How the Western Media and HRW tried to thwart Democracy in Ethiopia

May 23, 2010, was a date many Ethiopians waited to show the world, and especially the Diaspora rubber stamp opposition, who they wanted to lead them into the next five years. Unequivocally their vote was counted, and their voice was heard roaring all over Ethiopia, electing EPRDF for another five years. This was not an easy win for EPRDF, and Ethiopians didn´t choose EPRDF casually. EPRDF had to work hard for the last five years, to prove to Ethiopians, it deserved to lead them for the next five years. While doing the hard work of convincing Ethiopians, EPRDF also had to fight the biased Western Media, and other so called NGO organizations such as Human Right Watch, who were trying to rail road this election to be a repeat of 2005. In fact, almost every story written by the western reporters, such as Anita Powell of AP, Jeff Gettleman of New York Times, or Peter Heinlein of VOA, were just repeating the allegations of the opposition, and geared toward giving the 2010 election process a black eye as being undemocratic and a farce. The attack from the western media was fierce, especially days leading to the election. For example, the last five stories reported about the 2010 election, by the AP reporter Anita Powell, had the words "poll was not fair", "election was flawed", "intimidation claim", "voter intimidation", and "observer calls vote unfair" in the title of the article. Other news media, such as VOA, also went onto over drive trying to paint the 2010 election process, unfair, and undemocratic. In fact, VOA reporters lost their journalistic ethics, when they were repeating allegations, as verified stories, headlining their radio programs, as well as their web publications.

Others, organization like Human Right Watch (HRW), and International Crisis Group (ICG), also went on over drive to thwart democracy in Ethiopia. Human Right Watch, issued a report on March 24, 2010, titled "One Hundred ways of putting pressure", which was totally based on unsubstantiated, and hearsay allegations by the opposition groups. The report was also supposed to be a blue print to forcing the government of Ethiopia to bow down to HRW´s demand. The International Crisis Group, issued what it called a study, and predicted a doomsday scenario for Ethiopia and Ethiopians stating there is a "potential for a violent eruption of conflict ahead of the election scheduled for May 2010 because of rising ethnic tensions and dissent." Election day came and went, and Thank God, there is not a violent eruption as expected by the ICG.

Today, over a quarter million Ethiopians marched in Addis Ababa, castigating HRW, and the western media for its unwarranted political meddling in Ethiopia. HRW´s latest report, which came out even before counting begin, and polling stations closed, has touched the nerves of not only government officials, but ordinary Ethiopians all across Ethiopia. All the predictions for bloodshed, before, and during election didn´t happen, and will not happen. Regardless of the amount of ink that is wasted by HRW, and the western media, democracy will thrive in Ethiopia, and only Ethiopians can have a say in their own affairs. For a government that is portrayed by HRW and the western media to be a ruthless and undemocratic, it is quite surprising to see the hundreds and thousands of supporters march to defend it. The missing link here is the fact that HRW, and the western media reporters, are either hoodwinked by the extremist Diaspora, who always choose to paint Ethiopia in a negative light, or are willing partners in a marriage of interest to see Ethiopia not progress forward.

We may not know the real intention of HRW, or reporters like Anita Powell of AP, and why they want to thwart democracy in Ethiopia, but we surly know that Ethiopians want peace, prosperity and democracy, and they showed it on May 23, 2010 by voting for EPRDF. There is no alternative but to accept the people´s voice.