Introduction-Ideological and Philosophical Background:
“Aristotle used the term oligarchia to designate the rule of the few when it was exercised not by the best but by bad men unjustly. In this sense, oligarchy is a debased form of aristocracy, which denotes government by the few in which power is vested in the best individuals. Most classic oligarchies have resulted when governing elites were recruited exclusively from a ruling caste a hereditary social grouping that is set apart from the rest of society by religion, kinship, economic status, prestige, or even Clan(tribe). Such elites tend to exercise power in the interests of their own class”.(1)
They are characterized of total egocentricity , wealth and power control by the few for the few. Utter , colossal disregard and sensitivity towards the others (country and Masses). Out-right opportunism, nepotism & national treachery.
Symptoms:
1)Loot lie, Deceit and Destruction.
2) Corrupt clannish mentality and War-Profiteering .
3) Corporate (clan war-profiteers) and Agents of foreign corporate empire.
4) Economic & Political Elite domination(Elitism)+ Authoritarianism(Undemocratic policies)
5) Rule by The Few for the Masses(many)
Billions of dollars are poured in every yr by the occupying US/EU/UK/UN/IMF/WBG corporate empire powers, to prop up warlords and criminals across Somalia since 1991- not to create a stable society, but to buy their temporary silence and loyalty, and this is the result after Thirty years Plus. This western empire poured billions of dollars in Somalia without a single road , Highway, hospital, school, industry, or university being built since 1992.
Somalia is one of the poorest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and most corrupt nation on Earth according to UNDP stats(2) the arrogant and self-worshiping corrupt pseudo-leaders have looted , stolen and sold off All the public edifices, buildings, real estate and state-owned government institutions and agencies from the
Pre- Civil War State(public) -Owned Industries & Institutions:
Before the start of civil war in the early 1990s, the manufacturing sector was beginning to develop. However, all industries suffered major losses during the civil war, accounting in 2000 for only 10% of GDP. Industries mainly serve the domestic market and, to a lesser extent, provide some of the needs of Somalia’s agricultural exports, such as the manufacture of crates for packing bananas. Most industries have been looted, however, and many sold for scrap metal.
The most important industries were petroleum refining (as of 2000 shut down), the state-owned sugar plants at Jowhar and Gelib, an oilseed-crushing mill, and a soap factory. Other industries manufactured corrugated iron, paint, cigarettes and matches, aluminum utensils, cardboard boxes and polyethylene bags, and textiles. A cement plant at Berbera was completed in 1985.
The State owned fish-and meat-canning industries have beern stolen and privitised by the Clan Oligarchy & War-Profiteers . Textiles are produced at the Bala’ad, SOMALTEX plant, which supplies virtually the entire domestic market. Most major enterprises were government-owned, but private plants produce food, beverages, chemicals, clothing, and footwear. There are also plants for milk processing, vegetable and fruit canning, and wheat flour and pasta manufacturing, as well as several grain mills. The country’s first pharmaceuticals factory, near Mogadishu, opened in 1986. Local craft industries produce sandals and other leather products, cotton cloth, pottery, baskets, and clay or meerschaum vessels.
The oil refinery at Mogadishu, with a production capacity of 10,000 barrels per day, has been dismantled and sold off as “scrape metal to UAE” . There is one natural gas field, but exploration and exploitation of oil and natural gas has been suspended since political conflict began.
These are some of the State-Owned Public Properties and Institutions of Somalia that has been stolen, looted and pillaged by Clan War-profiteers, Corrupt public officials & Clan Warlords post-civil war: –
1) Mareerey Sugar Factory(L. Jubba region)
2) Milk, Meat and Sugar Factories.
3) Ex- Parliament Building in the center of Mogadishu.
4) Both Jubba & Shabelle Hotels( OVER 500beds and 3k staff)
5) All Public Universities and Poly -technical Institutions.
6) Cigarette and Matches Factory
7) Small Arms Factory(SNA)
8) Bal’aad Textile factory(SOMALTEX)
9) All SIX commercial Fishing + Freight ships were sold off as a “Scrape Metal”
10) Somali Airlines ( 12 airplanes) plus its Hqs in Mogadishu.-NATIONAL FLAG-CARRIER.
11) ALL 4 Somali Main deep -sea Ports are rent OUT to foreigners( with no public consultations)
12) Somali Cement factory sold off to TPLF for “Scrape Metal”
13) Somali Refinery Factory sold off to UAE for “Scrape Metal”
14) All Food Processing Factories in the country looted and sold off overseas as a “Scrape Metal”
15) All public(78 )schools in Mogadishu, Benadir region has been occupied and privatized
16) All armed Hard-ware of Somali Military, frontier and police forces LOOTED since 1991.
17) Somali fish-and meat-canning Industries in Las Qorrey, and Kismayu, Sanaag and L.Jubba regions respectively.
18) Somali Water and Sanitation Authority for Mogadishu, Berbera and Hargeisa cities
19) All Public Real Estate ( over Gov., 5000 ministries , institutes, and Agencies).
20) Most of public-owned Hospitals in major Urban cities of the Republic
21) National/Public Cemetery ( real estate)
22) Somali Development Bank (Bankiga Horomarinta) and its vast Real ESTATE public properties.
