Dr. Negaso Gidada, 13 October 2009
The Current Political Situation in Dembi Dollo
I visited Dembi Dollo, in Qelem Wallaga Zone of Oromia Region from September 18-28, 2009. During my visit, I tried to gather as much information as possible on the current political situation. I was unable to hold public meetings because the local administration was unwilling to cooperate. I therefore tried to meet as many individuals as I could. During the 10 days I talked to over two dozen individuals including cadres of the OPDO/EPRDF, business leaders, community elders, government workers (teachers and health workers), local qabale officials, vacationing university students, church leaders, private professionals, NGO employees and members and supporters of the OFDM.
This descriptive analysis summarizes and focuses on a few major issues. My general conclusion is that the OPDO/EPRDF totally controls and dominates the local political arena, and therefore, there could no level playing field for the opposition in the Dembi Dollo area. Unless the situation changes dramatically in the next few months, I do not expect the 2010 election will be fair, free or democratic. The first step in correcting the current situation is by appointing well trained election officers to different levels of the election administration.
Strict Security Control and Surveillance
The OPDO/EPRDF which claims to have won the 2005 and 2008 elections seems determined not to allow any other political organization which could compete against it in the area. This goes as far as not welcoming individual visitors to the area. Visitors are secretly followed and placed under surveillance to determined where they go, whom they visited, and what they said. The visitors will rarely be called for interrogation or approached by the security people. It is the local people who had contact with visitors that are summoned and grilled by security officials. In my case, my brother-in-law with whom I stayed made a copy of the letter I brought with me from the parliamen to the security office. He also received telephone calls from the Dembi Dollo and Naqamte security offices. He was asked why I came, whether I came for preparation for the coming election or for any other purpose.
About two months ago Professor Haweitu Simeso of the USAID visited Dembi Dollo with colleagues from the Irish and Canadian embassies. The visiting group was followed from the time it arrived in Naqamte. After the group returned, several security officials interrogated leaders of the Dembi Dollo Bethel-Mekane Yesus Church who had spoken to Haweitu and his colleagues. One of the church leaders was even summoned to the zonal administrator’s office and asked detailed questions about the visitors from Addis. Three weeks before I went to Dembi Dollo, Dr. Belaynesh (member of the OFDM and an MP) was in Dembi Dollo. After she returned to Addis, all the people who went to her father’s house to greet her and others she greeted on the streets in the town were arrested, interrogated and held in custody for a period of 24 to 48 hours. The houses of some of these individuals were also searched. A building contractor who arrived in Dembi Dollo on September 28 to inspect the construction of the new Bethel Church was also followed. He left the next day fearing that he will be summoned to the security office.
OPDO/EPRDF in Dembi Dollo, besides using the police and security offices and personnel, also collects information on each household through other means. One of these methods involves the use of organizations or structures called “shane”, which in Oromo means “the five”. Five households are grouped together under a leader who has the job of collecting information on the five households every day and pass it on to a higher administrative organ called “Gare”. There are 30 to 40 households in a “Gare” group which has a chairperson, a secretary, a security chief and two other members. The security chief passes the information he collected to his chief in the higher administrative organs in the Qabale, who in turn informs the Woreda police and security office.
Each household is required to report on guests and visitors, the reasons for their visits, their length of stay, what they said and did and activities they engaged in. The “shane” leader knows if the members of the households have participated in “development work”, if they have contributed to the several fund raising programs, if they have attended Qabale meetings, whether they have registered for election, if they have voted and for whom they have voted. The OPDO/EPRDF mass associations (women, youth and micro-credit groups) and party cells (“fathers”, “mothers” and “youth”). The party cells in the schools, health institutions and religious institutions also serve the same purpose.
II. Organizational Structures
Understanding how the OPDO/EPRDF itself and its Woreda administration are organized is very important. There is the OPDO/EPRDF Qellem Wallagga Zonal office in Dembi Dollo. This office receives information and instruction from the regional office in Addis Ababa. It passes messages to the lower structures and oversees the propaganda and organizational activities of the party. This office has branches in every village, schools and health institutions. These branches are subdivided into basic cells. The branches of these cells are organized into supporter groups, candidate groups and full members groups.
Additionally, the party has organized the people into youth, women and micro-credit associations for tighter control and easy dissemination of its propaganda and to do party activities. Dembi Dollo town is a special Woreda Town Administration. The Administration is sub-divided into four large “Ganda” (Villages). The town used to have seven Qabales but was restructured just before the Qabale election in 2008. Each Qabale has 15 in the Woreda Council. It is said that the OPDO/EPRDF presented the names of pre-selected council members to the Qabale Council and had them endorsed. There is also the Sayyo Rual Woreda (24 Qabales). The administration of Sayyo Woreda also has its seat in Dembi Dollo town. These are all appointees of the party and are believed to be “strongly committed” to it. The four “Ganda” (villages or some times called Kifle Ketema) have each their own councils. A council has 300 members. The members were “elected” in 2008. All the people I talked to confirmed to me that the party pre-selected the candidates. The Qabale has its own cabinet and these are also party members. A Qabale is further sub-divided into different zones. The zones are sub-divided into “Gare”. There are up to 17 “Gare” in a zone.
