Addis Ababa, 21 November 2015 (WIC)-The chairman of the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) said that November 21, 1981 is the day that heralded the possibility to remove the yolk of dictatorship through public participation.
According to the chairman of ANDM and the Deputy Prime Minster (DPM) of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, the day bears the unfolding news that eventually comes to fruition by overthrowing the silencing intuitions of the anti-democracy regime.
Demeke made the remark while addressing thousands of people gathered to celebrate the 35th anniversary of ANDM at Bahir Dar Stadium. He said that the day not only heralded the coming to an end of dictatorial rule but also paved a way for the renaissance of the country and has put it back on truck to development.
The DPM also noted the movement that was started 35 years ago by few committed comrades who were not willing to accept the national oppression on Amhara people along with the nations, nationalities and people’s of Ethiopia decided to take the long bitter journey to remove the oppressing regime and its silencing institutions. The coming in to fruition of the bitter struggle paved the way the development the country is being experiencing. Thus, we need to pay tribute to the comrades who paid through blood and flesh to reach where we are now, he said.
According to him, the struggle began when the overwhelming majority of the struggling force comes to believe that it is better to drag a hill with a rope than fighting the brutal military junta. That was possible because ANDM cooperated hand in hand with likeminded democratic forces like Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF). That mutual commitment put the Amhara region and the whole country in to the change we are witnessing at present.
ANDM was successful in the journey to attain its goal just due to the fact that it decided to follow a clear political direction and was committed to attain it at any cost in collaboration with the public at large, he noted.
Groups with narrow and chauvinist tendencies tried to halt the party’s success and ANDM has successfully blocked them and deep rooted the sense of democratic nationalism in the region at large, Demeke noted.
Demeke thanked sister and other backing parties for their unreserved support to ANDM and contribution for its success.
The Deputy PM urged all stakeholders to join hands and prevent the current El-nino induced drought from reaching the level of famine and posing any damage on the people and live animals of the country. He underlined that rent seeking and corruption are the two main obstacles the party and the public at large have to fight together on the way to ensure the country’s renaissance.