Pland government's weakness incompetence

[Nationalist]

As we are all aware, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed nicknamed yeey meaning the jackal was the president of Pland state from august 1st 1998 till october 10th 2004. It was no secret that he was a dictator, but his strict style of ruling the state with military discipline was tolerated temporarily till Pland would become strong enough to be governed by a popularly elected government or the rebirth of the Somali state. Now let's reflect on the Pland government's performance from Pland's inception in Garowe till today under Muhammad Abdi Hashi's presidency. What have they done well, but far more interestingly; in what did they fail?

 

Pland map in 1998. Hawd is called Ayn, Sanag is called Haylaan and Bari is divided in Bareda and Karkar.

 

Pland comprises of the most neglected and untouched provinces of both the former British protectorate as well as the Italian colony of the two Somalilands. These areas have been the victims of the absolute usurption of not only Mogadishu but also the 2nd capital of Somalia; Hargeisa. That the latter still complain about Mogadishu's extreme dominance is rather bizarre if you take Pland's provinces into account.

Without sufficient infrastructure and an area that had a hard time coping with the drastic influx of IDPs from the south whom originated from Pland, I might say that Pland did a terrific job as well as Sland in relocating the internal refugees into a satisfying manner.

 

But this in addition to the rough setting up of a governmental apparatus, coöperation with the Islamic courts, unifying the defense system of the state and providing the Pland people magnificent bargaining power in the reconciliation conferences in Kenya are the only creditable achievements I can commend on the Pland government. Surely they could have done much better.

 

First of all, the Pland government was very weak in luring and inviting NGOs to Pland. As in matter of fact NGOs had to find their own way in Pland without any or at least insufficient Pland guidance. This is a total outrage. Especially when the Swedish NGO Diakonia got attacked viciously by local goverments in Nugal as well as the Pland government for not leaving much space to decide the NGO's agenda. The government should at least have had the manners to solve this with peace instead of threatening to throw 'gaalo' out of the state.

Pland has also failed to equalize the NGO presence in the state, therefore being responsible for some regions developing in a faster pace than other regions. Till now Bareda, Karkar (both former Bari) and Nugal regions are the fastest developing provinces in Pland while the others such as Sanag, Mudugh, Sool and Ayn are slagging behind due to certain political incertainties. This is Pland's responsibility.

 

On the environment, Pland deserves some compliments. I just read a book of Abdirahman Abdulle Usman Odweyn, the chairman of the successfull PDRC Pland Development and Research Centre in Garowe and former minister of eduaction in the late 80s of Siad Barre's cabinet. It showed a report in wich the acacia nilotica trees were effectively protected in Pland. The trade in charcoal is now very limited, because of the ban on charcoal trade in Bosaso. Even though Sland also has the same ban on charcoal trade, it is reported that frequent loads of charcoal from the poorly surveilled area between Burao and Las Anod, especially Aynabo, are transported to Bosaso port. After the Pland checkpoint in Las Anod and Garowe find out the charcoal is from Sland territory, they let the cargo pass through. This corrupt attitude of some immoral Pland civil servants must be stopped. It is turning the aforementioned region into a desert.

 

Economywise, Pland is doing a very good job. But it could be even better. I commend the Pland government for keeping taxation on import/export goods in Bosaso port relatively low. The fruits of that policy are allreading showing. For instance more and more Slanders are lured by the low taxes at Bosaso port in comparison with it's other Red Sea portcity counterpart Berbera wich has a much better port build by the Sovjets in the Siad Barre era. But even more interesting are the victories of the Plander businessmen whom surpassed the Slander businessmen in the Ethiopian Somali zone market. An immense profitable market that is traditionally catered by Slander traders and where Planders were virtually absent. Now the Planders have taken over most if not all the clients in this market forcing Slander businessmen to go bankrupt.

