Political Space narrows as poverty and terrorim expands in the Horn

Dear Patriotic Global Citizens and Friends of Africans/Ethiopians:

Re: Narrowing Political Space as the terrorism and poverty space expands

It is becoming apparent from the experience of the Horn, that good governance can shrink in circumstances where crime and lawlessness expand.

It also becoming apparent that those who are expected to protect the law and security of their respective communities can in effect be the very people who create insecurity and break the law.

It is with this unfortunate environment that two key allies of Ethiopia, Britain and US sent their most senior Development and foreign relations officials to Addis and both gave more or less similar assessments.

The message is simple. The laws in the books are not being kept as it relates to law and order and justice. Secondly, the new law that is being drafted appears to be not relieving the problem as it is making it impossible for witnesses to testify about the level of corruption, crime and most of all lack of good governance in the area of even distributing emergency food aid to acutely impacted communities.

First, the law in the books are not being followed. So, adding another set of laws is not going to solve the problem but adds additional responsibility without the appropriate accountability. How can the government or executive enforce additional new laws when it cannot do so appropriately the current set of laws.

The most critical impression given is that the current set of laws seem to be designed to discourage accountability and the mechanism for seeking it by making the process of identifying the problem, i.e reporting it a crime in itself. Of course, the government insists this law will make every one accountable, both those criticized for breaking it and those reporting it.

It appears which ever way it is translated, more laws does not hurt, but are there more accountable systems in place to monitor these laws in their implementation process.

Surely, we have enough rules both in the cultural base and administrative tradition of this ancient civilization. After all, the Great Commandment or law is "Love your God and Your Neighbor as thyself" Imagine, crime if the person does not love himself in the first place. That appears to be the challenge of those newly mushrooming suicide bombers. So, the law ensures that one loves himself first and then others. That is where the big disparity is. Can the law make you love or respect yourself?

I believe there is space for dialogue and that is what is missing big time across the globe and the Horn with its pirates, and new laws and shrinking political space can still begin to dialogue with itself and its neighbors as well as the international community.

Global Financial Contagion and Global Terror Pandemic demand our immediate attention and we need to dialogue fast!

with regards and seeking your alternative perspective, I remain

Dr B Jesus (GlobalB)



www.eastafricaforum.net
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-10-21-voa68.cfm
VOA October 21, 2008
US Says Draft Ethiopian NGO Law Would 'Close Political Space'
Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa



The top U.S. official for human rights and democracy issues has met Ethiopia's leaders to express concern about pending legislation that critics say would curtail political freedoms. VOA's Peter Heinlein in Addis Ababa reports Ethiopian officials flatly reject the criticisms, arguing that the rights of citizens are being protected.

Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights David Kramer says he came to Ethiopia this week to ask Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to reconsider provisions in a draft law that would criminalize many activities of foreign non-governmental organizations. The bill is set for presentation to parliament in the coming days.

The so-called Charities and Societies Proclamation would give the government oversight authority over NGOs receiving at least 10 percent foreign funding, including money from Ethiopians living abroad. It prohibits these NGOs from promoting the advancement of human and democratic rights, gender equality or the rights of children and the disabled.

After what he described as a 'useful and productive' two-hour meeting with the prime minister, Assistant Secretary Kramer told reporters he had expressed U.S. concerns about a number of issues, including the conduct of recent local council elections and a newly-passed law limiting press freedom.

"I did convey to him concerns that we have and we have heard from others about some trends that would point to a closing of political space. When you look at the April election earlier this year, when you look at the media law that was passed. When you look at the draft CSO legislation, and we had a discussion about that," he said.

Kramer says he is worried about provisions in the draft legislation that could force the closure of several aid projects funded by the U.S. government. "My bureau for example funds programs that deal with issues of women's empowerment, with media, with conflict resolution, and based on my understanding of the latest version of the proclamation that I've seen so far, those programs could be adversely affected," he said.

Ethiopian officials have staunchly defended the draft law, saying it will not jeopardize the rights of Ethiopians. In a recent VOA interview, senior government adviser Bereket Simon dismissed criticisms that the proposal would constitute a blow to democracy.

"This is simply a ridiculous assertion. Since we're promoting democracy, I don't think any genuinely democratic NGO shall be afraid of empowering our people. We are empowering our people.

