Transparency International (TI), the global ant-graft watch-dog, has placed Somalia the most corrupt country in the world. Out of the 178 in the latest global ranking released on Tuesday, October, 26, 2010, Somalia slipped one position down from its 177th ranking in 2009 and at the time only less corrupt than Afghanistan. I say, “There has to be a change of mind-set and change of guard in Somalia”. Dr. Ulusso

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE SPEAKER AND PARLIAMENT?
I would like to make some observations relevant to the political mischief and the key role played by IGAD, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, alias Sharif Sakiin, the speaker of the parliament and Prof. Ali Mohamed Ghedi, former prime minister, the latter scrambling for power and the presidency. Also, vying for the presidency include Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the president and former prime ministers Col. Nur Hassan Hussein and Omer Abdirashid Ali Sharmatrke. I would put it to them to donate $1000, 000 to the drought relief efforts and the fight against the cholera epidemic instead of gearing up for a presidential campaign that we don’t know yet its game plan.

The president has signed the extension of the parliament’s mandate beyond August 20, 2011 with IGAD which didn’t stipulate a time-frame but confirms that, he didn’t either ask Ethiopia or Djibouti to lobby on his behalf for the extension. Also, he confirms that he refused to sign the extension and thought it was irregular but consented after Ethiopia and Djibouti persuaded him. However, Kenya was not keen on the political trick of the extension mandate for the TFG parliament but went along with Ethiopia and Djibouti in exchange for their support for its bid to defer its case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) which IGAD countries hastily endorsed as a trade-off. To make matters worse, the speaker, Sharif Sakiin sent round-trip tickets to more than 40 members of parliament who were present in Nairobi, Kenya in order to come and vote for the extension and urged them to “speak with one voice and extend the TFG parliament mandate for another 3 years, which they voted overwhelmingly. Following, the vote in a rapid succession of events, the parliament set a date for the election of the speaker and the president that, allegedly seals their victory and see the international community’s questioning of the extension as affront to the country’s independence and sovereignty. Clearly, the extension is motivated by self-preservation and misplaced believe in short-cuts. How, can we preserve the honor of a rouge parliament of horse-traders who sought to extend their term without a merit and avoid damage to the reputation of its members?

I laughed my head off when I heard that, the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) have extended its mandate for another three years because it lacked a merit. To add insult to injury, the speaker, Sharif Hassan Aden and members of parliament circled their wagons and attacked the Somali people and especially the international community who raised their voices against the extension. The speaker and members of parliament instead of praising the international community begun bashing it to divert attention and obscure the pertinent issue of the TFG parliament extension. The speaker, insisted on the extension and publicly said, “no one can force the parliament to change its position on the extension or it can’t be accepted any interference from the international community with the parliament’s legislative duties”. Nevertheless, what I find about the speaker and the parliament stupid is that neither the speaker nor the parliament have raised a red flag and criticized the international community (i.e., Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya) for contravening in the countries internal affairs or accused them of dictating terms to them when they were hand-picked in their favor, short-changing those delegates officially invited to the Somali peace conference who were educated, committed for change and with fire of patriotism excluded from the selection. Those excluded were members of the Six Reconciliation Committees who played a key role and wrote the document that was approved at the Plenary and became the basis of the transitional Federal Charter (TFC). The speaker and parliament never complained when in the Framework of Djibouti Agreement of December 13-20, 2009 the parliament was redundantly increased from 275 members to 550 members, increasing the TFG mandate for another two years and when latter was installed Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, as president. Also, neither the speaker nor the parliament raised as an issue the controversy surrounding the speaker’s election or the when the ARS government under Omer Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, as prime minister took the wheels of the TFG and have reduced Somali intellectuals serving their country as civil and military officers against all odds (i.e., sacrificing their personal and professional life for the sake of their country) to by-standers because being remnants of former president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed him and politically marginalized them in a political witch-hunt in order to bring their own people without proper vetting to determine their suitability as candidates of higher offices in a business-as-usual of cronyism and tribalism. This is because, Omer Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, who was very weak, incompetent and presided over the most corrupt TFG cabinet in its history, has failed to see his executive authority was taken by the president and the speaker to create a divisive loyalties within the TFG to promote and benefit their own people. Thanks, to UNDP that, resisted their meddling and horse-trading in these appointments and refused to pay salaries to their nominees and saw it as a red-herring and the formula applied as clearly political in order to replace old Directors Generals with outstanding integrity, sound administrative experience and proven independence of mind in this matter of great national importance and complete public interest.

