Election fever or Election for Food ", Ben ??

Tedla Asfaw

Do really Ethiopians care about this coming so called election ? What about the day to day struggle for feeding families in soaring prices and no one is sure of the next day and are forced to look for "food for election program" which is underway as you claimed on your piece, the 25 million registered to vote who are suffering from "election fever" http://www.ethiopiafirst.com/
which I call "election for food".

You did not mention the four million fed and clothed TPLF/EPRDF candidates which cost the regime big time and no surprise survival is linked to election in this spring local election.

This local election/selection is preparation to win the 2010 general election by chasing loyal oppositions like Merara, Beyene and Bulcha from their constituents and replacing them with Lidetu likes from the splintered Kinijit party.

The intimidation of opponents was aired by VOA by interviewing these "parliamentarians" by hardly listened VOA to Ethiopians and international community is also is aware of it. The jamming of VOA and German Amharic is part of this spring local election circus to deny Ethiopians an alternative sources of information except government election related
propaganda.

Our country's hope of reconciliation is derailed and those who are using their guns, OLF and ONLF, to determine their future will have good excuse to go on their method of struggle and is also time of reflection and assessment for all of us who believe in peaceful struggle.

The recent election related crisis in Kenya has learned a good lesson from the Ethiopian election
experience of 2005 and power sharing deal is reached today between opposition and the ruling clique thanks to Koffi Anan mediation.

However, Ethiopia is going on a make-believe election track and surely will miserably fail and that might be the "fever" you are talking about and I hope innocent lives will be spared from its consequences.

Blood bath in Bosaso, Puntland

Tedla Asfaw

 

Twenty Ethiopians, sixteen Muslim Oromos and three Christians were murdered yesterday by grenades thrown while sleeping in their resting "hotel" waiting for the sea to calm  down before they embark on a dangerous travel to Yemen by boat.

 

VOA had interviewed an injured person who lost one leg and another one who was slightly injured and the carnage was also reported by Somali journalist working for VOA. The journalist saw many badly injured and also attended the burial ceremony for the nineteen dead.

 

The Islamist fighters in Mogadishu, Shabab, took responsibility for the killing and alleged that this was a hotel Ethiopians soldiers pass their leisure time and a legitimate target. However, these are poor Ethiopians who have come to Bosaso to cross the sea to Yemen and sadly their lives is cut short with this despicable crime.

 

This is indeed bad for all Ethiopian refugees especially in Kenya and Sudan. We recently witnessed the brutal killing of Ethiopian refugees in Kenya and the forced return of political refugees from Sudan and this killing is a wake up call for all Ethiopian refugees. Running from a  terror is not easy in a dangerous area of the Horn where terror is a method practiced by regimes in power and those who claimed to fight them.

 

Political instability in the Horn is going to make such crimes unavoidable  and I do not think the Puntland regime will bring those who committed this crime to justice because the regime is illegitimate and  needs a support of TPLF/EPRDF for its survival and the Ethiopian regime does not care for the death of innocent citizens wherever it maybe.

 

The involvement of Ethiopian regime in Somalia and political power under the hands of unelected regimes in the Horn will force people to cross borders for safety. However, Bosaso will not be the destiny of Ethiopians in the near future.

Birtukan's Kinijit undemocratic action !!!

Tedla Asfaw

 

The Capital from Addis reported the "wedding" ceremony between Temesgen Zewde(MP)and Judge Birtukan's Kinijit faction and understandably no one from Eng. Hailu's faction was  present . The ceremony was concluded by electing sixteen members of Supreme Council, fourteen from Temesegen supporters and four others including Professor Mesfin Woldemariam.

 

Judge Birtukan as reported on Capital  she  is trying  to make a "last minute deal" with Eng. Hailu's faction that was also reported on Ethiopian Review as a joint appearance with Ato Abayneh of Hailu's faction this past Monday which Ato Abayneh, acting chairman of Kinijit,  denied on paltalk radio but confirmed that elders are mediating between Hailu and Birtukan's factions  maybe for the last time before permanent split.

