Somalia is a Land rich by nature, but poor by policy!

[Otali]

Somalia is a country rich by natural resources, but poor by policy. Side-by-Side you have unlimited potential for serious economic growth in trade, natural resource extraction, communications and agriculture, yet stagnant clan based tribal malaise?
What is holding everything that is positive back, yet quicken all destructive elements. what is the solution?

[LionHeart-112]

Solution:

1) Implementation of fair Islamic Justice System

2) Education

3) Modernization

4) Eqaulit rights for every1

5) Non-stop Halal partying!

As an Ummah we have been raped of our dignity by outside forces and assaulted by our own people in the form of tyrannies and un Islamic dictatorships...we need to get our party on and live happy and free lives-the way Allah (swt) intended it.

[Galol]

Otali

Your post is a good one but I suspect it will be soon shat on by morons like this disturbed kid above.

Lets start with the premise that Somalia is rich in natural resources - a very common theme among somalis.

Somalia is in fact one of the least resource-rich pieces of real estate on god's earth. God was clearly working on a budget when he was building Africa and the funds ran out when he reached us. We are short of water the most important ingredient for life itself. There is no proven extractable minerals of any particular abundance or value and the oil dreams are just that: dreams.

We have around 8 million hectares or arable land mostly beteen the two rivers but the area is one of the most virulently malarial regions in Africa and any intensive farming will lead to salination and desertification unless it is carefully managed. Jowhar was already suffering from serious salt problem when the country broke down.

Even our coastline, and again despite the oft claims of richness made, is in reality one of the least productive shorelines on earth. There are seasonal exceptions when Tuna migrations concenterate on the Puntland coast and lobster harvesting can be done carefully in some areas.

But given its length our coastline is remarkable for its monotonous barreness.

Compare us with any country in Africa, latin america, Europe or asia and they will almsot certainly have richer natural resources, not counting Burkina Faso and probably Mali(even they have proven gold reserves now being dug up on a massive scale). Niger has much larger Uranium reserves than a litle bit we found in Baidoa.

What is remarkable is that we managed to live in this godforsaken piece of evil, unproductive camel-land. we should be proud of our tenacity, patience, resileince and doggedness. I am sure other races wiould have starved and died out long ago.

I recall the genius Ali Sugule's lamenting operatic masterpiece of the 70s:

Oh Our Earth

as daylight breaks

and night time too

We speak up for you

We rush in your defence

Masses are awaiting

Why don't you listen to us[for once]

and stand by us?

(dhulka yagiiyow dharaaar iyo habeenba

waanu kuu dhawaaqnaa

kuu dhiidhiyeynaa

Waa lagaa dhursagayaa

Noo dhega nuglow oo

dhaqso noogu hiiili)


What would have been a worthile study is why our forefathers chose to settle here? One theory I quite like is that we were at some point in our history an extremely shy peaceful race somewhere in the Ethiopian highlands(there is no doubt we did not come from overseas because we are the least sea-faring group of people in the world apart from the landlockeds). It appears we have been pushed and chased by more marauding races till we were pushed into this barren spot right up against the sea where we fought back cos we were terrified of being pushed into the sea by our pursuers!

Anyway would like to hear what others think.

Now to your next Q: why can't our politicos settle things? One answer: urbanisation not supported by modern education.

The fact that the urnbanised Hamar could not settle while the more traditional areas of north settled is simple: Urbanisation of Hamr led to demise of the traditional means of conflict resolution while those still more rural cultures in the North maintained those strong communal conflict resiolution processes. A leading Somaliland (urbanised) politician related how bored out of his skull he was when the elders embarked on the marathon "geedka" talks in Buaro and Borame in 91. He said one of these reer badiye guys will stand up and talk for one hour praising the links and intermarriges of the opposing clans. The second guy will stand up and start thus: "everything that needed saying has been said...but I will add..." another hour..suicide-inducing stuff.

This politician said he had this powerful urge to stand up and say " look mate if everything that needed saying had already been said why don't you give us a break and sit down?"

But the borefest clearly worked. Mogadishu's people were metropolitans, urbanised folks who would not have put up with listening to henna-bearded old oiks from the countryside. They would rather discuss the joys of Seria A and then go and watch an Indian film. The old practises of teer-meetings and conflict solving were completely forgotten. But sadly they have not reached a level where they exchanged those links and traditions with modern advanced techniques of compromise, respect for law and order, understanding the common good; common ownership of public resources; valuing the sanctity of human life; respect for Establishment fundamentals like police, judiciary, political parties. in other words they lost what values they had in the countryside but did not replace them with modern values.

It will be good to see what others have to offer.

[LionHeart-112]

Give a rest old perverted atheist bastard...Don;t worry about Somalia. It doesn't want you. U are not one of us anymore.

[Galol]

Any comments from anyone?

One good post comes along once in a year and it goes cold within an hour.

[LionHeart-112]

All u did, old fart, is take my points and elaborate on them..big deal.

U get F- for originality.

[Sir-Luggoyo]

Otali,

We have "some" natural recources buried in the belly of motherland but as Somalis, we tend to exaggerate the meager. Having said that, had we had the potential, capability and knowledge to navigate and produce, it would have been enough to the ever shrinking number of our populace. History affirms that our ppl are easily satisfied, our greed and temptations have limits unlike wealthy nations who have seen riches in abundance, suffice to look back the expenses of those who squandered the nation's wealth, their utmost satisfaction was a three bedroom villa, a 4WD LandCruiser and daily consumption of two bundles of Jaad and maybe two beers to wash it down later, his whole extravaganza expenditure would not exceed a $300 monthly stipend.

