Thewodros Getachew
(thhe2011@gmail.com) September, 2013
“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all
persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal
which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for
which I am prepared to die.” Nelson
Mandela
April 20, 1964. 49 years ago Nelson
Mandela made a historic speech “I Am Prepared to Die” at the opening of the defense case in the Rivonia
Trial at Pretoria Supreme Court.
.
Mandela’s “I Am Prepared to Die”
speech had more than 10, 696 words and the
message were clear and direct to apartheid regime. He made his statement at the
Rivonia trial, with absolute defiant, determination and courage and explained
to the court, the strong causality between the actions and policies of the apartheid
state and the transition of ANC in to armed struggle finally by abandoned 49
years of commitment to non-violence struggle and set up an armed wing to
confront the South African state with violence. (The
Manifesto of'
The Spear of the Nation (Umkhonto ) 16 December 1961) .
It is true that
the ANC had a long history of non-violent struggle, but in the 1950s Mandela saw that “fifty years of
non-violence had brought the African people nothing but more and more
repressive legislation, and fewer and fewer rights”. Moreover, the Apartheid state had begun
to use political violence as a normal tactic to suppress Africans
protesting their second class status
In March 1960, 69 black
anti-apartheid demonstrators were killed by police at Sharpeville. The government declared a state of emergency
and banned the African National Congress (ANC). In response, the organization abandoned
its policy of non-violence and Mandela helped establish the ANC's military wing
'Umkhonto we Sizwe' or 'The Spear of the Nation'. He was appointed as commander-in-chief and
travelled abroad to receive military training and to find support for the ANC.
“I, and
some colleagues, came to the conclusion that as violence in this country was
inevitable; it would be unrealistic and wrong for African leaders to continue
preaching peace and non-violence at a time when the Government met our peaceful
demands with force” Mandela
On his return he was arrested and
sentenced to five years in prison. In
1963, Mandela and other ANC leaders were tried for plotting to overthrow the
government by violence. The following year Mandela was sentenced to life
imprisonment. He was held in Robben Island prison, off the coast of Cape Town,
and later in Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland.
During his years in prison he
became an international symbol of resistance to apartheid.
The 1961 decision of ANC to abandon forty-nine years of non-violence
struggle was not taken recklessly. The transition to armed struggle was shaped
heavily by the conditions of government actions and policies created and when the decision was made, ANC faced
conditions amounting to what Mandela has accurately described as ‘submit or
fight’, that the organization could either accept being outlawed or go
underground and fight back.
"The time comes in the life of any nation when
there remain only two choices – submit or fight. That time has now come to
South Africa. We shall not submit and we have no choice but to hit back by all
means in our power in defense of our people, our future, and our freedom.” The Manifesto of Umkhonto 16 December 1961
Apparently
there have been relevant Similarities between the aftermath of 2005 Ethiopia general Election and the March 1960 Sharpeville massacre during Apartheid Era in South Africa. At the same time
the ANC (African National Congress) case with movements
like Ginbot 7 popular Force (G7PF) and others.
The
May 2005 Ethiopia elections had presented the Ethiopian people a remarkable
opportunity to express their political views by participating in a poll that,
for the first time in history, offered a meaningful choice.
Live
televised debates on matters of public policy, opposition party access to
state-owned media, and huge, peaceful rallies in the final week of campaigning
(On May 8 the opposition’s campaign with an estimated over 1 million Ethiopians
rallied in Meskel Square in the heart of Addis Ababa in a massive and peaceful
political rally) made it clear that these elections would represent a decisive
moment in Ethiopia’s political development. The Ethiopian people seized this
opportunity with great hope and turned out in overwhelming numbers to express
their choice. Regardless of the precise allocation of
seats, a huge number of voters sent an unmistakable message of “no confidence”
to the party that has ruled for 14 years.
Right after the polling
day the regime learning that the public had voted for the opposition groups,
especially in the major cities across the country and on May 16, 2005 the Prime
Minister declared a “State of Emergency”. In the Capital Addis Ababa peaceful gatherings
and demonstrations were banned. The Prime Minister personally took a direct
command of the Police and security forces. On May 17 2005, when less that 20%
of the total votes were counted, the regime declared the election victory. It was then Controversies relating to the counting
process, subsequent allegations of fraud, and post-electoral violence which
threaten to return Ethiopia to the more repressive politics of the past. A dangerous new context began to emerge. The main opposition coalition (CUDP) had been
shattered and its leaders imprisoned; civil society leaders and the independent
press had been harassed and intimidated into silence; and the regime found it
necessary to use massive levels of military force against civilians and murdered over 193 citizens and arrest
thousands upon thousands of youths. In two weeks alone nearly 100,000 innocent citizens were sent to camps
and prisons, and were subjected to in human and degrading treatment.
The whole country was turned into a mass concentration camp. In December 2005, 131 opposition politicians
(including 10 elected members of parliament), journalists, and civil society
leaders were charged with crimes that included treason and even genocide.
