Reasons for resistance

By Natnael Berhane
June 10, 2005

Given the tense atmosphere and the back and forth accusations between the ruling party and the oppositions (especially the vitriolic and one sided coverage of the state media), the people handled themselves admirably. However, it seems last Monday, the people run out of patience. They finally reached to the boiling point. Let us now examine what touched people’s buttons, and prompt them to push back.

The state media,

Those of us, who live in the US and other developed countries, know what it looks like right after the elections. Contesting parties start to tone down their rhetoric and use the reconciling tone. However, if one took a notice what happened in our country right after the elections would see the exact opposite happening. The state media started to cut and paste EU observers reports to make them sound they adore EPRDF. It actively started accusing the oppositions and put a label on them for every single thing that is bad and worst. Then, when EPRDF showed up with a flimsy excuse why it lost in Addis and other big cities, it cheered with it. EPRDF, Instead of admitting it couldn’t meet people’s demands, it said “…well… we had good programs, but we were slow in deliverance. That is why people chose the oppositions. Not because the oppositions are better than us…..” I wonder if EPRDF and its supporters realize they were insulting the electorate’s intelligence, when they made the above statement. They basically are implying that the people made a wrong choice, because they don’t know any better for themselves. The state media and the EPRDF organ ‘Radio Fana’ are also using the old and tired trick that people have come to know very well, during the Derg era. Here is the sample of their reports.

“….The Addis Ababa University students passed a resolution supporting the government and condemning the disturbing students. They vowed to work with authorities to identify the instigators and the anti-peace force amongst them….”…. Huh? .who are these students who said that “thanks for beating the heck out of me, and killed my friends. Please I want more. Don’t forget your rifle butts and batons.

“…Addis-Ababa residents conform that the act of CUD, which incites violence between people, should be put in check and the residents affirmed their supports for the government….”….. Really...? Are these the same residents, who voted overwhelmingly for CUD? Are these the same residents, who took to the streets to oppose EPRDF only few weeks ago?

Apparently, the government was annoyed that the Voice of America and Douche Welle were not acting like ‘Ethiopian Voice Radio’ or ‘Radio Fana’ in reporting of the demonstration, it revoked their licenses and told them not to file any report about the unrest in Addis. (Reading between the lines, ‘you’re welcome to say what we want you to say, though’)

The “leaders’” interviews after the election

Prime Minister Meles was asked, if it would be right or wrong to reappoint the same ministers, who were humiliatingly defeated for parliamentary seats, he answered, “….I have a constitutional right to appoint who ever I want, as long as I believe that they implement EPRDF’s program…..” For someone, who reads between the lines, he defiantly meant that “…I don’t care if people like them or not. As long as they are good to me, they get the job….” In fact, the Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse put a lid on that thought by saying that “….people that voted against EPRDF, 1) They were bribed (given money by the oppositions). 2) They were confused 3) they just wanted to show EPRDF that there was a mistake on its promise deliverance 4) they were anti-peace and racists…..” Ato Addisu and Ato Meles said the above with the usual authoritarian ‘I know it all’ tone that the Ethiopian people got used to from their former dictators. Ato Addisu completely discounted people’s know how and will, not to indorse EPRDF, unless they were bribed or confused. That was utter arrogance and total disregard to people and their wish

The government adoring websites

Since May 15, EPRDF and government supporting websites were actively drawing a line of “us and them” between people. Especially, many have been noticed creating intentional drift, between the people of Tigray and the rest of Ethiopia. For example, we read a “resolution” that was issued from Washington DC area Tigreans. Who is this group? When was it created? What was its contribution before its government supporting “resolution”? Where did it hold its meeting, when it passed its unanimous “resolution”? How many are its members? What portion of Tigreans in DC area represented by this group? No one knows. May be there are three people who are die hard supporters of EPRDF, got together at Starbucks and drafted the resolution. Yet, the attention they were given in the name of a wide community could create a drift between Tigreans and the rest of the Ethiopian community. For someone, who looks at the government supporting websites discussion forums and featured articles, it certainly looks like they are an all out war against anyone, which remotely says anything critical about the government and EPRDF.

Having said that, I also plead to Tigreans to take a hard look at what is being done in their name. Prime Minister Meles and his crew certainly believe they fall back on Tigray and Tigreans anytime they want, because they are their ‘golden sons’. The truth is I believe that Ethiopia is for all of us that no one should get away with murdering civilians randomly like the EPRDF government did, no matter which ethnic background they are from. Tigreans, we need to hear from you, condemning these barbaric acts, as much as we heard your “supporting resolutions” and flowery admiration for EPRDF and its government.

All of the above reasons that I mentioned have been building up to push the buttons of so many and made their emotions to burst last Monday. The prime Minister’s ban on demonstrations was for a month. That means it was only less than a week left for it to expire. Considering all the pressure points, wouldn’t it be wiser to lift the ban few days earlier than it was supposed to be lifted, and let the students demonstrate, and have their say, instead of killing twenty four of them? From all people Prime Minister Meles Zenawi should have been sympathetic to the students cause. I hope he remembers he broke a meaningless rule or two, when he was a student protester at General Wingate and Addis Ababa University. Yet, now when the role is reversed, he responded with the most brutal and cruel measures that caused loss of 24 lives. It certainly does look like that the loss that Melles and EPRDF suffered in Addis has hurt them to their bone; they were looking for an excuse to punish the city residents.

These snappy behaviors of the government and its supports are well establishing the opposition’s case that EPRDF is not serious of his commitment for true democracy. It also is creating a rift between peoples to maintain power, with out for seeing the consequences.

Natnael Berhane
Alexandria, VA Copy Right ©2005