Ganacsadeyaal ka walaacsan Tacriifadda cashuuraha Kastamka Dekedda Berbera iyo suuqyadii ganacsi ee Itoobiya oo ay ku cidhiidhyeen ganacsatada Puntland. _ _ _Jamhuuriya newspaper

 

No one will deny the fact that the long paved road from Galkayo to Bosaso is the backbone of Pland's economy. Without this road, Pland would not flourish they way it does now. The road is divided in in the Galkayo-Garowe part, wich is in dire need of reparation and was build in the 70s by the Chinese. Especially the more south on the road, the more it is devastated. The destruction of the road was caused by the sabotage of the USC. The other side Garowe-Bosaso even has the road paint on it. It was built by the Italians in the 80s and it had cost an estimated $150 million US. The extortionate price shows itself through the high quality of the Garowe-Bosaso road.

The vehicles on this road were terrorized by a roadblock bandit called Muhammad Unlaaye (If I'm correct) till well in the mid 90s. Perhaps the Pland government didn't exist then, but the same leadership was present. Later on when Abdullahi Yusuf's forces overran and arrested Unlaaye's bandit militia, it seemed as if it could have been done much sooner. And less damage on the state's infant economy would be inflicted.

 

What is remarkable is the successful patrolling of the Pland coastwaters wich is 60% of Somalia's total coastline. Somalia's marine resources belongs to one of the richest of the world, especially the warm Indian Ocean side of the Somali coastline. As Planders are meat-eaters and pastoralists, fishing is an exception even though the economic activity could be higly lucrative. The fishing community in Pland is growing and Plander businessmen are investing more and more each year in the rich marine resources of Pland. Yet there are some dark aspects to it. For instance the small fishers repeatedly got terrorized by large, armed foreign vessels. In their part the small local fishers were forced to take actions to defend themselves and their territory without the government's help, since the Pland government is receiving millions of dollars worth of contracts with these foreigners. because of this Pland's coastline transformed into a quiet, rustic place to one of the world's most dangerous waters. The subsubclan based pirate militias have taken their piracy to a whole new level from fighting against foreign vessels into kidnapping for huge ransom, killing and robbing of every Somali vessel not ought to be from the same clan even. The Pland government hasn't arrested any pirate ever and the lucrative piracy business for the former rural and poor communities has become an irreversable change.

Fate of Vessel Sailing From UAE to Somalia Remains Unclear

Somali pirates 'demand $1m for ship'

 

 

A whole other problem that the Pland goverment is coping with is the illegal smuggling of migrants to Yemen and even as far as the EU. Virtually all major western media had an article about Bosaso becoming a people's trafficking capital nowadays. I just read two recent ones in BBC and African Business magazine. 1000s of foreigners, mainly Asians and East Africans are dwelling through Bosaso streets bewildered in a city they never heard of, waiting for their departure to their final destination. Some Sri Lankans are in Bosaso for almost a year. And I'm not even talking about the many Somalis that roam in Bosaso with the same purpose.

The people traffickers are a mix of foreign businessmen and Plander businessmen whom often treat their 'clients' as livestock. Many crimes at sea have been commited and in every case these smugglers get their money before the poor smuggled face their gruesome faith. Therefore these drug traffickers refuse to accept Planders, fearing they might come in danger when the kinsmen hear about the faith of the smuggled kinsman. Yet Foreigners, Somalis from Sland, Ugadenya and Southern Somalia are 'served' by these ruthless men and often face either a cruel death at sea or a miserable life in Yemen.

Even though Pland claims to be aware of the problem, but does not have enough resources to counter this problem. The smuggling goes on and more and more people, especially non-Plander Somalis are victimized. All the tragic accidents in the Red Sea and the Adriatic sea in Italy originally found it's way from Bosaso. It would be shameful if Bosaso derives it's wealth partly from mafia enterprises.

Somalia's trafficking boom town _ _ _ BBC News World Edition

See also:

- Capsized ship 'kills 100 Somalis'

- Scores die on migrant horrorship

- Somali boat tragedy 'kills 80'

 

 

Still a large part of the major business successes of Pland is accredited to the business society and not the efforts of the Pland government. For instance till this day Pland's taxation system apart from Bosaso port and Galkayo and Bosaso airports are so underdeveloped, it's beyond funny. The government still didn't fulfil it's promise of actively collecting taxes in a transparent way. Indicative is the lack of any receipts what so ever that can be used for the government's administration as well as an evidencial exhibit at court. Hopefully the new Somali government can relieve the weak Pland government from some of these strainful issues.

