Hailemariam Dessalegn, Abadula Gemeda and other puppets were summoned to Ethiopia’s fake parliament yesterday to officially “elect” their {www:puppet-master} Meles Zenawi as prime minister for another five years. VOA reports the daytime realty show as follows:
(VOA) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has been sworn in to another five year term at the opening of a new session of parliament. Mr. Meles is expected to begin his term with a government {www:reshuffle} .
“Honorable [Ato] Khat-addicted {www:despot} Meles Zenawi has been been appointed as prime minister of the unDemocratic Republic of Ethiopia.”
With those words spoken by Speaker of Parliament Abadulah Gemeda, Mr. Meles officially began his fourth term in office. By the time this five year term is over, the former Marxist guerrilla leader will have been in power nearly a quarter of a century.
His deputy chairman puppet at the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, Hailemariam Dessalegn, hailed the prime minister as an international {www:statesman} and leader of the revolution that overthrew the pro-Soviet dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991. He spoke in Amharic through a translator. “Our country Ethiopia is changing at a very fast rate and in international forums the man has played a critical role to make sure the rights of Africa are ensured,” he said.
[Solomon Tekalign could not make it to the parliament in time to sing “qindibu.”]
Among Mr. Meles’s first acts is expected to be a fundamental reorganization of his government, possibly as early as Tuesday. Deputy EPRDF chairman Hailemariam is said to be in line for a senior post, but there has been little {www:speculation} in the local press about who may be named to which prominent positions.
{www:Lawmaker}s Monday said even government insiders were only informed of the list at the last moment.
The EPRDF Tigray People Liberation Front and its allies control 545 of the 547 seats in this parliament, in sharp contrast to the last parliament, where there were more than 150 opposition members. Of the remaining two seats, one is held by an independent, the other by Girma Seifu, the lone winner from main opposition Medrek front.
When asked what he hoped to accomplish in his role as voice of the opposition, his answer was blunt. “Nothing. If things continue like this, you can do nothing,” he said.
The opening of the new session has given rise to strong speculation about the {www:imminent} release of opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa. Birtukan was among dozens of opposition activists sentenced to life in prison after the disputed 2005 elections, but she is the only one still behind bars.
She has been named a prisoner of conscience by rights groups, and was listed as a {www:political prisoner} in the most recent US State Department human rights report.
Mr. Meles hinted at the possibility of Birtukan’s release last month at a public forum in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
A {www:clergyman} who has been allowed to see Birtukan in prison said Monday he was aware of negotiations for her release. When asked if he knew when it might happen, he said, “call me tomorrow.”
Kjetil Tronvoll will speak at Colombia University on Ethiopia: Towards Totalitarian State?
Time: Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Place: Knox Hall
Kjetil Tronvoll is professor of {www:human rights} at the University of Oslo and holds professorial {www:competence} in peace and conflict studies. He is also founding and senior partner of the think tank International Law and Policy Institute. Tronvoll’s doctoral degree is in political anthropology from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Tronvoll has carried out studies in Africa for about 20 years, and has carried out long-term anthropological fieldworks in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Zanzibar.
He has published a number of books, articles and reports on issues of conflict, peace processes, human rights, and {www:democratization}. His core geographical areas of research is the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa, where he also has been involved as an advisor to international initiatives on peace and reconciliation.
Abigail, the daughter of our own Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam, has been named “Young Humanitarian of the Year” by the California-based St. Mary Hospital Foundation.
It is not surprising that Abi is named a {www:humanitarian}. Her father, who is giving voice to the voiceless people in Ethiopia with his powerful writings, is a role model not only to his daughters, but all young Ethiopians to grow up as {www:conscientious} individuals.
Abi Mariam: Young Humanitarian of the Year
(St. Mary Medical Center) — In the Fall of 2007, Abi Mariam began volunteering in the Junior Volunteer program at St. Mary Medical Center, where she has been a fixture ever since. Her mother, Mesrak Gessesse, is Director of Network Development at St. Mary, and her father, Al Mariam is a lawyer and professor at Cal State San Bernardino. “I’ve grown up at St. Mary Medical Center,” said Abi. “I like being able to give back to an organization that’s given a lot to my family and my community.”
Abi is extremely active with her school and in the community as well. She serves as President of the Granite Hills Key Club, a service organization, and actively participates in fundraisers for the Invisible Children Club, a non~profit organization raising money for child soldiers forced to fight in Northern Uganda. Abi is also President of the on-campus tutoring club ATAP (Academic Tutoring and Preparation and the Director of Debate in her school’s Junior Statesmen of America .
In addition to being involved in these and other fundraising and advocating efforts, Abi still finds time to maintain a 5.0 GPA with 4 Advanced Placement courses during the school year!
After high school, Abi plans to attend a four-year university and study political science and government. She is fascinated by different political ideological philosophies and how they can function in modern government. She says, “I have been fortunate to realize at a young age that a life serving others is a life well lived, and I believe my talents and interests will be best directed to helping others through my understanding and usage of our government.”
At such a young age, Abi is already aware of the {www:importance} of not only being involved in the community, but spreading that message of involvement to others, young and old alike. “I’ve been blessed with an unbelievably supportive family, wonderful teachers and amazing friends,” she commented. “These gifts are not mine to keep; they’re something I should share with others, and the only way I can give back some of what I’ve been given is through service.”
The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) was engulfed by a disastrous internal crisis during the past two years. This week, it was announced that the crisis has finally been resolved. The leadership with split in to two camps — one led by Daud Ibsa and the other one by Gen. Kemal Gelchu.
