Ethiopian Review Readers Forum
Despite loud protests: yesterday Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was awarded the Yara Prize of 200 000 dollars. The leader of the UN Millennium Goals, Jeffrey Sachs, sees nothing wrong with choice.
IDA AAMODT-HANSEN (wrote the Norwegian version)
Sept 3, 2005
1200 demonstrators shouted derogatory comments about both Yara and the winner of the award, but inside the doors of the Oslo Concert House there were only pretty words as Yara held a celebration in their own honor and presented their much debated prize for "a green revolution in Africa".
Supports the prize
The well-known economist and leader of the UN's Millennium project, Jeffrey Sachs presented the prize. In this country (Norway) there has been a vociferous debate as to whether it is right to award the prize to Zenawi, who is referred to as a dictator. A number of politicians who had been invited chose not to attend the presentation of the award. Jeffrey Sachs, however, supports the choice without reservation.
"Ethiopia needs help (aid). It is one of the world's poorest countries. In the last few years the Ethiopians have done much to improve their agriculture, and for that reason they deserve this prize", said Jeffrey Sachs before the ceremony.
"The country has been beset by political problem resulting from its extreme poverty and the multi-ethnic nature of the country. The country is now in a period of reforms, and is on the way to becoming democratic. By awarding the Yara Prize to the country we are supporting this positive development", said Sachs.
Nobel Laureate
Past Nobel Peace Prizewinner Norman Borlaug was also among those who chose to support the fertilizer giant. The 91-year-old Ph.D. is still deeply committed to the struggle for a better life for the world's poorest. In his speech of thanks, the prizewinner made particular mention of Borlaug and his commitment.
"Before Borlaug celebrates his hundredth birthday he will see a green revolution in Ethiopia. It is an ambitious project, but we believe that we shall succeed, with the support of the rest of the world," promised Zenawi.
He was clearly aware of the protests against the award.
Wishes to educate girls
"It's great of you to award this prize to a country like Ethiopia: We have succeeded in increasing agricultural production, but we still face many problems," he said.
Zenawi said that he would use the entire prize of 200 000 dollars to send girls from rural areas to grade school.
Yaras managing director, Thorleif Enger, spoke of the complexity of the award to Ethiopia and Zenawi.
"Whether a prizewinner is worthy, we can only know in hindsight. We are willing to take the risk in awarding the prize to Meles Zenawi, and we hope that he will succeed in further bettering the situation of the population in the future," said Enger.
Withdrew
Mari Boine withdrew from the ceremony in response to an appeal by Amnesty International. She was replaced by Rein Alexander, who together with Sissel Kyrkjebø and African entertainer Mory Kante were responsible for the musical entertainment. Earl Hyman, familiar to us as the grandfather in the Cosby serial, was the master of ceremonies
Translated from an article from
www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kommentarer/article1108186.ece, updated 04/09-2005
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Translator's Note:
Any misinterpretations or errors in translation are the sole responsibility of the translator.
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Yara!
Shame on you. the blood of ethiopians is shouting but you gave prise for a fascist.
GOD will pay you for what you did.
Yara Go to hell!!
Email: i@yahoo.com
City: Addis Ababa
This being the reality why should Amare Aregawi’s Reporter reduced the number of protesters to 50-80 members of the opposition?
Mr. Amare, your report attest contrary to the eye witnesses. There were about 1200 Ethiopians, not only members of the opposition but composed of all the community members. All the Norwegian press and electronic media have also reported it.
Email: kinfuassefa@gmail.com
City: Amsterdam
If Jeffery Sache is UN agent,is it not qestionable that UN stnds for? It means that UNO encorages,promots and supports tyrants like Meles Zenawi.And I think Jeffery is a psychopath too,can not distinguish what is normal and abnormal.In what a sadistic world we are;
Email: tatek@keypoint.com.au
City: melbourne australia
I agree with Kinfu. I am disappointed by Amare Aregawi's report too. It smells Woyane style. Doesn't it?
We know Amare Aregawi is always TPLF.Don't expect truth and honesty from him at all
Email: yakob@yahoo.com
City: Addis
There was only one moment, when The Reporter seemed to take a different position to that of the incumbent junta. That was when TPLF was split into two after the Ethio-Eritrean boundary conflict and notably also a little before the conflict started. During and after the war, the paper sided the outgoing group and was critical of whatever measures were taken by the winning Meles's junta. It used to host protests of members of the group. It has also been lamenting the imrisonment of Seye Abraha until recently.
