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The London Meeting of Dr. Berhanu/Genbot 7 Its intentions, its aberrations and its conclusions
Kinijit Supporters in London,
12/08/2008
The meeting was going to be held. No, it was cancelled. It was not; yes it was. There has been no such meeting in London in recent times
that has been bedeviled with controversy.
Dr Berhanu and his foot soldiers were adamant to have it. They pumped hundreds of text messages and
e-mails on Saturday and Sunday morning.
They blitzed all known churches in London
including the Woyane church with leaflets always insisting that the meeting was
to be held at the same place it was initially scheduled. Kenijit Supporters in London were even more determined to protest
against the meeting because it was organized using the name, the logo and the
resources of Kinijit to promote the newly formed organization of Dr. Berhanu,
GENBOT 7.
On the day, half a dozen supporters of Dr. Berhanu lined up
the road leading to the announced venue and redirected curious attendants to the
alternative venue they booked late on Friday, some 200 meters from the hall
that they announced as the venue initially. The assurance given by the London authorities had
confirmed that the meeting tipped to be held at the Community Centre was indeed
cancelled. This is a clip from the communication of London authorities to the picket organizing group
received on Friday, June 6:
“The
manager of the community centre has informed me that he has cancelled the event
because he is not happy with the event being used for political purposes. I
have spoken to him today and he informs me that it is 100% cancelled and that
he has spoken to the person who has booked the hall. He has had enquiries
from 'other' groups trying to book the hall for the same times etc. He will
not allow any bookings for that hall
on Sunday afternoon for any group of any description. This being the
case I am assuming that you do not feel it is necessary to have a picket
as there is no event / meeting taking place?
The organizers had to book an alternative venue discretely
to which attendants that turned up at the announced community centre were
redirected and shepherded to on the day.
So much about the “hide and seek”
in the London launching of Genbot 7 and so much about the “LOYALITY OF GENBOT 7
SUPPORTERS TO THEIR ORGANISATION” for successfully avoiding democratic
challenges that were brought up against their undemocratic practices and piracy
of Kinijit’s name and its assets.
Reverting to the content of this controversial meeting, we learnt
that it kicked off two and a half hours after it was scheduled to start. The
“guest speaker”, Dr. Ademassu Gebyehu, has introduced himself as a former
leader of Kinijit that has voluntarily relinquished his post to be “an ordinary
member” of Kinijit. Sharing his new
found wisdom with the audience he reiterated his adjusted political position as
a supporter of all political organizations in opposition “including the OLF and
GENBOT 7”. We wish Dr. Admassu all the
best in his current political adventures but ask him to explain how he can be
“an ordinary member of Kinijit” at the same time he is lending support to an
array of organizations he claims to be supporting. Otherwise, his presentation of slides showing
cross sections of cultures in Ethiopia
was reported as not having any dubious slant.
The message that Dr. Berhanu wanted to transmit in his talk
was not apparent. Anyone interested may
have a look at the 12 pages document published on some web sites. While the delivery was eclectic, the core idea
in the paper revolves around loyalty to political organizations as against
national loyalty or loyalty to Yethiopia hezbe.
What drove the supporters of Dr. Berhanu to applaud and
annoyed a good section of the audience were the devious comments he made
castigating the Amhara, Hailu Shawel and EPRP.
The Diaspora is used to the diatribe and jib that Dr. Berhanu, his team
and his foot soldiers have been making against Hailu Shawel. It is also common
practice to use the EPRP as a battering ram in political hit and run tactics
among the opposition. It is common
knowledge that most political organizations in Ethiopia including the Derg, TPLF,
Kinijit and now GENBOT 7, have enormously benefited from the adoption of run
away EPRP members and cadres in to their ranks.
We recall leading EPRP cadres in Europe including the likes of Dr. Abdul
Medjid Hussen, god save his sole, Dr. Kebede Taddesse, former TPLF minister of
health, now retired by TPLF, Dr. Kassu Ilala, a one time Vice Prime Minister,
now Minister of Construction and reportedly on his way to the retirement hip,
and many more, that have broken, what Dr. Berhanu calls “organizational
bondage” and joined the TPLF as its loyal servants. All these and many many more have allowed
themselves to be used and abused to castigate and conduct smear campaigns
against EPRP.
Dr. Berhanu is not a late arrival in this battling brigade
of the ex-EPRP category but he is regrettably getting more vicious. Dr. Berhanu has told us in his ‘prison book’
that he was recruited and mentored to the EPRP by no other than his own
relation, Fekre Zergaw, senior cadre and leader in the EPRP ranks of the
70s. He should be turning in his grave
when such demeaning utterances are made against an organization for whose
ideals so many have given so much in the struggle for the redemption of the
Ethiopian people from oppression. While we honour all those that have given
their lives for the betterment of the lives of the Ethiopian populous, we are
sure that the EPRP that has persevered through thick and thin will fend for
itself.
However, one may ask again where is the beef – the political
message beyond Amhara and EPRP bashing and bad mouthing Hialu Shawel. As briefly pointed out here, the history of
political loyalty to the nation and oneself as against loyalty to political
organizations does not hold water and the practical examples are abundant.
Party loyalty is not an abstract concept it is loyalty to principles of a
party. Such loyalties exist because
those that accept principles see change and betterment in the implementation of
such loyalties those organizations have put together. One should see a continuum in the loyalty
from party to people and country via principles laid down. Dr Berhanu is encouraging a discontinuity in
this continuum and promoting the creation of packages of loyalists: the self, the party, the nation, etc. which,
to say the least, are ridicules. We
leave the much deeper and broader analysis of the concept of loyalty to the
political commentators and specialists, but what Dr. Berhanu goes in to, in his
12 pages script, regarding the subject seems to be hastily cobbled together and
not a depiction of the varied Ethiopian political experience.
In conclusion, let it be known that Kinijit Supporters in London have won the
argument over the launching of GENBOT 7 on the back of Kinijit. At the same time, GENBOT 7 paid for its
initial launch in London
using Kinijit funds and infrastructure.
Dr. Berhanu says in his paper that he is very pleased by the London invitation when he
has withdrawn his membership from Kinijit.
It must be a person with good intentions that would resist such an offer
as made to Dr. Berhanu, launching his newly founded organization on the back of
Kinijit, an organization he has abandoned after all the crisis he enormously
contributed to. Now that he believes he
has a start in London,
Berhanu has announced that he will have another meeting hosted by GENBOT 7
soon. This is beating the metal while it
is hot. GENBOT 7 sees that it is timely
to have a cut from the Kinijit Support in the UK.
Whether we would be able to see the current euphoria and enthusiasm of
Dr. Berhanu a year from now is a litmus test that has to be watched. Kinijit supporters in London/UK would
continue to defend against the misuse and abuse of Kinijit’s name and resources
until it stops.
Once again, Kinijit Supporters in London are grateful to all
those that have supported the campaign against Dr. Berhanu and GENBOT 7
benefiting at the cost of Kinijit, an organization we have supported in the
past and are determined to support not simply for its honorable principles but
also for the sacrifice of hundreds that have paid in their lives and livelihood
in the struggle for democracy, unity and the rule of law in Ethiopia.
Long live Ethiopia
Long live Kinijit
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