by Muluken Gebeyew
Tedros Adhnom Ghebreyesus
WHO (World Health Organization) is a noble international organization established in 1946. WHO began when its Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948- a date which WHO now celebrate every year as World Health Day. WHO has now more than 7000 people from more than 150 countries working in 150 country offices, in 6 regional offices and at its headquarter in Geneva. WHO is currently the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations’ system.
The World Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making body for WHO. It generally meets in Geneva in May each year, and is attended by delegations from all 194 Member States. Its main function is to determine the policies of the Organization.The Health Assembly appoints the Director-General, supervises the financial policies of the Organization, and reviews and approves the proposed programme budget.
WHO has had eight Director-Generals since its inception. They were from Europe, North America, Asia and South America, The current 8th Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan was first appointed by the World Health Assembly on 9 November 2006. The Assembly appointed Dr Chan for a second five-year term at its sixty-fifth session in May 2012. Dr Chan’s current term began on 1 July 2012 and will continue until 30 June 2017. WHO is currently on verge of electing its new Director-General in the next few days.
Following the closure of the deadline on 22 September 2016 for Member States to propose candidates for the position of the next Director-General of WHO, the Organization received six proposed candidates, which is now refined to three. Among the three is Dr. Tedros Adhnom Ghebreyesus nominated by Ethiopian government. Unlike the two candidates who declared the figures about the financial support for their campaign, Dr.Tedros’s Information on Campaign Activities doesn’t show such figures. Please check on WHO web site.
Dr Tedros (as he prefers to be called) presented on his CV his educational achievements, qualification, position he held, experiences and publication including his hobbies and vision. He highlighted being Minster of Foreign Affair (2012-2016) and Minster of Health (2005-2012) of the Government of Ethiopia. He has omitted an important political position he has had on his CV. Is this lying by omission?
Dr. Tedros is one of the nine Executive members (politburo) of the governing TPLF (Tigray People’s Liberation Front), a minority regime ruling Ethiopia. TPLF rules Ethiopia under the cover name of EPRDF (Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front) with fake elections disputed by international organizations. TPLF is a political organization which came to power under armed struggle in 1991. As its name indicate, the people it “represented” (Tigre) is 6% of the population in Ethiopia. This minority political organization has ruled Ethiopia under Iron fist for the last 26 years. The regime is known for its brutal crackdown of opposition parties, mass killing, imprisonment, displacement, forced immigration, unemployment and human right abuse documented by international organizations. The regime is famous for cooking figures (fake statistics) to blind major international organization including financial, development, economic and health organization by delivering pseudo-truth on development, growth and economic indexes.
Dr.Tedros is central person on all important decisions made by TPLF as the one of nine executive members. He is as TPLF top brass, responsible for millions of people displacement, thousands of killings and hundred thousands of Ethiopian’s imprisonment. TPLF uses “divide and rule ” policy to rule as minority while dividing majority by inciting one ethnic and nationalities against others and one religion against other to sustain its brutal regime. It uses a fake anti-terrorisms laws to stiffen any dissent or opposite opinion.
Dr.Tedros was appointed as Minster of Health by late dictator Prime Minster Meles Zenawi, not due to the merit ( there were many professionals who were his senior, knowledgeable, experienced and well respected in the field than him) but due to his belonging to Tigray ethnicity and membership of TPLF political party. Although Dr.Tedros is presented as gentle, social, smiling, human and darling person to international organizations, Ethiopians working in health sectors and most oppressed people in Ethiopia know his actions in the political field.
The “achievement” he was reported gaining in health field needs thorough investigation as his government are famous for cooking statistics/numbers. When his ” achievement” at country level is scrutinized, the candidate has treated his own citizens differently based on their ethnicity contrary to WHO’s goal of building a better, healthier future for all people throughout the world. Looking through in detail the publications from his ministry, his “achievement” as Minster of Health to Ethiopia was only improvement in “Tigray” region where he belongs against other regions of Ethiopia in health service coverage rate, population to nurse/doctor rate, iodised salt distribution, contraceptive method, family planning, antenatal care cover, delivery of birth by skilled professional, maternal mortality rate, perinatal mortality rate, neonatal mortality rate, under 5 mortality rate, vaccination cover, HIV prevalence and treatment rate etc.
Dr.Tedro’s Ministry of heath played great role in “population reduction” using chemical/ inject able contraceptives against Amahra People which TPLF consider it as “enemy of TPLF”. There was estimated 2.1 million people reduction in Amhara region of Ethiopia using this means. The Ethiopian parliament couldn’t figure out for the official National Statistics Census Commission’s report on this “unexpected” reduction of Amahra people. The Commission had reported in 2008 that the Amhara state’s population stood at 17.2 million, coming well short of the 19.6 million projection estimated for the region in 2006.
According some reports, Dr.Tedros has failed to be transparent by forcing the Ethiopian Ministry of Health to not report and cover up a Cholera epidemic throughout his tenure by simply renaming a deadly epidemic as an Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) even after the diagnosis of Vibrio Cholerae was confirmed. His priority in deciding so was to conceal the impact a public admission of Cholera epidemic might have on Tourism and image of his Party rather than protecting the international community and attempting to reach out to the affected areas. Such a sad error due to lack of judgment resulted in a nationwide epidemic.
Dr.Tedros as Ministry of Foreign affair was making political comments which was false against political prisoners, journalists and denied any of such prisoners being held in Ethiopia. He has shown poor judgement when he presented false statements on political prisoners. He also participated in arranging kidnapping of British Citizen of Ethiopian origin from Yemen against international norms. A person of such character, morality and ethics shouldn’t led noble organization like WHO.
There are many people in Ethiopia who believe Dr.Tedros’s place is to face International Criminal Court in Hague than as candidate for Director-General in Geneva for WHO. The regime nominated one of its trusted member as its candidate with full financial backing and international lobby to lead this international organization to help itself in future to dilute any potential international accountability of TPLF’s atrocities in Ethiopia.
WHO is at risk of tarnishing its reputation and noble cause by electing such an individual who will face in future International / Domestic Criminal Court for the crime he committed with his fellow comrades under TPLF umbrella against Ethiopian people.
At present Dr.Tedros is presented on social media and traditional media as knowledgeable, intelligent, experienced health expert and diplomat by the international lobbies recruited by Ethiopian government, some international philanthropists and donor organization. The true picture will be revealed in due time. I hope WHO, the noble organization, will not be part of this ugly mud.
Sources
– WHO: http://www.who.int/en/
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar