Somalia: Welcome Mr. Prime Minister, but be heedful of history [Editorial]

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Editorial

 

Somalia: Welcome Mr. Prime Minister, but be heedful of history [Editorial]

16 Oct 16, 2010 - 2:41:48 PM

 

GAROWE ONLINE EDITORIAL | Mr. Prime Minister, your job is to help resurrect a dead nation-state, not a dying one.

 

When Prof. Ali Mohamed Gedi was appointed as the first Prime Minister of Somalia's UN-recognized Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Nov. 2004, most Somalis did not know of him and he was welcomed as an academic, with a clean personal history, and a man who could help usher in a new era of stability and governance for war-ravaged Somalia.

 

Yet by the time of Gedi's resignation, he had become a household name in Somali homes and was famous for stealing funds donated by the international community to help Somalia.

 

The point here is not to be critical of Mr. Gedi's term as the TFG's longest-serving Prime Minister to date. Rather, the point is that the Somali people, who are dying for genuine leadership, must not allow themselves to raise hopes to an unrealistic ceiling one day only to face tremendous disappointments and setbacks later.

 

Here at Garowe Online, we say: "Welcome Mr. Prime Minister, but be heedful of history."

 

Indeed, PM-appointee Mr. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed comes to power at a time of great turmoil in Somalia. The political instability, combined with Africa's worst humanitarian crisis, sets the stage for a play of heart-wrenching tragedy. It is not only the lives of humans at stake here, but even the common destiny of the Somali people.

 

Mr. Prime Minister, the people of Somalia have not lost all hope. They are expectant that the right leader will rise up, unite the people, urge forgiveness and reconciliation, and rebuild the foundations of a government. Mr. Prime Minister, that man could be you.

 

Often, it is much easier to be critical than to find genuine recommendations to help correct someone or some institution. Below are our recommendations for the incoming Prime Minister, who has to steer the TFG until its mandate expires in August 2011:

 

• Appoint a small Cabinet (a maximum of 18 Ministerial portfolios) consisting of well-qualified candidates and strictly avoid controversial figures;

• Empower the TFG security forces and civil servants by providing consistent salary and moral support;

• Seek public support (religious scholars, business leaders, civil society, traditional elders etc.) in the war against insurgents, who seek death and destruction only;

• Ensure the completion and safe passage of the Draft Federal Constitution as the only national constitution for Somalia and as a way of advancing the TFG from transitional phase to the legitimate national authority of Somalia;

• Call for and support social reconciliation programs at local levels (in the beginning); the success of extremist groups like Al Shabaab depends in part on their use of one grieving one clan against another clan, so help prevent this by seeking genuine reconciliation among local communities;

• Prepare and publish a concise political document detailing the general direction of your administration in the coming months, which clearly stipulates your administration's position on key issues such as: national security; federalism; power- and resource-sharing; TFG election; the development of future federal states; relations with neighboring countries and international relations; media rights and civil society; etc.

• Spend time and resources on spreading the message of federalism; Somalia has 30 years of centralism experience and history that we can learn from, so advance federalism as the only way for each Somali to help his own community while sharing common interests and responsibilities;

• Allow new states to form only as approved by the Federal Constitution; the myriad of new states in south-central Somalia with no constituency or clear political agenda is a ploy explicitly designed to confuse and discourage the Somali people from understanding federalism;

• Spend every minute to prepare Somalia for a new election at the end of the TFG mandate in August 2011 as the best way of avoiding future political disputes, which will only extend the collective suffering of the Somali people.

Mr. Prime Minister, man can only leave history and legacy behind on this earth when he dies. No man will advance to the next world (Hereafter) with his family or wealth intact. Leave behind a memorable legacy for the coming generations to remember you and your conduct. Do not fall prey to the propaganda and the interest groups, who seek short-term gain at the expense of all Somalis.

 

Mr. Prime Minister, your job is to help resurrect a dead nation-state, not a dying one. Nowadays, Somali politics is at the intersection where clan interests coincide with foreign interference. And always remember: neither the interests of clan nor of a foreign government is truly the interest of Somalia and the Somali people.

 

Listen to your constituents, observe your surroundings, scrutinize all ideas and advice, and most importantly, always be cautious and righteous. If you do that, Allah Almighty will make your job a lot easier.