Another era started with the period of preparation for the national election. The reporter then started gradually, but surely, to support the incumbent junta as the popular support for the opposition went on taking up some momentum. Presently, the paper finds itself on the EPRDF side, and it has become crystal clear that it is no more different from the other EPRDF-owned papers. The slight modesty it has been showing so far is attributable to an attempt to retain as much readers as possible. But, the game is a lost one. Its credibility as a source of political, social and economic information and and as a forum for exchange of ideas has been badly tainted. It might, however, continue for some time at best as a source of information for tender notices from government offices just similar to what The Ethiopian Herald and Addis Zemen are doing. What a pitty!
City: A.A
Yara shame on you!! The blood of inocent ethiopians will never give you rest.How can you award Meles, the killer does it meen well done keep on killing? I'm puzled with what you have done. History never forget it. I appreciate the poletical leader of your country in their concern over human right.
Email: fikrte.h@yahoo.com
City: mekele
Thank you for telling us of who was there and who wasn’t and what they stand for and how they mean to support a person at the helm of one of the most murderous regimes the world has ever seen.
1. Thank you for telling us what the actual number of demonstrators was: I would not have been surprised if the Government/EPRDF press had tried to belittle the seriousness of the protest by reducing the number of protestors and the impact of the demonstration. But for the ‘independent’ Reporter to state that there were only 50-80 demonstrators of whom about 25-40% were Eritreans who support Isaias’s regime and apparently oppose Meles’s regime! The Reporter did not even mention that Meles had to enter the concert hall through a back door (impact). The Reporter pretends to stand for the free press and for the people to save the free press from persecution and from being hanged (witness the right hand corner of the paper’s masthead (is that what this location is called?), but in actual fact, it has increasingly moved into defending the EPRDF camp and in this case subtly downgrading the import of this ignominious act by Yara on the Ethiopian people, particularly the poor farmers who face the brunt of Meles’s brutal rule and know their inhuman treatment at his hands.
2. Sachs’ support. Shame on Mr. Sachs for supporting a regime that he would have vehemently criticized, but this one happens to be led by his personal friend. For one, he has got his facts wrong: Ethiopian agriculture [and I suppose he is by implication saying poverty among farmers has declined] has not improved according to statistics more objective than what he has been supplied by his friend! Secondly, I thought that the Yara award was being given to Meles as ?leader? for his heroic deeds to reduce poverty or increase agricultural productivity and not because “Ethiopia needs help (aid)” and “… [Ethiopians] deserve this prize” for Meles’s untiring efforts!! Mr Sachs goes further and seems to say that Meles was being awarded for introducing democratic reforms (far, far from the truth unless all the ever increasing abuse of human rights and the innumerable ethnic conflicts instigated by his regime are taken as reforms). Is Mr. Sachs saying that he is encouraging more of the same abuse and more of the ethnic conflicts by “supporting this positive development”??
3. In the same thread of thinking (not really surprised by that), Yara’s MD, to my utter surprise, states "Whether a prizewinner is worthy, we can only know in hindsight”!! Again, we thought the award was being given for Meles’s good deeds and his record performance for bringing about the green revolution and reducing poverty in Ethiopia, and according to Mr. Sachs for his performance in introducing democratic governance. There is nothing “complex” about the award to Zenawi (by the way, most of Ethiopia does not believe the award was given to Ethiopia and has actually entreated Yara not to give the award to Meles). And the risk that Yara says it is willing to take is nothing more than Yara trying to continue to be in the good books of Mr. Meles in order to be able to sell more fertilizer to his organizations and make more profit for all concerned: isn’t $200,000 a pittance (to recoup) compared to the millions that Yara would make from fertilizer sales imposed on poor farmers who are then literally forced to pay if they have to sell their soul! This is a commercial risk, which will be drastically minimized if Yara and Meles’s sycophants from the West succeed to prop up his regime and keep him at the helm of the decision making through such shameful acts of pure propaganda.
4. Why do we Africans and our African American brethren continue to play into the hands of such organizations for a “fistful of dollars” when their compatriots and kin and kith are being brutalized and murdered for asking a regime to be just a little more democratic, why?why?
5. Meles’s utterances are not worthy of any special comment: he continues to play the same game that now even most of his friends are coming to recognize so easily: lies, deceit, pretense to be humane and pro-poor. A few of his staunchest friends continue to glorify him knowing full well that he is the worst that could represent Ethiopia, Africa or the third world. I simply fail to understand what Mr. Sachs’s incentives include to have the intellectual stamina to call Meles “one of the world’s most brilliant leaders” (see Knut Olav Åmås’s “Well staged PR-show for Yara for Aftenposten newspaper).
Email: seltesf@yahoo.com
City: Newark
Ethiopians know why Meles was awarded and by whom. May be he even paid for it. Who would award a person who was responsible for the murder of 42 innocent people?? Yara, if you think that you made the right choice, i promise you... you will live to regret it. It was not a wise choice.
