Statement issued by Balderas Party
The Oromo regime led by the Oromoo government is working day and night to destroy Addis Ababa and Addis Ababa if possible, to change its appearance and identity, and to blur its historical image. It is rushing to change the identity of Addis Ababa by brutally demolishing the city’s existing monuments, residential and commercial buildings, where a lot of money, materials and human labor have been poured, and to replace them with flashy construction. However, our city, which has been built by the joint efforts of successive generations for many years, does not have a history and identity that can be easily destroyed, changed or blurred. The Oromoo government, which cannot understand this, has taken on the task of changing the historical content of Addis Ababa to achieve the Oromoo political goals it has set out to achieve. Recently, it has been mercilessly demolishing existing houses and buildings in the Piazza, Arat Kilo, Genfle, Mesmar Factory, Memka, Mexico, Wollo Sefar Line and other neighborhoods of the city, which are the distinctive features and symbols of Addis Ababa. The Oromo government, which boasts that it should be rewarded by planting billions of tree seedlings, is mercilessly uprooting old trees on the streets of Addis Ababa with a bulldozer. The ongoing demolition campaign in the city is causing great distress to its existing residents. It is clear that the residents of Addis Ababa, whose homes and businesses are being destroyed along with the economic and social ties they have built over the centuries, are being asked what they will bring to the area, and what they will do to the residents who have memories of the past
Proclamation No. 1161/2011, which was amended and approved in 2011 and directly addresses this issue, states that the priority for the release of a property is to be in the public interest, to have a direct or indirect economic and social impact on the public, and to provide significant social benefits to the area. According to the proclamation, the demolition task force is required to consult with residents one year before carrying out the demolition. Even if the work is urgent, Article 4, Sub-Article 5 of Regulation No. 447/2012 of the Council of Ministers stipulates that the residents must be consulted six months before their departure. The reason for the need for consultation under the law is that the residents are leaving not only their possessions, but also their resources, cultural and social ties, but also their historical memories. Since they are leaving for a new life, a new settlement without the social institutions such as land that they have built over the years, they must accept that the price they are paying for their displacement is not for a flashy construction but for the public good. Although this humane approach does not translate into the prosperity of the Oromo regime and is considered to be pouring water on a stone, the statement should be kept for the record. Based on false historical narratives, the idea that the city should resemble Oromo is constantly intensifying the destruction it is wreaking on Addis Ababa with “knowledge” based solely on Amhara hatred. The narrow and extreme nationalist ideology of the OPDO, which has always been hated by Addis Ababa and all Ethiopians, as “I have a special interest in Addis Ababa and Addis Ababa should be my only treasure,” has recently been criticized even by some of its supporters. Balderas for True Democracy Party has repeatedly argued that Addis Ababa is the property of all Ethiopians and not the private property of any tribe/nationality. He is still arguing. Even in the 2013 elections, which the OPDO-Prosperity Party claimed to have won, Balderas campaigned on the issue of “sovereignty” for Addis Ababa, which had been under the rule of the king, as a key issue. However, the 2013 elections were not free and fair due to the authoritarian pressure of the ruling party. As a result, the party’s plans for Addis Ababa were not realized at the time. Balderas believes that the time will not be far when Balderas will achieve the goal he has set for the residents of Addis Ababa and the entire Ethiopian people since its inception. Balderas steadfastly opposes the OPDO/Prosperity Government’s obsession with destroying the fortified city and presents his position statement as follows. 1. Balderas strongly condemns the inhumane act of evicting residents of Addis Ababa from their homes, which is being carried out to disrupt the social life of the residents and to disintegrate the unity of the people; 2. The entire people of Addis Ababa are asking you to unite and voice your opposition by saying no to evicting you from the homes and businesses you have built over the years; 3. Media organizations are urged to make the task of overthrowing the Oromo regime in Addis Ababa their main agenda; 4. Since the Oromo government is inflicting injustice on the people in various ways, it is recommended that you work in government institutions and voice your opposition together instead of remaining silent when illegal activities are committed; 5. Our party calls on international and national human rights institutions to play their part in exposing this evil act at the international level, as the social crisis resulting from the displacement of the population constitutes a gross violation of human rights. 6. Balderas calls on the True Democracy Party to recognize that the injustice and injustice being inflicted on Addis Ababa is an attack on all Ethiopians, as Addis Ababa is the birthplace of all Ethiopians, and to raise its voice in protest. Baldesra for True Democracy Party Executive Committee March 10, 2016 Addis Ababa/ Ethiopia
