by Ahmed Mohamed
Saturday, February 06, 2010
The present situation in Puntland worries many Somalis as well as international community, the area has recently witnessed increase number of planned assassinations and organised crimes. This is not what people have hopped before a year ago when Puntland went through smooth power transfer. Currently administration led by Faroole made their manifesto for the election: security and economy. During the time of President Cade, Puntland law enforcement weakened and people were expecting Faroole would strengthen and enhance it. That hasn’t happened and in fact the situation got worse than it was.
Situation in Puntland reminds many Somalis how Mogadishu was 4 years ago when, daily assassination without knowing who is behind were common. Here I will try to go through the reasons I believe things are getting wrong in Puntland.
Puntland Formation
Most people in Puntland are internally displaced people by the war from south Somalia. Since 1991 different parts of societies sat together and formed local authority under clan leaders in some parts of Puntland (Bari, Nugaal and Mudug). Thought was a good start, it was not enough. Therefore they sat again aiming to form a broader and more powerful administration which is capable to deliver basic security and services. Puntland politicians believed leading more powerful administration like a Puntland is a path to villa Somalia where great Somalia is administered and that hidden agenda of politicians made whole Puntland project handicap from the start. After the first 3 years Puntland formation things got worse when two Puntland politicians Jama Ali Jama and Abdullahi Yufuf each claiming president received supports from varies Somali groups (Arta and SSRC) clashed. Many business and intellectual community started to leave the area and people’s faith of Puntland project nearly vanished.
Abdullahi became Somalia’s president
In 2004 President Abdullahi got his dream job and became Somali president while Cade, an ally of Abdullahi in SSDF and rival in the war against Jama Ali Jama was elected president of Puntland. Hope of people in Puntland once again started to shine shortly, many people used to say Puntland problem is Abdullahi by the time he leaves things will get better. People received Cade presidency warmly and hoped from him change but that didn’t happened. Cade selected the same team who run the country more than 6 years with incompetence and corruption. He tried to raise the hope of people by speaking good words but practically he never delivered any changes, till his last day he kept playing same song “I understand your concerns about my administration and I will do something about it”.
Faroole coming to power
Faroole was not new to Puntland politics, he was member of Abdullahi and Cade governments. One of his biggest mistake in politics was when he tried to kick Cade government out from Garoowe by using his own militia. Government troops drove his militia out of parliament building and people in Garoowe including the clan leaders told him to leave the city. He never calculated at that time one day in this town he will sit as an elected president and same people who once told him to leave the town will welcome him warmly.
People of Puntland who were tired of Cade’s regime welcomed the change and some of them were even more optimistic about Faroole’s election, they believed he is an educated non-military background whom at least has record of management.
Same as his predecessors, Faroole had no agenda about Puntland development and prosperity. First thing he had in his mind it was minerals and oil deals with foreign companies. The issue he clashed with Cade when he was minister of Cade government.
Puntland oil and minerals
An Australian company Range Resources started mining and oil search in Puntland, initially the mediator between company and Puntland government was Mr Dholowa, a scholar and member of Somali community in Australia. When Range Resources and Puntland government negotiation progressed, Mr Liban Boqor, a business man and relative of the president Cade jumped into the negotiations and took the role of Mr Dholowa.
Mr Dholowa turned to Faroole who is also a member of Somali community in Australia and minister of Cade government at that time, soon rifts between Cade and Faroole immerged. Finally Faroole left the county and also Mr Dholowa who then started campaign against Cade government and Puntland as whole by using Somali Radio station based in Australia and somali homepage called Somlitalk.
When Faroole was elected he named Dholowa, manager of Puntland oil and mineral agency. Faroole and his trusted and right hand minister Ilko-Jiir and Dholowa started re-shaping oil and mineral deals that Cade government made with African oil, a partner of Range Resources. They claim we need to re-correct these deals for benefit of people of Puntland but reality written contracts stay the same as they were in Cade government. Three men made together a lot of expensive trips with money of poor Puntland tax payers to negotiation with oil and mineral companies as well as TFG, they finally successfully approved oil and mineral deals from Puntland parliament which is known to have full of corrupted members.
Even though many people would like to see development of Puntland oil and minerals reserves but equally people are aware that Faroole and his team are not the right people for the job. They allowed security deteriorate and they left economy unreformed bad shape and education budged less 5% and etc. Most of his 54 ministers are from Diaspora, they couldn’t do well the competitive life in the west and don’t have provable good record for the job they assigned to run. There is no process in Puntland that defines how to select officials, president can write anytime a letter and send to the media to announce selection or replacement an official without consulting people and person him/her-self.
Puntland will not be stable until there is parliament, government, mayor and etc chosen by clan elders and not poor Puntland tax payers.
I will like to conclude my article what profossor Samatar said “waxaa wadanka ka arimiya dadkii iyagu shaqada rabay, wadankuse wuxuu ubahan yahay dadkii shaqadu rabtay ama hogaanka wadanka ehelka u ahaan”.
Senior IT Eng. Ahmed Mohamed
email: [email protected]