Nov. 01, 08: As we all know, Da'ud Mohamed Ali was last week selected unanimously as the 9th president of the Somali region. Despite his youth, rather inexperience on the top of the pile and the lukewarm reaction to his appointment from some of the so called “expert on the region”.

I strongly believe that he will be an asset to the region rather than a liability. Having said that, I am in no way shape or form blinding myself from the fact that, this region is the mother of all political and social instability, since its inception we have seen presidents good or bad come and go.

We have witnessed a criss-cross of character assassinations and accusations of mismanagements, incompetence and cronyism labelled at departing presidents. In spite of this impregnable legacy of bad DNA, I am not only convinced but believe that, President Daud has the capacity to pull this region and its long suffering people out of its current mess.

Here is why I think Da'ud is qualified for the post of the presidency:

At a personal level, even his political nemesis concede that Da'ud is exceptionally talented individual. He is a hardworking and self-motivated with an excellent persona to inspire colleagues to unite behind a common goal. Unlike his predecessors he has good educational background; he read development administration and economics at the Ethiopian Civil Service College in Addis Ababa, which is the Alma matter of many bright students from the region. His academic record shows that he excelled at his studies, since graduation he has held various important positions in deferent administrations.

At the political level, it seems Da'ud’s appointment was coronation rather than via the normal political horse-trading and cut-throat environment, which we all accustomed in previous presidential races in the region.

This will undoubtedly help him hit the ground running from the word go. Notwithstanding, the exceptional talent of Daud and his reputation as a clean man ( as opposed to sleaze and corrupt) he will be strongly advised to be aware of the caveats, don’ts and do’s in the region. In my personal opinion the following 7 points should be his top to-do-lists in his first 100 days in office:

1. To immediately revive the social development programs neglected by previous administrations, such as Education, Health and Food Security initiatives.

2. To unite all the stakeholders of the region and promote a culture of cathedral thinking rather than short-termism and divisions, the motto should be “United We Stand, Divided We Fall ”

3. To surround yourself competent ministers

4. To retain the performing ministers of the previous administration.

5. To bring a system of accountability and transparency into each and every department.

6. To release all the innocent men and women arrested by the previous administration and overhaul the current dismal justice system and win the hearts and minds of the men and women in the street.

7. To initiate a wide amnesty for all misguided and impressionable young men on the condition of disassociating themselves from the fascist policies of the anti-peace element in the region.

I genuinely believe that at the helm of President Daud Mahamed Ali, the people of region five can see a light at the end of what has been a long tunnel. Warm congratulations to President Daud Mohamed Ali and other effective members of his administration for their appointments and would like to remind them that the nation is expecting.

Nuur Hassan
nuurhussein@aol.com 

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