Somaliland Budget 2014 is business as usual

By Yassin Ahmed

Before I look at the budget in detail, I must say a word or two about the definition of budget. Budget is a financial plan that articulates the objectives and goals of a government for a certain period of time usually a year; in other words, it is the government’s economic strategy for that period. But there are occasions when planning, instead of helpful, becomes harmful or sinful.

Subsequent of two decades of state and nation building it looks as if we are lacking a vision for our future and as Theodore Hesburgh, former president, University of Notre Dame once said; “The very essence of leadership is (that) you have to have a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion.  You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet”.

Going forward, the picture is rosy. A government which most of its budget devoted to the security and recurrent expenditure is a bad image. It is a government, which wants never to turn out to be a working nation.

Education and health amounted to about 9.6% of the budget which is 12,880,958.13 dollars or 3.22 per individual per annum.

The ministry of presidency has more budget than the Health Ministry which manages 107 MCH, 164 Health posts as well as more than a dozen of Hospitals this itself speaks in volumes it indicates we are going to nowhere.

The presidency including the residency of president, vice president and presidential guard has been allocated   $8,837,408.642 which is higher than the combined 15 crucial ministries including: Defense, National Planning, Justice, Commerce and investment, Mineral and Energy, fishery and sea resources, Agriculture, Livestock, Posts & Telecomunication, public works transport & Housing, Aviation and Air transport, Labour and Social Services, Water, , Sports and Tourism and ministry of Industry $8,748,064.09 isn’t it astonishing!

Somaliland’s GDP for 2012 was estimated 1.4 billion USD approximately 30% of GDP was derived from Livestock but the Government is not giving priority where is due. It only allocated 0.66%.

The National TV has been awarded gigantic amount $2,304,227.099 and it is more than the combined budget of five important ministries including National Planning, Fishery and maritime resources, Parliamentary coordination, Water and Agriculture $ 2,169,239.

The Presidential Guard has been awarded enormous amount of budget $2,503,561.893 it has more budget than combined budget of several ministries but astonishingly it has 547% more budget than the Ministry Water; 430% than the Agriculture ministry; 278% more budget than the Livestock ministry, 557% more budget than Ministry of Fishery and Sea Resources and finally more than 200% for National Security Agency.

The Government allocated nearly 5 million dollars for the Roads which will be managed by the presidency but it is likely that it will not have an impact at all since we plan poorly any obsession we manage as Rolph waldo Emorson once said; “good thoughts are no better than good dreams, unless they be executed”.

The current budget is neither balanced nor appropriate to the current state of affairs at least for now. It is the continuation of status qua take for instance  $1,000,000 dollar can cultivate at least 3700 Hectares of land which can in turn produce at least 3700 tons of food, as we import  450,000 tons of food each year do we need to at least, spend certain percent of our budget in food security production in order to decrease the deficit gap? As Gary player once said: “the harder you work, the luckier you get”.