Hailu Shawel disinvited from King birthday celebration
December 21st, 2007 |
The Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday celebration organizing committee in Atlanta disinvited the estranged chairman of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit) from giving a speech.
The committee decided to take this action after learning about Ato Hailu's dictatorial action last week against members of the Kinijit executive committee.
The committee instead invited Prof. Alemayehu Gebremariam to address the gathering in Atlanta to celebrate the civil right leader's birthday on January 15, 2008.
Martin Luther King's birthday is a federal holiday in the United States.
Ato Assefa Dires, who introduced himself as Hailu Shawel's "chief of staff," appealed the committee's decision to the King family and friends, including prominent civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery. He argued that Hailu Shawel is still the chairman of Kinijit. As evidence he presented Kinijit spokesperson Dr Hailu Araya's interview with the VOA earlier this week. Chief of Staff Assefa was simply told that Ato Hailu's action is contrary to the teachings and principles of the civil rights community.
When Kinijit delegation led by Bertukan Mideksa went to Atlanta in October, they had visited the King Center and met with Rev. Joseph Lowery and other members of the civil rights community in Atlanta.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Elias Kifle on Hailu Shawel gang disrupted Kiniit council meeting in Addis Ababa
Hailu Shawel gang disrupted Kiniit council meeting in Addis Ababa
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/1663
http://www.zikkir.com/zena/2007/zikkirNewsService12232007.pdf
December 23rd, 2007 |
A group of unknown individuals claiming to be followers of Hailu Shawel blocked Kinijit supreme council members from entering their party's office to attend today's emergency meeting. Some of the individuals pushed around Dr Hailu Araya and Ato Muluneh Eyoel, and tried to take away their cellphones. The security guards also told the council members to go way saying that the office belongs to AEUP, not Kinijit. Ethiopian Review will interview Kinijit spokesperson today at 2:00 PM EST. The interview can be listened live at
ዝክር የዜና Aግልግሎት
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የቅንጅት Aመራር የድብደባ ሙከራ ተደረገበት
በዛሬው Eለት ቸርችል ጎዳና በሚገኘው የቅንጅት ለAንድነትና ለዴሞክራሲ ቢሮ ጉባኤውን ሊያካሂድ
የነበረው ቁጥሩ ከሃያ በላይ የሚሆን የፓርቲው የላEላይ ም/ቤት Aባል የመIAድ Aባላት ነን በሚሉና
ቁጥራቸው ከ15 በማያንስ ወጣቶች የድብደባ ሙከራ ተደርጎበት ተበተነ ፡፡ጉዳዩን ሲከታተሉ የነበሩ
የAከባቢው ነዋሪዎች Aይዟችሁ ሲሉ ተደምጠዋል፡፡
ከቀኑ በ 8፡00 ሰAት ጀምሮ በቢሮው በራፍ ላይ ጉባዔውን ሊያካሂዱ የተሰባሰቡት የላEላይ ም/ቤት Aባላት
የጽ/ቤቱ በር Eንዲከፈት ያደረጉት ሙከራ Aልተሳካም፡፡ዋና ጸሀፊው Aቶ ሙሉነህና ዶ/ር ሃይሉ AርAያ
ቢሯችንን ክፈቱልን ቢሉም ‹‹Eነማን ናችሁ? Aናውቃችሁም!››የሚል Aስገራሚ ምላሽ ከጥበቃዎቹ
ተሰጥቷቸዋል፡፡
በዚህ ሁኔታ ያዘኑት የላEላይ ም/ቤት Aባላት ቀጥሎ የተፈጸመውን ነገር ፈጽሞ Aልጠረጠሩም ነበር፡፡15
የሚሆኑ ወጣቶች ከቢሯችን በር ላይ ሂዱ በማለት Aመባጓሮ Aስነሱ፡፡ሶስት ወጣቶች ዶ/ር ኀይሉን መገፍተር
ጀመሩ፡፡በዚህ ወቅት ቃል Aቀባዩ ፍጹም በተረጋጋ መንፈስ ‹‹የኔ ልጆች Eናንተ Eነማን ናችሁ?
የምትፈልጉትስ ምንድነው? ››የሚል ጥያቄ Aቀረቡ፡፡ምላሹ በዙርያው ሁኔታውን የሚከታተለውን ህዝብ
ያሳቀ ነበር፡፡
‹‹Eኛ መIAዶች ነን፡፡መሪያችን ጀግናው ሃይሉ ሻውል ነው፣Aሁን ቢሯችንን ልቀቁ ያለበለዚያ…››ከማለት
Aልፈው በትህትና Eያናገሯቸው ያሉትን ኀይሉን ሞባይል ለመንጠቅ ሞከሩ፡፡ዶ/ር በፍቃዱ ማህል ገብተው
ለመገላገል ሲሞክሩ ጉዳዩ የለየለት Aምባጓሮ መሰለ፡፡በሌላ በኩል የAቶ ሙሉነህ Iዩኤልን ሞባይል
ለመንጠቅ የሚታገሉ ወጣቶች ታዩ፡፡
በጽህፈት ቤቱ በር ላይ የነበሩት ጥበቃዎች ከወጣቶቹ ጋር ያደርጉ የነበረው ምልክታዊ ንግግር ደግሞ በጣም
Aሳፋሪው ገመና ነበር፡፡ዘጋቢያችን ያነጋገራቸው ዶ/ር ሃይሉ ትግላችን በዚህ የሚኮላሽ የመሰላቸው ወገኖች
ካሉ በግዜ ተስፋ ቢቆርጡ ይሻላል ሲሉ በጽናት Eንደሚታገሉ ገልጸዋል፡፡የላEላይ ም/ቤት Aባሉ Aቶ
ታምራት ታረቀኝ በበኩላቸው ይህ ክስተት የተወሰኑ የፓርቲው Aባላት የሚፈጽሙት Eርባን የለሽ ተግባር
መሆኑን በመግለጽ በትግሉ ላይ የሚያመጣው ለውጥ Eንደሌለ Aስታውቀዋል፡፡
በሚቀጥለው ሳምንት ተመሳሳይ ጉባኤ Eንደሚደረግና ኮረም የማይሞላ ከሆነ Aንድ ተጨማሪ ሳምንት ተሰጥቶ
ጉዳዩ Eንደሚቋጭና ህዝባዊ ትግሉ በስፋት Eንደሚቀጥል ስራ Aስፈጻሚው ገልጻል፡፡
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/1663
http://www.zikkir.com/zena/2007/zikkirNewsService12232007.pdf
December 23rd, 2007 |
A group of unknown individuals claiming to be followers of Hailu Shawel blocked Kinijit supreme council members from entering their party's office to attend today's emergency meeting. Some of the individuals pushed around Dr Hailu Araya and Ato Muluneh Eyoel, and tried to take away their cellphones. The security guards also told the council members to go way saying that the office belongs to AEUP, not Kinijit. Ethiopian Review will interview Kinijit spokesperson today at 2:00 PM EST. The interview can be listened live at
ዝክር የዜና Aግልግሎት
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የቅንጅት Aመራር የድብደባ ሙከራ ተደረገበት
በዛሬው Eለት ቸርችል ጎዳና በሚገኘው የቅንጅት ለAንድነትና ለዴሞክራሲ ቢሮ ጉባኤውን ሊያካሂድ
የነበረው ቁጥሩ ከሃያ በላይ የሚሆን የፓርቲው የላEላይ ም/ቤት Aባል የመIAድ Aባላት ነን በሚሉና
ቁጥራቸው ከ15 በማያንስ ወጣቶች የድብደባ ሙከራ ተደርጎበት ተበተነ ፡፡ጉዳዩን ሲከታተሉ የነበሩ
የAከባቢው ነዋሪዎች Aይዟችሁ ሲሉ ተደምጠዋል፡፡
ከቀኑ በ 8፡00 ሰAት ጀምሮ በቢሮው በራፍ ላይ ጉባዔውን ሊያካሂዱ የተሰባሰቡት የላEላይ ም/ቤት Aባላት
የጽ/ቤቱ በር Eንዲከፈት ያደረጉት ሙከራ Aልተሳካም፡፡ዋና ጸሀፊው Aቶ ሙሉነህና ዶ/ር ሃይሉ AርAያ
ቢሯችንን ክፈቱልን ቢሉም ‹‹Eነማን ናችሁ? Aናውቃችሁም!››የሚል Aስገራሚ ምላሽ ከጥበቃዎቹ
ተሰጥቷቸዋል፡፡
በዚህ ሁኔታ ያዘኑት የላEላይ ም/ቤት Aባላት ቀጥሎ የተፈጸመውን ነገር ፈጽሞ Aልጠረጠሩም ነበር፡፡15
የሚሆኑ ወጣቶች ከቢሯችን በር ላይ ሂዱ በማለት Aመባጓሮ Aስነሱ፡፡ሶስት ወጣቶች ዶ/ር ኀይሉን መገፍተር
ጀመሩ፡፡በዚህ ወቅት ቃል Aቀባዩ ፍጹም በተረጋጋ መንፈስ ‹‹የኔ ልጆች Eናንተ Eነማን ናችሁ?
የምትፈልጉትስ ምንድነው? ››የሚል ጥያቄ Aቀረቡ፡፡ምላሹ በዙርያው ሁኔታውን የሚከታተለውን ህዝብ
ያሳቀ ነበር፡፡
‹‹Eኛ መIAዶች ነን፡፡መሪያችን ጀግናው ሃይሉ ሻውል ነው፣Aሁን ቢሯችንን ልቀቁ ያለበለዚያ…››ከማለት
Aልፈው በትህትና Eያናገሯቸው ያሉትን ኀይሉን ሞባይል ለመንጠቅ ሞከሩ፡፡ዶ/ር በፍቃዱ ማህል ገብተው
ለመገላገል ሲሞክሩ ጉዳዩ የለየለት Aምባጓሮ መሰለ፡፡በሌላ በኩል የAቶ ሙሉነህ Iዩኤልን ሞባይል
ለመንጠቅ የሚታገሉ ወጣቶች ታዩ፡፡
በጽህፈት ቤቱ በር ላይ የነበሩት ጥበቃዎች ከወጣቶቹ ጋር ያደርጉ የነበረው ምልክታዊ ንግግር ደግሞ በጣም
Aሳፋሪው ገመና ነበር፡፡ዘጋቢያችን ያነጋገራቸው ዶ/ር ሃይሉ ትግላችን በዚህ የሚኮላሽ የመሰላቸው ወገኖች
ካሉ በግዜ ተስፋ ቢቆርጡ ይሻላል ሲሉ በጽናት Eንደሚታገሉ ገልጸዋል፡፡የላEላይ ም/ቤት Aባሉ Aቶ
ታምራት ታረቀኝ በበኩላቸው ይህ ክስተት የተወሰኑ የፓርቲው Aባላት የሚፈጽሙት Eርባን የለሽ ተግባር
መሆኑን በመግለጽ በትግሉ ላይ የሚያመጣው ለውጥ Eንደሌለ Aስታውቀዋል፡፡
በሚቀጥለው ሳምንት ተመሳሳይ ጉባኤ Eንደሚደረግና ኮረም የማይሞላ ከሆነ Aንድ ተጨማሪ ሳምንት ተሰጥቶ
ጉዳዩ Eንደሚቋጭና ህዝባዊ ትግሉ በስፋት Eንደሚቀጥል ስራ Aስፈጻሚው ገልጻል፡፡
Elias Kifle on Guad Hailu Shawel's 'Yefiyel Wotete'
Guad Hailu Shawel's 'Yefiyel Wotete'
December 12th, 2007 |
Web sites affiliated with Woyanne and the Iyasu Alemayehu faction of EPRP are reporting that the estranged chairman of Kinijit, Ato Hailu Shawel, has issued a decree suspending Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa and four other top Kinijit leaders
Guad Hailu's decree (issued from his mansion in Minnesota) was read first at an EPRP-linked paltalk room. Then instantly it was posted on Woyanne and EPRP web sites such as debteraw. A few hours later, a web site hijacked by Hailu Shawel's friend, Ato Moges Brook, posted the seven-page statement that sounded like it came from ጊዜያዊ ወታደራዊ አስተዳደር ደርግ (Gizeawi Wotaderawi Asterdader Derg), with 'የፍየል ወጠጤ' ('Yefiyel Wotete') playing in the background.
The statement signed by Ato Hailu Shawel is nothing but an indictment against himself for it revealed how reckless and outlaw — not to mention out of touch with reality — he and his corrupt friends are.
In light of this latest development, the Kinijit Council must meet immediately and start a proceeding to impeach and remove Ato Hailu Shawel. He has done enough damage not only to Kinijit, but also to the struggle for democracy in Ethiopia, in general. If the Council fails to do that, i.e., enforce its own rules, it might as well disband itself.
December 12th, 2007 |
Web sites affiliated with Woyanne and the Iyasu Alemayehu faction of EPRP are reporting that the estranged chairman of Kinijit, Ato Hailu Shawel, has issued a decree suspending Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa and four other top Kinijit leaders
Guad Hailu's decree (issued from his mansion in Minnesota) was read first at an EPRP-linked paltalk room. Then instantly it was posted on Woyanne and EPRP web sites such as debteraw. A few hours later, a web site hijacked by Hailu Shawel's friend, Ato Moges Brook, posted the seven-page statement that sounded like it came from ጊዜያዊ ወታደራዊ አስተዳደር ደርግ (Gizeawi Wotaderawi Asterdader Derg), with 'የፍየል ወጠጤ' ('Yefiyel Wotete') playing in the background.
The statement signed by Ato Hailu Shawel is nothing but an indictment against himself for it revealed how reckless and outlaw — not to mention out of touch with reality — he and his corrupt friends are.
In light of this latest development, the Kinijit Council must meet immediately and start a proceeding to impeach and remove Ato Hailu Shawel. He has done enough damage not only to Kinijit, but also to the struggle for democracy in Ethiopia, in general. If the Council fails to do that, i.e., enforce its own rules, it might as well disband itself.
