Mogadishu (UM) – The Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre was a step in the right direction towards state-builidng according to many interveiwed by UM.
Yesterday the Prime Minister and his council of ministers held officially weekly meeting in Garowe. In this meeting, many national issues including secutiry and finance were discussed in the a major city outside the capital Mogadishu. This act, according to intervewiees is a sign of maturing politics in Somalia.
“Somali state-building is not possible without engaging with the Federal member states and the people that live in places outside Mogadishu,” said Muse Jama, a resident in Garowe.
“Somalia is bigger than Mogadishu and the system of governance has to reach people living in other regions of the country if the Federal government wants to win the hearts and minds of all Somalis,” commented Idil Abdirizak, a university student.
The planned cabinet meeting in Garowe did not almost happen because of a dispute between Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheyre and the president of Puntland state regarding the opening of Gar’ad port. At one point, Federal some cabinet ministers already at the airport in Mogadishu preparing to fly out to Garowe on Wednesday were told the meeting had been cancelled by the Prime Minister office. This was later reversed and the cabinet Ministers were instructed to fly to Garowe by the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of the Prime Minister.
Those interveiwed by UM were glad that the meeting went ahead.
“Somalia will always experience set backs because of challenges related to Federalism due to the weak state and high levels of poverty which forces the regional Federal members to compete,” said a senior Federal Government member who did not want to be named. “The Somali Federal Government must always balance being sensitive to the needs of its Federal member states while also reminding them of their obligations to help rebuild this country.”
Interviewees encouraged the Federal Government to continue with this process of engagement with the Federal member states and to hold more national meetings across the country. This meeting follows last one in Kismayo, Jubbaland state last year.