The speech of the president (sounds with candid tone and concern)

[NASSIR]

Someone emailed it to me. It is translated to the best of his ability. One of the points he makes coincides with Dr. Diriye who said "IV. Permanent or temporary relocation of IDC Offices to Somalia-or-autonomous regions. The international community (IDC) must be imbedded in the Somalia and must soak themselves into ground realities rather than just operating from a safe distance in Nairobi for 17 solid years." Link

 

 

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I am very happy to take part this morning this ceremony to close the services you doing in Baidao for 40 days but as I have been told by the minister that it could probably take you to another 50 days to finish. When the permanent secretaries were being brought from Mogadishu to here in Baidao, I was present in Mogadishu, so, if you were here before me, you stayed here for long, because I came to Baidao on October 8th, if I am not wrong, October 8th, and today the date is November 20th, So I was here for 40 days and more and you came here before me. I don’t count how many days you were here before me, you were here before me right? 40, 50, or 60 days, put it that way, you were here and you worked, you are tired, and what you did earlier, you didn’t present to us, so I can’t comment on that. If you had given us some copies in advance, we would have read and would have studied the copies, I would have said … improve it here or there. I am commending you of this beautiful book laying here but only Allah knows what is written inside. Whatever it is, if after three years we still lagging behind, and Allah knows what situation we were in … that now we labored a book like a pregnant woman, first of all, it is all praises are due to Allah.

But, as I think, the book compiles papers, people’s ideas are written and recorded and if But the people who own these ideas are not working on them, then responsible people are needed to implement these ideas. The writing of the planning is easy, as I think, the harder and more important is how to implement these ideas.

To implement these ideas in the book, first of all, if you expect the United Nations and International Community and other people will help us, I don’t have such expectations, if I speak to you truthfully, I don’t believe that others would do what we don’t do.

 

Past days I traveled to Nairobi; The other day we were visited in the parliament by the International Community, what happened there in the parliament and what the parliament did, those of us still present , we all know. But I don’t know if the Permanent Secretaries were present or not. And these two gentlemen sitting in my sides have disparaged the International Community delegation in Nairobi Because of the problems we have and Allah knows how many. They only discuss with us the food the World Food Program WFP delivers to Somalia …how the food is distributed and delivered to the people. With all the problems we have! They talked to us that only issue: Food delivery! Their only concern was…. Something must be done about the humanitarian assistance, so only food could be delivered to displaced by the war and their main complaint was that there are road blocks; a man WFP chief in Somalia delivering food has been arrested by the government and this is it …their complaint a radio has been and… it is like …they talked about these things only. The problems we have, as insecurity ….they didn’t talk about it! The disintegration that happened to the Somali people, the Islamic Courts Union have a lion’s share of it, they didn’t talk about it! Politics, they didn’t talk about it! The insecurity that exists in Somalia ...they didn’t talk about it!…I mean the difficult program that are required from us during the transition of which less than two years is left, how could they assist us with all the issues we have: how to pacify the country and later how to develop and re-construct and what you have ….and how to do these …they didn’t talk to us! Only they talked about the food of WFP!

 

In the 17 years the World Food Programme WFP was in Somalia, I don’t know where they delivered any food to. Never have I eaten any of their food. First of all, what do they deliver? Do they bring sugar? Do they bring rice? Do they bring dates? Do they bring sorghum? Do they bring maize? Do they bring anything else? What do they bring then? Who knows? Do they bring beans? …they bring maize! Maize and cooking oil…there are different cooking oil types ….what kind of food do they deliver … White Cooking Oil … is it the cooking oil the one you cook food with? It is not the one you add to food as condiment. They International Community/UN/WFP delegation talked to us about these issues alone ….but they have not discussed with us significant issues, the outcome of which create the humanitarian crisis in Somalia.

 

If you want the truth, the past 17 years except the last three years of this government , these men of united Nation’s agencies, collectively were the de-facto government and I am not lying. The three years we are claiming to be a government … the real Somali government that is seated in Nairobi ... is them UN. This government that they supposed to recognize; that is this government of TFG, then they should really recognize and deal with it and give their aid through the TFG and thus TFG should deliver aid, and they must move to Somalia from Nairobi and reside here instead.

Now if they would have sit with you here, that book you have written, as I think…you wouldn’t have written! … That is if they were here …no! As I think. That day, I said in front of the parliament to the UN , I am not here to confuse you and I am an elderly man, and I am a responsible man, when we meet in talks , I will tell you my thinking… something like that, I said to them.

