Corruption in Somaliland and its effects on development in human and otherwise

Corruption in Somaliland and its effects on development in human and otherwise

Ibrahim M Mead

Political analyst

Ottawa, Canada

May 8, 2010

Corruption in Somaliland and its effects on development in human and otherwise

Corruption – defined as 'the abuse of public power for personal ends' – When that is that what do we call the complete destruction of the institutions of the government inflected by the Remnants ruling Somaliland? What do we call the destruction of the Somaliland personality and character? What do we call the ignorance of Mass destruction in action in Somaliland? And what do we call the selection and the collection of follies of all insignia and brands running in Somaliland?

I don't know what you may call them but I do know the curse of the spirits of the Martyrs who died for this unfortunate country are all around us sending us curses that would remain active until change (to the better) comes. Until the remnants and their folly followers are unseated-removed altogether!

This has reached the end of the rope in Somaliland! The Remnants there ransacked, robbed to the penny and cut it to the roots thus left nothing, nothing!

To cover up that corruption which reached to criminal levels, they are trying every thing to create conflicts which may lead to unwanted wars so that people forget what they have stolen and the other evil acts they did because people will be busy and worry on the last act among many evil acts (the war) they engineered!

A major obstacle in the path of development

In my opinion, corruption should be approached from the point of view of the effects it has on development. I say this because long professional experience has taught that corruption is one of the major obstacles to progress, and that its effects on development in both human and otherwise are disastrous. Thus corruptive entities ought to be changed

Some people would no doubt counter this assertion with the 'cultural' argument whereby they would have us believe that, in certain cultures, corruption is quite normal and morally acceptable. Well I do not know of a single place on earth where growing rich through taking bribes and stealing the public property like Riyaale and family do is considered lawful or morally acceptable! Nowhere, I believe! But it is working in the "Island of the absurd"- that is Somaliland! The destructive effects that even small-scale corruption can have on society is by no means enormous, and it is obvious there!

Yet others have simply resigned themselves to the situation. For them, corruption is intrinsically linked to underdevelopment. As long as a person's normal income does not provide him with a decent living, the door will always be open to bribes. It is, therefore, through development that we should be attempting to eradicate corruption. But when the corruption is from top down like it is in Somaliland it is even worse! We must act therefore, and without delay, focusing our efforts on eradicating large-scale corruption from top down. To do that we have to change our selves then change the Remnants forthwith through democratic process. If we do not change our selves first we can not change any thing!

If we analyse some of the effects that corruption has on development, the first thing we notice is that it increases the cost of goods and services, and not insignificantly either. Although a 5% reduction in the profit margin might, at a pinch, be absorbed by the supplier, corruption levels of 10% to 20%, which have become commonplace, will inevitably be reflected in the price and will, consequently, be paid for through the national or foreign (in the case of foreign aid) resources of a country. It is therefore the national economy that ultimately suffers the consequences of an unjustified surcharge on the goods or services, (no services in Somaliland) with the difference being pocketed by some government official or politician who has abused his power for his own personal gain. However, the damaging effects of such practices do not stop there. The corrupt decision-maker may well be tempted to accept a substandard quality of service which will make his personal profit all the greater. Thus, with a road-building project for example, complicity between government departments and contractors may result in corner-cutting with regard to agreed standards of quality so that the savings made may be shared out between the two parties.

At their very worst, the disastrous effects of corruption mean that the conception of a project, and ultimately its very choice, are determined by corruption. As far as conception is concerned, a good example would be the purchase of a technology which is wholly unsuited to the particular needs of a country or the choice of a capital-intensive project – more lucrative in terms of corruption – rather than a labour-intensive one which would nevertheless be far more beneficial to that nation's development.

The absolute peak of perversion, however, is when the very choice of priorities – and therefore of projects – is determined by corruption. What we are referring to here are those situations in which the real development priorities of a country are neglected in favour of operations which generate the greatest personal gain for the decision-makers. Precisely that is what Riyaale and gang are doing to Somaliland from day one!

A vicious circle that must be broken

Corruption is one of the causes of underdevelopment and poverty, yet poverty is in part responsible for its continuation. If a person cannot earn an honest living for himself and his family, then he is more or less forced into earning it by less honest means. Hence corruption is both the cause and the consequence of underdevelopment. In order to break the pattern we must therefore combat large-scale corruption inasmuch as it is a significant cause of underdevelopment and we must work gradually to eradicate the reasons for its propagation in society, and in particular to remedy the notorious lack of adequate income to ensure a decent standard of living. But moral people must be there to do that, and not hoodlums of remnants who couldn't be accepted any where except in where they are now!

In general terms, we can say that corruption also kills off the spirit of development. Nothing is more destructive to a society than the pursuit of 'a fast and easy buck' which makes honest people who work hard appear naive or foolish. That is why, in the context of economic reforms under the heading of 'structural adjustment', it is vital that the model advocated be one of a market economy based on a sound framework of legislation and on an efficient state. It should not allow free rein to the sort of corruptive means which is aimed at immediate profit at all costs. It should not allow "Al jaabiri monopolisticmodel" created by the gang in Hargeisa and Berbera and people call them government! The example of certain transition countries in the where a market economy has become synonymous with the law of the jungle, the Mafia and corruption, the "Al jaabiri and Total" in Somaliland really should make us stop and think.

In the final analysis, an economy undermined by corruption has the effect of discouraging potential foreign investors and public donors. Yet if development is to succeed, countries have to be able to attract a flow of capital. 'Success attracts money. Waste, failure and chaos drive it away'. And although investors are very keen to do business, with the exception of a few opportunists, they all look for host countries that have a stable and predictable climate and literate and honest leadership accountable to their laws, regulations and in the end to their constitution. Do the Somalilanders have that? The answer to that question is NO. They don't! The solution of this is, they have to change what is in their selves first then they can change the ignorant Remnants and the follies following them.

However, prayer and peace

Ibrahim M Mead