Many Ethiopian politicians are describing the present national drive by the regime as signaling the beginning of the “Developmental State” in Ethiopia as prescribed by the Prime Minister a year ago. The politicians have expressed their fear that the era of dictatorship in Ethiopia will be elongated rather than culminated.
Their fear arose from the fact that all opposition parties were rendered inoperative by systematic harassment, intimidation, and harassment. This has been lucidly stated by leaders of opposition parties who were soft on the dictatorial regime of Meles Zenawi. The main opposition, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party, the leaders of which were incarcerated nearly for two years, has also been rendered inoperative. This party which won the hearts and minds of the majority people of Ethiopia through its democratic and national unity programs as opposed to the parochial or ethnic-based backward programs of the tribalist regime has been severely oppressed and pushed out of the game. The much-hoped party has also faced internal division which also contributed to its further disintegration, present-day politics in Ethiopia doesn’t offer hope or optimism. As in the Derge era the county is sliding back to authoritarian system. In this piece of writing an attempt is made to scan some elections made in some continents vis-à-vis the Ethiopian local elections still underway.
As many national elections were held in many countries of the world, the year 2008 can be dubbed as a year of elections. There was an election in Russia, but President Putin made a slight change in the hierarchy by simply transferring himself from the presidency to the position of the premiership. In this election the opposition was defeated by overt and covert means employed by the government to make them out of the political game.
In a similar vein, a parliamentary election was held in Iran, the now most feared country by the West for its nuclear proliferation program and its strong support to radical Muslims. Again opposition candidates were technically barred from being elected because of their liberal views on radical Islam. As a result, the incumbent president was proclaimed to be the winner thereby closing the door against the opposition party.
In the USA, fierce competition is underway especially between senators Clinton and Obama to become the next president. There will be a winner among the three American presidential contenders after few months but that wouldn’t be through foul means as in the other countries where there is no democracy and rule of law.
When we turn our attention to Africa, in May 2005, in Ethiopia, a national election was held across the country and was described as the best of its kind in the political history of the country. This was because it involved opposition parties, local and international observers. However, the much touted historic election ultimately turned out to be a fiasco when the regime stole the election result, and subsequently committed unparalleled brutality on demonstrators who opposed the rigging of the election. To date, 193 peaceful demonstrators have been gunned down by the snipers of the regime in the streets of Addis Ababa. These victims paid the highest sacrifice for freedom and democratic rights of the people of Ethiopia. As if that were not enough, more than 50,000 supporters of the main opposition party have been incarcerated by the regime in different concentration camps in the countryside. A European journalist described this gross violation of human rights as unparalleled since the end of Apartheid era in South Africa. Dozens of opposition party leaders and private newspaper journalists were imprisoned for nearly two years under trumped up high treason charges. It is an unfortunate fact of life that the judiciary and Election Board are not neutral in Ethiopia.
According to a recent interview of an opposition leader who was released a few months ago from prison, there are still many political prisoners awaiting verdicts by the kangaroo court of the tribalist regime. I shall come later to the issue of election in Ethiopia, but now let me turn your attention to the other recently held elections in Africa where similar situations occurred.
In Africa, recently elections were held in Nigeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. Although General Obasanjo did not want to relinquish power, the parliament of the country, however, resolved the problem by denying the General to satisfy his insatiable interest for power. Hence, the election in Nigeria, one of the advanced countries in Africa, was concluded with a peaceful transition.
But in Kenya, a country considered for a long time by the West to be a bearer of democracy in Africa, the election result turned out to be bloody. More than 1,500 people have died and many thousands have been displaced from their residential areas.
Thanks to Mr. Koffi Anan, however, the problem seems to be over. By the way, Mr. Koffi Anan didn’t make a similar negotiation effort to solve the election crisis in Ethiopia at a time when he was Secretary General of the UN. Mr. Koffi Anan was at the economic commission for Africa in Ethiopia before he became Secretary General of the UN. He is very familiar with the residents of Addis Ababa, but unfortunately he didn’t extend help to solve one of their greatest problems. As if adding fuel to the fire, Mr. Koffi Annan ignored the request of Ethiopian-Americans to mediate between the government and the opposition party.
The election crisis in Zimbabwe is unprecedented in the history of present-day Africa. President Mugabe, the founding father of the nation who led the protracted struggle against British colonial rule, is at his peak period in his life (84 years old) for retirement. He ruled the country for twenty eight years which is a very long period by any measure of public service. So what does he want? To be a cause of public unrest, bloodshed, social and economic disaster like the one that occurred in Kenya a few months ago?