Elias Kifle on Hailu Shawel's house in Addis up for rent
Hailu Shawel's house in Addis up for rent
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/1706
http://www.zikkir.com/zena/?p=99
January 4th, 2008 | 6 Comments
The estranged chairman of Kinijit has put up his huge house in Addis Ababa for rent. The asking monthly rate is $6,500 USD (60,000 birr). This has intensified the speculation that Ato Hailu will not return to Ethiopia
የኃይሉ ሻውል መመለስ አጠራጣሪ ሆኗል
አምስት የቅንጅት ለአንድነትና ለዴሞክራሲ የስራ አስፈጻሚ አባላትን ከፓርቲው ህገ ደንብ ውጭ አግጃለሁ በማለት ህዝባዊው ድርጅት በገዢው ፓርቲ እየተፈጸመበት የነበረውን የማፍረስ ጥረት ከፍተኛ እገዛ የሰጡት ኃይሉ ሻውል ወደ አገር ቤት የመመለሳቸው ጉዳይ አጠራጣሪ መሆኑን የቅርብ ምንጮች አመለከቱ፡፡
ሊቀ መንበሩን መመለስ ከሚጠራጠሩት ወገኖች አንደኛው በቀድሞው የመኢአድ ጽ/ቤት በመሆን የአቶ ኃይሉን ትእዛዝ የሚያስፈጽሙት አባላት ጭምር መሆናቸው ጉዳዩን አስገራሚ አድርጎታል፡፡ በጽ/ቤቱ በሚደረጉ የውይይት አጀንዳዎች ላይም ይህ ሃሳብ ተነስቶ እንደማያውቅ ማንነታቸው እንዲገለጽ ያለፈለጉ የቅርብ ወዳጆቻቸው ገልጸዋል፡፡
በተለይ ሰሞኑን ሳሪስ አቦ የሚገኘውን የአቶ ኃይሉን ቤት ለማከራየት በደላሎች አማካይነት እየተደረገ ያለው ጥረት አቶ ኃይሉ መኖርያቸውን በዘላቂነት በአሜሪካ ሊያደርጉ ይችላሉ የሚለውን ጥርጣሬ አጉልቶታል፡፡ለዚህ የመኖርያ ቤት የተጠየቀው የኪራይ መጠን 60 ሺህ ብር (U.S. $6,500 በወር) ያህል መሆኑን የተከራይ አፈላላጊዎቹ ገልጸውልናል፡፡
ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለ የፓርቲውን ሃላፊነት ተረክቦ ወሳኝ እንቅስቃሴዎችን የጀመረው የቅንጅት ለአንድነትና ለዴሞክራሲ ፓርቲ የስራ አስፈጻሚ አካል በእሁዱ ላእላይ ም/ቤት አባላት የተላለፉትን ውሳኔዎች ለማስፈጸም ከፍተኛ እንቅስቃሴ የጀመረ ሲሆን በትናንትናው እለት በመሰብሰብ በተግባራዊ ሂደቶች ዙርያ በሚያከናውናቸው አጀንዳዎች ዙርያ መክሯል፡፡
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/1706
http://www.zikkir.com/zena/?p=99
January 4th, 2008 | 6 Comments
The estranged chairman of Kinijit has put up his huge house in Addis Ababa for rent. The asking monthly rate is $6,500 USD (60,000 birr). This has intensified the speculation that Ato Hailu will not return to Ethiopia
የኃይሉ ሻውል መመለስ አጠራጣሪ ሆኗል
አምስት የቅንጅት ለአንድነትና ለዴሞክራሲ የስራ አስፈጻሚ አባላትን ከፓርቲው ህገ ደንብ ውጭ አግጃለሁ በማለት ህዝባዊው ድርጅት በገዢው ፓርቲ እየተፈጸመበት የነበረውን የማፍረስ ጥረት ከፍተኛ እገዛ የሰጡት ኃይሉ ሻውል ወደ አገር ቤት የመመለሳቸው ጉዳይ አጠራጣሪ መሆኑን የቅርብ ምንጮች አመለከቱ፡፡
ሊቀ መንበሩን መመለስ ከሚጠራጠሩት ወገኖች አንደኛው በቀድሞው የመኢአድ ጽ/ቤት በመሆን የአቶ ኃይሉን ትእዛዝ የሚያስፈጽሙት አባላት ጭምር መሆናቸው ጉዳዩን አስገራሚ አድርጎታል፡፡ በጽ/ቤቱ በሚደረጉ የውይይት አጀንዳዎች ላይም ይህ ሃሳብ ተነስቶ እንደማያውቅ ማንነታቸው እንዲገለጽ ያለፈለጉ የቅርብ ወዳጆቻቸው ገልጸዋል፡፡
በተለይ ሰሞኑን ሳሪስ አቦ የሚገኘውን የአቶ ኃይሉን ቤት ለማከራየት በደላሎች አማካይነት እየተደረገ ያለው ጥረት አቶ ኃይሉ መኖርያቸውን በዘላቂነት በአሜሪካ ሊያደርጉ ይችላሉ የሚለውን ጥርጣሬ አጉልቶታል፡፡ለዚህ የመኖርያ ቤት የተጠየቀው የኪራይ መጠን 60 ሺህ ብር (U.S. $6,500 በወር) ያህል መሆኑን የተከራይ አፈላላጊዎቹ ገልጸውልናል፡፡
ይህ በእንዲህ እንዳለ የፓርቲውን ሃላፊነት ተረክቦ ወሳኝ እንቅስቃሴዎችን የጀመረው የቅንጅት ለአንድነትና ለዴሞክራሲ ፓርቲ የስራ አስፈጻሚ አካል በእሁዱ ላእላይ ም/ቤት አባላት የተላለፉትን ውሳኔዎች ለማስፈጸም ከፍተኛ እንቅስቃሴ የጀመረ ሲሆን በትናንትናው እለት በመሰብሰብ በተግባራዊ ሂደቶች ዙርያ በሚያከናውናቸው አጀንዳዎች ዙርያ መክሯል፡፡
Elias Kifle on Hailu Shawel's family business thriving under Woyanne
Hailu Shawel's family business thriving under Woyanne
December 18th, 2007 |
Shawel Consulting, Hailu Shawel's family business based in Addis Ababa, is one of the few thriving companies in Ethiopia that are successfully competing with Sebhat Nega's EFFORT and Al Amoudi's Midrock.
ER Research Unit in Addis Ababa has learned that recently, the Woyanne regime's deputy prime minister, Addisu Legesse, has helped Hailu Shawel's company, Shawel Consulting Firm, land a lucrative contract in the 'Amhara Killil' to upgrade Bahr Dar Airport.
Shawel's Consulting Firm started to get lucrative government contract particularly since 2006, according to ER Research Unit.
Prior to 2006, the company and Hailu Shawel's family were on a downward spiral financially, sources told ER Research Unit. Until the Summer of 2006, the Shawel family could not even keep up with the mortgage of their $600,000 house in Edina, Minnesota. Ato Hailu's close family friend in Los Angeles, Ato Moges Brook, had to pay over $15,000 mortgage from Kinijit's account that he and Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew control.
Hailu Shawel's $600,000 house in Edina, Minnesota
Recently, however, the family business is thriving. On top of the airport upgrade contract in the "Amhara Killil," Hailu Shawel's firm is currently working on another multimillion dollar construction project to build a large shopping mall. ER Research Unit is working to get more details and photos of this project.
Ato Hailu Shawel and Company have also been promised by Woyanne that they can freely operate in any part of Ethiopia and prepare for the next election as long as they do not use the name Kinijit. Ato Hailu has accepted the offer, but had to find a pretext to withdraw from Kinijit without causing himself and his group a public backlash. Before he departed for the U.S., he held meetings with former AEUP officials and created various committees that are assigned the task of reorganizing AEUP.
Asked by Kinijit officials Bertukan Mideksa and others why a bank account was opened under AEUP and the office rental contract was also renewed under AEUP, Ato Abayneh Berhanu and other colleagues of Hailu Shawel answered that Woyanne would not allow them to operate under Kinijit. When making such a decision, Ato Abayneh did not bother to consult with the Kinijit executive committee.
Currently, Ato Hailu Shawel and Company are busy preparing to participate in the upcoming local elections in April 2008 under the AEUP banner. Several teams have been dispatched to various woredas (districts) through out the country to re-open AEUP offices. Even the exiled Dr Taye Woldesemayat is returning to Ethiopia to help with preparations for the upcoming elections. He told Hailu Shawel's supporters at the Paltalk's Diaspora Room on Sunday that he is planning to go to Ethiopia soon.
All this is done by Hailu Shawel and gang while lying to the public that Kinijit is united. What these fools don't know is that, after they help Woyanne destroy Kinijit, Woyanne will turn on them. Woyannes have promised themselves never again to allow the 2005 type of election where international observers will be present.
All Hailu Shawel's corruption, business dealings with Addisu Legesse and other Woaynnes, reorganizing of AEUP, the campaign to dismantle Kinijit, etc. are not secret to Wzt. Bertukan and her friends. It is just that they are too timid to expose them. Wzt. Bertukan and crew are too nice to be politicians. Why don't they open a book store and smile all day? They have turned out to be ragdolls in the face of an all out assault by the AEUP feudalists-Woyanne-EPRP unholy alliance. As far as ER is concerned, they are toast — unless they clean up their act and start fighting back.
December 18th, 2007 |
Shawel Consulting, Hailu Shawel's family business based in Addis Ababa, is one of the few thriving companies in Ethiopia that are successfully competing with Sebhat Nega's EFFORT and Al Amoudi's Midrock.
ER Research Unit in Addis Ababa has learned that recently, the Woyanne regime's deputy prime minister, Addisu Legesse, has helped Hailu Shawel's company, Shawel Consulting Firm, land a lucrative contract in the 'Amhara Killil' to upgrade Bahr Dar Airport.
Shawel's Consulting Firm started to get lucrative government contract particularly since 2006, according to ER Research Unit.
Prior to 2006, the company and Hailu Shawel's family were on a downward spiral financially, sources told ER Research Unit. Until the Summer of 2006, the Shawel family could not even keep up with the mortgage of their $600,000 house in Edina, Minnesota. Ato Hailu's close family friend in Los Angeles, Ato Moges Brook, had to pay over $15,000 mortgage from Kinijit's account that he and Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew control.
Hailu Shawel's $600,000 house in Edina, Minnesota
Recently, however, the family business is thriving. On top of the airport upgrade contract in the "Amhara Killil," Hailu Shawel's firm is currently working on another multimillion dollar construction project to build a large shopping mall. ER Research Unit is working to get more details and photos of this project.
Ato Hailu Shawel and Company have also been promised by Woyanne that they can freely operate in any part of Ethiopia and prepare for the next election as long as they do not use the name Kinijit. Ato Hailu has accepted the offer, but had to find a pretext to withdraw from Kinijit without causing himself and his group a public backlash. Before he departed for the U.S., he held meetings with former AEUP officials and created various committees that are assigned the task of reorganizing AEUP.
Asked by Kinijit officials Bertukan Mideksa and others why a bank account was opened under AEUP and the office rental contract was also renewed under AEUP, Ato Abayneh Berhanu and other colleagues of Hailu Shawel answered that Woyanne would not allow them to operate under Kinijit. When making such a decision, Ato Abayneh did not bother to consult with the Kinijit executive committee.
Currently, Ato Hailu Shawel and Company are busy preparing to participate in the upcoming local elections in April 2008 under the AEUP banner. Several teams have been dispatched to various woredas (districts) through out the country to re-open AEUP offices. Even the exiled Dr Taye Woldesemayat is returning to Ethiopia to help with preparations for the upcoming elections. He told Hailu Shawel's supporters at the Paltalk's Diaspora Room on Sunday that he is planning to go to Ethiopia soon.
All this is done by Hailu Shawel and gang while lying to the public that Kinijit is united. What these fools don't know is that, after they help Woyanne destroy Kinijit, Woyanne will turn on them. Woyannes have promised themselves never again to allow the 2005 type of election where international observers will be present.
All Hailu Shawel's corruption, business dealings with Addisu Legesse and other Woaynnes, reorganizing of AEUP, the campaign to dismantle Kinijit, etc. are not secret to Wzt. Bertukan and her friends. It is just that they are too timid to expose them. Wzt. Bertukan and crew are too nice to be politicians. Why don't they open a book store and smile all day? They have turned out to be ragdolls in the face of an all out assault by the AEUP feudalists-Woyanne-EPRP unholy alliance. As far as ER is concerned, they are toast — unless they clean up their act and start fighting back.
Elias Kifle on Hailu Shawel gets a no confidence vote by Ethiopians in DC
Hailu Shawel gets a no confidence vote by Ethiopians in DC
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/1324
October 14th, 2007 |
Ethiopians in Washington DC said NO to dictatorship
Ethiopians in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area told Hailu Shawel on Sunday in no uncertain term that they do not support dictatorship.
The people expressed their opposition to dictatorship by not showing up at a public meeting organized by the Shaleqa-EPRP alliance (KIC) for Ato Hailu Shawel.
According to Ethiopian Review sources who were inside the meeting hall, only 300-400 people showed up. Of those who showed up, many of them were relatives and close family friends of Ato Hailu Shawel and his circle of crooked friends who have come from out of town. Ato Mogus Brook and friends have come all the way from Los Angeles for the meeting. Some of Shaleqa Yoseph's friends from Dallas have also been observed. The rest were EPRP members in the Washington DC area and Mirchaw Sinishaw's church members (yes, he has his own church named 'Urael' and a young priest).
The planned protest rally had been called off by the organizers after they observed that there were very few people who were coming to the meeting. Ato Hailu Shawel himself arrived two hours late. But there were 27 Washington DC police officers with riot gear on a stand by.
The audience was told that questions can be submitted only in writing. But later on, toward the end of the meeting, the moderator, Dr Taye, allowed six questions by those whom he hand picked. There was no effort by the organizers to even fake that it was a democratic meeting.
The funniest part of the event is the fund raising. Dr Taye announced that $120,000 have been pledged. This figure includes fake pledges ($1,000s, $5,000s and more) from paltalk rooms. An EPRP web site (ethiolion) pledged $1,000. Members of the KIC donated about $20,000 (recycling the money they stole from Kinijit). Wzr. Nigest G/Hiwot, whom Dr Taye brought from Ethiopia for the meeting, was promised two cars — one from New York and another from some where in Europe. Wzr. Nigest is scheduled to visit and hold similar meetings in about ten other cities. The way things are going, she can open her own car dealership and stay in the U.S.
Dr Taye was buying all these fake pledges from around the world, including some non-existent European country, and proudly announcing them at the public meeting. Where did Taye get his ph.d.? He should ask for refund.
There was also a financial report. Of the $1.2 million that the Shaleqa group diverted, only $12,000 remain, according to the report.
Ato Hailu made his speech 4 hours after the meeting started. It is hard to understand what message he was trying to convey. He was unfocused and incoherent. The medicines he is taking may be affecting him.
