OPPOSITIONS’ AND SUPPORTERS’ ENDLESS SMEAR CAMPAIGNS
PART 19
By Mathza, February 22, 2010
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:
·
They condemn Ethiopia’s defense against jihadists;
·
They praise, congratulate, defend, encourage and
support—instead of denouncing—the atrocities committed by separatists and
jihadists;
·
They condemn Ethiopia’s reaction to such atrocities;
·
They collaborate and scheme with the Eritrean government which
has been and is trying hard to destabilize and disintegrate Ethiopia;
·
They belittle EPRDF's sound government policies and
strategies, which have proved successful;
·
They deny and ridicule the double-digit economic growth, a
remarkable progress and performance in socio-economic development in the last
five years; and
·
TThey unashamedly accuse the Prime Minister of being a stooge
of developed countries because of, among others, his success to mobilize foreign
assistance (For example: by not giving in to pressure from such countries to
allow foreign banks to operate in Ethiopia he not only shielded the development
of local banks but also saved the country from the devastating impact of the
current global financial crisis).
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 proceeded by the current two paragraphs).span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
Title/Source/Date
|
Author’s Statement |
My Comments |
1.
Meles family's absolute corruption in Ethiopia,
ethiopianreview.com, December 10th, 2009.
|
Meles
is now estimated to worth $1.2 billion, according to sources close to his
regime. |
The contents of the article are exactly the same as those of “The Meles family involved
in corruption” posted on ethiopianreview.com (January 19, 2009). The only
difference is that the pathological liar and racist Elias has added the
sentence shown in the middle column. The new title is apparently meant to
deceive readers that there are more write-ups on the same subject matter.
The link provided in his write-up (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_heads_of_state_and_government_by_net_worth&oldid=331394125) leads to a list titled “List of heads of state and government by net worth”. As readers are aware wikipedia is “the free
encyclopedia that anyone can edit.” This means anyone can post and edit
anything on wikipedia and no one would know its accuracy and authenticity. It is in recognition of this fact that the
list concerned is preceded by the warning “This
article's factual accuracy is disputed.” Clicking disputed results in “If an article links to this page, it is because the
article may be significantly inaccurate.” In other words, Meles’s enemies, including Elias Kifle himself, could
have inserted the part on Meles, in the above link. The fact that the name Meles figured in the newer version and not in
the previous or current lists supports this. Clicking “(diff)”at Newer
version —> (diff) in the above link results in the following:
||[[Meles Zenawi|Meles
Zenawi]]||[[Prime Minister of Ethiopia|Prime Minister]]||$1.2 billion<ref>[http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/8323]</ref>||{{flagcountry|Ethiopia}} definitely revealing the source is ethiopianreview.com and therefore Elias Kifle. This is a
good example of the extent Elias, the mother of all liars, and his likes go
to conduct campaigns of character assassination of EPRDF government
officials.
From the above it is clear that the source is Elias
himself. And yet the “achberbari” tells us that he obtained the information
from “sources close to his [Meles’s] regime.” This is
another ploy to show off that he has access to inside information of the
Ethiopian government.
|
2. Needs Good Strategies, Rather Than Strategy To Bring
Down Ethiopian Dictators & To Secure Change, by Capt. Woldemikael Dagnachew,
ethiolion.com, (15/12/09).
|
…We must not allow one TPLF leaves Woyane’s secret Ghettos, that not
one office, factory and or be able to hide in Menelik palace bunkers,
toilets or storerooms too. They must be drugged out of their holes, chased
and haunted… …We can also decide to get out into the forest call for lawless
Guerrilla war or Ye-Tor-Zemecha-Wugia… …I can’t reveal the full details (carefully planed for years) for the
preparation that you all would like to hear for safety and security of the
comrades in our country who are engaged in action… |
The writer is a frustrated, vindictive and racist dreamer. He dreams
of
“street fight and battle in the forests.” His lament manifests his frustration “that many [Diasporas] have stopped helping
the poor, the oppressed and also supporting those activists and opposition
parties…” This, evidently, is an indication that more and more Ethiopian
Diaspora are realizing that they have been mislead by the writer and his
likes to support attempts at ousting the EPRDF government was nonsensical
and futile. They have come and are coming to realize and appreciate the
dedication and achievements of the EPRDF in the social, economic and
political fields. From the statements in the middle column it is clear that his hatred
for the TPLF and by association to the Tigrayans is intense. He tells us
that he and his likes have a plan to hunt down all and every TPLF members.
