---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tedla Asfaw <tedla.asfaw@gmail.com>
Date: Sep 7, 2007 9:20 AM
Subject: Kinijit is not to be Abandoned
To: yenenehe@yahoo.com
Tedla Asfaw September 7, 2007
The auditorium at New School in Manhattan was packed and extra seat has to be added and still there were many standing yesterday (Sept. 6) and I can say that more than 500 guests about ten percent students and faculty members from the Economics Department and the freenega movements and the rest were Ethiopians few pro TPLF and many Ethiopian oppositions and members of the Diaspora community coming from New York metropolitan area and some as far as D.C.
This meeting was mainly organised for the Economics Department students and staffs and Dr. Birhanu Nega however try not to forget the Ethiopian large contingent on his one hour speech and for many of us who read his book "Ye Nestanset Gohe Sekede" and closely follow our country situation there was nothing new he told us about the struggle of our people in the last sixteen years.
There was no discussion on the current crisis in the Diaspora CUD support groups and what Dr. Birhanu was focusing was on the derailed democratisation process and confirmed for foes and friends that he will not abandon the struggle of Kinijit and in fact will intensify the struggle even if that will land him again back to jail he is ready to pay the price.
The crowd supported him with a big applause and for me that was the highlight of his speech because the Ethiopian people are not expecting less from these leaders who gave them their vote on May 15, 2005 and even if the government rigged that election and now is ruling by force the regime whether it like it or not has to prepare itself on how to be the next opposition party.
If TPLF believes that jailing opposition leaders will break their spirit I think some of the TPLF supporters in the crowd yesterday learnt that that is not the case and one pro TPLF supporter question of how Dr. Birhanu and Kinijit will have any chance of winning an election from TPLF who has a huge "loyal" army and Dr. Birhanu's answer was simple, we have the people.
Dr. Birhanu also separated American citizens and values he admired and is inspired from the USA Administration and asked for their support and however he affirmed that the fate of our country is on fellow Ethiopians and we have to be ready to pay the price for freedom and dignity which is the only wat to extract our people from the current poverty and backwardness.
During the one hour question time the floor was given mainly to the students and faculty members and there was no question and answer which most of us we do not know about except some who brought if there was anything different Kinijit would have done to keep the democratisation process in track.
Dr Birhanu confirmed once again Kinijit had already awarded the regime to rule for the next five years if free institutions is going to be formed to help the democratic process for the future on their eight points and the answer they got was jail and there is nothing they can do than to accept jail rather than seating in the parliament and betray the millions who elected them.
We are now on the situation before the 2005 election and the regime is now preparing for the next election by ignoring the demands set by Kinijit and I will not be surprised if these leaders are thrown again in to jail and the question is will the population accept such action or we will never have another free election again that will cost TPLF and its Western supporters imposing their will on our people.
The Diaspora role should focus on the future and it is sad to see and hear fights in the name of Kinijit on matters that do not reflect our peoples wish and if we have decency let us help the cause of our people and otherwise let us not soil Kinijit's name for which the elected leaders and thousands others paid dearly and willing to pay until the democratisation process is on track to leave our country to be run by people for people not by power of gun and foreign support.