III. Misuse of Public Property, Finance and Civil Servants
The party’s propaganda and organization committees are located in the Zonal, Woreda and Qabale Administration building. The party does not pay rent for the rooms it uses. The committee members are party cadres but their monthly salary and per dimes are paid by the administration from public treasury. Their secretaries, cleaners and messengers also get their salary from public treasury. All civil servants are also members of the party. Monthly contribution of the members to the party are collected by the Woreda finance office at the time they pay the workers their monthly salaries. The party officials use government office materials, supplies and equipment, including official transport vehicles. The party uses town and qabale halls with out paying rent. Meeting halls in health and educational institutions are also used with out any payment and at will. This system is practiced from Zonal to “Gare” levels. But opposition to the OPDO/EPRDF are not allowed to rent rooms for offices from private owners or rent public halls in the town for meetings. Plasma televisions supposed to be used for school-net and Woreda-net are used for dissemination of party propaganda.
IV. Dissemination of OPDO/EPRDF Political Programs
All adults in the qabales and government employees are forced to participate in different seminars and workshops. The same is true of all school children who are in high schools and vocational training institutions. University students on vacation are also required to participate in such programs. Lessons in “Tarsimo” (Strategy) and “Bulchiinsa Gaarii” (Good Governance) are given to all residents (school children, collage and university students, and private and government employees). Workshops on BPR have been held and each government employee given Birr 25 for participation. The seminar for university students lasted five days. The per diem for this seminar was supposed to be Birr 35 per day for each participant for nine days. Every two weeks on Friday afternoon, all government employees participate in study circles of the party and cell meetings during work hours and in the public meeting rooms. No rent is paid for the use of the rooms. Fund raising programs are organized once in a while for support of the party. It is the administration’s finance officers who deduct the pledged amount from employees and transfer the money to the party.
V. Elections
During the 2005 election, I have witnessed that civil servants were deployed for two weeks for election campaign for the OPDO/EPRDF and that government vehicles (cars and motor cycles) were used for this purpose. OPDO/EPRDF members and cadres were busy disrupting public meetings I called in the field. One of my observers was bribed with Birr 200 and agreed to give the votes I received to my opponent (OPDO/EPRDF). In one qabale, I was forbidden not to hold election campaign meeting 500 meters away from a market place. The qabale officials told me that my meeting will disturb “their market”. My posters were removed from several places and leaflets I distributed were collected and destroyed. I persistently appealed to the election officials to correct the OPDO/EPRDF illegal activities or cancel it from the election in accordance with the election law but no body heeded to my appeals.
According to the people I talked to, the election office chief during the 2008 election is a member of the OPDO/EPRDF. There is a rumor that the same person is being appointed to the office by the OPDO/EPRDF for the 2010 election. The OPDO/EPRDF appointed a supporter or a member to each polling station to stand by the voters and tell the voters in which box they should put voting signs or signatures.
VI. Situation of the Opposition
The office of the OFDM has remained closed since 2005. Members and supporters were beaten up and imprisoned several times. They were intimidated or bribed. During the three weeks before my visit to Dembi Dollo, 60 people in Sayyo and 15 people in Dembi Dollo were arrested and kept in police custody for up to 48 hours. They had to pay one hundred Birr as bail before being released. They were reprimanded and warned for the 2010 election. They were told, “Be careful, do not support, be member of or vote for the opposition as you did in 2005. We shall not give in like then. We defend ourselves even with guns.” OFDM is equated to the OLF while the CUD or the “Qindomina” as it is called in Oromia is equated with the “Nafxagna”. The campaign against the UDJ as a “Nafxagna” organization has already begun.
VII. Media
No private or independent news papers are to be found in Dembi Dollo. Alternative news sources to the Federal and Oromia public media are only VOA and Deutche Welle. The Oromia information office and the OPDO send their press media to the area by bus. These are picked by a government employee and distributed to different institutions and offices. All workers are forced to buy these news papers.
VIII. Conclusion
It is plain to anyone who has been to Dembi Dollo and surrounding areas that there is no political level playing field. I can not imagine how the opposition can enter into an election process under such conditions. If the ruling party is serious about having a peaceful, fair and democratic election in 2010 it has much to do including the release of all political prisoners and putting a stop to new illegal arrests, intimidations, detentions and bribery of members of the opposition, immediate reopening of offices of the opposition, providing immediate equal access to the public media, allow public meetings organized by the opposition to take place freely, amend the Election Law so that neutral election officials can be appointed and make it possible for international election observers free access to ensure fair elections and put into place control mechanisms so that its supporters and members respect the constitution and the election laws. It must also start repaying rent for offices and halls it has used for its party activities over the past several years as well as for use of government office materials and equipments, fuel, telephone and electricity. Salaries paid to government employees from the public treasury must also be repaid.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Dr. negasso I have great respect for you to be the few high ranking EPRDF officials who rejected the woyane dictatorship and choosen to be the Voice of millions of Ethiopians. Unless what I call the hodam intellectual non Tigrians officials stop being a gloves for Tuggish woyane officials, I don’t expect political change in Ethiopia.
