GAROWE, Somalia Apr 7, 2012 (Garowe Online) - The president of Somalia’s Puntland government addressed over 200 university students at a hall meeting Friday, marking the president’s awareness campaign ahead of Puntland’s crucial constitution vote next week, Radio Garowe reports.
Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole was accompanied by Vice
President Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire and senior Cabinet officials at the
event, which began at 4:00pm local time at Puntland State University’s
main campus in Garowe.
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Organizers told Garowe Online that more than 200 students at PSU and
East Africa University (EAU) in Puntland attend the event. Senior
Cabinet officials, Interior Minister Abdullahi Ahmed Ilkajir, Finance
Minister Farah Ali Jama, Planning Minister Daud Mohamed Omar, and
Education Minister Abdi Saeed Juha, were present as President Farole
answered the students’ questions in front of satellite television
cameras.
The program was hosted by Mr. Faisal Khalif Barre, head of Somali Sat
TV’s Puntland offices. Mr. Barre began by introducing President Farole
and asked a lead-in question: “Your administration has been office 3
years and 3 months. What can you say is among your major
accomplishments?”
The president of Puntland responded: “In the beginning, we published
our work during the first 100 days in a written report. However, over
the past few years, there have been many accomplishments.”
President Farole went on to highlight the administration’s successes in
security, economic and political affairs. He described the hope of
Puntland’s ambitious oil exploration project in Dharoor valley, where
foreign companies are drilling Somalia’s first well to be drilled in 20
years.
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Student questions
The students, both male and female, asked questions by raising hands
and were selected by the program host, Mr. Faisal Khalif Barre.
The questions covered a range of topics: the government’s youth
development policy; job-creation opportunities; piracy-related issues;
the formation of a constitutional court; government’s role in civic
education; corruption and tax evasion; dispute with Somaliland’s
separatist administration over Sool and Sanaag regions of Puntland; new
Somali banknotes planned to be injected into Somali markets soon; the
Somali Roadmap peace process, backed by the U.N.; the constitutional
issue over the five-year term; and economic development initiatives in
the region.
Judicial system and constitutional court
President Farole, responding to a question about the establishment of a
constitutional court, said: “The judicial system is the foundation of
governance. This includes the police, the courts and the prisons
system. The constitutional court, which would resolve legal disputes
among the three branches of government, will be established at an
appropriate time with the qualified judges.”
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The Puntland president highlighted “lack of human resource in the
judicial sector” as a structural weakness, but added: “My
administration has supported judges with pay increase, provision of
security and vehicles. But much more support is needed in judiciary
sector, particularly human resource and so it is my hope that some of
you future university graduates would study law and contribute as human
resource to the development of our judiciary sector.”
Continuing, Puntland’s leader said that, for each citizen, “national
duty comes before civil rights. One must fulfill national duties before
receiving civil rights. The first national duty is to take part of
public safety and security.”
Piracy
On a question about piracy, President Farole said: “Puntland government
has established anti-piracy force, although some corners complained
about our security training to fight piracy. Our second approach is
community-based and involves public awareness by community leaders to
discourage piracy. I believe a combination of both approaches serves
well to publicly discourage piracy, and use law enforcement
capabilities to fight piracy crimes.”
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Corruption
President Farole responded to a question posed by a female student at
PSU, saying: “It is the government’s duty to provide civic education.
The parents also have a role in this by teaching their children proper
discipline and manners, and being careful about some teachers who
mislead our children’s innocent minds about our holy religion of Islam.”
On corruption, President Farole of Puntland asserted that there was
“not much funds to steal” due to Puntland’s meager annual budget,
adding: “The real corruption in Puntland is the tax evaders who refuse
to pay taxes in order that the public may receive increased basic
services of security, water, electricity. The government has balanced
the annual budget and has fought against inflation.”
Economy and central bank
President Farole said the Puntland economy is doing well. He described
livestock sector, but commented that the “once vibrant fishing
industry” has now been disrupted by piracy and illegal fishing. He
emphasized the government’s priorities include job-creation
particularly for students and youth, while highlighting “high hopes”
for the successful outcome of the ongoing oil exploration project in
Puntland’s Dharoor valley.
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Puntland’s president said the new Somali Shilling banknotes that will
be delivered to markets in Somalia in the coming weeks came as a result
of negotiations between Puntland and TFG of Somalia, in Mogadishu.
But President Farole admitted that there was no strong Somali Central
Bank currently in place that could monitor and control the new
currency, but he reminded the student questioner that “the Puntland
branch of the Somali Central Bank has been functional for many years.”
Somaliland
On Somaliland, President Farole
stressed that Sool and Sanaag regions are part of Puntland State, which
seeks the formation of a Somali federal government. Located in
northwestern Somalia, Somaliland’s separatist administration
unilaterally declared independence in 1991 but has not been recognized
internationally.
The President blamed “greedy politicians seeking power” of destroying
attempts at resolving the Puntland-Somaliland territorial dispute,
adding: “Those greedy politicians come up with new names like ‘Khatumo’
or ‘SSC’ in order to confuse the public about realities as they
[politicians] continue to seek power. Such policies have failed.”
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Roadmap process
President Farole of Puntland said the Roadmap process for Somalia is on
the right track towards ending the transition, after a decade of
interim governments.
The Puntland leader stressed the need for Somali political stakeholders
to improve cooperation and focus on completion of the transition by
August, 2012.
President Farole’s public meeting with university students were the
first of its kind since his election in January, 2009. Puntland State
is poised to host it’s first-ever 480-member Constituent Assembly
consisting of delegates from all regions of Puntland who are to debate
and adopt the Puntland State Constitution during the upcoming historic
convention 15 — 18 April 2012, in Puntland capital of Garowe 
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Somalia: Puntland president addresses 200 university students at hall meeting
GAROWE, Somalia Apr 7, 2012 (Garowe Online) - The president of Somalia’s Puntland government addressed over 200 university students at a hall meeting Friday, marking the president’s awareness campaign ahead of Puntland’s crucial con