14. November 2009 by Assimba.

By Obo Arada Shawl - November 13, 2009

Name: Hailu Shawl

Address: unknown/undetermined

Title: Engineer

Desire: HIM = Hailu-Issaias-Meles = His Imperial Majesty

It is to be recalled that on October 13, 2007, I have written an article entitled “A choice of political leadership for Ethiopia: an Engineer, an Economist or a Political Party? It was posted on www.Debteraw.com and on other websites. It was an attempt to decipher the relationship between cost and benefit that related to the professions of Engineer Hailu vis-à-vis Economist Berhanu.

In this article I will point out how an engineer (petroleum engineer, the highest paid job in the field of engineering) by profession has finally succumbed to low level of political stooge by accepting the wrong side of the equation i.e. If C > B, then it is feasible or profitable.

At the time of my writing the previous article, I had hoped that the two professional individuals would come to an agreement on a basis of benefit cost analysis for the country as a whole. It was a missed chance to show to Ethiopians and the world that the educated elites of Eathiopia could save the country from the terrible human and material loss that went unabated since the coming of the DERG. In addition, the scenario would have been a wonderful opportunity to show to the uneducated class to witness cooperation and coordination (CC) among all ምሁር አካል. It did not happen. I have tried this challenging equation between cost and benefit with an Eritrean economist versus an Eritrean engineer. It did not work either.

The answer, therefore, lies on something or somewhere else, such as in our culture or in the arrogance of our intellectuals or in the ignorance of our people.

What is cost and what is benefit? What is the relevance of these equations? Cost benefit is an informal approach to making decisions of any kind. The formal process though is often referred to as either Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) or Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA). In other words, cost-benefit analysis is a method to determine if a project is economically worthwhile. The benefits, which are translated into dollars, should be greater than the costs.

Berhanu Nega (Ph.D) by training and education is an economist and as such he should have dwelt on the benefit side of the equation whereas the infamous engineer Hailu Shawl should have concentrated on cost side of the equation. On hindsight, the engineer was not interested on cost, as we all have probably witnessed while he was working for the DERG. It is no news now that he is ready to serve the TPLF as he did the military junta. I presume he is on the benefit side of the equation very uncharacteristic in the field of Engineering. In the same manner Berhanu is not seeking after benefit but after cost. Maybe his early involvement in EPRA had influenced him, I cannot say for sure. In other words both individuals do not synchronized their inner selfishness with their outward education, training and experience. I have the hunch that economist Berhanu is seeking for social/economic justice practiced in EU (European Union) while residing in US and engineer Hailu is hungry for the American economic system while serving the EU. What an aberration! In our world, it seems that we are unable to relate cost with benefit. Who can salvage Eathiopians without the knowledge of engineers and economists (EE)?

Both individuals did not live up to either profession or stand to the welfare of their community. Had it been to the welfare of Eathiopia, both would have taken Addis Ababa or Finfine by storm. But they were not courageous enough to sail between a hard rock of TPLF and the residents of Addis Ababa. And so they failed to struggle but chose to shop around for their niches.

This article is about engineer Hailu Shawl as for the economist Berhanu Nega it is for another day.

Engineer Hailu Shawl: does he deserve this title?

For many years, engineers have transformed life and technology. But what is an engineer and what do engineers do? This article will seek to illustrate by analogy exactly what an engineer is and how he makes an impact on the world.

The following is an excerpt from an article that was written by a young engineer, Jonathan Dunder. It is posted at Free Info Society.

Jonathan Dunder writes on

“Essentially everything that you use in a given day was designed by engineers. From your computer monitor to your automobile, from your satellite radio to traffic lights, from your cell phone to the plane you fly in and the web browser you are using right now to read this article. Engineers design all of these things! Engineers create almost everything that society uses!” Does Engineer Hailu belong here?

“Engineers invent solutions and products in every field, including disciplines like aerospace, software, biomedical, chemical, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering. All engineers are given a similar basic education, but they also choose one of these specific disciplines to be trained in. Many engineers work in multiple disciplines, for example electrical engineers writing software and electrical engineers designing electromechanical motors.” I hope Engineer Hailu is about to bring solutions to our country and people without complacency.

“An engineer is trained such that they can be given a goal and accomplish that goal. An aerospace engineer that works for Boeing or Airbus might be told to “design a plane that can fly X miles at Y speed and use Z amount of fuel”, This example is a bit extreme since most work is divided among many engineers, but that engineer would be able to take the problem and design a solution that meets the requirements. A similar example might be a software engineer being told to design an embedded application for a cell phone that allows a person to see where they are on a map using GPS. Another example might be a mechanical engineer being told to design a car that weighs X amount, has a top speed of Y, and gets Z mileage.” Engineer Hailu Shawl should tell us his choice between Boeing and Airbus!!!

