An open letter to the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House and the Parliament

 By Att. Adirahman Hosh Jibril and Dr. Ali Said Faqi

Jan. 15, 2005

Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker and Honorable members of the Parliament, it is about time that you have concluded this marathon conference that dragged for over two years, a conference on which the Somali communities both inside the country and outside of it have hinged their hopes and aspirations for a reconstituted Somali state that takes its rightful place among the community of nations, after it had infamously remained a failed nation for 14 years. Now that it seems that you have woken out of your collective stupor, no doubt induced by 2- year long wrangling, horse trading and power sharing, we, as citizens and therefore stakeholders, would take this opportunity to remind you of the daunting tasks awaiting you and some of the jarring realities out there that not only need to be tackled, but tackled in very creative, rational and strategic manners.

We do hope that you all reflect deeply on the following statistics which essentially frame a Kodak picture snapshot of the human condition of the society that you have been solemnly sworn to lead and for which you have pledged to lead honorably:

Statistics bear grim witness to the conditions of the country . Somalia ranks among the very lowest countries in the world on the UNDP's Human Development Index (HDI), rankings below Sierra Leone which ranks at the very lowest rung of HDI ladder. Average life expectancy is estimated at 41-43 years; the mortality rate for children under five exceeds 25%; adult literacy rates range between 14-17%; primary school enrolment is 13-16%; and GNP/capita is between US $176-200. Yet, these are only hard crunched numbers that only statisticians, policy makers and aid agencies pay attention to, and which do not register-at least for the average Somali- the magnitude and human suffering that our society is enduring and has endured for the past 14 years.

Consider the following: Our children do not have any meaningful future in that they do not have real education, do not have sanitation water, lack basic health care, and not to mention the fact that they do not have a right to life, since lives are snuffed out at whim by those strong enough to carry weapons. Our women are the most vulnerable population in society and are routinely subjected to rape and killings, and minority communities are subjected to inhume treatment, even in those areas where there are some semblance of law and order.

If the human condition and security of our society is as bleak as most studies suggest, the state of our habitat and environment is no less promising as you well know. Large swaths of prime agricultural lands and forests are being cut down and burned for export charcoal at alarming rates in all regions of Somalia. Moreover, our pristine coast lines have become targets for large scale illegal fishing operations by unscrupulous multinational companies with the complicity of greedy Somali businessmen. Not only is our coast line being drained of its rich sea life by these shady elements, but it has also become notorious as the low-cost dumping grounds for toxic and hazardous materials that are shipped out of European industries. No one has as yet figured out what the long-term ecological, economic and health implications of these environmental malfeasances would have on future generations of the country, but the indications are not good at all.

In almost any other country, any one or a combination of these indicators would be considered a national emergency and we do hope that as the new designated leaders of the country, that you make all your decisions bearing in mind all the above factors. We will be remiss if we only pointed out the daunting problems you are facing, without offering some starting points for solutions. We offer these modest proposals as starting points for future policy discussions now that the cabinet and the government have been endorsed by the Parliament.

• Disarmament: Embark on a creative disarmament/demobilization program with a training component in it. You would not have to re-invent the wheel as you can draw from the recent successful experiences of Sierra Leone and Liberia, that is, if IGAD can play the kind of role that ECOWAS played in the disarmament campaigns of these countries. Their methodology included cash buyouts of light weapons and skills training, including military or police training for the militia. However, make sure that disarmament is across the board in all regions, consistent and transparent.

• Health Care : Re-nationalize the health care sector which is now haphazardly run for profit, and then modernize them. There should never be privately run hospitals that would only cater to the rich thereby creating a two-tiered system, one for the rich and comfortable; the other for the poor and the afflicted.

• Education: invigorate the School system and guarantee free education for all Somalis aged 6 – 18 years with a common curriculum that includes a comprehensive peace and human rights education. Create vocational schools and re-open the Somali Nation University in Mogadishu and restore its original integrity.

• Property Disputes: Create a super czar under the relevant Ministry and a quasi-judicial tribunal with a panel or a commission imbued with integrity to adjudicate property disputes. This quasi judicial authority would write up legal procedures for bringing forth claims of property and would also mediate, arbitrate and adjudicate property disputes (whether farms or houses).

• Environment: It is imperative that the government take actions on the following issues with respect to the environment:

• Immediately ban the exportation of Charcoal to the UAE and to any other countries around the world.

• Send an urgent request to the Southern Africa political grouping that includes South Africa to lend you coast guards and also to train your guards so that you can immediately start policing the Somali coast from terrorists, pirates, toxic waste dumpers and also the wholesale looting of our sea life. You can then effectively institute effective fishery's regime which encourages sustainable fishing that are legally sanctioned. For community and small scale or sports fishing, the government could raise revenue by selling fishing licenses.

• Appoint a credible panel of scholars to study the intensity of the pollution and the nature of the chemicals dumped into our coast.

• Federalism and the constitution: Appoint a credible panel of scholars to study whether Federalism suits us or even the nature of the federalism we want. How many constituent regions should it comprise? At what borders? This should include the nature of power sharing and revenue sharing etc. This panel should make recommendations to the parliament. On the constitutional front, you would need to move and begin debating and drafting a new constitution but the public should be included in this process, and if resources permit in the future it would be a good idea if the government held televised hearings on all aspects of the constitution including peaceful re-confederation with Somaliland. The constitutional commission would also start talking with Somaliland officials and start negotiations.

• Political party formation : For a vision of the future, all of you--the parliamentarians, the president, the PM- would be wise to start the formation of political parties that stand for a set of principles. If you do so, you would leave a legacy that would reflect your political maturity. Whatever your backgrounds, now you should view yourselves as pioneers in the sense that you are participating at the re-birthing of a new state. You can start forming coalitions grounded on certain economic and social principles (not clans for heavens sake) and form parties that are open for the public. The public would flock to the party that offers them the best choice.

Ladies and Gentlemen, when Chinese people are wont to throw a curse on someone, they utter the following saying: “ may you live in interesting times ”. It is our belief that you have assumed leadership in the most interesting of times in our history, and because you have been bestowed with this Chinese curse, it is incumbent on you that you appreciate it in a very solemn manner. To do otherwise would be a dereliction of the duties for which you have been sworn to. With the right attitude and a clear perspective, we believe that you can turn this “curse” in to a blessing, and hopefully with your hard work, we would see a better Somalia in the coming years.

Wa Billaahi Towfiiq

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Att. Abdirahman Hosh Jibril is a Toronto, Canada based lawyer.
E-mail: Abdihosh1@yahoo.ca

Dr. Ali Said Faqi is a Scientist based in Michigan, USA.
E-mail: Alifaqi@yahoo.com

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