22) Somali Central Bank(Bankiga Dhexe ee Somaliyeed) and its vast Real ESTATE public Properties .
23) Somali Commercial Bank (Bankiga Ganacsiga somalyeed) & its vast Real ESTATE public properties.
24) Somali National Insurance Agency ( Wakaladda Ceymiska Qaranka) and its vast Residential public properties.
25) Somali National Maritime Agency & Ports ( Wakaladda Badda iyo Dekeddaha somaliyeed) all their commerical ships and Main Ports( 3).
26) Somali Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources( Wisarada Kalumeysiga iyo Kheyraatka Badda) all their Real Estate and Public Buildings across the Nation,
27) Kismayu Meat Factory(Lower Jubba)
perfect and permanent state of Dystopia:
Political corruption is so rampant in Africa and Somalia in particularly since the civil war 1991. Resource-rich African countries such as Angola, Algeria, DRC, Libiya, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan suffer from the curse of resources which attracts foreign/Western governments and their intelligence agencies which wage hybrid warfare by dumping Hugh amounts of corrupt money to the local political and social arena in order to Balkanize, divide and colonize the country. (4)
Corruption at business and political environment has became criminally rampant with full impunity since 2011, specially in “Land -Grabbing” Enterprises , Selling -Off public – owned Real Estate entities by Public officials who use for Family and Personal Gain while also stealing and lootging International Donar Funds and Aid.
After three destructive decades(30 yrs+), the Clan-Cum-Camprador Bourgeois still employ all kinds of economic, political immoral & illegal informal practices and clan-proxies to exercise their enormous sway over the countries political, economic and social landscape. The Government still fails to provide basic human, health, educational and legal services to the average Somali citizen, while security situation remains precarious across the Country.
These Clan Oligarchy are drunk with their own imaginations of superiority based how they steal, cheat, and loot public funds and properties with full legal &societal impunity.
The sheer arrogance and ignorance of those in charge over Somalia’s corporate(Business Elites) and Government control is astonishing to watch since 2006 .
Conculussions:
Corruption is one of the leading causes and consequences of endemic political instability in Somalia, which has been ranked bottom of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index(CPI) every year since 2006. Corruption occurs at all levels in both the public and private sectors, and is a visible and expected form of behaviour. It affects virtually every aspect of the Somali society: from public officials’ misuse of public goods for private gain and the solicitation of bribes in exchange for basic services to the clan-based patronage networks used to obtain employment and political appointments. Businesses have likewise adjusted to the climate of lawlessness, Despite a comparatively peaceful transition of power to a newly elected president in early 2017, there are as yet few signs of comprehensive anticorruption reforms. The country’s institutions continue to be extremely dysfunctional and parochial , and there are limited integrity mechanisms in place to curb corruption both in the public and private domain.(5) .
where millions live in abject poverty, insecurity, pauperism, socio-cultural and political Anomie, while the Few Clan Oligarchy Camprador Bourgeois live + rip off the blood, sweat and tears of the Masses by looting Donar Funds
Somalia has to evolve into a democratic country that runs through elected governments with a strong inclusive federal structure , augmented with strong democrative institutions & systems : 1) Legislative Assembly elected by the popular Vote of 1 Person 1 Vote; Inclusive +strong so that there is no infighting among the clans and all clans are properly represented.
2) Accountable and Professional Judiciary.
3) Eexccutive power–
However, the foremost need of the hour is good governance and an honest, bold politician. Only such a leader can create conditions for democracy and federal structures. If Somalia achieves such a leadership, it may yet have the chance to get back on its feet.
Footnotes:
1) Encyclopedia Britannica , What is Oligarchy? https://www.britannica.com/topic/oligarchy(Accessed, july 2, 2o21)
2) Wikipedia , Italian Trust territory of Somalia(2021)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_Territory_of_Somaliland(Accessed, July 2,2021)
3) The World Bank reoport(2017a)Overview:Somalia.(https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/somalia/overview(Accessed, July 12, 2021)
–Ibid
3.1) The World Bank report 2017b. somalia Security and Justice public Expenditure review
.https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/26030?show=full(Accessed, july 12, 2021)
4) Ali Egal, Bischara:Corruption Inc., Somalia Style(29 feb. 2020). https://oneworld.press/?module=articles&action=list&by=144
5 Kaunain Rahman . Somalia : Overview of Corruption and Anti-corruption.Transparency International(2017) (https://www.u4.no/publications/somalia-overview-corruption-and-anticorruption(Accessed, july 25th, 2021)
6 Prunier, Girard (1995) Somalia: Civil War, Intervention and Withdrawal 1990 – 1995.https://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=printdoc&docid=3ae6a6c98(Accessed, july 2m 2021)
7)SOLIMAN, A. (2017). Is Democracy Emergin in Somalia? https://www.chathamhouse.org/2017/02/democracy-emerging-somalia (Accessed, July 132, 2021)
8) Afyare Abdi Elmi(2010) Understanding the Somalia Conflagration Identity, Political Islam and Peace building (London: Pluto Press, 2010),
9) Jay Bahdor.The President’s Bank: Corruption Allegations Tarnish Somalia;s Brave new world IN African Arguments (2014) . http://africanarguments.org/2014/09/22/the-presidents-bank-corruption-allegations-tarnish-somalias-brave-new-world-by-jay-bahadur/.
