There is no single formula of development , but every country develop is certain way , the development of European is not same the development of United States of America(USA) mean while china and Japan has another ways of development , so us Somali people how we can develop.
Of course, for the last 26 years Somaliland has peace and stability, so as your self did Somaliland people reach yet any development? It’s unquestionable that Somaliland builds their government, and unites the all civil war loads, along with make National army and all government institutions which are working. Also Somaliland took a democratic system of government and doing multi elections whether governmental, local municipals and parliamentarian. This is positive things that Somaliland governments did, and there are many other things which are under-process.
It is also under quotation does Somaliland is in development way , for many educators it’s not because of , the development must reach all people roughly equally, every Somali lander must effect his/her personal live in terms of Health , education, housing and mostly basic needs .
So let us divide into four main segments: Environmental, Social, Political and Economical
Situation of Somaliland Environment
It’s common that most third world countries are poor items of environment especially trees because of many factors like:-
- Poor social income : that is why the people cut the trees to get some income in order to survive
- Illiteracy : most of under-developing countries their societies are not educated ,so the people doesn’t know the meaning of environment particularly the trees which are source of oxygen , without oxygen life is impossible
- Lack of Government Policy: it’s a duty of the government to protect the environment, but it seems that most of Under-developing states mostly African, particularly Somaliland government didn’t protect environment.
Environment protection is a part of states development , not only trees , but also protection soil erosions , preventions of droughts , promotion of sanitation which effect the soil and at end can causes diseases such as Vibro cholera and mostly diarrheal diseases, poor environment can kill human being.
So Somaliland has all these problems related to environment, and it became normal that when raining season comes we dye because of flood and when the winter comes we dye because of droughts, and this thing is under humanity, human being are different from any other living thing, because we have ability to think; its shame full for Somaliland government, civil society, educator , leader and all Somali landers, to be in this two conditions of droughts and floods.
Way Forward:
- Tree Planting: tree are spinal colon or back bone of global life , that is why the world protect Amazon trees in Brail because it’s the lungs of the globe, without lungs u can’t survive and your lungs can’t work without Oxygen , the only source of oxygen is trees , so together Somaliland Government and civil society must work gather to make tree planting all over six regions , at least each year 2000 trees .
To re-forest the land so as to create a better environment, reduce desertification and drought, and improve farming conditions and agricultural outputs; to involve farmers in protection of trees
- Making a dams : dams will prevent both droughts and floods , which are main social problem that Somali landers live with, also dams will improve the beauty of the country, it will help tree planting projects
- Environmental awareness of the society , its duty of Somaliland educated youth to teach their civil society the importance of the environment , since 1991 there are many seminars , workshops that related to this topic , and both local and international organizations were providing , but they all fail , whatever the cause, this environmental awareness must be different , the provider must be free from personal inters or income oriented.
There are many ways to forward , but in conclusion these are major ones , that Somaliland can reach environmental development within short period of time
Part Two
Somaliland Social Problems
We can’t deny that Somaliland is one of , under-developing countries besides geopolitically located place which is well-known in conflict : conflict is major part that cause delay of society , In Somaliland Social Problems they are uncountable most important ones are :-
- Health :-health is one of major challenge that mostly effect Somaliland civil society in many dimension , and u will realize this problem only if you visit the medical Hospitals in Somaliland , they are expensive no quality control , and there is no medical court , that arrest if medical professional did a crime , Somaliland medical professionals didn’t know which disease is most killer in order to make prevention , because there is no date towards these problems , Somaliland medical Professionals forget the medical principle “ first do no harm “ their major duty is to save the peoples life , not become money oriented , and Ministry of health must take examinations for Medical staff , because it’s essential that the person working in Hospital must have medical knowledge.
Way forward
- Ministry of health must assign a group of professionalism which took examination all medical staffs in Somaliland
- Ministry of health must make research laboratory , in order to know epidemic diseases in Somaliland to make suitable prevention
- Medical Associations must be people health oriented not income oriented
- Government should give ministry of health extra budget to do above project with accountability
- Somaliland civil society should protect their environment , because poor west management is major source of diseases.
