This paper most probably and most doubtlessly has not been subjected to peer review. The "data" presented and the inferences from the "data" are fundamentally flowed, deficient and do not meet the lowest standards of intellectual integrity(1). The response to this paper from the "Ministry of Puntland" was baffling and different, too.

Firstly, The satellite imagery presented does not supplement the "non-traditional sources" data where the underlying events that influenced the data were not clearly established. The satellite imagery of Garowe or Bossaso for 2002-2009 could have been augmented with a current ground level statistical analysis of data sampling/collection scheme where the fractions of houses legitimately owned by the right people and/or by the questionable owners could have been established after which the piracy onset period had been established. This kind of experimental design using carefully planned statistical illustration could have shed credible light on piracy and its subsequent effects and its economic contributions could have been ascertained. We could have compared likewise the images and data of similar city size to Garowe or Bossaso like Burao, Northern Somali Republic, keeping in mind that the Northeastern region ( Puntland) and the Northern region ( Somaliland) of the Somali Republic have enjoyed similar peaceful conditions, growth and development trajectory for the past 20 years. That kind of well thought experimental design and statistical illustrative analysis coupled with the satellite imagery could have been the minimum requirement to bring to light the alleged Somali piracy case. The gist of the satellite imagery by itself as presented is meaningless and has no merit as presented by the author. The author miserably failed to draw a credible evidence to finger point "the beneficiaries of the piracy" except to wage baseless lumped data, convoluted allegations against the innocent people of the Northeastern region (Putland) of the Somali Republic collectively.

Secondly, the erroneous "data" presented in Figure 1 as local wages is so disingenuous without stating the effects of the underlying circumstances for instance, the US enabled Ethiopian occupation in 2006, the concurrent CIA money bags for the warlords, the after effect and impact on the trade disruption between Mudug, Bari, Benadir regions and the massive slaughter of the trading civilians and labor. There is no statistical variance analysis if the differences claimed among the regions is significant for different matched month to month time frames rather than the six months selected where substantial influencing effects and events where in progress. The author showed lack of knowledge of pertinent events relevant to the analysis and the to the misleading recommendations. This paper is a good illustration of the saying, "there are liars and there is damn statistics". This is a convoluted study, where statistics is not used as an illustration but as a support like a drunkard uses a walking stick. In short, this paper lacks merit to recommend anything of substance to curtail the alleged piracy impact on the economics of the different Somali Republic regions. The coastal villages missing out on the "piracy loot" and to engage the coastal villages to combat the piracy is akin to the poorly thought "dual track" , the pet project of low level US State department bureaucrats to balkanize the Somali Republic. The recommendation to finance the coastline villagers to engage them in an effort to curb the piracy is like the US policy "dual track" clan engagements to curb the mindless Al-shabab on the one hand, and fragment the Somali people, on the other, without regard of the consequence for the cohesion of the Somali State. The US State department proponents of the "dual track" declined to participate in the US Somali Diaspora meeting designed to examine the "dual track" policy in Columbus, Ohio in January-27-28, 2012. This paper is another leg to balkanize Somalia further. The timing of this misleading paper is most doubtlessly to furnish "evidence" for the Prime Minister of Britain's planned Conference in February, 2011 with the Somalis in London to justify the balkanization effort . This paper lacks intellectual integrity and peer review scrutiny and should be withdrawn from the Chathamhouse. It is equivalent to the report by the discredited gang that formulated the Bush Invasion of Iraq for bogus nuclear weapons.

Thirdly, the assertion by the Ministry of Maritime Transport, Ports and counter-Piracy in "Puntland" that they have many "pirate" prisoners in their jails leaves one to wonder whether this jailing is to appease the west and lock many innocent fishermen who have no legal counseling. The rule of law in "Puntland" is a big question mark without the Human Rights scrutiny. Furthermore, the ministry has no concern or is ignorant about the toxic, nuclear and medical waste dumping in the Somali coast by the European pirates. The Ministry response is conveniently ill-informed about the lasting effect of the European pirates impact of waste dumping in the Somali Coast. Sadly, the exhaustive illegal fishing in the Somali coast by the European and Asian ships is not in the press release rebuttal. The countless Somali fishermen whose fishing boats were sunk or shot in the back by those fishing European and Asian factory trawlers for being Somalis fishing in their coastline is not even mentioned or acknowledged. The legality of jailing Somali citizens in foreign lands without due legal process is very troubling, although there are Somali criminal elements. It is baffling that the Ministry is more concerned about the input "by a political Somali group" into this piracy bogus paper while the Ministry lacks any knowledge to mention Somali national issues. I hope Putland authorities get counseling before they attend the coming Somali Conference arranged by the UK Prime Minister(3) in February, 2012. This clearly reflects a deficit in leadership for the Somali Nation at every level.

1)http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/181277 

2) http://allsbc.com/press-releasesomalia-%E2%80%98piracy-research%E2%80%99-insult-to-common-sense/

3)http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/mattbaugh/2012/01/17/london-conference-on-somalia-building-momentum/
 

 

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