by Shu’eb Nor
Thursday February 23, 2023
Mr. Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, also
known as "Laftagareen," is a 53-year-old veteran politician,
technocrat, and father of four who has been striving
for decades to bring about change among his people. Even though his term as
Southwest State's president will soon end, he has accomplished many fantastic
achievements over the past four years.
His desire to alter the
socioeconomic progress of his people has always been his goal. This desire informed
his tireless energy paving the way for him to forge a close relationship with
the late Hasan Muhammad Nur "Shatigadud," the former head of the
Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA), Some decades back during Somalia’s civil war,
and whose dream was the establishment of an effective autonomous administration
of the regions in Southern Somalia similar to the current Southwest
Administration, but a bit far bigger encompassing swaths of areas now included
in present Jubbaland.
Later, Mr. Laftagareen held various
cabinet roles in Somalia's succeeding governments between 2008 and 2010.
In late 2018,
he took office as president of the Southwest State when there needed more
progress in many dimensions. Still, in a short period, he made considerable
changes to the administration despite numerous challenges like terrorist groups
and frequent natural phenomena like a drought in those regions.
The notable
point is that the Southwest State of Somalia, which had about 4 million
population and an $8 million budget when he took office, lagged behind all
other regions regarding infrastructure, economy, healthcare, and education. In
contrast, Southwest State's budget exceeded $46 million three years later.
The Southwest State President has
drawn much praise for the hastened and impactful social, economic, and
educational reforms that his administration initiated over the previous four
years, despite criticism of how he ascended to the presidency. Notwithstanding
the political polarization at the time, he concentrated on the state-building process
and good governance initiatives. His tenure marked significant institutional
progress, and when juxtaposed with the other Federal Member States in Somalia,
Southwest State now boasts one of the most efficient and functioning
institutions.
In stark distinctions to previous
administrations, the president emphasized that institutions can only flourish
with qualified civil servants. He used unique strategies to quickly increase
the capability of Southwest state public employees by soliciting assistance
from FGS and the other Federal Member States like Puntland State, which has
been around for more than 20 years and has robust institutions. This outreach
was tested and yielded a positive result. Almost a dozen trip exchanges were
made among officials from Puntland and Southwest States to exchange knowledge
sharing and boost the capacity of civil servants in the state.
In building the state, he worked
hard to advance inclusive politics. He ran a campaign to establish district
councils in most Southwest State districts. The first three years saw the
establishment of councils in almost ten districts. Local governance structures
remain a sore area of conflict drivers across Somalia. Establishing district
councils with relative fallout is a testament to his leadership credentials.
Another similar apt example of his
philosophical management of politics was how he managed the selection of
Federal MPs from the Southwest Region, where almost 75% of long-serving and powerful
MPs failed to maneuver in retaining their seats, replaced by vibrant and youthful
MPs from respective clan constituencies, in a masterstroke political
orchestration by Laftagareen, and where not even one single incident was
reported in the town – uncommon in such situations. This level of change was
not witnessed in many polling centers in Somalia. This sort of management style
of local politics in Somalia was underpinned by his more profound understanding
of Somalia’s political dynamics and intricacies, which many politicians may not
have appreciated.
With respect to infrastructure
development - in addition to the construction of several government
institutions, including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Planning, and State
House, and the rehabilitation Shaatigaduud Airport runway, the administration, as
per UNOPS Assessment Feasibility Study on March 2019 also constructed a 22km
long road that significantly contributed to, to in-town connectivity and eased
movement of goods and businesses. This is coupled with several other constructions
of cobblestone streets that greatly improved the well-being of small businesses
across cities. In Barawe, the administration also built an enormous cold
storage facility supported by key development partners. The storage helps the
fishery businesses efficiently process and market their fish business.
The success of his administration
is credited with his foresight to prioritize core sectors for interventions, which
have a multiplier effect on other governance areas. The identification and focus on security,
justice, and socioeconomic development have yielded dividends for the
administration. For instance, when it comes to security sector reform and
justice, his administration aimed at realizing the initial objectives of
developing robust and effective security forces. His efforts resulted in Baidoa
receiving 1,000 well-trained Darawish forces, with 300 for each region in the
Southwest State districts. This allowed a functioning police and justice
system, and people had improved confidence in the justice system compared to
the previous years when people sought justice outside of state structures.
Security has dramatically improved, especially in Baidoa and Barawe, allowing
both to witness developments.
On the other hand, the most apparent
approach to demonstrate his efforts to address societal problems was to enhance
the education sector. During his tenure, the 2,400 high school graduates at the
time of his election to office tripled, and 31,000 additional students enrolled
in classes.
Laftagareen philosophy of
leadership is one of unity, nationalistic ideals, pragmatism, moderation, and consensus-driven.
Despite the trouncing of Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, his preferred candidate
for the Federal Presidency, he slowly struck a somewhat uneasy but working
relationship with Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the newly elected president. This was
despite the trust deficit between the two underpinned by several factors – the
polarization preceding the federal election, Southwest State’s opposition elite
coalescing around the newly elected president, and the perception of fanning insecurity
in the state.
Although logical, soft-spoken,
and good-natured, President Laftagareen can also stand firm in the causes and
principles he believes in. The debate around his mandate, despite a regional
legislative decision to extend or align the terms of parliament and the
president so that a single election can be held for both within the same time
frame, has teetered the state’s security and nearly plunged it into chaos. This
narrative of the illegal extension was laid to rest when a peace agreement was reached
between him and the opposing groups allowing political stability to return to
the state, thus vindicating his argument that the decision of the State’s
legislative assembly is paramount. Somalia needs a leader in the mold of
President Laftagareen.
Shu’eb Nor
Independent Researcher
[email protected]