 

The Kinijit supporters anger in Ethiopia for what is going on within Kinijit is forcing these last minutes contact if it materialized and so as not to be seen in public as spoilers, however, deep inside the Kinijit factions are embarking to solidify their own positions in undemocratic way in case of Birtukn Medekssa

 

The call for the general assembly of Kinijit was ignored wisely by Birtukan's faction and rather try to reorganize it from top to down  by bringing new sixteen council members which will finally join with the other Supreme Council members of Kinijit that supports her faction.

 

This undemocratic action, avoiding the general assembly,out of "fear" for their deliberation which might be against her and her followers interest and finalize a "weeding" with Temesgen Zewede is a big mistake on her short lived political experience.

 

This might be a big blunder which might cost her big time form her die hard fans  in the Diaspora and by not learning from Lidetu Ayalew(MP) she might get the same treatment he got from the wider publicwhen hey sabotaged the formation of Kinijt after May 2005 election  by bringing flimsy excuses and later run for his life to the sleepy Parliament of TPLF/EPRDF.

 

Eng. Hailu's faction surely will call the general assembly using a legal cover of Ayele Chamiso(MP) who got the legal name of Kinijit and it is possible that the majority will show up to make an important decision for the future of Kinijit.

 

In all these political circus the millions who supported Kinijit are intimidated by the TPLF/EPRDF cadres to vote for the paid candidates that are fed and clothed  by the regime in power numbering  around  four millions in the spring local election.

 

It is sad the spirit of May 2005, the hope of electing  representatives that serve their people is now turned in to recruiting paid candidates by the regime and forcing the public  to vote for them and on the other side Kinijit's elected representatives that won the hears and minds of people end up splitting and betraying the people who gave them their votes.

 

The regime in power ultimate goal is to rule by preparing such make-believe election by denying  free press and assembly, however, if Kinijit did not come through the  general assembly and save the democratic hope of our people the action taken by Biruikan's faction to force new party from top will get the same fate as of Lidetu Ayaew's infamous party.

One is Greater than Eighteen

Tedla Asfaw

 

Who said eighteen is greater than one not in the desert of Arizona where Super Ball 42 was played or in the blue lit Empire State of New York. The Giant fans of chanting eighteen to one was answered in spectacular fashion last night and the celebration was under way to wee hours of this morning and we have to wait for the big one tomorrow in lower Manhattan.

 

I was watching the game with my three boys and let me be honest with you they thought me the game of foot ball and before they were born I never watched  the game because I did now the rules and to your surprise my mother who came to help me with my first child liked the game then without even knowing the rules behind it maybe she enjoyed the battle and the piling up of grown up boys on top of each other with tremendous force to secure the ball she called it "Yebuhe Dabo Yemesele".

 

Yesterday we watched the game as usual my kids converse while watching. Hey Eli , "do that and do not do that", challenging the umpire when he gives a penalty against their team.

 

We were confident the way the game started especially the Giant defense go after Brady the quarter back who led the New England Patriots to eighteen zero post season and the "rude" fans of New England  taunting us nineteen -zero for the whole week and no one was to be found to give interview after the game yesterday.

 

This is good for our family because this is the first time our children twelve, ten and eight saw in real life what winning is all about and the case of Yankees and Mets has been frustrating for them and now their first celebration has started.

 

In the last position after the New England got the lead we were a little bit worried and however after Eli the quarter back escaped being sacked and the spectacular catch of the ball by the Giant rookie we did not doubt that New York Giant were destined to win the game.

 

We were jumping up and down at 10PM when New York had a touch down and the Patriots dream of nineteen to zero is gone for good and I do not believe it will come again and Giant fans were right that it was eighteen to one and we might add  that one is much bigger than eighteen.

 

I told to my kids if your maths teacher is quizzing you to prove if  one is greater than eighteen  you have to bring the giant equation that is G is greater than 18P and prove that one win  in the Super Ball  is greater than eighteen wins in post season.

 

We hope 2008 to bring  victory for New York Yankees and Mets and we might see the world series to be played by these two New York teams or beat the "New England Red Sox"  to suffer another spectacular defeat for New England.