Email: winnerrex@hotmail.com
City: Addis Ababa
Ethiopians will never forget who was on their side when murderer Meles gunned them down. When the large democracies criticize him for killing and suppression Yara awards its client at the expense of Ethiopian blood. Yara’s propaganda about saving lives does not hold water because the timing of this blood-award speaks for itself. The award was given to him at the critical moment of Meles’s exposure to the whole world as a tyrant and at the same time the election result shows that Ethiopians reject Meles’s rule.
The world knows that Meles is the most hated person in Ethiopia while Yara is hiding its head in the sand.
I did a little research about this and it seems that Yara's specific award is set up by the executive members of the foundation, in actuality it's a private company all in all, however it deals with fertilizers and other minor services. I think people generally know this, but what i think most don't know although I agree with them is the fact that anyone by the simple act of making a private donation and/or by presenting a major proposal to do business with such private companies can indeed easily attain a political victory (however personal meles and for tplfites) by simply making such arrangements.
The timing and moral decision has nothing to do with what went on in Ethiopia nor do the members who insisted til the last day to give it to Meles couldn't do otherwise, apparently IT WAS A BUSINESS DEAL SINCE DAY 1! That is why the Norway politicians unanimously decline to go and honor this obvious tyrant and killer of innocent people for political gain and intimidation or repression, end of story.
IF the foundation was a public or a wing of the United Nation, the story would be different, but it's not even a representative of Norway gov't, they're a typical business entity people! Although there were some UN or former UN folkes to honor Meles, they do so NOT on behalf of the UN but strickly out of personal and business reason, nothing more! NOW...YOU DIDN'T ACTUALLY THINK THE UN WAS CORRUPTION FREE, DID YA?!?!
I hope Meles does not think he's home free, cause although US doesn't give a **** about the people or the fraud confirmed by the EU, the US will support Meles and it's sad and just pretend for everyone to resolve the political crisis in peace even fully knowing it's NOT peaceful, shame on USA if you ask me! But all in all, something will happen soon and at worse in 5 years...perhaps sooner. That's being optimistic, I must say I do blame the Ethiopian Community in the DC area, cause there are an estimated at least 250,000 and what's sad is no one will even contribute a dollar once to get a US Congress Lobbying effort for Ethiopia which could have made all the difference, Eritreans do it for ERitrea all the time, why not Ethiopians? I think the part blame goes to the DC area Ethio Community for not doing anything as well as the idiot leaders of CUD DC and the other civic organizations, after all...there are other things to do like Lobbying instead of demonstrations people!! That's why ER at least deserves kudos in my opinion for calling the CUD DC in a state of paralysis cause they have not done absolutely nothing but hold meetings and in those meetings, they decide to hold more meetings without looking at their productivity output at such a historical moment, but that's just me folkes...just a humble opinion nothing more.
Good luck to the Ethiopian People for excercising their vote although it was stolen and confirmed by the EU, I am sure they are the most disappointed!
Peace to Hagere!
What a loot and joke in the name of the Ethiopian people and other poor people of the world.
The organizers/sponsors of the cermony and invited guests were in denial of the obvious realities in Ethiopia to justify their shameful act of presenting prize to one of the most hated men in Ethiopia and notrious dictators in the world. It is just irritating to see Jeffery Sachs defending the undefendable.
It is advisable for Meles and "his friend" Sachs to save themselves from speaking on behalf of the Ethiopian people. Nobody can be fooled anymore. I read in another paper the other day that Sachs is an advisor to Meles. Although Sachs is likely to benefit from Meles's administration, it is unprofessional and immoral to support Meles's cruel and inhuman acts against the Ethiopian people. How can one mainatins credibility with such a wrong choice? No wonder why there is a crisis in the UN's Millennium Program led by Sachs.
I would like to thank and congratulate the Anti-Yara Committee for its successful efforts to expose the evil deeds of Meles Zenawi, and fellow Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia who participated in the Yara prize protest. We are proud of you. Keep fighting.
Email: wazeleke@yahoo.com
Yara has insalted the people of Ethiopia over their hunger and luck of Democracy.
REPORTER, I know now who you are ???
Email: me_mo_et@hotmail.com
City: Addis Ababa
I was real ashamed by the content of Amare Aegawi's reporting on the incident. I have for quite long been a proud reader of both the amharic and the english versions of mcc's publications for more than 9 years. BUT, this time around I have stopped reading this paper 'cus it have lost the essence of objective reporting and is turning it self to another edition of 'ABYOTAWI DEMOCRACY'...organ of EPRDF.
He should know that he can not achieve its wish of opinion shapping in the line of woyane's interest. He should also be aware of the fact that the Ethiopian people have become astute aware to the facts on the ground. He should once again be aware that aftenpost and other Norwegian presses are much more closer and has the ethics and purpose of ethical reporting and hence we shall believe the reported figure 1,200 attendants with out any doubt while we send Amare's scrap down the toilet.
