Ambassador Vicky versus TPLF assault on democracy in Ethiopia
By Robele Ababya
April 26, 2006
The condescending stance of some diplomats in Addis Ababa unfairly pressurizing the opposition to enter or stay and participate in the Wayane parliament prompted me to write this article to protest their tacit support for the tyrant Meles who has effectively derailed the democratic process in Ethiopia. It seems that Ethiopians are expected to give up their victory at the polls of 15 May 2005 and let the repressive TPLF regime maintain its iron grip on power until the next election in 2010. I wish to argue as follows that there is hardly a conducive environment for the development of democracy and supremacy of the rule of law due to the communist ideology embraced by the TPLF/EPRDF Party.
That the party is the guiding force of society is a well known dictum of communist ideology. As such, it (the party) is omnipotent and omnipresent in all aspects of life in Ethiopia. Thus, the deceptive Stalinist TPLF/EPRDF Party is in absolute control of the legislature, judiciary, national electoral board, and the press. It owns land and all major economic establishments and lucrative business enterprises. The party is on a dismantling spree of independent civil societies for it sees them as dangers to its firm grip on power. At the same time, the party is masquerading as a democratic institution for the consumption of donors on which it depends for survival. What is unpalatable to me is why some diplomats of donor countries in Addis Ababa, especially Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, Chargé d’Affaires of the USA, are still in the process of persuading the oppositions to participate in a parliament where experience to date has shown total ineffectiveness of the opposition parliamentarians. This point is briefly argued in the following paragraphs.
The puppet Parliament of the repressive regime is dominated by the TPLF/EPRDF vote-robbers commanding an absolute majority of more than two-thirds of the seats. This impregnable bloc of ruling party legislators will resist amendment to the Wayane Constitution at any cost. These vote-robbers are there to rubber stamp the instructions of the Stalinist Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, and they do so in strict obedience to communist dogma. These comrades never meet their constituencies during their tenure; they are not accountable to the electorates for any specific pledge made during the sham competition for election or address burning local issues of their electorates because their loyalty is to the implementation of the party program made and manipulated by the top echelon of the Stalinist party hierarchy. So the complaint of the opposition members of parliament that they are forbidden by the ruling regime to meet with their constituencies should not have come as a surprise.
The opposition groups with differing and in some cases irreconcilable programs are conspicuous by their irrelevance. They cannot even introduce any agenda for substantive debate because they lack the 51% support viciously and purposely put in place by the outgoing parliament. Those diehard members of TPLF/EPRDF are under strict orders not to sympathize with their counterparts in the opposition no matter how vital and critical the agenda proposed by the latter is to the national interest. All avenues are firmly closed to the opposition; it is taboo to raise in parliament sensitive subjects like private land ownership or amendment to the Constitution. Any attempt to raise pertinent issues is sure to invite the wrath of the ranking patriarchs like Adisu Legesse and Bereket Simon of the ruling party as events have proved so far. These characters as in the Animal Farm of George Orwell are at work in the TPLF party ever ready to extol and protect their infallible leader, Comrade Meles. So, the opposition groups are mere sitting ducks ready to be shot dead at any time unless they have the morale fiber to withdraw from the puppet parliament.