OLF issued the following statement:
The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) is happy to announce that after a series of talks under the mediation of its founders and senior members have agreed to reconcile and unify the organization by signing a major agreement on September 27, 2010. Accordingly, the reconciliation and unification will be finalized within the next five months. The parties availed themselves of the Oromo people’s rich heritage of conflict resolution to reach at this win-win solution.
The Oromo Liberation Front urges its members, supporters, and the general public to leave the past behind and redouble their efforts and rededicate themselves to the unfinished business of achieving freedom and liberty.
We believe consolidating the Oromo camp is of {www:paramount} importance. Hence, we call upon all Oromo organizations to heed our people’s call for unity.
Victory to the Oromo People!
Alliance for Liberty, Equality, and Justice in Ethiopia (ALEJE) has issued the following statement on the news.
Oromo Liberation Front Resolves Internal conflicts and rededicates itself for the historic struggle for Freedom, Democracy, and Equality
The internal conflict that has ravaged the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) over the past two years and, at least, modestly diminished its struggle for freedom, democracy, and equality has come to a {www:triumphant} end. During the peace and reconciliation meeting that took place over the weekend of September 27, 2010 in Washington, DC, the OLF leadership resolved its internal differences and concluded this historic meeting strongly reunited in one voice.
ALEJE extends a heartfelt congratulation to the OLF leadership, its members, and supporters on this {www:momentous} victory that will certainly paves the way for successive victories. ALEJE would also like to acknowledge and thank all the Oromo elders that made this moment possible.
The news of the reunification of the OLF leadership and its determination to reignite the struggle for freedom and equality in Ethiopia will definitely create havoc in the TPLF camp, the only entity that has benefited the most from the split of the OLF leadership in the first place. As an ethnic minority regime that has misruled Ethiopia with extreme savagery and lawlessness, the Zenawi regime clearly understands the important role that the OLF can play in the struggle for democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of in Ethiopia.
Ever so {www:cognizant} of the simple truth that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, Zenawi’s regime over the last two years has left no stone unturned to keep the OLF leadership from resolving its internal conflict and stand as a formidable force against the divide and rule policy of the Tigrai People’s Liberation Front.
Alliance for Liberty, Equality, and Justice in Ethiopia strongly believes that the reunification of the OLF leadership takes the struggle of the Ethiopian people one step closer to building an all inclusive and genuinely democratic Ethiopia where the rule of law, respect for human rights, and civil liberties will be built on the ashes of a brutal dictatorship that has wreaked havoc on our society.
The formation of a united front and central leadership has been one of the most frequently asked but never answered questions in the zero-sum game of Ethiopian politics. ALEJE strongly believes that it is the duty and historic responsibility of the OLF and other democratic forces of Ethiopia to provide satisfactory answer to one of the most important questions in the political history of Ethiopia.
The TPLF regime is oppressing and humiliating all ranks and sectors of the people of Ethiopia and it is looting regional and national resources from all corners of the country. ALEJE believes that unity is strength and the only way to stop the humiliation, the oppressive condition of the Ethiopian people, the wholesale looting, and downward {www:trajectory} of Ethiopia into a 21st century banana republic requires a collective effort.
The Ethiopian people regardless of their ethnic, political, religious, affiliation have suffered too much for far too long while the elites on all sides wasted precious time arguing at times on irrelevant and mundane issues. We believe it is now time to find common ground, work hard, make up for the lost time to find solutions to our common challenges and meet the expectation of the Ethiopian people in their quest for a genuinely democratic political order, liberty, and equality.
Alliance for Liberty, Equality, and Justice in Ethiopia feels the “fierce urgency of now” and is confident that the OLF leadership will take prompt, decisive, and groundbreaking measures that will {www:embolden} its constituency to fire the torch of freedom.
The Washington DC-based Addis Dimts Radio is holding its annual event this coming Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010, at the Washington DC Marriott Hotel.
The event includes cultural music, discussion of current issues related to Ethiopia, and various other activities.
Addis Dimts is serving as one of the pillars of the Ethiopian community in the Washington DC Metro Area by providing news and information about Ethiopia and communities of Ethiopians around the world.
Mark you calender on Sunday to attend the event and support Addis Dimts, as well as enjoy the discussions and cultural programs with your family and friends.
For more information or to buy tickets, click here.
Ethiopians who oppose Meles Zenawi’s ethnic {www:apartheid} tyranny persistently ask the U.S. and European governments to stop financing the regime, while forgetting that we in the Diaspora send over a billion dollars in hard currency to Ethiopia per year in a form of {www:remittance}. This amount is greater than what the Woyanne junta receives from its Western backers. In 2008, Dr Alemayehu G. Mariam wrote:
It was an eye-opening revelation to learn that Ethiopian Americans contributed a cool $1.2 billion to the Ethiopian economy this past year. That is “only second to the amount generated by Ethiopia’s exports.” Last week Elias Loha, Manager of Reserve Management and Foreign Exchange Market of Ethiopian National Bank, fretting over “a cut in vital remittances from Ethiopians in the United States” told Reuters: “We are concerned and worried that as a result of the financial crisis… some of the Ethiopians may loose their jobs and as a result they may stop sending money to help their families back home.” Could that be a backhanded way of giving us teeny-weeny credit for the much vaunted {www:stratospheric} “10 percent a year economic growth” Zenawi gasbags about? [full text]
Isn’t about time that we ask ourselves what we can do instead of begging the US and EU to help us?
Kjetil Tronvoll will speak at Colombia University on 
program at St. Mary Medical Center, where she has been a fixture ever since. Her mother, Mesrak Gessesse, is Director of Network Development at St. Mary, and her father, Al Mariam is a lawyer and professor at Cal State San Bernardino. “I’ve grown up at St. Mary Medical Center,” said Abi. “I like being able to give back to an organization that’s given a lot to my family and my community.”