http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=17071

By Berhanu Nega
Commentary by
Tuesday, July 26, 2005

When we in Ethiopia's political opposition agreed to participate in the election that the government organized in May, we were under no illusion that the process would be faultless. After all, Ethiopia has never known democracy. Mengistu Haile Mariam once headed Africa's most blood-curdling Marxist regime, and was replaced by today's ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), whose "revolutionary democracy" is a more subtle variation on the same theme.

So we knew that there would be problems with the election, that voting would not be clean in the way Western countries take for granted. Yet we nonetheless believed that the opposition, led by the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), would have room to maneuver and campaign, owing to the government's desire for international legitimacy. So we decided to test the waters and push for a real political opening and a genuinely competitive vote. Many Ethiopians appear to have agreed with this strategy.

The government did make some media available and engaged in more than 10 live televised debates. So, at least at first, there seemed to have been some intention on the government's part to open up the process - if not completely, then somewhat. Now, however, it appears that the authorities wanted only a small, managed opening, on the assumption that they could control the outcome.

About a month before the election, the government began to shut down the political space it had opened. Its election campaign took on a vilifying tone, charging that the opposition was bent on destroying ethnic groups through genocide. Indeed, it called the opposition "Interahamwe," invoking the memory of the Hutu militia that slaughtered 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis in 1994. The government also began to harass opposition parties, especially in rural areas.

This was unpleasant, but tolerable. So we continued campaigning. But things became nastier a week before the vote. Attendance at an official pro-government rally in Addis Ababa was dwarfed by our rally the following day, when millions of demonstrators peacefully demanded change and showed their support for us. At that point, the government realized that its democratic opening was slipping out of its control.

Two days before the vote, our poll watchers and supporters were searched, arrested and given one-day trials, with most sentenced to one or two months in jail. We feared that the voting would take place without the presence of our poll watchers. So we gave a press conference - all the opposition parties together - the day before the vote, demanding that the government release our party workers and allow people to vote freely. Although the government met neither of these demands, the early results clearly showed that the opposition was gaining a large number of seats. It became obvious that we were winning in many constituencies and that we had won in Addis Ababa, as well as in most of the major cities and the rural areas.

What was surprising was the magnitude of the victory. In Addis Ababa, top government officials, including the education and capacity building ministers, lost, as did the speaker of the House of People's Representatives.

In rural constituencies, opposition candidates defeated EPRDF heavyweights such as the defense, information, and infrastructure ministers, along with the presidents of the two largest regions, Oromia and Amhara.

The government wasted little time in responding: the next day, it declared itself the winner, with not even half of the constituencies reporting their results.

No surprise, then, that the public erupted in anger. When university students protested, the police moved in, killing one. In demonstrations the following day, 36 more people were killed. Soon after, our office workers were detained, and Hailu Shawel, the chairman of the CUD, and senior CUD official Lidetu Ayalew were placed under house arrest. One hundred staff members were taken from our head office in Addis Ababa alone, and many more from regional offices. Up to 6,000 people were jailed - CUD members and ordinary citizens.

Last Friday, the pro-government National Election Board announced that it would rerun elections in around 20 constituencies, and blamed voting irregularities for the government's failure to announce final election results two months after the voting took place. My fear is that the will of Ethiopia's people will be stifled by government hard-liners. Doubts about the authenticity of the final results will create a danger of instability. Everyone - the government, the opposition and the public - must commit themselves to a peaceful resolution.

To restore calm before any recount can be held, confidence-building measures are needed. The military must be taken off the streets. The ban on public demonstrations must be lifted. Those in jail must be released or given a fair trial. Those held simply because they do not support the government must be freed and allowed to participate in the democratic process. The government-controlled media must be open to diverse opinions; in particular, opposition access must be guaranteed.

Equally important, the international community must send observers - and thus a clear signal to the government that any attempt to maintain power by force or intimidation is unacceptable. The world must keep watching, just as it watched in Georgia, Ukraine, Lebanon and Palestine.

