This year we commemorate the 40th anniversary
of the death of President Ali Soilihi. I remember the first time I met Ali
Soilihi. It was at my home in Itsandra. He was my parents’ friend. He came for
a political meeting in my father’s living room. It was in 1973 or 1974. I was a
boy of only nine years old. That night he shared everybody’s hands. Even those
of children like me. In my child’s view, he was four feet tall and weighed
about 140 pounds. His head was as bald as a baby’s bottom. But who really was
Ali Soilihi?
His life
Ali Soilihi was born on the 7th January, 1937 in the city of
Mahajunga (Madagascar). His parents were Comorian from Grande-Comore. His
father, Soilihi Mtsashiwa was an elder notable from the city of Ntsudjini. He
was elected departmental counsellor under the French administration in 1946. His
mother was famed in the village of Shuwani. Ali was the young step-brother of
Said Djohar. After his primary school, he went to the lycée Galieni in Antananarivo.
But he failed his exams. He was then 18 years old. Ali Soilihi knew his way
around. He went to the agricultural secondary school of Ambatobé and got his
diploma at the age of 20. He was therefore recruited into the public service as
an agricultural technician. After many job trainings in France, he was
appointed director of the public company SODEC (Société de développement des
Comores). He became popular in the peasant milieu: he founded many cooperatives
and mutual funds in the agricultural sector. President Said Mohamed Cheikh once
described him as ‟the most brilliant young man around”. Soilihi chose his wife
from a great family of Moroni. From this marriage, he had two children: a son
and a daughter.
His political struggle
Soilihi was elected for the first time as a Member
of Parliament in 1967 when prince Said Ibrahim was the Head of the parliament.
He and the prince were the founding fathers of a political party named Umma
(the people). My father was an active member of this political movement. When
Soilihi became minister under the Said Ibrahim government in 1972, my father
Mohamed Chami, who was his deputy, replaced him in the House of Parliament. When
Ahmed Abdallah formed the government with the coalition parties of UDZIMA
(Unity), Soilihi became one of the opposition leaders of the left-wing parties.
One month after the declaration of independence on 6th July 1975, he overthrew
Abdallah through a coup attempt. On the 2nd of January 1976, Soilihi was sworn
in as president of the new and young Comorian state.
Ali Soilihi Achievements
His regime was a revolutionary one. His political
programme was simple: building a fair and just society. He was a socialist. To
him socialism meant social justice, a better living, peace and freedom from
imperialist powers. During his presidency, the country’s
economy was booming. His policy was focused on four struggles which look
similar to today’s UN Millennium Development Goals,
especially in the effort to roll back poverty.
1) Fighting illness: his government sent many students abroad
to study medicine. His local committees set up many public pharmacies and
received foreign assistance.
2)Fighting illiteracy: he created the ALIFU-BE Project (alphabetization)
which allowed through the Paya la Shiyo (local school) in every village the
teaching of all the population how to read and write.
3)Fighting hunger and malnutrition: the state nationalized and
redistributed the land to the peasants in order to grow the agricultural
production.
4)Decentralization and rural local governments: in order to
approach the administration to its citizens, the revolutionary regime built the
MUDIRIYAS(municipalities) for every 6,000 inhabitants.
His political opponents
During his presidency, some of his political rivals and
adversaries were in prison or in exile. In addition, many notables in the
cities and villages were against his regime because the government has
forbidden the traditional great marriage. In fact, the president decreed that the
wedding ceremonies should be done in one day in order to avoid the lavish
gifts.
Ali Soilihi was overthrown on 13th May 1978 by the
French mercenary Bob Denard with the helping hand of France under the Giscard
d’Estaing administration. Soilihi was shot dead on 29th May 1978 by
the French mercenaries. Public commemoration of him was forbidden during the
1980s by his successor. Since the 1990s many people gather in Shuwani every
year to remember him and what he did for the country. As he himself said
“History is the only judge”.
Chami Mouzawar
contributing writer
