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።

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.”

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The writer can be reached at serk27@gmail.com

They chased me out, and now are chasing my idea

By Bahir Kemal

Edmund Burke, the 18 century Irish statesman and philosopher, once said “there were three Estates in Parliament, but in the Reporters Gallery yonder, there sat a fourth Estate more important far than they all;” Burke was referring to Journalism or what we currently call the media. In Britain, the three branches (estates) of government referenced here are; parliament (House of Commons and House of Lords), the executive (the governing party) and the judiciary. This is the same to all democratic states.

Speech, symbols, cave paintings, petroglyphs (caving into a rock surface), pictograms or pictographs (symbols representing concepts), ideograms (graphical symbols representing ideas), these prehistoric words where as books, newspapers, magazine, and records, radio, movies, television and the internets are modern human communication mediums or mass media. The fourth Estate Burke mentioned in 18th century and that was limited to the parliament gallery, the free media, is now everywhere, using all the above medium, not limited by time and space, to communicate with the mass.

Today in the 21st century dictators everywhere are trying to block this free Media that was invaluable in the 18th century democratic society, and still considered as a part of governing body and still is one of government watchdogs for the check and balance.

As free media is as an anathema to any dictator as it is crucial to shaping a healthy society. It is the backbone of a democracy.

Free media needs education, training and law; not draconian law one that blocks free flow of information or used as a pretax to put journalists behind bar; but law that protects them from any harm; free media also needs sustainability and media literacy. However, these will be achieved by creating suitable environments, not by prosecuting, jailing or chasing journalists out of their country or chasing their idea through proxy.

My focus here is not to explain what mass media is; rather, how sad and shame it is when all these mediums controlled by a single organization as of EPRDF/TPLF where no freedom of expression allowed and mass media lost it’s simple meaning , it becomes just government propaganda machine. Our people have been bombarded and are being bombarded by empty rhetoric for the past 20 years. Members of the Ethiopian Diaspora community also are not immune from this lies thanks to Satellite TV which broadcast “ETV” program funded by poor Ethiopian tax payers.

Access to information is essential to the health of democracy for at least two reasons. First, it ensures that citizens make responsible, informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation (propaganda of their government). Second, information serves a “checking function” by ensuring that elected representatives uphold their oaths of office and carry out the wishes of those who elected them. Pre 2005 Ethiopian general election, there was a relatively better opportunity to achieve the above function. Unfortunately, immediately after the election, the clock turned back to where EPRDF/TPLF begun 20 years ago. In fact it has got worse. What makes the situation worse is that the TPLF/EPRDF regime is acting even beyond the territorial boundary of the country and trying to silence the voice of the voiceless through proxy; the VOA censorship issue is one of the means the regime trying to use to fulfill its ambition to silence the members of Diaspora who are critical of the regime.

Most Ethiopian find out through VOA and DW radio what is happening at their backyard. If VOA and other international media broadcasting to Ethiopia are going to be twisted by the regime the population will be in darker situation than ever. This is not the first time when the TPLF regime is trying to twist VOA’s arms, they brought charges against some VOA journalists after the controversial 2005 election; five VOA employees, Ethiopian-born Americans who have been with the service for several years were among the over 131 political leaders of CDU, activists, journalists who were accused of inciting genocide and attempting to overthrow the TPLF government by force. Later the charges were dropped due to the pressure imposed by the US government on the TPLF regime.

Even though it is obvious that the probability for opposition messages to reach the Ethiopian population is very slim due to lack of free press and freedom of expression, EPRDF/TPFL government worry about opposition influence on the western donors to loosen or eventually cuts the life support of the regime. Without the support of western donor the existence of the EPRDF regime even for a single day is unthinkable. That is why the regime intensifies “officially” to chase the idea of people, who were chased from their country of origin by the same regime.

Western governments worry about the present relation with the current government in Ethiopia which will affect their immediate interest if they are engaged in activities that will annoy the EPRDF/TPLF government. They worry is not for the future; in the future they can deal with any government, democratic or otherwise, until it is willing to cooperate with their interest, as was illustrated by the North African and the Mideast revolutions. That is why we shouldn’t blame western governments for everything. We, the people of Ethiopia, are responsible for our destiny; we have to take the matter into our own hand & show them how we are strong. It is only then that they will come to us.

Still the western governments shouldn’t abandon their core democratic values when it comes to developing countries especially Africa. As Martin Luther King once said ‘no one is free, until everyone is free’. So we have to voice our concern regarding VOA’s move to accommodate the regime with any means, from where ever we are. Our own activist, the executive director of Solidarity movement for New Ethiopia, Mr. Obang Metho, also time and again repeats King’s message.

As many people have written previously, some members of the Ethiopian Diaspora really think or believe that everything is OK back home due to lack of being exposed to unbalanced information. Although we all care about what is going on back home in Ethiopia, due to our exposure only to TPLF propaganda machine, “ETV” which preaches double digit of economy growth, some of us tend to ignore the estimated 5 million people who are in need of urgent food aid at this time. The number was 2.5 million three months ago, it has got 5 million in July and there is no reason that it won’t get more in the days ahead.