“When considering a problem and potential solutions, an engineer has to try to find the best solution that meets the requirements and is financially feasible. Some solutions would work or are too expensive; another solution might work, but would take too long to develop. Typically a project has very specific time and money limitations, requiring an engineer to make difficult decisions. And sometimes, a project is simply impossible given the requirements and existing technology.” Maybe this is the concern for engineer Hailu.

Engineers are scientists, mathematicians, inventors, and project planners combined. An engineer takes information from various fields and applies that information to solve problems. An engineer creates! An engineer is a force to be reckoned with! What about Engineer Hailu Shawl? Does he deserve the title? Call me by my name, address or title (NATionality). Ato Hailu is not in the business of finding solutions as he should have but instead he is being involved in the creation of problems.

This is where Engineer Hailu versus Economist Berhanu’s project collides. There was no human cost involved for Engineer Hailu, as there are no quantified benefits envisaged for all Eathiopian according to economist Berhanu

Now that we know what an engineer is, perhaps we might like to know how to become an engineer unlike engineer Hailu. Write to Jsdratm@gmail.com

Ato Hailu chose to be a business leader. The question is why does he cheat and pretend to be a public political figure. Why, why and why. I tell you why; he is coward internally for whatever reason. He is not liberated; he has a “slave” mentality. There is a saying that “if you can survive the challenges of engineering school, you can probably survive the challenges of any field.” This may be true for president Issais who has been in engineering school but I doubt that it will work for engineer Hailu. We have to wait and see as Ato Hailu claimed to BBC that he and Melese trust each.

Warning for Engineer Hailu!

I don’t think Ato Hailu knows with whom he is dealing. He is dealing with leaders who have read the following books: -

• The Prince, by Machiavelli

• The Social Contract, by Rousseau or

• The Republic by Plato

And whose followers have known the works of Enver Hoxha of Albania, Mao Zedong of China and Stalin of Soviet Union, but not the works of Eathiopians.

For the sake of Engineer Hailu and his followers, I will deal briefly with The Prince. Niccolo Machiavelli (born in 1469) lived during a turbulent period of history. He received the ordinary humanistic education of his times. The wide knowledge he had achieved was a result of private reading, meditation and above all practical experiences with life and people. In addition to many other books, Machiavelli’s book, The Prince has created many Machiavellians among us. This book represents the principles of new sciences of statesmanship based on the experience of human events and history. Engineer Hailu does not seem ready to follow neither the principles of statesmanship nor the rules and ethics for assuming the leadership of business world.

Again for the sake of the engineer and his followers, some of Machiavelli’s political doctrines are presented below:

• A prince should be cruel because it is more beneficial to be feared than loved, although he ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred.

• A prince should care little for keeping his promises and should break faith whenever necessary.

• A prince should be impetuous than cautious

• A prince should gain esteem by displaying his strength in the fields of foreign policy

• Machiavelli concludes that war and its rules and discipline should be the only thought of a wise prince

The above five-belief system is one way of perceiving modus of operandi (M.O.) of the TPLF leaders. Another side of their story was based on the peasant masses directly in contradiction with Machiavellian who did agree with the adage of” he who builds on the people builds on mud.” Where does Ato Hailu fit?

My first contact with Ato Hailu was in 1972 when he came to represent the shippers such as Shell, Mobile, Total and Agip corporations. The meeting was to find ways and means for the smooth operation among shippers, truckers, bus companies, and ministries of communication, defense and road builders. The meeting was scheduled to take place in the office of Road and Transport Administration that was run by the Honorable Shimellis Adugna. At the time, I was new and young employee and I did not see the need for the relationship and coordination among these diversified groups. All I remember was about the energy of Ato Hailu defending the Oil industries and Ato Mamo “katcha” defending the Eathiopian bus and truck owners. That was during the era of the Monarchy.

Ato Hailu has come to serve the DERG in various capacities. And he is going to serve the TPLF and the EU in various capacities. He is not going to serve the Eathiopian people for sure. It is high time for him not to talk about elections and votes. He should be bold enough to support the American capitalism and join to plunder the resources of Eathiopia with the Al Amoudi and the Azeb groupies. It is that simple. No more confusions and pretensions.

On a concluding note to Ato Hailu Shawl, he should realize that practically all opposition to the rule of EPRDF are based on either the Social Contract by Rousseau or on the Republic by Plato. Definitely, the opposition is not for “divide and rule” a la Machiavellian. This is my first and last warning to Ato Hailu unless he becomes P.M. himself.

