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| Mengistu Haile-Mariam |
Friday, August 5, 2011
Mengistu Haile Mariam on SBS, Australian Amharic Radio Program
Ethiopia Aid Exposed
Click here to read all the articles published by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism concerning aid and the repressive Ethiopian government.
«እስራኤል ሁሉ ጠባቂ እንደሌላቸው በጎች በተራሮች ላይ ተበትነው አየሁ» 1 ነገ.22፥17
በኤርምያስ ኅሩይ
ከብረት በጸና እምነቱና በቅንነቱ ኅሩይ፣ ልበ አምላክ፣ ፍቁር ተብሎ በእግዚአብሔርም በሰውም አንደበት እንደተሞገሰ እንደ ዳዊት ወይም እንደ ጥበበኛው ልጁ እንደ ሰሎሞን በበጎ ሥራ ባይሆንም በነጋሢነቱና መገሥጸ ነገሥት ከሆነው ከነቢዩ ኤልያስ ጋር ባለው ተያያዥ ታሪክ ስሙ የሚታወቀው ንጉሠ እስራኤል አክዓብ በሕይወት ዘመኑ የመጨረሻ ቀናት ሶርያን በጦር ወግቶ ሬማት ዘገለዓድን የእስራኤል አካል የማድረግ እቅድ ነበረው። እቅዱም በይሁዳው ንጉሥ በኢዩሳፍጥና በቧለሟሎቹ ዘንድ ድጋፍ የተቸረው በብዙ የሳቱ ነቢያቱም የተሞካሸ እቅድ ነበር። ከነቢዩ ከሚክያስ በቀር የሰልፉ ውጤት ሞት እንጂ ድል እንደማይሆን ያለመም የተነበየም አልነበረም። የሰው ሰልፍ ፍጻሜውም ኅሣር እንጂ ክብር፤ ኪሣራ እንጂ ትርፍ እንዳልሆነ ከፈጣሪው ዘንድ ተገልጦለት ስለተረዳ ንጉሡ «ለሰልፍ ልሂድ?» ብሎ ላቀረበለት ጥያቄ «ወጥተህ ተከናወን!» በማለት የሚጠብቀውን ውድቀት ሲገልጽለት በአስረጅነት የነበረው የራእዩ መሪ ቃል «እስራኤል ሁሉ ጠባቂ እንደሌላቸው በጎች በተራሮች ላይ ተበትነው አየሁ» የሚል ነበር።
አክዓብ ንጉሥ ነበር። ጠላት መውጋት ድንበር ማስፋት ደግሞ የንጉሥ ሥራ ነበር፤ ታዲያ ለምን ሰልፉ ተነቀፈበት? ለምንስ ረድኤተ እግዚአብሔር ተለየው? ለምንስ ውድቀት ታዘዘበት? ብለን ራሳችንን እንጠይቅ ይሆናል ልንጠይቅም ይገባል። እስኪ ወደኃላ መለስ ብለን የቀደመ ታሪኩን በጥቂቱ እናስታውስ። አክዓብ በሚስቱ በኤልዛቤል ምክርና አሳብ የሚመራ፤ ካህናትንና ነቢያትን በመግደልና በማሳደድ እንዲሁም በመቶዎች የተቆጠሩ ጣዖታትን በማቆም የሚስቱ ተባባሪና የክፋት ፊትአውራሪ ነበር። ኃላም የእስራኤላዊ ናቡቴን ብቸኛ ርስት በግፍ በመንጠቅና እርሱንም በማስገደል እግዚአብሔር ለነቢዩ ኤልያስ ያዳኘበት በገዘፉ ስህተቶችና በደሎች የተከሰሰ በደለኛ ሰው ነበር። እንዲህ ያለ ሰው ታዲያ የሚሰለፈው ሰልፍ ሁሉ ራሱን ለማድለብ ካልሆነ በቀር እግዚአብሔርን ለማገልገል እስራኤልን ለመጥቀም ነው ተብሎ እንደምን ይገመታል? እግዚአብሔር በመንጋው ላይ ሾሞታልና ከልቡ ግሣት ይልቅ የእግዚአብሔርን ድምፅ ሊሰማና ሁሉ የእርሱ ለሆነም የእስራኤል አምላክ ቁራጭ መሬት ለመማረክ ከመጣደፍ በፊት ራሱን ለፈጣሪው ማስማረክ መንፈሱንም ለአምላኩ ግዳይ መጣል ይገባው ነበር። እርሱ ግን ይህን አላደረገም። እግዚአብሔር በአንደበቱ የተናገረበትን ነቢዩንም ሊሰማው አልፈለገም እንደውም እንደጠላት ግዞት አወረደው። እርሱም ተሰለፈ ቀስት ወረወረ ውጤቱ ግን እንደተገልፀው ድል ሳይሆን ሽንፈት፤ ክብር ሳይሆን ውርደት ሆነ። እርሱም በቀስት ወደቀ እስራኤልም አውራ እንደሌለው ንብ ከጠላቶቻቸው ፊት ሸሽተው ተበተኑ።
ይህን ታሪክ ያነሣሁት ለተወሰኑ ሰዎች ብቻ የሚነገረው ዜና ወይም ለእኔ ብቻ የተገለጠልኝ ከሌሎች የተሠወረ ኖሮኝ ሳይሆን ከጊዜ ወደጊዜ በዓይነትና በመጠን እየበዛ በመጣው ፈርጀ ብዙ ውስጣዊና አፍአዊ ችግር ሳቢያ ቅድስትና ሐዋርያዊት ቤተክርስትያናችን የተጋረጡባት አደገኛ ፈተናዎች ያሳደሩብኝን በቤተክርስቲያኒቱ አናት ላይ የሚንፎለፎለውን የፈተና ፏፏቴ እያዩ ሀገር ሰላም ብሎ መተኛቱ በክርስቶስ ዘንድ ማስጠየቁ ስለማይቀር በዚህ ትውልድ ጊዜ ገጥሞን በሕይወት ያለን ምእመናን በጸሎትም በምክርም ከኃጢአት ዓለም በጸጋ የታደገችንን እናት ቤ/ክ የጠላት ጦር ባይጥላትም እንዳያቆስላት ባይፈታትም እንዳያላላት በዚህ ጊዜ ታዳጊውን አምላክ ይዘን ልንቆምላት እንደሚገባ ከማሳሰብ ዝም እንዳልል ኅሊናዬ ስለሞገተኝ ነው።
በርግጥ ቤ/ክ የሰላም መልእክተኛ ብትሆንም በ2ሺህ ዘመናት ታሪኳ ሰላምን በማይሹ አጋንንትና ሠራዊቶቻቸው ስትፈተን ስትገፋ የኖረች፤ ስለ ዓለሙ ሰላም የሐዋርያቶቿንና የምእመናን ልጆቿን ደም የገበርች ነገር ግን ጠላቶቿ ሲወድቁ ሳትወድቅ በብዙ ጭንቅ ውስጥ አልፋ ዛሬም እንደ ትናንቱ ስለ ዓለሙ ሰላምና ደኅንነት በመዓልትና በሌሊት በነግህና በሠርክ እየጸለየች አማናዊ መሥዋዕት እየሠዋች ትገኛለች። ጌታ በወንጌል «የሲኦል ደጃፎች አይበረቱባትም» ማቴ. 16፥18 ብሏልና ጠላት እንደምንም ቢበረታ መቼም መች በረድኤተ እግዚአብሔር ተጠብቃ የምትኖር መሆኗን አምናለሁ። ነገር ግን እረኞች ጳጳሳትና ካህናት፤ መንጋዎች ምእመናን ከተሠራልን ሥርዓት ወጥተን ሥጋዊ ሰልፍ ስንሰለፍ ብንገኝ አንደኛችን መውደቃችን ሌላኛችን መበተናችን እንደማይቀር «የእግዚአብሔር ቤተመቅደስ» የተባለች የኢየሩሳሌም ተደጋጋሚ ውድቅትና ትንሣኤ ያስተምረናል። በመግቢያዬ ያነሣሁት የአክዓብ ውድቅት ታሪክም የሚያስረዳው ይህንኑ ነው።
ከዚህ አንፃር ቤ/ክ በተለይ ካለፉት 2 ዓመታት ወዲህ የሰሚን ጆሮ እስኪያሰለች ድረስ ስም አጠራሯ በከበረች ጥንታዊትና ኦርቶዶክሳዊት ቤ/ክ ላይ ሊናገሩት የሚከብድ የገንዘብ ብክነት፣ ሹመትን፣ አምባገነንነትን፣ ወገንተኛነትንና የመሳሰሉትን አሳፋሪ ተግባራት መሠረት ያደረጉ ክሶችና ግብግቦች ተካሂደውባታል። ችግሩን ከሥሩ ለማጥራት ጥረት አለመደረጉን ቢደረግም ስኬታማ አለመሆኑን አሁንም በቅዱስ ሲኖዶስ አባላት መካከል ያለው ውጥረት፤ ከሀገር ውጪም በተለያዩ ሀገሮች ባሉ አብያተ ክርስትያናትና ምእመናን መካከል የሀገር ቤት ሲኖዶስ፣ የአሜሪካ ሲኖዶስ ተባብሎ መከፋፈሉ ያስከተለው ጉዳት አስረጂዎች ናቸው። መፍትሔ ሳያገኝ ለወራት የዘለቀው የአዋሳ ሀ/ስብከት ችግርና ሌሎችም በየቦታው እየፈነዱ ያሉ ጥቃቅን ችግሮች የተጠቀሰው ዐቢይ ችግር ውጤቶችና በቤ/ክኒቱ ላይ የተጋረጠውን ፈተና ሊያቀጣጥሉ የሚችሉ ጋዝና ቤንዚን እንዳይሆኑ የሚያሰጉ ክስተቶች ናቸው።
አሁን ዓለም ካጤናቸው የቤ/ክኒቱ ችግር መንሥኤዎች አንዱ የገንዘብ ብክነት ነው። በዚህ አጀንዳ እንደኔ አሳሳቢው ጥያቄ ማን? እንዴት? ስንት? የሚለው ሳይሆን ለምን ዓላማና አገልግሎት የሚውል ገንዘብ? የሚለው ነው። አላግባብ ያጠፉ ያጎደሉ አይጠየቁ ለማለት አይደለም ይጠየቁ ይቀጡ እንዲያውም ቅዱስ ዳዊት «በላዩ ኃጢአተኛን ሹም ሰይጣንም በቀኙ ይቁም በሚከራከርም ጊዜ ተረትቶ ይውጣ» መዝ. 108፥6 እንዳለ ቤ/ክኒቱን ለቀው ቦታቸውን ይያዙ እላለሁ። ለበጎ አብነት ተጠርተው የክፉ ሥራ አብነት ከሆኑ ቤ/ክንን ምን ሊበጇት?