There are unlimited problems, but keep in mind in 17th century, the world was same in poverty and disease, Europe and America were suffering the infectious disease that we are suffering today, in addition Somaliland has both problems of communicable and non-communicable diseases, of course development didn’t come for one day but a lot of thinking with action.
- Educational problems : Education is the key that can develop a country , and in 21th century its well-know that states without resource , like Japan make development because of quality of their education , Japan is the only state in globe that were used by Nuclear weapon in 1945 , still they are misery which is caused by nuclear like genetic abnormalities , but Japan realize that their major resource is not natural resource but its Human resource.
So Somaliland has human resource , which is approximately 50% of Somaliland population is youth , so its duty of ministry of education to protect quality of education and make same curriculum in all schools and universities , I have been taken in Saudi curriculum , when I was in elementary school , there are many youth who are same like me taken , UAE curriculum , Kenyan Curriculum , UK, Curriculum , Sudan Curriculum , Turkish Curriculum ect ; for the coming future every child will be citizen for the country that he/she took their curriculum , so who will be Somali lander? Along with 12 years of basic studying, is reputation and only losing a time for the youth because every child in Somaliland took classes in week 36 hours , if I say every day start from 7:00am -12:am , including break times , this means every month 144 hours and every year 1,500 hours approximately , but think about how many hours are left, Time has particular meaning it’s the only asset that human being have and a minute you lose will never came back.
Way forward
- Ministry of Education must make single curriculum for Schools and Universities along with single price for all schools , to prevent social classes which seems the poor are getting poorer and rich become richer
- 12 Year of basic study must become approximately 8-7 years and increase the hours of studying
- Ministry of education should make a productive policy towards technical schools and formal schools
“Educational system view children as human becoming that they explicitly preparing for work , we learn skills and knowledge , as well as about society norms , values and beliefs which are necessary for our survival and ultimately about society survival “Nicola Ansell
Migration for youth
Youth migration is national issue, the only capital that state has is human resource, but it seems that Somaliland losing their human resources because of many reasons like:-
- Psychological Problems: many of youth claim that they migrate because of unemployment and poverty but it’s not because if that is the reason then why the working ones are migrating and is their poor ones that migrate??? Of course they are less in number but the educated and rich people have this problem .It seems that they just love to become diaspora and still searching why?
- In-love to become Diaspora because they will get dignity among the society and government
- Un-planned life: if a person plan his life what he/she will do when they graduate ? and study the field that he/she is good , they can manage they life , to work low jobs is not immoral thing, because when they immigrate they will be cleaner ,driver ,watchman , so it cleaner , driver and watchman in Europe it better then cleaner , driver and watchman in your country living with you relatives plus self-worth.
Youth Crimes
Youth crimes are also problem that face our society, every neigh they hurt each other , and cause instability, there are hundreds of youth in prisons of Somaliland , these are our youth the prison is the University for all bad things, may the person is arrest just injury another person , but when he/she finish the judgment they will do worst thing , because they met professional thieves and well know criminals . Along with these youth didn’t get chance to study, and this will increase the level of illiteracy in Somaliland.
Way Forward
- Youth organizations must work to educate youth in prisons
- Ministry of Youth should make effective policy towards this youth
- Civil society should give awareness for these youth
- Somaliland Political problems
Somaliland political crisis this is the name I used , because until 1996 when the president Cigal was elected by house of elders , Somaliland adopt Democratic system of government , and this system is completely against Somali culture and system of leadership in Somalia society, In Somali culture before and during colonization the clan leaders were the true political elites in Somaliland politics , besides among trips they were has defined rules and regulation in all aspects of live , wither peace , conflict , relationship among trips , Somali people were having suitable from of management, because every problem were have a defined solution , at that time clan system wasn’t a problem because people were understand their system well , and clan leader “Sultan “ was a part of society in all situations ,so society were relay on their Sultan .
