Prof. Mesfin, kill the enemy! Not people’s aspiration for democracy in Ethiopia!!!

It is so painful to see Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam’s recent actions in derailing and disrupting the activities of UDJ and his playing into the hands of the TPLF thugs, as we notice the celebration and the fanning of his actions in the Aigaforum and other pro-TPLF websites.

I am not a fan of UDJ, nor do I approve UDJ’s move to challenge the TPLF in the upcoming fake 2010 elections in Ethiopia, although I am convinced that it would have become a credible alternative, with all its weaknesses, if there was an iota of space for free political competition in the country.

From my short membership experience in the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), the Professor founded, I had a vivid opportunity to learn about Prof. Mesfin’s attitude towards power, although he always tried to claim that he is not a power seeker. Besides failing to put term limits to the position of the chairpersonship (which was assumed through regular election) of the organization in EHRCO’s constitution, he continuously kept the chairpersonship for himself, only alternating it with Prof. Andargachew, whom he crowned himself, sometimes in his absence.

Worst still, hidden behind the thick black lens of his glass, he was always infuriated whenever his opinion and position was challenged by a daring member, to the extent of ordering a background investigation on this daring member.

That was when I began to question the integrity of Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam as a genuine democrat and a leader, and his contradicting personality. How could he demand for a term-limit of a Prime Minister, that bestows more power and prestige, when he is not prepared to limit the terms of a chairperson in such a miniscule organization like EHRCO? How could he be an advocate of human rights, when he can not stand a person who used his right to freely express his opinion and who chose to ask a critical question in the organization he chaired? Despite these negative experiences, I gave him the benefits of a doubt, when he left EHRCO to join the Rainbow Coalition for Democracy, that later paved the way for the CUD.

From my observation, since his loss of prestige from the Ethiopian people, following the split of CUD, and his inability to be the king maker, what Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam has been doing since the TPLF-rigged 2005 election, is playing a destructive rather than a constructive role in Ethiopian politics and his fighting strategy has been wrongly directed at the opposition than on the dictatorial and the minority incumbent TPLF.

Professor Mesfin was hell bent on derailing the CUD, since he left the coalition early during its infancy, he was hell bent to kill Ginbot 7 movement, when the organization emerged as a credible alternative to the TPLF dictators, and he is now hell bent to kill UDJ, and gone in to the gutter to physically fight members of the party. Isn’t it amazing and contradictory when a person who professes about the rule of law takes the law into his own hands? And he does all this nonsense in front of the TPLF cameramen, which they are using for cheap propaganda.

The learned Professor Mesfin knows very well that there is no rule of law in Ethiopia that protects citizens from unlawful treatment, and is using that as an opportunity to promote hooliganism to attain his objective. If Prof. Mesfin is too much concerned about Birtukan Mideksa’s position being undermined in the UDJ, why blame members of the UDJ, who are victims themselves, than challenging the TPLF, by calling a peaceful rally in the TPLF corridors asking for her unconditional release, so that she is freed to reassert herself in her party? On the contrary, Prof. Mesfin has confirmed to the TPLF sympathisers that, even after his recent actions, he will not leave UDJ alone, but will continue to derail it and fight it.

Under what circumstances and conditions are such destructive actions of Prof. Mesfin justifiable and acceptable? And for how long should he be tolerated? As to me, he should be condemned and be told to refrain from acting similarly in the future. He should apologize to the Ethiopian people and leave the political scene. Other wise, he will not escape judgment on D-day!

ህዝብ፡ ለምኔ!

