Shaleka Yoseph Yazew
Chairman, Kinijit North America Support Committee
Washington DC

Dear Shaleka Yoseph:

We, concerned Kinijit chapter officers, chapter members and supporters, would like to lodge our serious concern and formal complaint on the purpose and intent of the Extraordinary General Assembly Meeting (EOGAM), called for August 19-20, 2006.

We will proceed into why we believe the initiative to call the meeting was illegal, undemocratic and conspiratorial. Further, we would venture to bring to your attention how the EOGAM, if allowed to proceed in its questionable form, will damage the credibility of the entire Kinijit operation and put serious dent on the struggle. We strongly and unequivocally believe that Kinijit and all related operations should be run in the spirit of the Kinijit Manifesto and in the format charted by our courageous leaders in Kaliti prison.

1.There is enough evidence to prove that the call for EOGAM is the brainchild of Ato
Moges Bruk, Chairperson of the Los Angeles Kinijit Support Chapter.

2.Ato Moges initiated the call for EOGAM and lobbied the support chapters without consulting and obtaining the approval of the LA Board of Directors. Therefore, the initial petition by Ato Moges and the subsequent measures taken by KNA office to call the EOGAM is illegal, dictatorial and devoid of normally accepted democratic practices.

3.Ato Moges never solicited with a clearly defined written petition and therefore was never able to justify the need for EOGAM, one that could not be delayed until the next GA meeting. The problems and challenges we face today are no different from the ones we faced during the May and July GA meetings.

4.That Ato Moges launched his vigilante campaign driven by his staunch opposition to the establishment of Kinijit International Leadership (KIL), which was sanctioned by our leaders in Kaliti prison, is an open secret. His recorded statement at the July GA meeting in Los Angeles and his email statement broadcast over the internet are sufficient proofs.

5.There is evidence to prove that Shaleka Yoseph assisted Ato Moges’s campaign to convene an EOGAM by lobbying chapters that are considered soft and vulnerable. An email communication from Dr. Gashu also reveals the level of coercion used to get chapters to support the meeting.

6.The KNA chapters are summoned to the August 19 Washington DC meeting without being provided a petition document which specifies the agenda and argues the emergency nature of the agenda items. Without such a document and without valid signatures of the parties supporting the petition, KNA should never have called the meeting. As a result, the meeting is null and void and the KNA officers who endorsed the costly meeting should be held accountable.

7.We do not know how many chapters subscribed to the EOGAM after being convinced of the need for such a meeting or how many were lured into supporting it. We do not also know how many chairpersons sought the approval of their respective boards before committing to the meeting. Even if the petition was done with good intent, it should be remembered that a call for EOGAM is not valid unless it is supported by a large majority of members, usually 66-75%.

8.That the call for EOGAM was made by Dr. Gashu, circumventing the secretariat and the Secretary General of KNA, proves the shoddy nature of the plot.

No, we are not EPRDF surrogates. No, we are not a group of anarchists bent on disrupting Kinijit. No, we are not power mongers. Indeed, we are individuals who like millions of other Ethiopians, are dedicated to the cause of democracy, justice and the rule of law. Even more importantly, we are committed to see to it that Kinijit support leadership functions observing democratic tenets, in full transparency and accountable to its constituency. This is the vision set by Kinijit the party and the example set by our leaders.

We earnestly hope we have presented a compelling case to let you appreciate the gross misconduct and consequently, the undesirable precedence which ensues if this EOGAM continues without serious and honest intervention. Here are our recommendations that hopefully mitigate the situation.

1. We request that the KNA Executive Committee make a formal apology realizing it has allowed itself to be manipulated by an individual who is sworn to “Kill KIL”.

2. We request that KNA officers who knowingly collaborated with Ato Moges be dismissed or receive stern disciplinary action.

3. We suggest the meeting be postponed even if participants sustain financial cost. They will still be in a position to salvage valuable time and some cost associated with hotels.

4. In the event the meeting cannot be cancelled or postponed, we suggest the GA use the time to streamline its operation after an open discussion on the many shortcomings of KNA which has virtually paralyzed operation and forced the community into a withdrawal syndrome from which it is difficult to extract.

5. We suggest that KNA establish a “Kaliti Commission” whose main purpose will be to focus attention on the plight and release of our elected leaders upon which Ethiopia hinged its hopes.

Sincerely,

Note: The signatories to this petition have agreed to email you this three-page document as an attachment to their individual notes, thus making it a legal and acceptable communication.

CC:
KNA Executive committee members
KNA Support Committee Chapter Board members (Individually)
Kinijit International Leadership