Ethiopia: Gov’t media accuse EU official of racism
By Abebe Gelaw
The EPRDF-run state media have continued a concerted vilification and defamation campaign against the Chief of EU Election Observation Mission, Ms Ana Gomes, who recently presented the mission’s critical preliminary report on the May 15th election in Ethiopia.

Emboldened by the Prime Minister’s recently published rude tantrum and mudslinging, the state media have been pouring all kinds of offensive and unethical innuendoes, insults, and slurs aimed at defaming and blackmailing the highly respected Member of the European Parliament (MEP). The “Ethiopian Herald” has continued to publish a pile of appallingly vile ‘letters to the editors’, which insiders say are mostly fabricated by the untrained and unskilled EPRDF cadres at the Ministry of Propaganda, led by Bereket Simon.

A so called ‘letter to the editor” entitled, “Mrs Ana Gomes, scrutinize your own soul and seek redemption” that has appeared on the Ethiopian Herald lately accused H.E Ana Gomes of being a racist. Published under what appears to be a typical pseudonym, Zelalem Bemlak, the letter asserted that the Chief Observer manifested deep-seated racism and held black people in great contempt.

“How stupid she must think the leaders of the government are to, even for one minute, (sic) think that they would abduct or kill these people (leaders of the opposition) on the eve of the elections. For most Ethiopians this is a manifestation of Ana Gomes’ inadequacy. But for some of us who have been exposed to the insults of racism, this is it! This is how the likes of Ana Gomes manifest their deep seated disregard for black people’s intelligence,” it alleged.

“I also know that some people need time to shake off racist and colonial sentiments, but when I came across Ana Gomes’ behaviour I had a sneaking notion that suggested that she may have been influenced by one of the worst racist regimes in Europe namely that of Salazar’s. I would like Ana Gomes to deeply scrutinize her own soul and seek redemption!”

In another letter entitled ‘Ana Gomes’ strange choice of compatriots’ and published under a pseudonym, Almaz B.M, the Herald published further allegations saying that she was connected to the Derg. According to the paper, Ana Gomes was influenced by the veteran journalist Maeregu Bezabih and the renowned linguist Ato Girma Beshah.

“I hasten to add that Girma is not only in close contact with Dr. Negade Gobeze, the architect of the opposition’s so-called mass protest of the Ukrainian genre but also an unrepenting (sic) member of Meison (the All Ethiopian Socialist Movement) which designed and executed the infamous Red Terror,” the paper alleged.

The paper further accused Ms Gomes, who is currently serving the EU parliament as an active member of different committees, including as a Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence as well as member of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, of working against the interests of women in Ethiopia. “We all know that she is a woman and that there was a party who had women candidates to the tune of 43% for the Addis Ababa seats. Ms. Gomes did not find this interesting at all. It is very sad that she is trying to pull the scale in favour of the opposition because as facts stand today women’s representation in Addis Ababa has plunged from a possible 43% to less than 3% showing a loss of 40% for women.

“I wonder how she feels regarding this fact. By the way, women’s hopes of being represented in a meaningfull (sic) way in Addis which was dashed by the opposition meant nothing to Tim Clark, the EU top representative in Ethiopia and Ana Gomes,” according to the Herald.

However, one amongst the numerous letters entitled, “Kudos to the Prime Minister for his enlightening letters,” the paper inadvertently spilled the beans saying the PM’s intention was to blackmail her well before the publication of the EU-EOM final report. “The Prime Minister’s letters scrutinizing the report by Anna Gomes is a pre-emptive strike meant to put her on the defensive and I strongly believe that his Excellency was able to do exactly that.”

Reflecting its worries of an imminent legal action by Ms Gomes for the papers vilification, libellous and defamatory campaigns, the paper accused her of challenging freedom of expression. It questioned the wisdom of the Chief EU observer to take the paper to court for what it called “someone’s letter.”

“If she is to take The Ethiopian Herald to court let her do so because she has a case against it and not to check if our judiciary is up to the “international Standard,” or not. Who does she think she is to hold us, the Ethiopian peoples in such contempt?

“She must understand that we, the African peoples do not need a white knight (man or woman) in shining armour to come and deliver us,” the paper said.

The Ethiopian Herald published an allegation last month, a week before the release of EU-EOM’s Preliminary report, declared that H.E Ana Gomes had struck a deal with Ethiopia’s opposition parties’ leaders for a twenty per cent of all the funds that were to be raised from the opposition’s supporters in the Diaspora.

The diplomatic relations of the EU, a major supplier of aid to Ethiopia, with the Meles regime is souring dramatically due to the election fall out and the regimes blackmail and defamation campaign against the EU-EOM, the largest observer’s group with a team of over two hundred members that included nine MEPs, lawyers, diplomats and experienced election observers.

According to the European Parliament, Ana Gomes is not only a prominent Portuguese MEP but also Coordinator of the Parliamentary Group of the Party of European Socialists. Her colourful CV shows that she a qualified and experienced lawyer, diplomat, politician and human rights activist.

Meles said, after his savagely stinging attack against the Chief of EU-EOM, whom he referred to as a colonial viceroy, that his government was not to be patronised by the EU. "What the implications of this will be in terms of relations between Ethiopia and the EU we will have to wait and see. But I don't think you will be surprised if Ethiopia were to insist that it should not be patronised," he declared.

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