By Elias Kifle
Sources close to Birtukan Mideksa’s new party, Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), have informed Ethiopian Review that some of the top leaders of the party are considering resignation. The most prominent among them are Ato Temesgen Zewdie and Dr Yacob HaileMariam. According to the sources, Birtukan herself may not return to Ethiopia after concluding her European tour, which has been a dismal failure so far. What lends further credence to such talk is that her right hand man in the UDJ, Ato Melaku Fantaye, who played a key role in convening UDJ’s founding conference and worked hard to get her elected as chairperson, has fled to Kenya and is now seeking asylum. He has also joined Ginbot 7.
The reason these UDJ officials are leaving the party is said to be the worsening political repression in the Ethiopia. There are also some serious internal disagreements that are not needed to be mentioned here for now.
In regards to Wzt. Birtukan, Ethiopian Review doubts that she will come to such a decision. First of all, it seems that she is enjoying the role of ‘loyal opposition’ — crisscrossing European capitals and attending cocktail parties in the Addis Ababa diplomatic circles. Secondly, she doesn’t think that it is possible to defeat Woyanne either through election or any other means any time soon. She has recently revealed to her closest associates that her eyes are set on elections to be held 10 to 15 years from now, and that she doesn’t care about the 2010 elections. Hence her unwillingness to speak out against the ongoing political repression in Ethiopia by the Woyanne regime.
Nevertheless, let’s assume that Birtukan has the vision and courage that are required to make such a decision — a decision that her own close confidant has just made. Imagine how the Woyanne cannibalistic regime in Ethiopia would react to such a news. It would have been another major blow to Meles & Co., and a joy to the people of Ethiopia.
Woyanne has been tormenting 70 million Ethiopians for the past 18 years because many of the opposition leaders such as Birtukan do not understand or have closed their eyes to its pure evil nature. They have failed to organize the people to fight against the Woyanne fascism politically, diplomatically, ideologically, and militarily. Even as outsiders such as European Member of Parliament Ana Gomes says there cannot be free and fair election in Ethiopia under the Meles regime, Birtukan and others talk about participating in the 2010 election.
The people are showing their disappointment with Birtukan and her surenderist group by not showing up at her recent public meetings in Europe. In some countries such as The Netherlands, once a stronghold for Kinijit in Europe, she could not find any one to invite her. Her European tour has been a dismal failure. She is losing credibility and respect as a political leader who is out of touch with the needs of the people she claims to represent.
As Woyanne’s cannibalism gets worse, however, it seems that finally genuine, promising leaders are emerging to provide strong leadership. Some who held the so-called “peaceful” struggle as a religious belief while their followers were being slaughtered right in front of their eyes have now come to the realization that the people of Ethiopia have the right to use any means available to defend themselves. Such leaders include those who have formed the Ginbot 7 Movement.
Others such as Birtukan Mideksa continue to shamelessly preach ‘peaceful’ struggle, which even her mentor, Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam recently said doesn’t exist in Ethiopia. He told a Washington DC audience that the peaceful struggle hasn’t started yet! Wzt. Birtukan, Prof. Mesfin and their surrenderist group refer to those who are forced to raise arms as “backwards.” Ironically, Prof. Mesfin calls those Ethiopians who try to defend their freedom with guns as ‘backwards’ while standing in the middle of Washington DC, the capital city of the United States, a country that protects the freedom of its citizens with thousands of nuclear arsenals.
It would have been a death nail to Woyanne if all the “loyal” opposition in Ethiopia announce that they are no longer able to operate inside the country and cease their political activities at once. It would devastate Woyanne if, for instance, Birtukan, Bulcha, Merera and others leave the country and lead their organizations from outside, as the leaders of South Africa’s African National Congress did during the struggle against the apartheid regime, or as Prof. Mesfin’s hero, the Dalai Lama, who is fighting for the freedom of Tibetans while living in exile. Such a decisive action by these leaders would completely change the course of Ethiopia’s current politics in favor of the opposition camp.
The real resistance
In the past few months, it seems a new chapter has been opened in the struggle against the Woyanne tyranny. Leaders who once stood with Birtukan, including those who were elected to parliament, have taken a different path. They have joined the real resistance. Their primary objective is to remove Woyanne before the year 2010 — not to prepare for another fake election. It is encouraging to hear that the Ginbot 7 leaders are setting that as a goal. G7’s Ato Andargachew Tsege has said in a recent interview with Ethiopian Review that Ethiopia cannot afford to remain under the destructive grip of the Woyanne junta and go through another sham election where the winner is predetermined.
People are starting to pay attention to the messages of EPPF, OLF, ONLF, TPDM, Ginbot 7 and others who have recognized the right of people to defend themselves and fight for their freedom. When these groups come together and form a transitional government in exile, put their fighters under a unified command, and make a call to the people of Ethiopia to rise up, Woyanne will crumble the same way its puppet regime in Somalia is falling apart.
Meles, Sebhat & Company are working day and night to prevent such an outcome through an aggressive multi-pronged campaign. Unfortunately, the ‘loyal opposition’ such as Birtukan and her few blind supporters are part and parcel of Woyanne’s countermeasure.
Birtukan is currently in Europe. If she is genuinely standing for the interest of the people of Ethiopia, she would not return to Addis Ababa. Instead, she would lead her followers inside Ethiopia and around the world from abroad — from such places as Asmara where she would have access to radio, tv, and other means of mass communication that she cannot access in Addis Ababa. If she goes back to Ethiopia, she would be returning into Woyanne’s jaws where she is of no use to any one other than Woyanne.
The real opposition groups need to take Ana Gomes’ advise to heart: A fair and free election in Ethiopia is possible only under a transitional government. EPPF, Ginbot 7, ONLF, OLF, TPDM and possibly other groups have the power and the means to establish such a transitional government in exile. It only requires political will and imagination on their part to achieve that. If Barack Obama, a person whom nobody knew just two years ago, can rise up to be leader of the most powerful nation in the world with his message of change, hope and ‘yes we can’ slogan, why not the leaders of OLF, G7, EPPF, ONLF and other Ethiopian opposition groups come together and liberate Ethiopia? The task for them is much easier than what Obama has been able to achieve, since their enemy, Woyanne, is the most hated regime that has ever come to power in the history of Ethiopia.
In the mean time, Birtukan and the surrenderist groups have a choice to make: continue to provide political cover for Woyanne, or stand with the people? Be in the service of fascism, or serve the cause of freedom?