After 1960 June 26 , when Somalia and most of African states get their independent western political systems were implemented , which became complete opposite to the culture of Africans , particularly Somali people , because they assume that their leader is part of them , and that changes to democratic system which the political leader is not a part of the society in all situation but only ,politicians are part of society when the lections came, which contrivers to the culture of Sultans, that is when the impact of clan system in Somaliland National politics became a problem ,since this two systems are not matched .
Furthermore Somaliland took multi part political system , that more one party can take part election , this would be a good idea if political parties became alteration in ideology , but unfortunately only the names of the party leaders are difference , but it’s clear that the political leaders of UDUB and ministries are todays Political leader of Kulmiye and ministries too , since UDUB and Kulmiye their difference was only Dahir Riyaale( former President of Somalialnd ) and Axmed Siilanyo ( president of Somaliland ) they have same ideology, meanwhile UCID and WADANI are in same way.
This supposed to be that every political party has a defined ideology whether people like it or not , example if one part may be says , we are ruling under Islamic system , and another may be Democratic there will be choice but now the only choice that citizens has is their tripe differences.
In another hand Somaliland Constitution will be future source of conflict, since of combination of three unmatched ideologies Islamic religion, Somali Culture, and democratic theory , one of main pillars of democratic system is secularism this means to separate religion form the politics which is impossible for 100% Muslim society, Islam is not only to pray five times , pay the charity , fast month of Ramadan , go to Macca ones a year , it’s not only to full fill five pillars of Islamic religion , but Islam is complete way of life , in terms of politics , economics , social development everything that a society needed is part of Islamic religion : moreover Islam is solution for all humanity , since to protect human rights , to became against any kind of discrimination , to give justice to all people and to lead all people their creator the only one and free from being slaves to other people of idol are major principles of Muslim society isn’t be solution for all humanity ?
In conclusion the constitution needed to reopen and became based on only one system , to avoid future conflict among the people .
Way forward
- The journalism must take part their role of watch dog ; in more explanation the Somaliland journalist must work for their people and show who is honest to the society and who is not ,in order to remove rescales from the political arena .
- Accountability and transparency ; the Somaliland government should be transparent to their civil society and representatives must account for the government since they represent the whole society
- Political parties must came a defined agendas , if political part win the election it must be clear what they will do for the coming five years because this is 5 year projects or programs of national development
- Somaliland political and other leaders must go back to their creator and work to their people host , because ALLAH will ask them in the day of judgment
Economic problems in Somaliland
Economical problem is also vital for Somali-landers , subsequently Somaliland is all most 99% dependent on import particularly daily use foods like rice, sugar , pasta , tea and everything related to daily consumption foods , likewise cloths and thing which is based on human life is imported , there is limited items that Somali-landers produce , mostly in livestock for now became scarce . So can a country relay of import of daily use of food become a developed?
Somaliland is also one of great supplier of Qad( a drug three that Somali People Jew) and the Somali people expend 1,100,000 USD per day which is in year of 2015 1,100,000* 365 days of the year = $ 401,500,000 while the budget of Somaliland government in 2015 was $108,000,000 , According to(Qat and its complications Faarax A. M. BSC). This shows that the expenditure of Qat is more than the budget of the government; In the meantime this shows us that Ethiopia has absolute advantage over Somaliland.
Qat is obligate intra-cellular parasite for Somaliland economic development, meanwhile the Somaliland government fail even to make exchange of Qat in natural resource that S/land has such as fish, salt or to export and import the ports of S/land.
In complete conclusion how Somaliland can become a successful developed state is not impossible, but it will very easy if the religious leaders, civil leaders, political leaders came together with a health mind, honest to make a positive change with a proper planning, Somaliland will become developed state, because of natural resources plus human resources which I believe they can make a positive change for the coming years.
Nasra Daahir Mahamed
NB” please take part sharing ideas is important, because together we can develop our country and send me this email any comment or other idea “