Ethiopian Review Forum (now moved to http://www.ethiopianreview.com/forum/)

D_Befekadu

Dec 16, 06 - 4:58 AM

We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

Woyanne could have been in its wilderness by now if kinijit did not:

1) Divide the opposition camp;
2) Accept the woyanne National Election Board;
3) Race against fellow opposition parties;
4) Back woyanne in banning some political parties from participating in the election;
5) Accept woyanne agents in its ranks;
6) Accept woyanne constitution;
7) Fail to put firm pre-conditions to take part in the election;
8) Fail to work with fellow opposition in a spirit of cooperation;
9) Put party politics ahead of the interest of the people; and
10) Fail to have a strong central leadership.

The above misjudgements are really very good lesson for us to push the struggle forward.

Jal

Dec 16th, 2006 - 5:13 AM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

Sadly we have to pay price for individual ego and interest on power. Kinijit is not worth of the more 200 people killed after election. You can sacrifice for freedom to get the ultimate result, eviction tyrant from palace. It is senselle if put people life on the line only to test the tyrant. Kinijit did not have any plan how to deal with fascist woyanne.

Alamirew

Dec 16th, 2006 - 5:13 AM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

D_Befekadu

I could but I don't want to waste my time to write and disproove for each point you mentioned above.

You are really working hard in the past few months to attack kinijit. I don't know what your motive is and even whom you are representing. But the most possibilty what I am guessing is that you are EPRP, power monoger and deadly bad person. Already you posted more than 10 topics that attack KInijit. Keep your dreaming....

KINIJIT is a sprit for the Ethiopian people and will never ever die as you wished, will be victrious at the end. You probably is worse as much as woyane. YEBEG LEMID YATELEKIK TEKULA.

Liben

Dec 16th, 2006 - 5:37 AM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

Dr. Befekadu,

I do think CUD dont have the capacity to gain a sweeping victory during the last election. The maximum it could achive was probably a　50% / 50% chance with the ruling party.(if we assume the ruling party is a saints party and doesnt cheat).

Even if the ruling party is a saint and doesnt cheat, CUD will not have a chance to win Oromia, Harari, Somali, Benishangul and Afar zones and other small states in the peripheris.

In this reality CUD should have been happy for the result they got and should have jooined the parliament instead of getting themselves in subversive activities.

I agree CUd has formed serious mistakes and was involved in a greedy power battle in its file and ranks. This has contributed a great deal to its down fall. There is no way such a weak and inexperienced organization can take down a well established and secured goverenement as weyanne is.

I dont also think if they succed they will bring a lasting solution and peace to the country. From what we saw, we could have been runing to another dictatorship.

Alamirew

Dec 16th, 2006 - 6:56 AM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

D_Befekadu,

Here are the points that oppose your claim

1) Divide the opposition camp;
Which opposition camp did Kinijit divide? Kinijit was as possible working together with all Ethiopian parties in order for good for Ethiopia. Did kinijit have any authority on any other opposition camp/party? NO. As soon it was formed (from 4 to 1) it’s focus was teaching the public within the very limited time before the election. The only other opposition present in Ethiopia was UEDF. So which opposition camp did kinijit tried to divide? THERE WAS NO ANY!

2) Accept the woyanne National Election Board;
By not accepting the already existed National Election Board there was no any way kinijit was able to compete in the election. That means it was going to loose the election. Not only kinijit but also all Ethiopians knew the election board was not free from woyane. Because of that quitting was not the better option but it was the worst option. Kinjit participated in the election and in the process to force the election board to behave in the right way. And even kinijit had its own determined observers through out the country who were going to observe the ballot counting. But these people were harassed by woyane at the election time. There were also other promising things that were going to help force the election board to work properly. The thousands of domestic election observers! But they were denied up to the last time of the Election Day. Finally for Kinijit, as a big party, it was not the best option not to accept the already existed election board and not to participate in the elections.

3) Race against fellow opposition parties;

With which opposition party did kinijit race against? The only other opposition was UEDF. Kinijit didn’t try to race against UEDF. Even both parties were trying to merge and to present a single individual in election areas where woyane was going to have better number of voters were out of time to assign a single individual in those areas.

4) Back woyanne in banning some political parties from participating in the election;
Do you have any evidence for this your claim? Did kinijit have any authority for that? Even the banning or not banning job was being done by not directly woyane but b its agent “election board” so where was kinijits hand to ban others?

5) Accept woyanne agents in its ranks;

This idea is just meaningless, what do you mean by that? Kinijit said any one can be a member of kinijit as long as he/she accepts the parties program. So where was the wrong doing by kinijit? The other way of saying it is accepting any member is no ones business but it is only that of kinijit.