Sunday's meeting was aggressively promoted by the EPRP web sites and radio programs. Every known EPRP member was present at the meeting. Without the participation of EPRP members, there would have been less than 100 old people. Even with EPRP's participation, the average age of the audience is no less than 65 years old. Renaissance Hotel looked more like a nursing home on Sunday afternoon.
KIC (the new Derg) did not allow taking pictures, but Ethiopian Review was able to sneak out these photos below.
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/1324
October 14th, 2007 |
Ethiopians in Washington DC said NO to dictatorship
Ethiopians in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area told Hailu Shawel on Sunday in no uncertain term that they do not support dictatorship.
The people expressed their opposition to dictatorship by not showing up at a public meeting organized by the Shaleqa-EPRP alliance (KIC) for Ato Hailu Shawel.
According to Ethiopian Review sources who were inside the meeting hall, only 300-400 people showed up. Of those who showed up, many of them were relatives and close family friends of Ato Hailu Shawel and his circle of crooked friends who have come from out of town. Ato Mogus Brook and friends have come all the way from Los Angeles for the meeting. Some of Shaleqa Yoseph's friends from Dallas have also been observed. The rest were EPRP members in the Washington DC area and Mirchaw Sinishaw's church members (yes, he has his own church named 'Urael' and a young priest).
The planned protest rally had been called off by the organizers after they observed that there were very few people who were coming to the meeting. Ato Hailu Shawel himself arrived two hours late. But there were 27 Washington DC police officers with riot gear on a stand by.
The audience was told that questions can be submitted only in writing. But later on, toward the end of the meeting, the moderator, Dr Taye, allowed six questions by those whom he hand picked. There was no effort by the organizers to even fake that it was a democratic meeting.
The funniest part of the event is the fund raising. Dr Taye announced that $120,000 have been pledged. This figure includes fake pledges ($1,000s, $5,000s and more) from paltalk rooms. An EPRP web site (ethiolion) pledged $1,000. Members of the KIC donated about $20,000 (recycling the money they stole from Kinijit). Wzr. Nigest G/Hiwot, whom Dr Taye brought from Ethiopia for the meeting, was promised two cars — one from New York and another from some where in Europe. Wzr. Nigest is scheduled to visit and hold similar meetings in about ten other cities. The way things are going, she can open her own car dealership and stay in the U.S.
Dr Taye was buying all these fake pledges from around the world, including some non-existent European country, and proudly announcing them at the public meeting. Where did Taye get his ph.d.? He should ask for refund.
There was also a financial report. Of the $1.2 million that the Shaleqa group diverted, only $12,000 remain, according to the report.
Ato Hailu made his speech 4 hours after the meeting started. It is hard to understand what message he was trying to convey. He was unfocused and incoherent. The medicines he is taking may be affecting him.
Sunday's meeting was aggressively promoted by the EPRP web sites and radio programs. Every known EPRP member was present at the meeting. Without the participation of EPRP members, there would have been less than 100 old people. Even with EPRP's participation, the average age of the audience is no less than 65 years old. Renaissance Hotel looked more like a nursing home on Sunday afternoon.
KIC (the new Derg) did not allow taking pictures, but Ethiopian Review was able to sneak out these photos below.
Elias Kifle on Hailu Shawel arrives in DC where he faces angry Ethiopians
Hailu Shawel arrives in DC where he faces angry Ethiopians
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/2316
October 12th, 2007 |
Kinijit chairman Hailu Shawel has arrived in Washington DC Friday night. He was received at the Washington Reagan Airport by his friends, Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew and Ato Mirchaw Sinishaw.
Ato Hailu came to Washington DC to participate in a public meeting organized by the anti-Kinijit Shaleqa-EPRP alliance.
Earlier Friday, the Renaissance Hotel where the public meeting scheduled to be held had canceled the meeting over security concerns. But in the afternoon, the hotel’s manager for events (Tel: 202 898 9000) decided to reconsider her decision after being given a reassurance from the organizers.
The Sunday public meeting is being boycotted by all groups and most individuals that are affiliated with Kinijit, including Kinijit DC Metropolitan Area chapter.
Before coming to Washington DC, Ato Hailu was busy in the past two days making phone calls to former members of AAPO in the Washington DC area inviting them to meet with him privately Sunday night or Monday. Many of those whom he contacted turned down his invitation and expressed to him their disappointment at what he is doing.
Kinijit supporters in the Washington DC area are also organizing a protest rally outside the Renaissance Hotel on Sunday to:
1) Express disappointment at what Ato Hailu Shawel is doing — his recent dictatorial actions and attempt to cover up the Shaleqa group’s corruption.
2) Demand that Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew & Co. return the Kinijit funds that they stole and diverted to their personal accounts.
3) To ask Dr Taye Woldesemayat and EPRP to stop trying to divide Kinijit.
The protest rally will start at 1:30 PM in front of the Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th Street, Washington DC.
Sunday’s public meeting in Washington DC will be the first one where an Ethiopian opposition party leader to face protestors. All of those who will take part in the protest rally are the same Ethiopians who had been carrying Ato Hailu’s photos and marching in the streets of Washington DC appealing for his release from Woyanne jail just a few months ago. Those who are surrounding him now are those who were attacking him and the other jailed Kinijit leaders just as recently.
Ato Hailu Shawel’s current betrayal of his supporters and colleagues bring memories of his betrayal of Professor Asrat Woldeyes several years ago. After quitting the All Amhara People’s Organization (AAPO) over a minor disagreement, when Professor Asrat was languishing in jail for six years, Ato Hailu did not visit him even once in jail, and had never participated in any type of activity to help release the professor. For six years when Prof. Asrat languished in jail, Ato Hailu was making money and becoming a millionaire, without spending one minute of his time in politics. After Prof. Asrat died, Ato Hailu maneuvered his way back to the AAPO using his money. Once he became chairman of the AAPO, he had systematically pushed out most of the independent thinking leaders of the AAPO, including Ato Wondayehu Kassa, Ato Ali Indris, Col. Getahun Ejigu, and Ato Girma EnquSelassie. Many of these individuals had languished in Woyanne jails along with Prof. Asrat for several years.
Ato Hailu Shawel has also betrayed those of us who trusted him, and placed our hopes on him to provide an honest, principled, corruption free leadership. We were led to believe that he is a trust worthy, fair minded individual, a consistent, strong, unwavering leader. Little did we know that we were hoping against hope when all the signs were there — his crude betrayal of Prof. Asrat and all the other AAPO leaders. We were indeed fooling ourselves. The way things are unfolding now, it may turn out that he is the father of all corruptions, nepotism and bigotry.
As we look deeper into Ato Hailu’s past in trying to understand his current behavior, what we are finding is that his trail of betrayal, as well as his dictatorial behavior, goes way back. We will leave that for the history books. But what is now obvious is that when Ato Hailu told BBC’s Hard Talk two years ago that Ethiopians are double faced, we are now discovering that he was talking about himself.
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/2316
October 12th, 2007 |
Kinijit chairman Hailu Shawel has arrived in Washington DC Friday night. He was received at the Washington Reagan Airport by his friends, Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew and Ato Mirchaw Sinishaw.
Ato Hailu came to Washington DC to participate in a public meeting organized by the anti-Kinijit Shaleqa-EPRP alliance.
Earlier Friday, the Renaissance Hotel where the public meeting scheduled to be held had canceled the meeting over security concerns. But in the afternoon, the hotel’s manager for events (Tel: 202 898 9000) decided to reconsider her decision after being given a reassurance from the organizers.
The Sunday public meeting is being boycotted by all groups and most individuals that are affiliated with Kinijit, including Kinijit DC Metropolitan Area chapter.
Before coming to Washington DC, Ato Hailu was busy in the past two days making phone calls to former members of AAPO in the Washington DC area inviting them to meet with him privately Sunday night or Monday. Many of those whom he contacted turned down his invitation and expressed to him their disappointment at what he is doing.
Kinijit supporters in the Washington DC area are also organizing a protest rally outside the Renaissance Hotel on Sunday to:
1) Express disappointment at what Ato Hailu Shawel is doing — his recent dictatorial actions and attempt to cover up the Shaleqa group’s corruption.
2) Demand that Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew & Co. return the Kinijit funds that they stole and diverted to their personal accounts.
3) To ask Dr Taye Woldesemayat and EPRP to stop trying to divide Kinijit.
The protest rally will start at 1:30 PM in front of the Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th Street, Washington DC.
Sunday’s public meeting in Washington DC will be the first one where an Ethiopian opposition party leader to face protestors. All of those who will take part in the protest rally are the same Ethiopians who had been carrying Ato Hailu’s photos and marching in the streets of Washington DC appealing for his release from Woyanne jail just a few months ago. Those who are surrounding him now are those who were attacking him and the other jailed Kinijit leaders just as recently.
Ato Hailu Shawel’s current betrayal of his supporters and colleagues bring memories of his betrayal of Professor Asrat Woldeyes several years ago. After quitting the All Amhara People’s Organization (AAPO) over a minor disagreement, when Professor Asrat was languishing in jail for six years, Ato Hailu did not visit him even once in jail, and had never participated in any type of activity to help release the professor. For six years when Prof. Asrat languished in jail, Ato Hailu was making money and becoming a millionaire, without spending one minute of his time in politics. After Prof. Asrat died, Ato Hailu maneuvered his way back to the AAPO using his money. Once he became chairman of the AAPO, he had systematically pushed out most of the independent thinking leaders of the AAPO, including Ato Wondayehu Kassa, Ato Ali Indris, Col. Getahun Ejigu, and Ato Girma EnquSelassie. Many of these individuals had languished in Woyanne jails along with Prof. Asrat for several years.
Ato Hailu Shawel has also betrayed those of us who trusted him, and placed our hopes on him to provide an honest, principled, corruption free leadership. We were led to believe that he is a trust worthy, fair minded individual, a consistent, strong, unwavering leader. Little did we know that we were hoping against hope when all the signs were there — his crude betrayal of Prof. Asrat and all the other AAPO leaders. We were indeed fooling ourselves. The way things are unfolding now, it may turn out that he is the father of all corruptions, nepotism and bigotry.
As we look deeper into Ato Hailu’s past in trying to understand his current behavior, what we are finding is that his trail of betrayal, as well as his dictatorial behavior, goes way back. We will leave that for the history books. But what is now obvious is that when Ato Hailu told BBC’s Hard Talk two years ago that Ethiopians are double faced, we are now discovering that he was talking about himself.
Elias Kifle on Hailu Shawel in critical condition
Hailu Shawel in critical condition
September 26th, 2007 |
Hailu Shawel
Ethiopian Review has been informed from sources close to Hailu Shawel's family that he is critically ill in a Minneapolis hospital.
Ato Hailu's condition has gotten worse since Monday, forcing the doctors to allow access to close family members only.
Two different sources told Ethiopian Review that the doctors said he feels better today, and that his condition is being stablized.
Ato Hailu was planning to travel to Washington DC this coming Saturday for a meeting, but it is postponed for the following week due to his health, according to EPRP sources.
September 26th, 2007 |
Hailu Shawel
Ethiopian Review has been informed from sources close to Hailu Shawel's family that he is critically ill in a Minneapolis hospital.
Ato Hailu's condition has gotten worse since Monday, forcing the doctors to allow access to close family members only.
Two different sources told Ethiopian Review that the doctors said he feels better today, and that his condition is being stablized.
Ato Hailu was planning to travel to Washington DC this coming Saturday for a meeting, but it is postponed for the following week due to his health, according to EPRP sources.
Elias Kifle on Kinijit leadership set to go on a worldwide tour
Kinijit leadership set to go on a worldwide tour
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/1115
September 6th, 2007 |
Secretary general of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit), Ato Muluneh Eyoel, gave a press conference to Ethiopian Review, Ethiopian Media Forum, Addis Dimts Radio and Netsenet LeEthiopia Radio yesterday. During the 1-hour press conference, Ato Muluneh discussed the scheduled working visits by Kinijit high-level delegations to the United States and other countries.
Ato Muluneh said that the delegates who are travelling to the U.S., Europe, Australia and South Africa have all obtained their visas. Ato Muluneh himself will lead a delegation to Europe, while vice president Bertukan Mideksa will arrive in Washington DC on Sunday [see poster] leading a delegation of five.
Originally, the delegation to the U.S. was to be headed by Kinijit president Ato Hailu Shawel, but this week he informed the executive committee that he will not make the trip due to poor health. Instead, Ato Hailu will travel to Germany on Friday to get medical treatment, according to Shaleqa Getachew Mengiste who will depart for South Africa on Monday.
A Kinijit splinter group led by Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew has issued a false statement saying that the reason Ato Hailu is not coming to the U.S. is because the embassy refused to give him a visa. The American Ambassador in Addis Ababa, Donald Yamamoto, denied that today saying that Ato Hailu's visa is ready. The shaleqa group also warned that if Ato Hailu cannot travel to the U.S., the other leaders should also not come. The question is, who empowered these crooks to warn or order around the Kinijit executive committee?
There is a lot to criticize about the American embassy in Addis Ababa, such as its see-no-evil-hear-no-evil attititude toward the Woyanne regime. But making false accusations against the embassy is harmful to Kinijit's own credibility. Here it must be made clear that no Kinijit official has accused the American embassy of denying visa to Ato Hailu, including Ato Hailu himself. The false accusation and misinformation have been coming from the shaleqa group, which is not a surprise. The shaleqa and his rogue group are leaving no stone unturned to block the Kinijit delegation's visit to the United States. They have a reason for doing that — one of the delegation's primary objectives in coming to the U.S. is to investigate the alleged corruption by the shaleqa and take appropriate measures.
It is not a secret that Ato Hailu has changed his mind about coming to the United States after being pressured by Shaleqa Yoseph and Dr Taye Woldesemayat. Although the Kinijit executive committee has requested both individuals to cease and desist from acting on behalf on Kinijit, they have refused to do so, and this week they have organized a fund rasing event in Washington DC in the party's name. This is in clear defiance of the executive committee's order.