In his words, they “must be drugged out of their holes, chased and haunted”
with no possibility for escape. Obviously, the plan is tantamount to
committing genocide. The good thing is his “akaki zeraf” will not work in
this 21st century. Is it possible that Brigadier General Tefera Mamo and co. were among
those assigned to translate the plan into action, if there is one? The fate
of the General and co. awaits the writer and his likes, especially those who
he says “are engaged in action.” What he and his likes do not understand
is that the Ethiopians are realizing what is good for them and who is likely
to lead them to achieve better life. That is why the people have been
volunteering and cooperating with the government to expose the likes of the
General and co. This demonstrates that the people are fade up with such
troublemakers and power hungry/thirsty groups. They would not hesitate to
continue to alert the government on the culprits’ planned and/or in process
destructive activities. So, my advise to you, Capt. Woldemikael, is to stop hallucinating before
you completely lose your mind. |
3. Ethiopia’s
Traitor Is The West’s Patriot For Selling Ethiopia And Auctioning The
African Continent by Capt. Woldemikael Dagnachew, ethiolion.com, 12/17/09.
|
…Meles Zenawi is a Prisoner and Slave of the West who as said,
had no negotiating skill, power and moral ground to represent African
continent at Copenhagen. …The best negotiators know that negotiation is collaboration, not
a confrontation… |
Here we go again. Capt.
Woldemikael is here with his second write-up within three days. As usual his writing is heavily dotted with obnoxious, foul, toxic,
hate, racist, etc. languages against Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. This is an
indication of his vindictive and uncultured nature.
The moment I watched the Meles/Sarkozy joint press
conference in relation to COP15 (the
15th United Nations Climate Change Conference) I new his detractors would use this occasion to shred him to pieces by
spinning and twisting his initiative that is based on facts and harsh
realities. Meles’s negotiation ability could have possibly contributed in
saving the conference from complete failure.
Evidently, the criticisms leveled at Meles
are not warranted. It should be noted that the original figures claimed by
the developing countries were their targets, not of the developed
countries’. It is a typical tactic during negotiation to set targets higher
or lower than would be achieved because of compromises that would inevitably
be made. Negotiation is give and take. As the writer admitted “negotiation
is collaboration, not a confrontation.”
The African renowned environmentalist, Prof. Wangari Maathai, said “she has
been attending UN meetings since 1976 where delegates argue and wrangle over
language and money, and at the end of the day no delegate leaves the
conference with a perfect document and a perfect financial mechanism to
implement their dreams.” As this shows the outcome of negotiation is not a
zeros sum game. It usually is a win-win game. What Meles came out with was a
win-win solution in regard to developing countries in general and Africa in
particular, showing his negotiating skill, which the writer shamelessly said
Meles does not have. Meles not only helped to convince developed countries to
provide comprehensive support, including the
Copenhagen Green Climate Fund for climate
adaptation and mitigation measures, he also ensured the involvement of the developing
countries concerned in the management of the fund. The recent formation of
the “new Advisory Group on Climate Change
Financing, chaired by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and UK Prime
Minister Gordon Brown” is a concrete follow up to the success of Meles zenawi. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon via
video-link from New York, London and Addis Ababa announced it.
Copenhagen is not the end of the problems related to
global warming. The pledges made at the conference are good for a starter.
Global warming will continue to be monitored and discussed. It is reported
that, as a follow-up, developed countries have submitted emission targets by
the end of January 2010. In the future, changes will necessarily be made
commensurate with the severity of changing circumstances starting in 2010 in
Mexico. A review of the
accord reached at Copenhagen will be made in 2015. If and when necessary, it is plausible to assume that new policies
and strategies will be devised and additional resources made available.
Although not binding, the accord reached at Copenhagen has started the ball
rolling and will, hopefully, be followed soon by a legally binding
agreement. There is, therefore, no doubt that the series of one-to-one
consultations the Prime Minister made with world leaders resulted in support
of the African position, including financial support that, unlike financial
pledges in the past is expected to be disbursed fully and according to
schedule.
Finally, the recent AU
Summit adopted Prime Minister Meles’s report on the Copenhagen climate
conference. It endorsed
the provisions of the Copenhagen Accord. It re-elected him to continue to represent Africa
in the field of climate change. These prove that all the lies, twisting and
spinning by the writer and his likes miserably failed to make a dent in the
Prime Minister’s international eminence.
|
4. What happened in Copenhagen? By Tselotachin, ethiomedia.com, December 21,
2009.
|
…He
[Meles Zenawi] hopes to dismember Ethiopia when he runs out of tricks so
that no one nation has the legal right or ability to pursue and bring him to
justice from whereever he is planning to hide… …As a
pay back, Zenawi announced Africa has agreed to the proposal put forward by
the West… |
Many of the wild allegations in this write-up are repetitions of the mantras
by many of the writer’s likes. The statements in the middle column are
examples of lies, the second being a “breaking news.” They are, as usual,
not supported by an iota of evidence. They are simply concocted to mislead
readers. The only readers who would enjoy reading such non-senses are the
gullible chauvinists who are conditioned to hear/read what they want to
hear/read. I have nothing to add as readers have already read my lengthy
comment on item 3 above.