Dil LeEthiopia Hizb.
Email: aggune@yahoo.com
City: Addis Ababa
Indeed, Meles deserves fully The Green Revolution Award.
The following Statement is worth reading.
Statement by PM Meles Zenawi at the ceremony of the first YARA prize
Your Excellency Mr. Thorleif Enger, CEO, Yara International and Chairman of the Yara Foundation,
Members of the Board of Yara Foundation,
Your Excellency Mr. Norman Birlaug the father of the Green Revolution,
My friend Jeffrey Sachs,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am elated to be here with your today to be the first recipient of the yara prize for the Green Revolution in Africa. I thank the Yara Foundation for establishing the prize, which will encourage Africans in their difficult but noble cause of achieving the Green Revolution in Africa. I thank the board of directors of the Yara Foundation for honoring me and the Ethiopian peasant farmers by giving us the great prize. I have no doubt in my mind that the award was intended not so much to reward me personally for my government's commitment to the African Green Revolution, but to encourage the Ethiopia peasant farmers, the ultimate owners and architects of the green revolution in Ethiopia and to recognize their Herculean efforts to achieve food security. I am proud to receive this prize on their behalf.
Switch on your TV, and on the rare occasions when there is some report on Ethiopia what you see is sparsely clad skeleton figures. In most instances, the skeleton figures are stretching their hands for food aid. This image has been relayed over and over again since 1985. Of late, and on rare occasions, the sparsely clad skinny young men and women could be Ethiopian long distance runners: long distance runners who do not appear to tire of running and running: long distance runners whose determination to win is extraordinary. They run and run as if hunger is chasing them every stem of the way. In spite of the slight variation that has been introduced in recent years, the basic them of the news coverage on Ethiopia for two decades has remained the same --- hunger and destitution.
People gathered here today, and those who read press reports about it are being told of a very different story ---- of a Green Revolution in Ethiopia, A Green Revolution in Ethiopia indeed! For many people that in nothing sort of a contradiction in terms. Which on of those images is the true image of Ethiopia? I am afraid both tell a part of the reality. The image of a hungry and destitute Ethiopia is an image that unfortunately is based on reality, but only part of the reality in my country. The Green Revolution in Ethiopia is also part of our reality, a reality that unfortunately very few people have heard of.
I have already said how elated I am to receive this prize. At least half of the reason for my happiness is related to the fact that you in the Yara Foundation recognized to other half of our reality through the blinding and deafening cacophony of commentary and reportage on the unending Ethiopia hunger and chose to highlight it. You did not go for the easy options, green revolution in countries which have no such image problems. You went for the truth and that is always difficult and always needs noble spirits to fetch it.
Let me give you a few facts and figures about agricultural development, and in particular crop production in my country over the past decade or two. In the cropping season of 1984-85, during the height of the infamous great Ethiopia famine, the total production of crops in my country was 44,317,600 quintals, in the cropping season of 1991-92, when we removed the Mengistu regime and took over the reigns of government, the total production of crops in my country was 53,039,700 quintals. In the last cropping season, that of 2004-05, the total production of crops in our country was 119,057,400 quintals. In other words, crop production in 2004-2005 had increased by 170% when compared to 1984-85 and by 124% when compared to the out put when we took over, in 1991-92. It has more than doubled over the past decade or so.
Crop production in general and, cereal production in particular, is central to the livelihoods of our peasant farmers and the urban poor. Over the past decade or so not only has crop production in general more than doubled, but its composition has begun to shift towards higher value cash crops such as oil seeds. The figures tell the story better.
In 1984-85 the total production of oil seeds in our country, which at that time also included the limited production of cereals was 38,633,800 quintals. In 1991-92 by which time the figures do not include the production in Eritrea, the total production of cereals in our country was 45,671,300 quintals, whereas that of oil seeds was 1,379,400 quintals. In 2004-2005 the production of cereals was 100,279,600 quintals, while that of oil seeds was 5,315,400 quintals. Thus while cereal production had increased by 160% compared to 84-85 and by 120% compared to 91-92 oil seeds production had increased by 444% compared to 84-85 and by 285% compared to 91-92
The achievements in Ethiopia in the area of crop production over the past decade and the more than doubling of production, is of course nothing to sneer at. Clearly that is your conclusion as manifested by the prize you have given me, and through me, the architects of this achievement, the Ethiopian peasant farmers. I fully agree with you, for otherwise I would not be here. But I am sure you will agree with me that, in the Ethiopian context, doubling crop production over a decade is simply not good enough. It is partly because such a result is not good enough that Ethiopia continues to be the symbol of hunger and destitution. I believe your prize is intended to highlight that too, and to encourage all of us to do more, much more than we have done over the past decade.
