‘Neutral… Nonpolitical’ Ethiopian institutions are they playing dead or deadly?

June 9, 2015

The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.

… Dante Alighieri

by Teshome Debalke

Neutral or nonpolitical institutions, particularly Medias; whatever it meant is only known to them. They probably are faking to mean impartial or independent to mislead. It could also mean a free ride to divert the public attentions in disguise. In the worst scenario; it is meant to push propaganda in disguise. Whatever they meant, it stinks like a rotten egg. Regardless, they are in the darkest place on earth.

There is no such thing neutral or nonpolitical especially in dictatorship. Eating food is political. Breathing the air is political. Speaking your mind is political. Robbing the public votes, resources, rights…are all political. Only the dead are

neutral or nonpolitical. Therefore, why do organizations, particularly Medias abuses the word and its meaning?

The 2015 S[e]lection TPLF orchestrated to robe Ethiopians votes again illustrates why neutral or nonpolitical institutions especially the Medias fake to play dead — doing more damage than the offenders. Alike the dimwitted cadres run institution and the propaganda Medias, the so called neutral or nonpolitical Medias are entertaining us in a well-coordinated diversion from the record breaking election robbery in history of the world.

Naturally, nothing is expected from cadres-run Media that live for their daily bread nor we expect them to throw the towel and disappear in a tin air until Woyane bit the dust. After all, they are part-and-partial of the ruling party and when caught with their pants down on the hoax TPLF pulled they came up with yet another bizarre meaning of the election ‘Ethiopian electoral system is different’ i.e. Revolutionary Election. Understandably, if it stinks like a dead rat and it’s your rat what do you do but smell it to the end.

But, the ‘neutral’ or ‘nonpolitical’ Media constipating not to tell-tell the real story of the election robbery along economy and rights robbery reviles the moral crises that besiege our society. They wear neutral or non-political as a badge of honor but wouldn’t say they are neutral or nonpolitical on robbery and murder as they practice it. They want the privilege of the Media but swallow their principle for convenient.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States once said; “a people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

But, beyond losing privilege and principle, the crises they brought representing the institutions of Media is historic. They not only contribute in silence to crimes of robbery and murders but, became the tool of subjugating millions of people. They abuse the privilege of serving the public and travel the low road in darkest place on earth. Likewise, institutions like Election Board failures to fulfill their responsibility travel the lower road — abusing their privilege and swallowing the principle of election to become a tool of subjugating millions of people over-and-over again.

The role Election institutions play goes as far back the early history of ancient Greece and Rome and medieval Vedic Period of India. Modern election institutions that emerged in the beginning of the 17th century where direct and indirect representative governments took hold in North America and Europe has well-established roots to develop international standards and global norms that govern Electoral integrity and appropriate conducts.

Given Elections are the most important and the only known instruments for the governed to surrender their consent or the only legitimacy a government have to govern there is no escaping the black-and-white reality of the present day governance.

Therefore, modern dictatorships adapting Election institutions to crown themselves legitimacy is not a rocket science for rational person to understand. Moreover, the modern consent robbery supported by the international community is the last frontier people under dictatorships must dismantle to declare their freedom. But, conspicuously swarming in cover of neutrality or nonpolitical are the no-see evil… institutions, particular Medias teasing the public there is neutrality in the crises of dictatorship. Alike institutions run by apologists of dictatorship that put up barriers, the no-see evil Medias are well-positioned to deflate the aspiration of the people by diverting the public from breaking down the last barrier of dictatorship peacefully by hiding behind neutrality or nonpolitical gimmick. For them; putting out fire is political, and seeing highway robbery is an event that wouldn’t make a difference either way. For them vote have no meaning besides putting a card in any box, anytime and anywhere.

The 2015 S[e]lection of the ethnic Apartheid party orchestrated vote robbery illustrate their calculated bid to deflate the public’s push to dismantle the last excuse of dictatorship—Election Board. Closer examination of these attempts are the lack of investigations on the basic verification of how TPLF’s instigated vote robbery — diverted into hearsay of third party of foreign Media sources—away from the responsible institutions and the suspected robber of vote.

Take for instant one of the few reported news sourced from AFP on the Ethiopian election robbery on the no-see evil Medias titled ‘Ethiopia opposition says elections an ‘undemocratic disgrace’. The message was clear; it is to say; the oppositions are saying the election is undemocratic… but, it could mean anything not necessarily…depending.

Therefore, there is no need to investigate further just because the opposition say so i.e. it ‘get better and better’ in the future as Wendy Sherman—the Obama Administration officials put it. Simply put, the burden of proof is not the Election Board, not the robber but on the victims of vote robbery. In short, that is what they meant by neutral or nonpolitical.

To further incriminate themselves; even the second hand news they sourced from foreign Medias are no longer available or buried from their front pages replaced by in multiple diversion of entertainment and feel-good trivial matters to divert the one and only important matter of the people of Ethiopia.