I urge you to continue your effort exposing the evil tactics of Agamido’s and their modern day slaves of OPDO thugs.
Ethiopia shall prevail
October 13th, 2009 at 5:34 am
I grew up in Dembi Dollow by the time Negasso was the president of Ethiopia.
Ladies and gentlemen, Negasso is decrying the system he himself spearheaded and imposed upon us. Today, Negasso talks about lack of playing field and party selection of counselors as if they were elected by the people. As far as I know, Negasso claimed victory an OPDO (tigre-condom) without even campaigning a single day; without staging even a single public meeting to advocate his candidacy. His name was just selected and became our representative; then the useless president. When he mentioned that he stayed at his brother in laws home, it reminded me of how the uneducated and jobless Assefa libalibe, his brother in law, was working as the chief security agent doing all the things Negasso has complained about in his report.
Let us stop being fool my fellow countrymen; we should never forget what these people did to us yesterday when they try to appear victims while they themselves were the main perpetrators of our misery. I will never forgive Negasso for giving the TPLF the necessary cover-up they were trying to forge for themselves to appeal all-encompassing government. I can’t forgive you for letting the great Oromo people down. Oromo is victimized because of people like you!
October 13th, 2009 at 5:42 am
This man’s report must be taken with a dollop of salt. After all Negasso Gidada was the person who in 1978 declared in Frankfurt: “I am not an Ethiopian” only, of course, to accept the presidency of the FDR of Ethiopia 2 deacades later. He endlessly blames and insults Emperor Menelik II for all of Ethiopia’s ills, and he has done nothing tangible while in the |National Palace or in Parliament. What the nation got from Negasso is nothing but moaning. And now, simply because he hasn’t got a leg to stand on in his own ancestral home - because EPDRF is better organised and has been addressing societal issues of the region - he has the nerve to tell us that the next election is not going to be free and fair.
Negasso Gidada: people are sick and tired of your congenital lies, and moreover your time is up! That’s why we ask: “Who exhumed Negasso Gidada?”
October 13th, 2009 at 5:57 am
Dr. Negaso,
We all know that there is no ground for peaceful political activity. This cannot be news….it is there for the past 18 years!
You are not telling us anything new.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:30 am
It’s laughable to read such a non sense from Dr Geday, I think any one who read the “Journali Memo” understand what sort of person is Mr Gidada. He is the man who sold his concsious to the TPLF dictators and lost spectacuarly. He hasn’t a moral authority to tell us nothing. We all know what is going on in Ethiopia and he supported that system tirelessly when he was a puppet president. Do the decent thing Mr Gidada, resign from your parliament and aplogise to the Ethiopian people.
Thanks
October 13th, 2009 at 8:41 am
oh my Ethiopians what is wrong with you peoples ? it has been long since i think the whole Ethiopians know that woyanne is an occupier
if so what is all these drama? When deutsche welle interviewed the citizens in addis street what they have answered him is the best gift for ethiopians in the new year is that the midjet should come out officially and tell ethiopians i have tried 18 years but it is very much more than my capacity and now it is your turn do it in your way .It is all jock or our moral strength coming low durig derg era .After saying that all these woyanne orchesterd music is for donors not for ethiopians and secondly let us assume that woyanne accepted its defeat can you imagine the out burst of the Ethiopian peoples and do you think woyanne master of all evils is that stupid to to commit suicide ,above all woyanne still dont know ethiopians take things in its own way since their jungle time they have killed all right and left even their own comrades. So guys if our memory function it was not long since the 3 million march rejecting the woyanne regime in addis that was pushing their leader on the run and was stand by to flee the country from debrezeit. What i want to say is freedom is not an award for civility and if we believe that the woyanne makes the same failure is naive in my view ,therefore we have to say no to woyanne with a united voice. If any body out there takes so called election serious makes himself clown for dedebit illitrates
GOD BLESS OUR MOTHERLAND ETHIOPIA
NO RESPOND TO WOYANNE CADRES COS IT IS THEIR JOB WHICH IS FINANCED FROM FOREIGN MINISTER TO WATCH THE CYBER AND DEFEND THE UNDEFENDABLE CRIMINAL GANG
October 13th, 2009 at 9:25 am
So what Dr. Negasso? Isn’t it this something you have been doing in those old days? Now you are worried that you won’t get back to the sit in the parliament. So, I advise you write this to your old friend or stop complaining and get a rest body. We have had enough of you.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Dr Negassao or Jhonny come late as the saying goes. There is nothing new on your new findings. The TPLF regime and it’s Oromo puppets so called OPDO will do whatever it takes to stay in power. We must do whatever it takes to unsit the minority regime. Crying wolf and peaceful struggle blah blah doesn’t work.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Ethiopia’s governance below African average
By Kirubel Tadesse
Not only is Ethiopia’s governance performance below Africa’s average, but even worse, it is below the level of most of its East African neighbors, an annual international report states.