Concluding Remarks

In short, Ato Hailu has finally found his niche with the TPLF after long and hard shopping. I cannot say more than what Ato Tecola Hagos has said in his article entitled “lacrimosa for Ethiopia” that was posted on November 11, 2009 at www.Abbaymedia.com. I fully concur with Hagos the way he depicted the nature of TPLF leadership albeit he rediscovered this after his second exile. It is never too late for any discovery. EPRP has aptly described the works of TPLF leaders in one of its publications of DEMOCRACIA - ዝንጀሮን ወደ ባሕር ዓሳን ወደ ተራራ - meaning taking baboons to the sea while transferring fishes to the mountain. Both species will die. That was/is the nature we are all in. Is this a requiem for Eathiopia or for the EPRDF? We need to discuss.

Berhanu (the Economist) is greater than Hailu (the Engineer) by staying away from the so-called elections. Benefit should be greater than Cost i.e. B > C for Berhanu to participate in the election process. As perceived by the economist, Berhanu, as it stands now, the cost is much bigger than the benefit i.e. C > B.

Ato Hailu Shawl should be mindful of the heavy cost (human and material) that all Eathiopians have paid in order to attain Justice and democracy. The Eway Revolution is not about “cash” flow – a cash flow possessed via government corruption and illegal business dealings.

For comments and questions

woldetewolde@yahoo.com

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13. November 2009 by Assimba.

November 10, 2009  By Alex Birhanu - alexbirhanu@yahoo.com

In today’s Eritrea, a country of 5 million people, the acute needs are becoming boundless by the day as this tiny nation is continuously slipping down into its deepest political isolation and economic stagnation since its de-facto “16 years of fuzzy independence”. A decade after the 1998-2000 devastating border flare-ups with Ethiopia that remains unresolved to this very day, Afeworki has never been permitting popular political elections in country. To the contrary, according to the US-State Department human rights report that came out in 2008, he banned opposition groups and independent media, and reportedly banished thousands of people to remote desert prisons where they languish without trial in “harsh and life-threatening conditions”. The unresolved border dispute with Ethiopia is used by Afeworki and his regime to justify the severe restrictions held on civil liberties by effective control of the security force (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/119000.htm).

Men and women younger than 50 within Eritrea rarely get permission to leave the country as the entire able-bodied population is assigned on military reserve duty frightening and flexing such duty against the Ethiopian army posted along the border-lines along Badme–Tsorena zones. In fact, anyone who resist the service are routinely imprisoned and tortured, as documented in a 96-page 2009 report by Human Rights Watch, which found that Afeworki’s regime had issued a ‘shoot-to-kill’ orders for anyone caught trying to cross any of the borders without permission.

Amidst all these flexing and frightening regime-led chaos, the fabrication of non-existent national attributes in order to arouse the attention of different religious and ethnic groups of people in Eritrea from the mainstream political status quo to less critical issues of separating the Eritrean people from the rest of Ethiopia has remained an age old trick employed by Afeworki and his stooges working for the Eritrean regime that bids mainly to lengthen Afeworki’s stay on power.

Thanks to Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia who persistently kept Isaias Afeworki in chase and check positions since the mid-1990s, Afeworki’s regime is now almost on the verge of collapse and his tiny nation’s economy, education and all other social fabrics are constantly squeezed simply for maintaining its fuzzy and bloody borders watch efforts. Eritrea’s de-facto independence has become a high costing game to toil for. Evidently, the Eritrean peoples under 50 years of age are held to indefinitely serve in the national army hiding behind deeply-dug trenches stretching across thousands of kilometres from Badme to Tsorena fronts. And at all times, these SAWA-military graduates remain restlessly alert for any likely flare-up of skirmishes with the Ethiopian army standing equally alert on the other side of the ‘no-man-zone’.

Yes, Afeworki’s regime keeps on digging-up and employing a series of flexing and frightening old tricks in the same fashion as it used to do during its good-old EPLF-frontal stance of the 1960, through to 1990s by causing riffraff, rifts and ethnic-division among peoples inside Ethiopia; simply to enrich its creational tiny nation that hardly withstands the existence of a united and stronger Ethiopia. While keeping the entire Eritrean population as part of its military garrisons stretching along the thousands of miles of trenches in the wake of likely attacks by the Ethiopian army, Afeworki simply remains naive enough to assume that his age old flexing and frightening dirty tricks will continue to work for the despotic regime; but it is vivid to anyone today, including the overwhelming Eritrean population, that his outmoded regime’s flexing and frightening strategies have failed to work for the past seventeen years.

