Tribal quota cabinet formation bloats government and undermines national interest

Evidence

The emphasis being given to tribal representation would mean that the numerous tribal and subtribal groups would demand posts at the cabinet and under-secretary levels. As a result, the number of posts would have to be increased substantially and the attention and efforts of the ministers and under-secretaries concerned would be focused on the narrow interests of small ethnic groups rather than on the national interest. The present excessive number of ministers … would entail expenditure on a scale beyond the resources of the budget. It would increase Somaliland’s need for foreign financial aid and consequently hinder the attainment of economic self-sufficiency… . [T]he appointment of insufficiently qualified persons as ministers and undersecretaries is contrary to the interests of the Somali community. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 415

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general phenomenon of quota-based political representation and its governance costs, and to the SYL’s founding opposition to clan-based politics discussed earlier in the book.