ሓይሉ ሻውል
ገና ያኔ፡ ከመነሻው፣
ነበረ ያካሄዱ ፡ዉሉ፡ የጠፋው፣
መ አ ሕ ድ፡ ብሎ ፡ ጀመረ፣
መስሎ፡ የአማራው፡ ጠበቃ፣
ወዲያው ደግሞ ሊተናነቅ፣
ከአንጋፋው፣ ከመስራቹ፣ ፕሮፌሰር፡
አስራት ወልደየስ፣
ላንቃ ፡ ለላንቃ፣
ከዚያ፡ ደግሞ፡ ገሸሽ፡ አለ፣
ቆምኩለት፡ ካለው፡ ዓላማ፣
ብዙም፡ ሳይቆይ፡ ተመለሰ፣
የስልጣን፣ ጥሙን፣ ለማርካት፣
ሲታሰሩለት፣
ፐሮፌሰር፡ አስራት፣
አምሶና፡ አብጠልጥሎ፣
ድርጅቱን፣ መአሕድን፣
ብቅ፡ አለ፡ ደግሞ፡ ይዞ፡
አዲሱን፡ መኢአድን
አፍታም፡ ሳይቆይ፣
ደግሞ አለ፣
ተጣመርኩኝ፡ ከሕብረት፡ ሀይሎች፣
ግን፡ ወራት፡ እንኩዋን፡ አልሞሉም፣
አኩርፎ፡ ሲኮበልል፣
ከህብረቱ፣
ስልጣንን፡ በማጣቱ፣
ቀጠለ፣ የእውር፡ ድንብሩን፣
ደግሞ፡ ሌላ፡ ድንገት፡ ቢገኝ፣
ጠጋ፡ ብሎ፡ የሚቃኝበት፡
የስልጣን፡ ጥሙን፡ ለማርካት፣
መጣለታ፡ ቅንጅት፣
በሩን፡ ወለል፡ አድርጎ፡ከፍቶ፡
ጋበዘው፡
እንዲወጣ፡ የድርሻውን፣
ለዲሞክራሲ፡ ግንባታ፡
ቅንጅት፡ በዚያ፡ አላበቃም፣
እንዲያውም፡ ሰጠው፡ ስልጣን፣
የመሪነቱን፣
ነገር፡ ግን፤ የተገኘውን፡
በእርሱ፡ መሪነት፡ ሳይሆን፡
በሌሎች፡ ብልሆች፡ ብርታት
የ 97ቱን፡ ምርጫ፡ ድል፣
አሰቀለበሰው፣ ሓይሉ፡ ሻውል፣
ይኸ፡ የሰው፡ አጉዋጉል፣
ጉዋደኞቹን፡ ለመበቀል፣
ልብ፡ በሉ፡ ወገኖቼ፣
ሓይሉ፡ ሻውል፡
ይኽ፡ አንደበተ፡ ጎደሎ፡
በደርግም፡ ሰልጣን፡ ነበረው፣
ያበረበት፡ ከአምባገነን፣
ልጆቼን፡ ላሳድግ፡ብሎ፡
ይኸው፡ ዛሬም፡ ተፈራርሙዋል፣
ከ አምባገነኑ፡ እና፡ ከዘር፡ አጥፊው፡
ከወያኔ
በሃብት፡ ላይ፡ ሃብት፡ ለማፍራት፣
ስልጣንም፡ ለመቀራመት፣
ብሎ፡
ህዝብ፡ ለምኔ!

Why a Code for an already won “election”?

The signing of the valueless “Code of Conduct for 2010 Election”, by nominal “opposition parties”: AEUP, EDP, and CUD” with the gangster TPLF has caused a sense of euphoria within the TPLF camp. The aim of the whole fiasco is part of TPLF’s deceptive strategy to dodge the gullible international community and give a false recognition to the powerless and egomaniac Hailu Shawel, Ayele Chamiso, and Lidetu Ayalew, through a photo opportunity with the dictator Meles Zenawi. Nothing more, and nothing less.

While there is nothing to celebrate, TPLF loyalists are shouting from all corners about this fiasco as a decisive moment in Ethiopia’s history towards a democratic transition. However, leave alone Ethiopians, even the targeted international community has doubts regarding this move, since they were repeatedly being told by the same TPLF loyalist thugs in no uncertain terms that TPLF is no friend of liberal democracy, and one party rule in the model of communist China is the best path for Ethiopia.

The fact that this “Code” is just a fiasco is coming to light, since we are already witnessing that even before the ink Hailu Shawel signed the agreement with dried, TPLF loyalist newspapers like the Ethio Channel, are accusing and sabotaging Hailu Shawel and his party (AEUP), as being immersed in corruption and engulfed by internal crisis. What a “Code”, that is breached by the very enforcer!! That is why I labeled it valueless from the beginning. Even the creator and enforcer doesn’t value it.

Although Hailu Shawel and the other two puppets declared that this was a really negotiated agreement, it is obvious from the process and the outcome that it was an imposed one, as also witnessed by Dr. Merara Gudina and Prof. Beyene Petros of MEDREK who declared the whole process as a “political theatre”. In fact, if it was a negotiated process, MEDREK’s demand for a unilateral engagement with the TPLF should have been respected and their concerns should have been heard and addressed. In stead, MEDREK was forced to exclude itself from the table and is now being told by Bereket Simon of the TPLF to be bound by the code it was not involved in and didn’t agree with.

The Ethiopian people who know what is going on in reality in Ethiopia, but who have no way of voicing their concern, will now be told about this “code” through the government controlled media until they are deafened and, even may be forced to come out and rally in support of the agreement by the Kebeles, who are rationing the basic food items the people depend on for their survival. The people may even come and rally by force, but they will not register and vote for TPLF. TPLF was rejected by the people in 2005 and has done nothing since then to win their favor.

The “code” fiasco, I believe is aimed at frustrating and confusing the Ethiopian Diaspora, who have been consistent in their resistance to TPLF’s divisive, monopolistic, and corrupt politics on the one hand, and to convince the gullible international community that there is now consensus within the opposition to hold a free and fair election in Ethiopia in 2010 on the other.

The moron and egomaniac Hailu Sahwel and the puppets Ayele Chamiso and Lidetu Ayalew have openly expressed that they trust the TPLF has come of age to conduct a free and fair election in Ethiopia. The international community may also endorse this and give the go ahead for the TPLF to run the show.

But, let it be known that, the voiceless Ethiopian people and the Ethiopian Diaspora do not believe that there would ever be a sustainable democratic change in Ethiopia with the TPLF thugs on the wheel. And we will fight this despotic TPLF regime to the end!!!