And now, it is out of context for Afeworki and his totalitarian regime to speak about their flattery favour of the Ethiopian unity and oneness at this 11^th hour of the Eritrean regime moving towards its doom. At the cost of repeating history, it is to be recalled from the early 1970s that, Afeworki personally created and reared TPLF as its political baby inside Eritrea; and instructed TPLF to author the 1968 Manifesto while operating underground in its infancy days of their joint political meandering. From the start, this manifesto outlined by TPLF specifies targets to forward its inner wishes and desires on how to manoeuvre the circumstances along with EPLF and come to power, than work towards creating a democratic and federated regime that maintains the unity of Ethiopia in tact.

Although initially the EPLF of those days seemed to oppose the contents of TPLF’s initial manifesto and demanded a milder version of it by instructing the fundamental inclusion of the question of colonization of the Tigray-Tigrign peoples into the manifesto; it eventually agreed upon the inclusion of self-determination up to secession of all nationalities. Thanks to the boundless inputs, zealous efforts and strong bondage and comradeships of TPLF, Afeworki and EPLF ultimately succeeded to come to power in Eritrea through involvement in their outlandish public acrimony and playing down the need for the existence of a united and strong Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa. And ever since the TPLF-captured power in 1990, it ratified article-39 in its regime’s constitution; and even approved this infamous article that made secession legitimate within Ethiopia. But Ironic enough, in Eritrea, there has never been such talks of self-determination up to secession of all nationalities.

Today, after having successfully done the infrastructural damage and the human harm that divided the Eritrean and the Ethiopian peoples, Isaias Afeworki’s regime in Eritrea is trying to shade its crocodile tears by openly voicing its concerns about a strong and a united Ethiopia. Although secession was a cardinal decision that belonged jointly to both the Eritrean and the Ethiopian peoples to fraternally hold a democratic referendum such and many more incidents illustrate the fact on the ground, that it has never been the desire of either the Eritrean or the Ethiopian peoples; except for the joint Afeworki and Zenawi decision of the time who wished initially to see a divided and weaker Ethiopia.

Particularly, the Eritrean stance on the issue of Ethiopia has always been unwaveringly agitated on the wrong path since the times of the EPLF-TPLF marriage, forward moving relationships and struggles for power seizure. Ever since its creation, Afeworki and his regime have always entertained a ruse to divide Ethiopia by working hand in hand with different ethnic-led Ethiopian political entities to eventually split Ethiopia into smaller nations; and sought to open a new Eritrean regime’s chapter of mutual cooperation and peaceful coexistence with these smaller nations. It has consistently been the desire of Afeworki and his regime to work against a united and strong Ethiopia, because, strength and unity in Ethiopia, means weakness and subordination of Eritrea.

Flexing and Frightening Domestic and Foreign Policy

At the domestic front, lack of basic human rights, food shortages and frustration due to lack of popular government election in Eritrea are few of the trifling faces of deeper problems: a government that commits flagrant human rights abuses suppression and dissent. In future these could be merely the tip of the iceberg if the underlying detailed issues are not addressed. For instance the repression of the Kunama minorities, and religious sects, the widening cultural separation between Moslem lowlanders and the Christian highlanders could lead to the kind of anarchy that has plagued Somalia for a generation.

Regarding law and order in Eritrea, the U.S. State Department’s 2008 Human Rights report contains a chilling inventory of Afeworki’s regime practices. Lists of abuses are too long to repeat here. Main highlights include: limitations on citizens’ right to elect a government; unlawful killings, torture, beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by security forces, usually with impunity; poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly of suspected sympathizers of forces opposed to Afeworki’s regime. In fact, the terror Afeworki has inflicted on his own people threatens to turn Eritrea into a failed state and a haven for terrorists by breeding constant fear, violence and systematic repression. In the absence of outside pressure, Isaias Afeworki and his cronies will never willingly change their dogmatic stand.

From its foreign policy point of view, the United States and other international bodies have consistently accused Isaias Afworki of funnelling arms, money and clandestine piracy supports to Islamist insurgents in Somalia and opposition groups in Djibouti (see the June 2009 report issued by the UN Munitions Monitoring Group) and have even threatened to slap him with sanctions. Regardless of such warnings, Isaias is bent on wresting influence from neighbouring nations including Ethiopia and has opened-up training centres for several rebel groups coming from various parts of the Horn of Africa. To our dismay, since some years now, Afeworki and his regime keep on accusing the UN Security Council of ignoring what it called “breaches of international law by Ethiopia”, with which it fought a 1998-2000 border war that ultimately killed about 70,000 people. On the contrary, critics including the U.N. Security Council, the African Union and the United States Government have repeatedly and openly stated that Afeworki’s regime has isolated itself; and consequently, it has become a danger to the national and regional security of the Horn of Africa; attempting to destabilise neighbouring nations including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. But Afeworki has always denied claiming that his regime has long been the victim of pro-Ethiopian prejudice and unfair meddling by the international community, particularly pertaining to its border dispute with Ethiopia (See: C Thomson, Reuters 2009).