ለምን ዓላማ የሚውል ገንዘብ? ተብሎ ቅድሚያ ሊጠየቅ ይገባል ያልሁት የቤ/ክ ተልዕኮ ምእመናንን ማስተማር፣ ማጥመቅ፣ ማቁረብ፤ ብሎም አረጋውያንን መጦር፣ የሙት ልጆችን ማሳደግ፣ ስደተኞችንና ሕሙማንን መርዳት መንከባከብ ወ.ዘ.ተ ነው። ታዲያ ባከነ የሚባለው ገንዘብ ይህን ለመሰለ አገልግሎት የተመደበ ገንዘብ ነበር ወይስ ለሌላ ሥጋዊና ቁሳዊ ተግባር? እኔ እስከሚገባኝ በካህንና በንዋያተ ቅድሳት እጦት የተዘጉ አብያተክርስትያናትን ለመክፈት ወንጌል በበቂ ሁኔታ ባልተሰበከባቸው መሥዋዕት ባልተሠዋባቸው በስም ብቻ ክርስቲያን ነን እያሉ የሚኖሩ ምእመናንን በአገልግሎት ለመድረስ ወይም በሌላ ምግባረ ሠናይ ጉዳይ የተመደበም የባከነም ገንዘብ የለም። ብክነቱ የሚፈጸመው ከዚህ ውጪ በሆነ ጉዳይ መሆኑ ግን እጅግ ያሳዝናል።
በእርግጥ የባከነ ገንዘብ በፍርድ ሊመለስ ይችላል ጠብና ንትርክ በመጥላት ከቤ/ክ የሸሹና እየሸሹ ይሉትን ምሁራንና በቤታቸው የተወሰኑትን ምእመናን እንዲሁም አጋጣሚውን ተጠቅመው የወተወቱአቸውን መናፍቃን ተከትለው የባዘኑትን የእግዚአብሔር በጎች እንዴት አድርጎ ነው ወደ ቤታቸው መመለስ የሚቻለው? ችግር ለምን ተከሰተ ማለት አይቻልም ቤ/ክ የጽድቅ መድረክ ናትና ፈተና ሊኖር ግድ ነው። ጥያቄው ለምን መፍትሔ አይፈለግለትም? ለምን ችግር በችግርነቱ ወራትን ዓመታትን እንዲያስቆጥር ይፈቀድለታል? መፍትሔስ ተገኝቶላቸው ውሳኔ የተላለፈባቸው ጉዳዮች ለምን ተፈጻሚ ሲሆኑ አናይም። እስካሁን ፍትሕ ፈልገው ያለመታከት በሀቅ የሚጮኹትን የአዋሳ ምእመናን እጅግ አደንቃለሁ ገንዘባቸውን ጊዜያቸውን ሠውተው ለቤ/ክ ሲሉ አዲስ አበባ ድረስ በመመላለስ አቤት ማለታቸው በክርስቶስ ዘንድ ታላቅ ክብር የሚያሰጥ ተጋድሎ ነው። ጋዜጣ ተጻፈ፤ በሚድያ ተለፈፈ ግን ምን አተረፈ? በርግጥ ከችግሮች በስተጀርባ ያሉ አትራፊዎች አላተረፉም ማለት አይቻልም። ቤ/ክ ግን በዚህ ሰልፍ ተጠቃሚ አለመሆኗን አምናለሁ። ጌታ በወንጌል ለእረኞች የሰጠው መመሪያ «ያለ ዋጋ የተቀበላችሁትን ያለ ዋጋ ስጡ በመቀነታችሁም ወርቅ ወይም ብር ወይም መሐልቅ አትያዙ» ማቴ. 10፥9 የሚል ነበር። እኮ እንደ ሐዋርያት ያለ ዋጋ ማገልገል ቀርቶ በተመደበ ደመወዝ ተወስኖ መኖርም አቅቶን የዚህ ዘመን እረኞች ከዓመት እስከ ዓመት በገንዘብና በቁሳቁስ ስንተማማ ስንካሰስ መኖራችን፤ በአንዲት ቤ/ክ ውስጥ ሁለት ሲኖዶስ በአንዲት ቤ/ክ ውስጥ አምስት እና ስድስት ቡድኖች አበጅተን እርስ በእርስ መፋለማችን ከኢትዮጵያ አልፎ ለአፍሪካ ሀገሮች ሁሉ የሚበቃ ቁጥር ያላቸው ጳጳሳት አንዲት የኢትዮጵያን ቤ/ክ አረጋግቶ መምራት እንዴት አቃታቸው? ለ3ሺህ ዓመታት አንድ ሆነው መቅደሳቸውንም ሀገራቸውንም ያስከበሩ ምእመናን ታመሱ ተብሎ ዕለት ዕለት ሲለፈፍ መስማታችን ይህ አያሳፍርም? በእውነት በሚጠሉንና ውድቀታችንን ከሚሹ አሳዳጆቻችን ፊት በኅፍረት እንድንሸሽ እያደረገን ነው።
ውኃ ድንጋይ ካልጣሉበት አይጮህም። መንፈሳዊ ጸጥታ ሰፍኖባት የኖረች ቤ/ክ አሁን ዘመን ላይ የሁከት መድረክ እየሆነች መምጣቷ ሰይጣን ባጎነው ደንጊያ መሆኑን ከደንጊያው ጋር ደግሞ ፓለቲካ፣ ቢዝነስ፣ ኑፋቄንና ዘረኝነትን የመሳሰሉ ጠጠሮች አብረው መኖራቸው ግልጽ ነው። ለዚህም ነው ችግር ተከስቶ ቶሎ የማይከስመው። በዚህ ውዥንብር ምን ያህል የእግዚአብሔር በጎች በተኩላ ተነጥቀዋል? ከጥቂቶች በስተቀር ማን ግድ ሰጥቶት ቆጠረው? የበጎቹ ባለቤት እግዚአብሔር ግን በእያንዳንዲቱ በግ መጥፋት ያዝናል። ቤ/ክ ስለጠፉ ልጆቿ ታለቅሳለች። አባቶች እባካችሁ ሰልፋችሁን አስተካክሉ! ጊዜው ሊውጡን የተነሡትን አሳዳጃችንን በፍጹም መንፈሳዊነት የምንቋቋምበት እየጠፉ ያሉ በጎችን የምንታደግበት እንጂ ለሹመት የምንሯሯጥበት ገንዘብ እየተመናተፍን የምንካሰስበት ጊዜ አይደለም። እኛ ጎራ ለይተን ስንሰለፍ በጎናችን ቆመው እንደተቆርቋሪ ሆይ ሆይ የሚሉንን ሰዎች ማንነትና ዓላማ በቅጡ እናጢነው። ሁሉም ሰልፈኞች አለመሆናቸው እንደ አክዓብ ለግል ምርኳቸው ራሳቸውን ያሰለፉ መኖራቸውን አንዘንጋ። በዚህ ትርምስ በጎች መጥፋታቸውን ብቻ አይደለም ተኩላዎች በግ መስለው መግባታቸውን በማስመሰል መሾም መሸለማቸውንና በእረኞች ወንበርም መቀመጥ እየቻሉ መሆናቸውን እናስተውል። የውስጥ ጉዳያችንን መፍታት ሳንችል እየቀረን የፖለቲካ ዓላማ ላላቸው ሰዎች ቅድስት ቤ/ክንን አጋልጠን አንስጥ። ቤ/ክ የአምልኮ እንጂ የፖለቲካ ጉዳይ ማስፈጸሚያ ቦታ አይደለችም። የቤታችንን ጉዳይ አቅም በፈቀደ አባቶቻችን ከነሱ በላይ ለሆነው ደግሞ ወደ ፈጣሪ ማንጋጠጥ እንጂ ወደ ፖለቲከኞች መመልከቱ ችግሩን ቢያብስ እንጂ አያሽለውም። ምእመናንም ቅር ባሰኘን ነገር አቤት ማለታችን ተገቢ ሆኖ ለበጎ የጮህነው ለከፋ እንዳይሆን ቅዱስ ጳውሎስ «ፀሐይ ሳይጠልቅ ቁጣችሁን አብርዱ» ብሎ እንደመከረን ጠባችንን ሳናውል ሳናሳድር ለማስወገድ እንጣር። ስለ ቤ/ክ ክብር እየተውን እየተሸነፍን ቤ/ክንን እንጠብቃት አንድነት እንጂ ሁለትነት ኅብረት እንጂ ቡድንነት ፈጽሞ የሚጠቅመን አይደለም። ስለዚህም አኩርፈን የሸሸንም፣ ቤ/ክኒቱን ለካህናት ብቻ ትተን ቸል ያልናትም ሁሉ አብረን መክረን አብረን በጸሎት ተግተን ቤ/ክኒቱን ወደ ቀደመ ይዞታዋ ልንመልሳት ለሚጠላትና ለሚያሳድዷትም ሁሉ ወለል አድርገን የከፈትነውን በር ፈጥነን ልንዘጋው ይገባል እላለሁ። ሰልፋችን ለእግዚአብሔር ክብር ይሁን።
ሰላመ እግዚአብሔር አይለየን
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Ethiopia’s emergency food reserve near zero
Peter Heinlein | Addis Ababa (VOA)
The head of the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) in Ethiopia says the country’s emergency food stocks are almost completely exhausted, with drought conditions expected to worsen before they improve. There are also growing concerns about food shortages in Ethiopia’s reclusive neighbor, Eritrea.