Life abroad is not easy to take care of our family here and back home; time is the main issue. That is why most of us are exposed only to “ETV”. It is easy to operate remote control than going online to access online journals, face book, tweeter, Google, etc when you are tired coming back from work. Also there is a tendency among some members of the Ethiopian Diaspora of being indifferent about what is happening back home; in some there is a tendency of giving up because we are already settled here and our kids’ chance to go back is very minimal. In some of the cases, as long as we secure a plot of land for retirement or “business” we do not care much about the rest.

In fact that is what the TPLF government wants us to do; ignore Ethiopia and politics. The VOA censorship is part of this big project by the TPLF/EPRDF to detach us from our people. We should not surrender to that plot. If this is the case we are making a big mistake, we have been raised and educated by those poor people; we owe them wherever we are and whatever condition we are living in. So we have to update each others by exchanging information between us, especially those of us who have chance to have more time than others in the form of phone call, email, family & friends gathering etc. We owe Ethiopia people no matter where we are or what condition we are living in. It is also vital to create and encourage public meeting of political and civic organization to discuss the issue & to exchange information.

We need to avoid suspicion between us; we should discuss the issue at stake by tackling the assignment given us by TPLF for the past 20 years, divide and rule policy. Ethiopian people never surrendered in the past, neither in the present nor will in the future for this policy. Dividing the people by ethnicity, religious, political and social status (DERGIST, NEFTEGNA, and GENTAY) never worked in the past, nor will work in the future. We have a lot of things that unite us as Ethiopians than things that divide us as Dr. Birhanu Nega clearly put it in his address on the historic meeting by Ginbot 7, Alliance Liberty, Equality, and Justice in Ethiopia (ALEJE) and Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) on Sunday, July 10, 2011 Arlington, VA which is sign of progress of forming strong alliance which can lead to creating government in exile with all stakeholders.

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Henry Ford

God the Almighty Bless Ethiopia

The writer can be reached at bahirk@hotmail.com

Meles Zenawi's VOA blacklist unveiled

by Abebe Gelaw

In Ethiopia freedom of expression was declared 20 years ago, when the military junta of Mengistu Hailemariam crumbled and Meles Zenewi came to power singing and preaching about liberty and democracy. After two decades in power, Meles Zenawi does not even tolerate the opinion of others, including those he has forced into exile. He wants to be the only person in the country to speak his mind with arrogance and impunity.

Only within the last 5 years, so many newspapers have been closed down, a number of journalists and critics have been jailed and many faced treason and terrorism charges for telling the inconvenient truth that tyranny must come to an end. The Voice of America (VOA), as an independent broadcaster, has also been a target of the tyrannical regime that jams VOA and other broadcasts to Ethiopia using Chinese technology.

Meles Zenawi’s VOA blacklist provides fresh evidence that clearly shows the intolerance, ignorance and arrogance of the dictator and his cronies who are determined to silence every little voice of dissent. Article 29 (2) of the Ethiopian constitution declares: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression without any interference. This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any media of his choice.” But in practice, freedom of expression has been criminalized and outspoken critics are being hunted down and forced into exile by the regime. The following is only a partial list of critics and dissidents whose views are labeled “hostile” and “unacceptable”. Meles wants VOA to ban his critics from appearing on its programs. It is an open secret that anyone who expresses views contrary to those of dictator Meles Zenawi and his cronies is considered to be an enemy of the state. It should noted that the majority of people targeted by the Meles regime in the last 20 years are outspoken critics, commentators, political leaders, human rights activists and journalists.

The names below only those mentioned in a 42-page document submitted by the Meles regime to VOA and Board of Broadcasting Governors (BBG) officials as “evidence” to support its complaints against VOA Amharic service.

Dr. Getachew Metaferia, Professor of Political Science at Maryland University
Mr. Jawar Mohammed, Political commentator
Mr. Abebe Hailu, Representative of the Ethiopian American Council
Professor Beyene Petros, Member of Medrek’s leadership
Mr. Hamdi Ali Regae, Commentator
Professor Paolos Milkeas, Professor of Middle Eastern and African Politics, Concordia University Canada
Mr. Ali Abdo, Eritrean Minister of Information
Dr. Beyana Soba, OLF spokesperson
Mr. Eskinder Nega, Journalist and publisher, who has been banned from practicing journalism
Colonel Tsegeye Yimer, Former army and police trainer
Lieutenant Ayalsew Dessie, exiled former army officer
Dr. Negasso Gidada, former president and interim leader of Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ)
Dr. Hailu Araya, Spokesperson of UDJ
Dr. Kassa Ayalew, Representative of March for Freedom
Dr. Ahmed Mowen, Professor at Howard University, Washington DC
Mr. Neamin Zeleke, Political activist
Professor Getachew Haile, Coordinator of Hidafe Kitet
Mr. Seye Abraha, UDJ Party
Mr. Thilo Hoppe, Member of German Parliament (Bundestag)
Mr. Bekele Gerba, Vice Chair, Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM)
Dr. Merera Gudina, Member of Medrek’s leadership
Dr. Berhanu Nega, Chair of Ginbot 7
Mr. Girma Moges, Political commentator
Mr. Aklilu Tadesse, exiled journalist
Mr. Alebachew Desalegn, London-based activist
Ms. Asayesh Tamiru, Member of Human Rights Committee in Germany
Mr. Tamagn Beyene, activist and artiste
Mr. Dawit Kebede, Managing editor of Awaramba Times
Isaias Mekuria, journalist
Dr. Getachew Begashaw, Professor of Economics at Harper College, USA
Mr. Solomon Gebreselassie, Water development engineer in Los Angeles, California

