“Somalia could further sink into the league of “most corrupt” unless the Somali government ministers led by Prime Minister Farmaajo take bold and concrete damage control moves in convincing the world that he is listening and doing something about it, and come-up anti-corruption plan.”
Recently most Somali media are populated the sad reality and state of our country Somalia, where corruption and lack of accountability have become something of a cancer eating into the fabric of the Somalia society and uprooting every social value, structure and institution from its very foundations. It is the norm and intrinsically expected that average Somali minister or official signing contracts to the foreign investors. Setting a bad and very dangerous precedence of fleecing the country and whatever little that is left.
Not only are the spiraling levels of corruption responsible for the looting of the state’s coffers, but it is also badly affecting other Somali ministers, private business, while TFG’s reputations declines and the international community contemplate if their efforts of supporting TFG are worth.
The latest in a long list of shocking revelations came a month ago when group of concerned Somali intellectuals, Transparency International and Somali Media revealed many reports on TFG and some of its members, revealing how Somali CCTLD .so domain contract was issued worth more than $20 million were allocated along with kickbacks and bribes to government officials, their families and associates.
Not long after that, the Somali public woke-up the news that their country’s entire national asset including their sovereignty is on sale (from their symbolic sovereign domain code ‘.so’, airport, security body-guard training etc). The hidden message that is revealed in these various reports is how corrupt civil servant gained from rigged government tenders contracts worth over millions; And how the .soTLD and defense training contract issuers are related? Recently disclosed letter dated May 14, 2010 from TFG’s Chief of Staff and Senior Adviser to the President tells how the country was being fleeced with grossly understated prices in tender contracts without the approval of the parliament or the president. In the letter, the Chief states that “Given that the Internet naming system is a public resource and the exercise of a top level domain (TLD) delegation must be in the public interest”, but yet he single handedly issued the contract to 3rd party and deny the public a full disclosure while secretly pocketing the revenues and income.
The countless unresolved corruption allegations surrounding Somalia’s $95 million .soTLD 10 years contract deal – in which Somalia’s Minister of Post himself long stood as a central suspect – is a case in point.
So, too, are the cover-ups that the Minister of Post is making daily. If the Minister wants to end these allegations and wants to be clean—TFG and the Minister need to release copies of the contract up front on Somali media outlets such as the prominent Hiiraan Online. He must quit delegating or assigning the blame to his predecessors while he was and still is in the middle of corrupt ongoing schemes.
TFG and the Minister of Post need to quit paying lip service and cover-ups. They need a stronger action and need to facilitate whistle-blowing, those who did dare to blow the whistle on their corrupt colleagues, but to the contrary often honest Somalis themselves are being “punished” for their efforts to uncover corruption. The latest case in point is Nairobi-based Somali journalist from Bar Kulan radio, who has allegedly been suspended on a charge of “talking about sensitive issue” after he did an interview covering the Somali ccTLD information.
Finally- what we are witnessing is not something new. The defense contract to mercenaries that you are seeing proceeds and somehow linked to a rogue government officials that were lately pirating the shared national resources and the public assets in cheap price. This is part of an organized rogue indiscipline officials led by current and ex- TFG officials including the administrators of the Somali ccTLD domain that are still in public denial and refuse the Somali public the level of transparency that they deserve and continually refuse to release their contract with the foreign agencies. This is in-spite of the fact that we all know, academically or intuitively, that corruption in all its forms is unIslamic, it remains a pervasive feature permeating in a government that its leaders once invested ICU Islamic court, and calls themselves men of God.
It is time that President and Prime Minister to decide and ask his Cabinet ministers for proposals to deal with corruption and ensure the establishment of an independent committee to formulate new strategies on dealing effectively with the rapidly growing scourge of corruption and unjust contract issuing practices without proper authorizations. Prime Minister must acknowledge of the seriousness of the problem that corruption is causing to Somalia’s national pride, dignity, and reputation.
TFG and cabinet ministries must come clean and be transparent to the public. They have to release and disclosure copies of the contract and contract amounts as well as a plan on how these funds or income are being utilized for the benefit of the common public good. TFG has to issue names of individuals in charged for the regulation of contracts and guaranteed pledge that these funds will not be used for illegitimate activities or acts.
Sakhawdiin
Sakawdin Mohamed, MS, MPA-candidate
[email protected]
I am glad the Somali Prime Minister has finally listened what the Somali intellectuals have been calling him to do, I hope he reads Mr. Sakawdin’s letter and follow his advice and convince the parliament tomorrow.
Corruption is not something new to Somalia. It has existed long before the collapse of Somalia and ironically it is one of the reasons the State of Somalia has disintegrated. It’s a cancer that spread through the bones and cure it will take time and effort.
I love your passion and I hope one day Somali leaders would wake up to reality
WAXAA IS WEYDIIN MUDAN, HADII MAGAALO AMA WADAN DHIB KA DHACO LAGEEYO TAQAATIIRTA IYO NURSES UGA FIICAAN ADDUNKAN OO AYSAN HAYSANIN DAAWOOYIN IYO shaybaaro, maxay daaweeynkaraan.Marka waxaan ka xumahay u jeedadada loogeeyey aqoon yahano soomaalia,reer galbeedku waxay rabaan in ay ku daaran buugooda xataa aqoonyahanadii soomaaliyeed wax wey ka qaban waayeen xaalka.