The Big Cheese: Why President Farmaajo holds so much hope for Somalia

[Elisabeth Janaina]

The Big Cheese: Why President Farmaajo holds so much hope for Somalia
Posted on February 9, 2017 by Sakariye Cismaan
Why is there so much excitement around the former prime minister’s
surprise appointment as Somalia’s new president?

Somalia’s ninth president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

On 8 February, the protracted Somalia elections finally came to an end
to widespread celebrations and surprise as Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo
was appointed as the new president.

The former prime minister was one of 21 candidates vying to be
Somalia’s 9th president in a process involving 329 newly-elected
lawmakers. The decision went to a second round of voting in which
Farmaajo received 184 votes to the incumbent Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s
97, prompting to the latter to concede peacefully.

This outcome came as a huge but largely welcome shock to most.

Who is Farmaajo?

The new president – known as Farmaajo, Italian for “cheese”, because
of his reported love of the food – first became a well-known figure in
Somalia in November 2010. At that time, he had been living and working
in the US, where he holds dual citizenship, for 25 years. But he was
suddenly plucked out of obscurity in the diaspora by then President
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to become prime minister.

It is what happened in the following seven months that made him
perhaps Somalia’s most popular politician in recent times.

Unlike so many of Somalia’s politicians, Farmaajo made an immediate
and tangible difference on coming into office. For the first time
since 1991, he reduced the cabinet from the customary 31 members down
to a core of just 18, dropping redundant departments such as the
Ministry of Tourism and Wild Animals. He fought corruption,
establishing an Anti-Corruption Commission and increasing transparency
around government spending and ministers’ assets. And he ensured
salaries were disbursed to government workers and soldiers who hadn’t
been paid for months, an accomplishment for which he is still fondly
remembered.

Under Farmaajo, large swaths of territory were also recaptured from
al-Shabaab. The momentum achieved in this period is believed to have
been the cause of the Islamist militants’ withdrawal from the capital
Mogadishu, for the first time since their inception, just a month and
half after Farmaajo left office.

In 2011, however, the prime minister’s term came to an abrupt end. The
president and then Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden had
been embroiled in a bitter power struggle for months, and it was only
resolved when the two struck a deal that included an agreement that
Farmaajo would step down.

The resignation of the admired prime minister triggered days of
demonstrations across Somalia and abroad, with protesters blaming
foreign interference for his removal. Farmaajo’s popularity was
particularly notable in Mogadishu from which his clansmen, who include
former President Siad Barre, had been indiscriminately driven out in
the 1990s civil war. His acceptance in the capital served as a
reminder of how far Somalia has come.

The biggest mandate

Farmaajo’s popularity amongst the people combined with his mandate –
the biggest since 1967 – gives the new president a tremendous
opportunity to move Somalia towards stability, democracy and
prosperity.

To achieve this, it is imperative that he avoids the mistakes of his
predecessors, particularly in four key areas.

Firstly, Farmaajo must take great care in appointing his prime
minister. The past four presidents all struggled with this and each
went through at least three different PMs, with almost all the
partnerships ending in acrimony. In some instances, internal conflicts
lasted months, derailing any progress that could have been made.
President Farmaajo must appoint somebody he trusts, that shares the
same vision, and that will stick with him through his administration.

A second key area will be reconciliation. The brutal civil war that
broke out in 1991 led the country to break up into several clan-based
territories. Many Somalis never leave their regions.

The new president will need to set in motion a process of national
reconciliation. Political grievances must be readdressed; the
discriminatory parts of the constitution such as the 4.5 clan-based
power sharing formula should be removed; and property should be
returned to its rightful owners. By re-cultivating real trust between
clans, Farmaajo can ensure a lasting peace.

[4 questions the new president must confront in deciding what kind of
democracy Somalia should be]

Thirdly, the new president will have to tackle the insecurity that has
long wracked the country. Even after some promising gains, Mogadishu
has seen an increase in al-Shabaab attacks, to the extent that the
venue of yesterday’s election had to be moved to the heavily fortified
Aden Adde Airport.

To improve security, Farmaajo will have to pay special attention to
Somalia’s security forces. Soldiers’ morale desperately needs to be
built up with adequate training and the timely payment of salaries.
This, in turn, could help the army recruit the young educated
conscripts it needs to effectively replace the African Union forces
(AMISOM) when they eventually leave the country.

Finally, Farmaajo will have to take great care in ensuring his rule is
inclusive. The past two administrations were frequently criticised for
concentrating power in the hands of the few. Under the new president,
Somalis all over the country should be able to claim the government as
their own and be proud of it.

As prime minister in 2010, Farmaajo openly expressed a disapproval of
the 4.5 power-sharing formula that discriminates against smaller
clans. At the time his capacity was limited, but now he has the power
to walk the walk and ensure that his government is one that represents
all Somalis.

Sakariye Cismaan is a political commentator. Follow him on twitter at
@SakariyeCismaan.
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11 thoughts on “The Big Cheese: Why President Farmaajo holds so much
hope for Somalia”

Awil Ahmed says:
February 9, 2017 at 4:23 pm

Sakariye Cismaan. Thank you for the quick analysis of the newly
elected president. H.E. Maxamed Abdullahi Farmaajo is one of the
outstanding President’s Somalia will have if all things work out as
visionary as he is. There is possibility of a better somalia ,
Everybody is ready to work with him and everybody doesn’t literally
mean all people. There will be resistances yes and ofcourse I believe
the lawmakers and their leader and everybody who wishes peace and
prosperity for somalia will be part of it.