Unveiled earlier this week in Cape Town, South Africa, the 2009 Ibrahim Index of Governance, an annual report by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation explains that Ethiopia scored 45.6 out of 100, and is ranked 37th out of the measured 53 African countries.
The country’s performance is below both the continental and regional averages. 51.2 is the continental average, which Ethiopia’s 45.6 percent score fails to match. “Within the East African region, Ethiopia was ranked eighth and scored just below the regional average which is 46.9,” the foundation said in a statement.
The annual report assesses countries based on the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by their governments and non-state actors according to 84 indicators of governance grouped into four categories: Safety and Security, Participation and Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity, and Human Development.
For the first time all of the 53 countries were ranked according to their total scores across the categories based on the last available data.
What led to Ethiopia’s poor performances are its weak scores in four of the five categories, such as Participation and Human Rights, in which it only outranks the ten worst performing countries in the continent.
However, it was not all bad news for Ethiopia: “In Sustainable Economic Opportunity category, Ethiopia scored above the continental and regional averages, which were 46.0 and 40.8 respectively,” the report also read, adding that Ethiopia’s 51.2 score in the category is among the continent’s better performing countries and number three in regional rankings.
While Mauritius tops the 2009 Ibrahim Index with a total score of 82.8, ranking first in all four main categories, troubled Somalia is the worst governed country on the continent with a total score of 15.2.
Founded and financed by Dr. Mo Ibrahim, who made his fortune in investing in telecoms, the foundation also awards the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, the largest annually awarded prize in the world.
The Prize Committee, chaired by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, awards five million dollars to former leaders of African countries who have demonstrated excellence in leadership during their time in office. So far there have been two winners who enjoyed the prize. This year’s winner is scheduled to be named later this month.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Negasso(lucky)
You had your time men, you are second hand now go and preach in advetist church that is suitable position for you. By the way this MEDREK party when you see its leading figures most of them are second hand politicians came from EPRDF, look at Beyene, Gebru, Seye…. so on.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I share the frustration Dr. Negaso feels, but I could not figure out what his real message is. Despite the litany of accusations he made regarding OPDO/EPDRF, he seems to believe the government might do something to undo the unjustices he had been witnessing before the upcoming election. That is a denial of a greater proportion. Wake up, Dr. Negaso, I do not know at what planet you are living, but a one party system was in the making for anyone willing to observe after the aftermath of the 2005 election. Having lived in Ethiopia, being active in politics, Dr. Negaso should have known the next election would be the most undemocratic, even compared to the one which EPDRF were staged in previous elections. While the requests which Negaso made in his conclusion is just and reasonable, just for tactical reason, his assumption that his observation he made in Dembedolo would be looked after by EPDRF before the election is downright inane. In fact, to be honest, Negaso should not have to go all the way to Dembedolo to know what was happening down there. I believed– correct me if I am wrong– Dr. Negaso is a member of parliament. How come he did not know about OPDO/EPDRF political ploy untill his recent visit to the regime? Does he spend his time in parliament sleeping? I do not blame him if he did. There is nothing to do except enjoying sleep for opposition members of parliament. But why the need to wake up now as if he might have a majic bullet which allows him to change the course of politics. I do not blame, I would like to emhasize, him wishing to participate in Ethiopian politics by being a member of parliament. In fact, I applaud that despite my reservation about what they could accomplish. But after being in parliament for years, even after being the president of the country, to wake up and face the reality that after all OPDO/EPDRF was not democratic is tantamount of questioning the intellegence of the Ethiopian people. They might not have power now, even voice, but they do know what is going on. It is time Dr. Negaso you join this knowing populace.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
ይህ በዶ/ር ነጋሶ የቀረበው ሪፖርት አንድ ተጨባጭ መረጃ ያዘለ እጅግ በጣም ግልጽ በሆነ አቀራረብ የተዘገበ ነው :: ዶ/ሩ የታዘቡትንና ወቅታዊነቱን ያመኑበትን እውነታ ቢዘግቡም አንዳንድ ብስለት የሚጎድላቸው አስተያየት ሰጪዎች እንደተለመደው የስድብ መዝገባቸውን ከፈት በማድረግ ያላቸውን ለመወርወር ሞክረዋል:: ሆኖም ግን ይህ አይነቱ ተራ ወሬ የማይበጅ መሆኑን ዶ/ሩ ጠንቅቀው ያውቃሉ የሚል እምነት አለኝ :: እኔን ያስደሰተኝ ግን ግለሰቡ (ዶ/ሩ) ጉዳዩን ትኩረት በመስጠት ከስፍራው ተገኝተው ያለውን እውነታ ለህዝብ ይፋ ማድረጋቸው በጣም አስደስቶኛል :: እያንዳንዱ ዜጋ በንደዚህ ያሉ ወሳኝ ጊዜዎች የመራጩን ህዝብ ጭንቅላት የሚቀይር ተጨባጭ ነገር መዘገብ ቢችል ውጤታማ ምርጫ ለማድረግ አስተዋጽኦ ይኖረዋል ባይ ነኝ :: ዶ/ር ነጋሶ እኔ በበኩሌ ስላቀረቡት ሪፖርት በጣም አመሰግናለሁ ::
October 13th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Dear Dr. Negasso:
It is good that you reported the level of represssion in Oromia. But you have left out one important point. You seem to blame OPDO for what is going on. You know that OPDO or other ethnic political groups Tigre Liberation Front has no political power at all. You was one of them and you never had a power to hire your own driver.
