“No Shame” in an Election Sham

By Tibebe Samuel Ferenji

"When many Republicans lose an election, they go back into what they call the private sector. When many Democrats lose an election, they lose power and money. They need to eat, and people will do an awful lot in order to eat."
Former US Congressman

Several Ethiopians have expressed their disappointments in the May 23, 2010, Ethiopian election. Some even have expressed their surprise by the end result; the end result is not surprising and was expected. What is surprising however is the shameless pried exhibited on faces of Mr. Meles Zenawi, Mr. Berket Simon and their supporters. Among other things, the process and the end result of this election proves beyond a shadow of the doubt how vindictive, arrogant, and deceptive the ruling party leadership is. Mr. Meles and his cohort were not only planning for a result of a landslide “Victory” but also to humiliate the opposition leadership. It is with such sickening and snobbish modus operandi that the ruling party relentlessly planned to rig the 2010 election.

As Mr. Bereket tried to tell us, there was no deceptive practice in the polling places. Even if we take this on its face value, that does not mean other methods were not used to rig the election and guarantee a landslide “victory for the ruling party. The notion that the election was fair and free is not only self serving and deceptive, it is not supported by any independent body. As some reports indicated, the EU observes report had found its way to Mr. Meles’ desk and that the leader of the team was summoned by Mr. Meles and chastised. Hence, one can assume that even the final report of the EU is a water down report. Even that does not paint a pretty picture of the ruling party.

Mr. Meles and his spoke person could claim victory for any one who byes it; what is clear and what they have failed to tell us is that they have created a climate of fear in the country the last five years that guaranteed the outcome of the “election”. We are not new for such absurd claims; after all, we had a president in the past who claimed he was elected by the people of Ethiopia despite the fact there were no opposition political parties. In various press releases and statements before the election, Mr. Meles has stated repeatedly that the EPRDF has learned from the 2005 election. What the EPRDF has learned is that when the Ethiopian people believe that they could change the political landscape by giving their true voice, they would vote out the party that has violated their basic human rights, failed to address their economic and social concerns and undermined their efforts and struggle to build democratic institutions.

Taking a serious lesson from this, the EPRDF planned how to curve and silence such voices by creating “A climate of Fear” in the country. This writer knows first hand how the government of Ethiopia muzzle the press even before enacting the so called “press law”. This writer attempt to get a permit to establish a media center in Ethiopia was impeded by the government. When the writer persisted and made it clear that even the EPRDF formulated Constitution gives him a right to establish the media center and publish a newspaper, the government issued him a permit with a clear warning. He was told that he could not publish any political, economical, social, even cultural issues.

Daring the government’s threat, in the first issue of the newspaper, the writer condemned the government’s unconstitutional conduct in curving freedom of the press in the country. More over, in its Editorial, the newspaper requested the unconditional release of CUD leaders who were then in prison. Despite a threat from government officials, the newspaper continued to publish political and economic issues critical of the government. The government even threatened people whose interview was published in this particular newspaper. After the 4th issue was published, the government had it; the officials summoned this writer and told him to shut down his paper. This is the kind of freedom you have in Ethiopia.

As Human Rights Watch information collected from the ground clearly shows, voters were threatened to vote for the ruling party or face an enormous hardship in their lives. There is no question that the vote was a vote for survival because everybody has to eat. The survival was not only for voters but also for the people who held the parliament seats representing the EPRDF. The majority would not have any place in the private sectors should they have lost their seats in fair and free elections. Most of them are people who earned less than 100.00 Birr per month before becoming members of parliament. As members of parliament, they are provided with apartments, other benefits and a salary of more than 1000.00 Birr per month. Their family members are living a life style that they have never dreamed of. More over, there is money coming from those who engage in corrupt practices and need the assistance of members of parliaments for various legislations. This added “benefit” has an enormous incentive for members of parliament and the ruling party to continue to occupy the office they are holding now. Who would not “kill” for such benefits?

Mr. Meles, in one of his statements before the election declared no party that has registered double digit economic growth and that brought stability to a country never lost an election in the world. I choose to differ; no party that perpetrated a crime against humanity, no party whose economic program only benefited 2% of the population and impoverished 98% of its population, no party that has muzzled the free press, no party that killed, imprisoned, and abducted its innocent citizens ever won any where in the world in a free and fair election. And again, no party with such grim record in its pocket ever permitted a free and fair election.

It is unfortunate that like every thing else now days in Ethiopia even an election is “Made in China”. Like China, we have a One Party Dictatorial Rulers. It is clear that the shameful EPRDF leadership had learned its lesson in the 2005 election and made a “Climate of fear” its strategy. Such strategy is a recipe for disaster. The question here is has the opposition learned its lesson and what is it going to do about it? Five years is not a long time. For the next five years the opposition should continue to expose any misdeeds of the ruling party; at the same time, it needs to regroup, strengthen its human and financial resources and build a constituency that is capable of defying such climate of fear perpetrated by the ruling party.
If the opposition is counting on the international community to change the outcome of the election result, it would be a waste of time and resources. The international community has done nothing in the past and allowed such similar abuse to vanish into informational black hole and legitimized the EPRDF. There is a reason why the EPRDF defies the Ethiopian people and the international community. The EPRDF is pampered by its western allies and its leader Mr. Meles Zenawi is treated with a red carpet despite his crime against humanity because the Westerners need an ally in the region; Mr. Meles has positioned himself as a fighter of terrorism and an ally that westerners need. At any cost the Westerners will continue to support Mr. Meles until they see an alternative formidable force.

Henceforth, the opposition must be that alternative force and prepare itself for the task ahead. The Shameful 2010 election Sham should motivate the opposition to build on its strength and take corrective measures to eliminate its weaknesses and build a formidable political force that the people of Ethiopia could rely on. The 2010 election is an election that has clearly shown the naked truth about the EPRDF and even its foreign allies are unable to defend it. That ladies and gentlemen is a victory we should acknowledge.

“If as expected the EPRDF, the ruling party, wins a landslide victory, it is unlikely to be a victory for democracy. Rather, it will be a vindication of the strategy of repression and control.” Human Right Watch