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Latest News From Horn of
Africa |
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Norwegian foundation regrets decision to
award Ethiopian PM
Tuesday 2 August 2005 00:16. |
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By
Dr. Rakel Ingvar
OSLO, Aug 1, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — After a
series of pressure campaigns and bad
publicity following the decision of the Yara
Foundation to award “the first African Green
Revolution Prize” to Ethiopian Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi, known more for his
brutality than his commitment to
development, the parent company is
considering to revise the award criteria.
A senior executive at one of Norway’s
biggest international companies, Yara
International ASA, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, admitted: “ We regret this has
happened. There was a mistake somewhere in
the selection process. It is embarrassing
the board ended up awarding a despot who has
been killing and torturing his own people.
That was never the intention of the award.
“I understand there was a successful bid on
the part of pro-Zenawi lobbyists, who went
at a greater length to influence the
selection committee. In the future a
thorough examination of records of nominees
should be put in place to prevent tyrants,
who are obstacles for human development,
from being considered for the prize,” he
said.
However, he dismissed as unfounded an
allegation that linked the African Green
Revolution Yara Prize to commercial bribery
aimed at luring corrupt African leaders to
award multi-million dollar contracts to the
company in the lucrative fertilizer
business.
It was announced two weeks ago that the
Board of the Yara Foundation had chosen to
award the first African Green Revolution
Yara Prize, to the Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi for his contribution to improve food
security and human nutrition in ways that
also protect the environment.
According to the executive, the decision
caused a lot of disquiet among many
Norwegians and the Ethiopian Community in
Norway who inundated the company with
emails, letters and phone calls to express
their anger. “It is a really awkward
situation that we never anticipated. I
personally found it seriously damaging for
the reputation of the company. In the
future, we should never associate ourselves
with any tyrants who have blood on their
hands,” he admitted.
A refugee from Ethiopia, Yared Tesfaye, who
showed me a letter he wrote to Yara
International ASA, said: “It is a great
shame that the company decided to award
Meles Zenawi, who has been killing,
injuring, torturing and jailing thousands of
Ethiopians. Millions of Ethiopians are
facing starvation and hundreds of thousands
of others die of hunger each year.
“I am sure the people who have decided to
give him an award have no idea of what a
green revolution look like. Are they
awarding him for his crimes against
humanity?” he asked.
Tesfaye wrote to Yara that the company
should make an official apology not only to
Ethiopians but also to the whole of Africa
for insulting their dignity by awarding one
of Africa’s murderous tyrants who condemn
their people to endless cycles of suffering
and oppression.
A Norwegian human rights campaigner, Erika
Birger, suggested the award money, worth
$200,000, be given to a charity that is
truly committed to improving the fate of
Ethiopians. “Norwegians are decent people.
We are equally offended and insulted by the
ridiculous decision to award an African
dictator as a ‘green revolutionary,” she
said.
According to Mr. Tesfaye, Ethiopian
immigrants in Norway have already formed an
anti-Yara prize campaign group to oppose the
company’s wrong decision to give this year’s
prize to Zenawi. “The award to Meles must be
called Yara’s Green Revulsion Award,” he
said.
Rakel Ingvar is a Norwegian human rights
activist.
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Ogaden