My point is: This is Ethnic Apartheid by the Tigre Liberation Terrorist Group of Meles Zenawi. Apartheid could not be reformed. It should be uprooted.
Ethiopians: Dont fool yourself thinking that TPLF will democratize. That is wishful thinking. They must be uprooted. Don’t cut them. Uproot them.
October 13th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
the so called MEDREK, dont get it yet,dont expect Bread from the sky
unless you are trying to play a game on our people on behalf oy woyane,you guys know it ,our people knows it,there is no any oportunity in Woyane controled Ethiopia free election,dont confuse our people.let DONKEY woyanes play among them selves in the so valled field,untill they are erradicated from that land by force.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
So what Negaso. You are telling us after you served 20 years the weyane mafia there is no field to play. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. You are working for Weyane. You were working for weyane. The way to go is fight fight like GINBOT 7, ONLF, EPPF, OLF, SLF and so on on on. Please stop fooling us and your self. I never so a foolish Dr. like you. Do you really have a PHD in social science. Even engineers like me are better than the way you think. NO TO MEDEREK THE EX-WEYANEs
October 13th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
CUD vs DEDREK:
Relatively speaking, MEDREK looks the first ever compromise reach in Ethiopian politics An intersting comparison/contrast between MEDREK and CUD can tell the political problem inside the country.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Since the formation of Medrek/FDD, as a mirror image of TPLF/eprdf as Tigrai Harena/FDD, where the conglomerate of loyalist oppositon parties become the prospective teletafi parties; a number of leaders came out to speak against TPLF/eprdf after the conference in Nazret took a different turn. Since then, I believe they came forward from their back seat to speak against the regime under the position of wearing two hats, one for their party and another for Medrek. They steal some strategy to rebuff the regime from AEUP’s 8-point preconditions for election in 2010 to be implemented. They diverted the focus of the struggle for national agenda towards that of releasing W/t Birtukan and tacked to that all political prisoners, which was the ultimatum set by AEUP.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Negasso is a trojan horse in Ethiopian politics.He never denounce the TPLF AND EPDRF leadership in his entire life .Negasso is one of the arctect of this mess. He just a puppet for the outside world stamp as opposition group.Melese created a Jerry spinger( nasty show in USA) type of show of politics in Ethiopa. It is fun to watch. Mr. Negasso hate amharas in general. “Libun ayeto eger nesaw” that is him.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Dear Dr Negasso,
What is wrong is supposed to be wrong whether you do it or others do it.
I am saying this because this was exactly how you were elected as an OPDO. The system you elaborated now is nothing new.. we know that Assefa, your brother in law, was in charge of the follow-up of visitors to Dembi Dollo when you were in EPRDF camp. You didn’t say the practice was wrong when you were the top OPDO (woyane condom). Why do you complain about it now??
Did you wake up now? did you grow up now? you are simply a jackass!!
October 14th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Negasso is a man of vegitative brain full of mashed potatoes.
The Dembedolla township knows Negasso than Negasso did. Negasso at one time was a cc member of OPDO/EPRDF, a system he is now complaining. When he was kicked out he was reknown for bitterly crying for his personal benefit he lost as a president. He was also a man who doesnot have an idea of his own but known of entertaining others ideas and taking it as his own. That is what he is when he was working as Minister of labour affairs and Information Minister he was renamed “A Minister with senseless ideas”.
Now let us looking what he is doing to date. He is a member of Arena/ Mederek, another clone of EPRDF, renamed by Meles as the spicy sprinkles in the opposition. Arena/Mederek fights for Kilil politics dividing Ethiopia along ethnic lines. Their agenda is no better than EPRDF itself.
Meles loves them.
Read the following:
“The cry of “no level field” we heard from Dr. Negasso Gidada recently travelling to Dembidollo his birthplace by talking to few people is not about “no level field” it is about “no field”. People are not allowed to speak, organize freely and those who are allowed to speak their opinion are only those who bought the philosophy of Kilil.
