Press Release No.4 By the Network of Ethiopian Scholars
Network of Ethiopian Scholars (NES) – Scandinavian Chapter
The Mother of All Arrogance: Meles and Bereket Defy Both Reason and Commonsense
“?most of the complaints lodged by opposition parties before, during
and after the election have proved to be groundless.” Meles Zenawi
(Walta Information Centre, June 14, 2005)
“? the one month ban imposed on holding demonstrations and outdoor
assemblies has been extended by one month?” Meles Zenawi (Walta
Information Centre, June 14, 2005)
If the complaints by the opposition are judged so arrogantly as
“groundless” by Meles before the irregularities have been fully
investigated, is this not tantamount to a pronouncement of verdict before
hearing any evidence? It looks Meles is not only proving to be a panicky
politician but also an impatient judge who has no stomach for waiting to
see the full evidence. Meles, of course, is trying to pre-empt the outcome
by prejudging the case. For all practical purposes, Meles thinks that the
election is sown up, he is acceding to go through the motion more to
appease the international community and legitimise what he thinks is a fait
accompli victory. It seems he has decided to use the stick first by
extending military emergency rule. Equally also Meles concedes to use the
carrot by going along with the investigation of nearly 300 cases of
reported electoral irregularities. As for the final outcome, Meles seems to
have decided to form a Government that is only exclusively controlled by
his group. The strategy is clear. The opposition will be locked in, under
the pressure of the international community not only to remain passive, but
also to be lured into accepting the final outcome that reinstates a regime
that should be in the dock for bearing primary responsibility for the
murder of young university students.
Incidentally, there is an important demand that we must keep bringing up:
the young people that died in 2001 and those that were murdered in 2005 are
part and parcel of the litany of deaths that started with red terror of the
late 70s. They should be honoured and a national memorial day on their
behalf needs to be erected to remember that they died to expand the
democratic space and freedom in their country.
Under enormous pressure the opposition has gone along with the regime to
give time for the investigations to be completed until July 8th, 2005.
There is no reason why the state of emergency has to be continued during
this period. Given the opposition has given its word that they will
continue their policies of peaceful and lawful engagement, there is no
reason why the state of emergency has to be kept.
Much of the case for the resort to military measures by Meles and Bereket
has to do with their claim that the opposition has discussed resistance
something akin to the orange and green protests in central Europe. Given
the strong showing by the opposition and the pre-election massive
demonstration called by the opposition, it is likely that Meles and Bereket
can also anticipate such possibilities. This does not mean that the
opposition had either a policy or inclination to do what they imagined it
would do regardless of any corridor or café conversations that may have
been taking place or even expressed. From the opposition side, it could
also be a warning for the Government not to derail the election and this
historical moment and opportunity. It is not what Meles imagined it to be-
a preparation for opposition led urban popular insurrection. There was no
public statement from the opposition to the public indicating any threat of
that nature at all. All the opposition did was to warn the electoral board,
and all concerned to make sure that the election remains free and fair and
runs its course unimpeded by possible regime inspired or manipulated
deception and fraud. We think it is important for the democratisation of
the country that curtailments of freedom and rights during this time are
fully abrogated.
The fact that the opposition is committed to peaceful change should not be
ignored and underestimated by Meles and Co. This commitment is both
necessary and sufficient for Meles and Bereket to rescind the state of
emergency and open the process to realise fully its democratic
possibilities and expressions. It is to the credit of the opposition that
they have agreed to drop even the condition of rescinding the state of
emergency. This shows how much they are willing to accommodate in the
larger good of seeing a historical breakthrough for the people and nation.
We appreciate and condone their intention, and find this action to be
entirely consistent with their approach to put first the priority of
socially engineering a peaceful and democratic political transition. They
are also good listeners. Unlike Meles and Bereket, opposition leaders have
proved that they have ears to hear and eyes to see. Their agreement to sign
the joint statement even when there is an evidently unacceptable and
unconstitutional state of emergency hanging like a sword over the nation
shows their humility. On the contrary the attitude of Meles and Bereket is
Machiavellian, defiantly and arrogantly unwilling to listen to people
exhibiting no reason, common sense and always spitting only the lethal
language of power and force.