WFP’s Ethiopia Country Director Abdou Dieng says despite a good response to international appeals for food aid, Ethiopia faces a critical shortfall in emergency supplies. He says the reserve established by the government to prevent a recurrence of past food crises is almost empty.
“There is food reserve, but today it’s almost at zero level. We cannot count on that. Now what we are trying to do is increase the level of the food which can be kept in the reserve. We can go up to one million tons [and] we’re talking about 80 million people here who need food, so this is exactly where we are working together to try to increase the food reserve,” noted Dieng.
Of Ethiopia’s 80 million people, Dieng says between 13 million and 14 million are receiving some sort of food assistance. The government estimates 4.5 million need emergency food aid, but experts expect that number to keep rising until the rains come, allowing farmers to plant and harvest life saving crops.
The WFP official says $200 million in donations has been received since the onset of the current drought. Dieng estimates another $100 million will be necessary to meet Ethiopia’s needs until the end of the year. Dieng also said the WFP is monitoring reports filtering out of Eritrea suggesting food shortages there as well. The reports are hard to verify, and Eritrea’s autocratic government has denied the drought is affecting food supplies. But satellite images indicate the country is affected by the same weather pattern that has victimized much of the Horn of Africa.
Dieng says Eritrean refugees arriving at camps in northern Ethiopia are saying the Asmara, Eritrea, government tries to prevent them from leaving, and that conditions are deteriorating.
“All this is speculation,” Dieng added. “What we know is you can’t have a drought in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya in a certain area and not having the same [nearby]. But what we heard from the government in Eritrea, they say there is no problem when it comes to food aid in Eritrea. But for people crossing the border and coming into Ethiopia that we interview, we know there is some problem, and we are monitoring that very closely.”
Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson last month said many Eritrean refugees fleeing to Ethiopia are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition. He urged officials in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, to cooperate with U.N. agencies and international organizations to address the issues of hunger and food shortages.
The WFP’s Dieng estimates the number of Eritrean refugees at camps in northern Ethiopia at a few thousand. That is nowhere near as large as the more than 150,000 Somali refugees in southern and eastern Ethiopia, and the even larger numbers in Kenya.
He says the U.N. agency technically maintains an office in Asmara, but has not had any international staff there since 2005, and is not able to monitor conditions in the nation of 5 million.
The head of the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) in Ethiopia says the country’s emergency food stocks are almost completely exhausted, with drought conditions expected to worsen before they improve. There are also growing concerns about food shortages in Ethiopia’s reclusive neighbor, Eritrea.
WFP’s Ethiopia Country Director Abdou Dieng says despite a good response to international appeals for food aid, Ethiopia faces a critical shortfall in emergency supplies. He says the reserve established by the government to prevent a recurrence of past food crises is almost empty.
“There is food reserve, but today it’s almost at zero level. We cannot count on that. Now what we are trying to do is increase the level of the food which can be kept in the reserve. We can go up to one million tons [and] we’re talking about 80 million people here who need food, so this is exactly where we are working together to try to increase the food reserve,” noted Dieng.
Of Ethiopia’s 80 million people, Dieng says between 13 million and 14 million are receiving some sort of food assistance. The government estimates 4.5 million need emergency food aid, but experts expect that number to keep rising until the rains come, allowing farmers to plant and harvest life saving crops.
The WFP official says $200 million in donations has been received since the onset of the current drought. Dieng estimates another $100 million will be necessary to meet Ethiopia’s needs until the end of the year. Dieng also said the WFP is monitoring reports filtering out of Eritrea suggesting food shortages there as well. The reports are hard to verify, and Eritrea’s autocratic government has denied the drought is affecting food supplies. But satellite images indicate the country is affected by the same weather pattern that has victimized much of the Horn of Africa.
Dieng says Eritrean refugees arriving at camps in northern Ethiopia are saying the Asmara, Eritrea, government tries to prevent them from leaving, and that conditions are deteriorating.
“All this is speculation,” Dieng added. “What we know is you can’t have a drought in Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya in a certain area and not having the same [nearby]. But what we heard from the government in Eritrea, they say there is no problem when it comes to food aid in Eritrea. But for people crossing the border and coming into Ethiopia that we interview, we know there is some problem, and we are monitoring that very closely.”
Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson last month said many Eritrean refugees fleeing to Ethiopia are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition. He urged officials in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, to cooperate with U.N. agencies and international organizations to address the issues of hunger and food shortages.
The WFP’s Dieng estimates the number of Eritrean refugees at camps in northern Ethiopia at a few thousand. That is nowhere near as large as the more than 150,000 Somali refugees in southern and eastern Ethiopia, and the even larger numbers in Kenya.
He says the U.N. agency technically maintains an office in Asmara, but has not had any international staff there since 2005, and is not able to monitor conditions in the nation of 5 million.
Birtukan awarded Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship
By Abebe Gellaw
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has awarded its most prestigious fellowship to Birtukan Mideksa in recognition of her commitment for the advancement of freedom and her potential to bring about democratic change in Ethiopia, Addis Voice has learnt. The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship program, named in honor of the two principal founders of NED, former US President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) and the late Congressman Dante Fascell (1917-1998), is awarded to accomplished democracy practitioners, journalists and scholars from around the world to enable them “to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change.” The fellowship was established in 2001 with funding from the US Congress.
“I am very pleased to join some of the most influential people from around the world that are selected for their leadership and commitment to freedom and democracy,” Birtukan said. “This is an honor that I accept with utmost humility on behalf of the people of Ethiopia, particularly those unsung heroes and heroines that have made untold sacrifices in the struggle for freedom, justice and democracy in our country,” she added.
Girmaye Gizaw, who headed the Free Birtukan global campaign, told Addis Voice that the award is a unique opportunity for Birtukan and a step forward on the road to full recovery from the trauma and abuse she had suffered at the hands of those who made every effort to break her indomitable spirit and shatter the cause she has represented with extraordinary commitment and courage. “This is a golden opportunity for our leader who is destined for great things. Those of us who know her well are always certain that Birtukan will not be held back,” he said.
Birtukan, a 2011-12 Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow, will be in full-time residence at the Washington DC-based International Forum for Democratic Studies, NED’s research arm that is one of the leading centers in the world dedicated for analyzing and discussing the theory and practice of democratic change around the world. According to NED, the fellowship program is designed to offer a unique international environment for fellows to “reflect on their experiences, conduct research and writing, develop contacts, exchange ideas with counterparts in Washington DC, and build ties that contribute to the development of a global network of democracy advocates.”
Ethiopia’s first female leader of a major political party, she will start her fellowship in October. Birtukan will particularly focus on the failures of democratic change in Ethiopia and the way forward. She is also planning to write her autobiography, a unique account of her arduous journeys in the course of her struggle for freedom and dignity. “Given Ethiopia’s continued experience of political violence, I would also like to spend some time to try to understand how and why the United States has succeeded in building a truly democratic system that accommodates every kind of clashing and competing views, groups and parties without undermining the rule of law,” she noted.
