Boosaaso (Commentary) — Your editorial on the Puntland Constitution touches on several aspects of the political apathy that characterises Puntland as a sub-national entity in Somalia. It is deplorable that the administration of President Said Abdullahi Deni rarely seeks input from legal scholars and constitutional experts in Puntland when challenging the policies of the Federal Government of Somalia.
There are no provisions in the draft federal constitution that confer upon Puntland’s constitution the power to override articles in the national constitution. Understanding this basic legal fact could have prevented Puntland from advancing arguments that, paradoxically, strengthen the position of the Federal Government of Somalia. No other Federal Member State argues that it has the authority to grant powers to the Federal Government.
In Puntland, a political gentleman’s agreement functions as a gag order on almost all opposition politicians who are wary of holding President Deni’s administration accountable for decisions that have left the state politically isolated and economically disadvantaged. The President does not tolerate challenges to his policies.
Puntland faces a severe economic disadvantage in accessing World Bank assistance, which is disbursed through the Ministry of Finance of the Federal Government of Somalia. The state is obligated to honour its commitments to fiscal transparency. The Financial Governance Committee (FGC) has urged Puntland to harmonise its fishing licensing regime with that of other Federal Member States.
As a founding member of the federal system of Somalia, Puntland has been issuing fishing licences since 1998. If Puntland fails to disclose revenues from these licences, the FGC will likely conclude that the state has surpassed the income threshold to qualify for budgetary support, making it ineligible. This would be a double blow: the people of Puntland would neither benefit from the fishing licence revenues nor receive development aid and budgetary assistance from donor countries that require public financial transparency.
It remains unclear whether President Deni has granted the Puntland Office of the Auditor General the independence it needs to investigate government agencies and ensure accountability for revenues generated from fishing licences. A candid discussion about the state of political leadership in Puntland is long overdue.
A. D. Mohamud is a retired econometrician in Boosaaso.
© Puntland Post, 2025
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