The aftermath of the 2005 election heavily
shaped several opposition
Movements to employ all kinds and means of struggle to reach their stated goal
by abandoned the commitment to non-violence struggle and set up an armed wing.
The transition to armed struggle by
opposition groups were a direct result the government actions and policies. It was, therefore the
continuance of these and similar litany of repression, degradation, trampling
on individual and national pride that resulted in the formation of the Movement
like, Ginbot 7 and others.
Ginbot7
Popular Force (GPF) makes official
announcement on its formation and calls on all freedom loving Ethiopians to
join the resistance against tyranny on December 20, 2012. The calls on the oppressed people of Ethiopia
to join the resistance and rise up in arms against the Tigray People Liberation
Front (TPLF) led dictatorial regime of Ethiopia. GPF has taken this radical step because the
alternative will be forfeiting to tyranny all rights and dignity associated
with being human and a citizen of Ethiopia.
“….It
was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had
been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of
political struggle…” Mandela
“The choice [to move to armed
struggle] is not ours; it has been made by the Nationalist government which has
rejected ever peaceable demand by the people for rights and freedom and
answered ever such demand with force and yet more force” Mandela
As mentioned in its Mission statement
Ginbot7 Popular Force (GPF) is committed to the forceful removal of the
dictatorial regime of the TPLF, usher the condition for peaceful and democratic
transition, play a part in the creation of a strong and capable national defense,
security and police force whose only allegiance is to the constitution of the
land, thereby, bringing an end to the existing affiliation of these
institutions to the political forces in the country.
“…It
was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had
been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of
political struggle…” Mandela
It is
absolutely visible to anyone that the regime in Ethiopia has no desire for any
kind of political dialoged and a commitment for genuine democracy and freedom. The hopes for peaceful political transition
were vanished. Hence Ginbot7 Popular Force (GPF) and
other opposition groups who have had enough of
atrocity, who can no longer take humiliation, who yearn for freedom/liberty are
on the move from passive to the armed
resistance as a part of the struggle for the creation of a nation where in each and every
Ethiopian enjoys the full respect of its democratic and human rights, achieves
economic prosperity and social justice, and the respect of the citizen’s life,
safety and human dignity.
“…All lawful modes of expressing opposition to
this principle had been closed by legislation, and we were placed in a position
in which we had either to accept a permanent state of inferiority, or to defy
the Government. We chose to defy the
law. We first broke the law in a way which avoided any recourse to violence;
when this form was legislated against, and then the Government resorted to a
show of force to crush opposition to its policies, only then did we decide to
answer violence with violence…..” Nelson Mandela
Finally
few specific similarities between the aftermath
of 2005 Ethiopia Election and the March 1960 Sharpeville massacre
during Apartheid Era in South Africa:
Ø 0n March 21,
1960, 69 black anti-apartheid demonstrators were killed by South Africa apartheid
government police at Sharpeville.
In November 2005 the Ethiopia regime military forces murdered over 193
peaceful demonstrators in Addis Ababa.
Ø On March 30, 1960 the South Africa apartheid government
declared a state of emergency.
On
May 16, 2005 the Prime Minister declared a “State of Emergency”.
Ø The South Africa apartheid state
banned the African National Congress (ANC).
The main Ethiopia opposition coalition (CUD) had been shattered and its
leaders imprisoned.
Ø
In 1963, Mandela and other ANC
leaders were tried for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. The
following year Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In December 2005, 131 Ethiopia opposition
politicians, journalists, and civil society leaders were charged with crimes
that included treason and even genocide and late many of them sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ø ANC decided to
abandon forty-nine years of non-violence struggle with `The
Manifesto of' The Spear of the Nation (Umkhonto
) December 16, 1961
May 2008 former members of CUD founded a
political movement called Ginbot 7 Movement
for Justice Freedom and Democracy lead by Dr. Berhanu Nega. The movement decided to employs all kinds
and means of struggle to reach its stated goal.
Ginbot7 Popular Force (GPF) makes official
announcement on its formation and calls on all freedom loving Ethiopians to
join the armed resistance against tyranny on December 20, 2012.
Ø The actions and policies of the
apartheid state were the sole responsible for the transition of ANC in to armed
struggle finally by abandoned 49 years of commitment to non-violence struggle
and set up an armed wing to confront the South African state with violence.
The aftermath of the 2005
Ethiopian election heavily shaped several opposition Movements to employ all kinds and means of struggle to reach their
stated goal by
abandoned the commitment to non-violence struggle and set up an armed wing.
-Nelson Mandela’s quotations are taken from “I am prepared to Die”, the
speech given at the opening of the
defense case at the Rivonia trial
Reference
-I am Prepared to Die Statement (20 April 1964)
-The Manifesto of' ` The Spear of the Nation` (Umkhonto
December 16, 1961).
-Ginbot7 Popular Force (GPF) mission statement
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