Ethiopian American in Ohio

Honorable Sherrod Brown

United States Senator

12/21/2007

Your honor,

A bill known as HR2003 introduced by Congressman Donald Pain passed by the U.S. House of representatives is currently before the Senate select Committee on Foreign Relations. The Bill requires Ethiopia to attain certain benchmarks in Democracy and Accountability Act or withhold aid and security funds unless they are met.

We Ethiopian origin Americans have the moral responsibility to concern the wellbeing of the Ethiopian people. Moreover, our American values entitle us to carefully glance what might constitute any controversial bill to the interests of both nations. Therefore, we are encouraged to share our responsibility with your leadership, concerning the contemporary political, economic and social situation of Ethiopia, which we believe is central prior to making a judgment.

Ethiopia has moved forward in the past 16 years remarkably, both politically and economically as opposed to its tragic past decline. The country as evidenced had difficulties overcoming the monarchial and dictatorial regimes for century long up to the final decade of the 20^th century. Since, 1991, however, Ethiopia a country almost as twice as the size of Texas which occupies the major land mass in the horn of Africa, the second largest populace only next to Nigeria with the population size of about 82 million (according to recent counts) has drawn impressive over all promising progress. As witnessed by independent international sources, the average real economic growth rate in the past consecutive five years has been 10%, almost double the African average. The decline in rural poverty over the last ten years is documented by independent studies including by Oxford University and International Food policy Research institute. Emergency food aid is largely limited only to the pastoral areas of south eastern of the country. By strictly controlling corruption, the current government of Ethiopia has envisioned to enable the country reach a middle income level in two decades.

Today more than 90% of school age children go to school. Before ten years only 26% of school age children went to school. Amazingly Ethiopia will meet the millennium development goal for universal education in 2008, seven years ahead of the time line. We have learned that 20% of the country budget goes to education. Furthermore, the government has launched a universal electric access program with the view to enhance accessibility to 50% within five years. Over 80% of the Ethiopian populations live in the rural area. The degree of clean water service and other public services are also as impressive as shown on the educational and energy extension services.

Politically, a federal system of government has been constituted where nations and nationalities rule themselves. Nations and nationalities for the first time in the country’s political history are allowed to use their language, culture and other ethnic values. As we have learned, Ethiopia’s federal practice in the last decade and half has provided competitiveness and a neutralizing atmosphere to ethnic conflicts. Today there are nine Federal nation states in Ethiopia, all represented in the house of Federations. Ethnic conflict that devastated Ethiopia in the 20^th century seems to contain less or no potential as a stage of flaring conflict any longer.

As observed in the last 16 years, Ethiopia’s transformation from tyrannical rule to democratic political platform has opened the gate multiple political parties to play a role within the country’s political system. Since then, there have been three parliamentary elections, which most notably the 2005 3^rd parliamentary election that has attracted the world, both by its orchestrated free, open and fair campaign and the controversy it triggered over the election results. We have no doubt in our mind that the ruling party’s win over its opponents. As the Carter Center describes, “The majority of the constituency results based on the May 15 and tabulations are credible and reflect competitive conditions” In addition, the U.S. State Department acknowledges the election as “ it stand out as a milestone in creating, more competitive political system in one of Africa’s largest and most important countries”

Opposition party candidates as stand out earned more than 1/3 of all seats in parliament, increasing the strength of the opposition from less than 3% in the preceding parliament. But controversy that arose aftermath the election by the opposition which caused the death of people during the havoc had the damaging image of the election and the over all political process in the country to be misinterpreted by the outside world.

There is widely held misperception about Ethiopia’s human rights situation which perhaps is the U.S. House of Representatives concern. We do not expect pure and sanitized human rights practice and constitutional democratic practice over night, in a country where there is zero middle class and deep down economic poverty for centuries. But, the efforts enhanced by the government in the last 16 years have given the light where the country is exactly heading. Individual rights: freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and association are constitutionally by and large respected. But, we still do not believe from the very empirical evidence we have learned in every developing countries experience that implementing every aspects of constitutional liberalism has proved to be with flaws and problems. Yet, in Ethiopia there are more than 50 private publications, more than 70 registered political parties, an independent human rights commission to address human rights violations, and NGOs that focus on human rights protection. Moreover, the country’s Judiciary is independent from the executive but still inexperienced. But, we still believe the functions of the current Ethiopian government as it stands has brought notable foundation with the potential promise to the establishment of Justice and the respect of human rights in the long process.

Our American democratic and human rights values suggest that the well-being of the people be respected and taken first and most, instead of attracted by waves of uncertain evidences from groups that are responsible for the past miserable human disaster in that country (Ethiopia). From this context, the U.S. House of representatives has lacked internal spectacles and failed to envisioned and investigate the political, reality of Ethiopia. But, we still believe the U.S. Senate with your help to reverse it. Congressman Paine should have realized such a proposed bill is erroneous to single out Ethiopia, while there are worst tyrant regimes intermingle with Islamic extremism at hand friends of the United States. This is a bill pushed and financed by enemies of Ethiopia to hurt U.S. global foreign policy efforts against terrorism.

As is well, documented, Ethiopia is Africa’s strongest anti terrorist ally of the United States. Ethiopia is a country surrounded by terrorist infected Islamic countries, including, Eritrea, Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Saudi-Arabia and other ineffective countries. It constitutes a real anti terrorism command in a very key strategic location of the red Sea junction. The instability in Somalia and the destabilizing role of Eritrea in the Horn region are currently the two most crucial Foreign policy challenges Ethiopia is facing. With the invitation of the Somalia Transitional Government and the endorsement of IGAD, AU, and the United Nations, Ethiopia has sent troops to Somalia. The degree of Somalia’s long run anarchic situation suggests that, there has been uncontrolled wide range area for terrorists’ safe haven to penetrate, which the United States responsibility is to stand against global terrorism with the country that is directly engaged. In light of this, U.S. House of representatives HR2003 is simply misguided bad bill that makes no sense in relation to our U.S. strategic foreign policy, and should be rejected. .

Yours truly!

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Besrat Amare