What Happened to Ethiopian
Youth National Movement?
Mankelklot
Haile Selassie (PhD)
(June
29, 2012)
From
the outset, the prompt response to this question is, it is sold out. To show
the full picture in the building process of the Ethiopian Youth National
Movement and now the Ethiopian National Transitional Council (ENTC), I am going
to discuss, in my opinion, this very important and timely issue under four
subtopics, namely: 1) The Formation of Ethiopian Youth National Movement, 2)
The lay out of its organizational structure particularly for Addis Ababa, 3) Is
the Ethiopian National Transitional Council needed now? and finally, 4) How
Meles Zenawi killed the Diaspora Youth Movement.
1.
The formation of Ethiopian Youth National Movement.
It
is the product of the “Global Civic Movement for Change in Ethiopia.” This
Civic Movement was a very promising one to which I was a part at the beginning
until I was deliberately pushed out. Then, I pushed for the decentralization of
the activities, that is to let the civic groups that make up the umbrella
organization spread all over the world, to act and plan independently when
needed and as they see it fit, and, for the Civic Movement to focus on
uprising. Certain individuals affiliated with certain political organizations
did not like it. Unfortunately, through time the Civic Movement became the
stepping and the recruiting platform for the so called political organizations.
This promising Civic Organization was hijacked by certain political
organizations and the movement finally fizzled out.
Coming back to the Youth Movement, at the beginning the intention was to organize the youth as part of the Global Civic Movement for Change in Ethiopia. An individual who volunteered to handle it took the responsibility to work around the Ethiopian youth. Before it separated itself and started to act independently, it was reporting it’s activities directly to the Global Civic Movement for Change in Ethiopia. For example to point out at least three of them: April 2, 2011, May 10, 2011 and May 17, 2011.
After certain period of time the individual who took the responsibility to organize the youth around the Civic Movement slowly started to separate and form an independent youth organization. It began the process of separation by declaring that it has its own logo, a modified logo of the Global Civic Movement for Change in Ethiopia. Further along it changed the name the Ethiopian Youth Movement to Ethiopian Youth National Movement (EYNM).
Under
its article “The Revolution Just Started,” April 2, 2011 it specifically
pointed out its vision, mission, and objectives for the youths inside Ethiopia
and in Diaspora. Here are what it declared in this article:
Vision
To
be a leading galvanizing movement for the Ethiopian youth struggle to topple
the TPLF tyranny and be a catalyst for the establishment of democratic society
in Ethiopia .
Mission
To
serve as a facilitating platform in bringing the Ethiopian youth together to
network and build solidarity, brainstorm ideas, strategize long term and short
term plans to shape the political, social and economic future of Ethiopia .
Goals
and Objectives
Goal
1: Organize the leading change agents
Objectives:
a)
Formulate long-term strategy plan on how to sustain democratic change in
Ethiopia
b)
Recruit change agents from across all groups of the Ethiopian youth. Create
ad-hoc network structures for the change agents
c)
Train change agents on the practical applications of non-violent engagement
Goal
2: Organize and mobilize the Ethiopian youth
Objectives
a)
Use the available technology to allow youth to interact, converse relevant
issues, build solidarity identify initiatives and mobilize action
b)
Provide practical training on nonviolent engagement
c)
Create online advocacy kits to assist youth in the methods of nonviolent
struggle
d)
Create global alliances
e)
Build advocacy campaigns to reach private, non-profit and
government
entities in support of democracy
f)
Expand and strengthen the leadership structure of youth through forming chapters
g)
Mobilize the Ethiopian youth for goal-oriented action on the TPLF regime
Goal
3: Transform the movement as a civil society organization in the post-TPLF
Ethiopia
Objective
a)
Formulate long-term strategic plan on how to sustain democratic change in Ethiopia
2. The layout of its specific organizational structure particularly for Addis Ababa.
The
setup of the organizational structure for the activities of the Youth Movement
inside Ethiopia, particularly in Addis Ababa was divided into three sub-cities
with their own liaison officers. Arada, Kirkos and Gullele as one group; group
two included Kolfe keranyo, Akaki -kaliti and Nefas Silk -Lafto, and group
three included Lideta, Bole, Addis Ketema and Yeka. Link these sub-city
divisions with the above vision, mission, and objectives and notice the
comprehensiveness of the layout.
Whether this lay out did have a well organized body behind it and therefore could have worked or not is an argument to be made. But what one could have surmised from the face value of the above is that had this organizational lay out followed through with commitment and dedication one can clearly see the impact the Diaspora youth would have achieved. I argue that this potential threat was well observed by Meles and his regime therefore Meles has to take an effective and efficient action to cripple and finally kill this Ethiopian Youth National Movement.