For the first time in our very long history, we Ethiopians have voted our conscience. Our people have played their part with courage and discipline. They deserve the opportunity to build a genuine democratic political system. That is their only guarantee to live in peace and to achieve prosperity.
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Berhanu Nega is a member of the Executive Committee of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy and chairman of its 2005 election campaign. He was formerly the president of the Ethiopian Economic Association. THE DAILY STAR publishes this commentary in collaboration with Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).

Berhanu,

Here is a sample of what Ethiopians believe:

You can’t have freedom without sacrifice anymore than you can make omelets without breaking a few eggs. Freedom and Democracy will never come by wishing them. The opposition leaders must be committed enough to die for it and mobilize the people to stand up and challenge the oppressors.

Meles' biggest fear is not the west, but the determination of the Ethiopian people to sacrifice and die for freedom. According to Israeli intelligence assessment of the current situation in Ethiopia, they concluded that Meles and his hard line supporters are more fearful of people uprising and confronting the regime than the opposition of western governments. Israel should know!

In that respect, the current opposition “leaders” leave much to be desired. Simply said, the opposition leadership is not committed to sacrifice and martyrdom. Their wishful dream is for the west to step in hand them the power. That, my fellow Ethios, will never, ever happen and Melese, Bereket, Sebhat Nega, and Arekebe Kurkubay know it very, very well indeed.

So, do you agree with my conclusion? If you do, then start writing to the opposition leaders and urge them to do what must be done, or stop giving lip service and reciting their hollow wishful thinking.

Beheg-Amlack


I was convinced early on that the only plausible option is to take the fight to the oppressors and not wait a handout from EU, USA, UK, IMF, WB...etc.

I am glad you stated it succinctly. I assure you many have already written to the opposition urging them to change their tactics and prepare their supporter for the ultimate sacrifice. I am also convinced that with the world scrutiny focused on Melese and his Agazi/Nazis he will not dare massacre the people and expect to hide in some secluded remote area of the world. That will never happen.

I agree with you that NOW is the time for action. As for the military, Melese himself is not certain that he has the military's loyalty, given the rift and division that is increasingly spreading through all the services.

Explorer


Finally, someone said the unspeakable but the truth. While blood spilling should be the option of last resort, there comes a time for legitimately invoking that option. I agree that time is now as frigthening ias it seem, the odds are in favor of the people.

I will write to CUD and EUDF via their respective WEB sites to urge them to begin preparation for the ultimate sacrifice. One thing for sure, and as Explorer stated, the military is not loyal to the regime as we are lead to believe. The military is waiting for their order only to turn around and oppose the government. Meles knows that and he does not want to test the military, and that is becoming apparent to the people.

Mesraq

Beheg Amlack,

You are already getting reaction from those who support the tyrant Melese by arguing flawed reasoning that will perpetuate the oppresive regime. This typical of of those who purport to be Ethiopians, but would chose the status quo, to freedom and paying for the price of freedom. There are cowards who are lurking among us who pretend to be patriotic Ethiopians. As to who those cowards are, it is plain and obvious. One way to smell them out is by their reaction to Beheg-Amlack’s proposition. Such cowards are not genuinely concerned for the people of Ethiopia, but for their tyrant benefactors at the sacrice and death of the Ethiopian people who dies from poverty, pandemic deseases, starvation, political prosecution, injustice, and ethnic hatred, perpetrated by the Melese regime.

This is a critical topic for patriotic Ethiopians, not for those benefiting from the injustices of ethnic division and corruption.

There is an Ethiopian adage that reminds us about the value of freedom:

“Ke zelalem barrinette, yand ken netsanette”..

Keep up the message it is finally hitting home!!!

Hager Wedad

FELLOW COMPATRIOTS;

OUR DESTINI IS HERE AND NOW.ETHIOPIANS SHOULD BE DETERMINING AND DECIDING WHATS BEST FOR ETHIOPIA.

FIRST AND FOREMOST ETHIOPIANS SHOULD PRESS FOR DEMOCRACY FOR ETHIOPIANS, NOT THE WEST. WE SHOULD NOT LOOK TO THE WEST FOR OUR SALVATION.

