Ethiopians were happy to find out that the Carter Center and you, Mr. President, were among the many groups willing to monitor the Ethiopian election of May 15, 2005. We were happy because we believed a man of your stature would not compromise your integrity and certify an election process which many Ethiopians all along suspected would not be free and fair. We trusted in you and also believed that you would be a genuine arbiter of any conflict that may arise in the handling of the election before, during and after the election. In a word, we had all the confidence in you to do the right thing and your presence in our midst was very comforting.

Ethiopians chose to forget their long held belief that your policies towards Ethiopia were the reasons why Ethiopia was forced to joint the Soviet camp in 1973. Many Ethiopians who believe that your blocking of the supply of arms as agreed upon earlier to help defend our country from the aggression of Soviet backed Somalia was the reason why the non communist military junta in Ethiopia became communist overnight and slid to the Soviet camp when the Soviet Union jumped to fill the vacuum your policy created. Many believe that, had you acted differently and with care, Ethiopia’s suffering for 17 brutal years under Soviet hegemony would have been averted. But, as I already said, this was an old story we chose to leave for historians to grapple with until you brought fresh memories of it with a huge blow by mishandling an election that we Ethiopians seriously worked on and believed would take us on the road to democracy. It is possible that people may be killed and blood spilled in Ethiopia that could be justified on your words of premature and biased assessment of the election process in favor of the ruling party. You began spoiling the process by emboldening the ruling party to tamper with the process when you began extolling their handling of the process without qualification moments after you arrived at the Ethiopian airport.

I know you are a good man and I honestly find it difficult to accuse you of contempt for my people or other Africans. I sincerely believe you are not that kind of a person. But in reality, your actions were not very different from some in the west who think that Africans don’t deserve anything near comparable to what the civilized world has, and whatever little improvement from their past is more than enough for them.

I am not sure how you respond to the latest EU report that accuses you of undermining the election process by your premature pro government assessment. But millions of Ethiopians are now accusing you of being instrumental in destroying their hope. I am not sure what answers you would give to families and relatives of Ethiopians who have just started paying prices for their participation and activism on the side of the opposition. We hear people are being intimidated, beaten and dragged to prisons. Some, I just heard, are seeking refugee among Red Cross offices in rural areas. Opposition parties are claiming that some of their election observers and activists are fast disappearing. I am sure you will soon hear about widespread abuse of Ethiopia’s citizens by a government which is parading your election assessment as a justification.

Mr. President,

This was not the gift the people of Ethiopia expected from you on the hundredth anniversary of Ethio-American relations that we Ethiopians and our American friends celebrated together only a year ago.

Many of us pray and hope that our long tormented country would join the community of nations on the road to democracy. Ethiopians are more and more standing for our liberty because, at last, we have found out we have no other alternative. Sir, for us democracy and democratic elections are not exercises in luxury. While preparing for this election and long before that, we believed democracy is the only tool we need to have to dig ourselves out of the humiliating and obscene poverty that our dictators are forcing us to live in. Believe it or not, the world known famine of Ethiopia is caused more by the policy of our selfish leaders rather than the weather. In this election we worked hard to get rid of our selfish rulers who dangle small plots of land in front of us as prizes to buy our loyalty rather than as resources that can be used to produce more food and wealth. Sir, you have to be an Ethiopian with hundreds of peasant relatives like me to understand the pain. At a minimum you wouldn’t have added salt on our wounds.

Dear Mr. President,

I hope it is not late for you to make corrections before any damage that your consequential words of praise for this flawed election are bound to create. I sincerely hope and wait for a quick and honest reassessment of your noble mission in Ethiopia and come up with the necessary corrective actions. Sir, I don’t claim to represent anyone here but I believe millions of Ethiopians share the contents of this letter and the pain you could see through it.

Dear Mr. Carter:

I am not asking you for any help and I very well know your statements are not what ultimately decide the fate of my country. Whether Ethiopia changes for the better or continue to suffer is in the hands of no one but her own children and their creator. Your reevaluation of the assessments you gave about the Ethiopian election is good only to avoid unfavorable judgment of history and the credibility of the institution you lead. As for me and many millions of Ethiopians we still have one more thing to hang on and that is the promise of President George W. Bush who said, “All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.”