Turning attention to the local counties election in Ethiopia the first of which was held on April 13 and the next on April 20, 2008, they are simply orchestrated dramas made by the regime to continue holding onto power by all means possible. The regime is still in shock which it had received as a result of the absolute and determined vote made by the residents of Addis Ababa and other urban areas against the regime two years ago during the national election. According to some political analysts, the shock experienced by the regime began to be felt earlier before the election ballot when the residents of Addis Ababa had shown a strong support to opposition parties in a huge rally at the biggest square in Addis Ababa. That was a water shade in the political history of the country regarding the will to establish a democratic system as opposed to a dictatorship exercised by the regime.
This situation, among others, was the one which led the regime to brutally murder the residents of Addis Ababa, who, for the first time since the downfall of the communist system which reigned for seventeen years, have shown strong struggle in defense of their freedoms and political rights. The regime, instead of turning its attention to a peaceful and normal political activity, has continued its roller coaster move and the overall situation in the country has receded. It is in this gloomy situation, a dark period in the political history of the country, now the drama of the local elections are being held. All opposition parties, which had even tried to be loyal to the regime, have boycotted the election describing the nefarious intimidation activities by the regime. Hence, the election underway, conducted under a single party, signals the emergence of the well-calculated plan by the regime to strengthen dictatorship under the name “Developmental State” described by some scholars as crap.
In my lifetime, I saw such orchestration during the brutal military regime of Mengistu. One time, there were only single candidates, and the people of Addis Ababa were forced to endorse the election drama. This kind of election, both the past and the present, should have been termed not an election but an indirect appointment by the regimes.
In such situations, in the countries mentioned earlier such as Russia, Iran, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, to name just a few, what is the role of the international community, the advanced democratic countries? Can they help out in redressing the imbalance? It is unlikely.
The defence of human rights during the past few years seems to be lukewarm. All the democratic countries are not vocal in their defense against violations of human rights these days. For them, business first, has become the order of the day. They are also facing stiff resistance by the economic giants such as China and other Asian countries. In the past few years, these countries which are oppressive and anti-democratic in both their behaviour and practice, began to defy the voice of democratic countries. As a result, many democratic countries are now turning their strategies from confrontation to a constructive engagement. This is especially true for China, a country known for its continual gross violations of human rights. The current crackdown on Tibetan people by Chinese rulers is a case in point.
In fact, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and my home land, Ethiopia, are weaker in terms of economies. They are poor countries.
Zimbabwe had a glorious past; Kenya has been known for its strong economy and political system, a model in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia has been known for its dependence on the West, especially the USA. Therefore, if western countries have the will or the desire to defend democratic rights, they can put pressure on the government of Ethiopia to bring change. They can withhold financial assistance, put on trade embargos, and curtail cultural exchanges such as sports events.
The one point which is often mentioned in the case of Ethiopia vis avis its relation with the West, especially the US, is strong alliance against radical Muslims. I am not against the alliance. As I stated earlier, in one of my articles, Ethiopia has always been in alliance with the West, both during the Second World War and the Cold War period. There is nothing new with the alliance. But the question is, can’t the USA, the champion, the arch-bearer of democratic rights, make the regime of Meles Zenawi understand and make at least a political and economic reform necessary for the day. The same can be said of the European Union. It seems that policy makers of the US and EU know that both Meles Zenawi and his party, the so called Revolutionary Democratic Front, are not indispensable. They have seen with their own eyes that the opposition parties which have many scholars, many of whom had undergone their education in different universities in the USA, can be alternatives.
So why can’t fighting against radical Muslims and support for democracy go together? Are they anti-thesis to each other? There shouldn’t be a dilemma on this issue which concerns the lives of the seventy million Ethiopians. If the current and the coming US administrations can’t resolve the chronic crisis of democratic rights in Ethiopia, they will lose the friendship of the people of Ethiopia.
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The author can be reached at [email protected]. Visit his blog, Issues in Focus
Meles Zenawi’s surrogates were in Dallas today to address a hand picked audience from the Ethiopian Diaspora. The local Woyane/EPDRF operatives have been preparing for this meeting in “secret” for some time now. Tipped by insiders and similar event participants in Houston, a coalition of all opposition supporters in Dallas faced the Woyane cadres and challenges them why a government which claims to be open and democratic plans and holds meetings in secret with a selected few. The reasons for this are of course obvious.