Shaleqa Yoseph, who has cleverly befriended Ato Hailu Shawel and developed very close family ties, is counting on that friendship to save him from being investigated. To help him with his strategy of creating diversions in a desperate attempt to cover up his corruption, he has also brought to his side some of the most implacable opponents of Kinijit. This unholly alliance include Dr Taye (who had proudly declared that he didn't vote for Kinijit), the EPRP crew (who consider Kinijit more of a threat to their discredited party than Woyanne), Woyanne web sites, and a former abiyot tebaqi who has been spewing anti-Kinijit diatribes on his radio program for the past two years. The shaleqa's fund raising event this weekend and his other activities are being promoted by… guess who? EPRP and Woyanne media outlets, such as Aiga Forum, EthioLion, Debteraw, Assimba… Just check their web sites. These are the forces that are currently aligned with Shaleqa against Kinijit as a party and its executive committee.
The shaleqa had also sent a stern message to Ato Hailu Shawel recently saying that "betraying" him will have a grave consequence. This warning (blackmail?) was posted on Aiga Forum. So Ato Hailu could be in a quandary, and it is understandable he decided not to come to the U.S. As a matter of fact, it is a good thing that he is not coming, since the delegation will now be led by Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa, a highly respected former judge who can do a better job of conducting a thorough investigation into the shaleqa's corruption.
A note to Ato Hailu Shawel:
We admire you to no end for your contribution to the anti-Woyanne struggle. It is also an admirable quality to be loyal to your friends. But Kinijit is a political party that promotes honesty, transparency and accountability. You are presented with a mountain of evidence about the corruption of your friends Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew, Ato Moges Brook and others. Ignoring all these evidences, if you try to cover up or put under the rug their crimes, you would be undermining the party you helped build and the pro-democracy struggle you helped lead this far. If your friendship with the shaleqa group would not allow you to conduct an investigation, then recuse yourself from the investigation. But please do not take part in a cover up. We are confident that you will not betray Kinijit, yourself and, most important of all, the people of Ethiopia, in order to cover up for and protect a gang of crooks who have brought shame and dishonor to the party while you and your colleagues were languishing in Woyanne jail. We trust you not to repeat Lidetu Ayalew's mistake.
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/1115
September 6th, 2007 |
Secretary general of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit), Ato Muluneh Eyoel, gave a press conference to Ethiopian Review, Ethiopian Media Forum, Addis Dimts Radio and Netsenet LeEthiopia Radio yesterday. During the 1-hour press conference, Ato Muluneh discussed the scheduled working visits by Kinijit high-level delegations to the United States and other countries.
Ato Muluneh said that the delegates who are travelling to the U.S., Europe, Australia and South Africa have all obtained their visas. Ato Muluneh himself will lead a delegation to Europe, while vice president Bertukan Mideksa will arrive in Washington DC on Sunday [see poster] leading a delegation of five.
Originally, the delegation to the U.S. was to be headed by Kinijit president Ato Hailu Shawel, but this week he informed the executive committee that he will not make the trip due to poor health. Instead, Ato Hailu will travel to Germany on Friday to get medical treatment, according to Shaleqa Getachew Mengiste who will depart for South Africa on Monday.
A Kinijit splinter group led by Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew has issued a false statement saying that the reason Ato Hailu is not coming to the U.S. is because the embassy refused to give him a visa. The American Ambassador in Addis Ababa, Donald Yamamoto, denied that today saying that Ato Hailu's visa is ready. The shaleqa group also warned that if Ato Hailu cannot travel to the U.S., the other leaders should also not come. The question is, who empowered these crooks to warn or order around the Kinijit executive committee?
There is a lot to criticize about the American embassy in Addis Ababa, such as its see-no-evil-hear-no-evil attititude toward the Woyanne regime. But making false accusations against the embassy is harmful to Kinijit's own credibility. Here it must be made clear that no Kinijit official has accused the American embassy of denying visa to Ato Hailu, including Ato Hailu himself. The false accusation and misinformation have been coming from the shaleqa group, which is not a surprise. The shaleqa and his rogue group are leaving no stone unturned to block the Kinijit delegation's visit to the United States. They have a reason for doing that — one of the delegation's primary objectives in coming to the U.S. is to investigate the alleged corruption by the shaleqa and take appropriate measures.
It is not a secret that Ato Hailu has changed his mind about coming to the United States after being pressured by Shaleqa Yoseph and Dr Taye Woldesemayat. Although the Kinijit executive committee has requested both individuals to cease and desist from acting on behalf on Kinijit, they have refused to do so, and this week they have organized a fund rasing event in Washington DC in the party's name. This is in clear defiance of the executive committee's order.
Shaleqa Yoseph, who has cleverly befriended Ato Hailu Shawel and developed very close family ties, is counting on that friendship to save him from being investigated. To help him with his strategy of creating diversions in a desperate attempt to cover up his corruption, he has also brought to his side some of the most implacable opponents of Kinijit. This unholly alliance include Dr Taye (who had proudly declared that he didn't vote for Kinijit), the EPRP crew (who consider Kinijit more of a threat to their discredited party than Woyanne), Woyanne web sites, and a former abiyot tebaqi who has been spewing anti-Kinijit diatribes on his radio program for the past two years. The shaleqa's fund raising event this weekend and his other activities are being promoted by… guess who? EPRP and Woyanne media outlets, such as Aiga Forum, EthioLion, Debteraw, Assimba… Just check their web sites. These are the forces that are currently aligned with Shaleqa against Kinijit as a party and its executive committee.
The shaleqa had also sent a stern message to Ato Hailu Shawel recently saying that "betraying" him will have a grave consequence. This warning (blackmail?) was posted on Aiga Forum. So Ato Hailu could be in a quandary, and it is understandable he decided not to come to the U.S. As a matter of fact, it is a good thing that he is not coming, since the delegation will now be led by Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa, a highly respected former judge who can do a better job of conducting a thorough investigation into the shaleqa's corruption.
A note to Ato Hailu Shawel:
We admire you to no end for your contribution to the anti-Woyanne struggle. It is also an admirable quality to be loyal to your friends. But Kinijit is a political party that promotes honesty, transparency and accountability. You are presented with a mountain of evidence about the corruption of your friends Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew, Ato Moges Brook and others. Ignoring all these evidences, if you try to cover up or put under the rug their crimes, you would be undermining the party you helped build and the pro-democracy struggle you helped lead this far. If your friendship with the shaleqa group would not allow you to conduct an investigation, then recuse yourself from the investigation. But please do not take part in a cover up. We are confident that you will not betray Kinijit, yourself and, most important of all, the people of Ethiopia, in order to cover up for and protect a gang of crooks who have brought shame and dishonor to the party while you and your colleagues were languishing in Woyanne jail. We trust you not to repeat Lidetu Ayalew's mistake.
Elias Kifle on Kinijit spokesperson clears confusion
Kinijit spokesperson clears confusion
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/916
August 6th, 2007 | 15 Comments
The spokesperson of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit), Dr Hailu Araya, has cleared the confusion about the party's decision regarding Kinijit Diaspora. In an interview with VOA's Addisu Abebe today, Dr Hailu said that both groups that tried to work on behalf of the top leadership have been dissolved by the executive committee's decision.
A controversy arose when former Ethiopian Teachers Association president Dr Taye Woldesemayat, who helped create and became the chairman of the so-called Kinijit International Council (K.I.C.), said last week that the executive committee's decision doesn't apply to his group.
In the interview with the VOA, Dr Hailu made it clear that the decision applies to both the Kinijit International Leadership (K.I.L.), which has dissolved itself upon learning about the decision, and the K.I.C., which was created just three weeks before the Kinijit leaders were released from jail.
The K.I.C. headed by Dr Taye Woldesemayat was formed over the objection of all the Kinijit support committees in the Diaspora. Out of the 23 members who were invited to join the K.I.C., less than half have joined — many of whom have never been members of Kinijit. Dr Taye himself had made his anti-Kinijit stand public by declaring that he did not even vote for it in the 2005 elections. He has also never been to any Kinijit public meetings, and never spent one minute of his time in the past 22 months in the world-wide effort to secure the release of the Kinijit leaders.
It is now becoming clear that Dr Taye and members of the K.I.C. were hand-picked by Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew and his group of serial party-hoppers (EDU, EPDA, Tatek, AAPO, Kinijit, etc.) to split apart Kinijit and run away with a splinter group in order to cover up their theft and mismanagement.
The biggest fool in all this is the once-respected Dr Taye who is currently being used as a trojan horse by the corrupt shaleqa.
Most Kinijit members were willing to over look Dr Taye's invective against Kinijit's jailed leaders out of respect for the sacrifice he made in spending six years in Woyanne jail. But they consider what he is doing now to be anti-Kinijit. Those who are cheering him on are well-known anti-Kinijit web sites and radio programs.
The shaleqa and cohorts are able so far to create all this havoc using the good name of Ato Hailu Shawel, chairman of Kinijit. Their claim to any spec of legitimacy inside Kinijit is their close, personal relationship with Ato Hailu Shawel.
Ato Hailu Shawel will have to make a decision soon. He has to decide whether to continue allowing the shaleqa group to disrupt the organization using his name. Unlike Dr Taye, we are confident that Ato Hailu will make the right decision.
In the mean time, the executive committee's spokesperson, Dr Hailu Araya, did the right thing today in clearing the confusion purposefully created by the shaleqa group and their puppet, Dr Taye. Listen Dr Hailu Araya's interview here.
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/916
August 6th, 2007 | 15 Comments
The spokesperson of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit), Dr Hailu Araya, has cleared the confusion about the party's decision regarding Kinijit Diaspora. In an interview with VOA's Addisu Abebe today, Dr Hailu said that both groups that tried to work on behalf of the top leadership have been dissolved by the executive committee's decision.
A controversy arose when former Ethiopian Teachers Association president Dr Taye Woldesemayat, who helped create and became the chairman of the so-called Kinijit International Council (K.I.C.), said last week that the executive committee's decision doesn't apply to his group.
In the interview with the VOA, Dr Hailu made it clear that the decision applies to both the Kinijit International Leadership (K.I.L.), which has dissolved itself upon learning about the decision, and the K.I.C., which was created just three weeks before the Kinijit leaders were released from jail.
The K.I.C. headed by Dr Taye Woldesemayat was formed over the objection of all the Kinijit support committees in the Diaspora. Out of the 23 members who were invited to join the K.I.C., less than half have joined — many of whom have never been members of Kinijit. Dr Taye himself had made his anti-Kinijit stand public by declaring that he did not even vote for it in the 2005 elections. He has also never been to any Kinijit public meetings, and never spent one minute of his time in the past 22 months in the world-wide effort to secure the release of the Kinijit leaders.
It is now becoming clear that Dr Taye and members of the K.I.C. were hand-picked by Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew and his group of serial party-hoppers (EDU, EPDA, Tatek, AAPO, Kinijit, etc.) to split apart Kinijit and run away with a splinter group in order to cover up their theft and mismanagement.
The biggest fool in all this is the once-respected Dr Taye who is currently being used as a trojan horse by the corrupt shaleqa.
Most Kinijit members were willing to over look Dr Taye's invective against Kinijit's jailed leaders out of respect for the sacrifice he made in spending six years in Woyanne jail. But they consider what he is doing now to be anti-Kinijit. Those who are cheering him on are well-known anti-Kinijit web sites and radio programs.
The shaleqa and cohorts are able so far to create all this havoc using the good name of Ato Hailu Shawel, chairman of Kinijit. Their claim to any spec of legitimacy inside Kinijit is their close, personal relationship with Ato Hailu Shawel.
Ato Hailu Shawel will have to make a decision soon. He has to decide whether to continue allowing the shaleqa group to disrupt the organization using his name. Unlike Dr Taye, we are confident that Ato Hailu will make the right decision.
In the mean time, the executive committee's spokesperson, Dr Hailu Araya, did the right thing today in clearing the confusion purposefully created by the shaleqa group and their puppet, Dr Taye. Listen Dr Hailu Araya's interview here.
Elias Kifle on Saving Hailu Shawel's legacy from the Shaleqa mafia
Saving Hailu Shawel's legacy from the Shaleqa mafia
September 19th, 2007 |
Ethiopian Review Editorial
The Shaleqa mafia is an unholy alliance of:
1) The former chairman of Kinijit North America Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew, and Ato Moges Brook, who is the shaleqa's friend of over 30 years from their EDU days. These two individuals are long time friends of Hailu Shawel and have close family ties. The two individuals allegedly have diverted over $1 million of Kinijit's funds to accounts they personally control.
2) Former president of the Ethiopian Teachers Association (ETA), Dr Taye Woldesemayat, who once proudly announced in a public meeting that he did not vote for Kinijit in the 2005 elections. Last month, the ETA executive committee fired Taye (see here) for, among other things, not handing over financial and other forms of assistance he had received on behalf of the ETA from teachers' association in other countries.
3) Radio talk show host and former abiyot tebaqi (Derg's revolutionary guard) Merchaw Sinishaw who used to torture high school kids suspected of being EPRP members.
4) Woyanne web sites.
5) EPRP web sites such as asimba.org.
6) Millionaire businessman Solomon Bekele who is now practically out of the group because of his recent change of heart.
What made these groups with conflicting interests come together?
For Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges, who formed this unholy alliance, their sole and overriding objective at this point is to create diversion through chaos so that the Kinijit leadership will be unable to conduct an investigation into their corruption. They have found a perfect weapon in the unemployed and power-hungry Taye Woldesemayat. Shaleqa Yoseph put Taye on salary and is sending him from city to city falsely presenting himself as the head of Kinijit in the Diaspora. Now all Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges are doing is just sit back and watch Taye carry out their mission.
Before accepting the invitation to join the shaleqa group, Dr Taye was busy attending EPRP- sponsored public meetings and attacking the jailed Kinijit leaders. After being anointed as chairman of the Kinijit International Council (shaleqa's Trojan horse), Dr Taye brought with him several of his friends who are either members of or have close ties to EPRP. In short, the KIC is an EPRP outfit that is being financed by Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges with the money they stole from Kinijit.
The KIC serves two purposes and two different interests:
1) to create diversion for Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges;
2) to facilitate the Taye-EPRP take over of Kinijit.
For Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges, it is a matter of covering up their corruption — not a quest for power. For Taye and EPRP, it is a matter of hijacking Kinijit. Both of them are exploiting Ato Hailu's poor health and shaky state of mind.
The Shaleqa-Taye-EPRP plan
This is what will happen in the next few weeks:
1) Ato Hailu and friends (the shaleqa group), with the help of the EPRP media, will start labeling members of the Kinijit executive committee as Woyanne agents and sympathizers. They will say that Ato Hailu signed the apology letter that got him and others out of jail after being pressured by the other Kinijit officials. They will talk about how Ato Hailu is the only leader with the conviction to stand up against Woyanne, bla bla bla…
2) Next, after gauging the effectiveness of their propaganda, Ato Hailu will declare that he has dismissed most of the Kinijit executive committee members. He believes, and is being told by the shaleqa group, that he has the power to decide any thing on behalf of Kinijit by himself.
