the Somali society are mired in conflict and are at their lowest point due to a protracted mismanagement and corruption in the regional government. They are also suffering from poor administrative performance throughout their new history.

Currently the regional ruling Somali People Democratic Party (SPDP) is swimming in murky waters and earned negative reputation of not taking its responsibilities. Today is the worst ever and it is going down the drain. The party is run by incompetent group of people, and the stage is closing on them now for all the mismanagement and corruption that they have visited on the region. The health system, education and the few potable water systems and the infrastructure that existed are crumbling throughout the region as a result of absence of a credible government in the past and present years. The misery of the Somali Region is not only that, but the system has produced more suffering to the mass and everywhere there is deep sense of disappointment and grievance.

In general, the whole region has few ill-functioning hospital and about 43% percent of the population in the region have no access to health facilities; whereas about 60% and 48% have no access to hospital and health centers, respectively. For instance, the capital of the region, Jijiga, with population estimated above 0.3 million has a single hospital built by Emperor Hailesilase in the 1950s, which is now under renovation by American Army. It has poor facilities and unhygienic conditions too.

Education is also one of the highly neglected areas by the government. The number of student enrolling in primary and intermediate schools are 135,239, while 6855 student are currently enrolling in secondary schools. But surprisingly there are only two secondary schools with completed curriculum in the region in which both are situated in Jijiga Zone. There is rampant scarcity of classrooms and desks in Jijiga primary, intermediate and secondary schools. A primary school headmaster who did not consent to disclose his name said: "scarcity of facilities became beyond our control and government is not ready to do anything. Imagine a single classroom accommodating 85-90 pupils, four pupils per desk, to whom should we lodge our complaints," he said.

Such overwhelmed dishonorable circumstances are hardly to be addressed, despite the fact of non-existence of independent media in the whole region. However, a confusing intermarriage between national and regional ethno-political parties is encouraged and more putting into flash the ethnic differences in the country. Affiliated regional political parties became pupates and bowing down to their political godfather covering its shortcomings now and then. It seems the concept of collective responsibility is weakening by such manipulated political philosophy. How the doctrine of collective responsibility under parliamentary system can be secured? To what extent does the rulling political party held responsibility for all the untold poor administrative performances? To what extent do ethno-regional political parties could hold responsible for public policies deficiencies? To whom do the mass lodge their complaints? It is hardl to predict whether May 2005 election that 10 national and 57 regional political parties will run in the polls throughout the country will come with real spirit of democracy. It seems just like begging light from the dark or trying to borrow strength from the weak.

The leading political parity's sole role is to rule the country, unknowing how it is going to paint its political art. The region is the second largest regional state next to Oromia with total area of about 340,000 KM2 and the population is estimated at about 4 millions in which 70% of the them are pastoralists. The region is rich with livestock and it has been estimated to be 3,746,000 million Cattle, 17.6 Million sheep, and goat and 2 million camels and 231,000 donkeys, horses and mule. However this wealth has no an access to health facilities as there are countable numbers of veterinary doctors operating in the region.

It is also one of the largest sedimentary basins in Ethiopia. It has been estimated that 68 billion metric cube of natural gas deposit is available in Kalub, which economically profitable. Somalis in Ethiopia were for a long time under martial law and have been totally marginalized in all aspects of their life. The society has been exposed to some light some 14 years ago when Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democracy Front (EPRDF) took power of the country from overthrown Dergue regime. That hop is today gloomy and waning. If some thing is not done soon, "things may fall apart" beyond help.

By: Mohammed Metan Jama

Email: dhago02@gmail.com