By Said Faadi
As they say, the arch of history is long – long – but it bends towards justice. This truism applies to the outcome of January 8, elections of Puntland State of Somalia. People of Puntland have long endured dysfunctional system of governments – characterised by incompetent systems where systematic misappropriation of public property, rent-seeking, intimidation and oppression were the order of the day.
Under these predatory governments, prevailing institutions are weak and poorly designed, publicly provided services are trivial and the economy is at best a moribund.
However, the election victory of the former Prime Minister Dr. Abdiwali M. Ali Gaas breathes a fresh air to the struggle for political and economic reform. It was a historic step taken to the right direction. The political Tsunami that unseated President Farole and his entire political organisation – including his vice president and speaker of parliament – sent chills to the bone. The outcome is not open to conflicting political interpretation. One word defines it – change. That is why I believe Dr Gaas is a ‘game changer’. He is a break from the past. I think Puntland crossed the Rubicon – a point of no return.
No – and I repeat no – candidate in the race was better qualified than the Harvard trained economist for transitioning Puntland from the prevailing political tribalism and economic sluggishness to democratic governance and growth. That is why his narrow win over the incumbent President, “Dr” Abdirahman Farole sent unprecedented waves of jubilations across and beyond the borders of Puntland.
Challenges ahead
But there are challenges that lie ahead of President Gaas and his government. You don’t to be an expert to know that it’s a tall order to meet the expectations of the people Puntland from the new government. Everywhere, there are needs to be met – and endless list of challenges to be addressed.
Moreover, political and economic reforms are naturally painful. They involve long and tedious processes. They demands courage and conviction. Ouch! I am not questioning what president Gaas is capable of. In fact I do have confidence in him. But this is what I know – the fault in the current economic and governance system of Puntland is congenital and complex. It won’t be a walk in the park to correct and effect changes.
The leaders of the new government will also face resistance from conservative forces – both traditional and remnants of the previous regimes. They will be harangued, bullied and even intimidated into incompetency. That is not unusual backlash. In fact, no country has never implemented political and economic reforms without pain.
But let me sound a warning to President Gaas and Vice president Abdihakin Amey. Dr Gaas and his Vice President should be mindful that they inherited the baton of a highly fractious and fragile system. They need to carefully plan and plot. They have no option but to wittingly face off the old and inept order. But they should approach it carefully with the intent of uprooting its entire political anchors. They must cleanse the rot in the system. Otherwise, their goose will be cooked before the end of their term.
Institutional building and political reforms
Dr Gaas is a scholar-cum-politician who is revered both at home and abroad. His academic credentials on economic development and governance are incontestable. This makes a solution to the challenges faced by people of Puntland lie within his reach. I can bet – Dr Gaas will take Puntland beyond the checklist of “minimum requirements”. He will build resilient and responsive institutions and transform the current undesired political tribalism into democratic governance. Let me substantiate my claim.
First, unlike previous leaders of Puntland, Dr Gaas accepts true the wisdom that declares ‘institutions matter for growth and governance’. As such, he will train his focus on building key institutions that strengthen and deepen service delivery. He will strive to set the foundation for public institutions characterised by hands-on professional management, explicit performance standards, and greater emphasis on transparency, accountability and parsimony in resource utilisation.
Second, Dr Gaas belongs to academic line of thought that sets democratic governance as precondition to escape poverty, starvation, and famine. He holds this deep on pedigree and by conviction. At University of Harvard, where he received an advanced degree, he was lectured by the universally acclaimed Professor of economics Amertya Sen, who once plausibly – and convincingly – argued that ‘famine does not occur in a democracies’. The narrative – Democracy prevents famine – is legitimately debatable. But I think the core of the argument is powerful.
Don’t shoot me -when I say ‘democratic governance’, I am not talking about the shambolic processes that are primary meant to hoodwink the public and extend the term of an incumbent. Not certainly. That is putting the concept of democracy on its head. But I am referring to a system of representation, with well-functioning political parties and civil society associations; an electoral system that guarantees free and fair elections as well as universal suffrage; a system of checks and balance based on the separation of power of three branches of the government; and a free, independent media.
That candid psychologist Helmet Shoeck once observed that “envy is so shameful that it is the only human passion to which no one who harbours it will ever admit”. By reverse application of the same principle, democracy has become an attractive political concept that everyone – even the worst of tyrannies – claims to stand for. Remember the late President Siyaad Barre presided over a state called ‘the Democratic Republic of Somalia’. And just last year, president Farole concocted a very dubious process and called it ‘democratic elections’.
Let me set the record straight – the concept of democracy has got substantive elements – principles and values. These elements sit at the heart of the democratic project. As they say it doesn’t go with territory – it’s a vital part of the landscape. You can’t brush these values and principles aside and call a shambolic process – a democracy. I hope Dr. Gaas will teach a lesson on how to run democratic government.
Said Faadi
Email: Said.faadi@gmail.com
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