If Somalia was peaceful would you return?

[union]

A professional working person who plans for retirement with disciplined spending and good investments will become a millionaire. 2$ million is a reasonable amount. Remember, our taxes are much lower than yours aswell.

And as for the life, well it is how it is. Bust your ass off during your good years and enjoy the fruits in old age. Unless you become lucky and become wealthy young, in which case you can enjoy yourself much earlier.

[Murax]

Somalia lacks even the most basic luxuries that folks from Western nations are used to. There are power outages every few hours, indoor plumbing is a rarity, emergency services and medical facilities are less than ideal, and the region is still very volatile from years of civil war.

What worries me the most, however, is the gulf that will develop between the haves (diaspora) and the havenots (natives) when Somalia returns to some semblance of peace. Originally the civil war was started because the peasantry were angry with the gentry because of our higher quality of life, so what makes you think the poors will allow the diaspora to live in luxuriant villas with maids and SUVs while they bear the heat of the sun in ramshackle shelters?

I hope all these problems are solved sometime in the future. I'm not in any big rush. I probably won't return to Somalia for another 30 or so years.

Not likely. The diaspora, especially in PL, are largely part of the development process. Its like those Jews that left the West for Israel - when they reached their homeland they uplifted the entire quality of life in the land. That's the effect the diaspora will have back home - perhaps not in SL where people live in delusion, but in PL the diaspora understands the underlying social problems back home.

I don't think there's a good comparison between the Jews who made aliyah to Israel and returning diaspora Somalis, as Murax said. Those Jews were heavily involved in value creating industries, and they transferred those skills over to their co ethnics in Israel. That's why Israel is now one of the leading technology producing nations. How many Somalis create something of value? Very little. And certainly not enough to change the reality in Puntland or elsewhere. Somalis are mostly involved in small scale import/export and businesses which transfer value rather than create value. Businesses that transfer value, like shops, employ much less people than businesses that create value like factories, tech corporations, research facilities, etc etc of which Somalia has very little. And unfortunately I don't see the diaspora changing that now or in the future. Most diaspora Somalis are either taxi drivers, small shop owners, or zero income salehs on welfare...

So we are going to have a situation wherein the diaspora will move in and use their life savings to lead relatively opulent lives, while by international standards the natives will be living in abject poverty. Right now people are still in the honey moon period, happy to be finally back in their own nation and to be ontop of the socio-economic pyramid instead of the bottom like they were in the West (taxi driver to president?).

But then reality is going to set in. Jobs are very scarce in Somalia. I read an article saying 95% of the people in Burco are unemployed. After their savings run out, what are the diaspora going to live on? Sure they can try to create a business, but how many import/export stores will the market have room for? That's why it's increasingly becoming common for diaspora families to be mostly women and children living off a spouse working in the west. The West is where the $$$ is at, Somalia is where the big villa and easy life is at.

I can't see a system like this working for very long. I am having visions of villas being robbed by disgruntled peasants. History always repeats itself.

Thats just a lowblow

[FAH1223]

paidmonk is delusional... I'm glad union and Murax shed some realism to the situation

[AhmedBoqor]

A professional working person who plans for retirement with disciplined spending and good investments will become a millionaire. 2$ million is a reasonable amount. Remember, our taxes are much lower than yours aswell.

And as for the life, well it is how it is. Bust your ass off during your good years and enjoy the fruits in old age. Unless you become lucky and become wealthy young, in which case you can enjoy yourself much earlier.

Well I'm currently working on my Engineering degree so I know money won't be an issue 10 years from now inshallah.

I could care less about retirement plans, I'm investing in businesses here in the west and maybe in Somalia if profitable.

Personally, If I could find a Canadian based company in the Persian gulf, I could very well kiss the west good bye. This society is getting more God-less and atheistic by the decade and the temptations here will be hard to resist. I like to hear the Adhan 5 times a day, I like to actually walk to a mosque and not drive there. I like to see my kids (If my jewelries are still in its place by the time I get married) become Xaafids but also try to understand that Islam is not a tradition, its a way of life, its something a lot of us misinterpreted when we were young but that had more to do with our lack of mental discipline by our parents and maybe other factors contributing to it.

[zidane88]

Yes,Iwould.

[whitehartlane]

Somalia is a blank canvas. You don't need millions to start a medium/large business that not only meets your financial needs but also employ others...every working man in Somalia is feeding minimum 10-15 people. Not to mention somalia is very cheap to live in and to be fair somali highstreets and services are one of the cheapest anywhere in Africa. Somalis are general self sufficient people.

Southerners need to be more creative, less negative and business driven. Come to bosasso where millionaires are having tea with mechanics

I would seriously move back home with only 25.000 dollars...
Food is better back home
Women are pleasant for the eye back home
Houses are more houses back home
Weather depends on the region
Lifestyle is by far far better back home

[FAH1223]

Somalia is a blank canvas. You don't need millions to start a medium/large business that not only meets your financial needs but also employ others...every working man in Somalia is feeding minimum 10-15 people. Not to mention somalia is very cheap to live in and to be fair somali highstreets and services are one of the cheapest anywhere in Africa. Somalis are general self sufficient people.

Southerners need to be more creative, less negative and business driven. Come to bosasso where millionaires are having tea with mechanics

I would seriously move back home with only 25.000 dollars...
Food is better back home
Women are pleasant for the eye back home
Houses are more houses back home
Weather depends on the region
Lifestyle is by far far better back home

therein lies the problem, YOU WILL be living better back home.. but what about the millions who will still be dirt poor?

Somalia needs industry, infrastructure development, sanitation, agriculture, water, and energy for basic HUMAN PROGRESS. Anyone can build a villa and employ people to sell some stuff from a shop or import/export some stuff.

[qoraxeey]

FAH ... can we be neighbours in somalia whatchu say nuune

[whitehartlane]

Fah..

It's true Somalia lacks a great deal and is behind decades however you need to remember no nation was born with a GDP of £50.000. A great percentage of London is in dire situation I am sure u have seen the riots on tv but will that stop investment flowing. No!!! Because the potential is here... What about Kenya or Africa in general ... Somalia has potential my friend... Unlike the west or Asia, somalias rat hasn't even begun...

In every country there is class difference..

[whitehartlane]

Fah..

It's true Somalia lacks a great deal and is behind decades however you need to remember no nation was born with a GDP of £50.000. A great percentage of London is in dire situation I am sure u have seen the riots on tv but will that stop investment flowing. No!!! Because the potential is here... What about Kenya or Africa in general ... Somalia has potential my friend... Unlike the west or Asia, somalias rat hasn't even begun...

In every country there is class difference..

[FAH1223]

Fah..

It's true Somalia lacks a great deal and is behind decades however you need to remember no nation was born with a GDP of £50.000. A great percentage of London is in dire situation I am sure u have seen the riots on tv but will that stop investment flowing. No!!! Because the potential is here... What about Kenya or Africa in general ... Somalia has potential my friend... Unlike the west or Asia, somalias rat hasn't even begun...

In every country there is class difference..

I never said Somalia doesnt't have potential. I just think Somalis do not look longterm but only see the immediate benefits.

[whitehartlane]

Negativity is nothing but a disease.
Politics: we are crap at that shizle
Business: we are somali, we have the cash the intellectual the shrewdness experience above all we have Somalia
A whole nation that is begging for service in any form..

Delhi Cairo Nairobi Beijing Mexico city
Horrible places where a great parts are living life below the level of xamar refugees
Yet they are the heart of the there nations..

Aim high dream big... There is nothing better then to return back home with or without governments