As they have been intimately involved in our war against hunger, a number of my friends here know how we achieved those results, and that we failed to do more. However, some others here may not be as well informed. Allow me, therefore, to very briefly outline what we have done so far.
The first thing we did, our very first and perhaps most essential reform, was to let our peasant farmers sell their products freely after the Mengistu regime had denied them those rights and robbed them of their produced. At the same time, we took care that farmers retained their security of tenure and were able to be the full beneficiaries of the fruit of their labour. I believe that created the right incentive system to encourage the farmer to do more improve their livelihood.
Based on what we feel was creating the right incentive system, we tried to introduce improved agricultural technologies that fit our requirements, Low tech, labour intensive technologies in the area of soil and moisture management, agro forestry and yield improvement. These are off the shelf technologies made available to us by partners most particularly the sasakawa Global 2000 group and the Earth Institute of Columbia. We did not feel we have to reinvent the wheel. We simply carried out pilot programs to test whether these off the shelf technologies would work in our case, and once the technologies have proved their mettle, we would go far a quick and massive scaling-up of the program.
Introducing improved technologies to the rural areas on a mass scale required establishing an effective agricultural extension network, and we have done that. While continuing to improve the quality of our extension workers, we have also tried to provide primary education to our people. When we took over the primary school attendance rate in our country was less than 20%. At the moment, it is close to 90% and over 85% of the new schools we have built, since we took over, have been built in the rural areas.
Green revolution with out commercialization of agriculture is difficult to imaging. Our strategy has, therefore, been designed to promote commercialization of small- scale farming. That in the first instance meant freeing up rural markets. While freeing up rural markets was a crucial initial step, it was far from sufficient. Rural roads, telephone links, electric power had to be made available. Marketing cooperatives had to be encouraged. We have tried to do our very best to build the physical and institutional infrastructure, but largely due to resource constraints we have been unable to do much.
Every time we have good crops, agricultural prices would collapse and farmers in surplus producing areas would suffer. We were moving in a vicious cycle of localized glut in crop products followed by a collapse in prices. This was followed by reduction in growth and improved prices and onto increased production and price collapse. Due to resource constraints we were unable to intervene in the market to even out fluctuations in prices. We, there fore, encouraged farmers in surplus producing areas to grow more cash crops that can be exported. Our exports have soared, increasing by 24% and over 30% consecutively for the past two years.
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is through a combination of such steps that we have achieved the success that you have recognized and for which we have been honored with the yara prize. We, however, face a number of critical challengers as we embark on our struggle to do away with hunger definitively. Two challenges are in my view of particular significance.
The first challenge, and perhaps the most important one, has been that of implementation capacity. Identifying appropriate technologies and testing them in our country is of course an important challenge. But with the support of some of our partners, identifying the appropriate ones from the shelf of available technologies globally has not been such a difficult task. Implementing pilot projects to test what works and what does not work through such an exercise has not been that difficult either. There is an army off NGO's both in Ethiopia and else where who are good at running pilot projects. What has proved to be a critical test of our implementation capacity has been the scaling-up of those pilot projects that have proved their mettle.
Ethiopia, like many African courtiers is strewn with all sorts of very successful pilot projects, that have remained as pilot projects for decades. This is so partly because some of them are so expensive and skill intensive that they cannot be replicated on a mass scale. These are the so-called permanent pilot projects. I believe that the main reason, however, is that governments have not been able to identify the scalable pilot projects and quickly and massively replicate them. Without such scaling up there can be no green revolution, and with out the implementation capacity, there cannot be such scaling-up.
The implementation capacity required for such scaling-up must be available, firstly, in the communities involved in the programs and, secondly, in local government structures. While we have been very actively involved in building the implementation capacity at the local level, practice has proved to us that it takes time to build it. Our attempt to build such capacity has been hampered not only by the limited number of trained and experienced manpower that we have at the local level, but also because of the modus operandi of many of our development partners.
Many of our development partners insist on very complex and management intensive modalities as a condition for their development assistance and almost every one of them have their own modalities reflecting their priorities and idiosyncrasies. These modalities require manpower that is capable of navigating through their complexities and such man power is not and cannot be made available in adequate numbers in our ministries, let alone in our local government. Beefing up our implementation capacity at the community and local government level has also been hindered by the insistence of some of our partners that the task of scaling-up be implemented by NGOs. Practice in our country and elsewhere has shown that scaling-up and NGOs do not go together, but that has not changed the attitude of our partners.
The second challenge is that of resources. The Green Revolution requires commercialization and commercialization, among other things, requires infrastructure, physical and institutional. Rural roads, electric power and telecommunication, portable water supply systems, schools and primary health care facilities, storage facilities, and marketing cooperatives, all require financial resources. We have not been able to mobilize the required resources for all these. Part of the reason has been our failure to adequately mobilize our financial and labour resources. The other and perhaps more important reason has been that our partners have been unable or unwilling to come up with the resources both in terms of quantity and quality. Indeed conditionality that some of our partners, including the IMF, insist on have hindered our effort to mobilize domestic financial resources for massive scaling-up activities.
