The problem of world constitutions is the fact that they don’t contain articles as to how are they going to be changed with a new one, except about their amendments. Despite that we have repeatedly observed, from history, Constitutions changing. The same holds true to the situation in our country. The constitution of the imperial majesty was changed through violent popular uprising; and that of the Dergue through military means. By the same token, this time, as we believe to change, not to amend, the constitution of EPRDF we have no plenty of alternatives. Either we have to use the (2005) election to incite popular uprising and overthrow EPRDF, so that we pave the way for constitutional change. Or we look for a strategy of creating popular uprising by giving a pretext that EPRDF closes all the doors or denied us of participation in a free and fair election, and for this objective we employ different tactics of creating civil disobedience — work strikes, violent demonstrations — that at the same time bring diplomatic support for us and even weakening and disintegrating EPRDF. Whichever way we go it is a must to incite a coordinated, continuous and country-wide popular uprising.” Negede Gobeze(Dr.), ‘Constitution, Election and Democracy in Ethiopia( From The day before yesterday up to Tomorrow)’, AESOP PUBLISHERS, Washington DC, 2004,p173.

Sir!
Meison is over, EPRP too. Next time you'll post one of Mengistu's speaches. You too drop dead.

Mr. Ewnetu Bezabih,
EPRP is a miracle child of Ethiopia. It was born out of the will and desire, hope and dream of the people. It was created and supported by the cream and crop of society. EPRP stood, fought and bleed for the well being and advancement of our society. EPRP is the only organization that never compromised the interest of the whole Ethiopian people and the country for temporary political gain. EPRP stands for immortal principles which will make it immortal too. EPRP will continue living with the people for a long time to come.

City: Washington DC

Dear Birhan,

If EPRP was genuine, would've emerged Victorious or atleast survived. EPRP + Meison + Derg= RedTerror
Remenants of Feudals + CUD + UEDP + EPDRF =The Addis massacre.
I still cann't see new faces emerging. The Bad old guys. Goshu Wolde of Derg now UEDP-Medhin, Negede Gobeze of MEISON now CUD. I can give you enough names.

Dear Ewnetu,
In such a short paragraph you raised several questions and touched some critical issues. However the issues and question you touched would not correlate to one another. Some even contradict each other.

For example, you innately recognized the existence of EPRP on one hand, and on the other you said ‘at-least they would have survived’ implying that EPRP does not survive now. Though not as trendy and as popular as it was in the late 70s, EPRP still exist as a well developed, sophisticated political organization of Ethiopians.

You also mentioned genuineness and correlate it to becoming victorious. I don’t think the two, genuineness and political victory, have direct correlation. If that was the case TPLF, the most deceitful organization in our history, would not be in Minilik palace. EPRP was (and is still) packed with genuine Ethiopians who uphold the interest of the people and the country above everything. Many sacrificed their precious life for this cause and many more have gone through unimaginable suffering. The organization continues to fight for the interest of Ethiopia and all Ethiopians.
I don’t want to second guess your formulas but you seem to suggest that political organization as a whole create blood shed rather than totalitarian governments, i.e Derg = red terror
Woyane(TPLF = the Addis/Awassa massacre

Implying that EPRP has contributed to red terror and/or UEDP/Medhin/CUD has contributed to the addis massacre is gross injustice. It is like blaming a rape victim for dressing seductively.

I would have continued unabatedly if only I had ……

With regards

City: Washington DC

Without my will you hauled me to AESM/EPRP innuendo. When I was a student, the instructor quoted Socrates "A GOOD CITIZEN SHOULD OBEY THE BAD LAW OF THE STATE" I shoot up from my seat and criticized Socrates very severely. I even dared to say 'how come the world recognizes this guy as a great thinker'??? The Instructor patiently listened to me with a smile hovering over his mouth and said to me "MEN SHOULD BE JUDGED IN TERMS OF THE TIME THEY LIVED". Some of you guys posting trashes here may even dare to say Socrates deserves the death sentence he received. Socrates was in a situation where he could have easily escaped from prison. His friends were ready to take him out of the prison. Socrates replied to them "I am a good citizen and I should obey the bad law of the state." Hitherto world history recognizes him as a martyr of his conviction. He lived before Christ. The world has traveled a really long distance since then. I am NOT saying Socrates was right when critically examined from contemporary (21st Century)point of view. I am again quoting my professor "Men should be judged in terms of the time they lived". Now we are in a different era. No more cold war. No more two ideological groups with nuclear armament. The world has lost its bipolar aspect. Communist countries have crumbled. No more Soviet Union. They have become over 15 independent countries. But by that time i.e. during the YEKATIT 66 ABIYOT we were all for communism even without knowing what communism means. For many of us the conviction came first before even reading communist literatures. We truly believed communism would solve all social evils. We all believed communism would bring happiness and prosperity. I remember a priest who said 'Ethiopia has been a communist even before the Soviet Union'. I remember also a priest who was a chairman of a kebele. I also remember another priest who was an "ABIYOT TIBEKA". Now, we hide our past and condemn our past communist leaders like that of Negede Gobeze in public. Dr Negede is trying his best to save Ethiopia. He did a commendable job by writing that book. Do you know Weyane and Shabia were the architects of red terror. The controversy between AESM and EPRP was as to which one of them was unadulterated true communist. EPRP claimed to be a communist par excellence and so did AESM. Then came Dawit yohannes with the Communist Party of Ethiopia claiming to be the sole true communist group. And then followed TPLF arguing that the ONLY true communist country is Albania, so on and so forth. Here we are now with the Albanian communists. My fellow citizens! dispute over our past will help only Weyane. Nobody else will benefit from such silly innuendo. Please come to your senses and be forward looking. Let us join hands to save our country from being destroyed by the parochialist regime. Whatever was your political creed in the past it has no relevance to the current reality.
Hagere Ethiopia