After she emerged as an unwavering leader of the pro-democracy movement in the aftermath of the 2005 national elections, former federal judge Birtukan Mideksa was jailed twice and spent over 1200 days in harsh jails including over 6 months in solitary confinement. Birtukan was selected by the European Parliament as one of the three finalists for the 2010 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Cuban dissident and political activist Dr. Guillermo Fariñas, who conducted 23 hunger strikes to protest against repressions and censorship, was selected as winner of the grand prize.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has awarded its most prestigious fellowship to Birtukan Mideksa in recognition of her commitment for the advancement of freedom and her potential to bring about democratic change in Ethiopia, Addis Voice has learnt. The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship program, named in honor of the two principal founders of NED, former US President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) and the late Congressman Dante Fascell (1917-1998), is awarded to accomplished democracy practitioners, journalists and scholars from around the world to enable them “to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change.” The fellowship was established in 2001 with funding from the US Congress.
“I am very pleased to join some of the most influential people from around the world that are selected for their leadership and commitment to freedom and democracy,” Birtukan said. “This is an honor that I accept with utmost humility on behalf of the people of Ethiopia, particularly those unsung heroes and heroines that have made untold sacrifices in the struggle for freedom, justice and democracy in our country,” she added.
Girmaye Gizaw, who headed the Free Birtukan global campaign, told Addis Voice that the award is a unique opportunity for Birtukan and a step forward on the road to full recovery from the trauma and abuse she had suffered at the hands of those who made every effort to break her indomitable spirit and shatter the cause she has represented with extraordinary commitment and courage. “This is a golden opportunity for our leader who is destined for great things. Those of us who know her well are always certain that Birtukan will not be held back,” he said.
Birtukan, a 2011-12 Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow, will be in full-time residence at the Washington DC-based International Forum for Democratic Studies, NED’s research arm that is one of the leading centers in the world dedicated for analyzing and discussing the theory and practice of democratic change around the world. According to NED, the fellowship program is designed to offer a unique international environment for fellows to “reflect on their experiences, conduct research and writing, develop contacts, exchange ideas with counterparts in Washington DC, and build ties that contribute to the development of a global network of democracy advocates.”
Ethiopia’s first female leader of a major political party, she will start her fellowship in October. Birtukan will particularly focus on the failures of democratic change in Ethiopia and the way forward. She is also planning to write her autobiography, a unique account of her arduous journeys in the course of her struggle for freedom and dignity. “Given Ethiopia’s continued experience of political violence, I would also like to spend some time to try to understand how and why the United States has succeeded in building a truly democratic system that accommodates every kind of clashing and competing views, groups and parties without undermining the rule of law,” she noted.
After she emerged as an unwavering leader of the pro-democracy movement in the aftermath of the 2005 national elections, former federal judge Birtukan Mideksa was jailed twice and spent over 1200 days in harsh jails including over 6 months in solitary confinement. Birtukan was selected by the European Parliament as one of the three finalists for the 2010 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Cuban dissident and political activist Dr. Guillermo Fariñas, who conducted 23 hunger strikes to protest against repressions and censorship, was selected as winner of the grand prize.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
አሜሪካ የታየው ስኬታማ ስብሰባ በጀርመንም ተደገመ!
በአብነት በላይ
የግንቦት ሰባት ሊቀመንበር ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ እና የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር (ኦነግ) የሥራ አስፈጻሚ ኮሚቴ አባል አቶ ተማም ባቲ የተገኙበት ከሦስት ሰዓታት በላይ የወሰደ ታላቅ ስብሰባ ቅዳሜ ጁላይ 30፣ 2011 በጀርመን አገር በኑረምበርግ ከተማ ተካሄደ።
በመቶዎች የሚቆጠሩ ተሰብሳቢዎች የተገኙበት ይኸው ስብሰባ በዋነኝነት አብሮ መሥራትን እና አንድነትን በሚጠይቁ ወቅታዊ የፖለቲካ እና አገራዊ ጉዳዮች ላይ ያተኮረ ሲሆን በአሁኑ ሰዓት በተለይ በግንቦት ሰባት በኩል በትጋት እየተሰራ ያለውን ከዚህ በፊት በተለያየ ምክንያት ተራርቀው እና በፍራቻ ዓይን ይተያዩ የነበሩ የተለያዩ የተቃዋሚ ፖለቲካ ኃይሎችን ወደ ትብብር መድረክ የማምጣት ሥራ የደረሰበትንም ከፍተኛ ደረጃ ያመላከተ ነበር።
