Prof. Merera warns to bolster national unity as country sits on a time-bomb
By Wondimu Mekonnen
March 29, 2004

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LONDON (March 27) – Ethiopians must be aware of and get ready to save their country from an impending disaster as the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, which misruled the country for 13 years, was now falling apart from a nationwide opposition, a leading Ethiopian opposition figure warned Ethiopians in London on Saturday.

Addressing a gathering of Ethiopians resident in the United Kingdom, Prof. Merera Gudina, Chairman of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) said the country was “sitting on a time-bomb which could only be defused through a nationwide joint action of the struggling Ethiopian people.”

“Thirteen years ago,” Prof. Merera said, “when the current regime removed its predecessor by the power of gun, it promised to deliver three things to the Ethiopian people. These were:

1) To deliver durable peace and stability
2) To build a free and fair democratic system of governance, and
3) To deliver prosperity and development to the country.
Unfortunately, none

of those promises was achieved.”

According to Dr Merera, on the “peace and stability front” Ethiopia was found on the time bomb, on the verge of historical explosion. He explained that there were clashes and bloodshed throughout the country. For instance, neither the police nor the ground forces could contain the ethnic clash that erupted in Gambella. The regime had to use a helicopter gunship to mow down the innocent civilians to suppress the Anuaks. That might deliver temporary relief for the regime but not long lasting solutions. Everywhere, there were popular uprisings. The time was such that the regime was no more in a position to govern in the way it used to suppress the people in the past.

The promised democracy and equality was far from being achieved. In fact, the regime had never had a shred of democratic nature, nor was expected from it, any way. However, the regime’s promised democracy remained a lip-service, to wrong foot the international donor countries, and at the moment, the international community had waken up to the ploy. Dr Merera explained how the regime persecuted journalists, civil servants, teachers and the citizens throughout the country.

The promised development and prosperity was nowhere to be seen. Corruption had become ripe. Bureaucracy had turned into a norm. The people’s living standard had gone from bad to worse. Our people remained still starving. Ethiopian remained one of the least developed, and could not escape begging. The number of starving had quadrupled.

Dr Merera believed that the time was right to rise up and challenge the regime. The regime acted as an outlaw. It was not governed by the law even of its own making. According to him, the people were on the verge of rising against the regime.

Meles Zenawi himself has admitted the colossal failure of the EPRDF. He had attributed to the individual failure of member organizations of the front namely, TPLF, ANDM, OPDO and SNNP. He further asserted the failure of member organizations of the front was due to the incompetence and lack of vision of their leaders. It had been reported that Meles referred to his own party, the TPLF, as dead but not buried. He humiliated OPDO by stating that his group carried that organisation for the last 12 years on their back but the organisation failed to walk on its own legs. He also referred to ANDM as a useless group that could not emerge out of Abay gorge. He did give a little credit to the constituent of EPRDF in Southern Ethiopia. At least that organisation is dragging itself on its back. That means, Meles himself was saying his regime had been a dying regime.

The constituent of EPRDF had lost faith in the regime. The MP from Gambella who was elected as a member of EPRDF had been heard saying that the regime was to blame for the genocide committed against his people. The EPRDF’s former trustworthy political cadres have now been approaching UEDF members and asking if they were strong enough to take over the power and administer the country before it was completely sunk into mayhem. The editor of The Reporter described the regime as a broken train in the middle of nowhere. In order to move forward, the only option available was to remove the broken wagon from the rail and rebuild the damaged track.

Dr Merera pointed out to history and warned to avoid repeating past mistakes. In the past, twice Ethiopians were caught off guard. When the Emperor’s administration was removed, the Ethiopian elite was not ready to empower the people. A military junta that ruled the country for 17 years by suppression snatched the power. Again in 1991, Ethiopians were not ready to install a democratic government. Ethiopians fell in the hands of even more brutal regime. Now the indication was that this regime was going down. We should not be caught off guard third round.

Dr Merera reiterated that, unless the opposition united on a minimum platform again the opportunity could be missed. If the people were not empowered next, what comes would be much more disastrous than what had existed.

The participants of the all-party conference in Rockville, Maryland, USA, adopted solutions to the problems that kept the opposition apart. The All party Conference led to the formation of EUDF, and agreed on three major issues.

1) UEDF headquarters would be would in Ethiopia
2) Leaders would only hold a six-month term
3) Method of struggle would be non-violent.
4) The common platforms were drafted to promote the peaceful struggle
– To participate in free and fair electionns
– To uphold the wishes of the people
– To empower the people to elect those whoom they want and remove who lost the respect and faith
– To create a conducive environment for ecconomic development
– To create Ethiopia equally home to all. EPRDF did promise to create everybody’s Ethiopia. Leave alone Everybody’s Ethiopia, it had failed to create even Tigray for itself.
– To create peace and stability
– To create democratic system of governancce
– Multi-party democracy was the way ahead..

If the conditions that the EUDF was going to forward were met, the Conference participants agreed on a strategy to be used to run for the election. It was agreed not to compete against one another on the first round but to work together. EUDF members would decide which party should run for the parliamentary seat against the regime’s candidate in one electoral constituency.