3) In about six month or less, Hailu Shawel will announce that due to his poor health he is unable to remain as chairman and will appoint Taye Woldesemayat to replace him.
Ethiopian Review has been informed about this plan from a source inside the shaleqa group who is against it. According to the source, all the mediation, negotiation, excuses, etc. are just delaying tactics to buy time until Dr Taye and crew prepare the ground for the next step.
Some parts of this plan are already being implemented. They have started making various accusations against the executive committee members in private meetings with small groups of individuals. Soon EPRP media outlets will be filled with attacks against Kinijit Vice President Bertukan Mideska and the other members of the executive committee.
The effort to save Hailu Shawel
The concern of many people is not that Kinijit will be harmed or divided because of what Shaleqa Yoseph, Ato Moges, and Dr Taye are doing now taking advantage of Ato Hailu's condition. Last Sunday's successful public meeting in Washington DC has demonstrated that individual leaders may come and go, but Kinijit will move forward because it is built on principles rather than personalities. Kinijit supporters were also reassured that the Kinijit leadership is united and intact. The concern of most Kinijit supporters now is not Kinijit's integrity or viability, but Ato Hailu's legacy. It would be indeed unfortunate if the first chairman of Kinijit leaves the party without proper farewell, even worse, in disgrace.
Ato Solomon Bekele and a few others who became aware of the Shaleqa-Taye-EPRP plan are now making an effort to save Hailu Shawel from disgracing himself in such a way. Ato Hailu's legacy and their own reputation is at stake. Ato Solomon has been imploring Hailu Shawel to re-establish contacts with the executive committee and attend public meetings together. In a further attempt to change Ato Hailu's mind, yesterday, Solomon Bekele had arranged a meeting between Hailu Shawel and Aklog Lemeneh, chairman of Kinijit North America chapters. During the meeting yesterday (Tuesday), Ato Aklog advised him that he is making a grave mistake and that he should change course before more harm is done. He invited Ato Hailu to join the delegation at the scheduled public meeting in Boston this coming weekend. Ato Hailu said he will think about it. Don't count on that.
Over the weekend, some prominent Ethiopians who reside in the Washington DC area, including Ambassador Ayalew Mandefro and Dr Gebreye Wolde-Rufael, had a chance to meet with Ato Hailu. They begged him to reconcile his differences with the executive committee — to no avail. Ato Hailu kept repeating to them the false information he is being fed by Dr Taye and the shaleqa group. These individuals left the meeting terribly disappointed.
It is Ato Hailu's frailty that Taye and the shaleqa are exploiting to their advantage. He is now completely encircled by the shaleqa group and has very limited access to individuals outside of the group. They carry his phone so unless he makes calls himself, no one can reach him by phone other than selected individuals. Many long-time friends of Ato Hailu are unable to reach him. When some individuals get a chance to see him, the people Dr Taye put around Ato Hailu, such as Assefa Dires, get nervous and find some reason to interrupt the meeting. All Ethiopian media are prevented from interviewing him. The only media personality who is allowed to interview Ato Hailu is Merchaw. Taye and the shaleqa have managed to control Ato Hailu's every movement. He is now virtually a hostage. As a result, the likelihood that the effort of Solomon Bekele, Aklog Lemeneh and other will succeed is little to none.
According to inside sources, the shaleqa group held a meeting Monday night with Ato Hailu. They proposed to him to take a break for two weeks and then come back to Washington DC for a meeting on Sept. 30 with invited individuals only. Similar closed meetings would be held in other cities, too, according to the proposal. Dr Taye argued that public meetings that are open to every one would expose Ato Hailu to insults. Ato Hailu agreed and has accepted the proposal. This morning Hailu Shawel went to Reagan Airport accompanied by Shaleqa Yoseph, Solomon Bekele and Merchaw Sinishaw and took off for Minneapolis.
Why Shaleqa, Taye and EPRP will not succeed
It is because the Kinijit central committee members are united in their stand against any form of lawlessness and dictatorship inside the party. With the exception of Shaleqa Getachew Mengiste, who is currently in South Africa on a working visiting leading a Kinijit delegation, none of the other executive committee members approve what Ato Hailu is doing now. Some try to portray that the leadership crisis inside Kinijit is caused by a conflict between "the Hailu and the Berhanu factions." This is far from the truth. There is no such a thing. The leadership problem is caused by the disagreement between Ato Hailu and two or three individuals on one side, and the whole Kinijit leadership, on the other. Simply put, the root cause of the leadership crisis inside Kinijit is Hailu Shawel's recent dictatorial behavior that is encouraged and promoted by the shaleqa group. The strongest opposition to Ato Hailu's disregard for the executive committee decisions is coming from members of his own former party, AEUP.
The Kinijit leadership has so far been extremely patient with Ato Hailu and his crooked friends. But not for long. The leadership needs to take steps to protect the party's credibility and integrity.
More than the leadership, the people of Ethiopia would not allow the Shaleqa-Taye-EPRP plan to succeed. Taye and his EPRP buddies will be challenged and confronted every step of the way with the same vigor and energy Woyanne is being fought. In short, the Taye-EPRP plan to hijack Kinijit has a snowball's chance in hell.
As to saving Ato Hailu's legacy, it is in his hands and the hands of those who truly care for him, if he has such friends around him. The effort has already started by some. Let's hope they will succeed.
September 19th, 2007 |
Ethiopian Review Editorial
The Shaleqa mafia is an unholy alliance of:
1) The former chairman of Kinijit North America Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew, and Ato Moges Brook, who is the shaleqa's friend of over 30 years from their EDU days. These two individuals are long time friends of Hailu Shawel and have close family ties. The two individuals allegedly have diverted over $1 million of Kinijit's funds to accounts they personally control.
2) Former president of the Ethiopian Teachers Association (ETA), Dr Taye Woldesemayat, who once proudly announced in a public meeting that he did not vote for Kinijit in the 2005 elections. Last month, the ETA executive committee fired Taye (see here) for, among other things, not handing over financial and other forms of assistance he had received on behalf of the ETA from teachers' association in other countries.
3) Radio talk show host and former abiyot tebaqi (Derg's revolutionary guard) Merchaw Sinishaw who used to torture high school kids suspected of being EPRP members.
4) Woyanne web sites.
5) EPRP web sites such as asimba.org.
6) Millionaire businessman Solomon Bekele who is now practically out of the group because of his recent change of heart.
What made these groups with conflicting interests come together?
For Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges, who formed this unholy alliance, their sole and overriding objective at this point is to create diversion through chaos so that the Kinijit leadership will be unable to conduct an investigation into their corruption. They have found a perfect weapon in the unemployed and power-hungry Taye Woldesemayat. Shaleqa Yoseph put Taye on salary and is sending him from city to city falsely presenting himself as the head of Kinijit in the Diaspora. Now all Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges are doing is just sit back and watch Taye carry out their mission.
Before accepting the invitation to join the shaleqa group, Dr Taye was busy attending EPRP- sponsored public meetings and attacking the jailed Kinijit leaders. After being anointed as chairman of the Kinijit International Council (shaleqa's Trojan horse), Dr Taye brought with him several of his friends who are either members of or have close ties to EPRP. In short, the KIC is an EPRP outfit that is being financed by Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges with the money they stole from Kinijit.
The KIC serves two purposes and two different interests:
1) to create diversion for Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges;
2) to facilitate the Taye-EPRP take over of Kinijit.
For Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Moges, it is a matter of covering up their corruption — not a quest for power. For Taye and EPRP, it is a matter of hijacking Kinijit. Both of them are exploiting Ato Hailu's poor health and shaky state of mind.
The Shaleqa-Taye-EPRP plan
This is what will happen in the next few weeks:
1) Ato Hailu and friends (the shaleqa group), with the help of the EPRP media, will start labeling members of the Kinijit executive committee as Woyanne agents and sympathizers. They will say that Ato Hailu signed the apology letter that got him and others out of jail after being pressured by the other Kinijit officials. They will talk about how Ato Hailu is the only leader with the conviction to stand up against Woyanne, bla bla bla…
2) Next, after gauging the effectiveness of their propaganda, Ato Hailu will declare that he has dismissed most of the Kinijit executive committee members. He believes, and is being told by the shaleqa group, that he has the power to decide any thing on behalf of Kinijit by himself.
3) In about six month or less, Hailu Shawel will announce that due to his poor health he is unable to remain as chairman and will appoint Taye Woldesemayat to replace him.
Ethiopian Review has been informed about this plan from a source inside the shaleqa group who is against it. According to the source, all the mediation, negotiation, excuses, etc. are just delaying tactics to buy time until Dr Taye and crew prepare the ground for the next step.
Some parts of this plan are already being implemented. They have started making various accusations against the executive committee members in private meetings with small groups of individuals. Soon EPRP media outlets will be filled with attacks against Kinijit Vice President Bertukan Mideska and the other members of the executive committee.
The effort to save Hailu Shawel
The concern of many people is not that Kinijit will be harmed or divided because of what Shaleqa Yoseph, Ato Moges, and Dr Taye are doing now taking advantage of Ato Hailu's condition. Last Sunday's successful public meeting in Washington DC has demonstrated that individual leaders may come and go, but Kinijit will move forward because it is built on principles rather than personalities. Kinijit supporters were also reassured that the Kinijit leadership is united and intact. The concern of most Kinijit supporters now is not Kinijit's integrity or viability, but Ato Hailu's legacy. It would be indeed unfortunate if the first chairman of Kinijit leaves the party without proper farewell, even worse, in disgrace.
Ato Solomon Bekele and a few others who became aware of the Shaleqa-Taye-EPRP plan are now making an effort to save Hailu Shawel from disgracing himself in such a way. Ato Hailu's legacy and their own reputation is at stake. Ato Solomon has been imploring Hailu Shawel to re-establish contacts with the executive committee and attend public meetings together. In a further attempt to change Ato Hailu's mind, yesterday, Solomon Bekele had arranged a meeting between Hailu Shawel and Aklog Lemeneh, chairman of Kinijit North America chapters. During the meeting yesterday (Tuesday), Ato Aklog advised him that he is making a grave mistake and that he should change course before more harm is done. He invited Ato Hailu to join the delegation at the scheduled public meeting in Boston this coming weekend. Ato Hailu said he will think about it. Don't count on that.
Over the weekend, some prominent Ethiopians who reside in the Washington DC area, including Ambassador Ayalew Mandefro and Dr Gebreye Wolde-Rufael, had a chance to meet with Ato Hailu. They begged him to reconcile his differences with the executive committee — to no avail. Ato Hailu kept repeating to them the false information he is being fed by Dr Taye and the shaleqa group. These individuals left the meeting terribly disappointed.
It is Ato Hailu's frailty that Taye and the shaleqa are exploiting to their advantage. He is now completely encircled by the shaleqa group and has very limited access to individuals outside of the group. They carry his phone so unless he makes calls himself, no one can reach him by phone other than selected individuals. Many long-time friends of Ato Hailu are unable to reach him. When some individuals get a chance to see him, the people Dr Taye put around Ato Hailu, such as Assefa Dires, get nervous and find some reason to interrupt the meeting. All Ethiopian media are prevented from interviewing him. The only media personality who is allowed to interview Ato Hailu is Merchaw. Taye and the shaleqa have managed to control Ato Hailu's every movement. He is now virtually a hostage. As a result, the likelihood that the effort of Solomon Bekele, Aklog Lemeneh and other will succeed is little to none.
According to inside sources, the shaleqa group held a meeting Monday night with Ato Hailu. They proposed to him to take a break for two weeks and then come back to Washington DC for a meeting on Sept. 30 with invited individuals only. Similar closed meetings would be held in other cities, too, according to the proposal. Dr Taye argued that public meetings that are open to every one would expose Ato Hailu to insults. Ato Hailu agreed and has accepted the proposal. This morning Hailu Shawel went to Reagan Airport accompanied by Shaleqa Yoseph, Solomon Bekele and Merchaw Sinishaw and took off for Minneapolis.
Why Shaleqa, Taye and EPRP will not succeed
It is because the Kinijit central committee members are united in their stand against any form of lawlessness and dictatorship inside the party. With the exception of Shaleqa Getachew Mengiste, who is currently in South Africa on a working visiting leading a Kinijit delegation, none of the other executive committee members approve what Ato Hailu is doing now. Some try to portray that the leadership crisis inside Kinijit is caused by a conflict between "the Hailu and the Berhanu factions." This is far from the truth. There is no such a thing. The leadership problem is caused by the disagreement between Ato Hailu and two or three individuals on one side, and the whole Kinijit leadership, on the other. Simply put, the root cause of the leadership crisis inside Kinijit is Hailu Shawel's recent dictatorial behavior that is encouraged and promoted by the shaleqa group. The strongest opposition to Ato Hailu's disregard for the executive committee decisions is coming from members of his own former party, AEUP.
The Kinijit leadership has so far been extremely patient with Ato Hailu and his crooked friends. But not for long. The leadership needs to take steps to protect the party's credibility and integrity.
More than the leadership, the people of Ethiopia would not allow the Shaleqa-Taye-EPRP plan to succeed. Taye and his EPRP buddies will be challenged and confronted every step of the way with the same vigor and energy Woyanne is being fought. In short, the Taye-EPRP plan to hijack Kinijit has a snowball's chance in hell.
As to saving Ato Hailu's legacy, it is in his hands and the hands of those who truly care for him, if he has such friends around him. The effort has already started by some. Let's hope they will succeed.
Elias Kifle on The next big debate within and around Kinijit
The next big debate within and around Kinijit
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/1199
September 24th, 2007 |
Ethiopian Review Editorial
The controversy and heated debates caused by the recent dictatorial behavior of Hailu Shawel, instigated and promoted by the EPRP-Shaleqa unholy alliance, will soon be dwarfed by another issue — the upcoming local election in Ethiopia.
Next April, in about 7 months from now, there will be kebele, woreda and zonal elections in Ethiopia. Kinijit has not decided whether to participate in the elections. The leaders have put off the decision until they return from their worldwide tour. But Ethiopian Review believes that the discussion must start now, and Ethiopians in the Diaspora must take an active part in the debate.