We find the actions by Meles and Bereket to curtail the freedoms necessary
to broaden and deepen the democratic space by the extension of the
emergency military control condemnable. This restriction is a recipe for
making things to go out of hand in the event people wish to express
grievances related to the way Meles who is already saying opposition
complaint is groundless, engages in one trick or another to provoke public
dissent. Supposing the irregularities are not cleared and young people ever
sensitive to stand up against injustice refuse to budge and wish to show
the official hypocrisy, would it mean that Meles and Bereket are going to
use the state of emergency and bully, arrest, and even kill them once
more?. This is indeed worrying and it is important that expressions and
debates that were so energising and stimulants that electrified the
pre-election period are reinstated in the interregnum and post-election
periods; and this becomes a tradition and culture even after all the dust
has settled. The stakes are high; the action to lift the ban is urgent, and
the cost of the emergency measure is huge. Open the democratic process wide
and deep and channel all expressions of assembly and protest along peaceful
and non-violent lines. If there is any more reversion to repression, let it
be known it is this unconstitutional and illegal emergency measure that is
at the root of it.
We also find Bereket’s insistence and demand that the opposition show
contrition for placing conditions for lifting the state of emergency and
accountability for the killing very arrogant. His demand for apologies from
opposition leaders is even more outrageous. We think pressure must be put
on Meles and Bereket to open the democratic process. It is not fair for the
international community to put pressure on the opposition that has been
subject to victimisation despite being elected and shown genuine support by
and from the people. The international pressure must recognise the sheer
arrogance of the top two men that are responsible for turning a peaceful
situation into an uncertain and uncongenial one. Maximum pressure must be
put on them as they are the incubators, in our view, of the mothers of all
arrogance.
NES reiterates its earlier demands:
– Rescind the extension of the state of emergency
– Open further the democratic space
– Condemn Meles’s for his arrogant dismissal of opposition complaints as
groundless
– Condemn the de-elected Bereket for his sheer arrogance in demanding
retraction and apology from elected leaders of the opposition
– Condemn Meles for his insensitive and inhumane remark that the action to
kill was legitimate despite his hypocritical crocodile tears after the
worldwide outcry and protest.
– Demand justice for those that lost loved ones
– Stop putting pressure on the opposition
– Put all possible pressure on Meles to rescind the Emergency law
immediately.
We think debate, openness, and continuation of the pre-election vibrant
engagement is critical to reinstate back into the process right now. Let
not fear, from those who are poised to lose personally their power, cheat a
historical opportunity to make a democratic liberation from the regime of
tyranny. The threat to liberty is dangerously demobilising of the people.
This danger can make people apathetic and cynical and that will have impact
on the process of the country’s opportunities to transform and renew
itself. It can alienate the people from the desire to engage in public
life, to take un-coerced responsibility to change society. Let the nation
produce genuinely interested public servants willing to discharge as their
primary duty public service with public ethics, and not tyrannical public
masters, This tradition can only be embedded un-forced by painstakingly
working to embed democratic traditions without having to worry about
emergency rule, armies and police interference into the creation of an
active public sphere. There is absolutely no compelling circumstance to
revert once more into an unlawful and inappropriate emergency law. This
will no doubt provide a pretext to take actions that will spoil the
democratic process. We think it is the arrogance and insecurity of Meles
and the de-selected ministers and their selfishness that is behind this
measure. Lacking reason and common sense, Meles and Bereket are hurting the
country with their arrogance at a time when the country was poised on a
unique opportunity and breakthrough of epochal significance for itself and
Africa as a whole.
We ask and wonder:
? What is the point of extending the state of emergency and defying the
growing international outcry and world -wide demonstrations by Ethiopians
abroad?
? Why put so much pressure on the opposition time and time again? Have
the opposition not been repeating/reiterating their commitment, based on
the publicly expressed views of their leaders to anchor their policies on
morally ventilated principles?
? How can they be accused not following lawful, peaceful and non-violent
means of disobedience?
? Does not the state of emergency abort the democratic evolution and
debate that generated so much excitement and happiness before the May 15
election took place?
? Why abandon that same level of high-energy public debate, freedom of
expression, association and large-scale demonstration that was remarkably
peaceful and enviable for what it signified in ushering Ethiopia into a
course of a new and positive historical epoch?
Professor Mammo Muchie, Chair of NES-Scandinavian Chapter
Berhanu G. Balcha, Vice- Chair of NES-Scandinavian Chapter
Tekola Worku, Secretary of NES-Scandinavian Chapter.
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