By Osman H. Yusuf
Brief introduction:
In the past people complained more about dictatorship than security but nowadays they are grumbling about the concentration of power in the hands of elected ruling elite and mismanagement of public resources. But when it comes to electing representatives they miserably fail to elect people of good background and character who uphold the tradition, norms, laws and the constitution of the country. It’s a self-inflected wound and as a result their expectations are unfulfilled by a government that pays more attention and time to finding solutions to never-ending political instability and focusing less on other equally important priorities. Challenges are surmountable if only honest humans are assigned and enough resources secured for achieving peace and growth. The fact is that the great exodus from the country during difficult times has been a blessing in disguise as the diaspora has become a source of income stream for many families and communities who would have otherwise ended up in destitute.
During the last two decades a number of attempts have been made to find a solution to the Somali problem or even rewrite the country’s history on a new platform agreeable to all stakeholders but these efforts ended up in vain largely owing to clan-minded individuals’ intransigent behavior who displayed no signs of capability of governing and returning the country to normalcy. They were determined to hold the whole country hostage in the hostile environment they created in their own selfish interests. One might argue that because of the irresponsible behavior of these clan motivated individuals a catch 22 situation developed as it became impossible to form a functioning government. This pathetic situation continued and a never ending dispute ensued attributed to successive fragile administrations run on the basis of power sharing by clan representatives, an unfortunate divisive formula the Somalis imposed on themselves where competence, transparency and accountability are either overlooked or not easily recognizable or enforceable despite the availability of a cadre of professionals capable contributing to a more effective and efficient government.
Politics and economy
The silent majority is demanding peace and development rejecting political wrangling. Instability and the ongoing battle with the insurgency have had their toll on the nation’s progress toward to a modern developed country and regain its place in the international stage. The quicker the political impasse is dealt with in a mutually satisfactory manner the more confidence is restored. Recent demolitions by the government of houses and makeshifts for internally displaced people with no alternative accommodation albeit temporary. The ensuing public outcry fell on deaf ears and the dispute on unauthorized constructions on public land/property and the fate of the squatters is to be resolved yet. This is kind of an unfortunate action that brings about social unrest and undesired acrimony and bitter feeling between the people and government. On the other hand, the economy suffers as a result of the enormous internal and external challenges that hinder its growth and development not to mention the prolonged hostile environment on the ground.
On the economic front only the service sector is relatively thriving in urban and partly in rural areas and so the economy remains in a slow trajectory and the absence of funding in a sufficient scale for the private sector’s trade and investment plans is the main deterrent to economic growth. Countries usually finance their economic activities with own currency and using non-national currency should be a temporary means until the economy is steered back to its normal path. Resorting to such an unconventional expediency should not in any way be construed as a long term solution. Printing currency can be a two edged sword with positive and negative consequences as money not fully backed by a robust economy ultimately causes inflation and eats up whatever income in the hands of the people and consumption declines which leads to reduced economic activities causing also government revenues to shrink.
Regional Cooperation:
With government policy and decision to join the EAC a new chapter of cooperation has been opened with that block and other intra-African organizations. Somali businesses and investors along tourism will be fully accessible individually or in a joint effort in order to take advantage of offered opportunities but so far there is little to celebrate in terms of exchange of goods except qat imports into the country from neighboring countries, an addict that’s devastating. While Somalia is slowly recovering from enormous challenges it will ultimately witness in the near future the beneficial effects in participating such regional effort though full integration may take time given the unfortunate situation in which Somalia finds itself. A good news to welcome is that Africans now realize that they cannot continue with the old paradigm of exporting commodities and raw materials to world markets dominated by foreign powerful groups arbitrarily setting prices below what these goods would be worth.
Consequently, there is a renewed approach by African leaders to shun exploitation in all its forms and in particular to retain domestically their mineral resources by building processing plants for the raw material materials in their own countries and export finished goods to world markets thus boosting economic growth, development, employment and fattening public coffers and improving people’s standard of living.
Federalism and governance:
The choice for the country by the people’s representatives as proposed by the leading parties to adopt federalism initially thought to pave the way for an inclusive decentralized and stable governance have not attained the objectives aimed for. Instead, the established regional governments have become runaway states acting as independent units and often at loggerheads with the federal government. Today we witness an endless controversy between the center and periphery mainly due to ambiguity in the constitutional framework of the federal system where the power and competencies of different stakeholders are poorly defined which allows for some to interpret certain clauses of the constitution out of context and in their own perspective.
After a long and arduous work of restoring good governance, the government has yet to reach the standard level of governing only because the authorities prioritize selective approach not based on merit for the appointment to positions requiring knowledge and expertise to run the various government departments. This pathetic environment in the administrative apparatus is exacerbated by the application of power sharing formula agreed upon by the clan interest driven politicians without setting stringent terms of reference thus, the dysfunctional character of the government at all levels despite attempts to infuse new blood in the systems to make it appear working normally and serving the people but the lack of accountability and transparency erodes public confidence.
Elections and Universal Suffrage:
National and regional elections have become a recurring point of contention and a headache for the central authority as they are unable to find a satisfactory solution to disagreements mainly centered on who gains the upper hand on federal institutions and regional administrations. Mismanagement at the center owes to the fact that the executive usually prefers to have its own valued stalwarts positioned in various departments as a reward for their loyalty especially in financially sensitive areas. The political atmosphere seems currently in a deadlock and the opposition though fragmented is nevertheless a group to deal with but in their recent meetings both sides hardly showed the ability to forge a compromise or come up with a new version of issues mutually agreeable on the table. Moreover, any arrangement for the universal suffrage has its pros and cons depending on the manner in which the electoral system is conducted and protected from undue internal or external interference thus ensuring free and fair outcome. But here is where the big ‘BUT’ comes into play between the different stakeholders and the electoral commission on the legitimacy of the vote often producing claims and counter-claims by the parties involved and these assertions eventually ending up in the air.
Conclusion:
The instability of the political system and an ever active home gown insurgency have had their negative impact on the social and political situation in the country and the public service is its first victim though largely unnoticed both at the center and periphery level. Challenges are not unsurmountable and must be faced with determination to move the country forward in all spheres of public life.
Difficult overall political atmosphere and disruptions in the conduct of business and services require effective and bold actions and a genuine effort by the government to forge proper solutions not relying on the slogan ‘business as usual’ as people’s mindset have developed and so have their expectations for a better life.
Osman H Yusuf
Email: osmanyusuf278@gmail.com