 

Another strainful issue is that Pland has failed to build up a governmental apparatus that reflects that of a nation and not that of a rebellious organisation. Someone needs to tell these old men that Siad Barre died in Nigeria long time ago, so please put the AK47 down and pick up the shovel. There's no need for guerilla style governance anymore. Take the Sland government as an example, whom pay great attention to minor details. Their government is well organised and has a relatively mature image. Sure their drive for this image is motivated by their wish for seccession. But the government of North Western Somalis have showed us that it can be done. Pland has clearly failed in this matter.

 

Though the Pland government suffers from a disease that struck the Sland government just as much. That is corruption and civil servant's ineptness. Mostly originating from problems derived from mistakes in the government's own way in dealing things. For instance Plander civil servants are paid in cash per month at once. Wich causes some civil servants to spend their money unwisely, all of them having families to feed. Unfortunately the bulk, even though in a far lesser extent than in Sland, of the money goes straight to the qaad-dealer across the street. The nation's charlatan called qaad is a nationwide problem, regional governments cannot be fingerpointed on this problem. Even the effective Siad Barre regime failed to fight qaad at it's infancy.

 

One thing I can't take a hold on is the vague approach on the extreme west Pland territory currently held by Sland. What I mean with vague is, we control a part of the former Togdher region wich is deeply carved into Sland's own claimed territory yet we have no hold of Erigavo wich is setteld by a majority of Planders from two different clans. Instead of campaigning there and engaging a dialogue with the Erigabawi, the Pland government chose to adopt a low-priority stand on the capital of Sanag, leaving the local Erigabawi elders to sort it out themself as if they were freelancers. It's a shame that the Sland flag is wavering in the city centre. The Pland government through it's police force emulating the strategy on Las Anod, Badhan and Las Qoray should take full control of Erigavo. To the extent of course in where our people live, we Planders do not occupy other man's land.

 

Worst of all is the prohibition of political parties in Pland. Now Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is gone but not far away, I see no reason why not to abandon the former president's ridiculous rule. The first political party named PPP Pland Patriotic Party was paralyzed by Abdullahi Yusuf's rules. The party is probably still dusting somewhere. And that for a people whom founded Somalia's most capitalist party in the 60s called Dabka of former prime minister Abdirizaq Haji Hussein and the most communist party called Calan Cas of Yusuf Usman Samatar Barda'ad who was a director general in the ministry of education and subsequently jailed for a period of 20 years by Barre. The longest Somali in jail in history. And on top of all that the people of Pland were at the helm of the legendary SYL. What a shame, it is as if we are going back in time.

 

And indeed we were definetily going back in time till a while ago, when Pland newspapers Yool, Sahan, Yamays and Sha'ab as well as SBC were 'advised' to shut their mouth about the Pland government. It's now going better with the succesful foundation of Pumanet, an umbrella of the Pland media. Though many of the Pland media are based in north America and Europe, only the newspapers are directly vulnerable to the Pland government. We should prevent going down the same drain as Sland, where Jamhuriya's editors are jailed for treason by criticising the Sland government. Grave attack on press freedom in Somaliland _ _ _AfrolNews

 

All in all Pland needs to make major changes if it wants to be proud of itself. In my opnion one can only be proud of itself if one did the best it could. The Pland government clearly didn't do it's best. Since Muhammad Abdi Hashi was the vice president throughout Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed's reign, he shares a fraction of the responsibilty. Because he could have done things that wasn't deterred by Abdullahi Yusuf's style of governing.

I also believe he isn't up to the job of adressing all these problems and more. It's time for a younger and more refined generation whom are legitimately elected through popular vote in a political party system. But till that time comes, Muhammad Abdi Hashi should stay our president and lead us to elections.

 

Guul iyo Jano

[Nationalist]

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