Ethiopians in Dombidolo and other places what they demand is real freedom to choose their representatives and condemn all who have been conspiring with TPLF for more than two decades including Negasso Gidadda who is now complaining about no level field that has been true for more than twenty years including his time as a President of Ethiopia. People over there might have told Negasso that he is part of the problem too”.
Negasso is a good for nothing person. I urge him to retire and vanish as an old man and take care of his German lady. Advise him if you can.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Dr. negasso I have great respect for you to be the few high ranking EPRDF officials who rejected the woyane dictatorship and choosen to be the Voice of millions of Ethiopians we must change the presedent of ethiopia from meles adawa gang . the adwan gang that is raping, and looting ethiopia are killing tigrain and ethiopian. adawan gang mels is killing all the tigrain that is non-adwan. recently meles & azeb and co- bought a bullet proof vest to protect himself from vast majority of tigrain and ethiopian . all high post are are adawan, bank of ethiopia only loan to adawan. vivia to tigray death to weyane. meles, seya, sebhat nega all from adawa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjCK5JtwraM
October 14th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Boycott the Election have you ever seen a country who got developed with bad governance? if you want to see developed and civilized Ethiopia, cooperate with those who fight for freedom and democracy. unless we get back the politics in to the right track development and democracy are a night-mare. we must change the presedent of ethiopia from meles adawa gang . the adwan gang that is raping, and looting tigrain and ethiopian. adawan gang mels is killing all the tigrain that is non-adwan. recently meles & azeb and co- bought a bullet proof vest to protect himself from vast majority of tigrain and ethiopian . all high post are are adawan, bank of ethiopia only loan to adawan. vivia to tigray death to weyane. meles, seya, sebhat nega all from adawa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjCK5JtwraM
October 14th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15588
Newly found historical facts reveal that the Bihere Amhara of Ethiopia are closest next of kin of Eritreans, while the Thugrians have little in common with both the Amahara and Eritreans (mainly Bihere Tigrigna and Tigre). The fact reveals that is certain that Geez was originated and developed in the territory of modern day Eritrea. Geez was predominantly spoken as well as written by both the now Bihere Tigre and Bihere Tigrigna of Eritrea. Gradually but surely, this Semitic language gave rise to the birth of the languages of Tigre and Tigrigna. In the mean time though adventurers and warriors from the now central and Northern Ethiopia (mainly Wollo, Shewa and Gonder) have adopted the language and later assimilated it with their indigenous languages through which the rise of Amharic language come to existence.
The people who inhabited the modern day Tigray territory were predominantly Agews. These people were not as adventurists as their Amhara counter parts. Nonetheless, due to the proximity they had with Eritrea, many Eritrean conquerors were constantly travelling to and from Tigray, specifically the vicinity of Adwa and Axum. Some of these Eritreans stayed now and then behind in those territories and are assumed to be the ancestors of the inhabitants of Adwa and Axum. These can be explained by the similarity of the statues of Metera and Axum and the widespread belief that the Axume statue is built by “outsiders”. In any case, the vast majority of Tigraians were Agews and they continued to speak the Agew language until late 16th Century during which the influence of Eritreans that stayed behind in Adwa and Axum became so strong that the Tigraians have adopted Tigrigna as their language. That explains the fact that Tigrigna spoken and written in Eritrea is highly complex and developed while the agamistans still use the basics of the language.
Conclusion| Amharas are closer to Eritreans than the agamistans. One can still see similarity in character between Eritreans and the Amharas. For instance, they are both to certain extent straightforward and caring, while the thugs are always twisted and exceedingly self-centred. More so, both Eritreans and Amharas love their respective countries as a whole, while the agamistans are tribalists with vague sense of belongingness.
http://eppfonline.org/index/
October 14th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
the most important steep to the situation we face in our country politic is not the personal problem we have to look with our self because of every one accountable what happen in ethiopia.
dont blemed DR negaso he try his best even he made a mistake in the past he is in side the country oppsing the dictator what we do heir cretsize word fight can we do better than this those they do their part they need support for their straggel the effort not for them for as to get freedom a long and better to talk about no cost
October 15th, 2009 at 12:44 am
The second round of deception, subversion and diversion started with formation of Medrek/FDD and the Diaspora is catching up with it. The already incriminated politicians involved in crafting the charter for the disintegration are providing lip service to both sides of the struggle, the negative forces of disintegration and the positive forces of integration in a double toungue.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:19 am
FROM -GETACHEW REDA
What amazed me is not what this big idiot vegetative brain and criminal Ethiopian’s-blood tainted on his hand who participated in national crime such us framing the Fascist Constitution of TPLF Manifesto in Ethiopia to land lock a nation and allow every ethnic, family to separate from his own and establish self government and countries as much malty countries as the Soviets to eat each other and exposed for 3000 new tyrants in each full of honey and milk countries.
