The priorities and the urgent task before our Government.

[RedSea]

Assalamu Calaykum

 

I have found this article which really in my opinion underlines all the things that await to be done by the Riyale adminstration as well as Somaliland citizens themselves. In my view it's faily well written and sheds a light on all the areas that Somaliland can still improve on rather than puting all the efforts towards pushing for recognition from the Europeans. Whether reconginition comes or not, we can still do alot of things without anybody's help except all mighty.

 

 

The priorities and the urgent task before our government. Feb-15-2006

 

IM. Abdi Halim M. Musa

 

The people of Somaliland delivered their verdict and the verdict is clear. They have sought a change in the manner in which this country is run, a change in national priorities, and a change in the processes and focus of governance. They have, through their mandate, made it clear that economic growth has to be accompanied by equity and social justice. They have expressed concern for the poor and disadvantaged sections of our society and for minorities and backward regions to be at the heart of all policies of the government.

As I share with you the priorities of our government, I am reminded a quote of the famous hero of India Mahatma Gandhi said that his mission in life was “to wipe every tear from every eye.†That message resonates in our ears as we settle down to the business of government.

 

The Address of the President of Somaliland to the new Parliament outlines a comprehensive agenda for the nation to which our government is committed.

 

Parliament is a forum which is sacred and it must be our collective endeavour to ensure that we maximize its effectiveness. I request parties across the entire political spectrum to respect Parliament as an essential forum for public debate so that we can move forward on the task of nation building which is a common goal for one and all.

 

We can justly take pride in the fact that since Independence we have been able, with our efforts, to build the foundations of a modern economy and record acceleration in the rate of economic growth. There have been impressive gains in terms of the educational and health status of the nation. However, the benefits of this performance have not touched all our citizens in equal measure. Growth is not an end in itself. It is a means to generate employment, banish poverty, hunger and homelessness and improve the standard of living of the mass of our people. It must also be environmentally sustainable.

 

Equity and efficiency are complimentary, not contradictory, and we must move forward on both these while maintaining a high degree of fiscal and financial discipline, and a robust external economic profile.

To be able to devote our attention and energy to economic development that improves the lives of our people, we must ensure social and political stability, communal harmony and respect for the rule of law. We must put in place policies and programmes which empower all our citizens to lead a life of dignity and self-respect. Our government is committed to the security and welfare of all minorities, the protection of the interests of backward classes and all weaker sections.

 

Economic reform is not only about freeing private enterprise from the shackles of bureaucratic control. It is also about making the government more effective, efficient and people friendly so that it can handle better the many tasks that only Governments can perform. And, it is also about ensuring fair and transparent regulation of the market where this is necessary. While many in our country are benefiting from their integration into the market and the global economy, around a million of our citizens are still plagued by illiteracy, disease, want, hunger and malnutrition.

Chronic poverty afflicts hundreds who lack income and food security. At a regional level, too, the disparities are high and while some regions of the country seem to be on an accelerating growth path, there is a concern that other regions are not only lagging but are also falling behind. Regrettably, the region of Sool and some parts of Sanaag suffer from not only economic insecurity but also a sense of marginalization from political and governance processes

However, I am convinced that the government, at every level, is today not adequately equipped and attuned to deal with this challenge and meet the aspirations of the people. To be able to do so, we require the reform of government and of public institutions. Much of the focus of economic reforms in the past decade has been on reducing the role of the government in controlling the Private Sector; controls that hampered entrepreneurial dynamism and often bred corruption. This was necessary. Yet, there are many areas, critical areas that directly affect the quality of life of every citizen, where the government has a role, and is expected by every citizen to have a role. These include the provision of social and physical infrastructure for development, the provision of elementary education and public health, providing drinking water and sanitation. They also include economic infrastructure which in our country in large part must be provided by the Government such as irrigation, power and roads. Our people expect the government to be pro-active and sensitive to their needs. In each of these areas, at every level of governance, the reform of government is today an urgent task before our government.

 

The government will pursue economic reform and widen the space for individual initiative and enterprise, but even as they do so, they cannot forsake the obligation of running a government that works, and works for the people. The reform of administration and of public institutions to improve efficiency and the quality of delivery services should be the immediate priority.

