Puntland is facing a myriad of challenges, while opportunities are abound as President Said Abdullahi Deni finishes his second year in office. A widespread protest against inflation broke out across Puntland cities; this is a serious economic problem to the welfare of its citizens. The poor are bearing the brunt of the inflation and they are fed up.
The checks and balances are being eliminated when former speaker Abdihakin Dhoobe was unlawfully removed from his position, and a loyalist was installed. Last week, 8 MPs were stripped of their positions, after raising legitimate issues. The Parliament has lost its oversight and accountability role and has been reduced as a rubber stamp for the executive.
Some members of parliament put forward a motion to review the terms of Bosaaso port agreement. Then the speaker of the parliament refused to deliberate the issue on the house floor and announced that they leaved the port issue to the executive, abdicating their oversight responsibilities. The UAE owned P&O maritime logistics company has been managing the port for 3 years and has not yet expanded the port as per the agreement.
Judiciary is under the direct control of the executive. The successive administrations refused to give the judiciary the independence it needs to exercise its authority. They used it for their political interests. The courts always rule in favor of the government. The citizens prefer to solve their problems through traditional methods because the judicial system is slow and corrupt.
The president has made some minor progress in democratization comparing to his predecessors. He has named the TPEC in his first year in office. The political associations were formed and the first municipality election was scheduled to occur in 2021. Nonetheless, much still remains to be done including public awareness, district demarcation, population census and creating the constitutional court.
Some people are casting doubt on the possibility of holding one person one vote election. They are pointing out, among other things, how dissenting voices are stifled and stamped as “NN agents- supporting the Federal Government.” How elections will be held if the judiciary is not independent and members of parliament who had raised legitimate issues were stripped of their positions?
President Deni has introduced a biometric registration for security forces as part of wider reform in the security sector. The biometric registration will help in eliminating ghost soldiers and sending soldiers’ salaries via their bank accounts. The security forces are still clan-based and need to be overhauled into national forces. The reform must also include improving the living conditions of the soldiers, strengthening their capacity, and modernizing their training, weapons, equipment and communications.
Civil service sector is Achilles heel of Puntland administration. it’s bloated and riddled with ghost workers, corruption and nepotism. Lack of competent and skilled personnel in the public sector is impeding the performance and service delivery of the public sector. Most civil servants are lacking the required skills and competencies for the civil service jobs. The government systems are manual and outdated. A lot of the staff have been working on the same role for so long. They developed special skills to survive under successive administrations. They resisted change and reform and their clan elders provide protection. The civil service doesn’t attract talent due to nepotism, cronyism, low wages and luck of professional development opportunities. The competent persons seek jobs in international NGOs and the UN. The president needs to instill new blood in the bureaucracy – with commitment to transparency, accountability, integrity and diligence. He should appoint a body with competent, honest, and fair-minded members. He should introduce a merit based system to improve the public-sector efficiency and productivity.
Puntland continues to fail to provide basic services to its citizens, such as clean water, education, and health care. The NGOs stepped up and filled the government role. The NGOs operate in remote and rural areas. They run parallel projects that weekend the state. Leaving the government services to the NGOs severs the link between the state and citizens. They NGOs should be forced to cooperate and work with the government systems.
Puntland advocates to the federal system but it fails to devolve power and resource to the local governments. The local government is the most important tier of the government to deliver basic services to the citizens. Puntland local governments lack administrative capacity, human and financial resources. The districts need to be equipped with the necessary resources to bring services closer to the citizens.
Public finance management is critical to the quality of the public service. President Deni should also work on improving in public finance and accountability systems. Public finance reforms will reduce corruption and improve service delivery. The PFM is also contingent on the donor budgetary support. In order to succeed in reforming the PFM, he must replace the underperforming minister of Finance and appoint a technocrat to deliver much needed reforms.
There are no public engagements to strengthen the government’s interaction with its citizens through increased public participation and input on its performance and public service delivery. The people need regular updates and adequate information on government priorities and programs. The faith in the government has been lost and it needs to be restored. The youth are feeling they have a stake in their country and demanding accountability and responsive government. President Deni’s inconsistent monthly speech to the public is not enough.
Thus, there is an urgent need to develop an effective communication strategy to engage and win the hearts and minds of the citizens.
Puntland successive presidents had adopted a strategy to shift the people from local concerns to the missteps of the federal government. President Deni has been elected for Puntland and he must focus and prioritize on Puntland problems. The culture of not holding the president to account must change. If the person doesn’t fear from accountability he/she will do whatever he/she wishes. The Puntland citizens, Political associations, the press and civil society groups must play their role in holding the government to account. Accountability will ensure a more transparent government which serves the interest of people and not just few individuals.
Institutional reform is not without its difficulties but it needs bold ideas, determination, and political will. It takes years to develop institutions but gradual steps should be taken to build it.
I would advise the president to set up strategies on human resource development and government institutions that includes delivery unit in his office to coordinate the government agencies and to monitor progress and timely fulfillment of his election promises.
President Denti still has 3 more years to deliver on his election promises; he must focus on leaving a remarkable, memorable legacy or history will not be kind to him.
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