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The next five years are likely to be of pivotal significance in the fight against hunger in our country. My party, which ahs earned the mandate to govern for the next five years, has put in place its plans for intensifying the Green Revolution by focusing on overcoming the main challenges that I have outlined above.
In terms of beefing up implementation at community and local government level, we plan to expand rural primary education so that by the end of the five years over 90% of our rural youth will attend primary schools. We intend to expand the network of agriculture training schools so that all of those who compete primary school will have the opportunity to be trained in various agricultural trades for three to six months. We intend to insure that our youth engaged in small-scale agriculture will have the necessary schooling and skills to be successful small-scale commercial farmers able to adequately absorb a steady stream of improved technologies. We intend to provide primary health care to all our people in the rural areas by the end of the five years. We intend to devolve more power and to train and assign more people to local government. We plan to use the expertise on NGO's in pilot projects and insist that scaling-up be carried out by the communities and local government.
We intend to provide access to telecommunication to all our rural centers and provide electric power to 50% over the next five years. We hope to connect over 70% of our villages to an all weather rural road. To do that, we intend to mobilize our own labour and financial resources to the maximum extent possible. We plan to make that a non- negotiable part of our partnership with our development partners. We also hope that our partners will chip in with more and bettered development assistance. The hope and challenge is to double our crop production not over a decade but over the next five years and transform our rural areas. That is a very ambitious target. But I am confident that with your support we can achieve it. That brings me to how we can use the sizeable prize money that you have given me to contribute to the achievement of our goals. I have thought about how best to use the money and could not come up with a better idea than promoting the education of poor girls in the rural areas. While primary education is free and available with in a range of a few kilometers, secondary education is not available in every village. Many families in the rural areas cannot afford to send their children to neighboring towns to attend secondary education. Those that can afford to send one or two of their children to high school prefer to send their boys and many of our bright rural girls are left behind.
I believe a 100 Birr of roughly 9 dollars per month for ten months a year would be enough to get a girl to attend high school, Just 90 dollars per pear would be enough for one academic year. 360 dollars is all that is required to get a rural girl to complete here high school. I intend to use all the 200,000 dollars for the purpose. This will provide a sort of a scholarship to needy rural girls from every part of our country to attend and completed their high school. The prize you have given us today will thus change the lives of at least 550 lucky girls. And who knows I may hit the jackpot some time in the future and extend the scholarship to thousands of others. May I, therefore, once again thank you on behalf of those 550 young girls whose lives you have decided to brighten and transform.
I Thank You
Email: voice_ethiopians_concerned@yahoo.com
City: Addis Ababa
The following news is worth reading.
Diplomats of Different Opinion On Report
The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
NEWS
September 2, 2005
Posted to the web September 2, 2005
By Dagnachew Teklu
Addis Ababa
Diplomatic community members here are expressing differences of opinion on the recently released EU Election Observers Mission (EU-EOM) report in Ethiopia.
Diplomats including of EU member countries who spoke with The Daily Monitor said that the recently released report of the Election Observer Mission in Ethiopia has been a topic of discussion.
"It was being discussed among various members of the diplomatic community. We all didn't show similar stand against the report. Some of us have observed minor problem in the report," some diplomats said.
They said that some parts of the report did not clearly identify the problems that were included in the report.
"We all know that there were some problems in the process, particularly after the voting day. It was admitted even by the EPRDF. But some problems have been included in the report as they were reported or handed to the EU observer's mission. It [the mission] didn't say that the observers have witnessed the reported problems. Why didn't they put it in black and white rather than saying 'it was reported to the mission?'" the diplomats asked.
The diplomats who spoke on conditions of anonymity indicated that the report lacks depth facts about what was happening on the ground after the election, particularly during the investigation of the election process.
"The report stated the complaints investigation process as it was conducted in the context of "serious violation of human rights and freedoms". But the report didn't mention in detail what kind of human rights violation took place during the complaints investigation process. It didn't put any figure about the "detained" people and those who were denied access to give testimonies," they said.
They pointed out that there was some contradictory issues about the killing of one witness. The report put it as the person was killed after giving testimony.
"The opposition said before the report that the person was killed before giving his witness to the investigation body. The EU report however put other facts on the same issue. This is a serious mistake. The EU report didn't even put the exact day of the killing and other related issues. These things leave a question about the quality of the report," the diplomats said.
It is to be recalled that the European Union (EU) Election Observer Mission said the May 15 Ethiopian national elections, failed to meet international standards. However the diplomats indicated that it is still premature to talk about any international standard election in Africa and any other developed world for that matter.
