By Ali Gulaid, San Jose , CA

Mistreating international staff is politically incorrect. The burden to prove to the international community that Somaliland is worthy of political recognition rests primarily on the actions its leaders take and the policies they implement and less on the rhetoric they spout. The long awaited parliamentary election Somaliland (SL) held was one step towards the realization of that elusive goal while the expulsion of the EU emissary has washed out the gains made. Years of toil and preparation, concerted and communal effort went down the drain with the stroke of a pen of an incompetent, and perhaps, corrupt bureaucrat. Add the expulsion of the emissary to the lack of transparency and accountability; the abuse of power and the overall manifestation of incompetence that pervades this administration and the result is a poorly prepared pudding that kills the appetite of the international community. Shooting herself on the foot has become customary for SL and such helter-skelter perpetuates the misery but the questions many proffer are how long and how many more missteps and diplomatic gaffes Somaliland can survive.

While you ponder on that let me briefly touch on this latest diplomatic gaffe. Recently, the EU emissary in Hargeysa, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud ( Washington ) was slapped with the much-derided label of persona non-grada for reasons that were ambiguous, unconvincing and ever-changing; the more press conferences the Minister held to control the damage, the more it got out of hand. This action angered many including the opposition parties and the civil society and for a good reason. The political clout and the economic leverage the European Union (EU) has over international affairs in general are enormous but specifically its economic support to Somaliland is next to none. It is the number one donor. The projects they espouse and the programs they undertake are many and some like the Berbera –Jigjiga corridor is considered a lifeline, not to mention the election they footed the bill. With that support, one would expect that its emissaries in Somaliland would be dined and entertained but what they get is a kick on the groin but it remains to be seen who would feel the pain more.

While you contemplate on that, let us move on to the charges leveled against the emissary. According to the Minister of Planning, Mr. Washington has defrauded $2,800,000 dollars from the EU, which was part of an amount of $4,400,000 that the Union donated for the infrastructure, and on top of that the Minister alleged Mr. Washington maintained contact with Mr. Ali Mohamed Geddi, the Prime Minister of Somalia. These charges are adding insult to the injury and I can only hope that the charges the Minister purported aren’t the official ones the Rayale administration submitted to the EU. No one in his/her mind would take these charges serious and its outrageousness discloses the ignorance on the Minister’s part on fiscal responsibility and the check/balances such organizations put in place to safeguard the assets of the organization. May be the Minister assumed, wrongly, that the EU operates like the SL government where government assets disappear without trace and appropriations diverted for personal use without penalty and consequences. Further, the Minister has no access to the EU financial records and for him to allege that Mr. Washington diverted or embezzled millions of dollars is nothing but a charade. For the other charge that Mr. Washington maintained or contacted the Prime Minister of Somalia is even more ludicrous. Mr. Washington works for the EU and whom he contacts or not contact is under the purview of the EU and besides high-ranking SL government officials namely Ahmed Mohamed Adan (Qeybe) has admitted contacting Abdillahi Yusuf since Abdillahi Yusuf became the TFG President. Is that an offense? Not in my book. And I would leave the speculation for the reasons behind the expulsion to others but one thing is certain: the Minister is not telling the truth. But what makes these charges more suspicious is that it contradicts the charge he leveled on initially which was that the emissary has meddled the internal affairs of the country. Such unsubstantiated allegation brought an outcry from the public and the more he attempted to dig himself out of the hole, the deeper he sank like a rock: the line kept changing and changing till he came up with the least credible one.

To make matters worse, the Minister claimed that SL is not obligated to observe the international norms, standards and procedures because he argued Somaliland was not a recognized State. Indeed, it was a common knowledge that the authorities in Hargeysa respect neither the universal nor the national rules and norms but one finds shocking to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

This incident also revealed how this administration works. The power rests with the President and it is fair to say that he dictates from the bully pull-pit in disregard of the constitution, the institutions and the separation of authorities. One’s authority is defined not by the office he/she holds but who earned the trust of the President by executing off the record dealings and wheeling of the President and his family. For example, the Foreign Minister, Ms. Edna Adan is relegated to conventions and speaking engagements while the substantive foreign affairs of the State are delegated to the Finance Minister, who brags that he, was the last man who had a cup of coffee with the brutal dictator, Siyad Barre. And as this incident illuminated, the Minister of planning Mr. Ahmed Haji Dahir, who was known more for engaging illegal trade (Qat) than his managerial skills and never had a legal job for almost twenty years (20) before Rayale repatriated him from Canada is usurping the authority of the Foreign Minister as well as that of the Interior Minister. As a matter of fact some dub him as the un-named Prime Minister for the power he wields, unchecked power that is. Designations don’t matter on Rayale’s administration

It is worth to note that since the Minister was repatriated from asylum and was rewarded for a position he is unqualified for and would have never gotten if it wasn’t for nepotism, he is at logger heads with the international agencies that feed SL. He has expelled two UNDP international staff, the NOVIB agency from the Netherlands and the most recent one - that of the EU. There is more. Mr. Marchall, a French academician was expelled few months ago by the Minister of Interior, different Minister you might say but it compounds, isn’t it? And many more but that is enough to make the point. As a result, for a good reason, an image and a pattern of intimidation and mistreatment towards the international community is emerging and the word is out- Somaliland chops off the hand that feeds, not exactly the image SL aspires to project. This mind set and the practice of alienating those SL needs most is tarnishing its image. Soon, the Minister would safely return to Canada to collect the dole and might even resume his illegal activity and might never look back but the people that he would leave behind would pay the price for years to come.

Actions speak louder than words and the most recent expulsion of the EU emissary is a disgrace that might derail the aspirations of the people who needed a friend at an hour of need. Rather than wooing the international community, this administration is speaking with one voice: SL is a nation that doesn’t abide international norms and standards and further mistreats the international staff. Such bad publicity would not go unnoticed and the opponents would stick it to SL. Therefore, to overcome such self inflicted wounds SL would need a better qualified prosecutor to prove otherwise before the international community issues a death sentence.

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