Conclusive Remarks:

It is high time and quite essential that the international community tied in globalization frameworks, especially the United States of America, press the Eritrean regime to allow the Eritrean people to exercise the most basic human and democratic rights including justifiable referendum to outweigh the likely federation with Ethiopia. On a serious note, the U.S. government should align its rhetoric with its policies by putting critical embargos on Eritrea’s outlandish foreign affairs and domestic policies. It should also demand Afeworki’s regime to remove restrictions on foreign assistance to non-governmental organizations and give opposition parties access to function within Eritrea and to the media. Or else, the USA should help Eritrean opposition groups in Diaspora to remove Afeworki and bring democratic governance to Eritrea.

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13. November 2009 by Assimba.

By Alem Mamo

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

Much has been said about the curse of natural resources in the African continent. From the suffering of the Ogony people and subsequent murder of environmentalist and human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa in the Niger Delta, along with eight fellow activists, to the displacement of millions of citizens across the continent so that tyrannical regimes and multinational corporations can exploit and benefit from the riches that cover the beautiful landscape of Africa. Certainly the most publicised of all such enterprises is the diamond trade and how it has oiled and fuelled conflict in parts of Africa. As repressive regimes, lawless rebel groups and multinational corporations have juggled for portions of the pie, the inhabitants of the land have been uprooted and persecuted for voicing their opposition.

The abundance of natural resources in the context of fair, just and equitable social, economic, and political systems is a blessing, as it can be used sustainably and wisely to reinvest in local communities, for instance through building infrastructure and schools, and providing health care. In dictatorial regimes, however, it is capital for oppression and is used to silence dissent. Furthermore, it is often utilized to build the military and security apparatus that is established to maintain a grip on power. One such regime identified by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Democracy Watch and other international human rights organizations is the regime currently in power in Ethiopia - the original homeland of coffee. After overthrowing the military dictatorship of Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam in 1991, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), with Mr. Meles Zenawi as it’s head, has established one of the most repressive regimes in Ethiopian history – and is using Ethiopia’s great resource, coffee, to finance its oppressive efforts.

Coffee, the aroma of Ethiopian culture that brings family, neighbours, friends and even strangers together everyday, now has become a curse to the people of Ethiopia. In line with the typical practise of tyrannical regimes in Africa, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) currently in power in Ethiopia¹, has maintained a stronghold not only on political power, but also it has continued to stifle any economic progress by imposing one of the most illiterate economic policies in the African continent.² This policy has only benefited the business enterprise of the regime’s senior echelon, their families and close associates. On the other hand, millions of Ethiopians struggle to feed their families and children, and men and women continue to depend on food aid.

The recent announcement by Guna (TPLF owned business enterprise that operates several parastatal) declaring their intention to monopolize the coffee export business is a brazen declaration of total economic and political monopoly that has the hallmarks of absolute dictatorship. The impact of such a policy on the average farmers and their families predictably is making a tragic situation even worse. Coffee, the main cash crop of the Ethiopian economy accounts for 65% of foreign currency earning in Ethiopia, and the economic survival of many depends on it. Now, with this recent declaration what the regime effectively has done is take control of perhaps the most vital source of income for the country. Given the government’s record of spending in the past several years, it is a justifiable fear that this new income would be used to purchase military hardware for the purpose of strengthening its security, intelligence and police force with the prime assignment of quashing descent, silencing potential opposition and intimidating citizens. Since coming to power in 1991 the regime spent 5, 402 billion dollars on the military and security that terrorized the Ethiopian people for the last 18 years. The primary source of foreign currency used to purchase these deadly weapons is the export and sale of coffee.³Coffee, the centrepiece of Ethiopian culture, a gift of Ethiopia to the rest of the world, now has become the fuel of a dictatorial regime that has no regard for human life and human dignity. By officially declaring its intent to control the coffee export business, the regime’s calculated move places under its power the major source of foreign currency earning that it needs for the purchase of military hardware.

For the last 18 years the people of Ethiopia have endured unimaginable suffering in the hands of a regime bent on staying in power at any cost. As a result, tens of thousands of people have left the country and countless languish in the dungeons of prison, simply for voicing their opposition or for being suspected opposition to the regime has terrorized innocent civilians by its security, army and police force.

Despite the imprisonment, torture, disappearances and deaths, however, the people of Ethiopia continue to show their disapproval of the regime and resist it in any way they can. As history tells us, the struggle for freedom, democracy and justice should not be confined to the political boundary of a state or certain territory. As martin Luther King Jr. said, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.⁴

The same way that coffee, a gift of Ethiopia to the world, became universal, the struggle of the Ethiopian people for democracy, justice, human rights and freedom must become a common struggle of humanity. In the past, the appalling oppressive system of apartheid, the unjust system of slavery didn’t end only through the resistance of those who were oppressed. Anti-apartheid movements on the streets of Europe, North America, Africa and elsewhere were a strong part of the freedom movement.

