EU delegation visit should start by Ethiopian Kalati prison – scholars

In his new book: ‘As the Dawn of Freedom Breaks’ Dr. Berhanu wrote:

“I am writing this book entirely devoid of any type of hatred. I know any idea and politics built on hatred is self-defeating and destructive and not productive. Being imprisoned by the forces of the regime has not changed this position by me. Far from prison weakening my position, in fact being in prison has strengthened my belief that hate is a feeling that one not at all ca afford to being burdened with. I held this view during the election campaign; I feel it more strongly now in prison.” (Berhanu Nega, As the Dawn of Freedom, Kalati Prison, 2006)(Translation by NES)

INTRODUCTION

Three events are taking place at the same time. The announcement by the European Commission to travel to Addis Ababa to negotiate a deal to stem African immigration to Europe; a month of September signalling that Ethiopia is being near a throw away time to its millennium next year, having just entered its 1999 years on 9/11; and the start of a major launch of the path breaking book authored by Dr. Berhanu who is now for nearly a year in Kalati prison on 17, September, 2006 in the USA.

1. THE JOURNEY OF THE EU HIGH LEVEL DELEGATION

The EU delegation is due to travel to discuss with the AU on how to stem African migration to Europe. The press release suggests that the main agenda is migration and discussion with the AU and its member states. Whilst this issue is important, we would like to remind the EU delegation not to forget that a year and half ago through its own support, encouragement, funding and observation, an election took place in Ethiopia. Opposition parties joined the election despite the fact that the ruling party is dominant and were not likely to accept the ballot box to relinquish power on defeat. The regime has put in jail on trumped up though grave charges prisoners of conscience who must never be in jail. The EU delegation cannot ignore and do business as usual without making a point to visit Kalati prison and show its support and sympathy for those who are in jail only because they sought to create a free and democratic society, which, amongst other things will naturally help to curb the push factors to make people leave their homes. NES believes strongly the first point of call for the EU delegation after landing in Bole Airport should be Kalati prison, where the democrats are in jail. The EU delegation owes specially those in jail this courtesy. Remember the EU encouraged the democratic opposition not to withdraw when the regime showed actions of hatred and spreading fear and confusion during the campaign. The EU has therefore a moral responsibility to support the opposition leadership unjustly accused and unjustly imprisoned. We call on the EU high level delegation never to return from Addis Ababa without trying to make substantive contribution at the moral, political and symbolic levels. We appreciate in advance should the high level delegation show consistency and resolution in standing for liberty and democracy by visiting and honouring those who are fighting for liberty- those that have been in jail after the campaigns and elections and whose will to struggle for democracy and freedom continue to fire opposition to dictatorship across the world. Those in jail are people who think big, and who think with commitment. It is people who must never be put in jail that have been made to suffer only because they stood for the rights that the EU demands from its development partners to qualify for its cash: democracy, human rights, rule of law and transparent Government.

2. THE TIMELINESS OF DR. BERHANU’S BOOK LAUNCH

‘As or when the dawn of freedom breaks’ is the title of a major book authored by the jailed elected mayor of Ethiopia, Dr. Berhanu Nega. The breaking of freedom’s dawn signals a scenario of hope and even seeing an edifying possibility under conditions of adversity and difficulty. It makes compelling reading when the author is in jail and his pen, head, heart and spirit- together and in unison defy the will of the jailors and his own physical limitations walled in a small prison room. The spirit with which it is written is rich and generous in calling all those in the struggle not to employ feelings of hatred and motives of vengeance and other destructive impulses in their struggles to bring about irreversible and sustainable change with the core engine of freedom and democracy. Dr. Berhanu openly announces he has made all effort never to be guided by hatred even against those who jailed him. He makes the most profound maxim that fear, hatred, vengeance are antithetical to the project to create a society of united Ethiopian people with freedom and democratic agency.

Fear and hatred undo democracy and freedom and thereby destroy the dreams and imagination for making a new world possible entirely free from poverty, violence and hunger! His work is indeed a timeless contribution given his circumstance of being walled in, forced many times under duress to conditions of sickness. In less than a year he produced not only a master piece in terms of analytical work on the Ethiopian journey for democratic renewal, but above all he produced a powerful message that the struggle must not be driven by fear, hatred and vengeance. The fact that the regime uses actions built on hatred, blackmail, threats, deceptions, fraud, killing, fear and vengeance means that the opposition should learn to transcend these motivations and reach high level spiritual, political, intellectual and psychological harmony. He recommends the building of genuine debate, conversation, dialogue, communication and the broadest possible alliance to change the difficult un-freedoms built structurally by the dominance of one party rule and an ethnically re-structured society, and elections rigged under that same rule. It is unity and alliance that will eventually unhinge one party dominance control and ethnic- based gerrymandering. If the alliance succeeds then Confucian harmony amongst us will prevail and a harmonious society built on free debate of policies and communication amongst citizens will stimulate overall societal progress.

3. ETHIOPIA’S PRE-MILLENNIUM YEAR DESERVES TO BE CELEBRATED WITH DEMOCRACY!!

Next year in 2008 A.D, Ethiopia will mark its millennium. That is it will be 2000 years after Christ, according to the Ethiopian calendar. Some historical accounts even suggest that Ethiopia will be older than 2000 years in 2008, with one account believing it will be 7000 years while the account of ‘Kibre Negist’

or the Glory of Kings puts its age at 4000 in 2008 A.D.