The comrades representing the ruling party in parliament sarcastically address their opposition counterparts as ‘honorables’. These ‘honorable’ members are allowed to make innocuous statements in parliament in order to make it appear that there is debate so that donor money would keep flowing into the coiffeurs of the regime in the name of building democracy in Ethiopia. This ploy, perpetrated by the deceptive TPLF/EPRDF Party for the last 15 years, seems to raise eye brows in some donor countries, but not to a degree to force the regime to stop gross human rights violations
There are distinctly identifiable groups in the TPLF parliament tolerating one another for the one and only one reason of fear of reprisal by the Ethiopian people for their acts of betrayal of vital national interests in varying degrees:
- The TPLF regime is conspicuous by its heinous crime of betraying all the vital national interests of Ethiopia, including sell out of the territorial integrity of our ancient motherland; it is also accountable for gross human rights violation for the last 15 years, including daylight robbery of votes cast at the historic election of 15 May 2005;
- Lidetu Ayalew, Ethiopia’s ‘Judas Iscariot’, betrayed the top leadership of the CUDP now languishing in Kaliti dungeon to the tyrant Meles regime. Lidetu found himself no match to the intellectual giants with impeccable character and colluded with Meles to destroy them as a political force; there is no doubt that the spirit of Kinijit is haunting this traitor. He is completely at the disposal of Meles for his survival;
- Professor Beyene Petros has been serving the TPLF regime as a harmless loyal opposition for twelve years. His presence in parliament in that capacity has helped the ruling regime to masquerade as democratic and receive donor money. The Professor joined the present parliament ostensibly on the advice of his constituencies to save his political organization. Now that he is dysfunctional in parliament, his conscience should bother him for accountability is around the corner;
- Professor Merera Gudina was seen as a popular opposition figure until he joined the Wayane parliament. The Professor at the head of the Oromo National Congress entered the TPLF parliament despite his earlier rhetoric to the contrary. His decision to join parliament subsequently disappointed many of his admirers and staunch supporters. He stated that his decision to join was to save his organization; however, his organization is now in tatters contrary to his wild assumption. It is doubtful whether the Professor will ever become the maverick political leader that he once was;
- Those who were elected under the Kinijit manifesto and later joined the parliament ostensibly under duress, are making frantic efforts to justify their presence in that institution while their leaders are in jail as prisoners of conscience. They are captives of the high salary that they are paid and the luring status of Honorable Members of Parliament, which status enables them to circulate in the glimmering social functions and meet dignitaries and foreign diplomats;
- The members representing the Oromo Federal National Party and the sole independent member are respectable in that they were consistent in their stand regarding joining parliament. However, they are equally impotent as the rest of the opposition.
Thus the Wayane parliament is a haven to the TPLF/EPRDF Party, which seeks to perpetuate its despotic rule against mounting opposition; it is a destructive institution detrimental to vital national interests. The sad thing is that the various groups in their hideout in parliament need one another for their survival in the sense that they have made grave political mistakes for which their electorates will surely hold them responsible. They are in my opinion strange bedfellows each trying to find an exit from their predicament. The mistrust among them is so acute that one would sacrifice the other for survival; and the ruling regime will enjoy the game of divide and rule.
Some ‘honorable’ members of the opposition in parliament vehemently complain that the ruling regime is denying them access to their electorates; it is harassing them and their electorates; it is suppressing peaceful protests by force, killing, wounding and arresting en mass. Unfortunately, their complaint has been falling on deaf ears. The repressive regime has so far ignored the demand of the international community to account for its gross human rights violations and respect for the rule of law. The regime is determined to weaken further or decimate the opposition to ensure a ‘landslide victory’ in the election of 2010, which would certainly be rigged. Therefore the opposition members would be well advised not to expect the ruthless ruling regime to allow them to have access to their constituencies because this would be tantamount to heresy of its Stalinist dogma. Instead, they should summon courage to withdraw from the puppet parliament and join their constituencies for the arduous struggle ahead.
In view of the above, the CUDP leadership made the right decision in setting pre-conditions for joining parliament. They are vindicated by the dismal performance of the rubber stamp parliament. Therefore I fail to see the rationale why the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, chose to shift part of the blame to the CUDP leadership for the current political crisis in Ethiopia. Her comparison of the CUDP leadership with the African National Congress is with all due respect inappropriate for the former is seeking peaceful regime change whereas the latter was engaged in a bloody armed struggle. Nelson Mandela, the leading statesman of our time, remained at the helm of ANC throughout his ordeal in prison for more than 27 years.
I implore the diplomatic community in Addis Ababa to judge the political crisis in Ethiopia in view of:
- the wailing, lamentations, and anguish of bereaved families;
- mothers calling in distress on Ethiopians to heed that the massacre, arrests en masse, beatings, torture and numerous other abuses that are inflicted on young citizens is far worse than the scourge of malaria and HIV/AIDS;
- the mantra of young Ethiopians, including children under the age of ten, that God is their only refuge, shield and protector in this time of their despondency, pain and unrelenting oppression;
which constitute gruesome manifestation of slavery in serfdom, terrorized life of citizens, uncertain future, and lack of trust in the international community to stem tyranny in Ethiopia.