The recent declaration is simply a matter of formality and a demonstration of the regime’s determination to consolidate all economic and political power. Since coming to power 18 years ago the TPLF regime has directly and indirectly asserted its control over vital economic sources and financial institutions. What makes the recent declaration about monopolizing the coffee export market different is that the regime is not even pretending to be an advocate of free market economy, as it tried in the past to deceive donor countries and international financial institutions.

For coffee drinkers around the world, particularly to those who are fond of the Ethiopian brand, I urge you to consider and reflect on a few points before you order your morning medium or dark roast Ethiopian. Ask the following questions:

• What if the transaction you make to purchase a cup of coffee is helping to strengthen the oppressive institutions of one of the most ruthless regimes in Africa, if not in the world?
• What if the money you paid for a cup of coffee pays for the purchase of bullets and weapons used against pro-democracy activists?
• What if your coffee money pays the salary of those who torture and kill innocent civilians, human rights activists and advocates of social justice?
• What if your warm cup of coffee funds the luxury life of those who work full time against democracy, justice, human rights and democracy?

If you have answered these questions sufficiently and formed an opinion on the ongoing struggle for the establishment of a true democracy in Ethiopia then you should consider a form of action to carry out your global citizenship duty and responsibility. Here are some suggestions:

• Stop helping the machinery of oppression, injustice and terror.

• Gather information about the violations of human, democratic and political rights in Ethiopia. You can access factual and reliable information from the websites of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Genocide Watch, and Committee to Protect Journalists and other international advocacy organizations.

• Educate your classmates, colleagues, friends and family members about the appalling human rights situation in Ethiopia.
• Question trade labels. Although some of them may be genuinely helping those in need, there are some “fair trade” labels that still fatten the pockets of tyrants and their cronies.
• Join existing online campaigns for human rights, democracy and justice in Ethiopia or start-up a new campaign on Facebook, MySpace or other online social networking sites.
• Remember, we cannot make poverty history unless we make injustice, tyranny and dictatorship history. Therefore, do not fall into the trap of treating the symptom – help get rid of the cause of poverty.
• Your government may be showing unwarranted indifference when it comes to the pro-democracy movement in Ethiopia, perhaps even tacitly approving of the actions of the regime in Addis Ababa. Educate yourself about your government’s role and write to your representative voicing your concerns.

A responsible global citizen is not bound by geographic or political boundaries. The actions of someone somewhere could make the difference between life and death to those who are shackled and unable to speak for themselves. For some, the consequences of speaking up could prove to be deadly, particularly under a regime such as that in power in Ethiopia. These are a few suggestions, and they are not the only ideas to support the struggle for democracy in Ethiopia. Choose your own form of involvement that you think could be more effective. Finally, in the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu attributed to the African philosophy of Ubuntu “I need you to be all you can be, so that I can be all that I can be. It is that my humanity is caught up in your humanity. The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms. We say: a person is a person through other persons.”⁵ Finally, don’t be a bystander in this worthy struggle. After all, Ethiopia is your original homeland, too. The land of Lucy and Ardi where the initial journey of humanity began. Join the struggle for freedom! You will be rewarded with nothing more than the freedom of your fellow human beings.

“Use your freedom to promote ours.”

Aung San Suu Kyi

1 A reader unfamiliar with Ethiopian politics might be surprised to hear a Liberation Front runs Ethiopia, and that by itself is a topic of discussion to which I intend to address in the near future.

2 http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/10/09/f-vp-stewart.html

3 http://milexdata.sipri.org/result.php4

4 http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

5 http://www.weltethos.org/00–home/tutu-e.htm

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9. November 2009 by Assimba.

Dereje Tekaligne

I recently read in the EEDN Ato Mesfin Makonen (otherwise an honourable man who keeps us informed on how the US Congress deals with our fate) informing all of us that the recent document signed by Engineer Hailu and others with the TPLF/EPRDF regime is the result of US administration pressure on Meles Zenawi. We are expected to say thank you to Washington as he does. Some other Ethiopian had also written before that the USA can be Ethiopia’s salvation.

With all due respect to the opinion of such people it seems to me unpatriotic and myopic to hand over one’s national fate to a foreign power that has, for the last century, shown its inability to heed the demands and aspiration of the poor Ethiopian people except when famine strikes and kills a million or so. I am not starting out from a leftist and anti imperialist premise (Chavez and our own Leftists included) but from direct experience and from the fact that US and Western involvement in the last decade (Anna Gomez excluded) has been detrimental to our country and people. The 2005 election was stolen by the pro America regime of Meles with the full connivance of Washington (remember Vicki Huddleston the US embassy official and how she colluded with two or so spineless so called opposition leaders to sabotage the Dead Cities protest). Meles killed close to 200 people and imposed himself by force and Washington continued to support him business as usual.