The glory of history, however, remains mainly in reckoning Ethiopia’s age, not in its achievements in the transformation of its society, state and economy. The country has remained fragile, vulnerable to outside aggression and internal dissention. The successive rulers took turns in changing the ideology for organizing the society: until 1974 AD, the kings appealed to providence to rule over their subjects, the military regime of the post-1974 upheaval appealed to socialism to control the individual, society and economy, while the Tigray Liberation Front that came in the wake of the collapse of the military regime appealed to ethnicity as the system of political thought and ideology to organize the relationship amongst the individual, state, society and economy. None of these political ideologies have been, however, effective in dealing with the age-old and enduring crises of governance, poverty, disease, violence and hunger blighting the forward march of the country.

4. TOWARDS A QUEST FOR A NEW PRINCIPLE OF GOVERNANCE

None of the previous ideas have worked. Society remains static despite the old age of Ethiopia. Governance has remained authoritarian. People have largely remained poor. The country has not been food self-sufficient. It has been a donor dependent economy relying on cash from outside. This situation will not create a sustainable society and economy.

At the core of Dr. Berhanu’s book is a fundamental quest to change the direction or miss-direction of the country’s millennial journey or static existence. Dr. Berhanu makes the cardinal point of how infusing the individual, society, the state and the economy with freedom and democracy is a necessary condition (though not sufficient) to reverse the static society, individual and economy, and the politics that has brought only dictators and not liberators or those who can convert power as a productive resource to change individual, society, state and economy for the better. The centrality accorded to freedom and democracy to save the country and bring about the development and well being of the people must be seen in the context of resolving the age old dilemma of what Prof. Mesfin calls ‘Agezaz’ or the crises of governance in Ethiopia. Dr. Berhanu puts the historic May 15, 2005 election choice and vote-action by the people in Ethiopia in this broader canvass and long historical duree of resolving the country’s hitherto unyielding crises of Governance and persistence of poverty and underdevelopment.

Though the May 2005 election was historic in which 90 per cent of the 26 million registered voters turned out to vote, it is now a fact that expectations that the election would usher in a period of democratic renaissance became quickly dashed as electoral malpractices and gerrymandering became commonplace, undermining the integrity of the entire process. The post election crises continues to deepen, and the regime in Ethiopia has no intention to allow freedom and democracy to validate, justify or legitimate its tenure or those who have opposing programmes to it.

5. COMBINE HOPE OF THE NEW YEAR, THE LAUNCH OF DR. BERAHNU’S BOOK AND THE VISIT OF THE EU DELEGATION!

New years are times to pause and reflect. Dr. Berhanu is inspiring by writing on record time such a thoughtful, reflected and high- minded 614 pages book!

All those in jail who are suffering because they share this larger purpose of using freedom and democracy to reshape Ethiopia continue to inspire us to struggle. They tell us, it is only their body that is restricted. They continue to speak to us. They continue to see us. They continue to educate us. Above all they have not stopped working. They send messages from prison, a powerful and inspiring New Year Message on 9/11, the Ethiopian New Year Day! They keep communicating. They write books. They encourage both those inside and outside the country to continue the struggle.

We celebrate the fact the book by Dr. Berhanu has come out rightfully titled “As the Dawn of Freedom Breaks.”. It is indeed a 614 page masterpiece! Congratulations to Dr. Berhanu. We call on the entire opposition forces to heed to the call made by a group of Ethiopians who signed to a Citizen’s Charter and a Covenant to strengthen the alliance amongst the political parties, civil society groups, social movements, associations of women, youth, the professions, those organised on the basis of demands for self- government. A grand alliance is what will create the necessary condition for a free and fair election, not an election controlled and run by the TPLF/EPDRF exclusive monopoly with some foreign observers! Let the opposition use Dr. Berhanu’s book as one source to create a grander, generous and bigger spirit for unity. The sooner the opposition learn how to make enduring and sustainable alliances, how to unite, communicate and build shared values , the faster would be the demise of those who torment an old nation that deserves infinitely better governance than a recurrence of authoritarian governance. Ethiopia deserves through our varied and collective struggle to enter into a new history and democratic civilisation.

We call on the EU delegation not to ignore the humble women and men imprisoned for no other reason than the fact that they continue to hold fast to the belief that only freedom and democracy can help to save the country, to unite the people and organise them to make the historical possibility and transition from an ancient civilisation to a democratic civilisation and future.

6. CONCLUDING CALL

The entire EU delegation must visit the prisoners in Kalati!
Not to do so shows EU’s inconsistency in its support of the opposition to play in the election under the risky control of a one party rule!
Use the spirit of Ethiopia’s approaching millennium to enter into a new harmony and democratic and freedom contract to all those involved in even in a contradictory fashions and styles to shape Ethiopia’s futures!
Use widely the magnificent work of Dr. Berhanu’s ‘As the Dawn of Freedom Breaks’ to make the grandest possible alliance for a society of democracy and freedom in Ethiopia
Call on the regime to release unconditionally these extraordinary daughters and sons who have been made to languish in jail.

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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