The Washington DC Chapter of Coalition for Unity & Democracy Party (CUDP/Kinijit) held a highly successful town hall meeting at the Unification Church yesterday (Oct 29). Hundreds of Kinijit members and supporters (the two halls were filled to capacity) gathered to listen explanations from the Kinijit officials about the recent leadership crisis.
At the start of the meeting, the acting chairman of Kinijit International Leadership (IL), Dr Moges Gebremariam, briefly discussed the crisis, and explained that it is now under control. He also took full responsibility for allowing the problem to fester for so long. He made a heartfelt apology to all Kinijit members and supporters who depended on the leadership to lead the party according to its stated principles.
Secretary General of the Kinijit International Leadership (IL), Ato Berhane Mewa, talked about the recent leadership crisis that shook the party to the core. Ato Berhane said that the Kinijit IL made decisive decisions and took corrective measures based on Kinijit’s rules and procedures, as well as its fundamental principles.
Chairman of the Washington DC Metro Kinijit, Ato Yilma Adamu, the Kinijit NA Treasurer, Ato Berhanu Yimer, the Auditor, Ato Tesfaye, and other officials took turns to share their thoughts and answer questions from the audience.
The willingness to discuss every thing openly on the part of the acting chairman and all the officials turned a potentially quarrelsome meeting into a productive discussion on how to rebuild the party. Tough questions and comments were thrown at the leadership from the audience, but they were done in a supportive spirit. The anger and frustration were directed at the former chairman, Shaleqa Yoseph, and his friends, particularly Dr Seyoum Solomon and Dr Almaz Seyoum. Some demanded legal action against the Shaleqa, who reportedly had misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars of Kinijit’s funds.
ER has recently uncovered that, in addition to diverting $250,000 to an unknown account under his personal control, the Shaleqa had withdrawn over $25,000 using an ATM card for his personal use (such as grocery, expensive hotels and restaurants, parking, plane tickets, etc.) without the authorization of the treasurer or consent of the executive committee. He sent less than that amount to support the families of jailed Kinijit leaders and members in the past eleven months. Over $50,000 that supporters donated in checks since last November have not been deposited in the official bank account. It is not known where the checks have disappeared. Large amounts of money that were collected in cash have also not been deposited in the official bank account. Additionally, the Shaleqa, who incorporated the organization under his own name using his own residential address, had failed to file the required tax forms for the two employees Kinijit NA had hired. As a result, it is likely that he is in jeopardy of an IRS action.
Yesterday’s Kinijit meeting in Washington DC signals the revival of the party, which still has a significant reserve of political capital. The leadership was reminded not to take the goodwill of the people for granted, to be humble, and when faced with problems, to consult with members and supporters. To replace the funds misappropriated by Shaleqa Yoseph and his cohorts, the Kinijit DC Metro chapter presented a plan to raise $1 million in a short time.
In two weeks (Nov 11-12), all eyes will be on Atlanta. Kinijit NA will hold a conference of all its chapters throughout North America. Is said to be the most important conference for Kinijit since its top top leaders were thrown in jail last November.
FORUM