"What we can say about this issue is that there are still problems in the western countries and the US. We can't say that the elections in Europe and USA are100 per cent fair and free. The Western and the Americans themselves are saying it time and again."
The mission will deliver its final report to the NEBE and political parties about the election (comprising recommendations and evaluation) by September 23rd 2005.
Meanwhile, the United States on Wednesday criticized "irregularities" in Ethiopia's contested parliamentary elections but called on all parties to resolve their differences peacefully.
State department delivered the US position nearly a week after the European Union (EU) said the May 15 polls did not meet international standards in several key respects, including investigations into fraud.
Opposition parties are expected to announce their final stand on either joining the parliament or boycotting it before the end of September.
They are currently conducting public forums throughout the country with their supporters and members to come to conclusion on the decision.
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Copyright © 2005 The Daily Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
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Email: voice_ethiopians_concerned@yahoo.com
City: Addis Ababa
A short comment on the Oslo protest by Ethiopians , against the "Yara award". Ethiopians from Scandinavia and representatives from other European cities were present to demonstrate against the poison clad commerciial award of Yara to Meles Zenawi on 3 September. The demonstration was well organised, civilised and prompt. I take this opportunity to thank the organisers of the demonstration and congratulate them for the success of their endeavours. I myself with 39 other compatriots attended the demonsrtration against Yara from Stockholm. The former head of "Ethiopian Television",under the Woyane, and now the owner and editor of the "Reporter" should correct his misinformed report about the numbers of demonstrators and the entire scene at the venue of the "prize giving presentation". His old master and school friend Meles Zenawi, was forced to arrive and leave Oslo like a mouse running from a cat .
The demonstration was well attended and very vocal. Sach who may have decided to practice his economic theories on the back of destitutes and vulgarise his theory by tapping money philosophising about poverty with his acknowledged friend , should be embarrassed , if he has the modesty to do so, at associating himself with this discredited and vulgarised scene of commercilism. As to the Nobel lautreate who was alo present at the commercial ceremony, I direct readers of this comment to view his role and collaboration with the Nazi hordes during World War 2.
I must also conclude my comment by mentioning the source of Amare Aregawi. It was his mouthpiece from the Ethiopian Embassy in Stockholm. I also wonder where he got he news of supporters of Meles being present at the scene of the demonnstration. They were non to be seen on the scene. Correct your statement also on this count.
Email: sunn@chello.se
City: Stockholm
Guys,
Do you have to complain and protest any thing This Government or its leader does.??? the "Green revolution award" is an award given to Ethiopia and its people not only for the Prime Minster. We should all be proud of that. For me, this award wotrh 100 times more than that of the Olympic medal. I've been regular at this forum for quite some time now. During this time, I noticed that most of the people who do participate have some big problem of their own. Their idea is " ene kemotku serdo aybkel" they always preach Violence and would like to see the country soaked in to bloodshed that results from the current political turmoil. These puppets follow their laeaders blindly. The two main opposition parties in Ethiopia are led either by Hailu Shawel who is Hodam Amhara feudal & Derg puppet who served the bloody regime for 9-1/2 years.Of this time as a minster for 5 years , or the butcher of Addis Meison leader Negede gobeze and the butcher of Ambo Derg's cadre Merera Gudina, or the killer of innocent Ethiopians EPRP's top man Mersha yosef, or others whose back ground is either tainted by blood or corruption. Netters who do complain and are against any thing this country stands for support these murders for their own use. Be it green-card or failure to save some money to go back and help their country of birth like Sheikh Al-Amoudi. I gurantee you all these hate-mongers are losers in their respective communities who neither support their own family let alone their country nor have estabilished life there in the west. I bet, eventhough they spent half of their life in the west, most of them don't even have 2000 dollars of emergency money in their account. My advice for these losers be; New year is just days away and Ethiopians from all walks of life wish specially peace at this critical time. This coming new year will be celebrated in Sheraton addis featuring Teddy Afro, Ali-Birra and Wycleef jean. for those of us who cann't afford to go to Sheraton, the celebration will be transmitted live to our living rooms. thanx to the Sheik. for those of you losers and hate-mogers the country is in peace and remains as such for the next century. No blood will be shed for your personal ego. Peace in this country means nightmare to you all.
Email: 123@yahoo.com
City: addis ababa
Thank you Tintage for the information.
I felt obliged to add that I was not able to publish an article which I wrote about 2 years ago exposing the malpractices of one of the TPLF-owned companies (Dinsho). I published this same article later in Addis Tribune. What does this say? Amare Aregawi and his Reporter magazine are pro-Woyane- meaning, they stand aganist the interests of the Ethiopian people. I am glad this is now being openly recognized.
