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Puntland:
Lessons Must be Learned from Previous Mistakes
(SHHRF
0026/2005, 05
January 2005)
(English version)
Since the crisis in mid 2001, Puntland has been facing an uneasy and uncertain future. The subsequent
crisis resulted in unnecessary loss of lives and properties. These sad
happenings could have been avoided had the former president and his
administration respected the very law which legitimised their first three
year-term in office.
The constitutional ‘plunder’
not only ushered Puntland into a period of many downs, but also interrupted
the required transition from the Transitional Period and the arrangement set
under Article 28 (4) and Article 13.5 (vi, vii) of the Provisional Charter,
which emphasised the Government to carry population census, drafting a new
constitution followed by a referendum. In the eyes of the Puntland Charter,
Puntland administration remained ‘illegitimate’ since then.
As political legitimacy is
the recipe for stability and development, Puntlanders need respite from the
political ‘piracy’ of the previous years. In light of what had happened in
Somalia, the people of Puntland, who have the potential to manage their
affairs, should have performed much better.
The promise to roll back the
dice and set Puntland back on the road of the constitution is the right step
to legitimise the authority of the administration. But this must come in an
environment of confidence building which would revive and strengthen the
administrative authority. This is in turn would be the source of social and
political stability in the region. Proper functioning of the administrative
structures requires the framework of a local political authority that can
provide legitimacy and direction. Authority should refer one's ability to
gain trust and not one's power to coerce others.
No one expects perfection
following what Puntland had experienced, but accountability and transparency
should be the norm. Respecting the rule of law should be of utmost
importance.
The traditional leaders, who
are the moral anchor of the society, should play a major role to contain the
unrestricted ambitions of the political class who seem to be focused on
short term ends.
Lessons must be learned from
previous experiences. Let the people decide their own future within Somalia.
Sultan Hurre Human Rights
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