Washington, DC — This is perhaps one of the most important periods in our political history.
We have come a long way despite enormous challenges and difficulties. The Democratic Party elected Barack Obama as its presidential candidate. This is historic and significant in many ways. This sweeping momentum generated by Obama's candidacy will bring much needed change, strengthen our country, and bring Americans together.
For many of us, we have been waiting for this for decades. At the core of this movement is the fact that people from all backgrounds came together not simply driven by race or political motive, but to bring change, and in doing so made many Americans who felt marginalized proud to be Americans.
Martin Luther King said once "In a real sense America is essentially a dream, a dream as yet unfulfilled. It is a dream where men of all races, of all nationalities, and of all creeds can live together as brothers." And as Dr. King said "he has seen the Promised Land." Indeed, my friend Barack has brought us all together and Martin Luther King's dream of the Promised Land will come true.
There is an Ethiopian proverb that goes like this: "When the spiders unite they can tie down a lion." And when people come together united behind a cause, victory is assured.
Obama is a man of principle, focused, and with a vision for a better America. When he first ran for the Senate, I went to Chicago to help. Your support for Obama is not just for one man, but for change. Your active and early participation in the political process also gives your community recognition and access to engage elected officials about issues you care about. In addition to the multiple domestic and international issues that presidential candidates often focus during their campaign, the Obama campaign has made Africa a major priority. The campaign has more than a dozen dedicated staff working in the Africa Team. We have two of them in this panel. Obama's foreign policy chief, my good friend Susan Rice, is also a very dedicated Africa ally.
The challenges and opportunities facing Africa are many. The people of Africa have faced many difficulties over the years from natural disasters to brutal dictatorships; yet they managed to overcome these challenges. The struggle for democracy and respect for human rights continues, nonetheless, since many Africans continue to suffer under brutal dictatorships.
I am sure you all remember the more than 200 civilians gunned down by Ethiopian security forces for demanding democracy in 2005. In the Ogaden region of Ethiopia, the brutality of the Meles regime has forced thousands of innocent civilians to flee their country. I met last months and in January dozens of women who were raped and beaten by Ethiopian security forces now languishing in a refugee camp in Kenya.
Political and human rights conditions in Ethiopia have been of particular concern to me in recent years. The Ethiopian government spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbyists to kill the Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act last year. I wish the Ethiopian government used these funds to build hospitals and schools. I said then that the U.S. Congress is not for sale. The primary objective was not to punish Ethiopia but to help the people of Ethiopia live in peace and democracy.
I was cautiously optimistic in 2005 that political and human rights conditions will improve after the elections. Indeed, the elections were much better organized and highly competitive compared to previous elections. I must confess, I was wrong. In fact, conditions got worse than before. I am absolutely sure that under an Obama Administration good governance, respect for human rights, peace and stability will become an important foundation of the Administration's foreign policy. We are not going to turn a blind eye to abuses just because some governments pretend to be allies in the war on terror. Killing unarmed civilians and using food as a weapon is terrorism.
I am sure if the Ethiopian government and opposition groups were to come together to build a better, peaceful Ethiopia; they can achieve that goal. It is important to put country and people first before politics.
In Darfur, the brutal Bashir government continues its genocidal campaign against innocent civilians.
As you are well aware, more than 450,000 people have been killed since 2003, 2 million displaced, and more than 200,000 in refugee camps in Chad. As if the suffering of these victims is not enough, the Bashir security forces now routinely go into displaced camps to kill.
The challenges facing Africa are not limited to conflicts. If you look at the education sector, while Africa is home to 13.4-percent of the world's population, only 1.1-percent of the world's scientific researchers reside on the continent. There is one engineer or scientist per 10,000 people in Africa. In industrialized countries there are 20 to 50 per 10,000 people. We want to change this reality. I recently prepared a comprehensive legislation on higher education in Africa.
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High child mortality rate is another major challenge facing the developing world. Every day 27,000 children under the age of 5 die, mostly from preventable diseases. We know how to prevent most of these deaths, but we have not spent the resources necessary to do so. We have the funds to spend billions of dollars a month in Iraq, yet we don't seem to have the funds to build schools and hospitals in places like Somalia.
I strongly encourage you to vote for Obama. If you are not registered to vote, please do so and encourage friends and family members to do the same. I also urge you to donate to the campaign. Thank you and look forward to hear your questions and comments.
Donald M. Payne (Democrat-New Jersey) chairs the U.S. House Sub-Committee on Africa and Global Health. He made these remarks to a gathering of Ethiopians in Washington, DC on September 14.