ስብሰባው በአቶ ቸኮል ከተከፈተ በኃላ የወቅቱ ጥያቄ እና የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች ትብብር አስፈላጊነት በሚል መሪ ቃል ንግግራቸውን ያደረጉት አቶ ተማም ባቲ ሲሆኑ የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር ትግል ዋነኛ ዓላማ ጭቆናን እና ጨቕኞችን ለማስወገድ ነው እንጂ አገርን ለመገነጣጠል አይደለም በማለት ይልቁንም የወቅቱ የፖለቲካ ሁኔታ ከፍተኛ የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች ትብብር እንደሚጠይቅና ለሕዝብ ነፃነትና ለዴሞክራሲያዊ መብቶች መከበር የሚታገሉ ኃይሎች መበታተን፣ አለመተባበር እና አለመተማመን በሥልጣን ላይ ያለውን የአምባገነኑን የወያኔ/ኢሕአዴግ መንግሥት እድሜ ከማራዘም ውጪ አፋኙን የመለስ ሥርዓት ለመጣል በሚደረጉ እንቅስቃሴዎች ላይ ትልቅ እክል እንደሚፈጥር አስታውቀዋል።
አቶ ባቲ ወያኔ/ኢሕአዴግ በሕዝብ ላይ ያደረሳቸውን እና እያደረሰ ያሉትን ችግሮች በአሁኑም ሰዓት የፈጠረውን የኑሮ ውድነት እና የዋጋ ግሽበት አስታውሰው ኦነግ ያለውን ሥርዓት ለማስወገድ ፍትህ፣ ነፃነትና ዲሞክራሲን ዓላማ አርገው ከሚሠሩ ተቃዋሚ ድርጅቶች ጋር በትብብር ለመሥራት አስፈላጊውን ቅድመ ዝግጅት መጨረሱን አስታውቀዋል።
ሌላው የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ወያኔ የሚነዛውን የፍራቻ ፕሮፓጋንዳ በመርሣትና በኦነግ ላይ ያለውን ጥርጣሬ በመተው የጋራ ችግራችንን በጋራ ለማስወገድ «በሕዝቦች እና በድርጅቶች መካከል ትብብር እንዲጎለብት መሥራት የሁላችንም ግዴታ ነው» ሲሉ አቶ ባቲ ጨምረው ገልጸዋል። በድርጅቶች መካከል የሚደረጉ የመቀራረብ ሥራዎች ለመለስ መንግስት ትልቅ ስጋትን እንደሚፈጥርበት ያስገነዘቡት የሥራ አስፈጻሚው ኮሚቴ አባል የትብብሩ ጅማሬ በወያኔ/ኢሕአዴግ ላይ ድንጋጤ ለመፍጠሩ በቅርቡ ኦነግን፣ ኦብነግን እና የግንቦት ሰባት ድርጅቶችን አሸባሪ ድርጅቶች ብሎ መፈረጁን እንደምሳሌ ገልጸዋል። ሕዝብን የማደራጀትና የማንቃት ሥራ፣ ሕዝብን ከወያኔ ጭፍጨፋ ሊታደግ የሚችል የታጠቀ ኃይል እና የዲፕሎማሲ ሥራዋች ያለውን ሥርዓት ለመገርሰስ ኦነግ በዋነኛነት አጽንዖት ሊሰጣቸው የሚገቡ ሦስት ነጥቦች ናቸው ብሎ ያምናል ብለዋል አቶ ባቲ።በመጨረሻም ከወያኔ ሥርዓት መወገድ በኃላ ኦነግ ሥርዓቱን ለመጣል ከተባበሩ ኃይሎች ጋር እና የኢትዮጽያ ጉዳይ ይመለከተናል ከሚሉ ድርጅቶች ጋር በመሆን የሽግግር መንግስት በማቅቅም የሕዝቦች የራስን ዕድል በራስ የመወሰን መብት የሚከበርበት ፍጹም ዴሞክራሲያዊ የሆነ ሕዝብ የመረጠው መንግስት ሥልጣን የሚይዝበት ሥርዓት ይመሰረታል በማለት ንግግራቸውን አብቅተዋል።
በቀጣይነት ንግግር ያደረጉት የግንቦት ሰባት ሊቀመንበር ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ ሲሆኑ ንግግራቸውን የጀመሩት የእለቱ መነጋገሪያ ርእሳቸው ዋሺንግተን/አርሊንግተን ላይ ያደረጉት መከራከሪያ ሃሳብ የሆነው የኢትዮጵያ አንድነት ቀጣይ ክፍል መሆኑን በማሳሰብ ነበር። የኢትዮጵያ አንድነት ጠንካራ መሰረት ላይ እንዲቆም ከባህላችን ከሃይማኖታችን ከቕንቕችን እና ከመሳሰሉት በላይ ፍትህ እና የዜግነት እኩልነት ወሳኝ ነገሮች ናቸው ያሉት ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ በአንዲት ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የተለያዩ ሃይማኖቶች፣ ባህሎች እና ቋንቋዎች መኖራቸውን ገልጸው ከእነኝህ ይልቅ ለአንድነታችን ዋነኛ ነገር ሊሆን የሚችለው ሁላችንንም የሚያስማማ የፖለቲካ መሰረት ሲኖር ብቻ ነው ብለዋል። በኢትዮጵያ ታሪክ ውስጥ ከስልሳዎቹ ጀምሮ የብሄር ጥያቄን ያስነሳው ዋነኛ ነገር ባህላችን አልተከበረልንም የሚል ጥያቄ መሆኑን በማውሳት ባህል ለአንድነታችን ምክንያት ሊሆን እንደሚችለው ሁሉ ለመለያየታችን እና አከራካሪ ጥያቄን ለማንሳት መነሻ ሊሆን እንደሚችል በማብራሪያቸው ገልጸዋል። ታሪክም እንዲሁ እንደባህል ሁላችንንም ሊያስማማ እንደማይችል በመጥቀስ መሰረታችን ሊሆን የሚገባው የፍትህ እና የዜግነት እኩልነት መሆኑን አስምረውበታል። የሕግ የበላይነት የሌለበት አገር ውስጥ የባህል የቋንቋ እና ሌሎች አንድ ያደርጉናል የምንላቸው ነገሮች ለልዩነት መምጣት ምክንያት ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ ብለው የገለጹት ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ የፖለቲካ/የዜግነት እኩልነት ለዚሁ ለአንድነት ሌላኛው ምሰሶ መሆኑን ተናግረዋል። እነኚህ ባልተከበሩበት ኢትዮጵያዊነት ሊኖር እንደማይችልም በመከራከሪያ ሃሳበቸው አንስተዋል። በአጭሩ ኢትዮጵያዊነት እንዲኖር ዴሞክራሲዊነት ቀዳሚው መስፈርት መሆኑን አሳውቀዋል።
ወደ እለቱ ሃሳባቸው ሲገቡ በኢትዮጵያዊነት ላይ የሚነሱት የማንነት ጥያቄዎች ማንነትን በሚያነሱ ኦነግን እና ኦብነግን በመሳሰሉ ኃይሎችም ውስጥ ሊነሱ አይችሉም ወይ በማለት ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ የዋሺንግተኑ/አርሊንግተኑ መከራከርያቸው ቀጣይ የሆነውን ክፍል ከጥያቄያቸው በመነሳት ተንትነዋል። ሲያብራሩም እነኝህ የአንድነት ጥያቄዎች ዘውጎች(ethnic identities) በአንድ ቋንቋ ስለተናገሩ የሚመልሱ አይደሉም ያሉት ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ ማንኛውም ማንነት ዘላቂ የሆነ መደላደል ላይ እንዲያርፍ ከላይ በተጠቀሱት ሁለት መሰረቶች ላይ ማረፍ እንዳለባቸው ተናግረዋል። ቋንቋን በተመለከተም ሲናገሩ በዓለም ላይ ያየናቸው ብዙዎቹ ግጭቶች መነሻቸው ቋንቋ አለመሆኑን በመግለጽ በቋንቋ ላይ መሰረት በማድረግ የሚመጣ አንድነት የማንነትን ጥያቄን እንደማይመልስ ግጭትንም እንደማያስቀር አስገንዝበዋል።
ስለዚህም ዛሬ በቋንቋ ላይ ብቻ መሰረት ያደረጉ ማንነቶች ከኢትዮጵያ በመገንጠል መፍትሄ ሊያገኙ አይችሉም ሲሉ በአጽንዖት ተናግረዋል። የማንኛችንንም አንድነት የሚያጠናክረው ዋንኛው ነገር በፍትህ እና በፖለቲካ እኩልነት ላይ መሰረት ያደረገ አንድነት መሆኑ ከሚያራርቁን ነገሮች በላይ የሚያቀራርቡን እሴቶች መሆናቸውን በማውሳት በሚያቀራርቡን ነገሮች ላይ ጠንክረን ከሠራን ኢትዮጵያዊነትን ያለ ችግር ማምጣት እንደምንችል ገልጸዋል። የዚህም ሥራ የመጀመርያው መሆን ያለበት የትብብር መድረኮችን ማጠናከር መሆኑን አበክረው ተናግረዋል። ለንግግራቸውም መዝጊያ ሁለት ዋነኛ ያሉትን ነጥቦች አንስተዋል። የመጀመርያው ነጥባቸው ኢትዮጵያን ዴሞክራሲያዊ ለማድረግ በዘውግ የተደራጁ ድርጅቶች በተለይ ኦሮሞዎች የትግሉ መሪ መሆን መቻል አለባቸው ይህንንም ኃላፊነት በመሪነት እስካልተወጡ ድረስ ሁሌም በነሱ ላይ ጥርጣሬ ይኖራል የሚል ሲሆን ሁለተኛው ነጥባቸው ደግሞ ስሜት ለማነሳሳት እና ድጋፍ ለመሰብሰብ ብቻ ሲባሉ የሚደረጉ ጽንፈኝነትን የሚፈጥሩ ኃላፊነት የጎደላቸው ጥሪዎች እና ቅስቀሳዎች መቆም መቻል አለባቸው የሚል ሲሆን በመጨረሻም እድገትና ብልጽግና የዴሞክራሲ፣ የፍትህ እና የእኩልነት መኖርን ግድ እንደሚልና ይህንንም የሚሹ ኢትዮጵያውያን በቀናነት እና በመተባበር እንዲሰሩ የሚያሳስብ መልእክት በማስተላለፍ ንግግራቸውን ዘግተዋል።
ከውይይቱ በኋላ ከተሰብሳቢዎች ለተነሱት በርካታ ጥያቄዎች በአቶ ባቲ እና ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ የተሰጡት ማብራርያ የታከለባቸው መልሶች ለብዙዎች የእስካሁኑን የግንቦት ሰባትን እና የኦነግን የትብብር መድረኮች አመርቂ ውጤት ከማሳየቱም በላይ የወደፊቱን የትግል አቅጣጫ አመላካች ነው። በእለቱ በኑረንበርግ ከተማ እየተካሄደ የነበረውን በአውሮፓ የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያውያኖች የእግር ኳስ ፌስቲቫል ለአገራዊ ጉዳይ በማስቀደም የመጡትም በርካታ ኢትዮጵያውያኖች ቁጥር የትብብር መድረኩ በብዙኃኑ የተሰጠውን ጠንካራ አመለካከት አሳይትዋል።
የግንቦት ሰባት ሊቀመንበር ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ እና የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር (ኦነግ) የሥራ አስፈጻሚ ኮሚቴ አባል አቶ ተማም ባቲ የተገኙበት ከሦስት ሰዓታት በላይ የወሰደ ታላቅ ስብሰባ ቅዳሜ ጁላይ 30፣ 2011 በጀርመን አገር በኑረምበርግ ከተማ ተካሄደ።
በመቶዎች የሚቆጠሩ ተሰብሳቢዎች የተገኙበት ይኸው ስብሰባ በዋነኝነት አብሮ መሥራትን እና አንድነትን በሚጠይቁ ወቅታዊ የፖለቲካ እና አገራዊ ጉዳዮች ላይ ያተኮረ ሲሆን በአሁኑ ሰዓት በተለይ በግንቦት ሰባት በኩል በትጋት እየተሰራ ያለውን ከዚህ በፊት በተለያየ ምክንያት ተራርቀው እና በፍራቻ ዓይን ይተያዩ የነበሩ የተለያዩ የተቃዋሚ ፖለቲካ ኃይሎችን ወደ ትብብር መድረክ የማምጣት ሥራ የደረሰበትንም ከፍተኛ ደረጃ ያመላከተ ነበር።
