Two central committee members of the Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPPF), Ato Leul Qeskis and Ato Demis Belete, were guests at Qale Ethiopian Discussion Forum on Sunday afternoon, July 18.
In the discussion, which was attended by over 300 people, both Ato Demis and Ato Leul talked about latest efforts to revamp the 11-year-old armed resistance movement which is fighting to bring about a pro-unity, genuinely democratic governance in Ethiopia.
In February this year, EPPF held its general assembly and elected 17 members from the Diaspora to join the organization’s top decision making body, the central committee. The decision to include Ethiopians from the Diaspora in the leadership was part of the transformation process the organization is undertaking. It is also in line with a growing belief within EPPF that for the organization to achieve its goal of bringing about change in Ethiopia, it needs to utilize the skills and resources of Ethiopians around the world.
Ato Demis and Ato Leul explained that many of the newly elected central committee members are working hard to make radical changes in EPPF. However, such effort is being resisted by a few individuals in leadership positions, some of whom are involved in rampant corruption and malfeasance. Due to lack of proper procedure in handling its finances, EPPF is also exposed to infiltration by Woyanne agents. It has been recently discovered that some executive committee members have been receiving bribe. There are also many instances where funds collected for EPPF have been pocketed by some in the leadership.
The newly elected central committee members, in collaboration with EPPF activists and chapters around the world, are coming up with a new system that imposes strict discipline and accountability in the organization. Until such a system is established and announced through legitimate representatives of the organization, any attempt to collect funds on behalf of EPPF any where around the world is illegal, and all EPPF public meetings in the Diaspora must also be authorized by the central committee and EPPF chapters, according to Ato Demis, who is head of the EPPF external press office. Additionally, all press interviews, press releases, and announcements that are not approved by the press office must be ignored by EPPF supporters, Ato Demis added.
Click on the audio player below to listen the interview:
[podcast]http://www.ethiopianreview.com/audio/demis-and-leul-interview-qale-room-18-july2010-edited.mp3[/podcast]
9 thoughts on “Central Committee members discuss efforts to revamp EPPF”
Do not give false hope to the people
I think EPPF needs to check out its leaderships. There may be some paid woyane’s agent within them.
I think EPPF needs to scrutinize its leaderships. It is obvious that there are some paid woyane’s agent within them. the speaker/Admin is very smart.
I heard the interview. Viva EPPF. Good job Demis and Liul. Fight those corrupt old timers who are always obstacles to the struggle.
May God Save Ethiopia and it people!!! That is all I can say after listening to the interview. I pray for a solution similar to the one that took place in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay but not like the one leftist mooncalf in Venezuela. I have been to Chile during Pinochet time and after his downfall. What a change and what a peaceful change!!!
Demis and Liul are on the right track, they are demanding competence, dedication and accountability from their peers and of course from the field leadership of EPPF.
Those leadership qualities are forged under fire, the Ethiopian diaspora should unite without any ethnic tendencies to support those who are doing the fighting inside Ethiopia. Of course Woyanne know they are tyrants without popular base in Ethiopia. Their main weapon to fight against forces of change is deceipt and corruption, they will not stop inserting their agents and mainly spreading false propaganda to fragment the opposition using weaknesses some Ethiopians have.
To combat these tricks Woyannes use, the EPPF members and leaders in the diaspora should work tirelessly to raise the political awareness of Ethiopians, when that happens Woyanne will crumble like a house of cards. The only base of support Woyannes have now is their foreign backers, their foreign backers can’t do the fighting for them. Know these facts and fighting Woyanne will succeed eventually.
Thank you Leul and Demis for being straight forward with your answers. I and many of my friends want to support EPPF but all this mess is discouraging us. I hope such discussion will help bring solution.
It is good to get help from others when you fight for a cause. But when you allow others to decide what your cause, your organization structure, and your leaders should be and when you should sit or jump when they command you, then you are doomed. You are a puppet, not an organization that fights for the people you claim to represent. If you are out there from the outset to serve as harkis then keep it up.
The widly accepted fact that Isaias Afwerki and Legese Zenawe are the”two faces of the same coin”need to be settled in the minds of people who mean business about the affiars of their country.The first objective in military engagment is know your enemy.
It is impossible to accoplish any exploit against your enemy unless one steer clear away from the entanglment of these double edged vipers.One supposdly promises to train,arm and control the activity of the front;Melese infltrate Eppf.How many times has there been such organizational problem in this front.
The alligation in the past between Mosie and Ato Atalay is one example.I am afraid unless they accept the fact I.A and L.Z work hand in hand to promote their hidden agenda people will continue to risk untold humilation at the hands of the two cousines.
Ethiopians can be deliverd only by a multi national liberation front founded,financed and directed by Ethios-the rest is fiasco.