Dear CUD and UEDF Operatives of this forum,

I suggest Marara Gudina and Hailu Shaul write a joint article and send it to news papers around the world. The title should be An Open Letter to Leaders of G8 Nations. It should focus on Conservative News Papers in the US, such as the Washington Times. Those are the ones that White House and the Republican Party Operatives Read. In UK, focus on both Conservative and Liberal Parties. In Washington there is only one party that counts, the Democratic Party has been reduced to a useless caricature of its old self. No value in working with it.

I would be happy to help draft this. I probably can do it as well as if not better than the speach writers of CUD and UEDF. Here are some excerpts from my earlier postings that can help draft the Open Letter. News Paper are happy to publish anything from leaders around the world.

The Excerpt is taken from my advice to Hailu Shaul Interview.
…………………….

“My understanding is that the debt relief is supposed to be given to countries that have shown progress both in the economic and political spheres. The governments that are applying for debt relief are expected to show serious effort to introduce democracy. It is important to understand that the most serious malice that Africa suffers from is political affliction. The economic malice is the symptom of what has gone wrong in the political arena. If the international community is as serious as it seems to be, it should worry both about economic problems and political problems. The international community should worry about entrenching authoritarian governments that have created stambling block to development. The Ethiopian situation is a case in point. The government has refused to implement the recommendations of IMF and the World Bank, particularly when it comes to privatization. All studies indicate that free market is essential for development. So I believe the international community should use the debt relief as a leverage to encourage the government to change its policies and to respect the wishes of the people. In short I am against giving the government financial assistance before it meets the very conditions that are required to benefit from the debt relief.”

“Money is not the core of our problem. The core of our problem is the absence of good governance. I am sure you are aware the amount of capital flight out of Africa. The root cause of our problem is bad governance. No amount of money would resolve our economic malice before we address the political malice that is at the core of our economic problem.’

Prime Minister Meles has been in power for over 14 years and he does not seem to have a plan or time table to relinquish power. The international community has witnessed the authoritarian nature of this government in the recent episode. The Amnesty International and Human Rights watch have been publishing cases after cases of murder, torture, meta constitutional arrests as well as corruption. I am sure Mr. Blair and his government is well aware of these cases. It is hard to say Mr. Tony is duped by Mr. Meles. But I do not want to second guess why he still supports the PM Meles. As they say you can cheat some peole some of the time, but you cannot cheat all of the people all the time. The recent episode would make it difficult for Mr. Blair and other to continue to present Mr. Meles as progressive or democratic.”

“I would beg to differ with the record of the government that you seem to accept on face value. Factually the government’s claim that Ethiopian economy is growing does not seem to be borne by the reality on the ground. We have heard about Ethiopia’s growth ever since Mr. Meles took power 14 years ago. But the claim has proven to be nothing more than an economic mirage to the people. Though the Ethiopian people are told by the government that their lives have improved, and that the economy is growing at an impressive rate and that hope is on the horizon, what they have witnessed in the last 14 years are the following. According to the World Bank figures Ethiopia’s GDP per capita has declined from US$120 to US$110 on Mr. Meles’s watch. This is an abysmal performance, indeed an embarrassing performance by any standard, in light of the fact that Ethiopia has been one of the most favored recipients of foreign aid over the last decades and half, to the tune of billions of US dollars, both in grant and close to zero interest rate. Our people are dying of starvation; unemployment is among the highest in Africa. Ethiopia is one of the African countries that AIDS epidemic is the highest. What Ethiopia saw under this government was a costly war that was the result of the government’s failed policy with respect to Eritrea. Since Mr. Meles took power Ethiopia has been recycling pain, poverty and misery. This is what the people would tell you, contrary to the rosy and deceptive economic charts that seem to impose themselves on government reports.

Mamo Qilo:
Why are you so MADLY in love with a racist political group in america, republicans. The republicans are better known for their racism. Appointing few blacks here and there is a PR exercise. Don't take them seriously. I could be wrong and stand to be corrected.

Email: fatuma@yahoo.com

City: Addis

MAMO Q. FOR PRESIDENT.
GO TELL THEM USE YOUR INTELIGENCE AND KNOWLEDGE. HELP THE POOR PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA.
GOD BLESS YOU AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

Fatuma Abdulaziz,

I love you too. The republican party love you too. Did you realize the only person with a reasonably god chance of winning the whitehouse was Colin Powel. If he had run ho could have won. Of course he would have run as a republican. Th eother person with a reasonably good chance for the White Howse is Condi Rice. The next election may be a showdawn beteeen two women. One black and one white. One democrat and one republican: Clinton vs Rice. Rice would win hands down. Let me tell you this. The first Blacp American president will be a republican. This, my girl friend, is not a wishful thinking. There is no chance for a black democrat to take the white house in the next 20 years.

Mamo Qilo