I am not worried what this idiot says about Ethiopian politics. Let him enjoy his remained few years till he faces justice for his crime. What worried me and amazed me those opposition media publish his paper. Now days, there is a new style that the opposition media (internet and magazine on line) are hooked with. That is, “they started to publish for us “News from OLF!!!!!”. If you were an army fighting the EPLF/ELF during the Derg era, how do you guys as an Ethiopian army fighting the enemy (all enemies) felt if those Ethiopian papers “Addis Zemen or YZareitu or Tobia… papers/ media” published news obtained from “EPLF/SHabiya” while your first enemy is the same enemy that is allowed to publish what ever propaganda he has to pass it? Why was” Elias’s Ethiopian Review blamed to begin with? Isn’t because he was allowing himself and his media for allowing publishing OLF /ONLF/EPLF news and blamed for it? Isn’t OLF as enemy as TPLF/EPLF is? Isn’t OLF’s program and manifesto similar to the rest if not worst? What news do those media published claimed obtained from OLF correspondents? Do they publish also what OLF is doing in the jungle against their country “ETHIOPIA”? I guess not. Why? Because “It is new Arada Politics- what they call it “MECHACHAL with CRIMINALS”. (Please Allah for give those!} They only have to wait to the OLF correspondents to give them news to publish it on their media, because they can’t even find a report from Ethiopia that a popular singer from Oromo language speaking artist was arrested by TPLF or what TPLF is currently doing to the Oromo Ethiopians? Unless, they are blind, It is been there, it is published by others other than OLF’s second hand report, but they simply have to wait their OLF to approve it! God! What a century we are in! My beloved country, give us mercy!
Negaso, please get the hell out of politics and do your prayers like Tamirat if God can give you the forgiveness that you and him were spilling blood for years hugging and smiling together with the fascists of Weyane Tigray leaders: I say this, because, you given me a headache for 17 years. I have already enough headache from a new breeds claiming “Ethiopian genuine oppositions with their head going fantasy” to deal with. Enough! - Getachew Reda www.Ethiopiansemay.blogspot.com
October 15th, 2009 at 6:29 am
ከፋፋይ….አሁን አማራ ለኤርትራ ከትግሬ ይቀርባል ስትል አታፍርም? እውነት ቢሆንስ ይሄ ፋክት ለምን እንዲሚጠቅመን እስቲ አስረዳን???
October 15th, 2009 at 8:05 am
My dear friend Seifu,
I think that is a doubtful piece of history and sociology.Just one simple example that casts a shadow on it.Quote :’The people who inhabited the modern day Tigray territory were predominantly Agews..’ But,what about the Afar,the Kunamas,the Saho and the half assimilated Oromo i.e the Raya and Azeb? Where were they?
What is this spurious thing about character also:Quote:’…they are both to certain extent straightforward and caring, while the thugs are always twisted and exceedingly self-centred. More so, both Eritreans and Amharas love their respective countries as a whole, while the agamistans are tribalists with vague sense of belongingness…’It is a bad conclusion derived from a bad premise.There is no evidence suggesting that character is acquired that way.
By the way,is the piece from an Eritrean source?..
Oh!I see…it kind of makes sense.But still,I think it is an intellectually retarded attempt to score a political point.
A disclaimer:I am not a TPLF sympathiser saying this!
October 15th, 2009 at 9:31 am
The one thing what puzzles me in our country’s politics is the recycling of personalities, as if there are aren’t fresh blood, who would play a pivotal role by bringing new ideas and modus of operand that cultivate a progressive political engagement.
These so called prominent personalities hopping on and off all myriads of political parties came in to existence either within the country or in a diaspora, to date. It seems they lacked a guiding principle and failed to question what they were/are aspired to achieve.Most of all, they underestimated the Ethiopian people, we Ethiopians sniff these turn coat perpetual politician, what their track record were!
Please bring other Ethiopians on board and so called prominent personalities you can be a political sage, advisor, consultant, policy designers and think tankers,…etc. Leave the leading role for people with new and noble ideas, hence the recycling of tired ideas and old baggies yesteryears cease to exist.
It is time for change and new rules if engagements!!!
October 15th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Ewnetim GEDADA. This shefafa recycled old fart should stay out of politics for good. He should take Gebru and Seye with him to Dembidolo and stay there till their miserable deaths. Losers!
October 15th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
soon we will get those tigrain killing our people and our country.
soon we will get those tigrain killing our people and our country.tigrain working 24/7 divide the Ethiopian nation amhara vs. oromo. somilia vs. oromo. we will get you soon.