ስብሰባው በአቶ ቸኮል ከተከፈተ በኃላ የወቅቱ ጥያቄ እና የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች ትብብር አስፈላጊነት በሚል መሪ ቃል ንግግራቸውን ያደረጉት አቶ ተማም ባቲ ሲሆኑ የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር ትግል ዋነኛ ዓላማ ጭቆናን እና ጨቕኞችን ለማስወገድ ነው እንጂ አገርን ለመገነጣጠል አይደለም በማለት ይልቁንም የወቅቱ የፖለቲካ ሁኔታ ከፍተኛ የፖለቲካ ፓርቲዎች ትብብር እንደሚጠይቅና ለሕዝብ ነፃነትና ለዴሞክራሲያዊ መብቶች መከበር የሚታገሉ ኃይሎች መበታተን፣ አለመተባበር እና አለመተማመን በሥልጣን ላይ ያለውን የአምባገነኑን የወያኔ/ኢሕአዴግ መንግሥት እድሜ ከማራዘም ውጪ አፋኙን የመለስ ሥርዓት ለመጣል በሚደረጉ እንቅስቃሴዎች ላይ ትልቅ እክል እንደሚፈጥር አስታውቀዋል።
አቶ ባቲ ወያኔ/ኢሕአዴግ በሕዝብ ላይ ያደረሳቸውን እና እያደረሰ ያሉትን ችግሮች በአሁኑም ሰዓት የፈጠረውን የኑሮ ውድነት እና የዋጋ ግሽበት አስታውሰው ኦነግ ያለውን ሥርዓት ለማስወገድ ፍትህ፣ ነፃነትና ዲሞክራሲን ዓላማ አርገው ከሚሠሩ ተቃዋሚ ድርጅቶች ጋር በትብብር ለመሥራት አስፈላጊውን ቅድመ ዝግጅት መጨረሱን አስታውቀዋል።
ሌላው የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝብ ወያኔ የሚነዛውን የፍራቻ ፕሮፓጋንዳ በመርሣትና በኦነግ ላይ ያለውን ጥርጣሬ በመተው የጋራ ችግራችንን በጋራ ለማስወገድ «በሕዝቦች እና በድርጅቶች መካከል ትብብር እንዲጎለብት መሥራት የሁላችንም ግዴታ ነው» ሲሉ አቶ ባቲ ጨምረው ገልጸዋል። በድርጅቶች መካከል የሚደረጉ የመቀራረብ ሥራዎች ለመለስ መንግስት ትልቅ ስጋትን እንደሚፈጥርበት ያስገነዘቡት የሥራ አስፈጻሚው ኮሚቴ አባል የትብብሩ ጅማሬ በወያኔ/ኢሕአዴግ ላይ ድንጋጤ ለመፍጠሩ በቅርቡ ኦነግን፣ ኦብነግን እና የግንቦት ሰባት ድርጅቶችን አሸባሪ ድርጅቶች ብሎ መፈረጁን እንደምሳሌ ገልጸዋል። ሕዝብን የማደራጀትና የማንቃት ሥራ፣ ሕዝብን ከወያኔ ጭፍጨፋ ሊታደግ የሚችል የታጠቀ ኃይል እና የዲፕሎማሲ ሥራዋች ያለውን ሥርዓት ለመገርሰስ ኦነግ በዋነኛነት አጽንዖት ሊሰጣቸው የሚገቡ ሦስት ነጥቦች ናቸው ብሎ ያምናል ብለዋል አቶ ባቲ።በመጨረሻም ከወያኔ ሥርዓት መወገድ በኃላ ኦነግ ሥርዓቱን ለመጣል ከተባበሩ ኃይሎች ጋር እና የኢትዮጽያ ጉዳይ ይመለከተናል ከሚሉ ድርጅቶች ጋር በመሆን የሽግግር መንግስት በማቅቅም የሕዝቦች የራስን ዕድል በራስ የመወሰን መብት የሚከበርበት ፍጹም ዴሞክራሲያዊ የሆነ ሕዝብ የመረጠው መንግስት ሥልጣን የሚይዝበት ሥርዓት ይመሰረታል በማለት ንግግራቸውን አብቅተዋል።
በቀጣይነት ንግግር ያደረጉት የግንቦት ሰባት ሊቀመንበር ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ ነጋ ሲሆኑ ንግግራቸውን የጀመሩት የእለቱ መነጋገሪያ ርእሳቸው ዋሺንግተን/አርሊንግተን ላይ ያደረጉት መከራከሪያ ሃሳብ የሆነው የኢትዮጵያ አንድነት ቀጣይ ክፍል መሆኑን በማሳሰብ ነበር። የኢትዮጵያ አንድነት ጠንካራ መሰረት ላይ እንዲቆም ከባህላችን ከሃይማኖታችን ከቕንቕችን እና ከመሳሰሉት በላይ ፍትህ እና የዜግነት እኩልነት ወሳኝ ነገሮች ናቸው ያሉት ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ በአንዲት ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የተለያዩ ሃይማኖቶች፣ ባህሎች እና ቋንቋዎች መኖራቸውን ገልጸው ከእነኝህ ይልቅ ለአንድነታችን ዋነኛ ነገር ሊሆን የሚችለው ሁላችንንም የሚያስማማ የፖለቲካ መሰረት ሲኖር ብቻ ነው ብለዋል። በኢትዮጵያ ታሪክ ውስጥ ከስልሳዎቹ ጀምሮ የብሄር ጥያቄን ያስነሳው ዋነኛ ነገር ባህላችን አልተከበረልንም የሚል ጥያቄ መሆኑን በማውሳት ባህል ለአንድነታችን ምክንያት ሊሆን እንደሚችለው ሁሉ ለመለያየታችን እና አከራካሪ ጥያቄን ለማንሳት መነሻ ሊሆን እንደሚችል በማብራሪያቸው ገልጸዋል። ታሪክም እንዲሁ እንደባህል ሁላችንንም ሊያስማማ እንደማይችል በመጥቀስ መሰረታችን ሊሆን የሚገባው የፍትህ እና የዜግነት እኩልነት መሆኑን አስምረውበታል። የሕግ የበላይነት የሌለበት አገር ውስጥ የባህል የቋንቋ እና ሌሎች አንድ ያደርጉናል የምንላቸው ነገሮች ለልዩነት መምጣት ምክንያት ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ ብለው የገለጹት ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ የፖለቲካ/የዜግነት እኩልነት ለዚሁ ለአንድነት ሌላኛው ምሰሶ መሆኑን ተናግረዋል። እነኚህ ባልተከበሩበት ኢትዮጵያዊነት ሊኖር እንደማይችልም በመከራከሪያ ሃሳበቸው አንስተዋል። በአጭሩ ኢትዮጵያዊነት እንዲኖር ዴሞክራሲዊነት ቀዳሚው መስፈርት መሆኑን አሳውቀዋል።
ወደ እለቱ ሃሳባቸው ሲገቡ በኢትዮጵያዊነት ላይ የሚነሱት የማንነት ጥያቄዎች ማንነትን በሚያነሱ ኦነግን እና ኦብነግን በመሳሰሉ ኃይሎችም ውስጥ ሊነሱ አይችሉም ወይ በማለት ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ የዋሺንግተኑ/አርሊንግተኑ መከራከርያቸው ቀጣይ የሆነውን ክፍል ከጥያቄያቸው በመነሳት ተንትነዋል። ሲያብራሩም እነኝህ የአንድነት ጥያቄዎች ዘውጎች(ethnic identities) በአንድ ቋንቋ ስለተናገሩ የሚመልሱ አይደሉም ያሉት ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ ማንኛውም ማንነት ዘላቂ የሆነ መደላደል ላይ እንዲያርፍ ከላይ በተጠቀሱት ሁለት መሰረቶች ላይ ማረፍ እንዳለባቸው ተናግረዋል። ቋንቋን በተመለከተም ሲናገሩ በዓለም ላይ ያየናቸው ብዙዎቹ ግጭቶች መነሻቸው ቋንቋ አለመሆኑን በመግለጽ በቋንቋ ላይ መሰረት በማድረግ የሚመጣ አንድነት የማንነትን ጥያቄን እንደማይመልስ ግጭትንም እንደማያስቀር አስገንዝበዋል።
ስለዚህም ዛሬ በቋንቋ ላይ ብቻ መሰረት ያደረጉ ማንነቶች ከኢትዮጵያ በመገንጠል መፍትሄ ሊያገኙ አይችሉም ሲሉ በአጽንዖት ተናግረዋል። የማንኛችንንም አንድነት የሚያጠናክረው ዋንኛው ነገር በፍትህ እና በፖለቲካ እኩልነት ላይ መሰረት ያደረገ አንድነት መሆኑ ከሚያራርቁን ነገሮች በላይ የሚያቀራርቡን እሴቶች መሆናቸውን በማውሳት በሚያቀራርቡን ነገሮች ላይ ጠንክረን ከሠራን ኢትዮጵያዊነትን ያለ ችግር ማምጣት እንደምንችል ገልጸዋል። የዚህም ሥራ የመጀመርያው መሆን ያለበት የትብብር መድረኮችን ማጠናከር መሆኑን አበክረው ተናግረዋል። ለንግግራቸውም መዝጊያ ሁለት ዋነኛ ያሉትን ነጥቦች አንስተዋል። የመጀመርያው ነጥባቸው ኢትዮጵያን ዴሞክራሲያዊ ለማድረግ በዘውግ የተደራጁ ድርጅቶች በተለይ ኦሮሞዎች የትግሉ መሪ መሆን መቻል አለባቸው ይህንንም ኃላፊነት በመሪነት እስካልተወጡ ድረስ ሁሌም በነሱ ላይ ጥርጣሬ ይኖራል የሚል ሲሆን ሁለተኛው ነጥባቸው ደግሞ ስሜት ለማነሳሳት እና ድጋፍ ለመሰብሰብ ብቻ ሲባሉ የሚደረጉ ጽንፈኝነትን የሚፈጥሩ ኃላፊነት የጎደላቸው ጥሪዎች እና ቅስቀሳዎች መቆም መቻል አለባቸው የሚል ሲሆን በመጨረሻም እድገትና ብልጽግና የዴሞክራሲ፣ የፍትህ እና የእኩልነት መኖርን ግድ እንደሚልና ይህንንም የሚሹ ኢትዮጵያውያን በቀናነት እና በመተባበር እንዲሰሩ የሚያሳስብ መልእክት በማስተላለፍ ንግግራቸውን ዘግተዋል።
ከውይይቱ በኋላ ከተሰብሳቢዎች ለተነሱት በርካታ ጥያቄዎች በአቶ ባቲ እና ዶ/ር ብርሃኑ የተሰጡት ማብራርያ የታከለባቸው መልሶች ለብዙዎች የእስካሁኑን የግንቦት ሰባትን እና የኦነግን የትብብር መድረኮች አመርቂ ውጤት ከማሳየቱም በላይ የወደፊቱን የትግል አቅጣጫ አመላካች ነው። በእለቱ በኑረንበርግ ከተማ እየተካሄደ የነበረውን በአውሮፓ የሚኖሩ ኢትዮጵያውያኖች የእግር ኳስ ፌስቲቫል ለአገራዊ ጉዳይ በማስቀደም የመጡትም በርካታ ኢትዮጵያውያኖች ቁጥር የትብብር መድረኩ በብዙኃኑ የተሰጠውን ጠንካራ አመለካከት አሳይትዋል።
Deutsche Welle Amharic faces damning allegations
By Abebe Belew
Ethiopian journalist and broadcaster Mesay Mekonnen has alleged that Deutsche Welle Amharic is poorly managed and accused the head of irresponsibly putting him and his family in great hardship. “The section’s head and editor-in-chief, Ludger Schadomsky, is very arbitrary, insensitive and authoritarian. He enjoys being feared and putting people and their work at his mercy,” Mekonnen told Addis Voice. Mekonnen, who joined Deutsche Welle Amharic Service in March 2010, says that his experience at Deutsche Welle has been very depressing, stressful and traumatic. “I was left so impoverished at Deutsche Welle that two kindhearted colleagues of mine even took turns to bring me meals as they were aware of the financial hardship I was facing. It is scandalous that I survived on “food aid” at Deutsche Welle because I could not even afford to buy a decent lunch” he said angrily.
