His Excellency the President of the Republic of Somaliland, today, made a minor reshuffle that, however, affected three major ministries of his government.
President Bihi decrees this Saturday, 11 November, that Dr. Saad Ali Shire moves from Foreign Ministry to Finance and Professor Yassin Mohamoud Hiir ‘Faratoon’ from Education to Foreign Ministry.
Former Finance Minister, Yussuf Mohamed Abdi Raghe, got the sack.
A relative new-comer to education management at a national level takes on the helm, Osman Adan Jama Iman. Mr. Iman is said to have been the principal of a private school.
President Bihi moved a few vice ministers and Director generals around, too, in today’s hiccup of a move.
Following the release of the new changes, the Somaliland social media frequenters hit the roof.
Among the criticisms raised was that the President buried Somaliland foreign affairs sixty feet under. Professor Faratoon who led the ministries of Interior and education before left a commendable imprint on neither. He does not have any history in international diplomacy or in foreign relations.
For the first time in the history of Somaliland, a president a minister from his ethnic clan to Finance.
By so doing, President Bihi now goes down in history as the FIRST to gather around him a Joint Chief of Staff Chairman and Commander of the armed forces, Commander of the Fire Brigade, Deputy Chief Commander of the National Security Forces, the Deputy Commander of the Police Force, the Minister of Finance, the Supreme Chief Justice, the Solicitor General, the Auditor General, Berbera Port General Manager, Deputy Accountant General, the Minister of Transportation, Information, Telecommunication and Technology, and the Mayor of the Capital all from his own clan family. Not only that but, to add insult to injury, he consolidates hold on seven Director Generalships of seven key ministries and institutions of the Presidency, Planning, Finance, Social Affairs, Education, Health, and Central Bank Plus the General Manager of the Disaster Preparedness and National Food Security Agency and National Aviation Director.
The only sigh of relief heaved anywhere surrounding today’s changes was letting the former minister of finance go. Since he was appointed, the only contribution he made to his job was to hike up taxes and keep hiking them, until he raised the lowest change he made to about double of what it was when he took over office some eleven months ago.
A surprise move that did neither meet expectations nor delight the electorate is what President Bihi made today, public opinion sums up.
People have already started a witch-hunt for the behind-the-scenes presidential advisors, pointing accusing fingers – rightly or wrongly – at close allies such as ex-colonel Dhegaweyne and Mohamed Hashi Elmi.