6) Accept woyanne constitution;
Democracy is not built once but it is a process. At the election time there was no any other option to participate for the election with out accepting the already existed woyanes constitution. But kinijit promised for the public to change a number of things from the constitution like to take out article 39 and to referendum for geographic federalism vs. ethnic federalism.

7) Fail to put firm pre-conditions to take part in the election;
It wasn’t the right option before the election to put firm pre-conditions, otherwise it was difficult to participate in the election.

8) Fail to work with fellow opposition in a spirit of cooperation;
What you said is Wrong! Part 3 above answers this in part.

9) Put party politics ahead of the interest of the people;
This is joke, white lie. It was because of the interest of the people that kinijit gave woyane the 8 pre-conditions to enter parliament. Those pre-conditions were not party interests. They were foundations for democracy!

10) Fail to have a strong central leadership
Really? What were your relating criteria to judge them that they didn’t have strong central leadership?
I believe they are the best politician Ethiopia ever has in this 21st century. No Ethiopian party, ever, proved to be strong as kinijit.

I spent my time to disprove your deliberate propaganda against kinijit. I did this because you are making a lot of anti-kinijit postings in the past few months. Your are focusing and searching any thing which you think is weakens of kinijit. Your plan is to make kinijit useless in the minds of readers. You are posting a lot again and again hoping to make behavioral change on readers towards kinijit. You look like you are determined to work on anti-kinijit propaganda for your hidden evil agenda. You perfectly look like for me as EPRP agent (power monoger), if not, you are woyane or shabia agent. How much bad are you? That was the reason why I said in my first posting as you are YEBEG LEMID YATELEKIK TEKULA

Abebaw

Dec 16th, 2006 - 6:52 PM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

Kinjit was not orgnized for any thing. It disappeared the next day fighting its own shadow. So, is worth to talk about it?

D_Befekadu

Dec 16th, 2006 - 8:53 PM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

I APPOGIZE for my stupid and childish judgements listed bellow

Woyanne could have been in its wilderness by now if kinijit did not:

1) Divide the opposition camp;
2) Accept the woyanne National Election Board;
3) Race against fellow opposition parties;
4) Back woyanne in banning some political parties from participating in the election;
5) Accept woyanne agents in its ranks;
6) Accept woyanne constitution;
7) Fail to put firm pre-conditions to take part in the election;
8) Fail to work with fellow opposition in a spirit of cooperation;
9) Put party politics ahead of the interest of the people; and
10) Fail to have a strong central leadership.

D_Befekadu

Dec 17th, 2006 - 3:20 PM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

Stop posting in my name. After all every body knows that I have no reason to apologize. By that alone you are exposed. This is the lowest scale of consciousness that brought kinijit into its current crisis. So, whoever the above (immediate) stop usig my name.

D_Befekadu

Dec 17th, 2006 - 4:05 PM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

Military officers, staff of North Command vow to crush extremists, Shaebya

Mekelle, December 17, 2006 (WIC) - Military officers and army members of the North Command said they have the capability to crush terrorists and invaders that violate the sovereignty of the country in both northern and eastern directions.

Senior military officer and commander, Lieutenant Colonel Awol Abderahim, said the army is competent enough to repel any form of aggression by Somali extremists and Shaebya and incapacitate them.

Army Prosecutor with the command, Sergeant Ayalew Mekonnen, said on his part the army is ready to avert the aggression since it not only violates the sovereignty of the country but also disrupts the peace of civilians.

Staff of Operations main department with the command, Lieutenant Damtew Zenenbe, said the army is both physically and psychologically ready to smash its enemies as usual if the extremist force realizes the war it declared in coordination with Shaebiya.

A staff of the command, Private Ayalnesh Anagaw also said the army is in a state of preparedness to reverse the aggression in case the extremists do not accept the peace call by the government.

She reaffirmed that the army is more than ever prepared to respond to provocations of Shaebiya which is envious of the country's development.

D_Befekadu

Dec 17th, 2006 - 6:10 PM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

I did not post the aobove news report. Thoese are woyannes or kinijit's cadres.

D_Befekadu

Dec 18th, 2006 - 4:52 AM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

Alamirew

Thank you for your reply to my comments. Before I delve into the main points, your statement referring to me “you are YEBEG LEMID YATELEKIK TEKULA” is of low standard and certainly I did not expect this from you. I don’t want to say anything like that to you. I rather leave it for the forum participants to make their own judgement on your standard.

