Many Somali intellectuals are happy to see transitional period is over but yet worried things may turn back without the right leadership.

On 31st of July, members of Constituency Assembly approved the new provisional constitution of Somalia. This was a process that started  seven years ago and for all practical purposes were not going anywhere until a year ago, when a new Prime Minister came on board with a cabinet of mainly professional s who he called them back from their comfort lives over the world.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Abdiwali M. Ali, himself, a professor of economics from Buffalo, NY took over a shambled government, at a time where al-Shabab were occupying two-third of Mogadishu,  hundreds of Somalis were dying daily because of worst draught for long time. Regional administration weren’t talking to TFG and overall morale was descending fast.

Many doubt that a professor from New York can change the course and saw him another PM for long list of trial and error exercise. Today, to the credit of TFG forces and AMISOM but equally to his leadership, Mogadishu is free and al-Shabab is on the run. He established an independent Disaster Management Agency to deal with the draught emergency relief work.  His understanding in problem solving and the art of diplomacy led international community to pour help for Somali people to counter the draught. Within 90 days things turned to get better. 

However, what separates him from other leaders in the past 20 years or so is not only the handling the draught problem or kicking al-Shabab out of Mogadishu but coming up with a Roadmap with a time line to tackle four major tasks:
1-Security: with a National Stabilization and Security Plan that deals from securing the country, strengthening the Somali forces and preparing administration for newly liberated towns.

2-Good Governance: re-establishing and strengthening national institution, he also established an independent anti-corruption commission. As an academic he put emphases on education with a result of 3000 students taking abroad for higher education.

3- Reconciliation: First time in 20 years that regional administrations are cooperating with and working side by side with central government, these were not the case 18 months ago. 135 Somali Traditional Clan elders from all over the country are working together in Mogadishu and have chosen 825 Constituency Assembly that just approve d the provisional constitution and  will in few days select members of parliament. This exercise is a historic one because after two decades, the new Somali Government will lose the Transitional status in its name. 

4- The constitution was a major component of the Roadmap and recent approval of the constitution is the most important achievement so far for this government.