I wish to state my personal view that harmonious and strong relationship between the peoples of the USA and Ethiopia based on shared democratic values is of paramount importance to both. This is more so in view of the large number of Ethiopian-Americans attached to the ancient land of their origin and have every right to maintain their link with Ethiopia. Development in a democratic environment is imperative. As President Bush stated during his visit to India, the USA is the oldest democracy and India is the largest democracy in the world. I say that Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa; as a free and democratic country there is no doubt Ethiopia will develop and prosper following the example of India. The leaders of the CUDP languishing in Kaliti jail are noble men and women of impeccable character unable by their very nature to pay lip service in the fight against extremism. They are the very antithesis of the treacherous Meles who was once on the payroll of reactionary Arab countries still bent on building their sphere of influence in Ethiopia. The CUDP leaders will no doubt prove to be principled partners to adopt, protect, nurture, and grow democracy because the people of Ethiopia have demanded so in no uncertain terms at the historic election of 15 May 2005.
So, I implore Ambassador Vicki Huddleston not to place the CUDP and the Stalinist TPLF leaders on the same morale plane. I respectfully request the Ambassador not to engage in any thing that would seem to tarnish the impeccable image of the CUDP, which is a spirit living in the hearts and minds of the Ethiopian people counting on their leadership dedicated to peaceful change and an era of prosperity wherein democracy and the rule of law shall reign supreme.
Lastly, I appeal to the diplomats in Addis Ababa and the international community to send a clear message to the repressive regime of the tyrant Meles to immediately and unconditionally release the CUDP leaders in Kaliti jail and all other prisoners of conscience. Messages such as speedy, fair and transparent trial for political prisoners would be punitive given the totalitarian nature of the ruling regime in complete and tight control of the judiciary.
LONG LIVE ETHIOPIA!
Robele Ababya can be reached for comments at robeleababya@yahoo.com
ETHIOMEDIA.COM - ETHIOPIA'S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE
© COPYRIGHT 20001-2006ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: webmaster@ethiomedia.com
The condescending stance of some diplomats in Addis Ababa unfairly pressurizing the opposition to enter or stay and participate in the Wayane parliament prompted me to write this article to protest their tacit support for the tyrant Meles who has effectively derailed the democratic process in Ethiopia. It seems that Ethiopians are expected to give up their victory at the polls of 15 May 2005 and let the repressive TPLF regime maintain its iron grip on power until the next election in 2010. I wish to argue as follows that there is hardly a conducive environment for the development of democracy and supremacy of the rule of law due to the communist ideology embraced by the TPLF/EPRDF Party.
That the party is the guiding force of society is a well known dictum of communist ideology. As such, it (the party) is omnipotent and omnipresent in all aspects of life in Ethiopia. Thus, the deceptive Stalinist TPLF/EPRDF Party is in absolute control of the legislature, judiciary, national electoral board, and the press. It owns land and all major economic establishments and lucrative business enterprises. The party is on a dismantling spree of independent civil societies for it sees them as dangers to its firm grip on power. At the same time, the party is masquerading as a democratic institution for the consumption of donors on which it depends for survival. What is unpalatable to me is why some diplomats of donor countries in Addis Ababa, especially Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, Chargé d’Affaires of the USA, are still in the process of persuading the oppositions to participate in a parliament where experience to date has shown total ineffectiveness of the opposition parliamentarians. This point is briefly argued in the following paragraphs.
The puppet Parliament of the repressive regime is dominated by the TPLF/EPRDF vote-robbers commanding an absolute majority of more than two-thirds of the seats. This impregnable bloc of ruling party legislators will resist amendment to the Wayane Constitution at any cost. These vote-robbers are there to rubber stamp the instructions of the Stalinist Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, and they do so in strict obedience to communist dogma. These comrades never meet their constituencies during their tenure; they are not accountable to the electorates for any specific pledge made during the sham competition for election or address burning local issues of their electorates because their loyalty is to the implementation of the party program made and manipulated by the top echelon of the Stalinist party hierarchy. So the complaint of the opposition members of parliament that they are forbidden by the ruling regime to meet with their constituencies should not have come as a surprise.