“Though I appreciated the kindness of my colleagues, I deeply felt the indignity of being unable to support myself, my wife and baby boy in Ethiopia,” says Mekonnen.
Mekonnen, who hosted critically acclaimed radio shows in Awassa, was competitively selected to work as a South Ethiopia correspondent for Deutsche Welle in late 2008. But Bereket Simon’s office refused to grant the necessary permit and security clearance to him. After Deutsche Welle’s application to get permits for him failed, Schadomsky retained Mesay as an “informer.”
“If the post as correspondent from Awassa doesn’t work out, I want to go ahead anyway and use you as an anonymous source of information who will give us information on any hot issue in your area and provide us with the telephone numbers of the people involved (police commissioner, kebele head etc.) so we can do follow-ups from here,” Schadomsky emailed Mekonnen.
Despite the fact that Mekonnen knew the risks of working as an informer for a foreign media organization without permit, he was willing to bet on such a “golden” opportunity. “I was ready to risk my life for Deutsche Welle. As an ardent fan of Deutsche Welle broadcasts, I was so happy with the prospect of turning my dream into a reality. I was eager to make any sacrifices,” he said.
A passionate broadcaster, Mekonnen performed well and won respect from his colleagues. But months after he joined Deutsche Welle in Bonn leaving behind his wife and baby boy, he realized that he made the biggest mistake of his life. After he finished his paid internship, he was offered a freelance contract to work for at least three shifts per week. Mekonnen pointed out that the contract was just on paper as he was routinely assigned to do one or two programs that practically made him unable to make ends meet and professionally thrive as he wanted. “I complained numerous times but Schadomsky always blamed budget crisis,” he said.
“At times, he used to remind me that he did me a favor just because he brought me to Germany all the way from Ethiopia.”
In response to Mekonnen’s complaint, Schadomsky wrote in an email: “I have acknowledged your difficult situation many times and have even gone to travel all the way to Awassa to express my concern to your family.” But Mekonnen said that the crisis he was forced to face in the name of employment needed practical solution than expressing concern to my family. “No matter how sever Deutsche Welle’s “budget crisis” could be, I do not believe that such a reputable organization would deliberately mess up my professional and family life. Just 18 months into his married life, Mekonnen left behind a six month old baby boy.
Noting that Deutsche Welle should have put in place a mechanism to guarantee the integrity of the station and the rights of every employee, Mekonnen said that Schadomsky, who does not speak Amharic despite being the head and editor-in-chief of the section, also tends to filter and censor critical comments.
“Ultimately, it is Schadomsky who had the final say. What I have noticed is that there is systematic censorship at Deutsche Welle.” It has become evident that Schadomsky was bending to pressures from dictator Meles Zenawi’s right-hand man, Bereket Simon.
In an email he circulated to staffers, he wrote: “It has come to my attention that in invidual [sic ]cases correspondents publish guest articles in online or print media, ethiomedia.com being one of them.
“You will be well aware of the close monitoring of the Ethiopian government of any activities by our staff members perceived to be “opposition activities”. I have a number of names thrown at me by Bereket Simon every time I am in Addis. To spell it out very clearly: Ethiomedia – and similar sites by extension – is NOT a site where I want to see our correspondents displayed with opinion articles! The amount of hatred splashed across that particular medium is a disgrace to any politically sober mind.” According to Mekonnen the email only revealed Schadomky’s poor grasp of the Ethiopian reality and his bias against dissident voices. “After all, websites like Ethiomedia are outlets to ideas, stories and views that are unlikely to see daylight in Ethiopia. But his restriction of freedom of speech has personally offended me and others,” he said.
On Monday, August 1st, Addis Voice will publish a lengthy story on Mesay Mekonnen’s poignant journey from Southern Ethiopian to Bonn, where he faced unimaginable hardship despite being an employee of Deutsche Welle. Our effort to get the perspectives of Schadomsky on this matter did not bear any fruits as he declined comments.
Negasso and EPRDF: The Inside Story
By Eskinder Nega
While it is too early to draw parallels between the “ the Jasmine Book publishing had its goldden age in the '60s and '70s. So did theater. The singular genius of Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin, whose magnificent adaptations of Shakespearean plays are arguably the best of their kind anywhere in the world, inspired and to a large extent sustained a rare, lively world of African theater. It may still be the best in Africa. Books and literary magazines thrived on multitude of talents, Baalu Girma, Sebhat Gebre-Egzabher, Berhanu Zerihun, and many others. Good books easily sold tens of thousands of copies.The '80s and '90s were less pleasant. Tsegaye was distracted, first, by the nation’s new rulers, whose ethnocentrism he abhorred, and later on, by ill-health. (He died in the US in 2006.) And in the world of book publishing, the explosion of private newspapers in the mid-'80s literally became an existential threat. Good books could barely sell 5000 copies anymore.
But there have been the occasional bestsellers. Mengistu Haile-Mariam’s book-formatted interviews probably hold the record in this regard, reportedly selling in the tens of thousands. Berhanu Nega’s take on Ethiopia’s politics in 2006, written, smuggled out and published while he was still in prison, was unavoidably a runaway success. Seye Abraha’s book was also successful but could have done better had less space been devoted to court proceedings and more to politics. (He has promised such a book in the future. A good book from him could set a new record.) And now there is a latest entrant to this select league, Negaso Gidada’s book-formatted interviews. (There were of course many more successful books over the years. But I can’t possibly detail them all here. Sorry.)
Entitled “Negaso’s journey”(Negaso’s menged) and written by Daniel Tefera, a young journalist, the 384-page book was released in Addis Ababa about two weeks ago. Here is Negaso narrating his early life, reminiscing about student politics, revealing new secrets about the EPRDF and expounding his vision for the nation verbatim.
Naturally, at a time when public disapproval of EPRDF’s corrupt and inflation-ridden authoritarianism has soared to an all-time high, the most alluring parts of the book lie in the chapters about the ruling party.
Here are 5 EPRDF inside stories revealed by Negaso in this book.(There are more but you will have to buy and read the book.)
1. On murder and impunity
On page 213 Negaso addresses the issue of performance reviews in the OPDO, one of four constituent members of the EPRDF coalition. Even when apparent breach of law by officials was established, prosecution was not automatic, Negaso says. They were merely transferred to different positions.
In one shocking instance, “a stubborn and spiteful official, whom I would rather not name publicly, was accused of murder (but was not prosecuted,)” Negaso discloses.