|
|
5. Ethiopian activists protest in Copenhagen, ethiomedia.com, December 21, 2009. |
Zenawi, …has committed numerous crimes - ranging from turning Ethiopia into
a landlocked nation… |
Mr. Editor, don’t you and your likes get tired repeating ad infinitum “the
Meles made Ethiopia a landlocked nation” mantra? In 1991 Meles had two
options to keep Assab. The first was to negotiate with Isayas. The second
was to use force. Subsequent behavior of Isayas has shown that negotiation
would not have worked. Meles and his colleagues knew from experience that
this was not possible. The fact that Isayas invaded areas under Ethiopian
administration is a clear proof for this. As regards the second option,
there were many separatists and liberation fronts ready to raise havoc in
the country. The EPRDF at that time did not have the manpower or the
financial resources to retain Assab by force. Had he tried to do so the end
result would have been ethnic conflicts with dire consequences and the
disintegration of Ethiopia. There was, therefore, nothing that he could have
done to keep Assab.
|
6.
The case for war, By Yilma
Bekele, ethiopianreview.com, December 31st, 2009.
|
…This new year fills
us with hope that at longlast we are ready to take matters into our own
hands. It is a new year, It is a new day. It is
a new begining. It is the time to stand up…The days of lametation is over.
The time has come to act… |
As the title indicates this is a declaration of war by a warmonger, his new
year’s wish. Many of his likes, including Woldemikael Dagnachew (items 2 and
3 above), have, for the last 18 years, been telling us of the eminent
downfall of the EPRDF government. This cyber warrior (the writer), unlike
the other doomsayers, is specific in that the downfall will be brought about
by waging war. His year 2010 wish is to start action, meaning war. Is this
wishful thinking based on President Isayas’s recent prediction that the
demise of Weyanne is on its 11 hours 59th minute? He seems to be
unaware of the many failed attempts at starting war by warmongers (EPPF,
Ginbot-7, OLF, etc.) and their fates. He is naïve to think starting war
would end the EPRDF and propel him and his likes to power they covet so
much. He is blind of the horrible consequences of initiating war. We live in
the 21st
century when the Ethiopians of all ethnic groups, unlike during the era of the
feudal and Derg regimes, are emancipated and will jealously defend any
machinations by chauvinists. It is crystal clear that starting war is
neither in the interest of chauvinists nor of Ethiopia.
|
|
7. CONDEMN THE BETRAYAL OF THE MELES REGIME ON THE QUESTION OF THE NILE RIVER, by EPRP, ethiolion.com, January 3/2010. |
Officially the
Meles regime signed with Egypt a Memorandum of Understanding to establish An
Ethiopian-Egyptian Council of Commerce but sources close to the regime in
Addis Ababa reveal that Egypt's interest not to sign an
agreement demanded by the Nile Basin Initiative has obtained the support of
Meles Zenawi. … Most observers have affirmed that the Meles regime
would shift position and back Egypt thereby betraying Ethiopia and the Nile
riparian countries… |
“Sources close to the regime” and “most observers” are among typical phrases
many Diaspora Ethiopians use to give the semblance of truth to their lies
and fabrications. This is particularly the case with EPRP. Those readers who
have been listening to Finote radio and reading EPRP’s writings would
remember the ubiquitous references to “our sources” (in Ethiopia).
Now EPRP has the audacity to brainwash us that Meles supports the Egyptian
and Sudanese demand to maintain the status quo utilization of the Nile
waters. The memorandum of understanding recently signed by both countries,
which EPRP used as basis for manufacturing lies and spinning to mislead
readers has nothing to do with the Nile. Not so long ago EPRP and its likes
accused Meles for selling Africa at Copenhagen. By his success the astute
negotiator exposed the liars (see items 2 and 3 above). We know the only
concrete achievement at Copenhagen was the financial commitment made for
developing countries. There is no doubt that eventually a similar situation
will prevail with respect to the sharing of the waters of the Nile.
|
8.
EPPF chapters affirm
solidarity with Eritrea, by EPPF,
ethopianreview.com, January 6th, 2010.
|
The resolution [of the EPPF
chapters] …condemns the recent military aggression against Eritrea by the
Woyanne junta at Zalambesa… …calls on the military in
Ethiopia under the current regime not to take orders from the anti-Ethiopia
Woyanne junta… |
The original resolution in Amharic of the Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front
(EPPF) chapters comprises three elements. Two of them are included in the
English version. The third, which condemns the United Nations’ sanction
against Eritrea, was omitted. This was, probably, done to shield EPPF from
criticism by non-Amharic readers.
