July 15, 2016 | Daily Monitoring Report
Goobjoog Media Group Pioneers Presidential Debate In Somalia As It Marks 4th Anniversary
15 July – Source: Goobjoog News – 308 Words
Goobjoog Media Group is soon launching the first of it’s kind Presidential Debate in Somalia for the 2016 polls, the Media Group has announced. The Debate which is in preparation for the upcoming presidential elections will provide a forum for the public to interrogate candidates and equally a chance for the contenders to prosecute their case in public.
In a statement on Wednesday, Goobjoog said the idea of a presidential debate is not only groundbreaking but also crucial in promoting a more transparent and participatory electoral process. “Presidential Debate is a new phenomenon in Somalia. Though the public will not get a chance to cast individual votes, the debates will be essential in according the citizens of this country a chance to listen to their candidates and positively influence lawmakers in the choice of the right candidate,” the statement read.
Presidential Debates date back to 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas for U.S. Senate. They were however face to face debates but the first televised debate was during the 1960 US general election pitying then candidate Senator JF Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon. Kennedy was elected president. Somalia is heading for elections in August in which case the president will be elected in a joint sitting by members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament.
Goobjoog Media Group said it will partner with other media houses in the country to conduct the exercise which will be beamed live to local and international audiences. The announcement was part of the 4th anniversary celebrations for Goobjoog Media Group held in Mogadishu on Thursday. Goobjoog Media Group also announced it was on the final stages of unveiling a TV channel and a business radio. The dates for the debates will be announced soon.
Key Headlines
- Goobjoog Media Group Pioneers Presidential Debate In Somalia As It Marks 4th Anniversary (Goobjoog News)
- Galmudug Says It Will Flush Al-Shabaab Out Of Mudug (Shabelle News)
- Stakeholders Agree on National Security Policy for Maritime Security (Kismayo News)
- Somali Remittance Firm Calls On New British PM To Support Africa (The Star)
- AU delegation Assesses Somalia’s Readiness Ahead Of Polls (CCTV)
- African Union Urge Policy Makers To Speed Continental Trade Deal (Xinhua)
- Somali Intellectual Disconnect (Hiiraan Online)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Galmudug Says It Will Flush Al-Shabaab Out Of Mudug
15 July – Source: Shabelle News – 132 Words
The interim Galmudug administration in central Somalia has reiterated its commitment to wipe out Al-Shabaab in Mudug areas, to eliminate all security threats posed by Al Qaeda-linked militants. The military operations field commander of Mudug region Abdikarim Mohamed Mohamud, said they are on high alert over Al-Shabaab attacks in Galmudug.
“Galmudug State forces in Mudug were put on high alert following intelligence reports that Al-Shabaab is planning to carry out attacks in the region,” said Mohamud. The army commander said they have learnt that boats ferrying large quantity of weapons have docked to the militant-held coastal areas in Mudug region, in central Somalia. He said Galmudug state forces will launch an offensive to drive Al-Shabaab out of their current strongholds in Mudug, to abolish the impending attacks.
Stakeholders Agree on National Security Policy for Maritime Security
14 July – Source: Kismayo News – 150 Words
The Federal Government of Somalia and regional administrations have agreed on a National Security Policy (NSP) during consultative meeting held in Kismayo. The new policy calls for the creation of a new coast guard police unit to maintain maritime security and law enforcement provision off the perilous Somali coast.
According to the communique that was released after the week-long consultation meetings, the creation of a new police unit to deal with sea borne criminal activities, including excessive illegal fishing and prevention toxic industrial waste, was earmarked as high priority issue in the NSP agenda.
The new maritime police unit will have a national and regional command structures, whose respective mandate is well defined in the technical committee and maritime policing focal point recommendations. The absence of an effective coast guard to protect the country’s maritime resources from foreign trawlers involving illegal fishing activities in the Somali waters, continue to threaten the livelihood of indigenous coastal communities with devastating economic and environmental impact.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Somali Remittance Firm Calls On New British PM To Support Africa
14 July – Source: The Star – 392 Words
Leading Somali money transfer company Dahabshiil has called on new Prime Minister Teresa May to back investments supporting African economies, in the wake of the recent UK’s decision to exit EU. This follows fears by African institutions operating in Europe that their businesses may be hard-hit by Brexit, which saw Britain’s successful June 23 referendum vote to leave the EU.
