Osman’s non-partisan elder-statesman image shielded him from criticism

Evidence

Osman’s political character was described in the following manner: “He is unique in Somali politics as being the only man who has been able to a certain extent to rise above politics and maintain the respect of the people as a whole as the ‘elder statesman’ of the Somali Republic. Although by no means sacrosanct, he has managed to escape most of the criticism leveled against the Government by the opposition and thus claim to be a non-partisan figure.” — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1361