BY TAJUDIN
Addis Ababa ( DIPLOMAT.SO) – According to some Ethiopian and Eritrean websites , A Week ago, the opposition party Unity for Justice and Democracy (UDJ)- widely known by its Ethiopian name ‘Andenet‘ – was brimming with confidence that it will contend for power in the national elections in May 2015. Of course, there was an uphill battle, and that was to make sure the elections would be free and fair.
What Andenet’s young and charismatic leaders may not have anticipated was that the ruling party and its arm, the ‘Election Board’, would cut Andenet in two, then discard the real, authentic Andenet group off the precipice, while preparing the puppet for the election.
Andenet was not only popular but also an organization that transcended the politics of ethnicity and had drawn members from all corners of the country. And this was a threat to the ruling TPLF, a pioneer of the politics of ethnicity and hate with stand-by program for the disintegration of the country in the event TPLF loses power.
Now Andenet is history. If there is any group that claims to be ‘Andenet,’ it is the puppet hatched by the ruling party.
On Tuesday, former leaders and members of Andenet Party announced at the Semayawi Party HQs that they have officially joined Semayawi because there was little or no difference in their political programs.
TPLF committed a crime but every dark cloud has a silver lining, and that is TPLF unintentionally brought two same-minded organizations into a ‘merger.’ The struggle against tyranny continues.