Rayaale has got his sums wrong again

Rayaale has got his sums wrong again  

Somaliland, unrecognised and lacking resources to feed its starving citizenry, can ill-afford another grandiose project such as the one Rayaale's government has just announced largely to outsmart and outwit the opposition who are believed to have similar programme in their political manifestos. If the government's intention is to bribe the electorate ahead of the upcoming election with such nonsensical ideas, then once again they got their sums spectacularly wrong. Quite simply Somaliland cannot afford one more region and a few more districts here and there let alone six new whole regions and fourteen more districts in a country as impoverished as ours and shunned by the international community whose entire revenue almost depends on the tax collected from the women and men selling Kat on stalls in the major cities and towns. Somaliland has no fund to support such an expansion and it does not make economic sense at all. It is a complete madness and should be reversed before it is too late.

Somaliland government has repeatedly told the public as well as the press on an umpteenth times that its annual budget barely reaches twenty Millions dollars ($20M) and yet by increasing the country by another massive six regions and fourteen districts, it embarked on a project that will further drain the meagre resources of the government's already under budgeted ministries and agencies. Already overstretched in terms of funding and in dire need of government support in running their daily commitments, how does Rayaale's government want these ministries and agencies to further function effectively under these circumstances? How could a government failed to deliver its past election promises on many occasions mainly due to financial constraints can dream such madness as this? Don't they realise that this expansion programme needs money to run the increased oversized government departments at both regional and district levels? Don't they know that six more regions and more than a dozen districts mean more governors, more district commissioners and their deputies, more courts, more police stations, more hospitals, more schools, more teachers and above all more responsibilities? Do we expect these people to work for free? Even if some say they will do, isn't it obvious that they have to earn their living from somewhere? And we know what this means for the people expected to live under such circumstances.

Somaliland people have had enough under this government. They have promised a lot and delivered a little. We have already one of the largest government ministries in the world to put up with and their many ministers and junior ministries, all helping themselves with massive salaries and perks. Some people may be celebrating because they were awarded a region or a district, but believe me you this is a gimmick and the real losers in this are the people of Somaliland. The legacy of this will be too great a burden to bear for the next generation as well as the current one. The current leaders of Somaliland are simply helping themselves and their families as much as they can in financial terms. If they have the interest of their people and their country at heart, they would not have dreamt such crazy idea as this.

The country needs development projects such as roads, hospitals, schools, etc. It does not need more regions and districts. They country needs to build solid government institutions and proper justice system for the coming generations as well as the current one. It does not need more bureaucratic and oversized ministries, agencies, regions and districts. The priority of Rayaale's government should be centred on improving of what we already have, and not fathom ideas that will only make matters difficult for future generations to deal with. It is a common practice for governments to come up with daft ideas such as the one we are currently witnessing under Rayaale's government when they outlive their sell by date. This government, running out of support and friends, has also run out of useful ideas and the sooner we see their back the better. The country deserves better than this.

Mohamed Yabarag
myabarag@yahoo.co.uk 

5/03/08