H. E. Musa Behi Abdi, the newly elected president of the Republic of Somaliland vowed to eradicate all forms of malpractices which cripple efficient governance, transparency, and accountability.
Mr. Abdi spoke to his closest national, campaign aides and regional heads, Saturday, at the party base in Hargeisa.
The president-elect, who will assume a full official role in less than three week’s time, said in his plans there was no place for clan satisfaction and appointments which could in anyway be construed as nepotistic or based on favoritism. Foremost among these, his message highlighted, was assigning portfolios according to clan allegiance and alliances based on who supported who.
“You have not elected me to meet your personal and clan aspirations. You have elected me to lead a united nation to development for all,” he emphatically underlined.
He went on to say that if he handed all the resources and high positions of the country to any one clan that will not certainly suffice all of their needs.
“Many who have supported me will be biting their nails berating me and regretting the votes they have cast for me,” he said.
Mr. Behi, during his campaigning days, never minced words. He promised that his first steps as a president will begin with a relentless fight against corruption, hyper-inflation, nepotism among government circles, clan-associated ministerial portfolios and unemployment – among other equally monumental measures.
Topmost among the top priorities in his agenda, the president-elect repeated time and again was the re-institution of two-, three-year national service assignments to fresh university graduates to inculcate discipline, hard-work and sense of responsibility into them before they take on more responsible desk assignments.
If Mr. Abdi makes his word true, yet another new, very welcome era has dawned for the Republic of Somaliland – even though it has yet to be fully acknowledged and accepted by the diplomatic, international community.
The new president is expected to attract the attention of the world and hold it to Somaliland’s favor.
