Mogadishu (RBC Radio) In January 2014 Puntland will witness the fourth presidential election ( MPs elect the president). Candidates against the incumbent president, Abdirahman Farole, have a challenge as daunting as Mount Everest and as treacherous as an iceberg.
President Abdirahman Farole was elected in January 2009 to lead Puntland reeling from economic stagnation, piracy and Al Shabab terrorist cells. Assassination of prominent leaders, judges, media people and soldiers was common. Within Puntland there was a security apparatus known as Puntland Intelligence Service, an inefficient force with ineffectual security policies. The group was known as Ashahaado la dirir ( Anti-Muslim faith). President Farole made a case for absorbing PIS into Puntland forces; not only was the acronym offensive it was also useless. President Farole administration succeeded in that task and took on Al Shabab forces in Galgala mountain, gathered information from Al Shabab suspects and instituted a policy of zero-tolerance for Al Shabab operatives. This policy manifested itself in the trials and the execution of convicted Al Shabab members by firing squad. The other major challenge president Farole tackled is piracy: he dismantled pirates’ infrastructure, made Eyl pirate-free district, cooperated with the international community and Somali political stakeholders to end the former transitional federal government of Somali to pave the way for a permanent government based on federalism.
President Farole’s most invisible achievement is related to monetary policy. His predecessors printed money regularly but president Farole, a former banker, has refrained from printing money despite Somali shilling shortage. It is this policy that has prevented his administration from becoming beholden to business people.
President Farole has attempted to move Puntland from clan-based presidential election to political empowerment at the constituency level — local authorities. His detractors oppose this policy and see it as a political card for Farole. Listing his achievements is not a hagiography. It is to highlight hurdles Farole’s rivals have got to surmount, the first being summoning the courage to acknowledge president Farole’s successful turn-round of Puntland. This is why president Farole deserves another term as a President of Puntland State of Somalia.
Raxanreeb
Use Facebook to Comment on this Post
