THE INSIDE STORY OF SOMALIA'S POLITICS OF INFLUENCE AND POWER BROKERS
Kanini Evans Kariuki
June 16, 2009
PRESIDENT SHARIF´S REGIME VIS-À-VIS HIS PREDECESSOR ABDULAHI YUSUF AHMED
PRIME MINISTER NOOR HASSAN HUSSEIN VIS-À-VIS HIS PREDECESSOR PROF ALI GEDI
AFTER the failure of 13 reconciliation conferences, the Nairobi reconciliation conference which took two years subsequently produced six fatally important reports which were the road map for the Transitional Federal institutions for the Somali republic.
The transitional charter which was the main principal document, stipulated the selection of 275 members of parliament based on clan formula, whereby 4.5 of these lawmakers had to elect the speaker and two deputy speakers and subsequently the 275 members of parliament were also stated in the charter to elect the interim state president whose term in office would be five years, the same life period of the Transitional Federal parliament.
The charter fully outlines the functions of the parliament, the president, the government and the prime minister, the independent judiciary and the functions of the transitional period.
It is indeed worth noting that Somali politics is usually hampered by clan favouritism, nepotism and corruption of power and injustice in social services, as well as in state wealth distribution.
If we scale former Somalia president Abdullahi Yusuf on the legal framework based on the functions that the charter prescribes for him to perform accordingly, his opponents exonerate him from charges that he was, during his tenure, making appointment´s and nominations on clan and nepotism basis.
But his supporters viewed him as being the man of the moment for he had the military capabilities and strength to restore law and order, basing their arguments on the fact that his government was controlling 10 regions before the Americans supported the Mogadishu warlords.
This will be indicated in the following paragraphs which give an insight into the comparisons of the two prime ministers.
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER GEDI:
October 2007
1. Establishment of the independent Federal Constitution Commission
Structure
Rules and regulations for governance
Composition and selection of the members on the basis of power sharing in compliance with the Transitional Federal Charter
2. Establishment of the independent National Reconciliation
Commission (NRC) with structure, rules ®ulations, composition
and selection of members item as above.
3. Establishment of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) with structure,
Rules ®ulations, composition and selection of members idem as
Above.
4. Relocation of the Government from Kenya to Somalia implemented.
5. Establishment of the independent Economic Recovery Commission
(ERC) with structure, rules ®ulations, composition and selection of
Members idem as above.
6. National Security & Stabilization Plan (NSSP) prepared and endorsed
(Cabinet and Parliament).
7. Appointment of Central Bank officials (Governor, Director General
And staff).
8. Appointment of the Chief Justice (Supreme Court President) and
Deputies.
9. Appointment of the Attorney General and Deputies.
10. Appointment of the independent Accountant General and staff.
11. Appointment of the independent Auditor General and staff.
12. Appointment of the National Police Commissioner.
13. National Taxation and tariffs law revised and passed (Cabinet and
Parliament).
14. Local Administration Law passed (Cabinet and Parliament).
15. New Electronic Somali Passport passed and issued.
16. National Intelligence Agency law prepared and passed (Cabinet
and Parliament) but rejected by the President.
17. Anti-Terrorism Law prepared and passed (Cabinet and Parliament)
but rejected by the President.
18. Fight against opposition/ICU and relocation of the Government to
the capital city – Mogadishu.
19. Somali Petroleum Law passed by the Cabinet (yet to be endorsed
by the Parliament).
20. Freedom based press regulation passed by the Cabinet (yet to be
endorsed by the Parliament).
21. Somali Fishing Law passed by the Cabinet (yet to be endorsed by
the Parliament).
22. Somali Shipping & Port management Law passed by the Cabinet
(Yet to be endorsed by the Parliament).
23. National Boundaries Demarcation Commission passed by the
Cabinet (yet to be endorsed by the Parliament).
24. Local Administration set up for:
Bay Region
Bakool Region
Benadir Region (Mogadishu)
Middle Shabelle Region
Lower Shabelle Region
Hiran Region
Galgudud Region
Middle Jubba Region
Lower Jubba Region
Gedo Region (under process)
25. National Police Force formed and trained.
26. National Army formed and trained.
27. National Intelligence Agency formed and trained.
28. Prison Guards (Custodial Corps) formed and trained.
29. Successful National Reconciliation Congress held – Mogadishu.
30. Bilateral agreements revived and signed with the following
Governments:
Kenya
Ethiopia
Yemen
Djibouti
Sudan
31. Strengthened ties with multi-lateral organizations such as:
IGAD
African Union (AU).
