Our Role Is To Inform the Region's Citizens and The Government to Account

Kilil5 Editorial.

This website on a daily basis gets a lot of criticism from its readers. Criticism, deserved or undeserved, are welcomed by us. It’s our reader’s criticism that makes us want improve, informs us of our deficiencies and the things we need to improve and honestly informs us of what we are doing right or wrong. We are absolutely sure that a polarized society as ours and a region like ours, with formidable challenges for gathering news and information, that you can never satisfy all sides of the political spectrum and that our news can never be full prove correct. However, I think the time has come to explain ourselves to our readers. We want to be honest and forthcoming with our readers. We admit there have been times when we were biased toward the government and frankly acted as the government mouthpiece, but, there is a reason for this which is in line with our philosophy and believes. It’s not a secret and we don’t hide the fact that we believe in the current federal system of Ethiopia and the autonomous self-governing the constitution of Ethiopia affords the Somali region. This is why we support the Somali regional State fully irrespective of who the leader is. We want to make it clear that we are absolutely against the ideologies advocated by the ONLF and similar opposition groups. However, this doesn’t mean that we condone the deficiencies or excesses of both governments; neither do we refrain from criticizing their policies that adversely affect the citizens of the region. It’s our role, it’s our job.

We admit that we have our lapses of judgment or that at one point, we reported a news story that turned out inaccurate, but, I will assure our readers that, this website has never purposely or intentionally put a false news story. This website has similarly strived to improve the accuracy of its news stories and makes a concerted effort to accommodate all opinions. Over the years since our inception, we have evolved. And evolved toward the middle in our news reporting, to accommodate plural views, and to hold accountable both the federal and the regional governments. It should be very reassuring to our readers that, as a principle, and to protect the integrity of our news gathering, we have never asked the clan identity or the political views of our reporters. We have demanded only one thing, and that is to be neutral and factual with their reporting. We have demanded from our reporters to separate the actual news story from their opinion or believe. And they have done it, not all the time, but, majority of times.Being objective,and neutral, has earned this website the trust of senior officials and security officers in both level of government, and the opposition groups,which in turn,improves our ability to verify news leaks and stories on a daily basis.

The role of the news media in society springs from the right of people to learn about matters of public concern. The citizens of the Somali region should have the right, and freedom to speak about the workings of their government, should be entitled to debate their government conduct, and have the right to demand that their leaders defend their decisions, and the policies they are pursuing. People can play a useful role in a society and hold their government accountable only if informed well enough to do so. In this context, kilil5 Online strives to act as both a conduit and a watchdog. It’s our belief that free expression also encourages a government to be answerable to its people. Indeed, because of advances in internet communications, at no time in history have governments been better able to answer directly to those who elect them.

This website believes access to information is essential to the health of the Somali region for at least two reasons. First, it ensures that citizens are informed about matters that affect their daily lives within their boundaries and the outside world. Second, information serves a “checking function” by ensuring that elected Officials and people put in position of power,uphold their oaths of office and carry out the wishes of those who have entrusted them in their positions. Throughout the world, it has been proven that, in most cases, an antagonistic relationship between media and government represents a vital and healthy element for the full functioning of society and the supremacy of the rule of law. Our role is not to become cheerleaders for the regional or the federal government but to disseminate information as away of mediating between the state and all facets of civil society in ethnically homogenous Somali society with many, differing, and often competing special interest groups and clans. Our role is to inform the public, and hold government accountable. In return, this eventually yields good citizens and better government. The rule of law may be further institutionalized if we play our role independently.

Within the context of supporting and encouraging a democratic society and the rule of law in the Somali region, our goal has been to move, to a more open role, from one that isn’t directed or overtly controlled by the government and private interest groups, and to a position which has a degree of editorial independence that serves the public interest and the region’s citizens. We strongly believe that, if we are to have any meaningful role in the Somali region, and the country as a whole, then our goal should be to welcome, nurture, promote, and encourage a diverse range of opinion, and voices that are credible even if we don’t agree or share the same ideology. We believe this because we realize the region’s interest is better served by having plural voice and diversity of opinions.

We will take the “propaganda” criticism of Minister Abdi Iley with stride. We want to remind him that if any, this website might be deservedly criticized for overly cheerleading him, and often undeservedly praising him.The president and the minister should know that we want them to do well and we are here to support them. They have frankly a very difficulty job trying to raise the region from a deep unhappy history and out of its misery. They are dealing with an insurgent group that takes orders and is funded by foreign countries. This insurgent group undermines the hard work of the region leaders, and all development endeavors the region would undertake. The ONLF and other insurgent groups are holding hostage the Somali region from moving forward. They are doing everything they can, destroying the basic fabrics that hold the society together. It has been very evident from the beginning that these groups are hell bent in creating a climate of utter chaos and lawlessness to further their objective and narrowly defined ideology. Despite the magnitude of problems the region’s leaders face and deal with on a daily basis, they have been their own enemies more often than not. Instead of getting seriously with the business of governing, they have immersed themselves and pursued a short sighted, and frankly childish political chicken chasing game. The citizen of the region need, and are demanding, a pragmatic, and serious minded leaders. Leaders who are serious about the business of governing, instead of indulging themselves, the political witch-hunting of their opponents.

Finally, our citizens need to support their leaders, as our leaders are only as good as we make them. Without our support, the region’s leaders cannot solve the mountain of problems that our region faces today. The time has come for us to learn from the mistakes of our brothers across the border and the issues that have reduced them to the misery and the shameful sorry state they find themselves today. We can’t allow the few in our midst to pursue the culture of destruction and wrecklessness unchecked. We can't allow the few extremist in our midst to determine our future for us.We can’t allow the ideologues and the tribalist to use the cancer of clanism to pursue their blind ideology or reach the power they so desire without regard to our well being.