Putting human rights first in post Zenawi era – By Robele Ababya

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”Thomas Jefferson

Insult to the martyrs and victims of tyranny

Unfortunately we Ethiopians are victims of our unalienable Rights grabbed by a minority Stalinist TPLF regime on the watch of the present administration of the United States of America that was created, among other Founding Fathers, by Thomas Jefferson.

In the campaign unprecedented for the long time it took and the money spent, I was torn between the wish to see the first woman or the first African American in the White House. It is now history that Barack Obama won and other contenders bowed out gracefully setting a spectacular example to the international community. Ethiopians were hopeful that the stolen election of 2005 would be compensated in 2010 but that was not to be the case because the brutal TPLF rigged the election so much so as to win by 99.6%, which the EU Observer Team condemned and the White House endorsed the condemnation by confirming its agreement with the report of the Team. However the White House continued with its warm relations with Zenawi pumping billions of dollars as direct budgetary support for the repressive government of the tyrant.
The eulogy by the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, made at the Funeral Services of her late friend is testimony to the warm relations between Zenawi and the Ambassador and the picture below is indicative of that warmth pleasing to thugs within the top leaders and obnoxious to the entire people of Ethiopia living in slavery. The picture appears to show ‘love birds’ in romantic trance ‘plotting’ their future together rather than worry about the serious burning issues of their making that is destabilizing the Horn of Africa region.

Ambassador Rice super-glorified Melse unashamedly to the point of beautification stating that, despite his atrocious record available in the US Department of State that Meles: “leaves behind an indelible legacy of major contributions to Ethiopia, Africa, and the world.”

But this is the gruesome legacy that the Ambassador’s delusionary friend left behind: “Heinous crimes that are painful national mantra, including: genocide, victims of torture, incarceration of peaceful protesters; extra judiciary execution of peaceful protesters, the wailing of mothers; the agony of bereaved families; toiling peasants in serfdom, lack of access to sea-port; giving farmland to the Sudan;

A wailing Ethiopian Mother

leasing fertile farmland to unscrupulous ‘investors at insignificant rate; interethnic hatred, daylight robbery of votes, pervasive corrupt practices, demised free media, government monopoly of all pillars of democracy, blocked freedom of expression, poor educational standard, forbidden academic freedom in tertiary institutions, unconstitutional interference with religious affairs resulting in death and incarceration of Muslim and Christian faithfuls, abject poverty, rampant unemployment particularly among the youth, embarrassing lies, rampant breach of the constitution, regional instability; unprovoked invasion of Somalia; artillery shelling and aerial carpet bombing of the Ogaden killing people indiscriminately; et al.”

President Obama eulogized the late tyrant as follows in his characteristically masterful articulate words
“It was with sadness that I learned of the passing of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. Prime Minister Meles deserves recognition for his lifelong contribution to Ethiopia’s development, particularly his unyielding commitment to Ethiopia’s poor. I met with Prime Minister Meles at the G-8 Summit in May and recall my personal admiration for his desire to lift millions of Ethiopians out of poverty through his drive for food security”. But nothing in the eulogy is convincing to the Ethiopians living in abject poverty and slavery for the past 21 years. The picture tells the warm relations between the President and genocidal leader the late Meles Zenawi. Is this fair to the victims of the tyrant, Mr. President?

Unexplained economic ‘growth’ to the people

Leaders are also teachers of the people they should take on their journey to the agreed destination. The late tyrant Zenawi has had no time to explain the much criticized controversial double-digit economic growth to the people he promised to provide with three wholesome meals per day; people understand economic growth by the quality of life offered and food put on the table for themselves, their children and old parents. This unfortunately has not been the case for the 21 years of Zenawi’s misrule.

The Chinese GDP growth of 11% on a base of USD 7,298, 097 X106 is not the same as the growth of 11% claimed by Ethiopia on a thin base of USD 31,256 x 106 claimed by Ethiopia. According to IMF statistics the GDP per capita for China was USD 5691 ranking at #86 out of 183 countries for the year 2011, compared to Ethiopia’s that was only USD 360 ranking at #179 out of 183 countries for the same period. How much of this has trickled down to the Ethiopia poor people is everyone’s guess.

In terms of Human Development Index (HDI) Ethiopia ranks #174 out of 197 countries classified as “LOW” on a scale of four, namely: Very High, High, Medium, and Low

The question is whether this meager performance would justify continuing with the retrogressive policy of the TPLF. It does not! So this brutal regime must be disempowered much sooner than later.

Status of morality in otherwise laudable Western civilization

I appreciate sincerely the Western civilization for: giving the spirit of curiosity and adventure; phenomenal advances in science and technology that could be entirely exploited for the welfare of humankind; for engendering the French Revolution inspired by the Age of Enlightenment where outstanding individuals expressed their views freely; for pushing the frontier of knowledge hundreds of thousands of miles into outer space; et al

But I am appalled by the immoral double standards applied to Ethiopia and countries of the developing world by the present Western leaders in the face of gross violations of universal human rights; and in the case of Ethiopia rampant breach of his own constitution committed by the late tyrant Meles Zenawi whose heinous crimes including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, treason, arbitrary execution of peaceful demonstration, arbitrary arrest of political leaders and other acts of tyranny and treason enumerated under the caption “Insult to the martyrs and victims of tyranny “ above.
I blame the leaders of Western democracies for not stopping the robbery of votes in Election 2005 convincingly won by the opposition democratic forces. That inaction not to stop the abuse coupled with immoral flow of direct financial support to the TPLF regime emboldened corrupt and despotic African to adopt the bad example set by Zenawi, to wit: Kenya, Côite D’Ivoire, and Mali et al

In the present circumstances of uncertain succession following Zenawi’s death, the Western powers will have ample opportunity to withhold their support to the brutal TPLF government unless it immediately releases all political prisoners unconditionally, shows genuine respect for human rights, allows freedom of expression as provided for in the constitution, opens the political space and lifts all restrictions to the development of democracy.

Conclusion

In my opinion the immoral flow of funds and double standards of Western powers in the metrics of human rights, good governance and democratic elections, has kept the TPLF brutal regime in power for the last 21 years. There is little that opposition forces at home and in the Diaspora can do to peacefully force the regime to a negotiating table unless these Powers effectively pressurize the ruthless Ethiopia government to cooperate.

Zenawi went to his grave leaving the legacy of foreclosed offer for peaceful change openly calling democratic forces enemies. The recent onslaught on Ethiopia Christians and Muslims is evidence that the repressive regime is killing and arbitrarily arresting peaceful demonstrators. So the choice of an all-inclusive struggle would be justified as matter of right to self-defense.

Ambassador Susan Rice led a US delegation to represent the people and government of the United States of America at the funeral of her friend the late Meles Zenawi. But she blatantly lied for the person she called her friend by not mentioning about the legacy of heinous crimes he has left behind. She betrayed the noble cause of Martin Luther King the success of which has brought her to the powerful position she is holding in the Obama Administration. I should be quick to remind the Ambassador about the stunning victory of Emperor Menilik II at the famous Battle of Adwa that became the beacon of hope for all black people in the Diaspora. I hope that she will apologize to the Ethiopian democratic opposition forces struggling for peaceful change.

LONG LIVE ETHIOPIA!!!
Release all political prisoners including Andualem Aragie, Eskinder Nega, Reyot Alemu gn et al
rababya@gmail.com