Statement from TPLF Central Committee
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In a meeting held from May 23 to May 30, the Central Committee of TPLF held extensive discussions about rapidly changing global, region-wide and national events, including, inter alia, our region’s peace and security, the threat of Covid-19 and efforts to contain it, ongoing processes of democratization, evaluation of party and government performances as well as a number of administrative changes implemented thus far.
New global developments in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic or Covid-19 have clearly demonstrated the indispensability of revolutionary-democratic principles. Determined to control all levers of state power, and bereft of an iota of concern for the interests of the public and committed to pursuing only its narrow interest, the parasitic PP clique currently in power, rather than adjusting to current global developments and challenges in order to consolidate the impressive democratic and developmental achievements of Ginbot 20 registered as a result of tremendous sacrifices, persists in its destructive course with an even greater degree of ferocity.
The PP clique, which paraded a number of actors, who, out of short-term personal gains or hatred, put aside their professional ethos and conscience to bless the party’s shameless power grab, and which officially declared its clearly unconstitutional intent to extend its tenure in office, has not demonstrated even the slightest pretension of needing to wait for the judgments of the institutions that are supposed to render a verdict. In a country in which the PP-led government has been progressively staggering towards destruction, anyone can see the extent to which it is difficult to pursue our fundamental goals and development as well as effectively address the challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Having sold out the country’s sovereignty and other vital national interests, and having declared its intent to prolong its tenure by violating the constitution, any laws in front of it and proper government procedures, the PP clique has now moved to a declaration of official war on law-abiding entities. Even though it is clear that the PP clique’s bravado and devious schemes will not have any material impact on how we operate or our popular struggle beyond creating even greater determination and resolve to succeed, it is also obvious that PP is more than willing to jettison public and national interests for the sake of pursuing its parochial interests.
Be that as it may, our people, who know that their existential security and interests depend on their strength and right thinking and are intimately familiar with their own histories and struggles, have thwarted numerous attacks coming from parasitic forces and intensified their defensive efforts. Our party, TPLF, expresses its highest respect and admiration for our people’s uncompromising and sustained struggle. Our past and present bear witness to the fact that our people will continue to closely scrutinize and implement decisions that we will make based on a clear-eyed assessment of circumstances. Our intensifying struggle has produced hopeful results in the realms of peace, development and democracy that will, in turn, create conducive conditions for even more victories in the future. Even so, we are fully cognizant of the fact that there are a number of issue areas in which we have not performed to the satisfaction of our people.
Parasitic forces and their supporters, to whom confronting our people and our vanguard party directly is like a head-on collision with steel, are busy toying with and disseminating obvious falsehoods backed by a clear, coordinated and systematic media campaign as well as the fielding of opportunistic collaborators in order to sabotage our internal peace, disrupt our development and plunge us into darkness.
Under these difficult circumstances, reaffirming that intensifying our overall defensive efforts while at the same time trying to ensure rapid development and good governance are principal issue areas that require the full force of our people, our institutions and all those who are in favor of peace and development, and after ratifying the decisions made by the Executive Committee in its meeting of May 1-3, the Central Committee of TPLF has passed the following decisions based on the decisions and directions put forth by the Executive Committee.
1.The campaign to combat the Coronavirus pandemic and save our people shall continue by taking into account new developments, our region’s objective conditions as well as scientific evidence and in ways that minimize adverse shocks to our economy.
2.The Central Committee of TPLF calls on the PP clique not only to refrain from their habit of snatching resources from the jaws of the poor and development and wasting unlimited resources to destabilize every corner of the country, instigate genocidal calls supported by malicious documentary films on state-owned media and their rights-violating and blind anti-people practice of buying political power with money, but also get away from the destructive path they are on and engage in rational dialogue in which all stakeholders, in accordance with the constitution, partake; and, before it is too late, refrain from irreversibly destroying the constitutional order.
3.The Central Committee of TPLF once again calls for national elections supervised by a body capable of impartiality to be held by making full preparations and protecting public health.
4.The right to hold regional or national elections is a constitutionally guaranteed right won through the sacrifices of thousands and at staggering costs, not a favor to be granted or denied by an embryonic dictatorship with insatiable appetite for power. Having ensured their right of self-administration through sacrifices, the people of Tigray would never countenance the imposition of slavery on themselves or on other people. The Central Committee of TPLF has underlined the fact that the rights of the people of Tigray won through tremendous sacrifices are not up for negotiation and that there is no earthly political power that can reverse the implementation of these rights. Accordingly, since the clique that controls the federal government through authoritarian tactics has, as usual, intensified its violations of the rights of our people, to implement the right of self-administration won through tremendous sacrifices and the exercise of which requires nobody’s permission, the Central Committee has decided that regional elections be held and that preparations already underway to facilitate the holding of elections continue apace.
