Ethiopian Review Editorial

The chairperson of Union for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), Wzr. Birtukan Mideksa, held a press conference on Sunday, Oct. 12. In the press conference, Birtukan explained her party’s current and future programs. She talked about participating in the 2010 elections and a budget proposal of 7.3 million birr that will be used to carry out party activities. Birtukan said the money for the proposed budget will be raised from membership fees and other means.

Asked to explain the difference between UDJ and Dr Beyene Petros’ fake opposition party, United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), Birtukan said the difference is that Dr. Beyene’s party is organized along ethnic lines.

To the question that UDJ never speaks about the fate of millions of Ethiopians who are facing starvation, Birtukan said that starvation to Ethiopia is not new and that it has become one of those things that Ethiopia is identified with. However, she said, that her party will do a study and present solutions.

Regarding the implementation of the Kinjit 8-Point proposal for participating in future elections, Birtukan answered that as a party that chose to wage peaceful methods of struggle, participating in elections is one of UDJ’s main activities.

Sunday’s press conference has affirmed that UDJ will take part in the 2010 fake elections that will be used only to fool the international community into legitimizing Woyanne as an elected Ethiopian government. Woyanne will then turn around and beg for hundreds of millions of dollars from the international community on behalf of Ethiopia. The donated money will be used by Woyanne to continue pillaging and plundering Ethiopia.

With help from the likes of UDJ the Woyanne tribal junta will get more foreign aid to buy more weapons and continue to commit atrocities against our brothers and sisters in Gambela, Gojam, Gonder, Ogaden, Oromia, Shewa, Sidama, Somalia and other parts of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Woyanne will increase the salary of its mercenary army to keep the killers loyal and brutal. A large portion of the money will be siphoned off by the corrupt Woyanne officials.

Thousands have lost their lives, so many have made enormous sacrifices for the principles Kinjit had advocated. By dropping Kinijit’s 8-point Proposal, thus joining the ranks of Dr Beyene Petros and Lidetu Ayalew, UDJ has betrayed the people of Ethiopia.

Kinjit’s 8-Point Proposal states the following:

1. The Restructuring of the Election Board into an Independent body.

2. Freedom of and access to All Media

3. Independent legal system (free from Woyanne party control)

4. An Independent Commission to investigate the killings of innocent Ethiopians following the May 2005 elections

5. Non-involvement of armed forces in political affairs

6. Reinstatement of parliamentary procedures and governance of Addis Ababa in accordance with the verdict of the people

7. Release of all political prisoners

8. Independent commission or body to adjudicate the above.

It is not possible to form a new political party and take part in an election without the implementation of these preconditions. Most of these preconditions are not only true for Ethiopia, but also for countries that are continuously working to build their democracy. They are the foundations for fair and free elections, as well as representative governments.

UDJ’s activities are also nothing but fraudulent. After dropping the 8-Points, UDJ has called itself the former Kinjit and taken funds that were raised for Kinjit in the U.S. and EU. Ethiopians in the Diaspora had made contributions believing that the Kinijit leaders will continue to struggle for the principles they advocated, not to create a new party that surrenders the people’s vote to the Woyanne dictatorship.

Senior UDJ leader Prof. Mesfin WoldeMariam had traveled to the U.S. last July and asked Ethiopians to follow the teachings and practices of the Tibetan Dalai Lama, instead of the teachings of our own Atse Tewodros, Atse Menelik, Dejazmach Balcha and other Ethiopian leaders who kept our country united and respected for thousands of years. It seems like the professor doesn’t know that his hero, the Dalai Lama, currently lives in exile. Does the professor know that there is no such country called Tibet today and if we follow the Dalai Lama teachings, we may lose our country, too?

To add insults to injury, UDJ leaders such as Wz. Birtukan and Prof. Mesfin, have called freedom fighters that are sacrificing their lives for freedom and democracy “primitive” and “neftenoch” — the same word Woyanne uses to demonize the Amhara ethnic group.

As Woyanne currently starves millions of Ethiopians, the UDJ leadership remains mute. When international human right groups raise alarms about the war crimes in Ogaden and Somalia, the UDJ leadership is mute. When U.S. senators work on a bill to stop aid to Woyanne, the UDJ leadership is mute. When Meles admitted to giving Ethiopian territory to Sudan, the UDJ leadership is mute. When the brave EPPF army chased away the occupying Sudanese army, the UDJ leadership called the method used by the brave fighters “backward.”

Enough Is Enough! Ethiopia has seen so many of her own children betray her. Today’s generation of Ethiopians must take the responsibility to confront and expose UDJ and all the other fake ‘opposition’ groups that are helping the Woyanne vampire regime prolong its destructive rule over our country.

LISTEN THE PRESS CONFERENCE HERE

PART 1 [podcast]http://www.kinijitla.org/Audio/Birtukan_Oct_12_08_Part_1.mp3[/podcast]
PART 2 [podcast]http://www.kinijitla.org/Audio/Birtukan_Oct_12_08_Part_2.mp3[/podcast]