Ethiopian millennium under poverty, war and oppression two

By Qeerransoo Biyyaa

June 1, 2007 — Dear readers, the first part of ‘Ethiopian millennium under poverty, war and oppression’ sets the general background to this critical analysis which is more focused on the millennium itself and the various campaigns and plans that are underway nationally and internationally. Given the excessive preoccupation of the Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Party with the millennium 2000 (EPRDF), it is worthy to turn to it again and point out some of its ideological and political underpinnings. Every corner you turn to here you will hear millennium chats going on or it naturally comes to you whenever you switch on the government owned ETV and Radio Ethiopia or when you visit the various ministries’ website.

National plans and issues

Politically manipulating the millennium was first conceived by Prime Minster Meles Zenawi. Then, a task force of individuals affiliated to the EPRDF were handpicked by the PM himself and they formed the National Millennium Festival National Secretariat in 2006 (MFNS, December 13, 2006). The government’s goals for the millennium include healing the divisions amongst Ethiopians at home and in diaspora, promoting national development and good governance, and creating a positive image of the country to the world (MFNS, 2006: 16). Surprisingly, these ‘lofty’ ideas are all to be achieved through a grand party that runs from September 2007- December 2008.

For fears of being crisised of corruption, the officially disclosed amount of fund to run this grand party at the capital city level stands at ETB 289.7 million. Funds for federal regional states are not disclosed at all. The available statistics for staff to run this party at capital city level are totally 175 professional, semi-professional and support staff. Again the profiles for the regions are not disclosed. The attempt to make staff look small again is because of fear of corruption. While the party will be held in all regional states, about 1 million people are planned to be transported to attend the national celebration in Finfinne/ Addis Ababa. All the cost for these people is to be covered by the state.

What the government wants to achieve from the millennium can not be understood by reading the goals specified above naively on the surface, especially if you are a foreigner. All the goals have their underpinning ideological motives. First, the government goal of healing national divisions only through a grand millennium party ridiculously aspires to project the ruling party as democratic, yet only one man from one minority regime forms the face of Ethiopian politics for 19 years to date. The regime has no tolerance for opposition parties, civic society organisations, and private businesses. The regime does not want to conduct a dialogue with all of these to achieve a true transformation, yet it pretends to stand for a united and proud country. The regime aspires for a false unity when thousands of Oromo political prisoners are being maimed in jail daily. The offices of big and old civic society organisations such as Macha & Tulama were plundered, shut down, and its leaders jailed. If millennium party means a true antidote to heal divisions, why does not the government free all political prisoners and university students? How can good governance be promoted through celebration and not through elections? How can positive images of a country be constructed when it is not really positive? These questions only show how superficial the millennium party goals are and that the intention is to pretend than to become just to ‘fool’ the public and externals. The scenario, however, is going to be as usual from all the regional states, there will be some music and some people in traditional outfits only to pretend to celebrate the true diversity in unity. The truth is that still Oromia, Southern Nations and Nationalities, Afar, Gambella, Somali, Benishangul Gumuz and others are under the political dominations of the Tigrean elites. Most of these states are waging liberation wars.

Africa- wide plans and issues

The same goals of millennium are to be implemented in other African countries through Ethiopian embassies and consular offices. This is in addition to attracting African diplomats residing in Finfinne/ Addis Ababa. African Union (AU) on its eighth summit passed a resolution to make the ‘Ethiopian millennium an African Millennium’ (ENA, 31 January 2007). The EMFNS dreams to make an Ethiopian millennium an African millennium by asserting, ‘Ethiopia over centuries managed to defend itself against colonial domination and became a symbol of hope, independence, and freedom for Africa’ (ENFS, 2006:2). The millennium plans are unbelievably ambitious that it even wants to extend the party to the continent. The peoples who were forced to make up the present Ethiopia, are not free, they do not have hope. As a result, Ethiopia’s being a symbol of independence and freedom, can be challenged, questioned, and even falsified. Why has the country failed to be the pride of itself, let alone Africa? It is important that African diplomats are able to separate citizen’s celebration of the millennium in their homes from the one that the state uses for propaganda for yet another justification to impose domination on others.

Worldwide plans and issues

Especially in Europe and America, the government dreams to promote the positive image of the country and to unite diaspora ‘Ethiopians’. Most of the Ethiopian diasporas in Europe and the USA have been formed by people who fled persecutions under the current regime because of their political dissent from 1991-2007. Outright, the plan of uniting the diaspora with the themselves and with the government will not work through millennium parties. Although the government plans to attract European and American governments into this global scandal, I don not think that works either as observers from these countries have seen and witnessed that election were rigged and people were massacred in streets over years since EPRDF’s ascent to power.

Conclusion

Nationally, in Africa, as well as Worldwide, the millennium grand party ambition is based on the blind assumption that people do not know the true nature of current Ethiopian political situations. Reading the millennium grand party goals between the lines, the said goals of achieving unity and diversity, national development, positive image seem almost insane in the face of political and cultural, and linguistic, dominations in Ethiopia. The domination is factor that has contributed to the instability within the country sometimes overflowing to neighbouring countries. Without having peace from within, it is also impossible to attract foreign investments. Or if such deals are made, the EPRDF lies to some investors that there is peace and stability and after a while they discover that their business terminates. The right solution, which is a very bitter pill to swallow for the EPRDF, is to come out of its millennium party masks and to negotiate with opposition movements on the fate of the country and its people. Perhaps, the oppressed people should also consider turning the grand millennium party into a grand revolution for true freedom.

* The author is based in Ethiopia. He can be reached at [email protected]

Notes:

ENA- Ethiopian News Agency. News on AU’s decision

http://www.ena.gov.et/EnglishNews/2007/Jan/31Jan07/15755.htm

ETB- Ethiopian Birr

MFNS-Ethiopian Millennium Festival National Secretariat Strategic Plan

http://www.mfa.gov.et/Ethiopians_Origin_Abroad/The%20Ethiopian%20Millennium.pdf

Official website of the millennium

http://www.ethiopia2000.com