Why we moved on early?

20 May 2010

They tell me that Ethiopia sensors email and that anything with the words “election” or “ruling party” may have been ‘lost’ last week.  That does not seem to have been the case but I am not sure who is getting what.  But now we are in Kenya so I will speak freely.

The election is scheduled for Sunday, May 23^rd.  The ruling party has been in power for almost 20 years, ever since the Derg (communist rule) was ousted and democracy came in.  Five years ago there was considerable violence when the election results were reported.  The people of Addis voted overwhelmingly against the ruling party but they won anyway.  The woman who was considered the winner was thrown in prison and remains there until this day.  But this is a democracy with free and open elections.

The comment from everyone we talk to is- The Ruling party will win the voted where they can.  Where they cannot, they will still win the votes.

The European Union election observers have been invited in to watch the process.  American observers have not been invited in.  Americans have been told we must register with the Ethiopian government if we are in the country and plan to leave the city limits of Addis.  They seem to fear that we are secret observers and we might say something negative about the process- like that it is a sham?  The American Embassy has ‘suggested’ that we remain low during the election weekend and for the first week or so following the election, until the results are announced.  We had no desire to sit in a guest room for a week so we came to Kenya early.

We finished most of what we wanted to do in Ethiopia but would have enjoyed another week.  Too bad these people have no way to change their future.  They went from a King to Communist rule and now to this democracy that does not appear to be very democratic.  Some things have improved under this government but many have not.  Education and health systems are not good and yet more than 50% of the population is under the age of 20. Electricity works only some of the time.  So many people are so poor.  I do not understand a country where a government employee drives a Porsche SUV (taxed at 150%) and a farmer still uses yoked oxen pulling a wooden plow.  We were in homes with large screen TV’s and computers for the kids and then we were in homes where the animals and the people share the same rooms.  It is a country of contradictions.

We have been warmly welcomed everywhere by the people.  On other world travels we became accustomed to people saying- We love Americans, but we hate your government.  At the same time the governments of those places would say they liked America.  Now, in Africa, folks yell- We love America!  We love Obama!  To be suspect in the eyes of the government feels strange.  But such is life.  So rather than take chances we moved on.