When it comes to politics, you can't call what we are witnessing in Somalia politics, I have to agree with Galol to an extent, the mixture of two incompatible ingredients are wreaking havoc on a daily basis but are unseen by the semiliterate who are navigating the Somalia ship. Urbanisation mixed with Traditional alliances, one requires reasoning whereas the other dictates complete submission and loyalty to your clan. The two could go side by side, as was the norm but never healthy to mix and attempt to make the most of both in the same bowl

[*Faithful]

There is no such a thing as "Somalia",Okay?

[AbdiWahab252]

Galol, I agree. U have been a seasoned observer of this forum. Don't let ciyaal like Lionheart ruin the thread. I am tired of the thread hijackers and wish there was an ability to delete individual posts to censor out the garbage.

Somalia's resources can be sustainable for the current Somali population but only if managed well. The coastline is productive but like you said not inexhaustible. The agriculture sector is mainly dependent on rain for water and unless we have an extensive irrigation system which in turns depends on rainfall to feed the Shabelle and Jubba & Ethiopia not consuming too much water upstream.

[Galol]

Wahab

Interesting you raise Ethiopia. As this giant gets stronger and we get weaker, (admittedly Somaliland's cessation doesn't help in this), it will demand more of its waters and unlike the Nile it can legitimately claim we do not use the waters anyway.

Yes there are just about enough resources to keep us in three meals and second hand clothes but those resources need a fundmaental cultural change. That cultural change is nowhere in the horizon.

[AbdiWahab252]

The Ethiopians will slowly strangle us by the use of Proxy states in the Former Somalia. The Egyptians have always been seeking a strong SOmalia to counter balance the possible threat that Ethiopia will starve the Nile of its headwaters, the Blue and White Nile which are based in Ethiopia.

[gurey25]

Galol that was a brilliant post very apt description.
I have to disagree though, you are too pessemistic about the resources of our land.

We can do great things, becuase we have one less problem than the rest of africa.We dont have an oppressive dictatorship, no crippling and stifling beauracracy.
We have a clean plate, we can truly start fresh.

Not many countries can say that.

[Otali]

Galol

Somalia already HAS proven resources of many natural resources including iron ore, bauxite, limestone, and uranium. This does not include the untapped resources of the somali waters with abundance of tuna, shark, caviar, lobsters, shrimp…I have not even touched on the massive energy potential of underwater gas and oil. And did you forget about wind and hydro power (especially around the coast).

Urbanization is inevitable process which would have happened regardless in Somalia. As soon as people settled, they discovered that they needed certain services that they couldn’t otherwise get in the rural area. They decided to stay. Actually, the more urban centres the better it well be for the somali economy, because with concentration of people in urban areas their consumption patterns increase—they want more things, they need more household goods, more food, more clothing, cars, shoes, gadgets, telephones, stoves which will naturally lead to the growth of more businesses catering to these needs. In short ***Conspicuous Consumption*** results.

However, I fail to see how changes in culture or clan affiliation have any casual effect in itself on the economy?

Somalis be it nomads or townspeople will spend the same amount of earnings on goods they want. It is matter of means and price, not clan prejudices that influences the consumer.
I mean if you can see that it affects the political stability which then effects decisions made on economic matters, I would agree. But simply to say that clan culture is negative for business is a loaded answer without factual evidence.

Sir-Luggoyo


An intriguing observation: so should we have an IMF type loan to provide the $300 stipend needed to meet the basic sustenance of the 10 million Somalis?

gurey25



You underestimate a Bureaucracy, even if it is corrupt. Along with civil service a Bureaucracy is indispensable necessity that Somalia suffers from not having AND will need to re-establish as one of thee 2nd priority after security. How else do you think you can structure and plan the economy? Only an extreme capitalist libertarian would have promoted an economy with no regulation and no state planning whatsoever. Relying on the entrepreneurial spirit and market forces alone is a recipe for disaster. You’re looking at what is known as an “a coordination failure”, read Romer’s Endogenous growth theory. Growth is made possible by the decisions undertaken by the state in connection with other agents: producers, consumers, Multinational firms—economic growth is thus endogenous variable, not exogenous effect. So a Bureaucracy is sufficient for state intervention which is necessary for economic development and growth.




So the question is how should Somalia go about constructing a bureaucracy and train a civil service

If not

Why not?


Otali

[LionHeart-112]

More and more, you sound like a communist. Markets need little or no regulation whatsoever. Involving hte government in economy is only necessary during recessions and depressions.

Anyway, how do we go about moving all the nomads to the urban areas? Thsi is something i have ben thinking about lately.

[Otali]

LionHeart-112

Most nomads in somalia spend part of the year near or residing in urban areas with kin. It is myth that they are completely disconnected. That nomads somehow just live outside of the economy. The fact is most Nomads as both producers head back roaming with their livestock during the rainy seasons as much as to escape urban poverty.


Incidently studies by economists, the World Bank, development agencies have consistently proven that URBAN POVERTY is quantatively and qualiatively MUCH WORSE than RURAL POVERTY. In the rual areas where even if you are poor there are support networks in place, hunting and fishing or other methods of "getting by" none of it is available on the harsh mean streets of the annoymous city or town where there are different people of different backgrounds coexisting, some times, quite often, former hostile neigbours all competing now for limited resources within a confined space. Having all somalis living and growing up in cities, and not creating jobs and sustainable growth can be 100 TIMES WORSE than Somalia is now, imagine if the people don't even know how to live in the rural setting and are scared of camels and now must survive out there?