WE MUST NOT ALLOW THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE WEST TO DETERMINE WHATS BEST FOR OUR PEOPLE. THE WEST WILL ONLY PURSUE WHAT IS IN THEIR SELF INTEREST THROUGH DICTATORS AND TYRANTS LIKE MELESE/TPLF.

THE OPPOSITION COALITION PARTY LEADERSSHIP MUST SHIFT THEIR PARADAGIM FROM THAT OF THE WEST TO SELF DETERMINATION BY ETHIOPIANS.

Don't expect any thing from Westerns because they are always running towards their very interest. directly or indirectly if the matter is out of their interest they never, ever consider it, rather some times they aggravate the situation in such a way that it could not be solved for ever. They are really poisenous snakes.

Email: btworkie2003@yahoo.com

City: Stuttgart

Belay-
Think about going somewhere else where your ideas and political views are respected and appreciated. If your message is getting deleted it is a sign for you to pack your bag and leave. Why do you want to stay here? May you have a safe trip and live in peace and harmony.

Re: The world must keep pressing for a democratic Ethiopia

THIS SHOWES THAT DR. BIRHANU DON'T HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE TO BRING DEMOCRACY IN ETHIOPIA. HOPE THIS IS NOT HIS STAND AND IF IT IS, HE SHOULD RETRACT HIS CALL WITH OUT DEALY & LEAVE THE SITUATION TO THE ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE.

THANK YOU,

You people have completely lost sight of the situation around you. The objective situation is that there is no any ground for insurrection whatsoever. Go back to the Derge period. Armed struggle was waged simply because Derge shut the door to peaceful and legal struggle. Human and democratic rights were forbidden to every body except top level officials of the regime. Group rights especially self determination was suppressed. What about now? At present all issues that led to armed struggle have got appropriate solutions. Armed struggle is transformed into peaceful, legal and democratic struggle. Any headache related with the election could possible be resolved through peaceful, legal and democratic process. You accused EPRDF. The cases you put forward to NEBE are already exposed as sham. In most constituencies, the witnesses you brought have put their accounts contrary to your design. Therefore the attitude of the people is not in line with your emotional insurrection.

On the other hand , you have the gut for insurrection in which you would take part. No power mongers in our country paid sacrifice for stepping into political power. Our history justifies this conclusion. It was always others who paid their blood simply to accompany power mongerers up to political power. Haile Sellassie was not in the patriotic war to wipe out Italian invaders. He was in his warm house in London when the true sons of the country were paying every sacrifice. The true patriots paid their blood. Haile Sellassie found him self on the throne. How about Mengistu? He had never been a participant in any form of the struggle for democracy. Simply because there was not a political force to take power on behalf of the people Mengistu with his collegues including MEISON usurped political power. We know opposition leaders and their gathering of opportunists, traitors and enemies of the people have been functionaries of ISEPA and MEISOW, allergic to any type of blood sacrifice to their own interests.



You have declared that any thing less than winning the election would not be acceptable by you.What does it mean?Getting power by any means which includes fraud and insurrection.Had you been in a position to accept the decision of the majority these would have not been in your list.But you are not a kind of people to lose you life.If you lose it you have no chance to put yourselves on power.This you know it very well.Pretension is among your characteristic features WE don’t forget why Haulu Shawel fled to Europe earlier before Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe. Most of you who post on this forum might have been among those who made a marathon run when EPRDF in an unnoticeable pace arrived in North Shoa. This is the reality HISTORY knows about you. This time around you say, “We can’t have freedom without sacrifice any more than you can make omlets without breaking a few eggs”. Thanks to the fruits of the struggle true sons of this country have paid, even you red terror butchers, have the right to bark provided you are on legal path. You have tried to make your omlets when those 26 died not for their real causes, but for your hidden causes .Beware! Such incident won’t happen again. Hence please shut up your horse month. You can’t play with innocent Ethiopian’s blood any more.