Informed circles said that finance meeting is still underway with no progress reported so far on the sticking points that include equitable sharing of foreign grants and aid to Somalia from different sources such as World Bank and IMF, among others. Two issues complicate the agenda to reach consensus, according to the observers:
1. FGS Finance Minister, Dr. Elmi Mohamud Noor, is new to the portofolio, unable to be decisive without prompt from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, not the Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre as the CEO. This fully indicates that President HSM is micromanging executive decisions of the Cabinet.
2. There is no approved framework or sharing formula to adhere to by finance ministers in this meeting.
For the meeting to be successful, consensus must be reached between FGS and FMS. This becomes difficult as the FGS attempts to dictate its wishes on others and take unilateral decisions, avoiding collective and shared responsibilities in running a federal republic. For example, FGS had allocated and sent a portion of latest SDR (Special Drawing Rights) from IMF to Somalland – no consultation with FMS and no input or contribution to the debate by Somaliland Administration.You can’t devise responsible fiscal policy without accepting required fiscal federalism this country needs. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud should recognize and accept the socio-economic realities in his own country.
