by Saeed Dualleh Hersi
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Dear Mr. Editor,
My name is Saeed Dualleh Hersi, an economist and financial reporter from Somalia who lives in the United States. I am not part of the Somali government nor do I need to be.
Your news paper is one of the best read papers in the Middle East, North and Eastern Africa. Most of the times you are correct in pointing out things that the locally based news papers especially in the Arabian Peninsula could not print in their respective countries because of government repercussions and reprimands. Most of the time your journalistic reporting is fair and balanced however, lately you have degraded the reputation of your paper to the level of the gossip columnists.
Recently you have reported on your article on April 2.2010 that the government of Somalia is secretly trying to loot the country. There is no proof for this allegation that you stated. If you have one bring it on. You also tried to smear the reputation of Dr. Ali Amalo a well known and well respected banker and a governor of the central bank of Somalia and currently a senior advisor to the president. To freshen up your memories if you have not seen before Mr. Amalo is the only governor who closed all the Somali nations’ accounts in order to protect its national assets from warlords and government officials and financial institutions such ad De La Rue that you mentioned in your report.
He protected them for 20 years from former presidents, prime ministers, cabinet members and subsequently nominated central bank governors who tried in vain to unlock what Mr. Amalo blocked for over 20 years. His reason for the hold being that he will only allow access to these funds to an internationally recognized Somali government that the world financial organizations have accepted as legitimate representative in a legal manner that will be documented and transparent. This government has that recognition of the world bodies and nations and has rightfully sat at its rightful seat at United Nations General Assembly, and the recognition of governments of the United States and United Kingdom where you are based at. State secrets are not displayed your news paper unless it is a rumor. If that is true you would have printed the Saudi Arabian airplane purchases and contracts and gifts to the prince as reported in the other papers in London.
The Somali President as in any nation’s president can nominate anyone at will per the constitution set in the Transitional Federal Charter. The reason the government cannot up to now a set date to take action on the insurgents is because of the infiltration by radical Islamists inside the government and unsubstantiated allegations spread by some local websites and your paper. These are radical Islamic groups who want to overthrow the government of Hon. President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed by spreading rumors using local websites and other news sources including your news paper to expand their propagandas. Some of these people have clan motivation while others want to bring the country under Al Qaida through their proxy Al Shabab Al Mujahedeen. Your story on the finance minister of Somalia Sharif Hassan on blocked fund in Malaysia is not worth the pen and paper it is written on. No one has produced any proof of the existence of any funds including the government of Malaysia which the TFG has very good relationship.
Mr. Hassan is a reputable man who is trying to correct what others could not for 20 years. Do not smear those who are trying revive and resuscitate a failed nation that needs all the help it can get from anyone. Also stop smearing reputable legal organization in the United States that are trying to assist the people of Somalia.
Please stop chasing the rumors initiated by radical Islamists and disgruntled former government bureaucrats and be a reputable paper that goes after the truth.
My question to your paper is why do you always side with the opposition when it comes to Somalia? When president Sharif was the opposition, he was your favorite person. Are you being selective in reporting? Do you ever allow the other side to be heard?
Somalia has enough problems with radical Islamists, pirates and refugees, it needs a government not those whose aim is to disintegrate the existence of the remains of once proud and reputable people and nation.
I will continue reading your paper both in Arabic and English. The English translation is weak and it needs to be strengthened if you plan to make this paper a reliable source of news.
Yours truly,
Saeed Dualleh Hersi
[email protected]