Ethiopian activist to Obama: I will not vote for you

Ethiopian activist Kirubeal Bekele’s letter to US President Barack Obama

Dear President Obama,

Your honor, I like to inform you that I am not going to vote for you this coming election season let alone give you money. I have a very good reason. I have not asked much from you. I never expected an economic miracle either even though I am one of those sectors of the population who have been hit hard by the economic meltdown. I am originally from Ethiopia and I have been voting democratic several times already. This time I am not voting. And that is good. And hopefully, I won’t vote against you.

When you took office, you promised your support to the oppressed people of the world who are under dictatorship . Now after three years in power, you are dining and dancing with ruthless dictators like Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. Adding insult to injury, you even invited Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia recently to the G8 Summit in Washington, DC.

This ruthless dictator of Ethiopia is a conniving, racist, and savage killer who uses fake anti-terrorism laws as a scapegoat to destroy democracy and freedom in Ethiopia. He just convicted two individuals on anti-terrorism charges. One is a US-educated PEN award winner journalist, Eskinder Nega, and the other is, Andualem Arage, who is the leader of the opposition party in Ethiopia.

Being arrested in Ethiopia is not like going to jail in America. Compared to Ethiopia, going to jail in America is like having a vacation all paid by the US government with your rights as a prisoner fully protected. In Ethiopia, prisoners are continuously bitten and tortured at will. No or limited access to families and practically no access to health care. There is no enough food and if there is, it is made unhealthy on purpose as part of the punishment. I am not asking a stake for prisoners. No! The food in Zenawi’s prisons does not even satisfy the primitive minimum requirement of a healthy food by African standards.

Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia who is committing such horrendous crimes against humanity is getting his blank checks from you and other donors including Britain. Your money is financing repression and corruption in Ethiopia. Is this why I voted for you? Now, I know my vote for you was in vain. I am not going to vote for you again ever. I have a sense you may lose the election for many reasons. And one of them is precisely for not keeping a holy promise like defending democracy around the world.

I am afraid many who supported you in your last election will not be around next time. The sole reason will NOT be the economy. In fact, you may have done a fair job of preventing the free fall of the US economy. One of the reasons you may lose the next election will be for not keeping and respecting your word to the poor in America and to democracy and peace around the world. And one of them is Ethiopia.

You terribly failed Ethiopia and Ethiopians who had high hopes when you came to office. We Ethiopians played an important role in helping you win Virginia,the land of the republicans. That was then and this is now. We Ethiopians are now out of sight and out of mind for you and for the Democratic party.

Please watch a video clip of your speech toward the end. Fast forward to 12 minutes and 55 seconds toward the end to hear your speech and then consider what I have just described to your honor in the above paragraphs.