Tribes are native characteristics of the Somali society. You can’t do away in laws, but you can regulate them, as you say, in social construct as we did in 4.5 clan power-sharing approach. So far, nobody came up with a better construct, where the rights of minority are better protected as in 4.5. Its problems, though, lie in minorities disregarding the numerical superiority of the majority, and demanding more than equal rights in everything.

In a true one-person-one-vote scenario, Somali minorities have no chance of securing representation, in which case there wouldn’t be genuine democracy. It would be a tyranny of the majority. So, reserving quota for minorities would be necessary under any construct.

What you call provinces in Canadian federalism is called here “Dawlad-Gobolleed”. It is the same thing, where the Indians, French, English and immigrants in the Province of Quebec, for example, act in the same way as tribes in Somalia, with Somalis in the Dawlad-Gobolleed having closer affinity, an advantage rather than disadvantage.

Garowe Conference sponsored by #HeritageInstitute is a combination of several competing interests. 1. For the organisation, it is the first time it is holding its Annual Conference inside Somalia that gives it relevance and exposure in Somali setting and influence. For Allah Sheikh and Damul-Jadid groups, it is an election campaign and political platforum for former president and presidential candidate Election 2021, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to which both the leadership of Puntland and HeritageInstitute seem to be committed to 3. Presidential candidates and stray ranking leaders of the Federal entities and Jubaland delegation are trying find a way out of current political impasse in the country.

Hirshabelle and Southwest State are absent from the gathering, and Abdi Gaariye (Qoor Qoor) of Galmudugh is doing a delicate balancing act for President Farmaajo’s Political Camp and Re-election Campaign.

Federal Deputy Prime Minister, Mahdi Guled, is technically an envoy of President Farmaajo, but he is a politician who wants to survive too after the demise of his boss.

Observers of Garowe Conference believe that a reconcialatory communique to seek Interim Agreement with President Farmaajo on holding the election peacefully would eventually come out as first option. But, this is a developing story. Stay tuned.

Having commended #HeritageInstitute for holding its Annual Conference inside Somalia for the first time, this Garowe Meeting in Puntland bringing together almost all Somalia’s Political stakeholders has special significance in managing expectations in facilitating diverse views in a neutral fashion and handling Conference conclusions devoid of any editorial biases.

As the Garowe Conference is underway, #HeritageInstitute became subject of inquiries in the social media on the issue of its policy independence and neutrality on opposing political views with regards to Somalia’s constitutional framework and respect for the solemn accord reached at Somalia’s Peace and National Reconciliation Conference (SPNRC) in Mbagati, Kenya, 2004, that was enshrined in the National Charter, following the Civil War.

#HeritageInstitute is required to respond publicly to the sceptics and people, who have some concerns on those issues on the policy and institutional principles of the organization.

Based on the conversations and debates on the currency crisis in Puntland economy, I suspect that people limit their understanding on inflation. The case here is more complex than this.

What does it mean when traders refuse to accept a currency? Where is the role of National Central Bank of Somalia? Why the FGS have been failing that long to handle its obligations to citizens of the country and the national economy with regards to monetary policies and supply of Somali Shillings and secure and reliable exchange mechanism? How long does a country keep going on without the supply of new and legitimate banknotes?

The neglect and irresponsibility of many decades are now catching up, and hence a dangerous monetary crisis is exploding before our eyes.

What is needed now are calm and cool educated nerves to study the problem and submit advice to:

1. All levels of the government
2. International partners.
3. Supply of legal Somali Banknotes

Among immediate tasks, there must be some positive intervention (Do no further harm measures) to build confidence in Somali Shilling by making guarantees and availabillty of exchange rates.

There must be some limits to and issuance of regulations on existing electronic money firms, which are taking over the Somali economy and operations of transactions and finance.

One would ask why this currency crisis is particularly acute in Puntland, that exists nowhere else in Somalia?

If you don’t want to call the spade a spade, you would always be beating about the bush. This Puntland market crisis is a result of ill-advised Puntland government intervention. It has been instigated by the Government demanding taxes at Bosaso Port to be paid in higher percentage in US dollars to the resistance of merchants and importers/exporters, also by making further damages by imposing minimum US$1 restrictions in Sahal payment, hurting low-income residents in towns. Additionally, by imposing a fixed exchange rate without guaranteed available exchange centers willing to carry out government ruling or orders.

Now, it looks that merchants and President Deni are in loggerheads in a new economic power struggle with religious, factional underpinnings.

If not managed carefully, this Puntland situation could develop into political explosion and economic catastrophe.

https://amazon.com/author/ismailwarsame

https://www.archaeology.org/news/9315-201216-egypt-imported-baboons