If Woyane wants a discourse with Ethiopians, it should do it at home. We know at home our people are made captive audiences of its propaganda barrage by fiat and control. If not dialogue what is it that then Meles and Co. are looking for from Diaspora? They have seen in the last two years how the Ethiopian Diaspora has become an effective voice for its people. They want to silence that voice by:
1. Influencing some of the Diaspora members to collaborate with Meles in the name of investment. As a dispenser of all rural/city land, Meles is working hard to buy the loyalty of some of us with a promise of land or property in Ethiopia. To this effect, the participants of meetings with government/embassy officials will be identified first and invited to attend privately through personal mail and/or telephone call. There will be no public announcement of the meeting.
2. The attendees of the meeting will be lectured on the democratic and development virtues of the Meles Zenawi’s regime while they are being video taped for repeated propaganda play and replay on Ethiopian TV. This is supposed to embolden its supporters at home and subdue its opponents.
There is no other agenda or goal in these meetings. Knowing this, the supporters of all oppositions groups in Dallas together with other fellow Ethiopians made a decision to make sure that if a meeting is held that the true voices of the Ethiopian Diaspora is heard. If Meles’s proxies can’t swallow that then they have to be forced to cancel the meeting. This is exactly what is attempted and what aborted from happening on April 24, 2008 in Dallas, TX at the Quality Inn & Suites.
Around 5:00 PM, the demonstrators made their way to the meeting hall at Quality Inn with placards and pictures of victims who were murdered by the Woyanne Agazi forces. In the Hall, there were only 15 people; three of whom were aligned with the demonstrators. Out numbered almost 8 to one, the official organizers called security guards — and later the police — to ask the demonstrators to leave the Hall. The protesters continued with their slogans until the police arrived.
The speakers of the meeting were supposed to be Ato Taye and Ato Muluye from the Woyanne consulates in Los Angeles and Washington DC. When they saw that they have no chance to lecture a captive audience and record a video for propaganda display on Ethiopian TV, the speakers chose not to speak. They asked the police to evict the demonstrators out of the Hall. The police recognized the right of the demonstrating Ethiopians to attend the meeting with their placards as long as it is shown in a peaceful manner. The police had to finally ask everybody, including the embassy officials and the surrogates of Meles in Dallas to leave the hall as tension grew. The attempt of the agents of the butcher of Addis Ababa to silence the Diaspora voice in the name of investment opportunities ended in total fiasco.
Fellow Ethiopians everywhere, take lesson from today’s action in Dallas, Texas: Never allow the agents of the butcher of Addis Ababa to silence us through a promise of a piece of land. Who is he to give us back our own land? To those of us who want to invest in Ethiopia, go home quietly and invest in your family and with your family. Please don’t be used to cover the crime of a brutal regime.
The response to the call for an Ethiopian rally for Freedom and Justice on May 15-18, 2008 has been overwhelming! I have heard from Ethiopians in thirteen countries and in over thirty cities within these countries, all voicing their desire to participate. Just to name a few we heard from Tel Aviv to Toronto, from London to Los Angeles, from Addis Ababa to Amsterdam, from Stockholm to Johannesburg and from Zurich to Sydney.
The responses are not from only one political or ethnic group, but are representative of the diversity within the borders of Ethiopia. This shows me that Ethiopians are beginning to understand that a movement for freedom and justice must welcome all to join in creating a new Ethiopia.
This rally will provide an opportunity not only to demonstrate our solidarity with those in Ethiopia who are greatly suffering under the current Meles regime, but it will also be a “Day of Remembrance” for the thousands of Ethiopians who have died or suffered because of human rights abuses and injustice inflicted against us by the EPRDF. It will be a day to call for a halt to the war waged on civilians in the Ogaden and in Somalia. It will be a day to call for the release of political prisoners like Teddy Afro, a beloved Ethiopian musician whose courageous songs struck to the heart of our problems we are facing in our country.
By coming out to rally on May 15-18th, you, the reader, is saying to the EPRDF government and to the world, that our people did not die or suffer in vain and that you will not rest until justice comes to Ethiopia! By taking action, you demonstrate your protest of the betrayal of democracy in our country. We have seen it in the hijacking of the Ethiopian National election of May 2005, in the suppression of any opposition in the local Ethiopian elections of April 2008, in the manipulation of the Constitution, in the violation of human rights and in the total lack of adherence to the rule of law.
This is a rally where everyone hoping for a better Ethiopia is needed. No political affiliation is necessary, but every political affiliation is invited. All Ethiopians who are unhappy with the worsening crisis in Ethiopia, even those who have never before participated in a rally or attended a meeting, should come. Many of those who have participated before have become weary of politics, but this is not about politics. Neither is this rally about one’s ethnicity, one’s region, one’s religion or any other distinguishing characteristics found within the family of Ethiopians. It is a rally for all Ethiopians who want justice, harmony, freedom and peace for all.
