By Jamma Ali Sugow
Somalia is a complex political security environment beset by poverty, recurring drought spells, as is being experienced now and violent conflict. The country has been in a state of conflict of one form or another for the past two decades.
Despite currently having a functioning central government operating from the capital, outside of it, there are several varieties of political, religious and tribal entities seeking to govern. None of the subsequent governments since the fall of the Barre regime have succeeded in establishing their authority or broad legitimacy among the general Somali population. Efforts to have in the country a set of functioning public institutions have been derailed by the presence of traditional and ethnic forms of governance that carry varying legitimacy and influence across the country.
Beyond the formal structures, governance in Somalia is determined by a hugely influential informal system. In far flung areas, many a times, traditional leadership shoulders the burden of dispute settlement, often working closely with Sharia Courts. Access to the formal justice system, for instance law enforcement and the judiciary remains limited to the capital and other and anointed elders to settle civil and criminal disputes.
It is imperative to note that in essence, the challenges contributing to state failure in Somalia are wide-ranging from a mixture of political, institutional, administrative and human resource issues. The international community, working hands in gloves with the Federal Government and other non-state actors should pursue a comprehensive and sustainable approach governance to strengthening, that include support for an inclusive political process and the fostering of societal relations, i.e. engaging of religious and traditional authorities.
On the other hand, it is common knowledge to note that corruption poses a major threat to sustainable development in Somalia. The existing lack of confidence in the Federal Government’s ability to manage the financial and human resources of the state can hugely undermine the trust the citizens have on the government. As a result, efforts should be made to develop systems, institutions and processes that promote accountability, integrity and transparency and demonstrate to the citizenry that the state is capable of utilizing the resources at its disposal to deliver services throughout the country.
Moreover, it is prudent for steps to be taken to develop and implement legal mechanisms to curb corruption and foster integrity across all sectors of the government. On top of that, a mechanism should be put in place for mutual accountability between the government and its bilateral and multi-lateral partners, both from within and overseas, thus allowing stakeholders to raise and report complains to the relevant authorities. This can be implied to include proactive engagements with civil society, including the media which can be engaged as a significant stakeholder in promoting accountability and playing the role of a whistleblower in exposing acts of prebendalism that might be taking place.
Additionally, the government should fund and support institutional capacity building strategies for the police and in order to make sure the effective functioning of the policing organs. The government should create a conducive working environment with key stakeholders at national, regional and local levels in order to promote effective responses to crimes. This can follow a community chosen and driven approach ensuring that marginalized clans and youths are all involved in key formulations to improve security and harmonize relations among the multiple communities.
State building in Somalia, whether organic or inorganic has been constrained by the economic base of the country. Somalia’s economy remains one of the poorest in the world. It’s productivity is based on mainly pastoral nomadism and in some instances agriculture. Both sectors, pastarolism and the agricultural sector are chiefly subsistence-oriented and thus profoundly impoverished.
Currently, one of the major obstacles to state building in Somalia is the extremely modest revenues it can secure from its citizens as taxes. More often than not, the Federal Government has relied on external sources of funding to run the country. This external funding that has been unpredictable and unsustainable, had its own negative implications in that country. It has reduced accountability to the people and tended to promote unrealistically expansive patronage-based visions that are out of line with the country’s very weak tax base.
In sum, the problem in Somalia is not that state building is doomed to fail , it is rather the type of state that both locals and foreign actors have tried to build is unattainable and as a consequence, repeatedly set up formal and recognized political leaders towards failure. But then again, let us not lose hope, Somalia might yet again be the epicenter and at the forefront of a seismic shift in the nature and scope of the sovereign state in Africa.
Jamma Ali Sugow
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