Haji Bashir

Haji Bashir Ismail Yusuf (Somali: Xaaji Bashiir Ismaaciil Yuusuf, Arabic: حاجي بشير اسماعيل يوسف; 1912 in Hobyo, Somalia – 1984 in Cairo, Egypt), commonly referred to as Haji Bashir,[1] was a Somali politician. He was a prominent Somali Youth League (SYL) member and the first President of the Somali National Assembly during the Somali Republic's early civilian administration.

The Honourable
Haji Bashir
Minister of Health and Labour of the Somali Republic
In office
1966–1967
Prime MinisterAbdirizak Haji Hussein
President of the Somali National Assembly
In office
1 July 1960 – mid-July 1960
Prime MinisterAbdirashid Ali Shermarke
Preceded byAden Abdulle Osman
Succeeded byJama Abdullahi Qalib
Personal details
Born1912
Hobyo, Italian Somaliland
Died (aged 72)
Cairo, Egypt
Political partySomali Youth League

Personal life

Early years

Yusuf was born in 1912 in the town of Hobyo (Obbia), situated in the north-central Mudug province of Somalia.[2]

Yusuf hailed from the Omar Mahmoud-Reer Xersi sub-clan of the Majerteen.[2]

Family

Yusuf's daughter Saida Haji Bashir Ismail later also entered politics. She served as Somali Finance Vice-Minister in the Transitional National Government (TNG) between 2000 and 2004.[3] His son Abdullahi Hagi Bashir Ismail is a First Deputy Director-General of Somali Immigration and Naturalization, One of the high rank Senior Somali Administration Officers, as well as a writer of politics and history.[4] Additionally, Yusuf was also a relative of the Somali-Italian actor and musician Jonis Bashir, and the Somali Politician and businessman Haji Mohamed Yasin Ismail.

Career

Yusuf was a prominent member of the Somali Youth League (SYL), the country's first political party. He joined the organization in 1943,[2] when the SYL was founded as the Somali Youth Club (SYC). The SYL's nationalist constituents were strongly influenced by the Darawiish rebellion at the turn of the 20th century of Diiriye Guure, and Mohammed Abdullah Hassan ("Mad Mullah"), the emir of Diiriye Guure.[5]

In an administrative capacity, Yusuf initially worked in the parliament of the Trust Territory of Somaliland as an MP (Deputato) for the northeastern town of Bosaso. He was also part of a six-member Somali Youth League delegation who made an appeal for early independence before the Four-Power Commission.[6]

On 1 July 1960, Somalia's independence day, the Somali National Assembly headed by Yusuf approved the act of union, joining the Trust Territory of Somaliland (former Italian Somaliland) with the former British Somaliland protectorate. This established the Somali Republic, and Yusuf was appointed the first President of the Somali National Assembly. He was succeeded in office by Jama Abdullahi Qalib.[2]

From mid-July 1960 to mid-1966, Yusuf was elected a Vice-President of the Somali National Assembly, where he worked alongside Ahmed Gumanc.[7]

Yusuf was subsequently appointed Minister of Health and Labour in 1966. He formed a key part of the Somali Republic's early civilian administration.[8]

After a long career in Somali politics, Yusuf eventually retired to Cairo, Egypt. He died there on 2 January 1984, at the age of 72.[2]

See also

References
  1. SAMIULLAH, MUHAMMAD. DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVE WRITING THROUGH COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH AT SECONDARY LEVEL. Diss. UNIVERSITY OF PUNJAB, 2011.
  2. "SIXID IYO BAADHITAAN TAARIIKHDA SOOMAALIYEED" (in Somali). Somali Voice. 18 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  3. "Wasiirka 1aad oo magacaabay intii ka hartay Golihiisa Wasiirrada". Banadir (in Somali). Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  4. Ismail, Abdullahi Hagi Bashir. "Markii ugu horeysay magacyadii guddigii mideynta soomaaliya". Puntland News. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  5. I. M. Lewis, A pastoral democracy: a study of pastoralism and politics among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa, (LIT Verlag Münster: 1999), p.304.
  6. Ali, Salah Mohamed (2005). Huddur & the history of Southern Somalia. Nahda Bookshop Publisher. p. 391. ISBN 9789772004997. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  7. Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Daily report: People's Republic of China, Issues 192-214, (Distributed by National Technical Information Service: 1968), p.68.
  8. Europa Publications Limited, The Middle East and North Africa, Volume 13, (Europa Publications.: 1966), p.570.
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