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Op-Ed:Somaliland A Task For A Leader

October 27, 2011   ·   2426220 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2Fop-edsomaliland-a-task-for-a-leader-24262Op-Ed%3ASomaliland+A+Task+For+A+Leader2011-10-27+22%3A00%3A53Mo+Guledhttp%3A%2F%2Fsomalilandpress.com%2F%3Fp%3D24262

The Economist Magazine, in its October 1st, 2011 issue (Democracy in sub-Saharan Africa; It is progress, even if it is patchy), lauded the spread of democracy in Africa in the last decade. In the same article the Economist also listed the peaceful and democratic ousting of several ruling parties by the opposition parties. In the same the article it also mentioned President Ahmed Mohamoud Silanyo and Somaliland 4th in a list of 34 heads of states and countries that underwent peaceful and democratic change of guard. This is an honour for President Ahmed Mohamoud Silanyo; a statesman who many expect to change the politics of the region. It also included Somaliland; a country which rose like a phoenix, from the ashes of a destructive civil and became a beacon of hope for a region mired in tragedy.

In another development worth mentioning, President Silanyo’s recent visit to the eastern regions of the republic was another commendable and successful step. He extended a peaceful political hand to both the traditional and political representatives of the Sool and Sanaag regions. This step is expected to be the foundation for the success of the Taleex meeting scheduled to take place around the end of this year. The initial signs coming out from the community show that the majority of the region’s leadership is willing to establish peaceful co-existence within the sovereign boundaries of Somaliland.

The resulting outburst from an official from Puntland who opposed the Taleex meeting further attests to those regions resolute decision to take their future in their hands, sideline many self-serving detractors especially from Puntland and discount many eastern region politicians who manipulated the regions politics to their own interest. The presidents’ visit also discredited the opposition’s recent unfound claims of the governments’ collusion with Mogadishu and the UN envoy to Somalia.

But, despite these successful measures by President Ahmed Mohamoud Silanyo and his government, we must not overlook the recent blunders of his administration. How it managed both the relief aid to Somalia and the scholarships from Turkey was a political fiasco. Both incidents created a public relations nightmare for the president which forced him to further blunder (the UF word fiasco) in defence of his government’s actions.

The government either lacked political foresight or delegated the task of managing the aid to Somalia to inept officials who bungled it. By also appointing the well-known and respected Somali poet, Hadrawi, the administration was either naïve about clan-oriented implications or decided to disregard the sensibilities of the populace. Despite his fame as a literary icon among all Somalilanders, Mr, Hadrawi, is also known for his pro-unionist political views and is a staunch support the Pan-Somali irredentist ideology of the past; a view which sadly contradicts the aspirations of his country and the inviolability of its’ sovereignty.

In a similar disregard, the government showed lack of political prudence by how it handled the Turkish scholarship. It showed a lack of public relations foresight by allowing the Somaliland students nominated for the Turkish scholarship program to depart from Mogadishu, a public relations blunder which translated to a propaganda boon for the TFG in Mogadishu. The government could have opted to pay the groups’ airfare direct to Ankara to sidestep the political minefields of Mogadishu. The scandal was further exacerbated by President Silanyo’s radio interview in response to the opposition’s claim that his government is in cahoots with the United Nations Somalia Representative, Ambassador Augustine Mahiga who recently visited Hargeisa. It is not a secret that Ambassador Mahiga’s mandate is to re-establish a unified Somalia, an agenda he never deviated from in all his political briefings, community meetings and press releases since his appointment in June 2011 by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as his Special representative for Somalia.

Therefore, to overcome the population’s pesky mistrust of the issue which is often misused by the opposition, the government must adopt and publicise a transparent and coherent foreign policy towards Mogadishu. In addition to its often stated mantra “The Holiness of Sovereignty”, the administration must also publicly state all the issues which need cooperation with Mogadishu as required by the UN in its Somaliland/Somalia mandate. Then only it will gain the unequivocal support of the people.

The administrations shortcomings and public relations disappointments are further aggravated by the continuous stream of public misgivings. The emergence of powerful financial and political cabal form within the Presidents inner circle and family is a continuous debate among Somalilanders. Many claim that President Ahmed Mohamoud Silanyo is not living up to his election promise of curbing nepotism in the political and financial matters of the government.

While in the opposition, the president often accused the last government of Dahir Riyale of corruption and blatant nepotism. Kulmiye often pointed to Dahir Riyale’s close family members who wielded a powerful influence over the treasury, the administration of high level appointments, and local and foreign investors. As a result, the majority of the public who voted for President Silanyo in the last presidential election were expecting the end of this practise and many are now disheartened by the current allegations favouritism which created a noxious atmosphere that is over shadowing the many other progressive measures implemented by the president.

This is more crucial now more than ever due to the recent political and economic developments in the region. The Saudi and other Middle Eastern governments are now willing to reopen the import of Somali livestock to their markets. According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, Saudi Arabia imports $250 million worth of Somali livestock for the Hajj period, the lion’s share from Somaliland. This number is expected to rise to $500 million a year by 2013 when the Saudi market is opened throughout the year for Somali imports. Lebanon, India and other Middle Eastern countries who already ordered initial shipments are also expected to increase its livestock imports from Somaliland.

Ethiopia is also expected to join the energy-producing countries soon. Its gas production which is expected to go online soon is expected to be shipped through the Berbera corridor in Somaliland. Many in Somaliland expect that President Mohamoud Ahmed Silanyo negotiated a profitable deal in his last trip to China where the Ethiopians were finalizing the project’s requirements. But how it will be managed is another issue.

Both developments, if properly managed, are expected to drastically increase Somaliland’s revenues; a shift that could potentially play a major role in the economic development of many sectors in Somaliland. But the current claims that allege the spread of favouritism among the President’s inner circle and family could be a detrimental factor that could potentially derail the expected benefits of both enterprises. The exclusion of local businessmen and merchants from these and other profitable government contracts is also a guaranteed precursor to social unrest that could derail the country’s peace and security.

The President, at the beginning of his term, showed the will to curb corruption by appointing Engineer, Mohamed Hashi to the Ministry of Finance. The president was lauded for this since Mr. Hashi is known for his financial integrity and no-nonsense approach in stamping out corruption from the public sector.

But now, that the stakes are higher, many hope the President would show his grit and integrity, clear allegations of nepotism from his doorstep and silence many discredited politicians who failed at the ballot box.

Mohamed Doaleh
Democracy Action Group-SL
October 20th, 2011

(Democracy Action Group-Somaliland is non-governmental non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and upholding of democracy in Somaliland. The group will soon publish quarterly reports on the situation in Somaliland).

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By Mo Guled