SOMALIS SHOULD BE SERIOUS WITH "SOMALIA"

The International community should help restore Somalia’s glory, regional stability, is a commentary posted on Kenyan papers & Published on 28/03/2009 by Said Aden

Sheikh Sharif’s government came to power this year after a reconciliation meeting in Djibouti between all Somali stakeholders. The meeting was brokered by the United Nations and the international community.

It is in the interest of all Somali nationals, stability of the (neighbouring)regions and the world at large to have an effective and efficient government. Somalia requires international help to have a state where stability prevails, where citizens enjoy peace and sustained development and where human rights are respected.

Somalia is a member of the global community. It cannot be isolated from the rest of the world. The problems dogging Somalia have an impact on the neighbouring countries and the rest of the world. Therefore, it is the moral obligation of the international community to assist this country impoverished by protracted civil war, malnutrition, displacement and disease to take its rightful place in the international arena.

It is the civic duty of all Somali citizens and Somali Diaspora to support and work with the current government. This is a government that has rejected violence and believes in harmony, reconciliation and national unity. It is a government that wants to build the nation. However, the transitional government is facing huge challenges as it aims to achieve its objectives. These include peace building, restoration of governance institutions and preparing the road map for a democratically elected government. The challenges facing this regime include, communication gap between it and development partners and humanitarian challenges. There is also a feeling of donor fatigue.

To regain the confidence of the development partners and attract more support from donor governments, I recommend that the Transitional Federal Government nominates a group of Somali expatriates to be a bridge between the government and development partners and also fill the communication gap. The team should be selected on the basis of merit and principle, not clan. The government should request the international community to fund expatriate positions and to facilitate the recruitment process. The team is to ensure smooth progress of the revitalisation of the government machinery, harmonisation and alignment of donor funding.

This is a call to action to the development partners to step up their assistance to Somalia to restore the nation’s glory. The world will be better off if we fully support this regime. Sheikh Sharif’s regime will be held accountable by the citizens and the international community to fully effect its mandate without fear, favour, nepotism or corruption, which have characterised the previous transitional governments.