Ato Hailu Shawel said in an interview with Abyssinia Radio on Saturday that unless Kinijit's 8-point conditions are met by Woyanne, the party will not participate in the elections. As every one is fixated on the dispute between Ato Hailu and the executive committee, very few people may have paid attention to what he said. But it seems that Ato Hailu has already made a decision on this matter on behalf of Kinijit without the party's central council had a chance to deliberate on it.
Putting aside for now Ato Hailu's ongoing dictatorial behavior — which will be dealt with according to Kinijit's bylaws when the leaders return home — should Kinijit participate in the upcoming local elections?
Ethiopian Review believes that Kinijit must take part in the elections for the following reasons:
1) If Kinijit wants to remain as an active political party inside the country, elections are the best way for it to communicate with the people and get its message across.
2) The Woyanne repression will be far worse than pre-2005 elections, but Kinijit leaders can bring international pressure to bare upon Woyanne to allow Kinijit access to the state-run media, open its offices through out the country, and organize its local chapters with less restraint.
3) Kinijit will lose local and international credibility if it decides to not participate in the elections.
4) Political parties are organized to participate in elections. If Kinijit is not willing to participate in the upcoming elections it will lose its raison d'être.
Participating in the election does not mean Kinijit has to accept the outcome if gross fraud is committed by Woyanne. Kinijit has correctly rejected the 2005 elections, and it should do so again if the next elections are also fraudulent. Also, by taking part in the elections, it doesn't mean that Kinijit is accepting the legitimacy of the Woyanne regime, nor the election board, nor the judicial system, but if it chooses to operate inside Ethiopia, it must use every door and window that is open to it to challenge the Woyanne dictatorship.
The Kinijit leadership has learned a lot from the 2005 elections. Many of the mistakes that were committed then hopefully will not be repeated.
Obstacles to the debate
The EPRP losers are desperately trying to infiltrate Kinijit's leadership through their agent Taye Woldesemayat, a self-proclaimed Kinijit hater. That is their modus operandi. They strive to influence public opinion through infiltration of their opponent's organizations, fabrications of lies, and insidious propaganda. That is what they have attempted against the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD). They had demanded more than one seat in the table. When they could not get that, they walked out and tried to play the patriotism card. The funny thing is that EPRP is the least patriotic organization. In fact, in many occasions it has worked to undermine the national interest of Ethiopia by siding with enemy forces. For example, it is a well known fact that EPRP had collaborated with Somalia's Siad Barre when he invaded Ethiopia in the late 1970s. It is to be remembered that EPRP agents were poisoning the food that was being prepared by kebele associations to go to Ethiopian troops at the battle front. Woyanne and EPRP had offices in Mogadishu at the time and were coordinating the attack on Ethiopia with Siad Bare. It is this same old EPRP that has been attacking Kinijit in the past few months for joining OLF, ONLF and other groups in calling for national reconciliation.
EPRP and their agent, Dr Taye Woldesemayat — who was kicked out of the Ethiopian Teachers Association last July for refusing to return the money he collected on the association's behalf — are using to their advantage Ato Hailu Shawel's poor health and shaky state of mind due to the numerous medicines he is currently taking. They are trying to tell us now that Hailu Shawel is their hero and the other Kinijit leaders are trying to oust him. These lumpens had been vilifying Ato Hailu just a few months ago when the rest of us were carrying his photo and marching in the streets of the capitals of the world demanding his release from jail. Their audacity knows no bound.
Taye and EPRP have already convinced Ato Hailu that he should not continue with the Kinijit leadership. Shortly, he will anoint Taye Woldesemayat as the chairman of Kinijit, or the faction that will follow him, and retire, as he hinted on Abyssinia Radio. It is a done deal as far as Hailu, Taye, EPRP and the shaleqa are concerned. Shaleqa Yoseph and his crooked friends will get what they want out of this — cover up of their corruption.
Let's move forward
Ato Hailu said himself that he will not continue much longer. So why waste time arguing about him or with him? Let's focus on other more important issues, such as Kinijit's role in the upcoming local elections in Ethiopia. It is necessary for the delegations who are currently in the U.S., Europe and Africa to provide the forum for their supporters to express their opinion on this matter. Do the same thing in Ethiopia when they return. Then based on the opinions expressed by Ethiopians in the Diaspora and inside the country, let the central council weigh all the pros and cons and make a decision. What ever decision the Kinijit council makes, all the leaders must support it if they are indeed fighting for genuine democracy.
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/1199
September 24th, 2007 |
Ethiopian Review Editorial
The controversy and heated debates caused by the recent dictatorial behavior of Hailu Shawel, instigated and promoted by the EPRP-Shaleqa unholy alliance, will soon be dwarfed by another issue — the upcoming local election in Ethiopia.
Next April, in about 7 months from now, there will be kebele, woreda and zonal elections in Ethiopia. Kinijit has not decided whether to participate in the elections. The leaders have put off the decision until they return from their worldwide tour. But Ethiopian Review believes that the discussion must start now, and Ethiopians in the Diaspora must take an active part in the debate.
Ato Hailu Shawel said in an interview with Abyssinia Radio on Saturday that unless Kinijit's 8-point conditions are met by Woyanne, the party will not participate in the elections. As every one is fixated on the dispute between Ato Hailu and the executive committee, very few people may have paid attention to what he said. But it seems that Ato Hailu has already made a decision on this matter on behalf of Kinijit without the party's central council had a chance to deliberate on it.
Putting aside for now Ato Hailu's ongoing dictatorial behavior — which will be dealt with according to Kinijit's bylaws when the leaders return home — should Kinijit participate in the upcoming local elections?
Ethiopian Review believes that Kinijit must take part in the elections for the following reasons:
1) If Kinijit wants to remain as an active political party inside the country, elections are the best way for it to communicate with the people and get its message across.
2) The Woyanne repression will be far worse than pre-2005 elections, but Kinijit leaders can bring international pressure to bare upon Woyanne to allow Kinijit access to the state-run media, open its offices through out the country, and organize its local chapters with less restraint.
3) Kinijit will lose local and international credibility if it decides to not participate in the elections.
4) Political parties are organized to participate in elections. If Kinijit is not willing to participate in the upcoming elections it will lose its raison d'être.
Participating in the election does not mean Kinijit has to accept the outcome if gross fraud is committed by Woyanne. Kinijit has correctly rejected the 2005 elections, and it should do so again if the next elections are also fraudulent. Also, by taking part in the elections, it doesn't mean that Kinijit is accepting the legitimacy of the Woyanne regime, nor the election board, nor the judicial system, but if it chooses to operate inside Ethiopia, it must use every door and window that is open to it to challenge the Woyanne dictatorship.
The Kinijit leadership has learned a lot from the 2005 elections. Many of the mistakes that were committed then hopefully will not be repeated.
Obstacles to the debate
The EPRP losers are desperately trying to infiltrate Kinijit's leadership through their agent Taye Woldesemayat, a self-proclaimed Kinijit hater. That is their modus operandi. They strive to influence public opinion through infiltration of their opponent's organizations, fabrications of lies, and insidious propaganda. That is what they have attempted against the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD). They had demanded more than one seat in the table. When they could not get that, they walked out and tried to play the patriotism card. The funny thing is that EPRP is the least patriotic organization. In fact, in many occasions it has worked to undermine the national interest of Ethiopia by siding with enemy forces. For example, it is a well known fact that EPRP had collaborated with Somalia's Siad Barre when he invaded Ethiopia in the late 1970s. It is to be remembered that EPRP agents were poisoning the food that was being prepared by kebele associations to go to Ethiopian troops at the battle front. Woyanne and EPRP had offices in Mogadishu at the time and were coordinating the attack on Ethiopia with Siad Bare. It is this same old EPRP that has been attacking Kinijit in the past few months for joining OLF, ONLF and other groups in calling for national reconciliation.
EPRP and their agent, Dr Taye Woldesemayat — who was kicked out of the Ethiopian Teachers Association last July for refusing to return the money he collected on the association's behalf — are using to their advantage Ato Hailu Shawel's poor health and shaky state of mind due to the numerous medicines he is currently taking. They are trying to tell us now that Hailu Shawel is their hero and the other Kinijit leaders are trying to oust him. These lumpens had been vilifying Ato Hailu just a few months ago when the rest of us were carrying his photo and marching in the streets of the capitals of the world demanding his release from jail. Their audacity knows no bound.
Taye and EPRP have already convinced Ato Hailu that he should not continue with the Kinijit leadership. Shortly, he will anoint Taye Woldesemayat as the chairman of Kinijit, or the faction that will follow him, and retire, as he hinted on Abyssinia Radio. It is a done deal as far as Hailu, Taye, EPRP and the shaleqa are concerned. Shaleqa Yoseph and his crooked friends will get what they want out of this — cover up of their corruption.
Let's move forward
Ato Hailu said himself that he will not continue much longer. So why waste time arguing about him or with him? Let's focus on other more important issues, such as Kinijit's role in the upcoming local elections in Ethiopia. It is necessary for the delegations who are currently in the U.S., Europe and Africa to provide the forum for their supporters to express their opinion on this matter. Do the same thing in Ethiopia when they return. Then based on the opinions expressed by Ethiopians in the Diaspora and inside the country, let the central council weigh all the pros and cons and make a decision. What ever decision the Kinijit council makes, all the leaders must support it if they are indeed fighting for genuine democracy.
Elias Kifle on The hoax being played on us by the Hailu Shawel gang
The hoax being played on us by the Hailu Shawel gang
October 24th, 2007 |
Ethiopian Review Editorial
The Oct. 14 public meeting in Washington DC has left the Hailu Shawel gang naked. Let’s explain why:
1) By restricting media access and harassing members of the media at the public meeting, Hailu Shawel and friends proved themselves to be as dictatorial as Derg and Woyanne. They committed this outrageous abuse of press freedom in the center of the free press capital of the world — Washington DC. This alone makes Hailu Shawel the wrong person to lead a democratic organization such as Kinijit. What was done to the media on Oct. 14 by Hailu Shawel is against the spirit and letter of Kinijit’s manifesto. It is also against what H.R. 2003 is intended to accomplish in Ethiopia.
2) At the Oct. 14 public meeting, Dr Taye Woldeseytanat (Hailu Shawel’s chiqa shum in North America), reported that $120,000 was raised (and two cars were pledged for Wzt. Nigist Gebrehiwot, a poor woman who is being exploited by him and Ato Hailu). While the Oct. 14 meeting went on at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington DC, Ato Hailu’s confidants in Addis Ababa had invited several hundred people to the AEUP office to listen the meeting live. These poor people were standing, clapping and cheering as Dr Taye and Ato Solomon Bekele took turns to announce the fake $5k and $10k pledges and gifts that were coming from paltalk rooms. Now it turned out that only $26,000 was raised — over half of it from members of the Shaleqa-Taye gang. But the Reverend Mirchaw [he owns a church] still believes the $120,000 figure and has been pestering Dr Taye to pay for his radio program in Washington DC. Ato Bedru Adem wants his share, too — $10,000. The frustrated Taye reportedly told both to suck their thumbs instead. Unable to pay, the Reverend Mirchaw’s radio program in DC was cut to 1 hour from 3 hours this week. The scoundrels are now at each other’s throat. Hailu Shawel has been in hiding since the Oct. 14 fiasco. The plan by Shaleqa and Taye to organize several meetings in the U.S. for Ato Hailu, Ato Bedru and Wzt. Nigist has been canceled (the schedule has been removed from their web site).
3) After promising that there will be an audit report, the Shawel gang presented the public with the following financial statement [watch the video here] through Shaleqa Yoseph’s hand picked “auditor” Wzr Yenealem Kebede:
a) Wzt. Yenealem said that her report concerns financial activities starting August 11, 2006. From Aug. 2006 until Oct. 14, 2007, the total amount deposited was $308,000, according to Yenealem. Of that amount only $72,000 was sent to the families of the jailed Kinijit leaders and members in Ethiopia. But even that amount did not reach the families of Kinijit members and leaders. For example, Wzr. Nigist Gebrehiwot — one of the jailed Kinijit CC members who was sitting next to Ato Hailu on Oct. 14 — disputes that claim. Her family had not received a penny while she was in jail. When she got out of jail, Ato Hailu gave her some money out of his own pocket as a personal favor, according to Wzt. Nigist who is much grateful. Ethiopian Review has spoken with other jailed leaders, too, and none of them has received any money. So who took the $72,000 that was sent to Ethiopia, as reported by the Shaleqa’s own auditor?
b) Shaleqa’s ‘auditor’ Wzt. Yenealem reported that $76,000 (out of the $308,000) was paid in salary for Shaleqa and friends. More money went into Shaleqa’s pocket than what was sent to Ethiopia, by his own auditor’s admission.
c) Yenealem Kebede reported that $62,000 was paid for a radio program (named ‘Andinet’) that was launched to attack Ato Andargachew Tsige and other Kinijit officials. Is that why Ethiopians in the Diaspora donated their hard earned money?
d) Wzr. Yenealem did not want to report about the over $1.2 million dollars that were collected by Kinijit North America in the past two years claiming that she was denied access to documents by Ato Berhanu Mewa and others. Invited by EMF, Ethiopian Review and other media to explain this further, Wzt. Yenealem refused. The invitation still stands.
Former Kinijit North America auditor Ato Tesfaye Asmamaw alleges that close to or over $1 million that was not reported by Yenealem Kebede have been diverted to bank accounts controlled by Ato Hailu Shawel’s friends, Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew and Ato Mogus Brook. Ethiopian Review has received information from at least two credible sources that some of this money was used by Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Mogus to pay for Hailu Shawel’s mortgage for his huge house in Rochester, Minnesota. Since Ato Hailu made himself unavailable to answer such questions, it is difficult to get to the bottom of this credible allegation. But this could also explain the reason why Hailu Shawel has been trying to obstruct the Kinijit delegation’s tour in the U.S. A serious investigation must be conducted by an independent accounting firm into Ato Hailu’s involvement in the diverting of hundreds of thousands of dollars that were collected in the name of Kinijit.
