Joe Michael (24 December 2008) Is peaceful struggle possible in Ethiopia? It is a very difficult question to answer given the fact that the ruling party it self is against peace. May be the meaning of peaceful political struggle is misunderstood by the majority of Ethiopians as they are getting arrested and jailed for something they didn’t do. Or may be there is a limit for a peaceful struggling that is only known by EPRDF. There must be a secret do’s and don’ts of peaceful political activity that is kept in the EPRDF hand. Every time opposition parties appeared to be strong and united, they are beyond their limit.
After difficult transition and unspeakable anguish, the former CUD leaders were able to establish the UDJ party. The next thing we heard was about the increase in the intimidation and persecution of UDJ members. Then we heard that UDJ hold its first meeting successfully with thousands of people attending it. Before even we finished reading the minuets of the meeting we heard about the re-arrest and release of the UDJ leader. We also heard that she has been giving ultimatum to apologize to the government or face consequences. One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what is going on. Once again, EPRDF is failing to practice what it preached about democracy and peaceful opposition. In fact, EPRDF is yet afraid of a strong opposition.
Actually, if there should be someone who has to apologize to the Ethiopian people, he should be the one who gave order to the armed forces to kill hundreds of unarmed citizens in 2005. If there should be someone who has to apologize to the Ethiopian people, he should be Meles Zenawi himself for unlawfully arresting thousands of opposition supporters. If there should be someone who has to apologize to the Ethiopian people, it should be EPRDF for dividing the country.
Whether it is through CUD or UDJ, Ethiopians have already clearly sent out there message. They need change. A change that can unite the people and develop the country. A change that is against ethnic division and segregation. A change that honor peace and compromises different political views.
Unless opposition leaders are allowed to freely speak and write, the assurance of peaceful political activity in Ethiopia remains problematic. The mystery of do’s and don’ts of peaceful political struggle should be unfolded and opposition parties must be given equal rights. If not, opposition parties cannot accomplish anything rather than decorating EPRDF.
December 24th, 2008 at 5:35 am
Dear Joe
Thanks a lot for your observation and honest and true opinon and history that you have outlined for us if we have ears to hear, eyes to see, memory to remember, and heart to unit and determed to approach different ways of strugle to change evrything in our country. let us unite and stand togather behind Ginbot 7.
This message is for those people who have a dream for change and democracy in our country without division.
I wish you a Merry x mass and happy new Year Joe
May God bless Ethiopia.
December 24th, 2008 at 5:38 am
Dear Joe
Thanks a lot for your observation and honest and true opinon and history that you have outlined for us if we have ears to hear, eyes to see, memory to remember, and heart to unit and determed to approach different ways of strugle to change evrything in our country. let us unite and stand togather behind Ginbot 7 and UDJ instead of critisizing eachother and waste time for nothing.
This message is for those people who have a dream for change and democracy in our country without division.
I wish you a Merry x mass and happy new Year Joe
May God bless Ethiopia
December 24th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Dear Mr Joe.,
I have reached to the conclusion that peaceful struggle is not possible in Ethiopia. Because I have learned a lot from woyane characters in the past 18+ years. As a learning creature, Learning from past is a natural process. I have see woyane a lot and the door to peaceful struggle is closed from the beginning.
As you have stated in your article, the oppositions clearlly don’t know the dos and the not dos or the the limits of peaceful struggle because the manual is only exits in woyanes hand.
If you don’t get and read the manual, which is in woyanes hand and beyond your own reach, then how can pass the Exam?
December 24th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
No way!!!! The only way beasts understand is gun….gun + 75 million people= ……..giving all woyanes and their cadres ….all in all no t young not old all…… no space in this world to live……and hang them up side down…..
December 24th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
አሚሪካኖች ህንዶች ናቸዉ ከዚያ በኃላ እንግሊዝ መጣ እንደገና አፍሪካኖች ሆነዉ በአንድነት
አሜሪኻንን አሜሪካ ያደረጓት አጥንታቸዉን ከስክሰዉ ደማቸዉን አፍስሰዉ አሜሪካንን ፈጠሩ
ህልመኛ ኮሪጁ ኢትዬጲያዌ ግን ነጻነት ያለ መስዋት ብሎያምናል ለምን ቢሉት ኦባማ!!!!እንላለን
እሄ ማለት ማመሳያ ላይ የተቀመጠች ዝንብ ማለት ነዉ እኛ ተኝተንም ይሁን ጫት እየቃምን
ለዉጥ ይመጣል ብሎ ማስብ መመርቀን ነዉ ዉጤቱ ደም ነው(መስዋዐትነት)ነዉ፣፣አህዬ ወሪ አቁም ንቃ!!!
