Email us: webmaster@mahder.com
Saturday
Nov 22nd
| Drifting away from the people! - By T.. Demeke |
|
|
| Saturday, 08 March 2008 | |
|
It is hard to criticize the opposition in Ethiopia when we in the Diaspora practically do nothing to alleviate the suffering of our people. But what we have learned from the opposition in Kenya was that for your struggle to bear some fruit, you have to stay firm in what you believe. The Ethiopian opposition parties seem not to learn from the Kenya debacle. We all thought the CUD leaders would be reinvigorated to lead the struggle after paying a heavy price of a 20 months prison time. But that is not the case. The latest news coming out of Ethiopia is confusing and lacks clarity. The CUD splinter group lead by Wzt Birtukan Medikssa seems to embark on another journey away from the people. The EMF and Ethiopian Review websites who are very close to the Wzt Birtukan & Dr. Yacob faction repeatedly reported that the splinter group has restructured the Laelay Mekerbet by laying off and replacing some preferable members who were not elected by the General Assembly. As if it has any meaning for a group who believes in collective leadership, they also appointed Wzt Birtukan as a chairwoman and Temsgen Zewdie & Dr.Yacob as a vice. If this is true then all of this activity was done behind the Ethiopian people, the President Eng. Hailu Shawel and the General Assembly who has the absolute power to elect the executive committee. While we are debating the legality of such decision, the two websites reported again a surprising but mind boggling breaking news – that the splinter group submitted an application to the government controlled Election Board to be registered with a new name, which is kept secret from the general public and followers. This was done after Dr. Yacob gave a promising interview to the Capital by saying that the reconciliation of the two CUD factions is a must to move the struggle forward. The splinter group seems to have an agenda – in one hand they want to bury Eng. Hailu Shawel and his million supporters and on the other hand they want to shake the hand of Melese Zenawi firmly. This is hardly a firm principled stand expected from a leading political party in whose name several people has been slaughtered by government soldiers. For the opposition to have a significant contribution in bringing change to Ethiopia – it has to stand up for what it believes and show it’s unwavering stand to the enemy and followers. Hopefully the 8 points are not up for sale. In conclusion, I will leave the readers from excerpts taken from Ephrem Madebo’s article titled: A Good Lesson From Nairobi, posted on www.addisvoice.com. This may help some of the readers who are questioning why the West failed Ethiopia to resolve the 2005 election crisis vs. Kenya’s 2008 election crisis. In 2005, when the then loose alliance of CUD and UEDF called the “stay home” strike, the so called western ambassadors tried to bring Meles and the opposition to the negotiation table. Both Meles and the opposition agreed. However, Meles walked out victorious as the western ambassadors doubted the will and unity of the opposition when CUD and UEDF called off the strike and made different decisions on how to continue the struggle. During the negotiation, Meles, who in advance knew the consequences of the strikes and the demonstration, did not want to see both before the opening of the parliament. He managed to avoid both by begging western diplomats to exert pressure on the opposition. The naive opposition called off the strikes and helped Meles to cool off the people’s wrath, the only power that could have brought his totalitarian regime to an end. The opposition failed to use its ultimate power, the people’s power.             Comments (2)
  written by Demsie, March 09, 2008  written by hammacho, March 08, 2008
dear editor i just my name because when i write with my own name you think it is from Dr Berhanu and avoid it as a whole.