The Eritrean government accused the Ethiopian government of launching an attack on New Year’s Day in the Zalambesa area. The
latter denied this. The alleged date coincides with the raids by the joint Eritrean National Salvation Front (ENSF)/Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) in the Senafe and Tserona
areas on the dawn of January 1st, 2010. This shows the suspect
nature of the accusation. Of course, the claim by ENSF/RSADO cannot be true
as the Eritrean government laughably denies the existence of oppositions! To
support its lie the government said one “can contact…the prisoners of war
about the details." There are no Ethiopian prisoners of war. If there had
been the Isayas regime would have not wasted time to enthusiastically
exhibit them on video as they often do with Ethiopian deserters who are insignificant in number
compared to Eritrean deserters (4,131
soldiers of 11,653 total refugees in 2009). We know the
Eritrean government is quick to create some thing out of nothing let alone
one with semblance of possibility no matter how far fetched. We would not be
surprised if it could come up with an orchestrated interview using Ethiopian
opposition elements under its command and dead bodies from the 1998-2000
war, which Eritreans shamefully continue to claim that Eritrea won. According to GedabNews of Awate.com, the two
prisoners alleged to be Ethiopians are Mr. Nur Mussa Nakuda of RSADO
and Mr.
Michael Antonio of ENSF.
By the way, why is the government not submitting complaint
to the United Nations, the EU, or any other entity? This is the thing to do
as the government of Djibouti did when Eritrea occupied its territory.
Although the Eritrean government is capable of doing anything it chose not
to because it has no basis for doing so.
The EPPF call to the Ethiopian defense forces to disobey
the government is laughable. The forces know they are there to defend the
constitution. They know the current government is the best bet for their
loved ones and their country. They know the dire consequences on their
country of disobeying their government.
|
9.
Reflection Brings Questions, by Obang
Metho, ethiopianreview.com, January 11th, 2010.
|
Those suffering the most
are the vulnerable, the women, the elders and especially the children. For
me, my childhood in Gambella was the best part of my life. I was free, happy
and carefree; but today, the majority of Ethiopian children have been robbed
of this… |
As the creator of
Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) the writer is
disheartened and frustrated by lack of progress in mobilizing followers
despite pleas in a number of his writings and at meetings, demonstrations,
etc. He says Ethiopians come in droves for entertainment but practically
none for opposing the current government. In his attempt to convince
Ethiopians in the Diaspora to come together he utters a lot of false
information, compares apples and oranges, etc. Two examples of such
utterances are presented in the middle column.
In the first, he mentions three groups of the Ethiopian society suffering
the most. For unknown reason(s) he excludes the youth, implying the youth is
better off, immune to such sufferings. By making such remarks he
inadvertently admits that the conditions of the youth are better. Yes,
thanks to the EPRDF government, more and more youth are improving their
conditions of living just like their compatriots, the farmers.
In his second, he tells us children in Gambela were better off during the
past regimes. Really! He has a short memory. I do not think his parents and
grand parents who were marginalized and considered second-class citizens
(whose existence was not even acknowledged) would subscribe to his
assertion. Besides, how many of his age children went to school in those
days? (From his writings one can deduce he is a product of a mission
school.) Nowadays, thanks to the EPRDF system of government, practically all
children go to school in all parts of the country.
|
|
10. Ethiopia’s government tamps down on press freedoms, by
Tesfaye Negussie, ethiolion.com, January
13, 2010. |
“Remember, this is
still Africa,” warned a friend…He explained in a low whisper that I needed
to be careful about what I said in pubic…to keep my mouth shut because my
career could end with one swift phone call…” Even as I write
these words, I cringe that some government official is reading this, and my
name too will be added to the blacklist. …a country where
one wrong step against the government can threaten your career, safety,
freedom and, in some cases, your life. |
The warning advices on what one says in public given to the writer are
routinely propagated by anti-government elements. They are among the tactics
employed by nay Sayers and doomsayers to help them take over the government
they covet so much. Here is an example. An individual complained about
electric power outage in Awassah on VOA a day after the inauguration of
Gilgel Gibe II. The man withheld his name for the absurd reason: “beselam
shiroyen meblat
efelgalehu.” Now, we all know that countless number of Ethiopians have been
making the same or similar complaints. We, however, never heard of anyone
suffering as a result. The man’s intention is obvious. If there had been
cases (rare occurrences) where individuals
were arrested or questioned by the security for talking in public there must
have been good reasons, such as spewing statements that create hostility
between or among different ethnic groups. As we all know the print media
used to fill their pages (some still do) with inflammatory and defamatory
materials full of fabricated allegations against the government and its
officials. Practically every issue of their papers could have landed them in
courts. Apparently the government looked the other way and only brought to
court an insignificant number of cases. This being the reality, it is
difficult to imagine the government going after individuals discussing
politics and in the process making utterances against the government.
|