The vociferous disgruntled Ethiopian Diaspora in the USA comprises mainly of remnants of the previous feudal and communist regimes many of whom are fugitives. Their obsession is to snatch power by any means and at any cost.
They dream to dismantle the federal system of government which proved to be the best solution for Ethiopia comprising some 80 ethnic groups. They are determined to revert to a unitary government which will be vehemently opposed by practically all states and ethnic groups. To this end, they misinform and inundate the Ethiopian Diaspora, the media, foreign governments and international institutions with unsubstantiated allegations against the ruling party and the government.
As the officials of the American Embassy in Addis Ababa could corroborate, the Diaspora and the opposition, particularly the CUD, do not practice democracy intra and inter parties. And yet they claim the current government is undemocratic and they will bring democracy to the country, denying the fact that the government introduced democracy and continues the process of democratization. They have been saying and doing anything, including organizing and financing violent demonstrations, hoping to draw the attention of the international community to advance their agenda which is likely to result in the disintegration of the country. Recently they advised each of their followers to cheat by sending multiple petitions to House Speaker Dennis Hastert to bring the H.R. 5680 bill to a vote on the House
floor before the end of September. As the excerpt* from
http://ethiopianreview.homestead.com/00009202006PressRelease_AlemayehuGebremariam.html
presented below shows, they, apparently, have low opinion and
doubt the integrity of the House Speaker. If they are capable of attacking the House Speaker from whom they are seeking favor there is no limit to what they can say about and do to the ruling party. In other words, one should take what they say and claim with a grain of salt.
Good governance was the dominant theme in the conferences recently organized by the four members of the ruling party in the four major states of Ethiopia. The conferences identified weaknesses in governance during the previous year and charted courses of actions to improve on governance. Good governance is dependent on the capacity of the civil service. As anyone with some knowledge of conditions in developing countries may appreciate, it is difficult to practice good governance with civil servants at the lower and grass root levels that mostly, unfortunately, have no adequate capacity to administer and implement plans and projects. This is the reason why capacity building has been given a priority status in government plans and programs.
Institution building, an important component of capacity building, continues. Institutions intended to contribute to good governance, such as, the Ethiopian Ethics and Anti-Corruption commission, the Commission on Human Rights and the Office of the Ombudsman have become operational. These institutions with the help of the public have started to ferret out corrupt elements in the civil service, accept and follow up on complaints from the public, etc.
Immediately following the election last year the government consulted the people and started to plan and take actions to respond to the people’s expressed needs. As a result and despite the instability brought about by the opposition, last year, economic development continued to register high rate of growth. Parliament enacted laws, including one on parliamentary procedure and code of conduct while those on election and the press are expected to be enacted soon when parliament opens. These and many others that were subject of contention between the governing party and the opposition found and are finding solutions. Based on what has been and is happening in the political, economic and social sectors, Ethiopia is on the right track in the process of democratization. One should, however, unlike the unrealistic opposition, be cognizant of the adage that “Rome was not
built in a day.”
The above coupled with the fact that the reality in the changing
Political situation in the Horn of Africa, the new dimension introduced in Somalia, makes the passing of H.R. 5680 bill ill-advised. It will neither serve the interest of Ethiopia nor that of the USA. On the contrary it will definitely sour the good Ethio-USA relationship and plunge the Horn of Africa into turmoil.
___________________________
*Deriding the Speaker of the House
By Tadesse T. Tsion
September 20, 2006
http://www.hmbasha.net/AlGhasDoneIt.htm
Al. G. Mariam, the new anointed leader of the confused Diaspora rightwing, is trying to get H.R. 5680 bill sail through the Congressional floor. On one hand he is trying to get his troops to beg House Speaker Dennis Hastert, but on the other hand he is lambasting the Speaker. Read the following excerpt from his message (ER web) to Ethiopians living in Illinois.
“…I have a few thoughts why the Speaker may have abandoned Ethiopia, if you would like to know.
Perhaps the mighty lobbying firm of DLA Piper has something to do with it. Perhaps Richard Armey, the former House majority leader and right hand man of the Speaker, has a lot do with it.
Perhaps $600,000 paid to a lobbyist has done it!!
But it does not matter. Whether it is 30 pieces of silver or $600,000,
Your congressman, Dennis Hastert, has chained H.R.5680 to the floor of the International Relations Committee, and will not let it get to the floor of the House.
And as his constituents, you have to hold him accountable. He has betrayed your trust.”
Al. G. Mariam is casting doubt that the honorable House Speaker is a captive of the lobbyists in the capitol. He is issuing the message that the Speaker is a vacillating, obsequious law maker with strong ties to Richard Armey, former House majority leader.
I urge all Ethiopians to fax a copy of this short piece and let the Speaker know what they think of him. It’s a monumental irony to reap an impeccably honorable man from the back door and extend a clean hand to shake him from the front. Al Mariam wants to eat his cake and have it too!