Getting back to the main point, I posted ten main actions of kinijit that contributed to the current crisis. Those are my view and based on the factual observations. Your reply to all of my points was denial and reflects classical characteristics of kinijit and its members. I refute what you said as follows:

Point One: Divide the opposition camp;

In your reply you started with question “Which opposition camp did Kinijit divide? And finished with another question. The only other opposition present in Ethiopia was UEDF. So which opposition camp did kinijit tried to divide? THERE WAS NO ANY!” You failed to accept facts. The kinijit’s founding member organizations (the two major ones) were members of UEDF. The reason they left was that they did not get chairmanship or other top positions. All positions in UEDF were filled in a democratic process. By not abiding to the democratic outcome, they have basically against democratic principles. Therefore, one can conclude that they would not deliver democracy. By leaving UEDF, they created division. The whole reason they formed kinijit in a hasty 4 hours meeting with two newly formed parties, keste-demena and EDL, was to compete UEDF than EPRDF. This was practically demonstrated and I will mention in appropriate point in this response.

Point two: Accept the woyanne National Election Board;

Your reply does not make sense. You said ”By not accepting the already existed National Election Board there was no any way kinijit was able to compete in the election. That means it was going to loose the election.” You don’t loose election if you don’t participate. With such organized opposition, if kinijit did not rush to accept the board, woyanne could have been forced by internal and external pressure and abolished the board. That was the time UEDF put forward its preconditions including replacement of the board with bipartisan board. This was not echoed by kinijit. In steady of backing UEDF and applying diplomatic and popular pressure, kinijit accepted the board and by doing so, it undermined the UEDF’s pre-conditions. This is what I am saying dividing opposition camp. Opposition failed to present as united not just as organization but also in ideas. This division was mainly driven by kinijit.

In this line, you farther stated “Not only kinijit but also all Ethiopians knew the election board was not free from woyane. Because of that quitting was not the better option but it was the worst option. Kinjit participated in the election and in the process to force the election board to behave in the right way.” This is where kinijit effectively failed. It is political nativity to think that way. Woyanne cannot change by cooperating with it. You have already said it, the Ethiopian knows and the international community knows it that the board was not free from woyanne influence. That could have been used as a ground to apply national and international pressure on woyanne. Woyanne was forced to accept the international observers and in the same way it could have been forced to make major change. However, kinijit by failing to work with UEDF and by going its own way, it has made strategic mistake. The moment kinijit accepted the board; woyanne knows that it would retain that power.

Point three: Race against fellow opposition parties;

Your reply for this point is “With which opposition party did kinijit race against? The only other opposition was UEDF. Kinijit didn’t try to race against UEDF. Even both parties were trying to merge and to present a single individual in election areas where woyane was going to have better number of voters were out of time to assign a single individual in those areas.” First of all “race against fellow opposition” is a broad term or concept. I interpret it beyond filling candidates. In either case kinijit did compete against fellow opposition. Events occurred in relation to point one and point two are showing racing against fellow opposition. Second, there were a number of areas where UEDF was strong and woyanne was weak and kinijit was marginal and still kinijit ended up filling a candidate and the end result was win to woyanne. This was widely reported in the title “opposition defeats itself”. Check on EMF website.

Point four: Back woyanne in banning some political parties from participating in the election;

It is interesting to see going this far to deny facts and public information. In your reply to this point, again you have started with question and finished with question. You said “Do you have any evidence for this your claim? Did kinijit have any authority for that? Even the banning or not banning job was being done by not directly woyane but b its agent “election board” so where was kinijits hand to ban others?” In regards to evidence, check all interviews given by kinijit officials. In regards to authority issue, I did not say kinijit had authority. By accepting the woyanne board by implication kinijit endorsed the boards decision. Not only that, when woyanne refused entry to Ethiopia of political parties and stated those organization not based in Ethiopia cannot take part in the election, kiniijit made it clear to all private media outlets that participation in the election has to be based on having office in side Ethiopia. One then may ask why those organizations cannot open office in Ethiopia? The reason is woyanne continued making threats to arrest leaders of those organizations. Kinijit backed woyanne in all of those issues. This is public information.

Point five: Accept woyanne agents in its ranks;

You have dismissed this point by saying “This idea is just meaningless, what do you mean by that? Kinijit said any one could be a member of kinijit as long as he/she accepts the parties program. So where was the wrong doing by kinijit? The other way of saying it is accepting any member is no ones business but it is only that of kinijit.” In the first place there was no membership of kinijit. It was group of people who got together and declared formation of CUD following morning coffee break meeting. Second, when it became CUDP, the decision was made by those groups rather than by members. After all there were no members of kinijit.

This point is related to other points where I mentioned about racing against fellow opposition. It was AEUP that declared EDP has a close link to TPLF and as result halted the merger it was going to carry out with EDP. All of sudden, EDP was better than all those organizations in the UEDF and AEUP ended up forming coalition with a party it once called linked to TPLF/EPRDF. This was driven by attempt to race against UEDF than the common ground the two parties had. Appointment of known woyanne servants in the ranks of kinijit has nothing to do membership. Your argument does not hold water because; according to what you are saying Bereket Simon could have been a member of kininjit if he wished to do so. Well, as you said membership is kinijit’s business and it did so well by becoming a member of anti-Ethiopian alliance.