This means that this rally is for the average Ethiopian as well as for those in one of the many organized groups like the Kinijit, the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) the Ethiopian National United Front (ENUF), the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Afar Liberation Front, Gambella Liberation Front, the Sidamo Liberation Front, the Gasha for Ethiopia, Solidarity Forum of Ethiopia, the Oromo-American Citizens’ Council, the Ogaden Human Rights Committee, the Coalition for H.R. 2003, Ethiopian Canadian Citizens League (ECCL), Tegbar League, the Beneshangul Human Rights Foundation, Solidarity Committee for Ethiopian Political Prisoners (SOCEPP)… I have already been in touch with representatives from nearly all of these organizations and they are more than willing to march for freedom and justice, side by side with their fellow Ethiopians.
The task ahead now is for individuals and groups to help organize the efforts in your particular areas; however, I (and others) will be offering some general guidance and coordination of the effort in order to make the task easier and the results more powerful as we all come together to show our desire for a new Ethiopia.
First of all, some of us will be meeting this Friday on April 25, 2008 to set up a means for intercommunication with each other. If you want to be part of this meeting, please email:[email protected], for the teleconference number. We hope to plan for future press releases, teleconferences, radio coverage, Paltalk, email communications, YouTube and phone calls in order to share ideas and enhance the efforts of each group. However, keep in mind that every event will vary in some ways from others because they will reflect the creativity, drive, uniqueness and resourceful of those Ethiopians organizing it.
Secondly, we have included this same email address so that we can help coordinate volunteers by area, linking volunteers to organizers. Simply let us know if you are willing to help in some way and try to describe what you would like to do. If you are not sure, that is okay, just contact us and voice your willingness to help. The time is short and we must organize quickly.
We need people to help obtain necessary permits, to invite the press, to invite special guests, to create slogans, to design T-shirts (if so desired), to make signs, to recruit volunteers, to reach out to other groups and individuals in your area, to organize prayer, to decide on locations, to contribute financially, to organize child care for volunteers or to arrange transportation to the event. There is something for everyone to do.
Various side events or even alternative events may be explored, all of which could also raise awareness of the lack of justice and freedom in Ethiopia. Such events might include a 10K/5K run/walk, dinners, music events, special prayer services in churches, mosques or synagogues and other such events. Funds could be raised for the Movement for a New Ethiopia through selling T-shirts, refreshments or beverages or by holding various events like dinners, auctions, raffles or other such events.
This rally marks the start of the Movement for a New Ethiopia. This is only the beginning. After we march, get ready for more work ahead. It is time to combine our resources and efforts. No freedom will be sustainable until all Ethiopians are free. Say no to ethnic politics and to divisiveness that has been defeating us for years.
The Western donor countries cannot free us and will continue to work with Meles and the EPRDF until there is a second choice that is stronger and better. You, the reader, are that second choice if you and others do their part.
For you, the readers, who are women, do not leave it up to only the men. You are our mothers, the backbone of our society. It is you who are always trying to piece together the remnants of a society, torn apart by corruption, ethnic hatred, division and greed. Stand up for a different kind of Ethiopia. I believe you can help nurture this movement as you nurture your children. These children are our future.
Now, I also want to especially address the youth of Ethiopia. You must become engaged if we are to find a new and better Ethiopia where we can live together rather than fighting each other to survive. Whether that future is bleak or bright can be affected by what you do right now.
I repeat, I am calling on all men, women, young and old to join the family of Ethiopians wanting a new and better Ethiopia by calling or emailing now! Then convince your family and friends to do the same!
Together we are better than separate. Together, the garden of God’s precious children of Ethiopia will then be filled with the dark, light, short, tall, thin and heavy varieties of humankind, the beauty and complexity of which, reflects the greatness of our Almighty Creator. May God guide and help us!
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For more information please contact me by email at: [email protected]
(Gulf Times) — Members of the Ethiopian community in Qatar yesterday said they hoped that political relations between Doha and Addis Ababa Woyanne would improve and ties return to normal as early as possible.
“We are here to earn our livelihood and were shocked to hear the announcement of Ethiopia Woyanne severing diplomatic ties with Qatar. Most of us learnt of it from the Ethiopian TV channel and it came as a big surprise to us,” they said.
Ethiopia’s government Woyanne had cited Qatar’s “strong ties” with Eritrea for the move. It also accused Doha of meddling in the affairs of the Horn of Africa region.
Qatar has termed Ethiopian Woyanne allegations as frivolous and baseless.
In Doha, a Qatari official dismissed Ethiopia’s Woyanne’s charges, saying it had always done its utmost to combat terrorism. “The Ethiopian charges do not deserve a reaction from us. Qatar’s foreign policy is clear. Qatar underlines the importance of peaceful settlement of all disputes between nations.”