December 24th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
The genuine peaceful strugle I believe is intended to bring about transition of power by election rather than by force as is the case with armed struggle. So, this tranfer of power by election process has to meet the 8-point condition be fullfiled for the parties to particpate in the election. What those eight points are I could not be able to enumerate. In that context,the armed struggle may be looked at only as support of that process/to facilitate the strong hold of the democratic process or as a vangaurd, which is attributed to EPPF and other national armed struggles.
Peace and freedom must prevail before democratic process begins by means of genuine peaceful struggle. And the strategies for peaceful struggle need to be worked out by those engaged in peaceful struggle openly or secretively to overwhelm the current regime against all odds. As an obstacle to that,the political parties are divided and the coalition of the loyalist opposition does amount to winning over the current regime, to say the least they weaken the opposions with genuine peaceful stuggle and acting as a buffer between the regime and the genuine oppositon parties, unless they take the same stand as the genuine opposition parties.
The political atmosphere is far less conducive for AEUP, which is engaged in genuine peaceful struggle than for UDJP in terms of political space available to them. Nevertheless UDJP is on a leash because they function as a loyalist opposion, AEUP is not. AEUP is engaged in peace struggle and is being harressed and senior members imprisined and their publication taken away, and UDJP leader may have been under scrutiny for mispeaking against the regime, not to say that she does have to free expression to her opinion, because no body went after her when she testified in congress that there are only 100 political prisoners in Ethiopia.
December 25th, 2008 at 2:55 am
I am proud of being a tigrian who are golden and courageous people who does not fear neftegnas or amhara derg rizirazhis.;..you shout we continue whipping you till your death. alll ethiopian people except you are with us!!!! period
December 25th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Does this claim help us to see the change we long for in the coming new year? I hope we will see a change in the coming new year. Change is not bad, but the question is to what or which direction? I know Abeshas need a change towards UNITARY Ethiopia, with no respect for national rights of different nations in the empire. But to their Merdo, the change needed by Oromos is otherwise.
Here is the suggestion from Oromos on the issue how to live in Unity with Abyssinians. The whole message sounds: good GURBITINNAA is better than bad GAABICHAA!
Whenever we read Abeshas crying for unity, we need to ask them: before or after liberty (the mode of question patients ask their doctors)? For Oromos Unity at the cost of our national Liberty is unthinkable. But after being liberated, we can discuss the issue if we think the benefit of unity is more than its challenge!
Otherwise, here is the priority set up we want Abeshas understand. I think, to put things in priority, we need to live in the future together as follows:
1) in good GAABICHAA (symbol for unitary system till 1991), if the marriage is really based on love. As far as I understand, our “marriage” was based on XELEFAA (forced marriage), not on love. That is why the hitherto marriage is rather bad marriage, which definetly will lead to divorce!
2) in good DEBBAALINET (symbol for federalism from 1991 till now), if the “unity” we need is based on free will. As far as I know our hitherto “unity” is a forced unity at gun point, so that it will be lost at gun point!
3) in good GURBITINNAA (symbol for independence longed by oppressed nations), which is better than bad GAABICHAA and bad DEBBAALINET! It is better to live in peace as GOREBET than to fight each other to death by living in one home!
4) If the above three good options fail, the only alternative will be the last: MEGEDAADEL (be devided in clans and kill each other).
It is our all responsibility to avoid this last option and to try to forge one of the first three. I believe the marriage based on love is utopia. Yet optimal solution is UNION based on free will. If these two good options fails, good neighbourhood is better than the bad alternative aka killing each other whereas living in one common home! Can you people crying about YE IMIYE ANDINET agree on this??”
December 28th, 2008 at 1:51 am
how come u horseplay with a hyena….you better kill it from far……before it spoils u