League of Arab States (LAS).
United Nations (UN).
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
32. MoU EU-TFG Somalia agreed upon and signed in Brussels – Belgium.
33. Appointed Diplomats (Ambassadors, Counselors and staff) to
several countries and multi-lateral organizations.
PRIME MINISTER NOOR HASSAN ADDE:
What is very strange is that prime minister Adde outrightly rejected the handing over of the outgoing prime minister, and the sitting president had not acted accordingly for it was an obligatory for the incoming prime minister to ensure the handover of the office of the prime minister in the presence of witnesses.
That is the very antithesis or against the institution of the Somali republic, administrative procedures and state regulations.
This gross mistake Adde committed will make him liable and accountable for any mismanagement that happened before him.
In pursuit of this maladministration, it happened that he appointed ministers without the presidential decree nomination.
This illegal action was blessed by states that boast of being strict adherents of the concepts of democracy, transparency and accountability.
Prime minister Gedi claims that he was controlling more than 10 regimes and had maintained the lid on the Al-Shabaab group and others, while Prime Minister Adde,at the same time, claims that he facilitated the reconciliation at the Djibouti,seemingly oblivious of the fact that the symposium resulted to the current disastrous and wanton killings.
SHARRIFS REGIME:
Although some of the Somalis, the international community and the UN were pretending that Sharrif´s success on presidential election at the Djibouti would pacify Somalia, for he had the trust of the United Islamic Courts which had enjoyed public influence and support of Southern regions of Somalia, before the intervention of the Ethiopian forces that had overrun the Islamic United Courts, which resulted to the Courts leadership joining an alliance with Eritrea.
Unfortunately, the Islamic courts split into two groups-the Asmara based group and the Djibouti one headed by president Sharrif.
The split metamorphosed into serious friction as the groups frantically sought foreign and local alliances which will have serious ramifications to the interests of the Somalia nation, and actually it so happened that the two groups allied with Ethiopia and Eritrea separately.
It is a known fact that Eritrea and Ethiopia are embroiled in boundary conflicts, although the two bosses(President Afwarge and Prime minister Meles Zenawi) were intimate friends during their struggle against Ethiopian president Mengistu Haile Mariam.
Meles Zenawi gave an opportunity to the Eritrea´s to secede from the great Empire of Ethiopia on the referendum conducted only in Eritrea.
President Shariff´s "advising brain" or, put another way, think tank machine is the former speaker of the Somalia Transitional parliament honorable Shariff Sheikh Adan who has no educational background and hardly reads the Somali language.
However, he is very intelligent and well-versed with Somalia clan politics. Presently, he holds a very important and influential portfolio of Deputy prime minister and minister for finance.
He is popularly known in Somalia as the ´kingmaker´ (Mr Fix It) owing to the fact that he was instrumental in bringing president Sharif to power, besides playing a pivotal role in the appointment of the prime minister honorable Omar Abdirashid Sharmake, a Canadian post graduate.
On the June 14th this year on a Voice of America radio talk by president shariff where the Head of State was bombarded with a tirade of questions from across the world, a lady from Mogadishu asked him: "I feel that Ahmedou-Ould Abdallah is the president of Somalia because he acts like Khomeini of Iran".
To which Sharrif replied: "I am the Somalia President while Ould-Abbdalla is a good Muslim brother whose intention is to see Somalia in peace and prosperity".
The present leadership of Somalia lacks the experience on public politics and state management issues.
Coupled with this glaring inexperience, the advisors of the prime minister and the president are very young people with inadequate knowledge on issues of pubic finance management; hence it is fatally important for Somalis to call for the return of the highly qualified Somalis who left the country because of the civil war. Serious brain drain?
Somalia had the best academic and professional human resources that were educated in the East and West. Some of them ascended to top echelons in international and regional organizations, as well as being senior civil servants in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
The current impasse in Somalia which consumed the lives of innocent people in the ironic name of power and Islam, is a crying shame and great crime committed against humanity and the Somalia nation.
President Shariff and the leader of the Asmara groups Dahir Awes should exterminate the killings of Somalis and the destruction of the Somalia state, and opt for reconciliation.They should critically address the plight of their good people and save the resources of their country.
