GOOD GOVERNANCE IS WHAT SEPARATES GOOD NATIONS FROM BAD ONES!

We are all fully aware that Somaliland is still waiting for recognition from the international community after declaring its independence eleven years ago. Recently things seem to be going Somalilands way and has attracted positive international attention and goodwill. This has shown to the world communty the achievements the people of Somaliland have accomplished with minimal help from the world community. The peaceful transition of power when the late president died in South Africa strengthened the country´s image in the world and showed to the world that in Somaliland there is the rule of law and adherence to the constitution.

The enormous goodwill from outside of the country has made many Somalilanders, both in and out of the country very optimistic and are anticipating recognition very soon. Many observers believe the forthcoming elections in Somaliland will determine whether the country will gain recognition or not. The electoral process if carried out in a free and fair manner which is acceptable to international standards will without no doubt put the ball in the international community´s court. And ultimately have to recognize the republic of Somaliland and accept it to be part of the family of nations.

However more important to international recogniton is the internal recognition of the country. The Somaliland authority´s presence in the far eastern parts of the country is minimal or absent altogether. As Axmed Silaanyo, the chairman of Kulmiye pointed out recently that it is vital for Somaliland to secure its borders and ascertain its authority in all parts of Somaliland. It is therefore crucial for the government, parliament and the political parties to engage with the citizens living in those areas and guarantee that the coming elections will be held in every part of the country, otherwise leaving out some areas would diminish the significance of the whole process. Continuing pledging every political process in SL to be inclusive and fair will herald and entrench the prevailing peace and stability in the country.

There are other important issues Somaliland has to tackle if the country has to overcome many of the obstacles it faces. Neither the Somaliland government nor the citizens should be naive to believe recogniton is the solution to all Somalilands ills. Recognition entails responsibility and demands from different quarters of the international community. For example the two biggest financial institutions, IMF and the World Bank set certain criterias to give loans to Third World countries and some of them are obstacles to the development of a country. Many African nations are so dependent on foreign aid that they have lost their own instrument of governance. These institutions demand of African countries not to subsidize their agriculture, while at the same time the Industrialized World  subsidize their own agricultural industry at a mind blowing $ 500 billion dollars annually! They tell these poor nations to privatize public water facitlities, while at the same time these facilities are run public in the west! So we have to understand that recogniton is not only a blessing but can be a curse. For Somaliland not to become another african basket case certain precautionary measures are called for. This measures will help in creating a positive mentality in our people, whereby we are confident in what we can achieve and dependent on our available resources. The government has to think in the long-term and not the short term in regard to development and economic growth and precipitate a conducive environment for the business community to do business.

One of this measures is to employ stringent fiscal policy by the government of Somaliland. It is critical for the government to be responsible with its meagre resources and cultivate a culture of economic and management discipline. Squardering of public funds is tantamount to a criminal act and a breach of trust. The government and the people should not expect a foreign government or institution to give handouts. Somalilanders should as they have done now rely on themselves and be dependent on none other than themselves. They should be alert of the tendency among African nations to await others to build their countries and economies. Real political sovereignty builds on economic liberty. A culture of self-dependency is a virtue and the government should be a good example and spearhead this good behaviour.

A catalyst to good governance and transparency is creating institutions to scrutinize different governmental bodies which are independent of the government. Controlling of the different sources of government income and their spending is necessary to prevent the embezzlement of public funds. The current Auditor General office has to be strengthened and detached from any executive interference. It should fall under the jurisdiction of parliament and strong powers should be vested on its duties. An issue of great significance is the independency of the Central Bank. The CB chairman in consultaton with the banks board members should have the sole responsibity for the country´s monetary policy. Measures should be implemented to put into force the Somaliland Shilling (SLS) as the only legal tender in the country.

Another measure is to streamline the government and make it more effective. The current number of ministries is ridiculous and totally a waste of funds for the poor nation. The many ministries were created to appease the different clans of Somaliland, but this at a huge cost in the form of efficiency and productivity. There should be a constitutional fix ceiling to the number of ministries. At maximum 5-6 different ministries is appropriate for a small and unrecognized country. To make this ministries more effective is to get rid of ministerial powers and legislate laws to forbid a minister to interfere with the running of a governmental department (Letting the bureaucrats run the daily government business). The ministers main duty should be to oversee and insure that the departments implement laws passed by the parliament. This kind of system is applied in the Scandinavian countries, where for example the Swedish Justice minister can´t interfere with the work of the police and instruct them in any manner! This ensures that the different governmental authorities remain neutral and not politically biased. Rakiya Omaar recently in a article in the Somaliland Times revealed the ordeal she went through just to get a signature! Even the minister has to have a say in issues which an ordinary official can execute. This kind of behaviour has to be put to a stop! It creates frustration and feeling of injustice among the citizens. Somalilanders should not put up with this unacceptable behaviour from government ministers who are afterall there to serve the people.

Another very important matter is the issue of accountability. Structures have to be put in place whereby any citizen who feels unjustly treated by a governmental body can turn to and have his case investigated. These can be independent bodies such as the Chancellor of Justice/Solicitor General or Public Ombudsman. These will create a sense of fairness for the citizenry and instill accountability among public servants and make them fully aware that nobody is above the law. This is an issue related to judicial matters and it is paramount in any country that abides to the principles of democracy and rule of law to guarantee the independency of judicial bodies such as the police. The unaccptable thing is the interference of the police work by politicians and elders. The law enforcing authority is unable to enforce the law when every move it takes is undermined by others. This poses a serious threat to the internal security of the state, because the citizens expect consistency and decisiveness from the law enforcing bodies when the law is broken. But if that does not happen then the citizens lose trust in them and ultimately will put the law into their hands - as a result we are in a state of anarchy!  To avoid this we have to strengthen the institutions of the judiciary and create conditions whereby the public can have trust in these institutions. Prevention is the best cure and by undertaking this necessary measures will contribute a lot in the strengthening of the vital institutions, which are indispensible in a democracy. 

The government should not use non-recognition as an excuse to inefficiency and inertness. The SL government must at all times be spartan with the available resources at it´s disposal. The citizens must send a clear message to public office holders, that despite the lack of recognition they expect an efficient, responsible and law adhering government. The massmedia have to take their role seriously and always hold the government and people in power under close scrutiny. The SL massmedia need to be commended for their invaluable work in exposing corruption and mismanagement. The freedom of the press is one of the most fundamental pillars of democracy and they have to utilize to the maximum to carry out their service for the nation.

GOOD GOVERNANCE IS WHAT SEPARATES GOOD NATIONS FROM BAD ONES!

In God I Trust!