In deciding that elections be held in Tigray, the Central Committee of TPLF realizes that the process of destroying the constitutional system and the consequent disintegration of the country caused by the parasitic behavior of PP is nearing its denouement. TPLF believes that our country’s nations and nationalities must intensify their struggle lest they lose their constitutionally guaranteed right of self-administration. We also call upon the international community to understand these issues and play a positive role.
5.In addition to the many illegal steps taken by the PP clique to justify postponing the elections and extend its tenure in office, when the Executive Committee of our party, convinced that law and order must continue to prevail in Tigray and that the PP clique was determined to postpone the elections, decided that regional elections were to be held in Tigray, the leader of PP officially unveiled his declaration of war in a way that showed his scant regard for peoples’ fundamental right of self-administration. The people of Tigray are known for their imperturbability in the face of bravado and the drumbeats of war and will never abandon their hard-won rights. The peoples of Ethiopia and the international community must realize the PP clique and their leader are solely responsible for any of the destructive consequences stemming from their irresponsible actions.
6.To continue implementing changes underway in the realms of peace and democratic culture with a fiercer sense of urgency than before, it has been decided that party leaders at all levels must operate with the highest sense of responsibility. The Central Committee has also decided to intensify the struggle to thwart the devious schemes of PP forces, their enablers and dupes, who, having derailed our people and entire governmental and party structures from the path of development and democratization for the sake of achieving their cheap aims, are now busy trying to plunge us into greater instability and destruction.
7.The Central Committee of TPLF has also decided to strengthen our relations with national and regional political actors that are willing to work with us as we fight to preserve the rights of self-determination and self-administration as well as on issues of ensuring our people’s security and peace and take our relations with those actors to the next level so that we can ensure our people’s security and engage in the building of a democratic system capable of delivering meaningful changes. The Central Committee of TPLF believes that, realizing the importance of the constitutional order, you will fulfill your civic obligations in ensuring this outcome and intensify your peaceful and democratic movements.
A Call to Arms
Esteemed people of Tigray: The Central Committee of TPLF calls on the people of Tigray, in particular the youth, to strengthen their preparation and mobilization to ward off, through peaceful and legal struggle, the PP clique’s precipitate actions aimed at eroding the rights of self-determination and self-administration as well as its war-mongering.
Realizing the adverse impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic on our survival and the defensive efforts underway, we once again solemnly exhort you to implement the advice and recommendations of experts and strictly adhere to government directives. To ensure our survival, peace, and development, we call upon our people to bear any hardship and increase their produce and productivity.
Esteemed TPLF members and leaders at all levels: The Central Committee of TPLF calls on you to realize that at this critical juncture what we need are resolve and sacrifice, assume a lead role in the overall struggle to save our people, and continue your work as role models.
Esteemed popular associations and civic institutions: Just like before, realizing that there is no one more invested in your peace, development and the construction of a democratic system than you, we call on you to continue to take active part in our defensive efforts in general and work towards ensuring the success of our elections with greater urgency.
Esteemed nations, nationalities, and peoples of our country: We call on you to intensify your struggle against repression, human rights violations, oppression as well as overall economic hardships. In the struggle for fundamental rights, justice, and equality, TPLF reaffirms its commitment to standing with you, as it has always done.
Esteemed members of the House of Federation: We call upon you to realize the peril inherent in the process of eroding the constitutional order already in progress and the ensuing destruction and national disintegration and put an end to this phenomenon, thereby fulfilling your historical responsibility.
Regional states and institutions organized in accordance with the constitution: We call upon you to put the interest of the people first and act in line with the constitution and refrain from taking part in the degradation of the constitutional order.
Esteemed political parties, especially those that operate in accordance with the law in Tigray and other constructive actors: We call upon you to carefully and intelligently examine current objective conditions and fulfill your obligations by helping arrest PP’s destructive course, thereby freeing yourself from legal and historical responsibility.
Esteemed partners of our struggle, people of neighboring countries, in particular the people of Eritrea: Today, just like before, let us intensify our struggles and strengthen our cooperation so as to address our common problems.
Esteemed international organizations, in particular IGAD, AU, UN and other concerned entities: we call upon you to examine the horrendous human rights violations taking place in Ethiopia in the name of change, the degradation of the constitutional system and the looming threat of national disintegration and play a positive role with an elevated spirit of responsibility.
Eternal glory and honor to our martyrs!
Victory and resplendence to the 29th anniversary of the Victory of May 28!
Let us continue our defense by holding tightly onto our principles!
May 31st, 2020
Mekelle