Point six: Accept woyanne constitution;

You said “Democracy is not built once but it is a process.” This is a repeat of woyanne’s argument. Whoever says this, it is logical but that logic fails when the process is abused. Here basically, you are endorsing what woyanne has been telling us, “we are building democracy”. It is pathetic that this woyanne style argument is coming indirectly. Building democracy does not give you licence to approve mistakes. Let me ask one question. Would accept woyanne excuse of “we are building democracy” in attempt to cover up its murder of innocent people?

By participating in the election all parties acknowledged the constitution. What makes kinijit different is it never put its intention to change to constitution. It only said that it endorsed the constitution. Contrary to this, the other major opposition, UEDF, made it clear from inception that it intends to abolish the woyanne constitution.

Part seven: Fail to put firm pre-conditions to take part in the election;

You wrote “It wasn’t the right option before the election to put firm pre-conditions, otherwise it was difficult to participate in the election.” This is laughable! This is one of fundamental failure of kinijit. Preconditions before election could have changed the outcome of the election. Putting pre-condition cannot make things difficulty at all to participate in the election. I am talking about influencing the outcome of the election. The point I am making is that pre-conditions before election could have changed the out come of the election. You are repeating the easy option kinijit took at the time. Well, can I say well done? No! That was where kinijit’s political maturity was measured. It was very naïve and childish to think that pre-conditions could make participation in the election difficult. .

Point eight: Fail to work with fellow opposition in a spirit of cooperation;

You wrote “What you said is Wrong! Part 3 above answers this in part.” My friend, you are simply refusing to accept facts. Without adding any further, my explanation to the above one to seven points highlight kinijit’s unwillingness to work with fellow oppositions.

Point nine: Put party politics ahead of the interest of the people;

You said “This is joke, white lie. It was because of the interest of the people that kinijit gave woyane the 8 pre-conditions to enter parliament. Those pre-conditions were not party interests. They were foundations for democracy!” Oh my God! My friend, your’s is really a joke. The whole issue of entering parliament and the so-called 8-point pre-conditions can be described as following. Overall, the pre-conditions were hollow statements. They were designed to address the unavoidable division in the ranks of leadership of kinijit in regards to entering parliament. A group, which prefers entering parliament led by Dr Berhanu Nega and supported by Lidetu Ayalew (kinijit’s Manadela) had a commanding lead over Ato Hailu Shawel led opposition. The senior kinijit advisor Prof Mesfin brought the two groups together and advised Dr Berhanu Nega to put pre-conditions before entering parliament and Ato Hailu nodded his head, indicating his agreement to enter parliament if the 8 point preconditions were met. Ato Meles who follows closely what was unfolding in kinijit camp via his agents already decided to jail those who crossed the RED LINE and those whom Meles calls “members and supporters of the former fascist regime” and instructs Lidetu to get ready to enter parliament. So, the 8-point pre-conditions were designed as a face saving tool than to make any change. Are you saying those 8-point precondition could have changed the out come of the election? If that is the case, you are wrong.

Point ten: Fail to have a strong central leadership

In your reply you started by posing questions and then concluded that they are best politicians Ethiopia has in 21st century. You wrote “Really? What were your relating criteria to judge them that they didn’t have strong central leadership?” Let us look issues relating to Lidetu. What measure was taken to clear Lidetu and appoint him into a senior position in kinijit? We have heard AEUP saying that EDP is related to TPLF/EPRDF, yet without any explanation, Lidetu was one of the most senior people in the kinijit. How did they appoint Ato Hailu Shawel to his position? The whole reason was if he didn’t get it he would do the same damage he did to UEDF. It was based on bad behaviour than performance.

You further stated “I believe they are the best politician Ethiopia ever has in this 21st century. No Ethiopian party, ever, proved to be strong as kinijit.” That is what you believe and you are entitled for it. What is clear in your point is inflated statement. For example, “best politician Ethiopia ever has in this 21st century.” What you are missing is we were only in the fifth year in the 21st century when the election took place and your statement is too exaggerated. They are the best for you and because of that you may sang for Lidetu “Ethiopian Mandela.” Look at all the decisions they made in relation to above 10 points. If those can make them the best leaders, it wouldn’t be that long before you call Addisu legesse is the best leader. After all, kinijit is tribalist anyway; if you belong to his tribe you could very well say that and praise him as a best leader.

Jal

Dec 19th, 2006 - 6:20 PM

Re: We wouldn’t have Woyanne in power if Kinijit …

Alamirew is lost in the jungle of kinijit/AFD weed. We knew he was not in a position to challenge D-befekadu's line of argument. Because, Befekadu backs his case with lots of facts and takes time to explain adequately.

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