Somalia Hanolaato.
Mahdi says:
February 9, 2017 at 8:31 pm

Hello Zakariye, I agree with all your points and I think you make
good arguments to support you case. However, I think you missed a key
point that will determine if Farmajo will be a success. somalia has
endured a long devastating drought and ordinary people have been
impacted by it. The new president must address poverty and he needs to
create jobs. I think this will be the ultimate factor that will decide
his success.
One other point I wanted to make was about the Somali civil war.
It was a dark moment in our history, no one should deny the injustice
that were done to all of the people. However, one should refrain from
using words that may sound to blame one tribe for the civil war. I am
referring to your words “had been indiscriminately driven out in the
1990s civil war.” I think you could have articulated your argument
more wisely rather than sounding like a tribalist.
Thank you.
byekwaso Stanley says:
February 10, 2017 at 10:48 am

Am one of the people who was at the venue providing security.After
the election we left to stadium camp where we stay.we met very many
people celebrating and praising Amisom for the work done.me as an
individual i only pray that the new gov’t should enforce law of
rule.Armed personnel should be sensitised too.because in most cases
they shoot minus any reasonable cause.i wish u the best in your
office.(Am a ugandan fpu)
Camir Ahmed says:
February 10, 2017 at 12:49 pm

Dear Zakariye,
While agreed all other reccomendations you give in your analysis,
however, I totally disagreed the mention of “clan reconciliation”
idea. I don’t see Somali clans fighting on political basis. Dig out
sir, the president may not need clan reconciliation issue.
Dr. Christoph Jaeger says:
February 10, 2017 at 12:52 pm

I fully agree with the writer’s description of what needs to be
done in Somalia. BUT according to the provisional constitution Art.
90, the president has exactly 17 ‘powers and responsibilities’, and
none of these are related to building and running the state, fighting
insecurity and all the other tasks. In fact, according to the
constitution Farmaajo has about as much power to run Somalia and the
Queen has to run the UK. Somalia and the international community
should discontinue trying to build a state by systematic and
continuous breaches of the constitution, which established a
parliamentarian system of governance. I doubt this is comparable with
the African political mindset. Hence, a review and possibly revision
of the constitution should be a first priority to finally base state
building on the supreme law of the country and not against it.
Edwin Taylor says:
February 10, 2017 at 1:24 pm

Stanley Byekwaso – Thank you for your and your comrades’ service
in AMISOM. Your sacrifices on behalf of Somalia and Africa are well
appreciated by anyone with even a basic knowledge of contemporary
Somalia. I wish you and your comrades well during your deployment to
the country.
Sharmake says:
February 10, 2017 at 3:47 pm

Great read, Our soldiers must be paid in the same timely manner
that useless Amisom are paid. Once our armed forces have their pay
their numbers will increase and we will be self efficient enough to
kick Amisom and the African Union to the curb.
Ahmed Gragna says:
February 11, 2017 at 10:14 am

@byekwaso Stanley The wind of unity of Somalis has hit in a full
force my friend. Your days are numbered!! No Somalis with good logic
will ever celebrate your presence in Somalia as you (Amisom) are
considered useless who can’t even battle. How many times have you been
rescued by untrained Somali militias turned soldiers? You are confined
to your bracks. What happen in Mogadishu on Thursday? You saw the
young gladiators refusing to let your convoy pass while shouting
Amisom out of our country. I appreciate our African brothers coming to
our aid but your assistance my friend is not genuine, you’re only in
Somalia for the 1200$ a month. You see we Somalis have helped free a
lot of our fellow Africans from colonialism but most Africans see
Somalia as a cash cow now. Just remember Somalis never forget who
kicked them when they were down is in our Cushiatic blood line. Is
unfortunate what we have done to ourselves and we don’t blame this on
nobody but our selves. The Somalia tomorrow will be stronger and
greater then the Somalia of yesterday. We will see the day when South
Africa will kneel to us as she was the one who we have helped
unconditionally during the apartheid when all of Africa has turned its
backs on her. In return she paid us back by burning our nationals to
death in the streets. Somalia was in a forefront of pan-africanism but
since the civil war, that’s in the back burner until we restore our
dignity and make rest of Africa respect us as they did prior to our
civil war.
Maxamed says:
February 11, 2017 at 3:08 pm

If he manages to rid Somalia of the cancer that is AMISOM, I will be happy.
FATIMA says:
February 11, 2017 at 7:16 pm

Somalis let us take a moment. Yes the election of farmajo is a
positive development and he has 4 yrs of mandate — Let’s judge him
according to his actions and not by his words. history teaches us that
so many great men and women have come with great ideas yet
accomplished so little. So like so many of you, I will be watching Mr.
Farmajo! Cheers!
Moe Ismail says:
February 12, 2017 at 3:44 am

Why president farmaajo holds so much hope for somalia?
The answer is simple and clear that is his genuineness!!!