Email: wazeleke@yahoo.com
Watch the video clip from Oslo anti-yara demonstration
Email: abcdef@hotmail.com
Kibru,
Once again, you are writing what your antiEthiopia Organization, TPLF, has been telling us for years. Fortunately, everybody now knows your crude and negative politics. I do not think it will work this time because your organization has committed very serious and unforgivable crimes against the people of Ethiopia to be listened to. Although somewhat boring and a waste time, I thought of responding briefly. Let me try.
In my opinion, as others have already expressed before, what is more important is the implanting of democracy in Ethiopia. I do not have personal acquaintances to any one of the Ethiopians you mentioned in your message. But I do not at all worry if any one of them becomes the leader of my country as long as he is elected (fairly) by the people. I fully trust and respect the choice of the people. I am more interested in this process than in the person himself. If the elected leader does not do a good job, he will be replaced by a better leader (possibly including one from TPLF) in the next election cycle. This is the kind of thing Ethiopians are in demand presently. Ask the people, and you will get this kind of answer. Do not simply isolate yourself and talk on the basis of your own imagination (usually negative) or wishful thinking. TPLF/EPRDF has definitely lost the May 15 election and is expected to either gracefully transfer the power to the elected leadership or the proposed collision government. To me this does not exclude TPLF/EPRDF from Ethiopian politics. Then what is the problem doing the right thing? Think a little bit out of the box and also tell you party leader to open his mind.
Email: wazeleke@yahoo.com
To add one point
All Norwagian government officials refused to be present on the ceremony and to meet Meles Zenawi. This is how he is treated in Oslo. This hasn't happened to a lowest government official let alone a leader of a country.
"I fully trust and respect the choice of the people. I am more interested in this process than in the person himself. If the elected leader does not do a good job, he will be replaced by a better leader..."
Well said ZWA!
Ato. Keberet-
I doubt most Ethiopians have $2,000 idle money in their account, because quite a lot of them are giving to opposition parities CUD/UEDF. This means the time is up for you fascist clowns. The irony is most of us that you LOCUST want to label us “Amhara Feudal” or “Derg Puppets” have said no more to this TPLF corrupt racist TPLF government.
In my time I have seen Ambassadors and government Ministries defecting, because they opposed the Mengistu regime, your TPLF friends are so politically savvy, they are talking bribe from YARA of Norway and Petrona of Malaysia.
Fact:
Do you know that Five TPLF Ministers including the economic advisor of Meles have taken bribe from the Petrona Oil Co of Malaysia in the amount of $ 5,000,000. I doubt that you even got a penny. Who is the puppet now?
You need to think hard and look around you. The people of Ethiopian including friends of Ethiopia have said no more to Meles Zenawi and Co.
Abaye Tshehaye ,Girma Biru, Newaye Gebre Ab, Beret Seyemon, Arqabe Equbay, Amhassodor Berhane Gebre-Christos and other you know who you are, and TPLF puppets like Ambassador Kasahun Ayele.
Keberet, Beware the time is up for you and Meles. Sorry I have to get back to my work, so of us have to work in order to give to contribute another $2,000 to the opposition.
The Opposition will always cry! Shame on you, rather! We know that you sound like your father--the Devil--the Father of all lies.
God bless Ethiopia and EPRDF.
Email: tilemlim@hotmail.com
Kebru-(Sweet heart)
How come you are quiet you TPLF Cadre!!!!!!
I doubt most Ethiopians have $2,000 idle money in their account, because quite a lot of them are giving to opposition parities CUD/UEDF. This means the time is up for you fascist clowns. The irony is most of us that you LOCUST want to label us “Amhara Feudal” or “Derg Puppets” have said no more to this TPLF corrupt racist TPLF government.
In my time I have seen Ambassadors and government Ministries defecting, because they opposed the Mengistu regime, your TPLF friends are so politically savvy, they are talking bribe from YARA of Norway and Petrona of Malaysia.
Fact:
Do you know that Five TPLF Ministers including the economic advisor of Meles have taken bribe from the Petrona Oil Co of Malaysia in the amount of $ 5,000,000. I doubt that you even got a penny. Who is the puppet now?
You need to think hard and look around you. The people of Ethiopian including friends of Ethiopia have said no more to Meles Zenawi and Co.
Abaye Tshehaye ,Girma Biru, Newaye Gebre Ab, Beret Seyemon, Arqabe Equbay, Amhassodor Berhane Gebre-Christos and other you know who you are, and TPLF puppets like Ambassador Kasahun Ayele.
Keberet, Beware the time is up for you and Meles. Sorry I have to get back to rasise another $2,000 to the opposition.
The time is up for you TPLF con-artist residing in the U.S. if you could grasp that the time is up.
Please don't give Tina Turners(Meles Turners) example.