There are an estimated 12,000 Ethiopian nationals in Qatar. Most of them are housemaids while the majority of the men are employed in private companies in different positions, ranging from drivers to technicians and executives. There is a big demand for Ethiopian housemaids in Qatar.
Some of them said they were worried about the turn of events. Joseph, who works in a premium Doha store said he was only interested in his job and not bothered about international or domestic politics. “Some of my friends called to ask about the latest news and the possible consequences of the Ethiopian government’s Woyanne’s decision. Everybody seemed to be worried,” he said.
The absence of an embassy in Doha has added to the confusion and worry. “In such situations, people generally turn to their diplomatic missions for guidance but we don’t know what is happening. I tried to contact our embassy in Kuwait (which looks after Qatar), but the number on their website turned out to be wrong,” a community member said.
“In the absence of a direct air link between Qatar and Ethiopia, we mostly depend on Emirates which operates direct flights between Dubai and Addis Ababa. We hope Qatar Airways begins a flight to our capital soon,” one of them said.
About half of the people of Ethiopia, a country located in the Horn of Africa, are Muslims, the remaining being Christians and animists. All the Ethiopians Gulf Times spoke to said there was absolute communal harmony in their country and Christians and Muslims lived in perfect peace.
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula of East Africa that juts for hundreds of kilometres into the Arabian Sea, and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent. The term also refers to the greater region containing the countries of Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia.
An Ethiopian expatriate who has been working at a power project said the recent row was between two governments and not between the peoples. “It is a political development and we have nothing to do with it. We only want to focus on our jobs and make the best out of our stay in Qatar,” he said.
Nebiyou Gezhagne, a community leader, said Ethiopians were happy in Qatar and they wanted to live and work in this country. He said he came to know about the “development” from Gulf Times and later received some calls from community members who wanted to know the “consequences” of the Ethiopian decision.
While most of the Ethiopians in Qatar have been here for less than four years, Nebiyou is a veteran, having completed 10 years in this country. He said he had no clue as to what led his government to take such a decision nor about its consequences on Ethiopians living in Qatar. “This country is home to people from almost all countries in the world. Foreign workers are treated well here. Qatar has been very kind and considerate to expatriates. We hope the present difficult phase will pass and bilateral relations will bloom. We hope Ethiopians will continue to be welcome here,” Nebiyou, who works for a trading company said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Eritrean embassy termed the Ethiopian Woyanne action a bilateral issue between Qatar and Ethiopia. The deputy head of the Eritrean mission told Gulf Times that he would not like to comment. The US embassy also declined comment.
(BBC) Addis Ababa — Ethiopia’s most popular pop singer, Teddy Afro, has pleaded not guilty to causing the death of a young man in a hit and run incident 18 months ago.
Thousands of young people mounted an impromptu protest after the High Court hearing, running through the streets, shouting, “Teddy is innocent”.
Unauthorised demonstrations are almost unheard of in Ethiopia and there was a heavy paramilitary police presence.
At a previous hearing, the noise of his fans almost drowned out proceedings.
This time the case was moved to a building at the back of the court area, well away from the crowd.
The singer appeared under close police guard, dressed in a pink t-shirt and looking subdued.
He spoke only to plead not guilty to negligent driving, driving without a licence, and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
The incident in question took place in November 2006 and since then the singer, whose real name is Tewodros Kassahun, has been free on bail.
It is not clear why he was rearrested last week and has now been charged.
He was remanded in custody until next Tuesday.
As the news spread in the street that Teddy was going back to jail, the crowd erupted and a large group of youths started jogging past waving and shouting that the singer was not guilty.
The police chased them with batons until they finally dispersed into the surrounding streets.
This kind of demonstration has not been seen in Addis Ababa since the period after the elections in 2005 when Teddy Afro’s songs were playing everywhere and his music was the anthem of the anti-government protesters.
(AFP) – A transatlantic flight from Germany to the United States was diverted to Ireland after a two-year-old girl died on board, police said late on Tuesday.
The Lufthansa flight was en route from Frankfurt to JFK airport in New York when it declared a medical emergency and landed at Shannon Airport in the southwest of the country.
The passengers were taken off the plane to be interviewed by Gardai (Irish police) in an effort to establish how the child died.
A police spokesman said the flight had originated in Addis Ababa and had arrived in Ireland via Germany but he refused to comment on reports that the child was Ethiopian.
“We always have to make the necessary inquiries to ensure there was nothing suspicious about the death. We are still trying to establish what the circumstances are,” the spokesman said.
