Hiiraan Online
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Somalia’s finance minster Mohamed Aden Ibrahim (Farkeeti)
MOGADISHU (HOL) – Having topped the world’s most corrupt nations index every year, Somalia now aims to come clean and launched a new transparency act in a bid to deny authorities an opportunity to abuse the system for their own interests.
The initiative, the first of its kind in decades may give ordinary citizens access to the government’s budgets running information for transparency, and its laws and decisions would also be open to public
for discussions.
Launching the new proposal Saturday, Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said his government would put emphasis on transparency in an attempt to restore public confidence in the government.
Somalia’s finance minster Mohamed Aden Ibrahim who proposed the initiative to the cabinet said it would enable ordinary citizens to use the government’s public records in a ‘constructive’ way and grasp the state system even better.
Encouraged by the increasing number of internet user across the country, Mr. Aden says it’s time for the government would have to start sharing its data with the people online.
“This is an indication that Somalia is moving to the right path, the path for rebuilding and better governance.” He said at a press conference in Mogadishu.
The development comes two months after Somalia’s government proposed the establishment an anti-corruption body which would target transparency and accountability in a country which continues to top the world’s most corrupt index every year.
Although, Somalia’s current government has shown a determination to fight corruption which it said represents a major threat to the country’s stability, no official has so far been charged or removed
from public offices for stealing public funds.
According to a recent report by the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, there have been alarming corruption cases by Somali officials exploiting the country’s weak financial system. Lack of political will by leaders to fight corruption also plays a major role in the increasing corruption cases in Somalia, according to the group.
Financial analysts say the ‘rampant’ corruption cases in Somalia continue to choke the country’s post-war economic growth which threatens to tarnish the country’s image.