Waagacusub.net - Corruption is a disease that threatens the hopes of the poor: for a better future for themselves and their children. It drains finances that might otherwise go to programs that bring education within reach of poor children, or that offer health care to an ailing farmer or a young mother.

Parliamentarians have been entrusted with the enormous responsibility of amplifying the voices of citizens in the halls of government—and ensuring that governments are making decisions that best serve the interests of their people. Parliamentarians can also play a vital role in empowering citizens to call to task governments that don’t do enough to stop corruption.

In most countries, the ultimate control over the national budget rests with parliament, which may delegate responsibility to government for budget formulation. This "power of the purse” constrains governments to tax and spend in only specific ways and seeks to ensure disciplined management of funds, disciplined reporting, and transparency.

Early 2012 the Hope of Somalis has been cheated out of the corrupted legislatures (parliamentarians) members and their owners of so called "UNIPOS, UNSOM, USAID, UNDP, and Qatar Gov. using voting manipulations they sought are indisputable.

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The foundation of the political system of Somalia is based on bribery or corruption. Power politics of Somalia may be defined as the right to plunder public property. There is a competition among politicians (groups) in governing Damul-Jadiid Party to win that right for a long period. The Damul-Jadiid group that wins plunders public property to the maximum during its term of office. It distributes among its supporters some part of the wealth thus plundered. The system of institutions including the judiciary also functions according to that inherent Damul-Jadiid ideology. Such a system of institutions is required because of the necessity to pretend that the state is uncorrupt although the official ideology is corrupt. The system of institutions including the judiciary, which are built to counter bribery or corruption, also gives the necessary protection to the corrupt practices of the ruling Damul-Jadiid party in power. At the same time, the opponents of the ruling party have been eliminated and if necessary were assassinated to give the government an anti-corruption appearance.

Under the executive Presidential system the Somali parliament has become an institution that is corrupt and that abets corruption. Under the old system the parliament was the supreme political institution but under the presidential system its importance has diminished and the President has become the most powerful political institution. However powerful the President may be, he cannot function without the support of the parliament. A system has been established whereby material privileges are given to the MPs in general and to the Damul-Jadiid government party MPs in particular for the purpose of preventing rebellions in the parliament.

Under the system of 4.5 tribal proportional representation prevailing in Somalia it would be possible for a Damul-Jadiid political party to get a simple majority in the parliament but not an overwhelming majority. As a result it would be possible to bring down any opposition parliamentarians easily by shifting the loyalties of seven or eight MPs. This state of uncertainty has raised the price of Damul-Jadiid government party MPs and consequently a system of paying tribute to almost all the MPs of the Damul-Jadiid government party has become established. 

Violation of the constitution is not only an anti- state offence but may be considered a serious offence that falls within the category of corruption. Violation of the constitution has become a day to day practice in Somalia. The judiciary also condones such offences, because the President nominates all Judiciary members from his Damul-Jadiid loyalists.

The conclusion that can be arrived at in terms of these fundamental facts is that it is not possible to counter bribery or corruption that occurs in Somalia, without doing away with the corruptness inherent in the political system or without transforming the entire political system. What it means is that enactment of new laws or establishment of institutions against bribery or corruption is futile.

My fellow Somali citizens before a year is over we require no less than an imaginative, intelligent and broadly accepted constitution and elected anti-corruption and anti-tribalism leaders like Mrs. Yussur Abrar  . Otherwise we are not out of the woods yet

By: Haboon Haji Abdi: Buuhoodle –Khatumo State of Somalia