     Kowneyn | Wednesday, January 17, 2001 - 10:06 am
Stranger than fiction
By Jamal Gabobe, Seattle, Washington
Once in a while, one reads or hears something that defies credulity and makes one wonder if such a thing actually happened. I have recently had this feeling when I came across a news account about the man claiming to be the prime minister of Somalia, Mr. Ali Khalif Galaydh. The news reported that Ali Khalif had a meeting with Somali journalists in Mogadishu in which he briefed the media about the activities of his "government". He also told them that he believed in the free media. So far so good. But then he went on to add, "we welcome any exposure of misconduct and corruption within the government, but these should be based on facts."
This last statement stopped me cold. I could not believe that Ali Khalif Galaydh would dare stand in front of anyone and talk about corruption. After all, the only two things that most Somalis knew about him before his recent political reincarnation was that he was once a high ranking official in Siyad Barre's dictatorial government and that during his stint in office, he embezzled millions of dollars from the Marerey sugar project.
The story of Ali Khalif's bilking this factory of millions is not something that was concocted by his political enemies, for even he himself has admitted to it. Agence France-Presse (Mon, 9 Oct 2000) wrote: "Accusations of wrongdoing still hang in the air about his involvement in a sugar factory scam in the early 1980s, an issue over which he has promised to accept accountability."
Which made me think of three possible scenarios:
1. There was no meeting between Ali Khalif Galaydh and Mogadishu’s journalists.
2. The meeting did take place as reported, and Mogadishu's journalists listened to Ali Khalif talk about corruption without reminding him of the little fact about the sugar factory although they knew about it.
3. The meeting did take place, and the reason Mogadishu's journalists did not bring up the subject of the sugar factory is because they had never heard about it.
I hope that scenario one is what happened. Because if such a meeting did take place and Mogadishu’s journalists let him get away with lecturing them about corruption, despite his own murky past, it would be a dereliction of their duty. At least in Siyad Barre's days, journalists could say they could not do their job because they were living under a dictatorship. Today’s journalists have no such excuse.
Below is the news story
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Ali Galayr of the interim Somali government yesterday met Somali journalists.
"We believe in free media and we need each other," Ali Khalif Galayr said.
Galayr briefed the media about the activities of the government and said a free media was the best way to improve journalistic standards.
"We do not want something like the Xidigta Octoobar newspaper official organ of the Siyad Barre government. Our desire is to work with the independent media," Galayr said. He said the government welcomed the independent newspapers and would work to strengthen them.
"We welcome any exposure of misconduct and corruption within the government, but these should be based on facts, " Galayr said.
Source: Xog-Ogaal
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| Neefoowkaniini | Wednesday, January 17, 2001 - 02:59 pm
,,,,Waaba tii oo haatanna u taaganyahay afar boqol oo malyuun oo dollarka mareykanka ahi in kiishada loogu guro oo dabeedna afartii boqolee hore meeshii ay martay uu marsiiyo,,...
Weyska adduun iyo Xaalkiisee Dhakayareey ma sidaa baa idiin dan noqotay!!!!! |