2. On Major General Abadula (now Speaker of the Federal Parliament)
Abadula Gemeda (nominal chief of the army in 2000) was in Paris when news of fallout between TPLF leaders broke out, recounts Negasso. But after his return he was quick to throw his lot with Meles. He and two other active-duty Oromo Generals, Bacha and Alemeshet, who were constitutionally compelled to stay out of politics, were soon lobbying for open support of Meles.
“We (Negaso and Kuma, leader of the OPDO) insisted that the military should stay out of politics,” says Negaso.
But the Generals were adamant that with the TPLF weakened by internal strife, the ANDM was becoming too powerful in the EPRDF. OPDO must support Meles and buttress its standing in the EPRDF, they maintained.
“We rejected their argument and opted to reconcile TPLF leaders,” says Negaso.
But access to palace grounds, where Negaso was housed as the nation’s titular President, was suddenly prohibited and people could see him no more, frustrating the effort.
“When I inquired with security, I was told the order had come from Tefera Walewa,” explains Negaso. The presidential title notwithstanding, he was unable to override Tefera’s order. He was transformed into a virtual prisoner in the grand palace.
“Meles cleverly used the ANDM,” he says.
But ultimately, even if unsaid by Negaso, devoid as the ANDM has always been of a capable leadership, it was never really in a position to dominate the EPRDF. Meles’ standing has always been secure, and he most probably knew it.
3. On Meles and Seye Abraha et al
And there is Negaso’s gripping (and disturbing) narration of Meles’ account of the fallout between him and his best friends, Seye Abraha et al.
“We took away their jackets and threw them out naked,” bragged deranged looking Meles at an EPRDF meeting days after illegally expelling almost half of his party’s senior leadership.
“I was flabbergasted,” says Negaso. “I immediately told him he sounded like Mengistu Hiale-Mariam.”
For a brief moment it seemed as if Meles had gone too far. There was silence in the room. But Genet Zewde, an ANDM member, suddenly burst into tears.
“How could you compare him to Meles?” she implored sobbing.
And abruptly Negaso was on the defensive.
“I did not say he was Mengistu Haile-Mariam. I only said he sounded like him,” Negaso had to blurt out.
The tide turned. Meles was saved.
4. On corruption
Worried by increased feedbacks from the public about the rising tide of corruption, Negaso approaches Meles demanding action.
“There is nothing I could do right now,” replied an irate Meles. “Securing conclusive evidences in individual cases is easier said than done. The smart move is to concentrate on culturally stigmatizing corruption.”
Negaso, however, was unmoved.
“My final impression was that he was not serious about fighting corruption,” charges Negaso.( A UNDP report has recently revealed that Ethiopia has lost up to 3 billion US dollar to corruption since 1990. Senior government officials are prime suspects.)
5. On Meles Zenawi
“We never had a close personal or working relationship,” says Negaso. He has been to his house only a couple of times. “
Meles is a heavy smoker. “(Some leaders of the EPRDF) are heavy smokers, but Meles smoked much more than everyone else.”(Isn’t this a sign of ingrained anxiety?) His favorite drink is red wine. He is, no surprise here, temperamental, and occasionally, “his choices of words are not always wise.”
There are also his arbitrary decisions, Negaso reminds readers. “General Tsadkan and General Abebe were dismissed from their positions arbitrarily (and illegally.) He should have consulted the party but did not.”
----
The writer can be reached at serk27@gmail.com
While it is too early to draw parallels between the “ the Jasmine Book publishing had its goldden age in the '60s and '70s. So did theater. The singular genius of Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin, whose magnificent adaptations of Shakespearean plays are arguably the best of their kind anywhere in the world, inspired and to a large extent sustained a rare, lively world of African theater. It may still be the best in Africa. Books and literary magazines thrived on multitude of talents, Baalu Girma, Sebhat Gebre-Egzabher, Berhanu Zerihun, and many others. Good books easily sold tens of thousands of copies.The '80s and '90s were less pleasant. Tsegaye was distracted, first, by the nation’s new rulers, whose ethnocentrism he abhorred, and later on, by ill-health. (He died in the US in 2006.) And in the world of book publishing, the explosion of private newspapers in the mid-'80s literally became an existential threat. Good books could barely sell 5000 copies anymore.
But there have been the occasional bestsellers. Mengistu Haile-Mariam’s book-formatted interviews probably hold the record in this regard, reportedly selling in the tens of thousands. Berhanu Nega’s take on Ethiopia’s politics in 2006, written, smuggled out and published while he was still in prison, was unavoidably a runaway success. Seye Abraha’s book was also successful but could have done better had less space been devoted to court proceedings and more to politics. (He has promised such a book in the future. A good book from him could set a new record.) And now there is a latest entrant to this select league, Negaso Gidada’s book-formatted interviews. (There were of course many more successful books over the years. But I can’t possibly detail them all here. Sorry.)
Entitled “Negaso’s journey”(Negaso’s menged) and written by Daniel Tefera, a young journalist, the 384-page book was released in Addis Ababa about two weeks ago. Here is Negaso narrating his early life, reminiscing about student politics, revealing new secrets about the EPRDF and expounding his vision for the nation verbatim.
Naturally, at a time when public disapproval of EPRDF’s corrupt and inflation-ridden authoritarianism has soared to an all-time high, the most alluring parts of the book lie in the chapters about the ruling party.
Here are 5 EPRDF inside stories revealed by Negaso in this book.(There are more but you will have to buy and read the book.)
1. On murder and impunity
On page 213 Negaso addresses the issue of performance reviews in the OPDO, one of four constituent members of the EPRDF coalition. Even when apparent breach of law by officials was established, prosecution was not automatic, Negaso says. They were merely transferred to different positions.
In one shocking instance, “a stubborn and spiteful official, whom I would rather not name publicly, was accused of murder (but was not prosecuted,)” Negaso discloses.
2. On Major General Abadula (now Speaker of the Federal Parliament)
Abadula Gemeda (nominal chief of the army in 2000) was in Paris when news of fallout between TPLF leaders broke out, recounts Negasso. But after his return he was quick to throw his lot with Meles. He and two other active-duty Oromo Generals, Bacha and Alemeshet, who were constitutionally compelled to stay out of politics, were soon lobbying for open support of Meles.
“We (Negaso and Kuma, leader of the OPDO) insisted that the military should stay out of politics,” says Negaso.
But the Generals were adamant that with the TPLF weakened by internal strife, the ANDM was becoming too powerful in the EPRDF. OPDO must support Meles and buttress its standing in the EPRDF, they maintained.
“We rejected their argument and opted to reconcile TPLF leaders,” says Negaso.
But access to palace grounds, where Negaso was housed as the nation’s titular President, was suddenly prohibited and people could see him no more, frustrating the effort.
“When I inquired with security, I was told the order had come from Tefera Walewa,” explains Negaso. The presidential title notwithstanding, he was unable to override Tefera’s order. He was transformed into a virtual prisoner in the grand palace.
“Meles cleverly used the ANDM,” he says.
But ultimately, even if unsaid by Negaso, devoid as the ANDM has always been of a capable leadership, it was never really in a position to dominate the EPRDF. Meles’ standing has always been secure, and he most probably knew it.
3. On Meles and Seye Abraha et al
And there is Negaso’s gripping (and disturbing) narration of Meles’ account of the fallout between him and his best friends, Seye Abraha et al.
“We took away their jackets and threw them out naked,” bragged deranged looking Meles at an EPRDF meeting days after illegally expelling almost half of his party’s senior leadership.
“I was flabbergasted,” says Negaso. “I immediately told him he sounded like Mengistu Hiale-Mariam.”
For a brief moment it seemed as if Meles had gone too far. There was silence in the room. But Genet Zewde, an ANDM member, suddenly burst into tears.
“How could you compare him to Meles?” she implored sobbing.
And abruptly Negaso was on the defensive.
“I did not say he was Mengistu Haile-Mariam. I only said he sounded like him,” Negaso had to blurt out.
The tide turned. Meles was saved.
4. On corruption
Worried by increased feedbacks from the public about the rising tide of corruption, Negaso approaches Meles demanding action.
“There is nothing I could do right now,” replied an irate Meles. “Securing conclusive evidences in individual cases is easier said than done. The smart move is to concentrate on culturally stigmatizing corruption.”
Negaso, however, was unmoved.
“My final impression was that he was not serious about fighting corruption,” charges Negaso.( A UNDP report has recently revealed that Ethiopia has lost up to 3 billion US dollar to corruption since 1990. Senior government officials are prime suspects.)
5. On Meles Zenawi
“We never had a close personal or working relationship,” says Negaso. He has been to his house only a couple of times. “
Meles is a heavy smoker. “(Some leaders of the EPRDF) are heavy smokers, but Meles smoked much more than everyone else.”(Isn’t this a sign of ingrained anxiety?) His favorite drink is red wine. He is, no surprise here, temperamental, and occasionally, “his choices of words are not always wise.”
There are also his arbitrary decisions, Negaso reminds readers. “General Tsadkan and General Abebe were dismissed from their positions arbitrarily (and illegally.) He should have consulted the party but did not.”
----
The writer can be reached at serk27@gmail.com
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