The hoax being played on the people of Ethiopia by Hailu Shawel and friends does not stop with finance. Just before rushing to the U.S. to protect his friends from investigation, Ato Hailu held meetings with central committee members of his former party, the AEUP. Out of the central committee’s 110 members, only 16 showed up. And out of the 9 executive committee members, only 3 showed up. Four executive committee members — Ato Gizachew Shiferaw, Ato Aschalew Ketema, Ato Brook Kebede and Ato Akalu Girgire — who called the meeting illegal and did not show up were summarily fired by Hailu Shawel and replaced with Dr. Tadios Bogale, Wzr. Mesobework Kitaw, Ato Zeleke Alemu, and Shaleqa Argaw Kabtamu. The fifth member, Ato Mulat Tasew, had left the AEUP executive committee before the Kinijit merger. Hailu Shawel also formed a four-member finance committee including himself and Wzr Mesebework Kitaw, Dr Tadios Bogale, and Shaleqa Getachew Mengiste. Additionally, Ato Hailu formed an AEUP task force of seven individuals that will reorganize the party through out the country. All these decisions were being made with the presence of only 3 out of the 9 AEUP executive committee members and 16 out of the 110 AEUP council members.
After telling the people of Ethiopia and Kinijit supporters around the world that all the four parties that created Kinijit no longer exist, Ato Hailu Shawel has been busy reorganizing his own party behind the scene and paying mortage for his house in Minnesota with the money collected in the name of Kinijit.
October 24th, 2007 |
Ethiopian Review Editorial
The Oct. 14 public meeting in Washington DC has left the Hailu Shawel gang naked. Let’s explain why:
1) By restricting media access and harassing members of the media at the public meeting, Hailu Shawel and friends proved themselves to be as dictatorial as Derg and Woyanne. They committed this outrageous abuse of press freedom in the center of the free press capital of the world — Washington DC. This alone makes Hailu Shawel the wrong person to lead a democratic organization such as Kinijit. What was done to the media on Oct. 14 by Hailu Shawel is against the spirit and letter of Kinijit’s manifesto. It is also against what H.R. 2003 is intended to accomplish in Ethiopia.
2) At the Oct. 14 public meeting, Dr Taye Woldeseytanat (Hailu Shawel’s chiqa shum in North America), reported that $120,000 was raised (and two cars were pledged for Wzt. Nigist Gebrehiwot, a poor woman who is being exploited by him and Ato Hailu). While the Oct. 14 meeting went on at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington DC, Ato Hailu’s confidants in Addis Ababa had invited several hundred people to the AEUP office to listen the meeting live. These poor people were standing, clapping and cheering as Dr Taye and Ato Solomon Bekele took turns to announce the fake $5k and $10k pledges and gifts that were coming from paltalk rooms. Now it turned out that only $26,000 was raised — over half of it from members of the Shaleqa-Taye gang. But the Reverend Mirchaw [he owns a church] still believes the $120,000 figure and has been pestering Dr Taye to pay for his radio program in Washington DC. Ato Bedru Adem wants his share, too — $10,000. The frustrated Taye reportedly told both to suck their thumbs instead. Unable to pay, the Reverend Mirchaw’s radio program in DC was cut to 1 hour from 3 hours this week. The scoundrels are now at each other’s throat. Hailu Shawel has been in hiding since the Oct. 14 fiasco. The plan by Shaleqa and Taye to organize several meetings in the U.S. for Ato Hailu, Ato Bedru and Wzt. Nigist has been canceled (the schedule has been removed from their web site).
3) After promising that there will be an audit report, the Shawel gang presented the public with the following financial statement [watch the video here] through Shaleqa Yoseph’s hand picked “auditor” Wzr Yenealem Kebede:
a) Wzt. Yenealem said that her report concerns financial activities starting August 11, 2006. From Aug. 2006 until Oct. 14, 2007, the total amount deposited was $308,000, according to Yenealem. Of that amount only $72,000 was sent to the families of the jailed Kinijit leaders and members in Ethiopia. But even that amount did not reach the families of Kinijit members and leaders. For example, Wzr. Nigist Gebrehiwot — one of the jailed Kinijit CC members who was sitting next to Ato Hailu on Oct. 14 — disputes that claim. Her family had not received a penny while she was in jail. When she got out of jail, Ato Hailu gave her some money out of his own pocket as a personal favor, according to Wzt. Nigist who is much grateful. Ethiopian Review has spoken with other jailed leaders, too, and none of them has received any money. So who took the $72,000 that was sent to Ethiopia, as reported by the Shaleqa’s own auditor?
b) Shaleqa’s ‘auditor’ Wzt. Yenealem reported that $76,000 (out of the $308,000) was paid in salary for Shaleqa and friends. More money went into Shaleqa’s pocket than what was sent to Ethiopia, by his own auditor’s admission.
c) Yenealem Kebede reported that $62,000 was paid for a radio program (named ‘Andinet’) that was launched to attack Ato Andargachew Tsige and other Kinijit officials. Is that why Ethiopians in the Diaspora donated their hard earned money?
d) Wzr. Yenealem did not want to report about the over $1.2 million dollars that were collected by Kinijit North America in the past two years claiming that she was denied access to documents by Ato Berhanu Mewa and others. Invited by EMF, Ethiopian Review and other media to explain this further, Wzt. Yenealem refused. The invitation still stands.
Former Kinijit North America auditor Ato Tesfaye Asmamaw alleges that close to or over $1 million that was not reported by Yenealem Kebede have been diverted to bank accounts controlled by Ato Hailu Shawel’s friends, Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew and Ato Mogus Brook. Ethiopian Review has received information from at least two credible sources that some of this money was used by Shaleqa Yoseph and Ato Mogus to pay for Hailu Shawel’s mortgage for his huge house in Rochester, Minnesota. Since Ato Hailu made himself unavailable to answer such questions, it is difficult to get to the bottom of this credible allegation. But this could also explain the reason why Hailu Shawel has been trying to obstruct the Kinijit delegation’s tour in the U.S. A serious investigation must be conducted by an independent accounting firm into Ato Hailu’s involvement in the diverting of hundreds of thousands of dollars that were collected in the name of Kinijit.
The hoax being played on the people of Ethiopia by Hailu Shawel and friends does not stop with finance. Just before rushing to the U.S. to protect his friends from investigation, Ato Hailu held meetings with central committee members of his former party, the AEUP. Out of the central committee’s 110 members, only 16 showed up. And out of the 9 executive committee members, only 3 showed up. Four executive committee members — Ato Gizachew Shiferaw, Ato Aschalew Ketema, Ato Brook Kebede and Ato Akalu Girgire — who called the meeting illegal and did not show up were summarily fired by Hailu Shawel and replaced with Dr. Tadios Bogale, Wzr. Mesobework Kitaw, Ato Zeleke Alemu, and Shaleqa Argaw Kabtamu. The fifth member, Ato Mulat Tasew, had left the AEUP executive committee before the Kinijit merger. Hailu Shawel also formed a four-member finance committee including himself and Wzr Mesebework Kitaw, Dr Tadios Bogale, and Shaleqa Getachew Mengiste. Additionally, Ato Hailu formed an AEUP task force of seven individuals that will reorganize the party through out the country. All these decisions were being made with the presence of only 3 out of the 9 AEUP executive committee members and 16 out of the 110 AEUP council members.
After telling the people of Ethiopia and Kinijit supporters around the world that all the four parties that created Kinijit no longer exist, Ato Hailu Shawel has been busy reorganizing his own party behind the scene and paying mortage for his house in Minnesota with the money collected in the name of Kinijit.
Elias Kifle on What led to Lidetu Ayalew's fall from grace?
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/848
August 24th, 2006
Ethiopian Review Editorial
The pre- and post-elections political activities of Ato Lidetu Ayalew require serious examination and analysis by political scientists and historians. ER's intention here is not to do that, because we do not have all the facts. What ER wishes to accomplish in this commentary is to try to give a more complete picture of circumstances surrounding Lidetu's fall from grace. ER believes that our political leaders and those of us who are closely following our country's politics can benefit from such a discussion.
It is a well established fact that Lidetu had a major role in Ethiopian politics in the past decade as a leading opposition figure. No one can deny the fact that he was instrumental in the defeat of the Meles regime at the ballot box in May 2005. In a series of televised debates before the elections, he delivered a knockout blow to the TPLF brain trust with his rhetorical firepower that was unmatched by any current Ethiopian political leader. One week before the May 15 elections, he received a hero's welcome at a huge rally in Meskel Square that was attended by over a million people. The other CUD leaders received little or no attention from the crowd at the rally. Every where he traveled, he was received with admiration and respect. His photos were posted on walls and utility poles in cities around the country. He was THE most popular politician in the country and a leading figure in the movement against the Meles dictatorship. In a matter of few months, all that has changed. Currently, Lidetu is one of the most hated politicians in Ethiopia. Any one who says any thing positive about him, or even seen talking with him is called a traitor. ER itself received a lot of grief for interviewing Lidetu a few days ago. How did this happen? How could a man who was so loved and admired by millions of people becomes one of the most vilified politicians in a matter of days? Is the onslaught against him warranted?
ER believes that although Lidetu may not deserve to be called a traitor, and definitely not a Woyanne, he has brought all this on himself. How?
1. Timing
There were four parties, but three power centers inside the Coalition for Unity & Democracy (CUD) when it was formed in February 2005. The first one was the All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP) led by Ato Hailu Shawel. The second one was Kestedamena led by Dr Berhanu Nega, and the third was UEDP-Medhin led by Lidetu–although the chairman was Dr Admasu Gebeyehu. The fourth member of the coalition, Ethiopian Democratic League (EDL), the smallest of the four parties, had an insignificant role in the coalition. Its leaders mostly sided with Dr Berhanu Nega and acted as Kestedamena members. After the elections, the UEDP-Medhin chairman Dr Admasu Gebeyehu began to identify himself more with the CUD than his own party. He even stopped attending UEDP-Medhin's meetings. So it was Lidetu who tried to represent the UEDP-Medhin in the coalition.
Lidetu's party, UEDP-Medhin, had more members and its candidates won more seats in the 2005 elections than any of the other parties in the CUD. But after the elections, UEDP-Medhin, particularly its younger leaders, were sidelined by the AEUP and Kestedamena leaders with the help of the UEDP-Medhin chairman. The UEDP-Medhin chapters and committees inside the country and around the world stopped receiving any direction on how to proceed as members of the CUD. The older officials of the UEDP-Medhin–particularly the chairman, Dr Admasu Gebeyehu and vice-chairman Dr Hailu Araya–were coopted by the AEUP and Kestedamena leaders. They found to have more in common with the AEUP and Kestedamena leaders than the young turks (Lidetu et al) in their own party. They often voted against Lidetu and Mushe inside the CUD executive committee while the others voted party line. By July 2005, an alliance of AEUP, Kestedamena and the older members of the UEDP-Medhin emerged against Lidetu & Company inside the CUD.
The CUD troika–Hailu Shawel, Berhanu Nega and Lidetu Ayalew–that defeated the Meles dictatorship in the ballot box transformed into two warring factions–one led by Hailu Shawel and the other by Lidetu Ayalew. Berhanu Nega, who has his own strong following, joined the Hailu Shawel camp. He might have seen the popular Lidetu as a long-term threat to his own political ambition. The AEUP-Kestedamena leaders, who are much older, much wealthier, and had much more advanced education, did not see the young leaders of UEDP-Medhin as their equals. They looked down on them more as rabble-rousers than level-headed politicians. Most of Lidetu's and Mushe Semu's ideas and proposals were dead on arrival at the CUD Council meetings. It seemed that some times they rejected Lidetu's ideas just to irk him. He in turn did not respect their approach to politics, and forcefully challenged them. His style was confrontational, and blunt, antagonizing many of the CUD leaders who are sensitive to diplomatic niceties. He was particularly disrespectful towards Ato Hailu Shawel. The two disliked each other.
During the heated internal debates inside the CUD leadership regarding how to react to the gross election fraud that the Meles regime committed, Lidetu and allies pushed for a more populist approach. They opposed going to the courts and the diplomatic community to protest the vote fraud. They wanted to confront the Meles regime through rallies, general strikes and other popular actions. They vociferously argued that going to the courts, which are controlled by the Meles regime, was useless.
The tension between these two camps continued to threaten the survival of the CUD. Some how the coalition survived through the elections, but break up was inevitable as the differences in ideology, strategy, and style of leadership were too wide apart for the two groups to remain together. With all the distrust, lack of mutual respect, and built up resentment, the only way for the CUD to survive was for one of the two camps to give in, or be destroyed by the other. The stubborn Lidetu, by then organizationally a lot weaker, was not about to give in. So, first the Hailu Shawel camp carried out a divide and conquer policy on UEDP-Medhin. They successfully brought many of the UEDP-Medhin leaders to their side. Then they gave a green light to their supporters to politically destroy Lidetu. As young politicians who are new to intraparty battles, Lidetu and allies lost out to the more experienced politicians. In politics, timing is every thing–none more so than in intra party battles. So instead of accepting defeat, and waiting for the right time to wage another battle, Lidetu and allies went on a kamikaze (suicide) mission.
2. Not responding to false rumors and fabricated stories
Knowing the rhetorical firepower of the Lidetu camp, his opponents in the CUD made sure than Lidetu is politically dead and buried. None of his opponents believed that Lidetu was a Woyanne or a traitor. In a number of discussions ER held with the top CUD leaders, their complaint about Lidetu had never been that he is a Woyanne. Their main worry was that he is a populist and a reckless leader who could have them all killed. Accusations of recklessness and hotheadedness was not enough to defeat Lidetu in the court of public opinion. So rumors started surfacing about Lidetu meeting with Sebhat Nega and other Woyanne leaders. Fabricated stories were published in newspapers, such as Lidetu received money from Al Amoudi, took up residency in Sheraton Hotel free of charge, etc. Confident that no body would believe such rumors, Lidetu failed to respond. In our culture, any thing written down is taken seriously, no matter how false the story is. But Lidetu simply brushed off the flood of rumors and negative newspaper reports about him. At the time, ER had asked Lidetu several times to interview him so that he could refute the damaging stories against him. He refused to do so saying that it is not necessary. He said that the people would not trust any of the negative stuff that was being said about him. How wrong he was! His silence gave credence to the rumors.
3. Sycophant supporters
Lidetu made a series of blunders, all of them as a result of his unwillingness to listen to the advise of others. This is a major flaw in his character. But how did he came to be like that? The answer lies in the sycophantic support he was getting from his friends and followers. Blind supporters have destroyed the careers of a number of promising leaders. Lidetu is one of their victims. They made him out to be an all-knowing, omnipotent leader. For a young politician in his 30s, such adulation and flattery no doubt had a corrupting effect on his character. Surrounded by an army of sycophants and zealots who worshipped him, Lidetu thought that he could not do any thing wrong, and he didn't need advise from any one.
ER views sycophantic followers of political leaders with contempt. They are a scourge on Ethiopian politics.