The next article will focus on the sea piracy and dumping of toxic waste in Somalia.
PRIME MINISTER NOOR HASSAN HUSSEIN VIS-À-VIS HIS PREDECESSOR PROF ALI GEDI
AFTER the failure of 13 reconciliation conferences, the Nairobi reconciliation conference which took two years subsequently produced six fatally important reports which were the road map for the Transitional Federal institutions for the Somali republic.
The transitional charter which was the main principal document, stipulated the selection of 275 members of parliament based on clan formula, whereby 4.5 of these lawmakers had to elect the speaker and two deputy speakers and subsequently the 275 members of parliament were also stated in the charter to elect the interim state president whose term in office would be five years, the same life period of the Transitional Federal parliament.
The charter fully outlines the functions of the parliament, the president, the government and the prime minister, the independent judiciary and the functions of the transitional period.
It is indeed worth noting that Somali politics is usually hampered by clan favouritism, nepotism and corruption of power and injustice in social services, as well as in state wealth distribution.
If we scale former Somalia president Abdullahi Yusuf on the legal framework based on the functions that the charter prescribes for him to perform accordingly, his opponents exonerate him from charges that he was, during his tenure, making appointment´s and nominations on clan and nepotism basis.
But his supporters viewed him as being the man of the moment for he had the military capabilities and strength to restore law and order, basing their arguments on the fact that his government was controlling 10 regions before the Americans supported the Mogadishu warlords.
This will be indicated in the following paragraphs which give an insight into the comparisons of the two prime ministers.
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER GEDI:
October 2007
1. Establishment of the independent Federal Constitution Commission
Structure
Rules and regulations for governance
Composition and selection of the members on the basis of power sharing in compliance with the Transitional Federal Charter
2. Establishment of the independent National Reconciliation
Commission (NRC) with structure, rules ®ulations, composition
and selection of members item as above.
3. Establishment of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) with structure,
Rules ®ulations, composition and selection of members idem as
Above.
4. Relocation of the Government from Kenya to Somalia implemented.
5. Establishment of the independent Economic Recovery Commission
(ERC) with structure, rules ®ulations, composition and selection of
Members idem as above.
6. National Security & Stabilization Plan (NSSP) prepared and endorsed
(Cabinet and Parliament).
7. Appointment of Central Bank officials (Governor, Director General
And staff).
8. Appointment of the Chief Justice (Supreme Court President) and
Deputies.
9. Appointment of the Attorney General and Deputies.
10. Appointment of the independent Accountant General and staff.
11. Appointment of the independent Auditor General and staff.
12. Appointment of the National Police Commissioner.
13. National Taxation and tariffs law revised and passed (Cabinet and
Parliament).
14. Local Administration Law passed (Cabinet and Parliament).
15. New Electronic Somali Passport passed and issued.
16. National Intelligence Agency law prepared and passed (Cabinet
and Parliament) but rejected by the President.
17. Anti-Terrorism Law prepared and passed (Cabinet and Parliament)
but rejected by the President.
18. Fight against opposition/ICU and relocation of the Government to
the capital city – Mogadishu.
19. Somali Petroleum Law passed by the Cabinet (yet to be endorsed
by the Parliament).
20. Freedom based press regulation passed by the Cabinet (yet to be
endorsed by the Parliament).
21. Somali Fishing Law passed by the Cabinet (yet to be endorsed by
the Parliament).
22. Somali Shipping & Port management Law passed by the Cabinet
(Yet to be endorsed by the Parliament).
23. National Boundaries Demarcation Commission passed by the
Cabinet (yet to be endorsed by the Parliament).
24. Local Administration set up for:
Bay Region
Bakool Region
Benadir Region (Mogadishu)
Middle Shabelle Region
Lower Shabelle Region
Hiran Region
Galgudud Region
Middle Jubba Region
Lower Jubba Region
Gedo Region (under process)
25. National Police Force formed and trained.
26. National Army formed and trained.
27. National Intelligence Agency formed and trained.
28. Prison Guards (Custodial Corps) formed and trained.
29. Successful National Reconciliation Congress held – Mogadishu.
30. Bilateral agreements revived and signed with the following
Governments:
Kenya
Ethiopia
Yemen
Djibouti
Sudan
31. Strengthened ties with multi-lateral organizations such as:
IGAD
African Union (AU).