 

Finally, let us pray that, several years from now, when your name becomes a Somali household name, that it is pronounced with pride, hope and satisfaction.

 

Garowe Online Editorial

Comments/Questions/Concerns/Letters to the Editor: editorial@garoweonline.com

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What the new PM can do?

 

Hiiraan Online Editorial - Read in Somali Language

Monday, October 18, 2010

 

Hiiraan Online wishes to congratulate Mr. Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmaajo” on the occasion of his appointment as the new Prime Minister of Somalia. However, in light of the numerous problems facing the nation, the PM will have a short political honeymoon, and needs to hear, consult and listen to the multitudes of people worried and concerned about the gravity of the situation in Somalia. To continue with the business as usual mentality of the TFG by a professional of his caliber will no doubt exacerbate the dissolution of the nation into smaller and weaker regional enclaves.

 

Widespread Skepticism:

 

To many Somalis and Somalia observers, the nomination of the PM by President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed appears to be a last ditch effort to resuscitate the fledgling Transitional Federal Government (TFG) whose mandate is set to expire in less than one year. This widely held public skepticism is largely due to endless infighting, ineptness, indifference and the fact that the TFG and its AMISOM forces control less territory today than was handed them when they took office less than two years earlier.

 

It is also undeniable that little progress, if any, has been made in the TFG mandate and particularly on the critical national security arena, national reconciliation, and constitutional development. The government is largely absent and is incapable of addressing the intolerable humanitarian crisis that exist all over the nation and the absence of basic necessary governmental services.

 

Fortunately, the Somali public is generally well aware of the formidable foreign financed foe that the government faces; however, the TFG has time and again shown little evidence that they are truly serious and honest about ending the prolonged national conflict in Somalia. It seems to so many that politics in Somalia no matter who is at the helm is sadly about power, prestige and self aggrandizement and not about public service.

 

Looming National Crisis:

 

In addition to the ongoing war with the extremists, the new PM also inherits a nation largely dividing itself along clan lines with the formation of additional regional enclaves. The latest groups forming regional governments include Galmudug, Xibin & Xeeb, Hiiraan State and others pursuing the same strategy including groups in Jowhar and the politically volatile region of Kismayo.

 

Thanks to the Obama Administration’s recent policy change towards Somalia, it appears that the US is inadvertently, if not by design, accelerating the breakup of the central government into smaller regional authorities by empowering regional governments. This policy change designed to provide so called peace dividend to these self styled regional governments will no doubt gravely endanger the restoration of a united and peaceful Somalia but instead will empower new regional warlords. The Prime Minister can help restore the image of the TFG leadership to become a reliable partner for peace with the international community and end their constant infighting which many believe is the main cause of the international misgivings that may potentially hasten the breakup of the nation.

 

The Chinese say, in every crisis, there is an opportunity!

 

So, one may ask, given the condition that Somalia finds itself, what can the new PM do to change the situation in Somalia?

 

For starters, the new PM cannot continue business as usual! He can begin by asking the president and the parliament to allow him to run the affairs of the government he is made in charge. Without a clearly defined distinct role for the president and the PM, a new conflict is bound to happen as it always does in Somali politics. Secondly, the Prime Minister should form a smaller, leaner, technocrat dominated government, in which several ministries are lumped together into one. For example Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Learning; Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs to name a few.

 

The Prime Minister will leave a lasting legacy for Somalia if he pushes Somalia’s permanent statehood process forward by establishing national commissions filled with knowledgeable Somali technocrats to help address the following outstanding national issues for his government:

 

• Constitution Review Commission: to review the contested draft national constitution and refine it for adoption by the parliament before August 2011.

• Permanent Statehood Commission: to review the mandate of the TFG transition process and provide guidelines and strategies to prepare the nation for permanent statehood.

• National Reconciliation Commission: to identify strategies to reconcile the long standing and ongoing conflicts in Somalia.

Without a doubt, the Prime Minister of Somalia at this critical juncture in our history should come up with drastic solutions to take Somali’s intractable problems head on. To go along with the business as usual mentality of the TFG will no doubt dampen the dimming spirits of the few supporters remaining in the TFG camp, and will embolden the process to divide Somalia into regional clan fiefdoms.

 

Hiiraan Online Editorial

Editorial@hiiraan.com