OPPOSITIONS’ AND SUPPORTERS’ ENDLESS
SMEAR CAMPAIGNS
By Mathza
10/21/2008
Most of the oppositions’ leadership and their handful
supporters, particularly the minuscule vociferous Diaspora, and some
individuals obsessed with lust for power and hatred against Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi have been and are doing anything to get rid of him, the TPLF and
the EPRDF. They are intimidated and demoralized
by his intelligence, capability, competence and the respect he commands in the
international community. Their hatred is limitless. In their obsession and
desperation to snatch power, they
have crossed the line of treason by compromising and endangering the sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and national
interests of Ethiopia. The following are examples supporting this statement:
In
short, these hate-mongers and anti-Ethiopia elements do not care at all about
Ethiopia and Ethiopians. Their only desire is to be in power by any means—in
the driver’s seat—without any concern on how that might impact Ethiopia and its
people, enie kemotku serdo aybqel.
One of their tactics is a
negative smear campaign portraying the country's image and, in particular, it’s
dedicated Prime Minister with all kinds of monstrous adjectives and pictures.
Among the methods used include politicizing
everything, outrageous
allegations, lies, exaggerations, wild generalizations, spinning,
misinterpretation and spreading rumors. Practically all of the writings of
these-diehards are replete of despicable descriptions and character
assassinations, all intended purely to bring down the government. This writing
ferrets out examples of statements that do not make any sense, are illogical,
are concocted, or are not supported by facts—purely intended to misinform and
mislead readers, particularly the Diaspora silent majority. It is a modest
attempt to expose those bigots who have been hoodwinking and continue to
hoodwink the Ethiopians and the international community. (In the future, there
will be a series of matrixes like the one below, each preceded by the current
two paragraphs).
PART 1
|
Title/Source/Date |
Author’s Statement |
My Comments |
|
|
|
|
1. Why the Struggle
Failed?, by Mankelklot Haile Selassie (PhD), Ethiolion.com, September 17,
2008
|
It is an
undeniable fact that the people of Ethiopia are ready, always, to stand
behind the opposition forces and face any challenge. |
Apparently all
Ethiopians!!! One of the countless baseless and ridiculous sweeping
generalizations. It is loaded with key inapplicable words and phrases:
“undeniable fact” “ready, always”, “face any challenge.” |
2. Efforts underway to raise annual
meat export to 30,000 tons,
Ethiopian Review Online, September 21st, 2008
|
Woyanne
exports meat while people in the country starve.
|
Those who are hungry cannot
afford to eat meat in normal times leave alone when they “starve.” Would it
not be better to use the foreign exchange earned exporting meat to buy wheat
to feed those who “starve?” |
|
3.
Corruption creating humanitarian disaster: watchdog Reuters, September 23, 2008 |
Ethiomedia changed the
title of the same article to “Ethiopia
among most corrupt states in the world”, September 23, 2008 |
There is no reference to
Ethiopia in the article. Obviously, “among most corrupt states” does not
apply to Ethiopia’s ranking which improved to 126th place from 138th last year (out of 180 countries). |
4. Boycott
TPLF, by Tedla Asfaw,
Ethiolion.com, September 2008
|
The boycott on
products like liquors coming from TPLF owned businesses will surely deny
foreign currency for a regime. |
Which products (bottles) of
those exhibited on the Ethiolion.com web site
until two weeks ago? None! In any case, TPLF does not own businesses. |
|
5.
Why Ethiopia is a commodity for this man,
Ethiomedia.com, September 25, 2008 |
Pitting Christians against
Moslem brothers is another weapon in the arsenal of Mr. Zenawi. |
No evidence! It is
unthinkable that, in a country that prides itself in religious tolerance,
Prime Minister Meles would pity Christians against Moslems, a time bomb. It
is satanic to think that he who is fighting Islamic extremism would undermine
the existing exemplary peaceful religious coexistence. According to the U.S Department of State “the Ethiopian government
respects religious freedom in practice.” |
|
6. Somali experts; Hijacked
arms cargo in Somalia destined for Ethiopian army, PR-inside.com, September
30, 2008. |
Hijacked arms cargo in Somalia destined for Ethiopian
army Ethiolion.com, September 30, 2008. |
Why would Ethiopia, knowing
the risk of pirating along the Somali coast, use this expensive round about
way? The source of this lie purposely left out in the second column, the so
called “Somali experts,” is of course suspect. The truth is the Kenyan
government has categorically admitted the arms cargo was for use by Kenyan
military. This was corroborated by the Ukrainian owners of the freighter.