Ethiopia’s tyrant express frustration over Eritrea
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/11008
“Every day the crisis worsens. Neither the region as a whole, nor Somalia in particular, can afford the consequences of failure. Peace and security issues affect domestic as well as regional considerations and all the IGAD states need a solution in Somalia, and quickly.”
we, ethiopian people support our brothers eritrean, and eritrean presedent Isyas afewri. meles, weyane/TPLF leader is a killer.
viva Isyas, we ethiopian winning the war against weyane/TPLF.
we, ethiopian stand by eritrean people.
long live ethiopia. death to weyane/TPLF
http://eppfonline.org/index/
October 15th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
TPDM was formed on march1993 E.C that is around 8 years ago. It was intially formed by Ex TPLF members who were unhappy the way they were treated by TPLF. Many young TPLF fighters were thrown away on the streerts of Addis when Seye was in power. They had grievance and sense of betryal from TPLF. When the border conflict erupted shabiya those who left for Eritrea. One of the founder of TPDM who was TPLF intellegence member was killed by TPLF inurgent last year in Eritrea. Most of TPDM members are from Irope welkaite and shire since those areas border Eritrea.
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/8353
October 15th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Getachew Reda,
How are you? It looks like that your paranoia is worsening. I couldn’t believe that this was your essay; you seem to have lost it a bit more as compared to the last time we talked. Perhaps, you have heard about the successful meetings the OLF is having in the west, raising a lot of money as usual. I can’t blame you because you belong to a party that does not have any support outside of the few old socialists who founded it. You guys are getting old, getting increasingly frustrated due to lack of any success and total rejection by the young generation. Why do you give us your blog site? Nobody is interested in you and your website; what would I gain by visiting a losers we site?? Your hate for the great oromo people will simply aggravate your anxiety as there is nothing you can do to reverse the progress. Read the following short poem to understand the current stand of the Oromo people - the poem is addressed to Meles:
I hate you,
but I still need you;
I despise your actions,
yet, I have no options
as you proclaim all my views:
democracy, ethnic and human rights.
But you kill innocent citizens,
showing no mercy even for the children;
you just shoot and knock them down;
you jail and torture your opponents
while preaching the rule of laws.
I, yet, need you as all others
want to take away my ethnic rights;
the rights to work and learn in my mother tongue;
you gave me these but took away all else -
my rights to organize whichever way I want
so that I am left with no options but only you to support.
You looted my resources, all to enrich your own;
Meles, you are indeed my pain.
Get it Getachew? We consider Meles as essential and valuable person who simply failed only on certain accounts, i.e. we prefer Meles to the losers like you and their political organizations who still consider Ethnic rights as anti-unity of Ethiopia. See your friend Mesfin (another loser who has retired from AAU at least thirty years ago but considers himself still relevant) crying foul and arguing that UDJ should not work with OFDM, OPC, etc?
You guys refused to go way on your own such that we have to remind you that you are irrelevant any more…lick it.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Chemeda hit the nail on the head. Those that have even a semblance of freedom are those those with ethnic agenda, I paraphrase. What the Ethiopians need is individual freedom for the political and economic strangle hold of the multi-layer, hierarchical political model of TPLF/eprdf, eprdf in loere case to signify the cover for TPLF. These polital conglomerates with ethnic agenda are brain child of TPLF/eprdf, to serve as an alternate of TPLF/eprdf. They are under a leash bt TPLF/eprdf. Upto now they were pleading western governments to put pressure on the current regime to allow for more political space, as if political space is quantitative, instead of being qualitative space. You either have it or you do not have it. Now, in the 11 hour, they want to look like those engaged in peaceful struggle for Unity, Territorial Integrity, and Sovereignity of Ethiopia, by envoking the word democracy for Ethiopia, in a country where the mantra of the regime is economic development by TPLF and TPLF affiliated enterprizes. Thanks to ETV, their surrogate they are having wide publicity in the Diaspora, nevertheless bearing the trait of “Tatibo Chika Poletika”. The Ethiopians at home know who is who, given the unfettered freedom to chose. These same officials were engaged in raising their hands, reluctantly, up as they did in this picture for the last eighteen years for TPF/eprdf parliament, at least most of them and were supporting the etnic agenda of TPLF/eprdf and are implicated in the multi-layer, hierarchical polital model of the current regime.
October 17th, 2009 at 1:24 am
እንደነሱ ደደቢት መሔድ ብቻ ነው አማራጭ. አለበለዛ ዚም ብሎ መገዛት.
October 17th, 2009 at 5:19 am
Negasso is an idiot. He was used by Shaebya and Meles. Meles used Negasso and threw him away like a condom. Maybe Negasso has learned from his mistakes and stands for Ethiopia. Merara, Negasso and Beyene Petros are opportunists and can not lead Ethiopia.
October 19th, 2009 at 1:57 am
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May 11th, 2010 at 2:15 am
[…] by arresting and intimidating their supporters. Please read Dr. Negass Gidada’s article (http://ethioforum.org/wp/archives/1451) Debates are held but since all party’s are counted as real the opposition ends up with a […]
May 11th, 2010 at 8:14 am
[…] by arresting and intimidating their supporters. Please read Dr. Negass Gidada’s article (http://ethioforum.org/wp/archives/1451) Debates are held but since all party’s are counted as real the opposition ends up with a […]