Pursuant to Article 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia: The official language of the Federal Republic of Somalia is Somali (Maay and Mahaa tiri), and Arabic is the second official language.
Given the urgent desire for the implementation of the Maay Language officially, which nearly half of the population in the country have been waiting for over 6 decades to understand the constitution of the country in their language.
The Elif Maay Standardization Committee, which has been working on the standardization of the official Elif Maay script, formally declares that:
- The Federal Government of Somalia, in fulfillment of its constitutional mandate, must formally enforce Article 5 of the country’s constitution, which requires the government to employ both Maay and Mahaa tiri in all government offices at all levels.
- The Federal Parliament of Somalia (the House of Representatives and the Upper House) while fulfilling their constitutional obligations under Article 5 of the constitution shall promptly create a Parliamentary Secretariat, which formally and equitably makes all parliamentary documents, including the agendas, messages, laws, agreements, protocols and notices, in both Maay and Mahaa tiri, so that all communities in the country have the right to understand and comment on the laws and other documents of the country.
- The Ministry of Education of the Federal Government of Somalia, in compliance with its constitutional obligations under Article 5 of the Constitution of the shall incorporate Maay language and culture into all activities in its offices and branches, including the National Curriculum and Examination Departments; and to set up a Maay Language Committee, which shall prepare national exams for Maay language speakers.
- The Ministry of Justice and Constitution of the Federal Government of Somalia, in fulfillment of its constitutional obligations under Article 5 of the Constitution shall form a National Commission that writes the constitution into Maay language, and at the same time to provide opportunities for the Maay speaking communities, to read and understand the constitution in their own language.
- All Federal State Governments, considering their constitutional obligations set out in Article 5 of the Constitution shall formally and officially mandate the use of Maay language in all public offices of member states.
- All the judicial institutions of the Federal Government of Somalia, considering their constitutional obligations under Article 5 of the Constitution shall incorporate all judicial services into both Maay and Mahaa tiri, which is the right of every citizen to fully understand anything related to judicial proceedings and decisions.
- That all international organizations assisting Somalia in the reconstitution of national institutions, such as UNDP, UNESCO, UNSOM, UNICEF and other international bodies must comply with the constitutional obligations as mandated in Article 5 with regard to the national language issue, when it comes to contributing to social services that are related to the fundamental human rights.
- All of the above-mentioned authorities, and anyone who performs any public service shall be required to comply with Article 5 of the Constitution.
Recommendations
This official Elif Maay script that the Elif Maay Standardization Committee announces is the product of efforts over the past 48 years and has been intensified in the last six years. Therefore, the committee strongly and immediately recommends the following policy actions:
- The Federal Government of Somalia to create a formal committee to integrate the Maay language into the National Education Curriculum which is important for the overall educational system of the nation.
- All Federal Member State Governments, particularly those of Southwest, Jubbaland, Hirshebelle, and Banadir to immediately implement the use of Maay language at all administrative and educational levels since these administrations host the majority of Maay speakers.
- The Federal Government of Somalia to include a Maay language course in the national curriculum so that all children can learn their national languages, Maay and Maha tiri.