Lug-(Xigasho)-If the manner in which Ibrahim Aden Qalib, the Accountant General, was sacked is to be believed, Ahmed Siilaanyo’s much hyped and supposedly clean government is heading in the wrong direction. Mr. Qalib was one of the biggest opponents of the previous government led by Rayaale. He used to criticize that government, among other things, for being corrupt and not transparent in handling the public money in which he was right on many occasions. He is believed to be a man of great integrity when it comes to the protection of tax payer’s money i.e. public money.

This man could not withstand with the persistent interference and overtures of Bille Rafle Guleed, the then governor of Northwestern region of Somalia, in the early and mid seventies when he held a similar post. Ibrahim is believed by many to be whiter than white and that is why many people, including the author of this article, believed that Siilaanyo had chosen the right person for one of the most sensitive posts in his government.

According to Media reports and now on his own words, Ibrahim refused to release unauthorized money which had no basis for the head of electoral commission and his members, which is likely to be part of the financial commitments Ahmed Siilaanyo made during the election campaign in June last year. This money is certainly not part of the debt the previous government had left behind. It is more likely to be a thank you –handshake to the head of national election commission and his six member entourage who did a superb job in the last election as far as Siilaanyo’s government is concerned. Or is it? Only time will tell.

This kind of payment could have aroused all sorts of suspicions even in the absence of such a high profile casualty. Mr. Qalib also has had a bitter row with Siilaanyo’s right hand man, the chief of cabinet, better known Hersi Tooriile who seems to be more powerful than almost all ministers in the cabinet. The fallout between Hersi and Ibrahim is believed to be centered on the same issue, repeated interference on the part of Hersi in the business of the Accountant general. One might ask why Hersi Tooriile is interfering in the treasury department and on what capacity? Why on earth Hersi Tooriile will put his nose in a business that is nothing to do with his role as the chief of cabinet? In government, roles and responsibilities of each official are clearly defined, and certainly Siilaanyo’s right hand man, Heri Tooriile, has a well defined role unless he was given the freedom of all government departments. For instances, the ministry of health has no business in interfering, say, in the ministry of education and its businesses.

The Accountant general is part and parcel of the ministry of finance headed by Mohamed hashi Elmi whose reputation for being the ultimate guardian of the public money was until recently unquestioned. It is incumbent on the minister of finance to say a word or two from the sacking of one of his high profile officials. Somaliland may be witnessing the ugly face of people who initially earned the reputation of being honest, clean and transparent in the past.

During my last trip to Somaliland, which was about two weeks ago, I learnt that Kulmiye had made huge commitments, financial and otherwise, to his backers in the last presidential election campaign in which he emerged victorious. Some insiders told me that the burden on Siilaanyo’s shoulders is so huge that the government is now struggling to fulfill those political pledges made in the heat of election.

The Account General may have been deemed an obstacle to the fulfillment of this huge commitment by Kulmiye-led government. Knowing the man, there is no other way that Ibrahim will lose his job other than being an obstacle to some unscrupulous officials who want to milk the state. Certainly he was not sacked through lack of conviction and commitment, as Ibrahim is extremely hardworking individual who does not even indulge khat, the time-wasting stimulant green leaves almost all Somaliland ministers chew lazily in all afternoons.

Corruption is part and parcel of Somali psyche and the current administration in Somaliland is no different to its predecessor, whose main man had built a massive building towering over the nation’s bicameral parliament house. Somaliland, unrecognized and shunned by the international community, has the tiniest budgets anywhere in the world that it can ill afford to waste money for personal uses. Some unscrupulous officials from previous governments had the guts to show off their public looting – yes their looting – in public places in the form of big houses and other businesses without feeling an in inch of shame about it. Perhaps, Siilaanyo and company have learned one or two from those governments that they want to do one better than Rayaale’s government. Perhaps the sacking of the Accountant general is prelude to a sinister wide scale attempts to embezzle the state, and to clear their way to the treasury off known and unknown hurdles, they got rid of one such certain obstacle in the name of Ibrahim Aden Qalib, the Accountant general.

At present, Ahmed Siilaanyo’s government is facing all kinds of difficulty from the public. Burning houses in broad day light in New Hargeisa is one of them. The more serious war in Kalshaale, Hagoogane and other parts of Sool is another. The last thing they wanted to deal with is yet another public relations disaster in the sacking of the Accountant general. A government whose only green area was believed to be transparency and public accountability is now heading down toward a very familiar road taken by its predecessors. The taxpaying public deserve better.

Xigasho: Cadceed.com