Email: hagere_ethiopia@yahoo.com

City: Addis Ababa

Dear participants,

Dr negede said it right. melesse blocked the demonsteration for fearing that people will rise. It is true. They rise and were killed. But this indeed change the course. Otherwise EPRDF would have endorsed its majority without any investigations. Now the diplomatic hand is with the opossition.May be the dream of the Dr negede gobeze may not happen , changing the constitution. But a slow amendment would make a change.Better than stacked with EPRDF controling 100 %.

Email: wbinyam@yahoo.com

Dear Birhan
With all due respect to your opinion I beg you to differ. Just before this one I posted another comment in which I appealed to all my fellow citizens to refrain from a sterile and a less than useless polemics over our past. I still stick to it. However, I have to straighten the record for the present generation who are unlucky to get an objective assessment of the EPRP era. Some EPRP leaders like Kiflu (I forgot his second name) wrote a book under the title "ya Tiwlid" - The Generation - but it was all a white lie. Let me tell you what I witnessed as one who belonged to Kiflu's generation. In the area where I was living EPRP killed a low level prostitute who was raising a 4 years old child as a single mother. I asked my EPRP bosses why she was killed. Their reply was very sickening. They said, "she reported to the kebele about AMPOL SEBERA" EPRP used to break street light (AMPUL) and her area becomes very dark. As the result her clients were terrified to go to her. She begged the boys not to do that as her bread and butter was selling her body for a meager amount of money. As of the next day I distanced myself from EPRP and went to the remotest part of Ethiopia fearing for my life. I further succeeded to go to Khartoum seeking asylum. I run away from EPRP, not from Derg. Is this NOT amazing? This is the tip of the iceberg if you talk about the criminal records of EPRP. Now my dear brother you tell us EPRP was/is genuine blah blah. This is sickening. This is a hot air. The same holds true with AESM. The same holds true with any of the political group of the time. But EPRP's crimes are comparable to that of the Derg. You don't have to kill thousands to be called a criminal. By the way, do you know EPRP's death squad were the MAJIRAT MECHIOCH of "china" and "shera" groups. Please Please dear Birhan crime should not pay. You have clearly confused "celebrity" and "notoriety". EPRP was a notorious mafia type criminal organization. Above all it was a house maid of SHABIA. There are two ways of thinking. You can think with your brain OR you can think with your heart. When you think with your heart there is no logic and reasoning. If you have lost a brother who was EPRP member, to condemn EPRP might be for you tantamount to condemning your brother. So you become adamant as you are now and your argument destroys logic, reasoning and common sense. Finally I reiterate my advice to all of you here to forget your past and be forward looking. Do you know the present fascist regime members are the remnants of the 60s generation??? They are even the residue of that generation. Do you know 90% of those who currently assume key government posts are ex EPRP members??? The people of Ethiopia know everything. Please stop showering us with your nonsense. Please let us look forward and save our country. Please let us bury our past at least until victory.
Hagere Ethiopia

Email: hagere_ethiopia@yahoo.com

City: Addis Ababa

We all entitled to our opinion, which is like old British democracy, but if we keep on crying on spoiled milk I don’t think we go any further. We all knew Dr. Gobeze was member was MESON but I don’t find any one being an eyewitness when he committed crime (torturing or shooting). If you don’t know what Derge did to MESON member, derge torturing them killed some of their members and some of them thrown in prison, this might not be important for now but in politics in one time your enemy might be you friend in different era.
Let’ talk what we can do together in order to over throw the WEYANE regime.
I hope you agree with me for now.

Alem

Email: smcj6@aol.com

City: Alabama

Today Negede Gobeze is speaking about constitutions.

I quote Negede Gobeze from Septmber 17, 1977 issue of Le Monde, some months after MEISON's break with the dergue, when Haile Fida was in jail and Kebede Mengesha were allready dead. Negede Gobeze was asked about the killings going on in Addis, and he replied:

"The most important thing to realize is that this situation has been deliberately exagerated in order to poison international opinion"

We should remember this when Negede Gobeze shuttles between imperialist capitals to beg to this international opinion.

Negede Gobeze, many good revolutionaries are turning in their graves from hearing your turn-coating rejectionism of history.

Do them and yourself a favour and shut up. You are as politically dead as those comrades, whose deaths you bear moral responsibility for.

Whatever you do, your legacy will only be that of a sad revisionist in a sad period of Ethiopia and her children.