League of Arab States (LAS).
United Nations (UN).
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
32. MoU EU-TFG Somalia agreed upon and signed in Brussels – Belgium.
33. Appointed Diplomats (Ambassadors, Counselors and staff) to
several countries and multi-lateral organizations.
PRIME MINISTER NOOR HASSAN ADDE:
What is very strange is that prime minister Adde outrightly rejected the handing over of the outgoing prime minister, and the sitting president had not acted accordingly for it was an obligatory for the incoming prime minister to ensure the handover of the office of the prime minister in the presence of witnesses.
That is the very antithesis or against the institution of the Somali republic, administrative procedures and state regulations.
This gross mistake Adde committed will make him liable and accountable for any mismanagement that happened before him.
In pursuit of this maladministration, it happened that he appointed ministers without the presidential decree nomination.
This illegal action was blessed by states that boast of being strict adherents of the concepts of democracy, transparency and accountability.
Prime minister Gedi claims that he was controlling more than 10 regimes and had maintained the lid on the Al-Shabaab group and others, while Prime Minister Adde,at the same time, claims that he facilitated the reconciliation at the Djibouti,seemingly oblivious of the fact that the symposium resulted to the current disastrous and wanton killings.
SHARRIFS REGIME:
Although some of the Somalis, the international community and the UN were pretending that Sharrif´s success on presidential election at the Djibouti would pacify Somalia, for he had the trust of the United Islamic Courts which had enjoyed public influence and support of Southern regions of Somalia, before the intervention of the Ethiopian forces that had overrun the Islamic United Courts, which resulted to the Courts leadership joining an alliance with Eritrea.
Unfortunately, the Islamic courts split into two groups-the Asmara based group and the Djibouti one headed by president Sharrif.
The split metamorphosed into serious friction as the groups frantically sought foreign and local alliances which will have serious ramifications to the interests of the Somalia nation, and actually it so happened that the two groups allied with Ethiopia and Eritrea separately.
It is a known fact that Eritrea and Ethiopia are embroiled in boundary conflicts, although the two bosses(President Afwarge and Prime minister Meles Zenawi) were intimate friends during their struggle against Ethiopian president Mengistu Haile Mariam.
Meles Zenawi gave an opportunity to the Eritrea´s to secede from the great Empire of Ethiopia on the referendum conducted only in Eritrea.
President Shariff´s "advising brain" or, put another way, think tank machine is the former speaker of the Somalia Transitional parliament honorable Shariff Sheikh Adan who has no educational background and hardly reads the Somali language.
However, he is very intelligent and well-versed with Somalia clan politics. Presently, he holds a very important and influential portfolio of Deputy prime minister and minister for finance.
He is popularly known in Somalia as the ´kingmaker´ (Mr Fix It) owing to the fact that he was instrumental in bringing president Sharif to power, besides playing a pivotal role in the appointment of the prime minister honorable Omar Abdirashid Sharmake, a Canadian post graduate.
On the June 14th this year on a Voice of America radio talk by president shariff where the Head of State was bombarded with a tirade of questions from across the world, a lady from Mogadishu asked him: "I feel that Ahmedou-Ould Abdallah is the president of Somalia because he acts like Khomeini of Iran".
To which Sharrif replied: "I am the Somalia President while Ould-Abbdalla is a good Muslim brother whose intention is to see Somalia in peace and prosperity".
The present leadership of Somalia lacks the experience on public politics and state management issues.
Coupled with this glaring inexperience, the advisors of the prime minister and the president are very young people with inadequate knowledge on issues of pubic finance management; hence it is fatally important for Somalis to call for the return of the highly qualified Somalis who left the country because of the civil war. Serious brain drain?
Somalia had the best academic and professional human resources that were educated in the East and West. Some of them ascended to top echelons in international and regional organizations, as well as being senior civil servants in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
The current impasse in Somalia which consumed the lives of innocent people in the ironic name of power and Islam, is a crying shame and great crime committed against humanity and the Somalia nation.
President Shariff and the leader of the Asmara groups Dahir Awes should exterminate the killings of Somalis and the destruction of the Somalia state, and opt for reconciliation.They should critically address the plight of their good people and save the resources of their country.
The next article will focus on the sea piracy and dumping of toxic waste in Somalia.
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