4. Unwise words and decisions
Lidetu's popularity and credibility with the people remained intact even after he was expelled by the CUD executive committee in late October 2005. He was expelled because he refused to surrender UEDP-Medhin's official stamp he was keeping as secretary of the party after the four parties have merged to make CUD a unitary party. At the meeting of UEDP-Medhin executives, he was outvoted in favor of giving up the stamp that was needed to finalize the merger. But he refused, arguing that only the general meeting of the party can decide on such an issue. His legalistic stand did not have a strong foundation since at a previous general meeting the members had given the executives a mandate to make all merger-related decisions on their behalf. Politically, too, his decision was suicidal, because he was going against a strong desire by the people to make CUD a unitary party. Lidetu was portrayed as a divisive figure who was an obstacle to unity. If he wanted to take a principled–and what he believed was a legal–position, he should have resigned and gone home, instead of dragging himself and his allies through the ugly fight that was to follow. His irrationally stubborn stand caused so much unnecessary pain to so many people, particularly his supporters.
Lidetu didn't stop there. When Meles unleashed his Federal Police and Agazi death squads on CUD leaders and members, he was not heard uttering any word of condemnation. To make matters worse, he wrote a book that condemns the jailed leaders and spoke out against them on radio and newspaper interviews while they were languishing in jail. What he was saying in the book and the interviews could be factual, but the timing was not right. It was also politically and morally incorrect to attack those who cannot defend themselves.
When the Meles regime unleashed a brutal attack on CUD leaders and supporters, Lidetu should have put aside his political differences and expressed solidarity with his former colleagues, no matter how much unfairly he felt they treated him. The least he could have done was to distance himself as far away as possible from the fascist regime that is brutalizing the people whose votes it has stolen. Instead, what Lidetu did was to show up in the parliament in the same stage with Woyanne mass murderers who had gunned down some of his own supporters just a few weeks ago. No wonder why his supporters felt betrayed. The Woyanne propaganda machine that used to demonize Lidetu for the past ten years jumped on the opportunity to exploit his appearance in the parliament a short distance away from the tyrant.
With all the complaints against Lidetu until that time, had he boycotted the parliament, his popularity as a political leader would not have significantly changed. The false rumors and fabricated newspaper reports against Lidetu had a negative impact on his popularity, but what hurt him the most and probably irreparably damaged his political career were his own unwise words (attacking the jailed leaders), and his own unwise decision (entering the fake parliament).
Can Lidetu revive his political career?
There is no doubt that Lidetu can revive his political career if he takes some steps to address the grievances against him. Ethiopians are the most forgiving people. If Lidetu wants to get back in the people's good graces, he is well advised to do the following:
1. Organize and lead a boycott of the Woyanne parliament until all the opposition leaders and members are released
2. Demand the immediate resignation of the Meles regime for stealing the people's votes, murdering unarmed civilians, illegally detaining tens of thousands of innocent civilians, etc.
3. As a political leader, listen what the people are saying
4. Admit mistakes and apologize
Individuals like Lidetu come one in a million. He is a gifted orator and has a brilliant mind. With experience and age, he has the potential to be a great political leader. It would be a great loss and a tragedy for our country if all the contributions Lidetu made and the sacrifices he paid for freedom and democracy in the past 10-15 years are discounted because of a few ill-advised decisions he made and unwise words he spoke. What Lidetu went through in the past ten months can only make him a better person and a better politician if he does what needs to be done. But if he thinks that he didn't make any mistake, refuses to tune in to the heartbeat of the people, and continues to show up in the same stage with the number one terrorist in Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, he would be digging his own political grave deeper and deeper.
August 24th, 2006
Ethiopian Review Editorial
The pre- and post-elections political activities of Ato Lidetu Ayalew require serious examination and analysis by political scientists and historians. ER's intention here is not to do that, because we do not have all the facts. What ER wishes to accomplish in this commentary is to try to give a more complete picture of circumstances surrounding Lidetu's fall from grace. ER believes that our political leaders and those of us who are closely following our country's politics can benefit from such a discussion.
It is a well established fact that Lidetu had a major role in Ethiopian politics in the past decade as a leading opposition figure. No one can deny the fact that he was instrumental in the defeat of the Meles regime at the ballot box in May 2005. In a series of televised debates before the elections, he delivered a knockout blow to the TPLF brain trust with his rhetorical firepower that was unmatched by any current Ethiopian political leader. One week before the May 15 elections, he received a hero's welcome at a huge rally in Meskel Square that was attended by over a million people. The other CUD leaders received little or no attention from the crowd at the rally. Every where he traveled, he was received with admiration and respect. His photos were posted on walls and utility poles in cities around the country. He was THE most popular politician in the country and a leading figure in the movement against the Meles dictatorship. In a matter of few months, all that has changed. Currently, Lidetu is one of the most hated politicians in Ethiopia. Any one who says any thing positive about him, or even seen talking with him is called a traitor. ER itself received a lot of grief for interviewing Lidetu a few days ago. How did this happen? How could a man who was so loved and admired by millions of people becomes one of the most vilified politicians in a matter of days? Is the onslaught against him warranted?
ER believes that although Lidetu may not deserve to be called a traitor, and definitely not a Woyanne, he has brought all this on himself. How?
1. Timing
There were four parties, but three power centers inside the Coalition for Unity & Democracy (CUD) when it was formed in February 2005. The first one was the All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP) led by Ato Hailu Shawel. The second one was Kestedamena led by Dr Berhanu Nega, and the third was UEDP-Medhin led by Lidetu–although the chairman was Dr Admasu Gebeyehu. The fourth member of the coalition, Ethiopian Democratic League (EDL), the smallest of the four parties, had an insignificant role in the coalition. Its leaders mostly sided with Dr Berhanu Nega and acted as Kestedamena members. After the elections, the UEDP-Medhin chairman Dr Admasu Gebeyehu began to identify himself more with the CUD than his own party. He even stopped attending UEDP-Medhin's meetings. So it was Lidetu who tried to represent the UEDP-Medhin in the coalition.
Lidetu's party, UEDP-Medhin, had more members and its candidates won more seats in the 2005 elections than any of the other parties in the CUD. But after the elections, UEDP-Medhin, particularly its younger leaders, were sidelined by the AEUP and Kestedamena leaders with the help of the UEDP-Medhin chairman. The UEDP-Medhin chapters and committees inside the country and around the world stopped receiving any direction on how to proceed as members of the CUD. The older officials of the UEDP-Medhin–particularly the chairman, Dr Admasu Gebeyehu and vice-chairman Dr Hailu Araya–were coopted by the AEUP and Kestedamena leaders. They found to have more in common with the AEUP and Kestedamena leaders than the young turks (Lidetu et al) in their own party. They often voted against Lidetu and Mushe inside the CUD executive committee while the others voted party line. By July 2005, an alliance of AEUP, Kestedamena and the older members of the UEDP-Medhin emerged against Lidetu & Company inside the CUD.
The CUD troika–Hailu Shawel, Berhanu Nega and Lidetu Ayalew–that defeated the Meles dictatorship in the ballot box transformed into two warring factions–one led by Hailu Shawel and the other by Lidetu Ayalew. Berhanu Nega, who has his own strong following, joined the Hailu Shawel camp. He might have seen the popular Lidetu as a long-term threat to his own political ambition. The AEUP-Kestedamena leaders, who are much older, much wealthier, and had much more advanced education, did not see the young leaders of UEDP-Medhin as their equals. They looked down on them more as rabble-rousers than level-headed politicians. Most of Lidetu's and Mushe Semu's ideas and proposals were dead on arrival at the CUD Council meetings. It seemed that some times they rejected Lidetu's ideas just to irk him. He in turn did not respect their approach to politics, and forcefully challenged them. His style was confrontational, and blunt, antagonizing many of the CUD leaders who are sensitive to diplomatic niceties. He was particularly disrespectful towards Ato Hailu Shawel. The two disliked each other.
During the heated internal debates inside the CUD leadership regarding how to react to the gross election fraud that the Meles regime committed, Lidetu and allies pushed for a more populist approach. They opposed going to the courts and the diplomatic community to protest the vote fraud. They wanted to confront the Meles regime through rallies, general strikes and other popular actions. They vociferously argued that going to the courts, which are controlled by the Meles regime, was useless.
The tension between these two camps continued to threaten the survival of the CUD. Some how the coalition survived through the elections, but break up was inevitable as the differences in ideology, strategy, and style of leadership were too wide apart for the two groups to remain together. With all the distrust, lack of mutual respect, and built up resentment, the only way for the CUD to survive was for one of the two camps to give in, or be destroyed by the other. The stubborn Lidetu, by then organizationally a lot weaker, was not about to give in. So, first the Hailu Shawel camp carried out a divide and conquer policy on UEDP-Medhin. They successfully brought many of the UEDP-Medhin leaders to their side. Then they gave a green light to their supporters to politically destroy Lidetu. As young politicians who are new to intraparty battles, Lidetu and allies lost out to the more experienced politicians. In politics, timing is every thing–none more so than in intra party battles. So instead of accepting defeat, and waiting for the right time to wage another battle, Lidetu and allies went on a kamikaze (suicide) mission.
2. Not responding to false rumors and fabricated stories
Knowing the rhetorical firepower of the Lidetu camp, his opponents in the CUD made sure than Lidetu is politically dead and buried. None of his opponents believed that Lidetu was a Woyanne or a traitor. In a number of discussions ER held with the top CUD leaders, their complaint about Lidetu had never been that he is a Woyanne. Their main worry was that he is a populist and a reckless leader who could have them all killed. Accusations of recklessness and hotheadedness was not enough to defeat Lidetu in the court of public opinion. So rumors started surfacing about Lidetu meeting with Sebhat Nega and other Woyanne leaders. Fabricated stories were published in newspapers, such as Lidetu received money from Al Amoudi, took up residency in Sheraton Hotel free of charge, etc. Confident that no body would believe such rumors, Lidetu failed to respond. In our culture, any thing written down is taken seriously, no matter how false the story is. But Lidetu simply brushed off the flood of rumors and negative newspaper reports about him. At the time, ER had asked Lidetu several times to interview him so that he could refute the damaging stories against him. He refused to do so saying that it is not necessary. He said that the people would not trust any of the negative stuff that was being said about him. How wrong he was! His silence gave credence to the rumors.
3. Sycophant supporters
Lidetu made a series of blunders, all of them as a result of his unwillingness to listen to the advise of others. This is a major flaw in his character. But how did he came to be like that? The answer lies in the sycophantic support he was getting from his friends and followers. Blind supporters have destroyed the careers of a number of promising leaders. Lidetu is one of their victims. They made him out to be an all-knowing, omnipotent leader. For a young politician in his 30s, such adulation and flattery no doubt had a corrupting effect on his character. Surrounded by an army of sycophants and zealots who worshipped him, Lidetu thought that he could not do any thing wrong, and he didn't need advise from any one.
ER views sycophantic followers of political leaders with contempt. They are a scourge on Ethiopian politics.
4. Unwise words and decisions
Lidetu's popularity and credibility with the people remained intact even after he was expelled by the CUD executive committee in late October 2005. He was expelled because he refused to surrender UEDP-Medhin's official stamp he was keeping as secretary of the party after the four parties have merged to make CUD a unitary party. At the meeting of UEDP-Medhin executives, he was outvoted in favor of giving up the stamp that was needed to finalize the merger. But he refused, arguing that only the general meeting of the party can decide on such an issue. His legalistic stand did not have a strong foundation since at a previous general meeting the members had given the executives a mandate to make all merger-related decisions on their behalf. Politically, too, his decision was suicidal, because he was going against a strong desire by the people to make CUD a unitary party. Lidetu was portrayed as a divisive figure who was an obstacle to unity. If he wanted to take a principled–and what he believed was a legal–position, he should have resigned and gone home, instead of dragging himself and his allies through the ugly fight that was to follow. His irrationally stubborn stand caused so much unnecessary pain to so many people, particularly his supporters.
Lidetu didn't stop there. When Meles unleashed his Federal Police and Agazi death squads on CUD leaders and members, he was not heard uttering any word of condemnation. To make matters worse, he wrote a book that condemns the jailed leaders and spoke out against them on radio and newspaper interviews while they were languishing in jail. What he was saying in the book and the interviews could be factual, but the timing was not right. It was also politically and morally incorrect to attack those who cannot defend themselves.
When the Meles regime unleashed a brutal attack on CUD leaders and supporters, Lidetu should have put aside his political differences and expressed solidarity with his former colleagues, no matter how much unfairly he felt they treated him. The least he could have done was to distance himself as far away as possible from the fascist regime that is brutalizing the people whose votes it has stolen. Instead, what Lidetu did was to show up in the parliament in the same stage with Woyanne mass murderers who had gunned down some of his own supporters just a few weeks ago. No wonder why his supporters felt betrayed. The Woyanne propaganda machine that used to demonize Lidetu for the past ten years jumped on the opportunity to exploit his appearance in the parliament a short distance away from the tyrant.
With all the complaints against Lidetu until that time, had he boycotted the parliament, his popularity as a political leader would not have significantly changed. The false rumors and fabricated newspaper reports against Lidetu had a negative impact on his popularity, but what hurt him the most and probably irreparably damaged his political career were his own unwise words (attacking the jailed leaders), and his own unwise decision (entering the fake parliament).
Can Lidetu revive his political career?
There is no doubt that Lidetu can revive his political career if he takes some steps to address the grievances against him. Ethiopians are the most forgiving people. If Lidetu wants to get back in the people's good graces, he is well advised to do the following:
1. Organize and lead a boycott of the Woyanne parliament until all the opposition leaders and members are released
2. Demand the immediate resignation of the Meles regime for stealing the people's votes, murdering unarmed civilians, illegally detaining tens of thousands of innocent civilians, etc.
3. As a political leader, listen what the people are saying
4. Admit mistakes and apologize
Individuals like Lidetu come one in a million. He is a gifted orator and has a brilliant mind. With experience and age, he has the potential to be a great political leader. It would be a great loss and a tragedy for our country if all the contributions Lidetu made and the sacrifices he paid for freedom and democracy in the past 10-15 years are discounted because of a few ill-advised decisions he made and unwise words he spoke. What Lidetu went through in the past ten months can only make him a better person and a better politician if he does what needs to be done. But if he thinks that he didn't make any mistake, refuses to tune in to the heartbeat of the people, and continues to show up in the same stage with the number one terrorist in Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, he would be digging his own political grave deeper and deeper.
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