The opposition groups with differing and in some cases irreconcilable programs are conspicuous by their irrelevance. They cannot even introduce any agenda for substantive debate because they lack the 51% support viciously and purposely put in place by the outgoing parliament. Those diehard members of TPLF/EPRDF are under strict orders not to sympathize with their counterparts in the opposition no matter how vital and critical the agenda proposed by the latter is to the national interest. All avenues are firmly closed to the opposition; it is taboo to raise in parliament sensitive subjects like private land ownership or amendment to the Constitution. Any attempt to raise pertinent issues is sure to invite the wrath of the ranking patriarchs like Adisu Legesse and Bereket Simon of the ruling party as events have proved so far. These characters as in the Animal Farm of George Orwell are at work in the TPLF party ever ready to extol and protect their infallible leader, Comrade Meles. So, the opposition groups are mere sitting ducks ready to be shot dead at any time unless they have the morale fiber to withdraw from the puppet parliament.
The comrades representing the ruling party in parliament sarcastically address their opposition counterparts as ‘honorables’. These ‘honorable’ members are allowed to make innocuous statements in parliament in order to make it appear that there is debate so that donor money would keep flowing into the coiffeurs of the regime in the name of building democracy in Ethiopia. This ploy, perpetrated by the deceptive TPLF/EPRDF Party for the last 15 years, seems to raise eye brows in some donor countries, but not to a degree to force the regime to stop gross human rights violations
There are distinctly identifiable groups in the TPLF parliament tolerating one another for the one and only one reason of fear of reprisal by the Ethiopian people for their acts of betrayal of vital national interests in varying degrees:
- The TPLF regime is conspicuous by its heinous crime of betraying all the vital national interests of Ethiopia, including sell out of the territorial integrity of our ancient motherland; it is also accountable for gross human rights violation for the last 15 years, including daylight robbery of votes cast at the historic election of 15 May 2005;
- Lidetu Ayalew, Ethiopia’s ‘Judas Iscariot’, betrayed the top leadership of the CUDP now languishing in Kaliti dungeon to the tyrant Meles regime. Lidetu found himself no match to the intellectual giants with impeccable character and colluded with Meles to destroy them as a political force; there is no doubt that the spirit of Kinijit is haunting this traitor. He is completely at the disposal of Meles for his survival;
- Professor Beyene Petros has been serving the TPLF regime as a harmless loyal opposition for twelve years. His presence in parliament in that capacity has helped the ruling regime to masquerade as democratic and receive donor money. The Professor joined the present parliament ostensibly on the advice of his constituencies to save his political organization. Now that he is dysfunctional in parliament, his conscience should bother him for accountability is around the corner;
- Professor Merera Gudina was seen as a popular opposition figure until he joined the Wayane parliament. The Professor at the head of the Oromo National Congress entered the TPLF parliament despite his earlier rhetoric to the contrary. His decision to join parliament subsequently disappointed many of his admirers and staunch supporters. He stated that his decision to join was to save his organization; however, his organization is now in tatters contrary to his wild assumption. It is doubtful whether the Professor will ever become the maverick political leader that he once was;
- Those who were elected under the Kinijit manifesto and later joined the parliament ostensibly under duress, are making frantic efforts to justify their presence in that institution while their leaders are in jail as prisoners of conscience. They are captives of the high salary that they are paid and the luring status of Honorable Members of Parliament, which status enables them to circulate in the glimmering social functions and meet dignitaries and foreign diplomats;
- The members representing the Oromo Federal National Party and the sole independent member are respectable in that they were consistent in their stand regarding joining parliament. However, they are equally impotent as the rest of the opposition.
Thus the Wayane parliament is a haven to the TPLF/EPRDF Party, which seeks to perpetuate its despotic rule against mounting opposition; it is a destructive institution detrimental to vital national interests. The sad thing is that the various groups in their hideout in parliament need one another for their survival in the sense that they have made grave political mistakes for which their electorates will surely hold them responsible. They are in my opinion strange bedfellows each trying to find an exit from their predicament. The mistrust among them is so acute that one would sacrifice the other for survival; and the ruling regime will enjoy the game of divide and rule.
