Mogadishu (UM) – The Somali Foreign Ministry is the most dysfunctional government institution in Somalia according to many interviewed by UM.
Only this week the Deputy Minister Mukhtar Mahad Daud was almost arrested and is under active investigation according to the state prosecutor and Auditor General for alleged corruption and mismanagement of public funds. The Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad has unsuccessfully attempted to replace the Permanent Secretary only to be told publicly by the National Civil Service Commission that he has no authority to do this. Only the Prime Minister has the ultimate power to do this according to the Civil Service Commission. Before this, the Permenant Secretary, Ambassador Ali Mohamed Ali, challenged Minister Awad’s decision to replace him on national TV and asked him to provide a reason for his decision.
“This week has exposed the Foreign Ministry as the embarrassment it is,” said Sharmake Mohamed, a student on leave from his studies in Turkey in Mogadishu. “No one takes this Ministry seriously including in Turkey.”
“The Deputy Minister’s near arrest, the fight between the Minister and the Permenant Secretary and the bad services the Ministry offers the Somali people are all reasons for the Prime Minister to take action,” said Istarliin Ahmed, a business woman. “How can this Ministry help us in our business when they are so disorganised and dysfunctional? Who will take them seriously like this?”
Many people interviewed told UM that the services offered by the Foreign Ministry, especially the department responsible for document certification are underperforming and offer a bad service.
“I waited to have my certificates returned for hours when it should have taken minutes because of the staffs’ behaviour and mishandling of my document,” said a student who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “The people helping me were on Social Media and talking among themselves while many of us waited. This was a terrible experience.”
On Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire’s most recent visit to Sudan, the Somali students complained that the services offered by the Embassy was unacceptable and they requested all the Embassy staff in Sudan be replaced. This was a common theme among interviewees who also complained about Somali Embassies and their poor services and high costs in overseas countries.
“We pay different rates for passports, birth certificates and other services. Many sell scholarships given to the Somali people by other governments. Sometimes we are not sure if these Embassies are open to help us or make a profit for the Embassy team,” said a businessman who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “The Government should audit the Embassies to stop these exploitative activities against the Somali people.”
All those interviewed by UM agreed that the Somali Foreign Ministry is among the worst performers and must be reformed urgently. The Ministry is on its second Minister and while a third will not help the institutions image, it maybe be necessary to appoint them or stop its “decline” most interviewees agreed.
“The Ministry is the image through which the world sees Somalia and at the moment this is dirty and dark,” said a serving diplomat that did not want to be named. “We must clean our house because if we don’t the Somali people will be the ultimate losers.”