So far, EUDF has embarked on achieving the defined goals.

• Efforts had been made to establish financial and material base.
• Support Committees had been formed in the North America, Europe, African and Australia.
• Offices had been opened within the country
• Diplomatic campaigns had been waged both in the country and abroad.

EUDF leaders had met 20 Diplomatic leaders in the country and explained their mission. The leaders warned the Diplomatic community that helping survive a dying regime that did not care for its own citizens would result in disastrous future relationship. The regime might sing their music that the international community would prefer to hear, but had been dancing its own dances.
• From the communication with the diplomatic missions EUDF leaders learned that Meles was telling them other than reading form the newspapers like them about the creation of EUDF, he had never come across any. Therefore, EUDF wrote a letter to the Prime Minster’s office putting preconditions upon which the EUDF would participate on the election. Among the conditions were the reorganisations of the Electoral Board, the presence of international observers, guarantee for all those exiled Ethiopian political parties to return and run for election without fear of persecution, equal access to the mass media, freedom of movement for campaign, platform for free and fair election etc.

Three weeks later after sending the letter, EUDF received an invitation from the Prime Ministers office. They went.

According to Dr Merera, Meles displayed four features.

1) He tried to present himself like a leader of a country
2) One could read desperation on his face
3) He also tried to be frank complaining about not delivering what was promised.
4) His arrogant nature and untamed tongue, however, kept on sticking out now and then.

Meles said that those who had never resorted to a violent overthrow of the government could enter the country and run for the election. He also said that those who had been engaged in violent ways to overthrow the government in the past, could sign an affidavit never to return to violence and run for office. Those who had violence in their programme as a means of struggle but did not exercise it, could now renounce that and run for office. Meles categorically refused to reorganise the Electoral Board and accept international observers. The UEDF leaders told Meles, unless those conditions they forwarded in their letter were met, they would not take part in his sham election and seek other means. At the end, he said he would appoint a body that would continue the dialogue with them and saw them off.

According to Dr Merera, UEDF would dialogue open door, and struggle for free and fair election. However, if EPRDF preferred playing the usual game, the UEDF would pull out from the election and the people would not be obedient to the law that the author failed to respect.

UEDF had widely introduced itself to the people. The free press had played a vital role in that regard. The UEDF had organised General Public Meetings, which were attended very well. UEDF’s first six months were a journey of preparation. EUDF had started on action. Starting from April, EUDF was going to employ competent permanent staff that would run the day-to-day organisation of the EUDF’s affairs. EUDF had been doing its best to remove all internal obstacles and tackle the countries problems jointly.

Dr Merera concluded his briefings by thanking the audience for the support that had been extended to EUDF so far and pleaded to continue supporting in the future.

Then the floor was opened for suggestions and discussions to which Dr Merera gave full and satisfactory answers.

Finally, Dr. Merera paid tribute to the EUDF Support Committee in London for the wonderful job done so far within seven months of its formation. He said the struggle that London had made should not be understated. He said that those who are challenging the regime within the country eagerly follow up what had been done abroad by the Diaspora. The London action had been picked up by the local newspapers in Ethiopia and disseminated the information, giving a moral boost for those who are facing the regime’s music.

Dr Merera will be in London for few more days. He will be visiting various UK governmental and nongovernmental organisations before returning to Ethiopia.

At the start of the meeting, Ato Eyasu Woldetsadik, the Chairman of EUDF Support Committee in the UK forwarded a welcome speech to Dr Merera Gudina and the gathered Ethiopian community members in London. He introduced items of the agenda for the day and gave the floor to Dr Biri Yaya, the Deputy Chairman of EUDF Support Committee in UK.

Dr Biri gave a brief report on:

1) The structure of the Support Committee
2) Tasks accomplished so far
3) Plan of action for the future.

Dr Biri explained that the elected members of Support Committee divided responsibilities among themselves and drafted guidelines that would govern their activities. The committee had organised itself into two subcommittees. The Finance and Fund Raising Sub-committee and the Diplomatic and Lobby Sub. Dr Biri carefully explained the tasks and assignments of the sub-committees and explained what had been achieved so far.

The EUDF Support Committee had already issued various press releases, and reached the wider audience on the local Nigat Radio, on Radio Voice of Germany and BBC, and on the Internet, particularly on Ethiomedia, EEDN and EthioForum. It held two vigils protesting against the gross violation of the rights of journalists, the genocide committed against our Anuak brothers and sisters in Gambella and the expulsion of Oromo students from Ethiopian colleges and universities. The Support Committee also paid a visit to the British and Commonwealth office where submissions were made to the high ranking officials of British and Commonwealth Office and the British Foreign Development officials. The discussion had been fruitful that these bodies requested for the continuation of dialogue in the future.

Dr Biri explained that the aim of the Committee was the aim of UEDF. The aim of EUDF was to build up a democratic platform upon which the people of Ethiopia would be able to promote themselves as the political power source, to elect their leaders through ballots than bullets. Dr Biri thanked those who helped the Support Committee in carrying out its responsibilities and urged them to continue their struggle until the Ethiopian people are crowned with their aspirations: peace, justice and democracy.