The recent document signed between the Meles regime and three opposition organizations is to say the least very controversial. To begin with it deals with election procedures and code of conduct and not with the basic issues of changing the electoral law and the regime controlled electoral board or commission. A lot of smokescreen is being directed at us ( Mesfin says wait and see till God knows when while others sound pleading notes of let us not be divided) to deflect us from discussing the documents and the signing that some are justifiably calling a betrayal. Since Ayele Chamiso and Lidetu Ayalew are detested already by too many people who consider them traitors the surprise and indignation and feeling of betrayal concern the elderly engineer on whom many had confidence imagining his stance against the regime/Weyane as admirable.

In other words, the signing of the documents that actually carry articles that serve well the regime in place is not a very positive thing. If the Americans did pressurize Meles to talk and compromise with the opposition the document that would have been signed would have dealt with the need to change the electoral law, the independence of the electoral board, the fair use of the media, the end to repression of the legal opposition itself, etc. Can one teach a hyena to be gentle and fair to a donkey? The Meles Zenawi regime has proved time and again that it is thuggish, murderous, cheating and discriminatory. What code of conduct! Meles will trample on any document or agreement to rig and steal the election, the result of which is known today already. This aside, the issue brings to the fore the ongoing malady of bowing to the White Man as it were, this un-Ethiopian bowing to foreign governments. Our salvation comes from our own struggle primarily and not from the US congress or the British and EU parliament. Recall when Mussolini invaded our country and Britain, France, etc backed him to the hilt till they found fighting against him to their own national advantage. This is the hard fact. Engineer Hailu thanked the foreign ambassadors who gave him and the others a Kurkum (a bang or knock on the head) every time “we strayed” and he expressed his thanks. And as Napoleon lost his salt with the salt tax in the old times, the Engineer also lost any self respect with his thank you for beating me on the head statement. It is a situation that neither Mesfin nor others can redeem or correct except by admitting the grave mistake and apologizing to the AEUP members and the people of Ethiopia.

Ato Mesfin laid down as goals issues that are not actually primary on the debate on the fairness of the election and the signing of the document by his AEUP leader and others. Neither is the assertion that the AEUP is an organization struggling peacefully going to serve as a refuge. That is not the issue as struggling peacefully does not mean bending to kiss the blood-dirtied shoes of the vain tyrant. Moreover, Ato Mesfin seems to have his countries confused as he writes as one of the goals a national health system. This is known as clouding the issue, a tactic in which the TPLF of Meles Zenawi is very adept. In Ethiopia we say ask the mule who its father is and it will reply my mother is the horse. This is first class diversion, to do a cover up. We are now dealing with the election and documents signed by the Engineer (AEUP) and others. At issue is not what are the basic themes and goals to be emphasized in demanding change in Ethiopia. Even then, we are dealing with a legal opposition that has kept silent on the ceding of Ethiopian land to the Sudan, the devastating famine and the high cost of living and wants to cry against Sheikh Alamoudi in concert with the corrupt female viper called Azeb Golla, wife of the tyrant. The flimsy talk about political prisoners is not even included in the documents and the AEUP leaders have made it clear that they are concerned with “our own” prisoners and may the devil deal with rest!

There is nothing as simple and as rewarding as saying I am sorry I have made a mistake but, alas, it seems an impossible feat in Ethiopia and as one tries to cover up and deny the problem becomes worse. The wait and see option saw us wait till Lidetu confused all and entered the Weyane parliament. Legal opposition groups that have the interest of the people and the Nation at heart have many options that preclude bowing to the Weyane and foreign ” kurkum” givers. They can boycott the election for one by demanding a change to the electoral laws and the independence of the electoral board. Wait and see is a call that actually says “shut up” and let the signatories work hand in glove with Meles Zenawi. It is not an Ethiopian friendly option. The whole position of being chastised by foreign kurkums, thanking foreigners for nothing, and worse of all declaring foreigners the saviours of Ethiopia is so un patriotic and un Ethiopian that it warrants our strongest objection and condemnation. Let us be proud of our Ethiopian heritage and let rely on our own people’s resolve and strength to defeat tyrants and invaders of all sorts.

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6. November 2009 by Assimba.

The whole world is now aware of the political situation in Ethiopia because once again the Ethiopian people are staring at a situation of mass starvation.  Famines are not unique to Ethiopia.  All recent ones in the world, like the one in 1984 in Ethiopia, were politically inspired.