Also, the corrupt and incompetent parliament whose votes are on sale never said it was illegal but were happy when former president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed was forced out of office by the international community to the detriment of the country, just because his crime was to revive the Somali State and its State Organs, bring most of the country under control except the break-away regions of North-west and Togdheer Regions, open the sea-port and the air-port and took residence at Villa Somalia, the official Presidential Residence in the Capital City, Mogadishu after twenty years. For instance, in a tribute to former president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, I am glad to have named my youngest son, Abdullahi Abdi Mohamed after him who will be one year old on Thursaday, March 17,2011. Members of parliament, also didn’t object or declared unconstitutional but instead approved when for prime minister Col. Nur Hassan Hussein (i.e., who undid all the good things that his predecessor did former prime minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi), held a swearing-in ceremony for his cabinet ministers at Hotel Peking, Baidoa without either the president presiding the ceremony or a judge administering the Oath of Office. What does it say about the parliament and its speaker?

To date, the speaker, Sharif Sakiin never apologized for splitting the parliament twice to bring near collapse of the TFG nor he has sanctioned absentee members of parliament or even admit now that he was wrong to send round-trip tickets to more than 40 members of parliament who were present in Nairobi, Kenya in order to come and vote for the extension and urging them to “speaker with one voice and extend the TFG parliament’s mandate for another 3 years, which they voted overwhelmingly. Now, the speaker, is out there in a shuttle diplomacy to drum up support for the extension to gain undue political mileage to the interest of few individuals while the government is fighting a bitter war with the insurgents and the country is suffering from cholera epidemic and a sever drought. One would expect a responsible speaker to be more concerned with the war, the cholera epidemic out-break and the devastating drought in the country. In my view, the speaker, Sharif Sakiin should have having working like the president and prime minster around the clock to take part in the war effort, the fight against the cholera epidemic and play a key role to create support systems to those affected by the drought and vulnerable people.

However, the extension has the following legal problems: 1. The president, has rejected the extension but requested the parliament to make amendments to its vote according to the TF Charter and to consider according the same extension for the president and prime government, 2. The speaker without following the proper procedure under the TF Charter and putting it to a vote the amendments suggested by the president has rejected it and said, “no one can force the parliament to change its position on the extension or it cannot be accepted any interference from the international community in the legislative duties of the parliament, 3. The extension is not in line with the Framework of Djibouti Agreement of December 13-20, 2009 that was increased the parliament from 275 members to 550 members and as well extension of the TFG mandate for another two years- up August 20, 2011 and didn’t TFG into president, parliament and prime minister and his government; and 4. The extension didn’t receive any favorable support from Puntland and the rest of the country. How, can the speaker and most of the parliament members who can’t read and write carry-out their constitutional mandate and insist on to be left alone? Would, parliament reform itself and agree to cut 50% of its members?

Finally, the issue for determinations is whether the TFG parliament is only entitled for another 3 extension and why the president and the prime minister and his government are discriminated by IGAD? Anyway, the TFG parliament has no legal mandate to extend its term for another 3 years nor it can dictate terms to the “international community” because it didn’t come to office through election process and can’t blame for interference and have no right to flaunt the country’s independence and sovereignty. Absolutely, the TFG parliament and government were put in office to spear-head a transition that, the international community wanted which they have failed after two extensions and seven years in office and should be thrown out together.

Dr. Abdi Mohamed Ulusso

drabdi2000@yahoo.com