The Current Situation Somaliland Civil Service Commission

The Current Situation Somaliland Civil Service Commission

The Background

According to its website, “The Somaliland Civil Service Commission (CSC) was established in
1993 and derives its mandate from the Constitution of Somaliland. Under the Constitution, its
mandate includes policy development, recruitment, promotion, demotion and termination of civil
servants; evaluation and conducting of competitive examination; functional review of the
government institutions, ministries and agencies; and advice the president on any matter
concerning public service on which advice is sought. The CSC is also responsible for the
preparation and submission of personal remuneration and benefits to the cabinet for approval and
adoption” (Somalilad Civil Service Commission, 2020).

Recent years there have been on both the social and normal media, Somaliland Civil Servants
members complaining about injustice and malpractices of their public institutions where they
work. Some of them complained about that their rights of promotion were denied while the others
complained that they lost their jobs through unjustified grounds. It is challenging to verify these
complaints, this article, therefore, is an introduction of coming research on the current situation of
Somaliland Civil Servants in terms of the Practices, Promotions and the Performance of the CSC.
The research will be a wide range and empirical research, where more than 500 of Somaliland
Civil Servants (research elements) from all public institutions will randomly be interviewed about
the above variables.

The idea to conduct this coming research was born when the author of this article encountered the
experience of two Somaliland Civil Servants working at two Somaliland different ministries.
Introduction
So many Somalis including those who are closely associated with Siad Barre in blood,
acknowledge the crimes against humanity that his regime committed, in particular against the
Somaliland population. Also, promotions were denied to certain groups and clans, nepotism was
there. But when it comes positions that haven’t any political relevance, much to technical
capacities, it was a pure justice and know-how. Three decades after the regime was toppled,
Somaliland declared as an Independent state, yet the injustice that some government officials are
capable to do is beyond any imagination. People face that their intellectual capacity or knowledge
are ignored or denied which is the worst-case scenario that you may ever encounter. In most of the
Diaspora cases, joining Somaliland Civil Servants aren’t meant to have material gain and political
power but to contribute to the overall development of their country. It was not either of the top
priority of one of the contributors of this article and the coming research.

When he came back to this nation to help his people in the minimum dignify way possible. Over
the years, he involved working with IDPs, students, academics from both Somaliland/lia and
overseas, noble Somaliland officials. He voluntarily worked at different Somaliland ministries;
at the same time, he experienced the worst injustice possible at a workplace. He was a Secondary
Biology teacher during the Siad Barre Regime and his salary was paid in time and was treated
in a very dignified way based on his position as a teacher. He teaches at Somaliland Civil Service
Institute and the very Civil Service commission never succeed to put in place the regulations
that make sanctions to any civil servants’ employment malpractices. During the Digital
registration in 2017, the CSC promised that promotion will be based on experience, education,
knowledge and merit, but that NOTION has never been materialized. Also, after almost three
years after the systematic registration of the civil servants, his staff ID, not only to him but also
many of his colleagues aren’t produced by CSC. In his very immediate household, one member
who has a degree in public health is a Grade D and earns 30 USD at one of the Institutions. All
effort to get justice became in vain, while an academic and a member of the European and Global
Social Scientist was first a HEAD of a nowhere Department in a disgraced Institution. After the
registration of 2017, which took two days of sitting under the sun nothing changed his situation.
Recently demoted to the Title of Desk 09. None of those who were nominated by different
Presidents in different times governments interfered these injustices that so many of Somaliland
Civil Servants are facing.

Many Somaliland Civil Servants believe, that the only job of Somaliland Civil Service
Commission is very minimal to the extent to just tell the Civil Servants the Eds, Public Holidays
etc. as it yet, not achieved to bring any justice among Somaliland Civil Servants in terms of
promotion or grades to be based on Education level or both. In most cases, when it comes to
promotion and nominations, three approaches are observed which are very common:

1-Puppets Approach: Puppets are nominated to very important positions to silence any
professional arguments from experienced and qualified staffs.
2-Exchange Approaches: Where the official nominate someone to the exchange that the peer of
another Institution nominates for the corrupted and rogue official for someone at that other
institution (win-win=an Evil-Pact).
3-Tribal/Association Nepotism: In some cases, there was observed that promotion and
nomination to important positions can be denied by a Leader who is your clan member to subjugate
any potential prominence that this position may bring for you and you may get a better career than
him/her.

Those who read this article, as mentioned earlier an empirical research conducted by some of
Somaliland Civil Servants academics and researchers are ongoing to illuminate the current
situation of Somaliland Civil Servants in terms of rights and equality. As all these malpractices
have direct negative implications on Somaliland Development processes and jeopardize the
improvement & capacity building of the performance of both the civil servants and the institutions
as a whole, which will lead that any effort of making Somaliland a proper functioning nation will
be in vain. The coming research will examine how the CSC operates including achievements and
challenges and will also look at the speculations and accusations that the commission not only
failed to safeguard as it claims, the rights of many civil servants but negatively contributed to their
misfortune. The outcome of the research will either support the notion that it failed the Civil
Servants or found out that the speculation isn’t existing which the data analysis brings out. The
research will be very objective and not personal which means the research will examine the
Institution and not its leaders and staff. The researchers believe that the 500 civil servants and
randomaly selected elements from all public institutions can be a valid representation of about the
20000 Somaliland Civil Servants.