 

When I went to Nairobi, for medical check-up, they came to my hotel as a horde, they were the same people but increased in numbers, the same man is leading them, but they were joined by others. They brought with them other ambassadors from Europe and they just continued their complaints from there: “there are road blocks in the streets! we can’t deliver food to Afgoye!…we can’t deliver to Merka….and the road between Mogadishu and Baidao forget it” I swear to Allah they never talked to me about any other places in Somalia. Maybe these are the only places Afgoye and Merka they want to deliver food to and the rest of Somalia…they will not deliver to…isn’t that what it looks like?

I talked to them calmly and I said to them: Are you going to talk to me other than WFP food and they all got silent … and if you are not going to talk to me of other things …you have no interest concern for Somalia and when you are bringing these food, I know your interest… I swear to Allah , Somalis don’t eat the food you deliver and the poor people you talk about …food would not be delivered to them ...instead the NGOs you administer and you, yourselves…the same WFP and those in their offices … who are Somalis ... that you have positioned in the Somalia cities …because you refused to came to Somalia …those Somalis will line up after truck loads of food and start their loud engines and then only one or two truckloads are delivered to the people. The rest would be taken back and then sold in the Mogadishu market …that is what I said to them…or the Merka market…you have made a lot of money and that is what you live on …so don’t accuse Somalis.

 

I asked them ‘Do you recognize the government? They said, ‘yes.’ I told them then there is no de-facto government residing in Nairobi no more! From now on …move to Somalia and reside in …let us work together in Somalia …the problem in Somalia is not food or what is causing the starvation. It is the lack of security… it is the unemployment …it is the suffering that is there ….come and work with us for real and if you refuse that and don’t do it …we don’t recognize you! …and you don’t recognize us …and the food… deliver it to wherever you may want! So it be! But we will not work with you! …why we should work with you? you don’t inform us when you are bringing the food …and where what route you will be be taking to…or the place you will deliver to it …and what is your purpose of food distribution … we have no clue!

So this morning we are all here; if you believe the United Nations will implement plans with us …that is not the case. And I am saying the government of Ghedi failed! We formed another new government; let us not sign any deal with these men UN. Didn’t I say that to you? This morning, in here; didn’t I make it clear? We will never enter an agreement with the United Nations and its agencies on the condition that they recognize this government and move to Somalia!

 

I have worked in Puntland for so many years and became its head…Puntland is not like this agricultural land. In this farming land, whenever the rains start, and the farmers want to farm …they UN bring the food so that farmers don’t work in their farms and farm.

If you don’t defend yourself from the men and fight against UN/WFP staff and if this government defends itself from the UN/WFP ….the men of the NGOs who prepared these things; that have names! …if you don’t fight them…and Somali people don’t oppose them and say to them…either you help us or leave us alone and you don’t say that….you will never be out of trouble ….so tell people the truth and defend yourself from them UN/WFP!

 

The food that they are selling in the market and they have entered a secret agreement with some groups and everyone they appoint to office … is one that works with the insurgency ….and those who work on the anarchy are them! The other days; a man WFP head in Somalia has been arrested as you know. Why was he arrested? He misdirects the WFP food to the mosques where the insurgents pray …that is where he took the food … talk about it! Yes! We told them ..the mosques that we worship as the real Muslims, real Somalis , who hold on to the real religion, who are the majority, the mosques we pray, no food is delivered to!… that is what I said to them. The insurgent mosques have food delivered in and the insurgents take the food and make money …they then fight with us. You don’t want Somalia to stabilize then… that is what I said to them UN/WFP.

 

This country belongs to us, we are its people, we have problems and we don’t have any economy, and we don’t have tools to work with, but if we strive and think, we can do something…that we can do without these men WFP/UN. Let us teach that to ourselves.

 

I can’t say nothing about the book now, I will be reading a copy of it … then after I read, I will be able to say something about it but the reality is what is written and practically how to work is two different things. The writing that is the most beautiful and the best plans… if you do that but how to implement goes wrong, nothing will work. And you won’t be able to implement anything if you don’t fight twenty things that are wrong that our government, in the last three years, has been doing as a culture and if we don’t stop it and we don’t fight it, nothing would be implemented.

