, a market for buying and selling votes should not be allowed. However, we see in election times, Somali people do buy and sell votes. Why we don’t associate with the stigma and the opprobrium that we adhere to prostitution and drug dealing, if they do belong to same category.

Organs are donated not sold. However, in some corrupt countries like India and Pakistan, you may be able to buy a kidney if yours failed. But, in developed countries, as far as I know, it is very difficult if not impossible to get an organ for sale. Organs are donated humanely and voluntarily by some people who have the gut to do so. Many Somali people in the west get flabbergasted when they are given a health form to fill. In that particular form, you are asked to manifest if you agree to be given an organ in case of need.  Then you will be asked if you would as well donate your organs to others in case of death, for instance.  Obviously, you would contravene if you said yes in the first question and no to the latter. Any selfish person would be trapped in dilemma!!!!!

Some ethical issues are controversial and highly contentious between different cultures and sometimes even within same society. However, the issues we are now concerned like drug dealing, selling organs and buying votes, among others, are agreed up on by virtually all societies with disparate cultures.

Somali election that is taking place in Mogadisho right now is a living example for marketing the unmarketable. If it is illegal to buy or sell an organ for ethical reasons;  vote buying is more unethical and inhumane than any other illegal activity.

In Somaliland, we do sell and buy votes in election days. I wonder why we don’t wake up so that we would be able to get to know that we are trading the untradeable.  Students from primary to university level, cheating in examination days is very common. No compunction, guilt feeling or stigma. This reflects how far the society is derailed from the right track, despite the fact that we are continuously preached by Imams. In my view, we should shun vote buying the same way we reject adulteration or drug dealing.

All in all, values and ethical principles of certain society are considered to be the yield of long evolutionary dynamic social, economical and cultural amalgamation that did take part and contributed to shape and formulate the society in consideration. Therefore, in order to comprehend better, we need to further study the factors that have been in operation to determine the cultural values of our society.

Prof: Abdi Ali Jama