In Meles' death, as in life, a penchant for secrecy, control
By <
http://www.cpj.org/blog/author/mohamed-keita> Mohamed Keita/CPJ Africa
Advocacy Coordinator
August 22, 2012 5:25 PM ET
Ethiopians awakened this morning to state media
<
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3ioMggZsPI&feature=player_embedded>
reports that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, 57, the country's leader for 21
years, had died late Monday in an overseas hospital of an undisclosed
disease. Within seconds, Ethiopians spread the news on
<
https://twitter.com/OPride/status/237760613156265984> social media; within
minutes, international news media were issuing bulletins. Finally, after
weeks of government silence and obfuscation over Meles' health, there was
clarity for Ethiopians anxious for word about their leader. Still, it was
left to unnamed sources to fill in even the basic details. Meles died in a
Brussels hospital of liver cancer, these sources told international news
organizations, and he had been ill for many months.
"Death of yet another African leader highlights secrecy & lack of
transparency when it comes to ailing leaders," CNN's Faith Karimi
<
https://twitter.com/faithcnn/status/237909947608887296> noted on Twitter,
where the hashtag #MelesZenawi was
<
https://twitter.com/OPride/status/237802142830825473> trending globally.
After Meles failed to appear at July's African Union summit in his own
capital, Addis Ababa, spokesman Bereket Simon was forced to acknowledge that
the prime minister was ill. Still, he asserted that Meles would be back to
work soon, a claim does not seem to have been credible. The government went
on to consistently
<
http://www.cpj.org/blog/2012/07/where-is-ethiopias-meles-zenawi-the-public-
doesnt.php> play down reports that Meles had a life-threatening condition,
even as it refused to disclose his exact whereabouts or the nature of his
illness. Authorities
<
http://www.cpj.org/2012/07/ethiopian-weekly-blocked-for-reporting-on-meles-
he.php> blocked distribution of the one local newspaper, Feteh, that tried
to publish more detailed information about Meles.
The government's handling of Meles' health situation reflects its culture of
secrecy, as Bereket
<
http://www.thereporterethiopia.com/News/a-dramatic-week.html> acknowledged
last month, along with its heavy-handed tactics to control news and
information. Yet for all its efforts, the government could not control the
public's hunger for information. The official secrecy merely fueled rampant
public speculation and fears about the country's future.
The government's tactics are a product of its long-time leader. The paradox
of Meles is that he was a formidable politician who nonetheless feared
criticism in the Ethiopian press.
To the world, Meles
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/opinion/abetting-repression-in-ethiopia.h
tml> projected the image of an engaging intellectual, a bespectacled
bureaucrat who championed development and fought climate change. Meles had
the "ability to understand what foreigners wanted to hear. He spoke their
language," said Ethiopian journalist Mohammed Ademo, referring to Meles'
mastery of the politics of aid, poverty, and the global
<
http://www.cpj.org/blog/2012/04/blogger-fights-terror-charges-as-ethiopian-
leader.php> fight against terrorism. "In English, he was soft-spoken and
appeared to be willing to consider and tolerate and debate all arguments
freely," said another Ethiopian journalist who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
But Meles adopted a very different tone domestically. He continued the
Mengistu regime's censorship of famine and drought coverage, and he
ruthlessly
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/opinion/africas-free-press-problem.html>
stamped out dissent. "He was often arrogant and rude when speaking to
Ethiopians. Threatening in parliament," said Mohammed. In one of his last
speeches, Meles
<
http://www.cpj.org/2011/10/ethiopia-steps-up-terrorism-allegations-against-
jo.php> lashed out at critics, real and imagined, and accused independent
journalists of being "terrorists."
The new prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, has an opportunity to break
with this fear and embrace openness to the press. He can start with the
unconditional release of at least eight journalists now behind bars, among
them the independent blogger <
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZB-cRycKdA>
Eskinder Nega, who is serving an 18-year term on baseless terrorism charges.
Mohamed Keita is advocacy coordinator for CPJ's <
http://cpj.org/africa/>
Africa Program. He regularly gives interviews in French and English to
international news media on press freedom issues in Africa and has
participated in several panels. Follow him on Twitter: _at_africamedia_CPJ
<
http://twitter.com/africamedia_CPJ> .
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Received on Wed Aug 22 2012 - 14:55:40 EDT
