New Cabinet, Old Concerns

Prime Minister Hassan Kheyre, in consultation with President Mohamed Farmajo, nominated his bloated cabinet of 62 members this week. In fairness, the cabinet has aspects that are both commendable and promising, but it also raises some old concerns about politics in Somalia.

There are new ministers that hopefully will energize the new government and perhaps bring fresh ideas to the table. The appointment of Abdi Hosh Jibril as constitutional minister is a plus for the new government. It shows that the government is committed to reviewing the provisional constitution, a dormant document since its adoption in 2012. Hosh was the minister of constitutional affairs during its initial debate and approval. His appointment gives hope that the unfinished business of this important document will be completed.

Moreover, as a former legislator from 2012 to 2016, Hosh, along with Abdullahi Godax Barre, played roles in the defeat of former president Hassan S. Mohamoud (HSM) during the recent presidential elections. Hosh was initially an ally of HSM, but he remedied his earlier blemishes by turning against him. His relentless campaign to expose HSM’s corruption in addition to his working behind the scenes with the newly installed parliament not to select the former president were heroic. Farmajo benefitted from Hosh’s tireless work, and he ultimately was selected as president.

The new cabinet has some new, bright faces such as Dr. Fawsia Abikar Nur as health minister. She has a doctorate in public health education from Italy and, from what I have heard about her, is an intelligent woman with great leadership skills. It is ironic that a few male legislators from her clan (Hawiye-Gaal Jecel) have complained to Farmajo and Kheyre for selecting “a woman instead of a man” from their community. Kudos to the prime minster for this bold selection and for defying these male anachronistic chauvinists. Fowsia has a huge task before her as she must tackle the prevalence of unregulated medicine (many expired) in the country and the spread of so-called pharmacies in every neighborhood in Mogadishu. The establishment of a medical board to certify doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and the importation of medicine is a gargantuan job.

 However, Farmajo and Kheyre nominated six female ministers out of 27 (22%); no female state ministers out of 15, and only two women out of 20 deputy ministers (4%). This low representation of women in the cabinet is embarrassing for the new government and demonstrates sheer regression for the progress the country has made over the last few years. In short, it is a black mark for the new government.

The preponderance of legislators in the new cabinet (11 ministers, nine state ministers, and 17 deputy ministers) is a major concern. It erodes the function of parliament to check and balance the executive branch. Perhaps, these newly appointed ministers, in the interest of accountability and the appearance of conflict of interest, should resign from parliament.  

A major concern of the new cabinet is that it reeks from the influence of Sharif Hassan, the controversial leader of the South West (SW) state. The Digil/Mirifle cabinet members in the new cabinet unfortunately have few qualifications as they were essentially chosen by Sharif Hassan and his nephew, Mohamed Mursal. They are all allies of the South West leader and Mursal’s wife, Samro Ibrahim Omar, a new legislator, is now also a deputy minister.

How did Sharif Hassan succeed in having his friends in the cabinet?  He and Speaker Jawari are in collusion in presenting Digil/Mirifle figures to the president and the prime minister. Simply put, Jawari has abdicated his responsibility to challenge Sharif Hassan as the leader of Digil/Mirifle. Jawari has informed some legislators from the SW that he has tried to submit his own list of potential cabinet ministers from the South West but was rejected. Unfortunately, for the last four years, Jawari as the speaker, has failed to hold hearings to question leaders of the executive branch on a multitude of issues such as allegations of graft, holding them accountable for their actions, and completing the work on the provisional constitution. The latest move by Sharif Hassan to outmaneuver the speaker is not a surprise. To his credit, Sharif Hassan has found a new niche for exploiting his influence with President Farmajo and Prime Minister Kheyre: blood ties to the two men as his wife is a Murursade.

Overall, the new cabinet has good and bad components. As an early critic of the president and the prime minister during the height of “Farmajo mania,” I am cautiously optimistic that it will be approved by the parliament despite its serious flaws. There is a growing dissension among certain groups in Mogadishu that have vowed to derail the new cabinet. The country can’t afford another political gridlock at this juncture when there is a lot to be done.