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 IGAD
Breaking News (HAN) march 5th, 2006.
 Somaliland
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Somalia: Puntland leadership fails to deliver
Djibouti (HAN)
March 5, 2006 - THE PUNTLAND State government is in political
turmoil, again. The recent gun battle in Garoe – the Capital – between the
presidential guard and clan militias was not an isolated incident, despite
all efforts to make it look as such. It was, in effect, another worrying
sign of the region's gradual descent into instability and regional
disintegration. The battle, which lasted less than five minutes but
contributed to the deaths of at least three individuals, stimulated, in
the minds of the public, still-fresh images from the last wave of
political violence in the region. Back then, the semi-autonomous
government that administers northeastern Somalia teetered on the verge of
total disintegration; while political rivals battled for power, the public
was left in the middle to suffer as collateral damage. Today, the region
is engulfed in a similar disposition and the question of its very
survivability hangs in the balance. Has the Puntland leadership failed the
people?
Broken promises
What led to the flare-up of violence in Garoe at the end of last month?
Anyone familiar with the on goings in Somalia knows, quite well, that
Garoe is one of the more peaceful cities in our Motherland. Situated at
the heart of the majestic Nugal valley, Garoe is cherished for its
moderate climate and valued for its strategic location: the city
interconnects other major cities like Bossaso, Las Anod and Galkayo.
Furthermore, the Puntland capital has become home to thousands of
internally displaced people (IDPs), most of who fled the perpetual anarchy
in some parts of southern Somalia and were attracted by Garoe's relative
peace.
So, why would a city renown for peace temporarily turn into a war zone?
Garoe, it must be remembered, is the capital city of Puntland, which means
that there are political forces constantly at work. For months, president
'Adde Muse has been flying in and out of the region for medical reasons,
while the public patiently waited for him to name his new Cabinet. Many
people were enchanted by the President's public addresses, in which he
repeatedly promised to form a new Cabinet based on the educational and
professional achievements of candidates. Furthermore, the President is
known to have promised the introduction of accountability, fiscal
responsibility and a strict penal on numerous occasions. These captivating
pronouncements attracted the masses to the President's cause: he wants,
they believed, an apt government, which acts justly and responsibly.
Then, the vast majority of the people were disappointed with his new
Cabinet list, because most of the incumbent ministers were returned to
their posts. But the real shocks came during the Puntland parliamentary
session whereby the ministerial nominations were to be either approved or
rejected on a minister-by-minister basis. The first shock was that the
Puntland parliament actually wanted to exercise its oversight powers –
before, the President simply appointed ministers and carried on his work
without parliamentary oversight. Why, all of a sudden, did the Parliament
feel the urgency to exercise its power at such a critical time? More
importantly, why didn't the Parliament utilize its immense oversight
powers when president 'Adde Muse signed a unilateral agreement in Dubai
with a junior oil company from Australia? It will be remembered that,
while president 'Adde gave away the region's vast natural resources to a
foreign company, not a single member of parliament (MP) objected or spoke
publicly about a president who vastly overstepped his presidential powers.
The second shock came when, in the same sitting, the Puntland finance
minister was approved by the MPs while the interior minister was rejected
and revoked of his post. Prior to the parliamentary session, the Puntland
regions have been relatively peaceful, which attests to the fact that the
interior minister, who's in charge of regional security, did his job
exceptionally well. But matters relating to the treasury are delegated to
the finance ministry, are they not? As we all know, Puntland government
employees, including members of the armed forces, have not been paid in
months. Worse, the Puntland leaders publicly accused each other of
stealing funds from the government treasury; it was president 'Adde who
recently accused his VP Hassan Dahir of "loosing" over five million
dollars! Who takes responsibility for such gross misuse of public funds?
Where was the parliamentary inquisition into these matters of corruption?
Despite such reality, the Puntland Parliament sought to evict the interior
minister while letting the finance minister maintain his current
portfolio. Did the Parliament ask the finance minister where the
government's money goes? Did the finance minister offer documents
revealing how over five million dollars became "lost" from the Puntland
treasury? The entire parliamentary session was a sham designed to dispose
of "some" ministers and had nothing to do with the genuine use of
parliamentary oversight powers. How else could the finance minister,
responsible for the loss of millions of dollars of public funds, be
returned to his post while the interior minister gets the boot? Overt
corruption, which has become increasingly formulaic of this current
administration, has reached new heights. But by spilling blood, they
crossed all lines.
Gun talk
When armed militiamen, angry by Parliament's injustice, surrounded
Parliament House, president 'Adde Muse was quick to send in his own
presidential guard to "quell" the resistance by violent force – within
minutes, at least three people were pronounced dead.
Doesn't Garoe have a police force responsible for security? Since it does,
then what was the reason for sending in the presidential guard instead of
the police force? Furthermore, why was the administration so quick to use
guns instead of diplomacy? The bloody incident in the central Garoe
exposed a weak administration and its lack of proper procedural protocol.
When armed militiamen captured Parliament House, it was the duty of the
police to engage the militias, not for the presidential guard to
interfere. The militiamen, while armed, neither shot nor killed anyone but
were there to express their grievance against the injustice incurred upon
"some" ministers, while others are given the green light. Puntland prides
itself as a region where law and order reign supreme; yet, the president's
personal security forces were quick to break the law. Because of poor
judgment on the part of the administration, several families lost their
loved ones.
Also, the people of Garoe have guns and could've responded violently
against the presidential guard's murderous tactics. But, as with the whole
of Puntland, the mediation and wisdom of the Issims, or traditional
elders, was given priority. As the Issims of Nugal region calmed the tense
and potentially volatile situation in the Capital, the president called in
more heavily-armed reinforcements to encamp himself in a "Green Zone" not
unlike the American one in Baghdad! Why did the president reinforce his
personal security forces if he's not guilty of anything? What does he have
to fear today that he didn't have to fear the day before the bloody gun
battle in Garoe?
Widespread frustration
Garoe residents aren't the only group of people frustrated with this
ineffective and corrupt administration. When president 'Adde and VP Hassan
Dahir went to Las Anod last month to pay respects to the family of the
late and great Garad Abdiqani Garad Jama, may Allah (SWT) have mercy on
his soul, they were met with an angry public rally denouncing his entire
government. Why were the people of Las Anod protesting against the
government led by president 'Adde Muse? Are they possibly protesting
against the temporary shutting down of Radio Laascaanood for ambiguous
reasons?
A few months ago, the Bossaso police in the dark of the night attacked the
property of a prominent Puntland businessman. President 'Adde Muse was
quick to condemn the illegal and unprovoked attack, and even went on
record saying that the police behaved inappropriately and accused some
police elements of trying to "destabilize" the region. Why hasn't
president 'Adde condemned the gun battle in Garoe whereby three people
lost their lives because of the inappropriate use of force on the part of
his own presidential guard?
The public's frustration with the 'Adde Muse administration is widespread
because the President has continuously failed to deliver on his promises,
and the recent eruption of violence in Garoe is but another prime example
of the public's growing discontent. Puntland needs to be saved – not from
an outside enemy, but from within the ranks of those in power today. The
dream espoused in the signed Puntland Charter called for a representative
government that conducts its affairs justly, responsibly and openly. But a
government that kills its own people – literally or systematically – and
embezzles public funds is a government founded on the evil practices of
injustice, oppression and corruption of the highest caliber!
Overt corruption, which
has become increasingly formulaic of this current administration of Gen.
Ade Mouse, has reached new heights. But by spilling blood, they crossed
all lines.
Opinion Contributed: By
EGarowe online / Radio Garowe <radiogarowe@gmail.com
HAN
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