Somalia now has a new 20-persons strong cabinet. The Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, named the cabinet ministers yesterday after wide consultations with the presidency, national assembly and civil societies.
The cabinet line-up is mostly made up of political novices with no prior ministerial experience. The choice of these political novices is informed by the fact that Premier Sharmarke’s earlier list of 25 cabinet members was declined by legislators in the national assembly who complained that most of the would-be ministers were politicians who had served in previous governments and their prior output was seriously wanting. The national assembly then gave me a fortnight to select a new cabinet.
Somalia has experienced extended periods of political paralysis due to inter-clan conflicts, sectarian divisions, religious interference and political scheming. The naming of the new cabinet is likely to speed up the recovery process and the return of the rule of law in Somalia.
Western powers – who are the principal backers of Somalia’s federal government – have always opined that extended political paralysis only endangers the country’s fragile institutions as well as encourage Al Shabaab, the Sunni Islamist group, to continue with its insurgency. The new cabinet is awaiting approval by the national assembly. If approved, it will be a welcome move away from the incessant political bickering and national disunity.