Nothing has been taken from the right of the people, and that's what concerns us most, and if these NGO critics are really interested in what is taking place in Ethiopia, in empowering the public, I think there should be no concern or fear," he said.

Assistant Secretary of State Kramer declined to speculate on what impact passage of the Charities Proclamation might have on the level of U.S. aid to Ethiopia. The Horn of Africa country is currently the third largest recipient of U.S. aid in Africa, after Egypt and Sudan.

During fiscal year 2008, U.S. assistance to Ethiopia totaled nearly $800 million, most of it humanitarian food aid.

There are an estimated 3,000 NGOs currently operating in Ethiopia. Their combined budgets are believed to be more than $1 billion a year.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7683678.stm

BBC

October 22, 2008

Somali pirates 'hard to defeat'
The commander of Nato's anti-piracy patrol due to start soon off Somalia says it will be difficult to defend ships from pirate attacks.

"The time that a pirate unveils himself to the time that he's onboard ship is such a short period of time," Admiral Mark Fitzgerald told the BBC.

Earlier, he said rules of engagement were still being debated by Nato.

More than 30 ships have been seized this year in the busy shipping lanes near Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden.

Nato is sending seven frigates to support US navy vessels already there, while India and several European countries have said they will also mount anti-piracy patrols.

How do you prove a guy's a pirate before he actually attacks a ship?
Admiral Mark Fitzgerald

Admiral Fitzerald said Nato's mission was primarily to protect ships carrying UN aid to Somalia where more than three million people - almost half of the population - are in need of food aid.

But he hoped the Nato vessels would be able to protect other ships - around 20,000 vessels pass by Somalia each year.

"We're there to try to deter the pirates," he told the BBC.

However, given the amount of traffic, he said, it was difficult to spot who was a pirate.

"From a military standpoint, we certainly are limited by what we can do," he told Reuters news agency.

"How do you prove a guy's a pirate before he actually attacks a ship?"

He also said that the North Atlantic Council was still drawing up the rules of engagement for pirates.


"All we've been told is to prepare a plan to go down there. So [the rules] are going to have to be debated."

Earlier this month, Nato spokesman James Appathurai told the BBC the Nato war ships would be able to use force if necessary in accordance with international law.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia is estimated to have cost up to $30m (£17m) in ransoms so far this year, according to a recent report.

Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they are often powerless to confront the pirates, many of whom are based in the town of Eyl.

Most vessels are freed after their owners pay the hefty sums, but about 10 are still being held, most notably the MV Faina - a Ukrainian ship loaded with 33 tanks and ammunition headed for Kenya.

Human Rights Watch says Somalia is the most ignored tragedy in the world.

Somalia has lacked a functioning central government since 1991 and has been afflicted by continual civil strife.
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http://africa.reuters.com/country/ET/news/usnLL125094.html

UNHCR asks Yemen to explain Ethiopian entry ban

Tue 21 Oct 2008GENEVA, Oct 21 - The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is seeking clarifications from Yemen over a decision to bar Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees from entering the country, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

The UNHCR also said it was concerned about the fate of 112 Ethiopian refugees believed to have been detained in Yemen over the past two weeks.

The UNHCR said the Yemeni Interior Ministry has announced that Ethiopians and Eritreans would be denied entry to the country, which still grants immediate refugee status to Somalis fleeing their war-torn homeland.

"While recognising the generosity already shown by Yemen to refugees and asylum seekers, we are seeking clarification from the government on any changes in policy," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva.

The agency also said that some 87 Ethiopians were known to have been detained in Yemen over the past two weeks, while Yemeni authorities removed a further 25 Ethiopians from a vehicle transporting them to the UNHCR reception centre of Ahwar on Monday.

"We don't know where they are but fear they were arrested and are being detained somewhere," UNHCR spokeswoman Astrid Van Genderen Stort told Reuters.

The UNHCR urged Yemen, a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, to maintain access to asylum procedures for all those in need of international protection.

The poor Arab country is struggling to cope with an growing number of asylum seekers smuggled from the Horn of Africa in risk-filled voyages across the Gulf of Aden.

A total of 37,333 people have arrived in Yemen so far this year on smugglers' boats, and 616 died or were reported missing, according to the UNHCR. The current total is already more than 50 percent higher than in 2007, when 23,000 made it to Yemen.