Where is the assessment of Puntland State performance in historical perspective? How to get out of “Madax-Ka-Nool Trap” in running Puntland State machinery? Where is commitment to reforms of Puntland public institutions and smooth delivery of public services? Where is commitment to solutions to fight systemic corruption and looting of public funds and resources?

A shining example of public corruption. I happen to visit Garowe General Hospital yesterday with a friend with broken shoulder. We had an x-ray done in a private clinic, Qaran Hospital in Garowe. We were referred to the General Hospital to consult with a Russian speaking orthopedic doctor. One of the options this doctor advised us is to wrap the patient’s broken should with a bandage to restrict the movement of the arm for a month long. Guess what happened next? There was no bandage to find in the entire Hospital.

Moreover, the expatriate Russian speaking doctor doesn’t speak English and the Hospital doesn’t have an interpreter there. I ended up acting as a Russian interpreter for the medical staff of Garowe General Hospital for the day as I speak fluent Russian. I found out that there is no a single dialisis machine in that hospital for patients with kidneys failure. That is why many Puntlanders are trapped permanently in Hargeisa or Mogadishu. This is an unacceptable situation.

In the end, I had to take my injured friend back to Qaran Hospital with the advice of the Russian orthopedic. 
Qaran medical staff were surprised to learn that the government hospital didn’t have a simple thing as a wrapping bandage. This is why Puntland patients go to Mogadishu or Hargeisa for their medical care. The sad situation is not exclusive to Garowe General Hospital. It is all embracing scenario in Puntland public service.

The Agenda of Puntland Consultative Conference should be addressing such abysmal situation in public services, necessary reforms and solutions to epidemic mal-administration and lack of over-sight and planning.

We cannot go on endlessly to point out all the problems people of Puntland are facing now, but now, one has the idea of what went wrong in the past 21 years of Puntland existence.

https://ismailwarsame.blog

@ismailwarsame

Postscript:

“Political opening and opportunity for Federal Government and Federal Member States for negotiations to move Somalia forward”

This article turned out to be consistent with the objective of the Puntland Consultative Conference as pre-planned to strengthen the political position of President Deni, and of course, of Puntland, in their negotiations with the Federal Government.

Some of the opening speeches, including President Deni’s speech, were good and adequately captured the spirit and historical background of the foundation of Puntland State and its stated mission, founding principles, policy objectives towards re-instatement and re-construction of the failed state of Somalia.

Delegates to the Conference seemed to be highly selective, acquaintance and name-recognition based and through social networking, apart from the traditional leaders and political groups.

Little acknowledgement and recognition were extended to the Founding Fathers of the State.

Plans on how to conduct the deliberations to solicit for maximum inputs from the delegates were kept in the dark and unknowable. How the Conference agenda would be drawn up, however, has created an uneasiness and concerns among the Conference delegates and Puntland general public alike.

Interest groups dominate the composition or list of delegates.

Day One of the Puntland Consultative Conference so far seemed audious in appearance, but troubling in substance and what to expect as an outcome.

The policy and fundamental constitutional differences between the leaders of the Federal Member States and Federal Government were being down-played with a few passing indirect and mild criticism at Federal Administration.

It appears that the Conference is authority-driven rather than one being led by people’s congress.

The Venue, Conference Hall at Puntland State University, was unbearably hot and unventilated, making every sitting delegate to seek and grab a booklet to blow his/her face for a cooler hand-powered breeze.

Is it too early to draw any conclusions from Conference proceedings from Day One? Stay tuned.

https://ismailwarsame.blog

@ismailwarsame

Postscript: if the above is the agenda of the Conference, it is laughable and a joke. It would be a waste of opportunity and disservice to the people of Puntland.