PRESS RELEASE, SMNE
May 12, 2015, Washington, DC. The Ethiopian National Election is on
May 24, 2015, less than two weeks away, but the authoritarian regime,
under the control of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic
Front (EPRDF) for the last 23 years, appears to be panicking. The
political mood of the Ethiopian people is feistier than ever as they see
the election to be a totally controlled process, hardly worthy of their
participation. Yet, even despite the scrupulous closing down of all
political space, the EPRDF is obviously still scared and has come up
with a new plan to further protect themselves from the vote of the
people, even while pretending otherwise.
Regime cadres, all on salary, have been organized so that one cadre
is responsible to ensure five people fall into line with the goals of
the EPRDF. These cadres have been going to the homes of those people
assigned to them with election ballots for the May 24th election. The
people are told they must immediately cast their ballots and to stay
home on Election Day. Reportedly, the ballots are not secret, but are
collected by these agents who also write down their names. Anyone who
refuses to cast their ballot or who tries to vote on Election Day will
face serious consequences like the loss of jobs, opportunities, or other
benefits. Some are threatened with punitive actions, which in this
country might mean arrests, beatings or other abuse. With the full
authority of the regime behind them, they are able to harass and
intimidate these persons in order to achieve full compliance.
This is the first election since the death of the former Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi and the atmosphere of discontent in the country is
greater than ever. Since the 2005 election, where some limited space
was allowed for the opposition, the EPRDF has increasingly tightened the
political space. In 2010, the EPRDF clamped down on nearly all
political space to opponents and according to documentation by Human
Rights Watch, used humanitarian aid as a means to manipulate votes. The
unpopular EPRDF then claimed an absurd 99.6% electoral victory, giving
only one opposition member a place in the 547-member parliament.
However, in 2015, the EPRDF has restricted the playing field even more.
If one thought of it as a soccer field; there would be only one ball,
one net and one team—their own. No other team would be on the field and
now, even the spectators would have to stand outside. It is obvious that
Ethiopia has become one of the most repressive regimes in Africa;
however, beyond that, it may be the most egregious example of an
ethnic-apartheid regime on the continent—possibly worse than South
Africa.
The four ethnic-based parties that make up the EPRDF fail to
represent the over eighty or more ethnic groups in the country; yet,
even those in three of the four parties are puppets of the one
controlling group of the Tigrayan Peoples Democratic Front (TPLF). Going
even further, the TPLF does not represent many of their own people who
object to its actions. It is a system built on patronage. In order to
gain and maintain power, the TPLF has built an entrenched system of
gifting regime loyalists from every ethnicity; but especially endowing
its own region with perks as a means of entrapping them and making them
complicit in supporting the regime. However, only those with connections
to the Tigrayan Central Committee are assured the benefits. These are
the people who dominate all key positions throughout every sector of
society and who have greatly profited from this association. If the TPLF
loses the election, this power group fears losing everything they have
gained through years of brazenly seizing the power and assets of the
country with impunity.
Words like democracy, elections, and the rule of law are used to
cloak the truth. Actions in the light are only meant for public display
while what happens in the shadows undermines all else. For example, the
TPLF/EPRDF is a regime that espouses the values of a robust civil
society; yet, they passed a law, the Charities and Societies
Proclamation (CSO), which has totally silenced any independent civil
society voices within Ethiopia. In their place, government-controlled
institutions have taken the place of the previous ones, working in
concert with the goals of the TPLF/EPRDF. For example, efforts to
advance such things as women’s empowerment, human rights,
reconciliation, justice and electoral rights, have been criminalized if
an organization receives more than 10% of their funds from foreign
sources. Over 2,600 organizations closed as a result. Another example is
an anti-terrorism law that has been used to silence political dissent.
In the light, it pretends to be working to protect the people against
terrorism, but in the dark it has resulted in the imprisonment or exile
of human rights bloggers, journalists, political activists, religious
leaders or any others who speak out.
Now, there is a national election scheduled that is merely for show.
Wendy Sherman, the U.S. State Department Undersecretary, is the only one
calling it a free, fair and credible election. She is the only one
figuratively selling tickets to a political game where there are no
seats left for anyone but the TPLF. All the groundwork has been laid
months ago to ensure there is no competition.
As we described in a February 2015 press release
http://www.solidaritymovement.org/downloads/150116-Ethiopians-Boycott-Fake-Election.pdf
by the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE), the TPLF/EPRDF
has taken many steps to make sure there are no viable opposition groups
running against them. Instead, they have manipulated the process all
along the way so as to deny any entry. This has included intimidating
and arresting political leaders and hijacking at least one organization
from its leadership—Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ)—by replacing
the legitimate leaders with their own regime cadres. Now they, under the
guise of UDJ, will compete against themselves so they can win either
way. Yet, even though they have successfully closed off all political
space, they still are afraid of the people.
Now they are sending their agents door-to-door to urge people to cast
their ballots right there, warning them that now that they have voted,
the TPLF/EPRDF knows who they are and how they voted. Many will be
afraid to cast their vote for any other than the TPLF/EPRDF candidates.
Those who resist are threatened.
