Somaliland not falling from grace

Somaliland not falling from grace

Last week the Kulmiye administration faced its worst political nightmare since the inauguration of President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud. Internal disputes and squabbling between the cabinet members became public and were irresponsibly leaked to the media.

It was stated in the leaks that the Minister of water and natural resources was caught red-handed in a corruption scandal. This was established to be a false allegation according to the auditor general's televised statement. That is not all; the minister responsible for the leaks to the press is still there and not fired. The cabinet meetings are expected to be strictly confidential and leak proof.

Most people saw this as dark page In Kulmiye administration, but in my humble opinion, this was a blessing in disguise for Somaliland. We all had the longest and most heated debate regarding government corruption and transparency. This debate was some times unpleasant to me and full of colorful and biased statements from all sides. No matter how disagreeable the debate was, it made us all to reflect on ways of sorting out what is wrong with our government and ways of getting it better. This is really very optimistic and heartening to all those who want to build a better and transparent Somaliland. We will not be able to drain the marshes of corruption unless we point our fingers on all those who we think are involved in corruption.

If you read back the various comments made in Somalilandpress on this subject you will clearly see how passionate Somalilanders are about their country. At times we loose the control of our tongues, but in point of fact it is the tongue that looses its allegiance, the heart and mind stay focused on one objective – a better Somaliland. In that debate, we revealed corruption loop-holes and people who are allegedly involved in this despicable act.

It will be cordial if the president looks at all those allegations and takes action where it is appropriate. The cabinet needs discipline and coherence. All ministers that are not ready to work hard for the people, but instead are there to serve their self interests must be expelled. The president himself needs to reassure Somalilanders that he is in command and stop being nice to all.

Despite our political difference we do not fall from grace, but find concrete solutions to our problems. That is why we proudly call ourselves Somalilanders.

Yusuf Dirir Ali