Editorial
Somalia: Irresponsible policies leading to the destruction of a fragile economy
By
Apr 20, 2008 - 10:15:44 AM

SUNDAY EDITORIAL | With high food prices across the world, the poor people in Somalia are subjected to paying even higher prices for food.

By now, very few people have good expectations of the clique in power in Puntland, a fast-eroding semiautonomous regional authority in northern Somalia. The group in power today came to office in January 2005, when Puntland was credited as a stable region in erstwhile chaotic Somalia. Three years and four months later, the government of Puntland is in shambles and the region's locals have been given little choice but to react to the growing criminality that continues to threaten their daily livelihoods.

Muslim preachers in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, convened a community meeting over the weekend to discuss three local issues of absolute importance: security, the drought and hyperinflation. Led by the most well-known clerics in Garowe, the meeting concluded with a proposal to establish a private security force to patrol city streets and return the rule of law. Of course, this kind of idea is unheard of in a place where a "government" is in power. In fact, this is the first time such a community meeting has taken place in Puntland since the regional government was first established in 1998.

Public security is any government's most vital priority. Professional police officers and soldiers, paid and trained, are society's first line of defense against common criminals and the perpetrators of organized crime. In Puntland, under the administration of incumbent President Adde Muse, members of the security forces have not been paid in five or more months. Yet, locals pay taxes and revenue generated from the commercial port of Bossaso is at an all-time high! Corruption would not be enough of a strong word to describe the irresponsible policies of President Muse and his clique.

Secondly, the Puntland region and much of Somalia is undergoing a terrible drought. Heartbreaking stories of hunger and disease in Somali towns does not seem to draw the compassion of Puntland officials, or those in the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) for that matter. In Garowe, Islamic clerics have registered needy families, distributed food aid and have appealed for the direct involvement of the local business community and the Diaspora. Where are the press releases regarding the drought from the government of Puntland? Certainly, this "government" is busy issuing press releases condemning GaroweOnline.com and SomaliTalk.com.

With high food prices across the world, the poor people in Somalia are subjected to paying even higher prices for food and other necessary goods because counterfeit Somali Shillings are being printed locally in Puntland with either the complicity or the direct knowledge of Puntland government officials. Members of organized crime who are responsible for flooding local markets with false Shillings contend that they have the permission of Puntland and/or TFG officials. This would explain why Puntland security forces have not stormed any of the buildings where minting machines operate, to the full knowledge of every one!

Mr. Adde Muse must remember that the people of Puntland forgave him when he left his peaceful home in Canada to Somalia, where he spilled the blood of the innocent in his wicked pursuit of power. In October, it was the city of Las Anod that said no more to President Muse and his corruption and welcomed troops from the separatist region of Somaliland. Today, it is the local clan in Garowe that says it can no longer depend on the Puntland government for its security.

The writing is clearly on the wall.

Garowe Online Editorial, editorial@garoweonline.com