Young Female Somali Lawmaker Fights Corruption
2021-01-24
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1Amina Mohamed Abdi was just 24 years old when she was first elected to Somalia's parliament in 2012.
2She defeated two other candidates to win a seat saved specifically for women.
3But to reach her political goal, Abdi had to go against the wishes of leaders in her Hawiye clan.
4Some had urged her not to run for office.
5"I was asked 'you want to be a prostitute? How can a woman represent a clan?'" she told Reuters.
6Abdi dismissed the comments and kept her plans.
7She says she thought it was important to run because a clan is not only made up of men.
8Four years later, she won an open seat in Hiran, an area north of the capital Mogadishu.
9Abdi is now 32 years old and is an active critic of her government.
10She will seek a third term in an upcoming election.
11She is the only woman among six politicians competing for the same seat.
12Abdi is a member of the opposition's Union and Peace for Development party.
13She is one of 81 women lawmakers in the 275-seat legislature.
14Somalia is a country with a long history of war and fighting.
15Abdi grew up during a violent civil war that started in the early 1990s.
16It is estimated that around 300,000 people died of hunger and disease as a result of the fighting.
17Growing up in this environment made Abdi want to enter politics to help rebuild her country.
18As an eight-year-old, she remembers returning from school in Mogadishu to find her house empty and her family gone after fighting broke out.
19"Everywhere there were gunshots and mortar shells were landing," she said.
20Abdi later lived with her uncle, who is also in parliament, and he inspired her further to work toward her goal.
21"I was ... brought up ... in a country when there was no government," she said.
22"It is necessary for our children to have a government in order to get the basic rights: security, clean water, and quality education."
23Abdi has expressed those wishes during emotional speeches to parliament that have spread throughout the country.
24She often accuses the government of corruption and says this makes it unable to protect the country's 15 million people.
25The government denies the accusations.
26Canab Hussein is a Mogadishu store owner and mother of six.
27She told Reuters, "Lawmaker Amina is not from my state but I love her."
28"I learnt (about her) over the radio and on Facebook and YouTube. She is a role model, a smart female politician. She bravely speaks the truth," Hussein said.
29The parliamentary elections were set to take place in December but have repeatedly been delayed.
30The opposition has accused President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of cheating by putting his allies on an electoral board.
31The election delay led to protests in Mogadishu and the opposition has threatened to boycott the upcoming voting.
32Winners of the legislative elections will choose Somalia's next president.
33President Mohamed is seeking a second term.
34That vote is planned for February 8, but it is almost sure to be delayed.
35I'm Armen Kassabian.
1Amina Mohamed Abdi was just 24 years old when she was first elected to Somalia's parliament in 2012. She defeated two other candidates to win a seat saved specifically for women. 2But to reach her political goal, Abdi had to go against the wishes of leaders in her Hawiye clan. Some had urged her not to run for office. 3"I was asked 'you want to be a prostitute? How can a woman represent a clan?'" she told Reuters. Abdi dismissed the comments and kept her plans. She says she thought it was important to run because a clan is not only made up of men. 4Four years later, she won an open seat in Hiran, an area north of the capital Mogadishu. 5Abdi is now 32 years old and is an active critic of her government. She will seek a third term in an upcoming election. She is the only woman among six politicians competing for the same seat. Abdi is a member of the opposition's Union and Peace for Development party. She is one of 81 women lawmakers in the 275-seat legislature. 6Somalia is a country with a long history of war and fighting. Abdi grew up during a violent civil war that started in the early 1990s. It is estimated that around 300,000 people died of hunger and disease as a result of the fighting. 7Growing up in this environment made Abdi want to enter politics to help rebuild her country. As an eight-year-old, she remembers returning from school in Mogadishu to find her house empty and her family gone after fighting broke out. "Everywhere there were gunshots and mortar shells were landing," she said. 8Abdi later lived with her uncle, who is also in parliament, and he inspired her further to work toward her goal. 9"I was ... brought up ... in a country when there was no government," she said. "It is necessary for our children to have a government in order to get the basic rights: security, clean water, and quality education." 10Abdi has expressed those wishes during emotional speeches to parliament that have spread throughout the country. She often accuses the government of corruption and says this makes it unable to protect the country's 15 million people. The government denies the accusations. 11Canab Hussein is a Mogadishu store owner and mother of six. She told Reuters, "Lawmaker Amina is not from my state but I love her." 12"I learnt (about her) over the radio and on Facebook and YouTube. She is a role model, a smart female politician. She bravely speaks the truth," Hussein said. 13The parliamentary elections were set to take place in December but have repeatedly been delayed. The opposition has accused President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of cheating by putting his allies on an electoral board. 14The election delay led to protests in Mogadishu and the opposition has threatened to boycott the upcoming voting. 15Winners of the legislative elections will choose Somalia's next president. President Mohamed is seeking a second term. That vote is planned for February 8, but it is almost sure to be delayed. 16I'm Armen Kassabian. 17Abdi Sheikh from Associated Press reported this story. Armen Kassabian adapted it for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 18We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 19_______________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21clan- n. a large group of people who are related 22prostitute - n. a person who has sex with someone in exchange for money 23mortar shells - n. a weapon that shoots explosive bombs far away 24inspired - v. having a particular cause or influence