Thus, if we take inventory of contemporary Ethiopian no-see evil Medias a week after the 2015 election robbery by TPLF led ruling party; news about the election, the responsible institutions and parties including the Election Board and its members, the crimes of the ruling party, including robing the election are nowhere to be found. Some Medias are so shameless you wouldn’t know if there was election a week earlier reading their website. Others seem to be interested more on sport and drama than democracy and freedom. The rest make the best out of the ethnic Apartheid regime with all the good news they can squeeze from any living and dead person they can find behind neutrality or nonpolitical.

The American poet, essayist, and existentialist philosopher Criss Jami once wrote; “Just because something isn’t a lie does not mean that it isn’t deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction.”

Such craftsmanship out of the no-see evil Medias alike the loud mouth cadres run Medias is more effective to sustain tyranny than otherwise. Therefore, following the no-see evil Medias and the people behind them would lead to the craftsmanship of modern-day diversion. The skillful insurgencies of the no-see evil (neutral or nonpolitical) Medias’ target are the Ethiopian elites, particularly the youth and civic society (the two potential dangers for the regime). By highlighting trivial issues to divert the important matters of democracy and freedom they manage to keep many Ethiopian elites on the sideline. Closer scrutiny reviles anything that makes the regime look good doesn’t require neutrality.

Unfortunately, with no challenge from anyone the no-see evil Medias successfully accomplished with their craftsmanship to divert the world’s attention and help sustain the regime for far too long.

How they escape scrutiny and accountability for these long remains a mystery and the craftiness of their skills. There is much blame to go around but, the primary reason is the inability of civic organization to identify and expose them – leaving it to political parties to do their jobs for them. This is true with not only to identify offenders in the Media but every no-see-evil institutions—some created by the ruling party itself to divert the public from ending its rule.

The American Internet entrepreneur and the co-founder of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia Jimmy Wales put it eloquently. He said; “What can we put into the hands of people under oppressive regimes to help them? For me, a big part of it is information, knowledge – the ability to defeat propaganda by understanding it.”

In contrast, the no-see-evil Medias like the oppressive regime deprive information and knowledge to Ethiopians in the name of neutrality or nonpolitical to divert us from defeating propaganda.

Understanding Propaganda

Adolf Hitler was quoted saying “by the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise.”

It is the universal understanding tyranny sustains on propaganda and the killing machines under its disposal noting more. There is also universal consonance tyranny is obsessed in controling everything that threatens its existence.

Given these realities, from all institutions Medias claiming neutrality is a ploy to sustain tyranny indefinitely.

Preciously that is why the preeminent poet in Italian literature Dante Alighieri of the late Middle-Ages known for his epic poem Divine Comedy, said;

“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.”

The willing ignorant Medias not only kept neutral in a wake of moral crises but are dedicated to withhold and divert information on the ruling tyranny’s crime against the people in name of neutrality or nonpolitical. The question is; what motivates them to operate in darkest place here on earth?

Let us explain by the way of the 2015 election’s vote robbery. Halfway decent Media speaks out who, when, where… how votes were robbed and find out first from the responsible institutions (the Election Board, the observers…) and the responsible parties (their members) and second the suspect institution (the ruling party) and the responsible officials. Instead, they not only even ask the victims, they go to third foreign party as a source to tell us what the oppositions and the suspect of the robbery said.

One week after the fraudulent election took place not one original content was produced by the no-see-evil Medias. To make matter worse, the second hand sourced news from Reuters, AFP and other foreign Medias posted a week ago disappeared from the front page of most of no-see-evil Medias.

If you are wondering how that could be possible; you find the craftsmanship of institutions, particularly Medias beginning with neutral or nonpolitical gimmicks camouflaged by entertainment, personal and historical stories away from the crimes of the regime but, indirectly praising the regime through third party. Successes story of people and institutions under the regime are good stories to tell; it indirectly praises the regime. Crises in other countries and regimes is good diversion, it put a comparative good light on the regime. The Diaspora success story at home is good news, indirectly; it tells others in Diaspora missing out in the opportunity the regime provides so on.

Looking at the 2015 [s]election’s coverage would tell you how far the no-see-evil Medias gone to deny reality of the ethnic Apartheid regime. It appears their very existence is suspended on the regime survival. In other words,

The cost of no-see-evil institutions

The 20th century German-born political theorist Hannah Arendt described the no-see-evil Medias better by saying;

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

Indeed, neutral and nonpolitical institutions are the sanctuary and comfort for evil. After all, if they don’t have principle stand to tell right from wrong on ethnic Apartheid dictatorship; what good are they for but to be shelter of evil on the expenses of millions of their fellow country people?

For whatever reasons we are led to believe to focus on evil instead of the sanctuary of evil, we are all guilty for extending the misery of our people. After all, fighting evil is depriving sanctuary not throwing rocks at it. We have thrown enough rocks on evil to nowhere and done little to deprive it sanctuary. It is about time to do the right thing.

The no-see-evil crowds, particularly in the Media have two choices to make; to continue to use their privileges as sanctuary of evil or declare they have principle stand on evil to deprive it sanctuary. The have to make up their mind sooner or later and can’t hide behind neutrality.

The article is dedicated to those that deprive sanctuary for evil. Your contribution brought you pain and suffering because of those that provide sanctuary and comfort for evil.