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Editor's Note: The following open letter was copied to Walta Information Center (Pro-Government website) which declined to post the letter on its website.

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF ETHIOPIA-


Your Excellency Mr Prime Minister,

I write to you to bring to your attention a serious miscarriage of justice and violation of trust and ethical behavior that simply has no excuse and defies all rationale behavior for Government Officials of the federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

In 2007 as you and the great nation of Ethiopia were all aware a special event marking Ethiopia's Millennium the Ethiopian International MILLENNIUM pageant was organized in Ethiopia, that event saw 37 International Beauty queens visit Ethiopia for the first time and promoted Ethiopia to the world and experiences Ethiopia's Tourism and cultural attractions.

Sir, that event did not happen by accident, we were contacted by Officials of the Ministry of Culture of Tourism to produce the event for your government, we submitted a budget and cost estimate as well as a final invoice for the production of that event, we were told by the State Minister for Culture and Tourism Mohamuda Ahmed Gass that Ethiopian Government regulations did not permit us to be paid in advance for the event, but once the event was done we would be paid, trusting the State Minister Mohamuda Gass to be a man of his word and Integrity, and we believed him and the government of Ethiopia to be honest and trust worthy, we gladly produced the event , we paid for clothes, crowns, sashes, gifts etc for the visiting Beauty Queens expecting to be reimbursed and paid for our services once the event was concluded per the Informal agreement entered into and guaranteed by State Minister Mohamuda Gass & the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on 11th October 2007, sadly and regrettably as of today's date, we have not be paid even a single penny, nor have any of the winners of that event ever been paid any of the prizes, neither have the hosting and production fess been paid by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in short nothing was ever paid to us by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the Ethiopian Millennium Pageant we produced 18 months ago the line constantly repeated is "WE SIMPLY DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY" " THERE WAS A BUDGET DEFICIT". "SHEIK ALAMOUDI HAS STILL NOT PAID US."

The Ministries of: Culture and Tourism, Foreign Affairs, Information, Trade and Industry, Federal Police Commission, Ethiopian Airlines, all sat on the so called "Organizing committee", set up for this event by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to solicit funds for the event and all benefited from the presence of the Queens in Ethiopia, as did the People of Ethiopia, The same Government officials were only to happy to be first in line to be photographed posing with the Visiting Beauties, glowing statements were made in the press by Government Ministers on "How vital this event was to improving Ethiopia's poor international image", however once the event concluded not one of the same officials from the Organizing Committee have had the moral and ethical behavior to see that the matter of paying my company for the services obtained fro us, is concluded in an honorable & Ethical everyone of them seems to have just hidden under their desks or behind their secretaries, and are now "too busy" to discuss or sort this serious matter out and we are simply being told to exercise patience, Officials from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism have even resorted to blaming Sheik Al Almoudi Claiming Al almoudi Promised but failed to help them pay some of the cost.

With the greatest amount of respect the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism is a Federally funded Ministry and not an extension of the Sheiks business empire, it is not called Minsitry of Midroc so any supposed promise made by sheik Ala mopudi or not , this should not be used a any excuse for the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism not paying what it owes us since the deadline of December 4th 2007.

Your Excellency we have been waiting since October 2007, we are now in February 2009 and nobody in the Ethiopian government seems wiling or prepared to see that this matter is settled 18 months later, how can that be? I for one never believed that the Ethiopian government does not operate ethically and honour its word, especially in the face of overwhelming evidence of the very good and positive deed that was done, but sadly here we are 18 moths later left with the final option of taking this matter and the Ethiopian Government to Court. We have rendered the service to the nation of Ethiopia for it's Millennium, that is not in doubt, but the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is working overtime on finding every excuse under the sun not to pay us, they have even blamed SHEIK ALAMOUDI for promising to pay some of the cost but not paying, Blamed a budget deficit, simply said "We have no money".

Nobody, Ethiopian Government Minister or not has any right to use and abuse his position of authority to obtain any services from anybody, and then not pay for them, I don't eat in a restaurant in Ethiopia then say" I have no money to pay when the bill is presented to me", if I did I would surely be arrested for theft of services or any other criminal charges, so why should government officials deceive and obtain service from me and then say they don't have money to pay when the invoice is delivered 18 months ago? Nobody is above the law, how ever even after we have rendered a wonderful service to the Government and people of Ethiopia for your Millennium, the excuses go on and nobody wants to pay for the services.

When dealing with matters of money, one would expect Ethiopian Government Ministers and officials to be highly ethical in their conduct at all times, in this case I would respectfully ask what happened to the 1.8 million birr the State Minster and his "Committee" collected from sponsors, that money also simply disappeared and was never paid to my company for the Promotional service it rendered?, or how the State Minster can say he spent 150,000 Birr on "Advertising" but then claim to have sold only 63 tickets from the 5 shows we held for this land mark event, but the halls were full to capacity every time?, and then to add insult to injury send an official letter to the Ethiopian Ambassador in London on 11th January 2008 ref: 2/3-72/126 denying that "The Ministry of Culture and Tourism had any say in the implementation of Miss Tourism of the Millennium".
The evidence is all around us, and a picture speaks a thousand words but i attatce a few. In addition no independently audited accounts for any of the money collected by the Ministry or taxation records have ever been released or show to us, every penny just seems to have disappeared. All attempts to get Mohammed Diriri the Minister of Culture and tourism to resolve this matter have also fallen on deaf ears and he has simply erected a wall of silence

Your Excellency, I write to you as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia to use your good office to see that this matter is concluded without the need to go to litigation, Budget deficit or not, Sheik Alamoudi's supposed promise and failure keep his promise to help pay for the event as claimed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism or not, officials at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism were 100% aware of all their financial obligations required to bring this event to Ethiopia, it was never cost free or a charity event, and State Minister Mohamuda Gass issued a written guarantee to pay. If Officials of the Ministry of Culture of Tourism were financially irresponsible and mismanaged the finances and production of this wonderful event, they should be held fully accountable for there actions be the Government of Ethiopia, But neither I should or any of the Visiting Beauty queen should be made to pay for, or suffer any financial loss their shortcomings.

Sir, it is not in Ethiopia's interest for this matter to go to Litigation in International courts ,as it will be very embarrassing for the Ethiopian Government to explain why it obtained promotional services 18 months ago, but has still not paid even one penny to the organizers, so after 17 month we simply and respectfully request ask that the total sum for the production and the sponsorship money collected and that is still owed to us by the Ministry of Culture of Tourism is paid without any further excuses or delays.

Respectfully

The Ethiopian Life Foundation
London. England

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http://missethiopia.blogspot.com/
http://missethiopiaorg.skyrock.com/
http://www.youtube.com/v/CUxNggRdzkQ&rel=1

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