Somalia President Under Fire for Disconnection from Citizens’ Hardships

[Deeq A.]

Salesman President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud: “People who bought the first batch of Hormuud shares saw the value of their shares appreciate astronomically.”

Mogadishu (PP Editorial) — The speeches by the President of Somalia, Dr Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, at the inauguration of North Mogadishu Airport project and the controversial opening ceremony of the Somalia Studies Conference in Mogadishu reflect how disconnected he is from the hardships endured by non-politically connected Somalis in a country dominated by monopolistic businesses with ties to the government.

The President turned himself into a salesman when he urged people to buy shares in the North Mogadishu Airport project. “People who bought the first batch of Hormuud shares saw the value of their shares appreciate astronomically ,” he said. Not only has President Mohamud behaved like a broker, but he also misled the public about the nature of share-buying and share-selling businesses. No brokerage can guarantee that the shares of a given company will increase in value, no matter how promising the prospects seem. Claiming that the shares of a future project will increase to boost private investors’ interest indicates dishonesty and a conflict of interest.

President Mohamud degraded the office he occupies, the Somali Presidency, and sent a message that businesses have captured the fragile Somali federal institutions. Infrastructural projects impinging on natural security demand careful planning and awareness of the risks that emerge when foreign companies and private businesses claim ownership of a national airport.

At the controversial Somali Studies Conference opening ceremony, President Mohamud claimed that all his children are university graduates, stating that only two studied scientific subjects while the rest pursued social sciences. Educational inequality in Somalia is drastic, given the widespread private school system, whereby parents must pay fees. Unlike the pre-1991 Somali government, which to some extent subsidised primary and tertiary education (university education was free in Somalia at the time), the Federal Government of Somalia, like other authorities in Federal Member States, has not taken steps to reduce the educational inequality affecting millions of children excluded from schools when their parents fail to pay fees. President Mohamud benefited from free education from primary school to university, yet he boasted about his children’s achievements without addressing the plight of unschooled Somali children. Moreover, he transformed himself into a political broker, promoting the sale of company shares to people who cannot afford to send their children to school. Leadership indifference to the plight of Somali citizens will define the legacy of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

© Puntland Post, 2024

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