Now, are we concealing things from each other? Isn’t it only us who are present? Are there any foreigners present here? Wasn’t this government functioning for years? If you don’t have tariff or collect taxes, so listen now! … and you threw out the one the parliament decreed… and tonight you don’t have clue to collect taxes, and you don’t have any budget, and of the taxes you will collect and how much investment is needed to collect taxes, you have no clue, and you don’t have a government bank to work with, and Allah knows, I have these tools but you parliamentarians and ministers don’t have it. “We got it “ (a voice by someone from the house) We don’t know where all the donations end up, and let us not lie to each other, the corruption in Somalia the whole world knows about it, how would you be able to implement any plan and where will you get money to implement things?

If you don’t fight corruption and the man who steals one shilling is not brought in front of the law, and isn’t persecuted on what he deserves on. We don’t fear the law, and we don’t fear of the government and the nation we serve, and we don’t heed on the common interest of the people, nothing will work for you.

There I am not talking about economy, I am not an economist, all of us, I think our education is just hearsay or so…Aliyoow acting PM? What university did you graduate from? He answers, “I graduated from a University and I studied agricultural economy’…OK then… so many of you sitting there, each one of you studied something, or specialized on something, and it is possible you never worked in your specialization, so it is all theory, so I will read this book and what is in it contents will work on. Investment should be solicited and if we don’t get outside aid … in the situation we are in now, we can invest the little we would collect from the taxes, we should save it.

A government that doesn’t have offices, and doesn’t have building they reside, are we listening to each other? Is there a ministry that has its own offices ready? And some, instead of having their homes renovated, instead, they are being rented for work and live Jirdeh Hussein’s houses! And they are pleased with that!

Here are my office and here are my five offices, so renovate them with rent money and we will be residing there …you couldn’t say that! Oh men, let us listen to each other, and not lie to the people, there is a war going on there in the capital, Mogadishu, so to go to offices, to reside in homes, we are afraid of, so hotels became our preferences, out of fear. We only die once, I swear to Allah, there is no one who will die twice, so go to your offices and houses, and save what money you got, plan tariff and budgets, and you establish banks, and fight with the HAWALAS! Money Wiring Services.

 

As long as there are Hawalas, our banks will not be implemented, am I lying? The hard currency that comes in, if they go to the Hawalas, where will our bank get money? Other than what the government took as taxes? Where else would it get money? No! Isn’t the bank central has to govern all banks? Control the money? Control the hard currency? Became government reserve? And it handles the economy? Control all, isn’t it so? Something we missed the last three years, so the two years that is left, we will see what you do! If you step in the implementation of this plan and we will give you an excuse and say these men were really sitting here for 50 days to plan, then we will say they have contributed to something. Or if good books are written, but you lack the implementation, then we will say, what that has been studied, don’t exist, so may Allah bring out other group since we couldn’t do anything? Isn’t it right we say that?

So the government of Ghedi failed, a new government will be built, the new government that will be formed, would it take the same path as the previous one or would it take a new roadmap? So let me ask you, what road should it take? You tell us, aren’t you the permanent secretariat? They all say YES! The ministers have failed, other ministers will come, but you will be permanent and you are required to continue the administration, and if a man, whose minister is on corruption, covers it, and then you will know, you and Allah and your minister will know!

 

These things need to be worked on, you just sat here, have you conducted any survey? Have you paid visit to the whole country? Or from now, you will be doing it? If you don’t go to every district, to every region and you don’t find out all the problems, or at least don’t find out the names of the problem …and you don’t be familiar with everywhere, it is all theory, what you write is not official then.

The other thing, who administers our education system, is our education system administered by the religious men Islamic Courts or the ministries? Are you saying the ministry administers it? What curriculum is taught in schools? Whose is it? Duale? Maybe, TFG Minister of Education, the Quranic schools, primary and elementary schools, secondary schools, universities are all under Al-Islah, Al-Itihad, Al-so and so, what you have, and the ministry of education.

 

The religious men have all the mosques, they have the education and social affairs, they own the health, they own the commerce, they own the telecommunication, they own Hawalas the money wiring services…nothing is in our hands… so how to deal with the religious establishment, we should discuss, are the religious establishment the government of the country? Or are we the government? Have you ever thought how we could takeover all of these wealth out of the hands of these religious men? The audience shouts back YES! Have you added that to the plan? Yes, shouts back the crowd Ok then, I am a man and I will give you a hand …these men are our enemies, do you hear me? Let us fight the men! These men are what they are because of all they got all the wealth of the country, either education, religion, or a mosque, or Hawala or the economy or telecommunication or commerce what you have, are in their hands, let us force that out their hands, and that is if you want Somalia to become Somalia.