 

There has been a neglect of the interests of the farmers and this is reflected in a significant slowing down in agricultural growth. Farmers in many parts of the country have faced distress and there has been no helping hand. The Ministry of Agriculture is committed to giving a “New Deal†to rural Somaliland. Agriculture must receive the priority attention it deserves. Public and private investment in agriculture has to be greatly increased. Agricultural research, training and extension also require much greater attention. I would like to see the emergence of new centers of excellence in agriculture. There has to be a sharper focus on expanding opportunities for gainful employment in agriculture and in off-farm rural activities. Food for work program, efficiently implemented, can greatly assist in achieving this objective.

 

A striking feature of development in our country has been the rapid increase in urbanization. The rapid and unplanned growth of the cities has contributed to increased urban pollution, crime and absence of the required infrastructure like access to drinking water, sanitation, roads, and public spaces, parks is making life in urban Somaliland a living hell for many. Most of the responsibility for this rests with Municipality and Central Government. It will be our effort to give special attention to policies that can encourage urban development and urban renewal. We should actively seek public-private partnership in building urban infrastructure in a planned manner since we all know the economic situation for our government.

Water has emerged as a critical and contentious issue across the country. Even access to safe drinking water remains a problem in many parts of our country. Water management policies have to be so formulated as to address the needs of farmers and weaker sections, especially women, as well as those of city-dwellers. We have to find innovative, cost-effective and community based solutions. Groundwater replenishment and management and rainwater harvesting require close cooperation between government and non-governmental organizations. We need new thinking in health policy. While the government to continue to help in the growth of private and community based health and medical care, there is a crying need for the reform of public health and public hospitals. We have to make public hospitals more efficient and accessible, through public-private partnership aimed at offering affordable and humane health care. We need community based and public health oriented solutions to tackling communicable diseases, epidemics, especially HIV/AIDS, and disability management and population stabilization.

 

People are a nation’s greatest resource. Our greatest asset will be an educated and capable work force. Our government should step up public spending on education, to universalize access to elementary education and to improve the quality of our education.

The education of the girl child and female literacy should be priority areas for us. The government should do its utmost to provide scholarships to help them acquire the training and skills that can make them self-reliant and proud citizens. Our children need modern and relevant education aimed at making them concerned, capable and caring citizens of the Republic.

However, domestic enterprise needs world class and cost-effective infrastructure. Better roads, better connectivity, better airports, efficient ports and affordable and reliable power are all the basic requirements for a competitive economy. We should pursue policies that enable our economy to be better integrated with the world economy without hurting the interests of our people. We should create an environment conducive to the utilization of the talent pool of the vast and diverse our Somaliland Diaspora. We greatly value their participation in the development of our nation. No objective in this development agenda can be met if we do not reform the instrument in our hand with which we have to work, namely the government and public institutions.

 

We should maintain our tradition of an independent foreign policy, built on a national consensus and based on our supreme national interests. We should expand our network of international relationships – preserving solidarity with traditional allies and strengthening new partnerships. We should work with like-minded nations for an equitable, multi-polar world order, which takes into account the legitimate aspirations of developing countries, knocking every door to strive hard for our rights of diplomatic recognition.

I wish to place on record the nation’s deep sense of gratitude and pride in the gallantry, valour, professionalism and the spirit of self-sacrifice of our armed forces. I assure the nation that we will not be found wanting in providing for our armed forces, or in caring for our ex-servicemen. We should streamline defense acquisition procedures, so that our forces obtain modern weapon systems and technologies. Our government will ensure that the necessary funds are made available for these purposes.

I share the feeling of well-meaning citizens when they express pained concern about the decline of morals and ethics in public life. There is, however, no better way to deal with this incipient threat to our democracy than to meet it head on by joining public life ourselves.

 

I, therefore, now appeal to each one of Somaliland Citizen to also participate in our public life so that governments at all levels – central, state and local - are all constantly put on notice and not just tested once in five years.

When I travel across the country I am always heartened by the increasing number of young and idealistic people I meet who work with voluntary organizations, empowering the dispossessed and the dis-enfranchised. We shall make effective use of the resources of the civil society to improve the quality of governance and delivery of important public services.

Fellow citizens, I urge you to come forward and take an active role in the nation’s public affairs. Each one of you can make a difference. Our Country needs your support to restore to our public life a greater sense of purpose and a renewed commitment to decency, morality and the hard work needed to take our country and every one of our Somaliland citizens forward. We must re-capture the spirit of idealism and self-sacrifice which characterized the high noon of our recognition and development struggle. Working together, we shall ensure that this ancient sacred land of ours regains its rightful place in the comity of nations.

 

IM. Abdi Halim M. Musa

halimusa2@yahoo.com

Home