i have got some prominent question about the article written by T..Demeke "Drifting Away from the people!" We are now well informed that the party known to us,KINIJIT, is became a propety of an egoist Ayele Chammiso so in order to struggle further something have to be done, What? This was the basic question to be raised because the registration by the so called National Electoral Board of Ethiopia(Woyane) to this indivudual as apuppet and to dismantel the nature of the party besides that there is this disintegration of the main bunch,one whom some people label as BB(which i neglect) and Hailu(also not accept).So one has to come to mind to restart the wave of the people because the tyrannt is squeezing the mass in order to rule with fear. As to me before this disintegration flourish there must be something to be done either to register with a new name as well to keep intact the council to run day to day ativities.The person whom we thought who can bind this is not flexible and tactical to run the party as it was before the imprisonment but is active to refute his own parts of the party and suspend his own members,which shows that, the same did as Legesse did in a tactical way than Hailu. Then there must be a next move so the majority(not my term) must lead and commence the next journey one way or the other way, that does not mean to say as you said handing oneself to the Woyane but it is to strenghten the struggle so leaving places for the group whose future is not decided the new move have to bring fresh members instead of the EDP/Medhin fall out membes and replace those who are not more in the party and reorganize it to the rules and regulations of the country. so my questions for clarification are 1.what was the right move to restart KINIJIT 2.Ii not right the non existing member within a party? 3.what has been done from the core person to amelirate the fall out rather than bringing from Ethiopia to show that he is able to do his own way 4. all the group members in the fallout including the chairman were in U.S.A what has been done to reconcile by the chairman Write comment
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
- Latest News
- Broken bones and body bags: horrors facing Ethiopian domestic workers
- The EPLF's Illegal Diamond and Drug Trade connection (Getachew Reda)
- OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA -By Wase Lehagere
- Building Bridges of Solidarity to a New Ethiopia
- አንዳፍታ ላውጋችሁ (አዲስ መጸሐፍ) - በጌታቸው ኃይሌ
- ስምንት ለአንድ! ከታዴዎስ ታንቱ
- Is Ethiopia Ready for a Barack Obama? - By Yared Gebrehana
- ፕሮፌሰር መስፍን አራያ ያሳለፉት መልዕክት
- ለአቶ ጌታቸው ረዳ ደብዳቤ መልስ
- ለፕሮፊሰር አስራት ወልደየስ - ለፕሮፊሰር አስራት ወልደየስ
- Featured
- [The unmakinkg of KINIJIT] [Teletafi]
- Ethiopian History and Current Political Landscape
- Biography of the leading Ethiopian writers
- Woyane's secret plan to attack Diaspora-Ethiopians
- Atrocities in Ethiopia [Crime and Nourishment][Donkoro chaka][TPLF & Terror]
- "ON THE QUESTION OF ETHIOPIAN NATIONLITIES" WALELEGN AS ROMAN PROCHAZKA
- Who is Benefiting from the Flood of Construction Projects in Ethiopia?
- Andargachew's [Ye amharaw hizb keyet wedet] [Book Review one] [Book Review two] [Audio]
Other top stories
Quick Jump
Ethio Web Links
- EthioLion
- Debteraw
- Ethiopiawinet
- kinijit Official
- Quatero
- kinijit council
- Ethiotoday
- Ethiopian Women
- WUST AM 1120
- VOA Amharic
- DW Amharic
- Tinssae Radio
Ethio Date & Time
ዛሬ ቀኑ:
Calendar Converter
Calendar Converter
I don't agree with your point of struggle.
As a poltical party, once you put up a fight with a clear agenda - then you have to stay firm and continue the struggle.
Shortly after the historic May 2005 election, the 4 parties created a union and based on the rules of the NEB & submitted an application to be registered as a legally function party (CUD). The TPLF government blocked it and arrested the leaders.
After their release the Party should have fought for the right of being registered and function legally. That is their right based on the law of the country. That is what you call a struggle. You don't change the name of party and leaders based on the wish of a tyrannt. You should fight him to recognize the right of the CUD (who were votted to office by 25 million people) to function legally. Zenawi has no right to ignore 25 million people. You just have to fight him.
The ANC fought for decades to be recognized as a legal party. The ANC leaders together with the people stayed firm with their agenda and struggled to victory. They never changed their name or agenda to please the then apparthied government. As you know Nelson Madela went to prison for 27 years. That is what you call struggle.
Otherwise, Dr. Yacob's perception of peacful struggle can simply be interpreted as making peace with Zenawi to co exist. That is not a stuggle - it is simply surrendring the right of the people to lead themselves.
The group simply interpreted Peacful struggle wrongly as they did to the word "Democracy". It is very dangerous.
The short article "Drifting Away from the People" by T. Demeke - elaborates what is exactly happenning at the opposition circle and that is indecisvness, eating each other and surrender.
Shortly after the release of the CUD leaders, our expectation was that they will regroup and lead a formidable struggle to liberate the people. But the leaders look the other way. To short cut that huge mistake by surrendering the right of the people to Zenawi is wrong.
Currently, instead of looking a way to resolve their conflict a faction of the CUD leaders are knocking at the door of Zenawi to give them a blessing for the so called peacful struggle. Means Dr. Yacob and friends are looking for a Dr. Beyen type of struggle with the blessing of Zenawi which takes the struggle no where but back to parlamient and the status quo.