Some ‘honorable’ members of the opposition in parliament vehemently complain that the ruling regime is denying them access to their electorates; it is harassing them and their electorates; it is suppressing peaceful protests by force, killing, wounding and arresting en mass. Unfortunately, their complaint has been falling on deaf ears. The repressive regime has so far ignored the demand of the international community to account for its gross human rights violations and respect for the rule of law. The regime is determined to weaken further or decimate the opposition to ensure a ‘landslide victory’ in the election of 2010, which would certainly be rigged. Therefore the opposition members would be well advised not to expect the ruthless ruling regime to allow them to have access to their constituencies because this would be tantamount to heresy of its Stalinist dogma. Instead, they should summon courage to withdraw from the puppet parliament and join their constituencies for the arduous struggle ahead.
In view of the above, the CUDP leadership made the right decision in setting pre-conditions for joining parliament. They are vindicated by the dismal performance of the rubber stamp parliament. Therefore I fail to see the rationale why the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, chose to shift part of the blame to the CUDP leadership for the current political crisis in Ethiopia. Her comparison of the CUDP leadership with the African National Congress is with all due respect inappropriate for the former is seeking peaceful regime change whereas the latter was engaged in a bloody armed struggle. Nelson Mandela, the leading statesman of our time, remained at the helm of ANC throughout his ordeal in prison for more than 27 years.
I implore the diplomatic community in Addis Ababa to judge the political crisis in Ethiopia in view of:
- the wailing, lamentations, and anguish of bereaved families;
- mothers calling in distress on Ethiopians to heed that the massacre, arrests en masse, beatings, torture and numerous other abuses that are inflicted on young citizens is far worse than the scourge of malaria and HIV/AIDS;
- the mantra of young Ethiopians, including children under the age of ten, that God is their only refuge, shield and protector in this time of their despondency, pain and unrelenting oppression; which constitute gruesome manifestation of slavery in serfdom, terrorized life of citizens, uncertain future, and lack of trust in the international community to stem tyranny in Ethiopia.
I wish to state my personal view that harmonious and strong relationship between the peoples of the USA and Ethiopia based on shared democratic values is of paramount importance to both. This is more so in view of the large number of Ethiopian-Americans attached to the ancient land of their origin and have every right to maintain their link with Ethiopia. Development in a democratic environment is imperative. As President Bush stated during his visit to India, the USA is the oldest democracy and India is the largest democracy in the world. I say that Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa; as a free and democratic country there is no doubt Ethiopia will develop and prosper following the example of India. The leaders of the CUDP languishing in Kaliti jail are noble men and women of impeccable character unable by their very nature to pay lip service in the fight against extremism. They are the very antithesis of the treacherous Meles who was once on the payroll of reactionary Arab countries still bent on building their sphere of influence in Ethiopia. The CUDP leaders will no doubt prove to be principled partners to adopt, protect, nurture, and grow democracy because the people of Ethiopia have demanded so in no uncertain terms at the historic election of 15 May 2005.
So, I implore Ambassador Vicki Huddleston not to place the CUDP and the Stalinist TPLF leaders on the same morale plane. I respectfully request the Ambassador not to engage in any thing that would seem to tarnish the impeccable image of the CUDP, which is a spirit living in the hearts and minds of the Ethiopian people counting on their leadership dedicated to peaceful change and an era of prosperity wherein democracy and the rule of law shall reign supreme.
Lastly, I appeal to the diplomats in Addis Ababa and the international community to send a clear message to the repressive regime of the tyrant Meles to immediately and unconditionally release the CUDP leaders in Kaliti jail and all other prisoners of conscience. Messages such as speedy, fair and transparent trial for political prisoners would be punitive given the totalitarian nature of the ruling regime in complete and tight control of the judiciary.
LONG LIVE ETHIOPIA!
Robele Ababya can be reached for comments at robeleababya@yahoo.com
ETHIOMEDIA.COM - ETHIOPIA'S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE
© COPYRIGHT 20001-2006ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: webmaster@ethiomedia.com
