Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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Democratization Process in Puntland: Challenges and Opportunities

By Mohamed Jibrell

Background

Puntland was established in 1998. It has since then stood out as one of the few stable regions in Somalia. The 1998 Garowe Community Constitutional Conference that led to the formation of Puntland State of Somalia was a successful experiment in establishing a regional state. This pioneering act illustrates how governance and development have become localized in Somalia and that the capacity of the people from the former Northeast regions of Somalia have come to manage and finance large and complex political processes with limited international support. As in the English proverb, the proof of pudding is in its eating, Puntland by playing a constructive role among its Somali neighbors, hosting more than 100,000 refugees from South Somalia, and at the same time leading efforts to resolve Somalia’s regional conflicts peacefully has shown its mettle as a reliable friend to all Somalis and the other peoples of the Horn Africa Region. That Puntland has been a cornerstone of the Federal government in hosting Garowe 1, 2, Galkacio conferences to implement the road-map agenda of ending Somalia’s transitional junctures is another illustration of its good intentions in the region.

Garowe Puntland
Garowe, Puntland

Puntland is part of Somalia Federal government and yet it has its unique features of governance as well as strategic geographic position in East Africa. It is increasing its importance to the international community by collaborating with the US, the European Union and other stakeholders on terrorism, piracy and on a range of other critical issues without in anyway encumbering the Federal Somali Government’s efforts to forge a sustainable path for Somalia.

Puntland’s governance role

Thus far since its establishment, Puntland has thrived on a path of consultative clan power sharing, but it is now changing tack and getting on a path of democratic governance and public sector reform. Puntland’s socio-economic status is currently better off than most of the other regions of Somalia – particularly those in central and southern regions- in terms of stability and security, and public institutions building. In its 15 years of existence, Puntland state of Somalia has created an enabling and encouraging environment for private and public sector institutions by taking on and succeeding in the building of the capacity of major social issues, including but not limited to, the level of education, improvement to the health sector, usage of electricity and wider access to water.

Despite the positive developments of the recent past, the political system remains dominated by traditional, clan-based systems of governance in the absence of political parties, across clan organization or community power structures. In addition, the parliament is selected on the basis of clan distribution quotas, with traditional elders proposing the names of MP’s, ministers and administrative officials. The revival of Xeer (customary law) as an alternative to state laws following the collapse of the Central Somali government in 1991 was critical in maintaining semblance of law and order.

Situational analysis

Since 1998, the government of Puntland has been gradually gaining the confidence of the people through the re-establishment of public sector institutions in order to primarily provide public security and basic services. However, the capacities of these public institutions started at different stages and the demand for services from the beneficiaries have been steadily growing in higher proportion than the delivery capacity of the government institutions. Today, the time has come for Puntland to take the lead in framing the essential policies that would shape the overall socio-economic development of the State, which would translate into major efforts organized by the government in partnership with the international community and the engagement of all stakeholders on the overall reconstruction of Puntland.

The distinction between description (how polices are made) and prescription (how policies should be made) can’t be excluded from consideration of Puntland’s efforts in developing relevant and appropriate policies. However, policy issues applied to any given issue may be truncated. A more analytical approach would encourage two questions: what we are trying to do and how will we know when we have done it? Since there is usually a gap between the expected and the desired futures it is necessary to identify the constraints and limiting factors. Democratic governance addresses the allocation and management of resources to respond to collective problems and is characterized by the principles of participation, transparency, accountability, rule of law, effectiveness, equity and strategic vision.

Puntland’s 2nd five year Development Plan proposes the development of strong, democratic, public-sector institutions as a critical component of its mission. It is through improved governance that the benefits of democratic development most directly impact the lives of citizens. Conversely, the inability of public sector institutions to function effectively and democratically undermines the sustainability of democratic reform. Democratic institutions provide the setting for equitable distribution of benefits from growth. In short, more peaceful and more prosperous nations contribute to a more stable environment. There are compelling reasons to care about whether the quality of governance is good across the state. For the good of our citizens and for the sake of our common aims, the capacity of weak states like Puntland to govern should be strengthened because countries that are well governed are both less likely to be less violent and are less likely to be poor.

Read more: Puntland democratization process

Mohamed Jibrell
Member of the advisory board
Puntland Development Research Center (PDRC), Garowe, Somalia
Former Lecturer and Dean
Trinity College, Hartford CT
Email:[email protected]


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