Eid Reflections. Renewing Trust, Restoring Respect

From the spirit of Eid to the ethics of leadership. A call to reclaim trust through honesty, dignity, and mutual respect. These are not optional ideals, but the foundation of responsible governance and real political renewal in Somalia. The Return of MI’s 5 Minutes of Fame - After a short break during Ramadan, MI’s 5 Minutes of Fame is back. I stepped away on purpose. Ramadan, at least for me, is not a time to keep running at full speed. It is a time to slow down, to think properly, and to look at things that sit beyond the daily noise. Work continues, but the focus shifts. Faith, values, purpose. The things we often say matter, but rarely give enough time to. This year, that pause became more personal than usual. It turned into a quiet internal journey. A chance to reassess what really matters, to question a few assumptions, and to look again at issues not just as headlines, but as deeper, longer-term realities. Now we are back. Week 9. There is a lot to catch up on, and we will. As always, I will keep this space honest. The good will be recognised. The not-so-good will be addressed. And the “don’t-go-there” issues will not be avoided. No soft language. No selective silence. Nothing has changed in that regard. I will say things as they are. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. At the same time, I ask one thing from you. Trust what you read here. But also check it. Question it. As Ronald Reagan once said, trust, but verify. Where necessary, when necessary. Let’s get back to it. Week 9. After Ramadan. A Necessary Pause, A Necessary Return. As I mentioned in the accompanying video, we return at a rather strange moment. These are, as the old saying goes, “interesting times.” Not in a good way. The kind of times people once described as a curse. Even in what is supposed to be the year of the horse, things are not just moving fast, they are galloping out of control. Geopolitical noise is everywhere. Crisis after crisis dominates the headlines. It pulls attention, shapes narratives, and often distracts from what actually matters. But beneath all this noise, one issue stands out clearly. The absence of credible, wise leadership. This is not limited to one country. It is visible across regions, across systems, across levels of power. But since my focus remains Somalia, I will say this plainly. Enough is enough. It is time for sanity to return. Time for reason. Time for logic. And above all, time for honesty. Not as a slogan, but as a starting point. Beginning with ourselves. Looking in the mirror, properly this time. Let me share a short story with my respected Somali leaders, especially the federal State governors. My view on the this imaginary, dysfunctional states is well known, see earlier posts on this. I digress, here is the story for this week. A governor once summoned both a Zen master and a Sufi شيخ to his court. It may seem an unusual pairing to some. I remain grounded in my own faith, yet years across the Asia-Pacific, having lived here most of my life, have taught me that wisdom is not confined to one tradition. It travels. It overlaps. It speaks in different languages to the same human condition. forgive me if you have different perspective, as for me, tolerance is the new norm. The governor, however, had little interest in such nuance. He had grown powerful. Too powerful. People bowed before him. Ministers praised him. Poets called him “lion of the age.” Over time, he began to believe it. One evening he asked them, “Tell me the truth. Am I not like a lion among men?” The Zen master said nothing. The Sufi smiled and said, “Bring a mirror.” They placed a polished mirror before him. The governor stood tall, lifted his chin, and looked closely. “I see strength,” he said. “I see authority. I see a lion.” The Zen master stepped forward. “Look again.” “I see the same,” the governor replied. The master tapped the mirror lightly with his staff. Just enough to disturb the stillness. “Now what do you see?” “A distorted image.” “Good,” said the master. “Your mind is the same. It trembles, and you call the distortion truth.” The Sufi then spoke. “What you see is not a lion. It is your nafs dressed as one.” The governor stiffened. “I have conquered lands, wrote the constitution, am the father of the federation.” “You have not conquered yourself,” the Sufi replied calmly. “A lion needs no witnesses. You need an audience.” The governor grew irritated. “You both speak in riddles.” The Zen master said, “If you were truly a lion, you would not ask.” Silence filled the room. The Sufi stepped closer. “There are two mirrors,” he said. “One shows your face. The other shows your reality.” “Where is the second mirror?” the governor asked. The Sufi pointed to his chest. “Here. But it is covered.” “Covered by what?” “Pride. Fear. Praise. Power. Remove these, and you will see what you are.” The governor looked again. This time, he hesitated. The face was the same. But something had shifted. The lion was gone. Only a man stood there. “The mirror never lied,” said the Zen master. “You did.” “And the danger,” the Sufi added, “is not that you are a man. The danger is that you refused to know it.” That story is not subtle. It is not meant to be. For Somali leadership, the message is simple. Stop performing. Start reflecting. Power is not proof of wisdom. Applause is not evidence of truth. Titles do not make lions. Honesty remains the best policy. It always has been. It always will be. But it must begin internally. With self-awareness. With the courage to confront reality without distortion. If that happens, even slightly, there is hope. If not, we will keep mistaking noise for progress, and illusion for strength. Week 9. We move forward. This is a public episode. 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