Dahabshiil CEO Abdirashid Duale said on Thursday African investors have hope in May, calling on her to work closely with African governments and institutions to develop the continent. “It is important that Britain continues working closely with Africa despite the changes that are taking place especially after the vote and the exit of Cameron. We are ready to work with the new leadership for the benefit of millions in Africa whose lives depend on UK based institutions,” Duale said.
According to Duale, the new PM is not strange to the African continent, as she worked closely with Africans in the diaspora in her previous position as Home Secretary. “It is hoped she will build on those relationships to develop a strong commitment to Africa and Africans,” he said. He said services such as money remittances have helped those living in the continent.
AU Delegation Assesses Somalia’s Readiness Ahead Of Polls
15 July – Source: CCTV – Video: 3:01 Minutes
African Union Urge Policy Makers To Speed Continental Trade Deal
15 July – Source: Xinhua – 532 Words
The African Union Commission (AUC) has urged African leaders and policy makers to speed up the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) negotiations and meet the 2017 deadline. Fatima Haram Acyl, AU Commissioner for trade and industry, made the call on Thursday during the ongoing 27th African Union (AU) Summit in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. The small central African country hosts the high level meeting from July 10th to 18th under the theme; “2016: African Year of Human Rights, with particular focus on the Rights of Women.”
“As we focus on our Agenda 2063 and other programs, we should consider meeting the Continental Free Trade Area target which is next year. A lot needs to be done by our leaders and policymakers to ensure that Africa trade agreement doesn’t hit the snag,” Haram Acyl, told participants at the meeting of 29th ordinary session of the AU executive council.
She appealed to African trade ministers to speed up the CFTA negotiations and meet the 2017 deadline. Promoting continental trade area in Africa has long been a priority item for African policymakers. In June last year, at the 25th Summit of the AU held in South Africa, African Heads of governments agreed to the creation of the CFTA by 2017 through negotiations on liberalization of trade in goods and in services.
OPINION, ANALYSIS, AND CULTURE
“For a careerist, there is no such thing as national humiliation; there is only a reality to face, embrace, and survive. Legacy is a vague word associated with dead people. To him/her, failure in leadership means losing your job, and he/sh literally follows the money (forget about the idiomatic meaning). In present day Somalia, the careerist is at the helm of the political power.”
Somali Intellectual Disconnect
14 July – Source: Hiiraan Online – 674 Words
In my attempt to shed light on the untenable situation of the Somali intellectual, I’m not going to delve into a discussion about the meaning of the word Intellectual. Philosopher Jean Amery tried to define it before he took his life, and Dr. Primo Levi tried to add something to Jean Amery’s definition. Levi himself committed suicide years later. They were both haunted by demons that followed them from concentration camps in Poland.
An intellectual is not necessarily a university graduate. The founders of the Somali Youth League (SYL) were intellectuals. They definitely fit Goran Hyden’s definition as they were men “—with defined system of values and the capacity to command influence of the general trends in society by mastering oral or written means of persuasion”.
However, my discussion is focused on the Somali men and women who have earned a university degree and their role in the nation building project. Very few of this educated class will meet the criteria of any possible definition of an intellectual. The majority fall in the category of careerist. The sole purpose of a careerist is personal success.
He/she believes in I, me and myself and he/she does not take anything for granted. Under normal circumstances, the careerist is an asset to the country. With his/her education and determination, he/she can be at the forefront of good governance. He/she harbors no political ambition, and he/she performs their job well. All what he demands is good salary and fairness in institutional hierarchy.
TOP TWEETS
@Tuuryare_Africa : BREAKING: Dozens of uniforms & military gear that were destined for #AlShabaab have been seized – Police #Somalia
@MofaSomalia : #Somalia strongly condemns the horrific attack in #Nice, we stand in solidarity with the government and people of #France.
@Baldoriano: Foreign troops in #Somalia struggle to keep al-#Shabaab at bay http://www.
@Eye_on_Somalia : #goobjoog Goobjoog Media Group pioneers Presidential Debate in Somalia as it marks 4th anniversary: … http://bit.ly/29IwXLb #somalia
@qayd2012: people with disability in #Mogadishu protested against humanitarian aid injustice from interior ministry of#Somalia
@Abdi_AlSheikh : Central Bank of Somalia Rethinking USD 600 Million Requests from Leading Telecommunication Company -…http://dlvr.it/LpMbZS #Somalia
IMAGE OF THE DAY
After decades of civil war, Mogadishu is experiencing massive reconstruction boom.
Photo: @SpfSomalia