When one tiny section of a political party, like the TPLF, holds
complete power over the marketplace of opportunities as well as over the
institutions capable of punishing those who fail to yield to its
authority, you get a country like today’s Ethiopia and an election like
the one coming up this month. Just wait until the TPLF manipulates the
political scenery by removing Hailemariam Desalegn, the current prime
minister who comes from the south—not from the Tigray region like others
in the TPLF—and replaces him with one of their own TPLF cronies. How
long can such a regime last when it excludes the vast majority of
Ethiopians by ethnicity and corruption? The answer to this question is
“not long” for it is unsustainable. It is out of desperation that this
new pre-election vote is being forced on the people of Ethiopia.
Interestingly, the recent tragedies affecting Ethiopians abroad have
taken on a life of their own, uniting the people around their deep
compassion for the many nameless Ethiopians whose ethnicity, religion,
and background no longer seem to matter. Diverse Ethiopians have been
greatly affected by the death or hardship of these fellow Ethiopians—who
were shot or beheaded in Libya for their Christian faith, who were
burned alive in South Africa, whose organs were removed in the Sinai
Desert, who are unwanted in countries among a flood of other refugees,
who have been raped, abused or kept in domestic servitude in the Middle
East until some even hung themselves or jumped off a bridge or balcony,
or who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea as they posed as Eritreans
because so many international authorities discount the totalitarian
nature of the TPLF/EPRDF. They left seeking freedom, safety from arrest
or abuse, or a better life outside of Ethiopia. Ethiopians grieve for
them and their loved ones regardless of their differences.
We are witnessing a change before our eyes. Ethiopians are putting
humanity before ethnicity, one of the foundational principles of the
SMNE, as never before and it is a threat to the TPLF/EPRDF. When
Ethiopians came out to mourn for those who died it turned into a protest
against a system that drives so many of our young people from their
homeland.
In fact, during the protest some of the younger people, born under
the rule of the TPLF/EPRDF, were calling for former Ethiopian President
Mengistu Hailemariam, a known brutal dictator, to come back to rule the
country; choosing him over the current brutal and corrupt
ethnic-apartheid system. Their position was based on the belief that
people were more unified under Mengistu and that there had been more
equal opportunity regardless of ethnicity. No wonder the TPLF/EPRDF
fears what might happen if people came out to vote.
In conclusion, is this the democratic process that Wendy Sherman
alluded to a few weeks ago that keeps getting better and better? Is this
what a credible election is to the Obama administration? Obama was not
elected in this way. If the State Department speaks the language of
democracy building, should they not be outraged by what is happening in
Ethiopia? Why is such a double-standard tolerated? Why is no one
condemning it? Where are the other donor countries who are the
financiers of this regime? Where is their voice? They cannot claim they
do not know. We are attaching the voting cards that have been handed
over to the people so others can see further evidence of what is
happening on the ground. Now, the US, the UK, the EU and others cannot
claim they did not know.
We are calling on donor countries to make the TPLF/EPRDF accountable.
If donor countries can condemn a corrupt, rigged election process in
countries where we have no alliances; but then overlook it in places
like Ethiopia where we have national interests, is it not morally wrong?
For Ethiopians, it is not only about our own national interests, but it
is about the survival of our people and about our future.
The greatest responsibility for change in Ethiopia lies on the
shoulders of the people of Ethiopia. For us, whether or not the outsider
comes to our aid, we cannot determine, but with God’s help and in
keeping with His sovereign will, we Ethiopians will free ourselves. We
are not begging for our freedom to be handed over like foreign aid.
Ethiopians will claim it for themselves. What we are asking is for
outsiders not to be a roadblock to our freedom or to our future and to
speak out truthfully when harm and immoral actions are committed.
The SMNE was created for the freedom, justice, and overall wellbeing
of the Ethiopian people, but even if there was opportunity for a change
of government or leadership, it would not be enough. During the
domination by the TPLF/EPRDF, the people of Ethiopia have been
encouraged towards division, hate, violence and self-interest. Without
change in the hearts and minds of the people of Ethiopia, we will be
stuck in a self-defeating pattern. If we are to become a healthy,
well-functioning society of diverse people, we must put humanity before
ethnicity and care about the freedom, justice and well being of others
like we care about our own for no one is free until all are free. This
goes beyond our borders to our neighbors close and far in this global
society.
Right now, the TPLF/EPRDF is not free. They are consumed with their
personal survival and it is becoming increasingly more difficult for
them to live in their self-made prison. We must find a way as a society
to re-engage as people. The apparatus of the TPLF/EPRDF political
collective includes millions of regime collaborators who have chosen to
buy into the system rather than to stand up against it; however, that
loyalty is not deep, but can quickly change. Right now, only a few are
thriving while the majority struggles to survive.
Let us strive to be people who will not collaborate with what is to
the detriment of others. Let us not take advantage of our own people,
but instead, let us help contribute to the creation of a government of
the people, by the people and for the well being of all the people. May
God give courage to Ethiopians to stand up for what is right, good, and
wise for our future together.
For more information, contact Mr. Obang Metho, Executive Director of the SMNE. Email: Obang@solidaritymovement.org