The decreeing a law to criminalize independent telecom use, CPJ/IFEX, June 18, 2012, partly could be to block the free communication between the youths inside Ethiopia and in Diaspora. It appears that the regime did realize that the Ethiopian youth movement to have the potential threat to the throne of Meles Zenawi and therefore has to deal with it immediately, by any means necessary, effectively and efficiently.
3. Is the Ethiopian national Transitional Council (ENTC) needed now?
The
leader of the Youth Movement and myself have discussed this same issue perhaps
a couple of times before Dr. Fesseha Eshetu came to the United States. Then I
stressed that it is not the right time to do it now. My argument was based on
the lack of strength of the activities in general, the lack of strength of the
communication between the Diaspora Youth movement and the Youth inside
Ethiopia, and above all on the lack of strength of the relationship between the
Ethiopian Youths in Diaspora and that of the Youths inside Ethiopia. It was not
ripe then to call for ENTC nor it is ripe now given the above reasoning.
However, it became clear that one of the thrusts of the argument for pushing
for the formation of ENTC is to divert and inhibit the independent activities
of the Ethiopian Youth National Movement tantamount to letting it die its
natural death. The organizers of this Formation Conference know that it is so.
It is a blatant insult to the Ethiopian community in general and the Ethiopian
youth in particular to pretend that it is not so.
When I visited the newly opened office by the invitation of Masresha Tilahun, this same issue became the core of our discussion. Three of us, Dr. Fesseha Eshetu, Masresha Tilahun and myself argued about it very strongly.
There was a fourth individual almost as an observer who did not utter a word. Then I argued that the timing is not right to form ENTC. My reasoning was based, as it was between Masresha and myself long time ago as pointed out earlier, on the importance first to organize the youth inside Ethiopia and let them confirm whether the political situation is ripe or not. That is whether particularly the people of Addis Ababa was ready for an uprising or not. If the information became positive, then it will be logical and of course essential to form the Transitional Council. Or one can call it transitional government. Of course the urgency of the time will determine the composition of the body to be formed.
4.
How did Meles Zenawi killed the Diaspora Youth Movement?
What
I am going to discuss under this topic is exactly what I discussed with
Masresha Tilahun, here after the leader, privately, in two very open and blunt
conversations the two of us have had. One of the conversations was face to face
after he invited me to see their new office. The second one was telephone
conversation.
The crippling and then the killing of the Ethiopian Youth National Movement was initiated when the leader was contacted by Dr. Fesseha Eshetu. After he was personally contacted by Dr. Fesseha Eshetu the two of them started to initiate the formation of Ethiopian National Transitional Council (ENTC) obviously on the grave of Ethiopian Youth National Movement. Dr. Fesseha Eshetu was the messenger of Meles Zenawi to kill the Ethiopian Youth National Movement. This was what I told the leader in our face to face over dinner conversation on the day I visited their office. Later on, during our telephone conversation I told him to stop this Ethiopian National Transitional Council thing, get rid Dr. Fesseha Eshetu and concentrate on the Youth Movement. At no time did he try to challenge what I said.
Calling for press conference on June 24, 2012 about the Ethiopian Youth National Movement is the mother of all dishonesty and very cheap political propaganda, which was being done while stabbing the Youth Movement in the back. Above all it is an insult to the intelligence of those particularly watching, reading, and listening to every move made and information disseminated by the leadership of the Youth Movement.
Believing that the Ethiopian Youth National Movement will follow through it’s kind of blueprint I copied above, based on its organizational structure and based on very serious discussions we have had between its leader and myself, I contributed $1800.00 within a period of seven months. At the beginning one thousand dollars as seed money, then $500.00 and later $300.00. My proposal and our agreement was strictly to be used for the activities of the Youth Movement inside Ethiopia. Do I regret it now that the Youth Movement is sold out? Absolutely not!!! I did what my conscious told me to do and took risk. In my opinion, sometimes, one has to take risk in politics too.
It is the responsibility of the Ethiopian National Movement in Diaspora to work with its existing contacts very carefully and clandestinely, to encourage, in fact must insist, the formation of the collective leadership immediately. When there is a well organized and disciplined body that is capable of providing continuous, constructive and farsighted leadership, it is inevitable those who do the grassroots level of activities will be disciplined and very vigorous in their day to day activities because they have full confidence in the leadership.
Mankelklot
Haile Selassie (PhD)
June
29, 2012
Posted at Ethiopian Semay www.ethiopiansemay.blogspot.com