 

Then if I said all of that, that is the end of my talk. I thank you a lot and I congratulate you and I will read the plan, but what is needed is to send intellectuals and people with knowledge to the country and we further investigate what is needed in everywhere, and the most imperative trouble we have is the infrastructure, we don’t have highways, we don’t have ports, if I belong to Allah, we don’t have roads to travel, we don’t have airports, we don’t have …what is its name …if all of these are not built, if the infrastructure is not built, first of all, can we work on the economy? Audience shouts NO! … then you need to think on that…whatever that could be done in our ability, should be worked on , it will finally come along.

The key of all of these is stability of the country, and as you said it is all true, then there is a plan going now and there are operations going on, we will cleanse Mogadishu soon, then the Shebelle regions will follow, and the rest of the country will be taken over! Anyone who throws one bullet, will be dealt harshly, so be aware of it, then when we stabilize the security, then is it possible that you won’t be able to continue the administration?

 

So I am being expected to go somewhere, so if you are willing to sit here all day, keep on sitting, and the hall is ready for you and if you have other engagements, it is up to you! Whenever the parliament is not in session, you all come to the big tree in my office, I don’t know, doesn’t the city have other trees to sit on its shade?

[Allamagan]

..The religious men have all the mosques, they have the education and social affairs, they own the health, they own the commerce, they own the telecommunication, they own Hawalas the money wiring services…nothing is in our hands… so how to deal with the religious establishment, we should discuss, are the religious establishment the government of the country? Or are we the government? Have you ever thought how we could takeover all of these wealth out of the hands of these religious men? The audience shouts back YES! Have you added that to the plan? Yes, shouts back the crowd Ok then, I am a man and I will give you a hand …

these men are our enemies, do you hear me? Let us fight the men! These men are what they are because of all they got all the wealth of the country, either education, religion, or a mosque, or Hawala or the economy or telecommunication or commerce what you have, are in their hands, let us force that out their hands, and that is if you want Somalia to become Somalia.

Camir, is that what you call a "candid tone and concern" of the president? He is your president, not mine!

[NASSIR]

LLPP, I agree with some of what he said but don't be tricked by my usage of the candid word.

 

candid: free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward: Dictionary.com

 

And don't be selective in his speech. If you want to critique this translated version of his speech, please do point by point. If you are being selective, then it will be interprated by many that you are serving your hidden motive or the interest of one side of this conflict.

[Nephissa]

Where can we hear the actual cantarabaqash speech?

[Castro]

Surely this man possesses not all his faculties. Not even with this overly sympathetic translation does he come across as a sane person, let alone a head of state.

 

President-nimoy xaal qaado.

[Kool_Kat]

Oh Cry me a river kuligiinbo...He is the president of Somalia, so deal with it...

[Castro]

Originally posted by Kool_Kat:

Oh Cry me a river kuligiinbo...He is the president of Somalia, so deal with it...

 

Who's "kuligiinbo"? A Star Trek character? And why are you asking him to cry you a river?

[Kool_Kat]

^You got jokes...Ever considered becoming a comedian? You got my vote...

[Castro]

^^^^ I got jokes, yes. Here's one:

 

The Postal Service created a stamp with a picture of President Yey. The stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation.

 

After a month of testing, a special Presidential commission presented the following findings:

 

1) The stamp is in perfect order.

 

2) There is nothing wrong with the applied adhesive.

 

3) People are spitting on the wrong side

 

 

You like?

[Kool_Kat]

^Naah not really...I am sure you can do better than that...Something more original is what I was going for...

 

But you still get my vote for effort...Nice try though...

[N.O.R.F]

Originally posted by Castro:

Surely this man possesses not all his faculties. Not even with this overly sympathetic translation does he come across as a sane person, let alone a head of state.

 

President-nimoy xaal qaado.

An un-educated dimwit of a President ya Castro.

[-Nomadique-]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL @ speech.

 

 

Bloody hell.

