By Abdi M. Jarik
Dear Mr. President,
I would like to congratulate you on your election as President of Puntland State of Somalia, and wish you success in this enormous task. Following the arduous campaign for such an august position, in which many of us wished you to win, I believe you are well deserved to be the leader of this vital region of Somalia. Your credentials are very strong despite limited stint as former Prime Minister of Somalia. During the period of your premiership , you participated and engineered crafting a coherent transitional constitution for Somalia which needs to be put to a referendum, but this doesn’t qualify for its articles to be flouted by our Federal Government of Somalia prior to holding of such a referendum.
I hail from the Makhir sub-region of Somalia which is a constituent part of Puntland. In this spirit, I would like to use a caveat, as you might well know, that leadership or governance have their own risks and pitfalls. On your cabinet appointments, there are already certain misgivings being voiced about the constitution of your cabinet that it is not inclusive as regards the sub-clans in Puntland; and that the administrative high-level jobs are not equitably distributed between the various sub-clans. In terms of clans I cannot substantiate the allegations at this stage; but AllSanaag website indicates that 75% of high-level administrative appointments are from your sub-clan. If that is the case, it runs counter to your acceptance speech for Presidency to observe equity and justice in your administration as well as fairness to all stakeholders in Puntland State. I also mean that apart from equitable distribution of portfolios, competence, qualifications, and integrity should be the overriding considerations for the jobs. In any case, this is a beginning, but adjustments, as needed, are open for you to effect corrective steps in a timely manner during your term in office.
Among your cabinet appointments, there are two renegade ministers from Khatumo State which doesn’t bode well for reconciliation with the Khatumo sub-region. The appointments can further alienate the Khatumo State adherents and reconciliation between Khatumo & Puntland. As Mr. Mohamoud Ali Gaildon suggested in his message to you in Wardheernews you should advisedly seek to attend the pending Khatumo meeting and present the case of continuity of Puntland to that forum and further explore alternatives for reconciliation.
Another potent issue for Puntland is the equitable distribution of foreign aid to the various constituent parts of Puntland. During Puntland’s existence, no foreign aid through the Government of Puntland has reached Khatumo region; and Makhirland except for the grant from Kuwait Fund for the establishment of Makhir University. Let me be blunt and acknowledge that all the foreign assistance to Puntland during the period was destined and confined to the Majeerteenia areas. The situation should be reversed and a comprehensive economic/social development Plan be conceived and formulated for the whole Puntland in consultation with all communities. The same experience has been encountered with the secessionist regime of Somaliland which still claims that we are an integral part of their state; but we surely are not.
I am a retiree of the African Development Bank(AFDB) with almost 26 years experience there; and have been an adviser and consultant in development since my retirement in 2003. During my period with the AFDB, I have been attached to the World Bank for a period in operations. While with AFDB, I managed operations in various regions of the continent and developed cooperation with international development financial institutions to address our programs in those member countries. In this context, I would be happy to render any assistance I can muster to your Ministry of Planning & International Cooperation.
Finally, I reiterate my best wishes to you on your efforts in the journey to develop Puntland for the coming five years, and beyond.
My highest consideration.
Abdi M. Jarik
Email:[email protected]
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