On VOA’s Crossfire program Friday, Kinijit’s (now UDJ) member of parliament Ato Temesgen Zewdie and Woyanne’s puppet head of the rubber stamp parliament, Ato Shiferraw Jarso, were engaged in a brief but heated debate. VOA’s Addisu Abebe should have given them more time or continued the debate today. He cut the debate off prematurely without giving Ato Temesgen a chance to respond.
In the debate, Ato Temesgen has practically admitted that peaceful political activity has become impossible in Ethiopia under the Woyanne dictatorship. He said that Ato Shiferraw has recently summoned him to his office and asked him if he wants to raise his children or not. According to Ato Temesgen, the Woyanne puppet threatened him for demanding to know the details of the land giveaway to Sudan by the Meles regime. Click below the listen the debate.
[podcast]http://www.ethiopianreview.info/audio/voa_crossfire_temesgen_vs_teshome.mp3[/podcast]
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Meanwhile, Ato Gizachew Shiferraw, Ato Aemero Aweke and Ato Lebawi Abebe of UDJ were arrested while on a working visit in Gojjam yesterday. All three were later released. Also yesterday, the Secretary General of the Oromo Federal Democratic Party (OFDM), Ato Beqele Jirata, was arrested by the Federal Police while on his way to his office. His home was searched and documents were confiscated.
Despite our recent criticism of UDJ, Ethiopian Review admires Ato Gizachew Shiferraw and colleagues for traveling to Gojjam and meet with the people. UDJ needs to do more of this — and stop attacking freedom fighters who raised arms — if it is to be taken as a real opposition party. UDJ also needs to adhere to Kinijit’s 8 Points and stop acting silly by preaching to the people of Ethiopia that Woyanne is not an enemy. Woyanne is more than an enemy. It is a gang of blood thirsty monsters who torture, rape and kill women and children.