[Chimera]

..The Religious men controll all the Churches, they have the education and social affairs, they own the health, they own the commerce, they own the telecommunication, they destroyed the Sicily trade, nothing is in our hands Tony,Jimmy,Giuseppe,Paolo?, so how to deal with the religious establishment?, we should discuss, are these religious 'goody two shoes' Cosa Nostra of the country? Or are we still Cosa Nostra? Have you ever thought about how we could takeover all of these wealth out of the hands of these religious men? Crime bosses shout back YESSSSSS! Have you added that to the plan? Yes, shouts Jimmy Farmozano! Ok then, I am a man and I will give you a hand …these men are our enemies, do you hear me? Let us fight the men! These men are what they are because they got all the wealth of the country, either education, religion, or a church or the economy or telecommunication or commerce what you have, are in their hands, let us force that out their hands, and that is if you want La Familia to live Forever you kno? ehem Paolo pass me the Risotto will ya..

[NASSIR]

Somalia President Says He Wants More Control

 

November 26, 2007

 

VOA

 

Somalia's interim president has told officials he wants his interim government to tighten control over the country's politics, economy, and security. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, President Abdullahi Yusuf reserved his harshest criticisms for international aid groups and non-governmental organizations that he says are doing little to help the Somali people.

 

President Yusuf made the comments in a speech to a government budgetary and development planning session in the Somali town of Baidoa last Tuesday. In a transcript of the speech obtained by Voice of America, President Yusuf said it was time to limit private enterprise and put his transitional federal government in charge of all sectors, including education, social services, trade, and communications.

 

Since the fall of Somalia's last functioning government in 1991, key sectors of the country's economy and social services have been run by private companies and entrepreneurs.

 

He emphasized that government officials are to be involved in any and all activities taking place in Somalia, especially by international aid groups. He also told ministry officials to stop working with U.N. groups and non-governmental organizations that have not coordinated their activities through the interim government.

 

In the speech, Mr. Yusuf repeatedly criticized the U.N.'s World Food Program, accusing the agency of doing nothing to help the Somali people since the country's last functioning government was overthrown by factional leaders nearly 17 years ago.

 

For the past several months, government officials have frequently complained that some aid groups in Somalia were distributing food and other supplies to war-displaced people without the government's permission.

 

Last month, government security forces detained the director of the World Food Program in Somalia for nearly a week, accusing him of giving food to Islamic insurgents because the agency used local mosques instead of government ministries to distribute food aid in the capital Mogadishu and its outskirts.

 

In his speech, the president also criticized the head of U.N. humanitarian operations in Somalia, Eric Laroche, who has expressed alarm about Somalia's deepening humanitarian crisis. President Yusuf complained that during their recent meetings in Baidoa and in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Laroche only wanted to discuss humanitarian issues and requested better access to some one-and-a-half million Somali civilians thought to be in dire need of assistance.

 

The president said he believed the talks should have focused on Somali politics and on ways to combat the Islamist-led insurgency in Mogadishu, which began nearly a year ago after Mr. Yusuf's internationally recognized-but-weak transitional government took power in Mogadishu from the Islamic Courts Union in an Ethiopia-led military offensive.

 

Some Somalis have expressed hope that the country's newly sworn-in Prime Minister Nur Adde Hassan Hussein will have the experience and the will to begin addressing Somalia's mounting problems. Mr. Hussein, a lawyer by training, is a veteran humanitarian chief and is also a former police colonel.

 

But his predecessor, Ali Mohamed Gedi, stepped down from office last month after a falling out with President Yusuf over control of Somalia's resources and infrastructure. And there are concerns that Mr. Hussein may be pressured to follow Mr. Yusuf's lead or risk being similarly ousted.

 

During the swearing-in ceremony Saturday, the new prime minister promised to work first toward reconciling the government with opposition groups and improving security.

 

The foreign affairs secretary of the exiled Islamic Courts Union, Sherif Hassan tells VOA that reconciliation talks will never take place while Ethiopian troops are still in Somalia.

 

"What we need is someone who can say loudly that Ethiopian troops should withdraw from Somali territory immediately," he said.

 

Ethiopia says it will withdraw its troops only when a full-strength African Union peacekeeping force is in place in Somalia. So far, only Uganda has contributed 1,600 of the 8,000 troops needed.

 

Source: VOA

[NASSIR]

I hope you should read the VOA news with tolerance at least.

 

 

Kool cat, Every president deserves criticism from his people.

 

Northerner, I thought it was wiser to err on the side of caution than call him a dimwit . All that is clear from this speech is his seriousness with the deteriorating situation. Overall, he is someone who can articulate a vision, give it form and life and reinforce with a sense of seriousness and confidence. To him, he sees a much bigger obstacle and complex situation facing his government, so this speech seems to project his guideline for a set of actions both now and the future.