By Mohamed A. Hussein

On October 25, Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud released a press statement from his office in which he finally shed some light on the conflict between him and the Prime Minister, Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed, who had reshuffled few ministers to improve the government’s performance. It has become the norm for recent transitional governments to fail due to conflict between its top leaders. However, the Somali people expected the current government to be different. The president himself stated when he was elected that his government would be different from previous transitional governments, not just because it was the first permanent government to be recognized since the overthrow of the military regime in 1991, but also because that the top government leaders had decided to work for the interests of the Somali people.

The president added that there should be no reason for disagreement between the top leaders, since the constitution defines everyone’s role and because his administration is committed to putting the people’s interests first. Somalis were worn out of the failure of the previous transitional governments due to conflict between its top leaders and hoped this time, the new goverment would learn from the past mistakes and, as a result, they welcomed President Hassan.

The president selected Abdi Farah Shirdon (Saacid) as Prime Minister and someone that he would be able to work with, even though the Saacid’s effectiveness had been questioned. The Somali people were willing to overlook the prime minister’s leadership style, hoping that at least he would implement the president’s six pillar plan.

The government headed by President Hassan was recognized internationally within a few months of coming into office and the Somali people were finally able to celebrate, but their hopes soon disappeared. A few months later, the disagreement between the president and his prime minister became public. The president accused the prime minister of poor performance, even though some analysts suggested the reason for the disagreement was that the prime minister accused of the president interfering his duties as stated by the constitution and could not take any longer as his role being exercised by the president; it was apparent that most of the ministers were taking orders from the president instead of the prime minister.

It was reported that only three ministers showed up for the prime minister’s last cabinet meeting, since all the others were with the president in Villa Somalia, where they were working on a plan to oust PM Saacid. As result of this disagreement, the parliament voted Prime Minister Saacid out of office. The Somali people could not understand the ousting of PM Saacid, since the president had publicly stated that he selected someone he could get alone with to avoid the mistakes made by the previous president.

At that time, most people thought that since his first prime minister had not been successful, he would at least find someone he could work with during the two and half years left of his term, even though that hope is now in doubt.

Once again, the president has publicly stated that he is not happy working with the current Prime Minister, Abdiwali Sheikh Ahmed, accusing the prime minister of violating the constitution by not consulting with him when he decided to reshuffle the government. In a press release from his office, the president stated that he had tried hard to overlook the prime minister’s recent actions, but he would not tolerate them any longer.

Again, there are reports that the president and his team are working to oust the prime minister by suggesting a mass resignation of the ministers. As result, the prime minister would lose a vote of confidence in parliament. If that happens, this would be the first government to have three prime ministers in its four-year term, but, as of now, it is reported that the international community is trying to solve this issue. However, those who are familiar with this conflict, between the president and the prime minister are saying that it has nothing to do with the constitution. They say that the president’s right-hand man, considered to be an advisor to the president, the minister of justice and federalism, Farah Abdiqadir, was removed from this position and appointed as minister of livestock. The president took this as a personal attack on his authority.

Analysts added that if this conflict were based only on the constitution, the president would have referred it to the parliament or another entity to solve it peacefully. Instead the president tried to solve it by himself instructing all the ministers to ignore the prime minister’s order and remain in their original positions. These analysts added that the president’s action in going with his gut feeling is against the constitution and that is why this case is entirely personal.

Now, even though the Somalia people and the international community expected that this government to implement its Vision 2016, when it was expected that the Somali people would elect their own leaders, the president has made a U-turn, reminding the Somali people of old memories. Most Somalis blame their current situation on the more than 21 years of dictatorial rule before 1991. Since the military regime was overthrown, the Somali people have been searching for a system of government where the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

After a long consultation, the Somali people decided to implement a constitution where the power of the government is divided among the three leaders: the president, the prime minister and the speaker of the parliament. This would prevent one person becoming too powerful. For the president to instruct all of the ministers to ignore the prime minister and to remain in their original positions is to usurp the prime minister’s executive authority, and, as a result, this immediately brings memories of the past dictatorial rule.

Many people are wondering what the president was thinking of when he decided to solve this issue with his own hands instead of seeking a constitutional solution. The president may be thinking he and his team can oust this prime minister in the same way they did to the previous prime minister, but there could be other solutions.

The president and the prime minister could sit down together and talk about the issue seriously, while considering the reasons they were elected and the tasks ahead of them. As the president stated in his inaugural speech, all conflicts in the government can be solved by following the constitution.

Both the president and the prime minister should put aside their differences in competing against each other and consider the future of the country. Instead of focussing on what each cabinet minister should be responsible for, they should focus on the progress they have made in the last ten months and the tasks they need to accomplish before 2016. What seems to be missing here is a desire to compromise and they should work hard to reach a win–win solution by going back to the constitution. The Somali people are no longer interested in who wins but putting the country interest first.

Mohamed A. Hussein
Email: Mohabdhus@aol.com