Besides, although other sources related to this mention Southern Sudan as the
destination, none of them mentioned Ethiopia. Subsequent written materials
confirmed the “Somali Experts” had manufactured the lie.
Another lie
is by Associated Press Writer (October 10, 2008) who claimed “Somalia lost control of the region
[Somali State]...to Ethiopia in a war in 1977.” 1977 was the year Somalia was
vanquished after invading the Somali State of Ethiopia. |
|
7. Yedem Eda Slalebet
Edmie Tegbo Indimot Atfqedilet,
Ethiomedia.com, October 2008 |
In his article in Amharic
Matebe Meles Tessema lists 15 high government officials from the Prime
Minister to the current Addis Ababa mayor $US account/deposits in foreign
banks. He cites Minch Finch Gazetta, June 28, 1997 (EC), as his source. |
From what I remember the
source cited did not provide an iota of supporting evidences. According to
the list the accounts/deposits are in six different banks in five countries.
It is virtually impossible to have access to one leave alone six banks. |
|
8.
Commentary The
End of Pax Zenawi in Somalia By Alemayehu G. Mariam,
ethiomedia.com, October 6, 2008 |
Upwards of 5 thousand of
Zenawi’s troops are estimated to have been killed or severely injured in the
Somali war. As one opposition leader recently complained, “The government
has irresponsibly refused to account on these two pertinent issues
[causalities and resources] relating to the Ethiopian army’s deployment to
Somalia...” Unlike the war in Iraq,
there was no one in Ethiopia who was for the Somali war before they were
against it. Everybody was against it. |
What is his source of
information for the troops’ causalities? Since the Ethiopian government had
not provided causality figures, who concocted the figure of 5,000. There has
been no figures cited, I stand to be corrected. In a situation where
international journalists are absent, aid and NGOs staff and local
journalists are harassed, abducted and
killed, there are no embassies and representatives of international
institutions, and local journalists
are biased against Ethiopian troops, how on earth can one come with such an
estimate? There we go again!
“Everybody was against it.” The author is insulting the intelligence of the
readers. He is, in other words, telling readers they are so foolish they
will buy his lie. How can every Ethiopian be against the war when the Union
of Islamic Courts (UIC) declared jihad against Ethiopia and threatened Addis
Ababa itself? The assertion that “Everybody was against it” negates the
centuries-old cultural and traditional heroic reactions and resistance of
Ethiopians against foreign threats or aggressions. |
|
9. What is the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia?, Ethiolion.com,
October 10,
2008 |
There are long-standing and
legitimate concerns expressed by these groups who want to break away from
the country because they have lacked political voice and opportunity
compared to those in power and when they have spoken out or resisted, they
have faced persecution and repression. Ethiopia cannot be a country
where some groups are left to languish without any of the benefits of modern
society while the dominant and the privileged advance without regard to
them. There are additional
problems related to the increase in piracy in the Red Sea, something that
has become a significant international issue. |
The Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia sounds good. Its assertion
of the “long-standing and
legitimate concerns by these groups [separatists] who want to break away
from the country”, however, negates the concept of solidarity. How can one
support enabling separatists whose intentions are tantamount to wiping
Ethiopia from the map of the world and yet claim solidarity? This assertion is contrary
to what is being done to raise the level of development in all sectors in
all regions. Those regions that, because of neglect by previous regimes
found themselves left behind, are being given special attention.
Disproportionately high budget allocation and provision of
professional support in all sectors by
federal and neighboring more advanced regions to give on the job training to
locals and temporarily fill gaps in expertise and undertaking joint projects
are among measures being taken. There is no piracy in the
Red Sea. The Gulf of Aden along the Somali coast
is the one that is infested with pirates. |
|
10.
Quiet riot in Ethiopia By Alemayehu G. Mariam,
Ethiomedia.com, October 20, 2008 |
In June and November, 2005,
troops loyal to the Zenawi regime opened fire on groups of unarmed “rioters”
in various parts of the country. According to the official Inquiry
Commission, the police shot and killed 193 persons (mostly young people) and
wounded 763 others allegedly involved “riots.”2 Seven riot police
officers allegedly died during the “riot”. |
The author continues to
detail additional casualties and imprisonment in the same paragraph on the
left. He, however, denies the authenticity of the deaths of the police
officers by using the word “allegedly.” The pictures of the dead bodies of
some of the officers were on papers and websites for every one to see. |