Village-level Somalis, unlike their representatives, did not really back the SYL platform

Evidence

Commission, a great discrepancy was noted between the views expressed by representatives and those obtained in village interviews. The only exception is the area of Itala. That discrepancy appears to be a consequence of the fact that the influence of political parties was much stronger on the representatives than on the mass of the people. The statements of representatives cannot, therefore, be regarded as a rule as a true expression of the wishes of the population and can be accepted only in so far as they are confirmed by village interviews. If this is borne in mind, it appears that the great majority of the population would accept any government that would bring peace and security, that a number of them asked for the return of Italy and that the request for a Four Power Trusteeship for ten years does not correspond to a genuine desire of the tribes. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 261

Categorization

• QUESTION: Which reading is more accurate — that party elites distorted the rural view, or that commissioners disbelieved organized nationalism in favor of apolitical villagers?