Addis Voice is making efforts to secure other documents that contain Meles Zenawi’s litany of complaints and grievances against VOA broadcasters and anyone who expresses critical views. Here is the full document.

Breaking News! Birtu has made it into the three finalists

Sakharov Prize 2010: three finalists
Human rights − 18-10-2010 - 21:12
General
Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence, Cuban dissident Guillermo Fariñas and Ethiopian opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa are the three shortlisted finalists for the 2010 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The winner will be announced on Thursday, 21 October, by the President of the European Parliament, following a decision of the Conference of political group leaders. The winner will receive €50,000 and will be invited to participate in the award ceremony on 15 December, in Strasbourg. The three finalists are presented below in alphabetical order.

Breaking the Silence is an Israeli NGO, established in 2004, by Israeli soldiers and veterans who collect and provide testimonies about their military service in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem during the second Intifada. The NGO is dedicated to exposing the Israeli public to the realities of the Israeli occupation, as seen through the eyes of Israeli soldiers, and to stirring debate about the impact of the prolonged occupation on the Palestinian population and on Israeli society. "If we vote for Breaking the Silence were are voting for peace, we are voting for the honour of Israeli democracy and we are saying we are in favour of two states: the Palestinian State and the Israeli State (...) Awarding the prize, we want to give peace a chance", declared Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Greens/EFA, FR).



Nominated by Rebecca Harms and Daniel Cohn-Bendit on behalf of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) and by Lothar Bisky on behalf of the Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)



Guillermo Fariñas, aged 48, was nominated in the name of all those who fight in Cuba for freedom and human rights. He is a doctor of psychology, independent journalist and political dissident in Cuba. He has conducted 23 hunger strikes over the years "not in his own favour but in order to defend his compatriots" said José Ignacio Salafranca (EPP, ES). A supporter of non-violence who dares to denounce the Castro regime, "Guillermo Fariñas is a symbol in the struggle against the imprisonment of political opponents (). Because he is defending dignity and democracy in his country, he is the ideal candidate for the Sakharov Prize" say the MEPs who nominated him.



Nominated by Joseph Daul, José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Jaime Mayor Oreja, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa and Francisco José Millán Mon on the behalf of the Group of the European People's Party (EPP), by Edvard Kožušník for the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), and by 91 other MEPs.

Birtukan MIDEKSA, an Ethiopian politician and former judge, is the leader of the opposition Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) party. On December 28 2008, Birtukan Mideska was re-arrested and imprisoned to serve a life sentence, after having spoken in Sweden with journalists about the way opposition leaders were released in her country. She was released from prison at the beginning of October, after almost two years' incarceration.

"The Saharov prize should be given to those who need international visibility and protection. Birtukan Mideksa needs both. By awarding the Saharov prize to Birtukan Mideksa, representing all Ethiopian political prisoners, the European Parliament would bring hope and would call attention to this young mother, one of the few female party leaders in Africa. It would also guarantee visibility of the struggle of thousands of forgotten political prisoners who fight for justice, the rule of law and democracy in Ethiopia", declared Adrian Severin (S&D, RO).

Nominated by Martin Schulz on behalf of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D)

In the Chair: Eva JOLY (Greens/EFA, FR)

Final Announcment: Let's go for Birtu! Let's Sign the Online Petition!

By Helen Niqusie, Germany



Under the fundamental rights of European citizens, Article 194 of the EC Treaty states that ‘any citizen of the European Union, or resident in a Member State, may, individually or in association with others, submit a petition to the European Parliament on a subject which comes within the European Union's fields of activity and which affects them directly.’

This right of petition to the European Parliament is a right one can exercise any time when s/he sees it fit. And it’s now time for us Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia to send out our petitions to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to honor our heroine Birtukan Mideksa as the recipient of the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Please fill in this online petition made available by Freebirtukan.org and the Greeco-Gabonese Modelist and peace activist Gloria Mika and send it asap before Monday, October 18.

And here is the rest of it.