Twisting the truth

Democratic rights are vehicles where citizens decide on their country’s issues and guarantee their status as sovereign source of power through various ways. Talking about these rights used to lead to jail cells during previous regimes, let alone being implemented. These rights started to appear and be implemented since the last 25 years.

As a novice country to these rights, we have reached at our current state by ironing out wrong human and democratic rights handling that cane crumbling down from previous regimes. Of course, human and democratic rights cannot be implemented within a few years – it takes steps and due process.

As their execution is closely linked with the society’s level of awareness, their implementation cannot be realized within very short period of time. It easy to see that even the westerns that are said to have strong experience with regards to the rights are having difficulties to implement them at the needed level, let alone a novice country like ours. Nevertheless, believing that the issue of protecting human and democratic rights in our country is an existential issue, the FDRE government is working committed for their implementation by giving them constitutional cover.

As a result, success and progress is being achieved with regards to implementing the rights for the past 25 years. Citizens’ human and democratic rights are improving and flowering day by day. However, foreign powers with their own agenda and their local lackeys have been relaying repeated bogus accusations between them at various time, in which they make it sound human and democratic rights are not respected in our country.

Especially, some local and extremist “oppositions” and extremists who don’t want our growth have been trying their mightiest to blacken our country’s image by feeding bogus information to the international community – though lately they are left with their empty hands as the truth is becoming clearer now for everybody. So, I think their bogus accusation can fully be exposed by presenting tangible evidence. Out of the bogus rumors they spew, statements these same forces issue in a campaign format at various times in which they make it appear as if violation of human and democratic rights are intensified in Ethiopia are one.

Here, I think it should be asked, “are the realities on the ground as they make it out to be?’ This will help foil the propagation in which anti-Ethiopian forces levy in our country without really knowing the realities in our country. Of course no one can possibly know more about us than ourselves– including those closed-minded oppositions that blabber in a negative and hateful fashion about something they don’t know.

Just let us start with the fictional story the neo-liberal extremist and their local “puppies” repeatedly tell: ‘freedom of speech and other political rights are the face of the human and democratic rights violation in Ethiopia’. These people say freedom of expression is in danger in Ethiopia and they are really concerned about that. It’s supposed to be a concern for our wellbeing. But, is the situation as what they are claiming it to be? – Let us see together.

As it is known, human rights are interlinked with the nature of human beings, and are given for being human. These rights cannot be given or taken away from citizens at the will of the Ethiopian government, as these neo-liberal extremists are claiming to be.

This is because the age old demands of our people – respect of human and democratic rights - which were also the root cause for the civil war has been answered. I think it’s advisable for the extremists to understand that this answer is clearly stipulated on the constitution and is currently being implemented.

If the mask of the self-proclaimed “human and democratic rights advocate” neo-liberal extremists was to be exposed, we can see that they are political merchants.

And they can’t call upon local extremists to back them up, as the lights of ‘Human Rights Watch’ effort to clean the outside before they did their own homework will be exposed.

Let me rise on instance - the one time controversial issue between American and the founder of ‘Wikileaks’, William Assange. When the American-born ‘Human Rights Watch’ and ‘CPJ’ claim ‘Ethiopia is violating human and democratic rights by jailing journalists’, I think it’s necessary and appropriate to recall America’s human and democratic right violation on Mr. William Assange. Here, I wanted to be known that I’m not saying since American did not respect the human and democratic rights of Mr. William Assange and his colleagues, it’s OK for Ethiopia to do the same. The reason I raised the issue is to highlight that international laws should not apply to one and not to the other; and to also highlight the institutions are not neutral. All in all, let us move now to the so-called “violated” rights. As far as I know, there’s no one that has been jailed for his writing or for expressing his thoughts freely.

The only jailed individuals are suspected criminals for carrying out illegal and criminal acts under the guise of journalism. And criminals, whether they’re politician, priest or soldier, will nonetheless face the judicial law in any country. It would have been better for the neo-liberal extremists to see that there are many Medias that express their thoughts by respecting the country’s Mass Media freedom of information act and other laws, instead of blabbering hearsay. This is because, they will have the chance to see many individuals reflecting his/her own thoughts freely on any Media at any time and place.

Other than this, the neo-liberals insist with their tiring ‘there are people sent to jail for freely expressing his/her thought’, then they should present it with evidence. However, as there are no people jailed for expressing freely, they can’t support their claim with evidence.  And I think this is why, they call upon anti-Ethiopia forces to setup for bogus testament. Of course not only the interest of the neo-liberal extremists are plainly clear, but they obviously have their own objective and agenda.

Intensifying their bogus rhetoric, these forces did not back down from saying the activities of the political parties are contained as a result of the anti-terror law. However, they should be aware of the fact that today there are many oppositions in Ethiopia born out of the freedom of assembly the constitution bestowed upon them.

There are no laws that obstruct; or part of the government that interfere in any of their efforts they exert to realize their objectives. The parties issue statement on national issues, and reflect their respective positions. They stage mass demonstration as they wish. It’s quite routine to see them use their own and the public Medias or the free press to relay their message and raise their accessibility. It can confidently be said that there are no party or individual jailed for reflecting their stance.

In addition to this, the fact that debates, in which the ruling party and opposition parties reflect their respective positions on latest national issues, are becoming more prominent goes out to show that the national human and democratic rights are strengthening.

However, when the truth is this, it’s clear why the neo-liberal extremist forces want to twist the truth. It can be said that it’s out of their arrogance that they only listen to their own words. And considering their sources are forces who don’t want to see the growth of Ethiopia, it’s not acceptable.

A conclusion that’s made based on the evidence presented by forces that don’t want to see Ethiopia’s good will expose to huge problems. The democracy building process our country is carrying out will not only help Ethiopia, but it will also have huge contribution for the democratization of neighboring countries. And this fact can be clearly seen from those who are willing to look. So, I think the neo-liberal extremists should listen to this testament and not to the local sellout’ terror groups that won’t bat an eye to sell their country. It is just twisting the truth. Read more here