Respect the people’s mandate

Most observers who follow the current crisis in our country by now have realized that the fraud investigation has been turned into a sham propaganda campaign by Zenawi, intended to please international donor countries, who seem to be ever willing and happy to be hoodwinked by him every time he conjures up some of his familiar nasty tricks, whilst ignoring the glaring brutality and injustice being committed on the Ethiopian people. Zenawi and his election board who are both the judge and the jury of the investigations continue to manufacture crimes, accusations and pretexts to arrest, harass and murder witnesses, opposition party supporters and party leaders.

Cases of vote rigging and complaint after complaint of fraud have been dismissed by the Election board on the pretext that there was a lack of evidence. The Election board knows full well that those required to give evidence, have been locked up in prison; others who were allowed to appear as witnesses are being intimidated, beaten up and imprisoned. The investigation panel is a window dressing exercise carefully planned to create the impression that all the issues relating to fraud and vote rigging have been addressed. The panel exists in name only. What we have witnessed is, in fact, the outrageous dictator continuing to kill and intimidate witnesses even when the so called investigation is under way.

There is nothing that the regime has done to improve the atmosphere for the opposition to take part in the discussion. All that the regime is doing is falsifying the facts, creating pretexts and using violent means to neutralize witnesses etc to render any issues of fraud and vote rigging invalid. It makes its own unilateral decisions in its favour. The regime is making a mockery of democracy and, adding insult to injury, they have turned themselves into victims of fraud and vote rigging and they portray the opposition parties as the perpetrators of the crimes of fraud and vote rigging, such is their contempt for justice!

In the face of injustice, the Ethiopian people have no choice other than to continue to intensify the peaceful struggle for democracy and for ensuring that their votes are made to count. There is no turning back. The Ethiopian people will be able to fulfill their hopes and aspirations for peace, democracy and justice through peaceful resistance.

The struggle has become one between tyranny and dictatorship on the one hand and democracy, fairness and justice on the other.The respect for the verdict of the Ethiopian people and the prevalence of justice is the main theme of the struggle. We are not asking for charity or favour from the regime. We are asking for the return of the votes stolen from the people. What are asking the regime to move away from the gun-ho mentality and to respect the peoples’ mandate and the rule of law and order. The Ethiopian people want to move forward, whereas the regime wants to hold the people back and to reverse the motion of the wheel of history and the democratic process.
The tyrant regime should accept that the Ethiopian people decide who should run their country. Intimidation and murder being committed by the Agazee ethnic militia can not alter this fact. No amount of guns, violence and brutality by Zenawi’s regime can equal the peaceful struggle and the power of the Ethiopian people. Violence is for the weak minded, for those who have lost the argument and for tyrants who want to subvert the truth. The brutal dictator Zenawi has, therefore, no moral or legitimate ground to stay in power.

A peaceful non-violent struggle is the tried and tested way to enable the Ethiopian people to claim their votes and their inalienable rights for democracy and justice. The peaceful demonstrations held before the election and that of June the 8th 2005, are a manifestation of the unity and power of the people that have sent shockwaves and tremors to the enemies of our people. The struggle must continue. The rights of our people to govern themselves can not be exchanged for a few seats in Woyane parliament.
We have to use every means at our disposal in a peaceful and orderly manner, to express our outrage and disgust against the injustices of the violent and brutal regime. The tyrant regime is unable to withstand a concerted political, social and economic defiance of the people.

The Ethiopian people have the power in their hands to claim their votes and to make their voice heard. All Ethiopians both in and outside the country have a role to play, our unity is our strength.

VICTORY TO THE ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE