Reasons or Redemption: The Conflict of the top Somalia. It was only a year ago when the current government was ushered in by the Somali Federal Parliament in what was dubbed a historic democratic moment for Somalia. The mutterings of political misconduct and bribery of the Members of Parliament with money from Qatar were snubbed or even dismissed owing to the swelling sense of patriotism and reviviscence of hope for Somalia’s return into the fold of nations. Nonetheless, within a short time, the mongery of the executive branch gained momentum causing a sharp peak in social polarization. The unfolding monocracy, where the president overwhelmingly usurped the powers of all the branches of government, instigated feelings of déjà vu all over again. The executive branch also circumvents the parliament when it deals with the world. The shady agreements with foreign companies such as Favori to manage the airport, Shulman and Rogers to recover Somali money frozen in foreign banks, Soma Oil and Gas Exploration Ltd to do seismic tests, Atlantic Marine and Offshore Group to build coast guards and so forth are all tainted by corruption being neither openly tendered nor transparent. The doors to suckling a few at the expense of nation building are wide open. The malversation of the Federal Government became obvious upon release of the confidential report by the U.N. Group of Experts to the Security Council’s Somalia and Eritrea sanctions committee. The experts reported that 80 percent of withdrawals were made for private purposes. It is important to note here that the bank is managed by PricewaterhouseCooper, a company chosen by former Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid who was nominated by former president Sheikh Sharif on February 13, 2009. At the time, PWC was in the deep dark seas of law suits and scandals on inappropriate accounting practices in a number of countries around the world. wardheernews/Articles_2010/Jan/Nur_Bahal/21_No_circular_logic_in_honesty.html It is not surprising that Shulman and Rogers tried to defend the case ignoring the inherent conflict of interest because of their relationship with the FGS to recover frozen monies or the intention thereof. More puzzling is why an international corporation like PWC would accept to manage a national bank that does not conform to the international monetary standards! It simply does not make any sense that both PWC and the FGS did not even try to remedy the situation. The bank does not have a board of governors and thus its decision-making depends on one person – the governor of the bank, a fact that makes inappropriate transactions easy. And why would anyone change that, after all isn’t Somalia supposed to be a dystopia? – A place where all things are as bad as they could be. The story of the Central Bank assumed megalithic proportions when Yusur Abrar, the newly appointed governor, resigned within a month citing that the president intentionally resisted to give his support to her efforts to make the Central Bank an autonomous financial institution that functions in accordance with the regulations of the international financial institutions and its own rules and regulations for the betterment of the financial position of the Somali people. The president’s resistance to make the bank autonomous impedes the proper functioning of country’s central financial institution and thus, sanctions the bank’s existence as the national institution for money laundering and slush funds. The president’s obmutescence on this extremely sensitive issue sends a strong signal that there is truth to Yusur’s claim, a professional banker known for her integrity and impregnable banking ethics. The president’s misprision of the crimes of his friends/family regarding the central bank scandal, and many more that have not yet come out into the public, is probably a prime motive to call for the resignation of the prime minister so that the focus is shifted away from the president’s malfeasance. The Central Bank scandal is not the only one steaming in the house of president Hassan Sheikh. A number of sources have also been tracking the results of brewing conflicts over the powers of the nation’s ambassadors abroad. Close to or over 80 percent of the nation’s diplomatic corps are tribally affiliated with the president and the remaining 20 percent are said to be of the Damul Jadiid sect. The same phenomenon is also seen in the nomination of the cabinet of ministers. It is precisely the monocracy of the president causing too many problems for the management of the nation. Both the diplomats and the cabinet members report directly to the president bypassing the normal chain of command creating a nation of debauched institutions. As the present conflict between the president and the prime minister continues to evolve, we can expect to see marathon lobbying by both men. The venal parliamentarians are again presented with an exceptional opportunity to cast their national duties aside in exchange for ample cash turning the federal parliament into a political circus maximus. While the Prime Minister is responsible for nominating the cabinet, so far it has been the president whose wish and will prevailed over the PM possibly because he was initially blissful at being appointed to the prestigious position. The ‘somnolent’ Prime Minister, as he publicly became known, realized that he has been outwitted and rendered powerless. Checkmated with few options, the prime minister is facing an opponent with deeper pockets, a corrupted parliament and a cabinet whose allegiances lie tightly with the president. If he does not resign voluntarily, there is an overwhelming chance of en masse cabinet resignations. The prime minister can cross the rubicon into a long and dreary war by appointing a new cabinet and the resulting constitutional crisis may bring down both the president and the prime minister. But then that might be what this conflict is all about! The evil of the Somali politics is that nobody cares about the beleaguered nation and its people. It has become a project – a project driven by Somali quislings, planned by xennocratics, run by greedy insatiable Somalis. Their only plan is to blame and picker and not knowing anything else, it assures them of running away with the loot before they are caught. And hence, Somalia is the ultimate kakistocracy because thus is the prime feature of a nation in ruin. Nur Bahal Toronto, Canada hildiid@gmail
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 07:07:26 +0000
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