Addis Tribune (Addis Ababa)

OPINION
By Mammo Muchihe(Professor)
An independent academics working in higher education in Scandinavia.

Let us briefly show the chronicle of events from the pre-election period to the present.

This is how the turn of events took. Meles and Bereket did not expect that the opposition would do so well and even threaten their rule with the danger of a potential opposition majority in parliament. They were deluding themselves that the people are behind them. The chair of NES, spent five weeks in the rural areas of northern Ethiopia and did not meet even one person who had anything good to say about the regime. The vice-chair also spent 18 months in different parts of Ethiopia and was surprised to find that hardly anyone he came across showed any trust, respect or support to the ruling party and its current leaders. People were tired of their lies and their relentless bullying. Farmers were demoralised. Business people were complaining of higher and unfair taxation. People show their protest through various outlets. It was clear that given a free and fair election, the opposition would win with a landslide. The regime did not get this message. Meles & Co. panicked. They seem to have resorted to classic Orwellian deceit. They instigate and accuse the opposition of their own vice. They lie and accuse the opposition for lying. They went for cheap politics and quickly lost the entire plot. When they ordered shoot to kill, they became hopelessly compromised losing any credibility of claims to any higher purpose they like to embellish themselves. The king has finally has no clothes.

Even before the election date, judging the public mood they declared a state of emergency. They banned peaceful protest and thus took anti-democratic measures. The message of danger grew even more to their rule, when city after city began to fall to the opposition. But as soon as they saw the election was going wrong for their side, they accelerated the tense environment by spreading rumours of violence, ethnic cleansing and the like. More ominously, they began to spread rumours of a Rwandan type of genocide. They kept saying that the election is showing 'anti-Tigryan' sentiments. They began to harangue the opposition and blamed for all their ghosts and metaphysical worries.

What was remarkable was that the opposition continued to remain largely unprovoked and strategic in the measures it took. It behaved impeccably and with wisdom, responsibility and utmost disciple and kept the faith that the country's historic achievement, i.e., - the choice of a peaceful and not violent political transition has finally arrived! Meanwhile in many rural areas the ballot counting control mechanism has been very weak, the Election Board has been accused of partisanship, so ballot rigging became rife, and inspectors started giving contradictory signals including former US president Jimmy Carter.

When the state of emergency lapsed students took to peaceful protest. Meles declared another restrictive military control of the situation, rather than allowing peaceful dialogue, freedom of association, and democratic expression of peaceful protest.

The state of emergency created tension; the military style of governing created even more problems by blocking the avenues of debate, public participation and democratic celebration. The persistent and further rumour of ethnic tension created unease. This got even worse especially when anonymously circulated leaflets alleging incitation of inter communal disturbances appeared. Finally when the students, tired and frustrated of waiting by the endless delay of announcing the results starting the protest, which is in accordance with their irreducible democratic rights, the regime accused the opposition of instigating it. It has begun arresting leading opposition figures like Ato Lidetu, and Ato. Andargatchew Tsige. It has been reported that Dr. Berhanu, Engineer Shaul, and Dr. Yakob have been under house arrest.

This measure has escalated the tension by gravely heightening the situation. The full responsibility for all the troubles lies entirely with Meles & Co.

Email: belayt01@yahoo.com

City: Addis Ababa

Belay,
You know the answer...it's you/woyane....why are you asking these kind of questions again and again? we all know it's you/woyane. get the f...out off here!!!!
Regards
Rocket