Category: Regional governors
SOMALIA’S FEDERAL MEMBERS STATES ARE ALSO LITTLE MOGADISHU-LIKE CITY-STATES
Galkayo, May 28, 2019
The political narrative since the fall of Somali Government in 1991 has been focusing exclusively on blame and counter-blame of Mogadishu being the centre of all the problems of Somalia’s one city-state status. Now, we have created federal member states in regional capitals modeling exactly Mogadishu in their respective clan enclaves, doubling down and duplicating the same problems of Mogadishu all over again.
When we had been creating Puntland State in 1998, we had approved Garowe/Nugaal/Somalia as the capital city of the first federal regional state of Somalia, thinking that we had resolved finally the problems of Somalia’s one city-state legacy. We didn’t even bother enacting laws governing Garowe as a capital city publicly owned by the entire people of Puntland State and ran by the State. It was a historical oversight that led to a number of problems.
The first serious one came in 2001-2002 when Puntland had been experiencing existential constitutional crisis and violent power struggle between late President Abdullahi Yusuf and Jama Ali Jama. At time, every resident originally hailing from other parts of Puntland, had departed and fled Garowe in a hurry back to their respective towns to escape violence and armed confrontations. People from other regions of Puntland had lost business confidence and stopped building and owning properties in Garowe until very lately.
Another serious problem is the fact that Garowe have been become both the political and business centre for the entire Nugaal Region, economically suffocating other towns like Eyl, Buurtinle, Dangoroyo, and other important historical towns of Nugaal Region. Sin-u-Jiis, for instance.
Finally, came President Faroole, who had turned Puntland wholly into one city-state, just like Mogadishu City-state of Somalia.
There is still lingering public feeling of that legacy in Garowe – business confidence, though, is back on track. This is an example of a true life experience.
Other capital cities of federal member states, including Somaliland, are suffering from far worse problems than Puntland. Regional state capital cities of Federal Member States are all “little Mogadishu” in its worst scenario of 1991-1995 clan-cleasing in their sub-clan compositions statistically.
Don’t blame the “real Mogadishu” for copying and re-creating the same.
ismailwarsame.blog
PUNTLAND’S ACHEELS HEELS
Yes, an imperative reform in Puntland Administration is obvious to all and urgently needed. But, where do we start?
The sectors that had become the Achilles Heels of the State of Puntland are:
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Finance sector
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Security sector
Fix the two sectors, and Puntland would leap foward fast. These two sectors constitute half of Puntland’s entire problems.
Take first, Puntland Ministry of Finance where the management and personnel are on the same jobs for twenty years with 19th century rudimentary knowledge of financial management and that compoundedly streghtened by their chronic resistance to change, upgrading and reform. It is not an exaggeration – I worked with them as Puntland Chief of Staff at State Presidency during the first three years of Puntland foundation. How did they stay that long each one on the same job? That is their most guarded secret. What is it? The Ministry’s Top Management Team had developed and fine-tuned special skills to make sure that every incoming Puntland President and the new Minister of Finance are happy by providing them with unchecked and unaccounted for access to personal funds. But, if that is an open secret, why didn’t Puntland successive regimes do something about it? Good question! Have you heard the Somali word “Madax-ka-nool referring to Puntland governance?” Yes, you guessed – the President is everything in Puntland. He is the country’s minister of finance and cashier-general at same time. He can buy everybody, including the members of the House of Representatives (the Parliament). Then who would check the powers of the President? You tell me. With the financial muscle of the Ministry of Finance he owns the country and its people. You would say that is an exaggeration. You are free to carry out your own enquiries and independent investigations. But, don’t forget to share your findings with me.
But, that is not all. The top management of Puntland Ministry of Finance is the main obstacle and reason why international agencies and world financial institutions are unable to assist Puntland due to Ministry’s lack of transparency and financial accountability. The Ministry keeps secret even Puntland real revenue and expenses. This has created a situation where world community doesn’t know not only how to help Puntland in development projects, budget supplements and personnel capacity-building, but also how to work with the authorities. Puntland books are closed and they are Ministry’s Top Secrets.
Reform immediately that Ministry, and people of Puntland are half free.
Take Security Sector second, and you would discover the hard facts that nobody knows, even approximately, the number of men and women working in or attached to that sector, forget about their training, quality, incapacitation, mortality or even whether the names in ghost lists exist, or ever existed. How do you allocate resources, wages, pay etc? How do organizations in the security sector could assist Puntland improve its security needs? Yes, it is easy to blame others for your failures? But abive all, how do you defend your country when your lists of forces are ghost soldiers? That is why you hear calls for clan militia support whenever Puntland security is threatened.
These are the two critical sectors that require an urgent and radical reform, but the problems described above extend to other sectors and state departments as well.
ismailwarsame.blog
(Image credit: Dabaraani Media)
PUNTLAND YOUTH FOR TOMORROW LEADERSHIP
Garowe, May 20, 2019 – Preparation of Puntland youth for tomorrow’s leadership roles or lack of it will determine the survival, well-being and Progress of PUNTLAND State as the main foundation pillar and leader in the making of a New Somalia.
Now, here in PUNTLAND, I don’t see much enthusiasm for youth programs. I don’t see sports clubs, TV and radio programs for youth, youth debating societies, youth social clubs, fitness clubs, youth intern services for jobs in both public and private sectors, inter-cities organized tours for youth etc.
TV and Radio programs should be predominantly geared towards youth, for 75% of PUNTLAND population are youth. They must own the programs of Puntland airwaves and organize them for their own desire and interests. You cannot run programs for adults when your population is two-thirds youth.
What is required here is public-private partnership to pro-actively start working on and building facilities and infrastructure for youth preparation for the jobs and leadership roles of the future. It would be a total failure of responsibilities and gross negligence on the part of Puntland political and business establishments, as well as parents, not to do so, starting now.
The Education Sector and City Councils have to lead the way for organizing youth into these multi-faceted programs for preparation and cultivation of their potentialities for tomorrow leadership. Let us get started now.
Local and international Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Puntland are not doing enough in this regard. They are not helping Puntland prepare youth for the future. Until they engage youth in their programs and projects, their operations in Puntland would remain questionable.
ismailwarsame.blog 