To make my point, I would like to intimate to my readers that I was impressed by the following respectable attitude of a Western leader towards independent press that is quite opposite to that of three consecutive Ethiopian leaders.
Chancellor Angela Melker recently took a resolute stand in support of the independent media in the scandal in Germany emanating from the disclosure that the German Secret Service is spying on journalists providing incentives to planted agents to spy on their colleagues. The Chancellor publicly rebuked the Secret Service and categorically stated that the freedom of the media is inviolable under the constitution. Her resolute stand caused the enraging public and parliamentary debate to subside.
This courageous and principled pronouncement of the German Chancellor reminded me of a true story that occurred during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. The story is a grim reminder of how far despotic leaders like Meles go to muzzle the media of other sovereign countries that are reporting news or journalists writing on topics that are even remotely critical to their policies.
The late Emperor Haile Selassie made a representation to the then government of West Germany to protest that the Amharic Service broadcasting into Ethiopia by radio Deutsche Welle is negatively critical to the policies of His government and that the radio should therefore desist from such action that would damage relations between the two countries. The German authorities however responded by firmly stating that the freedom of speech that the Germans enjoy is a hard earned national value paid for in blood through bitter struggle. They told the Monarch in no uncertain terms that freedom of the media in Germany is inviolable and is protected by law to remain so. The imperial delegation was told that the German government holds the Monarch in high esteem and would give development aid to Ethiopia, but would not interfere with the program of radio Deutsche Welle.
The Emperor kept complete control over the media. I was told by sources close to His Majesty that, during Indalkachew Mekonnens’s short-lived premiership after the outbreak of the Ethiopian Revolution in 1974, He always got furious by the missing of His photographs and articles on the front page extolling His accomplishments.
The Mengistu regime pronounced outright denial of freedom of association, speech and media. The wicked regime argued that its policy is to build socialism through class struggle and the media under the control of the Dergue will speak for the oppressed masses and advance their interests. It resolved that any other views of the bourgeoisie and other classes that criticize the policies of the regime would not be allowed to appear in the press. Authors whose works some how escaped the strict censorship were later severely punished when their published writings were found to be popular with the public. The murder of Mr. Bealu Girma is the worst case in point – for example.
The tyrant Meles has:
established himself as the enemy of the free media immediately upon grabbing power 15 years ago. The Amharic Service of the Voice of America was his first target and victim. The VOA, which played a significant role in the demise of the Dergue regime, was on the brink of closure at the behest of the TPLF regime; however it luckily survived the onslaught but by cutting its broadcasting time to a half. I should add that the Amharic Service Program was probably directed not to air anything that would be critical to the TPLF regime whose leader was crowned as ‘one of the new breed of African leaders’.
gone to the extreme shame of submitting fabricated petitions to the German parliament and the United States Congress accusing the Amharic service programs being broadcast by radio Deutsche Welle and the Voice of America. These broadcasts are widely appreciated by the Ethiopian people at the same time boycotting Ethiopian government media that is spewing a barrage of propaganda, naked lies and deceptions everyday.
outranked every despotic leader in Africa in the number of journalists that he has put behind bars. He is number three in the world outranked by China and Cuba. He may beat these two countries given the kind of encouragement that he is being tacitly given by some donors.
Meles mercilessly suppressed the promising emergence of democracy starting on 01 June 2005. He did so by ordering the notorious Agazi special security force under his direct command to soot to kill innocent protesters. These atrocities were carried out under the full view of ambassadors of donor countries. Ambassador Vicki Huddleston issued a belated statement that the US will no longer supply the Humvees to the Meles government.
Meles is unrelenting in his assault to suppress the media. He continues to jail journalists. He expels for news reporters accredited to Ethiopia. He makes petitions to Western parliamentarians to muzzle radio broadcasting from their soil in the Amharic language. Obviously, Meles is allergic for a free media, which he regards as his enemies. He reminds me of the lunatic Emperor of Rome’ Nero, who wished that the necks of his enemies were one so that he can cut them all at a go.
It is really quite perplexing that institutions like the World Bank have decided to extend financial assistance to the repressive Meles regime despite its shameful record on the suppression of freedom of expression of Ethiopians. This is a glaring double standard tantamount to rewarding atrocities and the Ethiopians should strongly disagree with the Bank. Incidentally, the position taken by the leadership of the World Bank reminds me of the former President of the Bank, Mr. Robert McNamara. As a Secretary of Defense, Mr. McNamara advised or cautioned against armed race in the Horn of Africa, particularly between Ethiopia and Somalia. As President of the World Bank, he championed the cause of the poor. Personally, this is the kind of leadership I would like to see coming from the World Bank, which has enormous power and moral obligation to reign in despotic leaders like Meles. I want the Bank to say no to dictatorial governance and discourage military spending and arms race in poor countries like Ethiopia and Eritrea. What the politically explosive poor region of the Horn of Africa needs is expenditure and focus on economic development in a stable and democratic environment.
Ethiopians have suffered under three consecutive regimes that have kept them in the dark by denying them access to information that are vital to their lives. Free flow of information is indispensable to a democratic society; otherwise it will surely die without it. So the onus is on us Ethiopians to fight tooth and nail to ensure the independence of the media in our motherland as a prerequisite for building a united and democratic home for all of us. We Ethiopians must emulate the example of Europe where there are no prisoners of conscience for airing their views. In this connection I wish to remind my readers of the millions of Europeans who had inundated the streets and squares of European cities and metropolis in a demonstration to oppose the intention of their governments to go to war with Iraq. The Europeans leaders in power respected the views of the demonstrators and no one was thrown into jail.
We Ethiopians, for the sake of our own survival in the 21st century, must take it as a noble challenge to build a united homeland where human dignity is the prime value. We must ask ourselves why we are so much behind other countries as ancient as ours that have advanced in industry, science and technology and, above all, in the respect for human rights.
I hope that the newly created ADF will embrace the above said noble challenge as a matter of top priority take this challenge to take us where the Ethiopian people want to go as vividly expressed at the historic election of 15 May 2005. We have no one but God and ourselves to rectify the unprecedented damage done to our ancient homeland by the wicked Meles regime. Let us focus on lofty ideals befitting the 21st century leaving aside divisive issues. Let us Ethiopians alone rewrite our own history and set our priorities for we are quite capable of doing so. Let us condemn ethnic-based politics as a curse without constructive future. Let us continue to make all the necessary sacrifices to put in place a truly democratic society in a united and amicable spirit focusing on the enemy, the Meles regime.