Recently the Ethiopian government has come to the table with its political opposition due to International pressure; especially that of the United States.  For this we owe a debt of gratitude to the Ethiopian-American community who have consistently supported the legislation to urge change in Ethiopia.

The legislation that the Congress of the United States has consistently supported over the last few years has helped.  Now we need to redouble our efforts to get across the goal line. Please contact, again!, your Federal elected officials to get this done.

The big news is that the regime has now met with its opposition in the past week in a formal setting in Addis Ababa.  Last week the press was filled with pictures and articles detailing a meeting of Meles Zenawi of EPRDF with Hailu Shawel AEUP, Ayalew Chamesaw and Ledatu Ayalew of EDP.

As we all know the All Ethiopia Unity Party (AEUP) is the only party in Ethiopia with representation in all of the country.  The AEUP in its negotiation remains focused on its eight points demand.  The AEUP after many serious internal discussions has decided to move forward in the election process, however flawed and compromised by the regime,  This is still an ongoing process and the AEUP is committed to achieving its program as highlighted in the eight points.

Please go to the Web site of www.kaeup.com to Read the text of this signed agreement.  Help us keep Meles to his word.

The AEUP is a peaceful organization.  We do not believe that violent confrontation with the regime is in the best interests of the Ethiopian people.  We do believe that negotiations are the best way to help Ethiopia to move forward.  This is a complex process but we do remember that you are the strongest voice in the Diaspora for effective change back in Ethiopia.

Our goals should include:

• To seek real Land Reform.

• To establish a national Health Service for all Ethiopians to especially  focus on HIV/AIDS and malaria.

• To organize a better educational system for all Ethiopian people particularly the youth.

• To get the government out of private business.

• To end, as a matter of policy, the use of ethnic differences to further Secessionist programs.

• And to secure our borders an establish a safe access’s to the Sea.

Let’s take a ‘wait and see posture’ now.  Remember the eyes of the world are on us and show our determination to better the lives of all Ethiopians.

Mesfin Mekonen

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5. November 2009 by Assimba.

“He who has lost honour can lose nothing more.”  —Publilius Syrus

The term ‘honour’ comes from the Latin honos in which a person is assessed based on the individual’s actions, mainly his or her honesty, dignity and integrity. The recent political theatre performed by four honourless characters (Hailu Shawel, Ayele Chamiso, Lidetu Ayalew, and Meles Zenawi) is an atrocious act of deceit, lies and dishonesty that has appalled all of those who long for democracy, freedom, justice and human rights in Ethiopia.

It is not far fetched to say that politics is perhaps the lone profession in which some dishonourable individuals are granted the title of ‘honourable.’ What a pity. Dishonesty and deceptions are honoured and dignified. How long should the people of this magnificent land be subjected to such cheap gamesmanship. It is this very fact of political opportunism that considerably delayed the process of democratization in Ethiopia.

We all know too well that if it wasn’t for the support provided to the military junta by some opportunistic intellectuals the duration of the regime’s power may have been shorter and the suffering of the Ethiopian people could have been less traumatic and extensive. Those who betrayed the Ethiopian people at the time did it for nothing more than a few crumbs thrown at them from the military regime.

The recent choreographed publicity stunt, primarily prepared for the consumption of donor countries, is so juvenile in nature that we would hope it could impress neither donor countries nor the people of Ethiopia. No self-respecting soul with minimum integrity should buy into this vicious assault on the hopes and aspirations of the Ethiopian people for a true democracy.

It is an open secret that the history of TPLF shows its unmatched record of manufacturing surrogate political organizations deliberately created to advance its goals and objectives at the expense of the Ethiopian people. Before, coming to power TPLF used captured soldiers of the military regime to invent ethnic-based political parties, which currently form the so-called EPRDF. No one, particularly the Ethiopian people, believes for a fraction of a second that a TPLF led regime has truthfulness or an inch of integrity.

I remember what one of my good friends from Ethiopia told me during a telephone conversation. “ The only reliable information we get from the TPLF run TV, radio and print media is the date. The rest is pure lie and deception.” Well, ironically, the same was said about the military regime. The publicity stunt shown on the national TV and posted on the pro-TPLF website is awash with the declaration that Ethiopia has made a great advance toward democracy. Sadly, as long as TPLF is in power there will never be democracy.

As I said above, no one expects truthfulness or a hint of integrity from the TPLF regime. Some, however, would be surprised by Mr. Hailu Shawl’s political acrobatics and the bow of loyalty that he delivered to Meles Zenawi. The question one needs to ask is this: Did Mr. Hailu Shawel betray the cause of true democracy, justice, human rights and freedom in Ethiopia or did he come full circle in returning to where he began his political life? We all know that Mr. Hailu Shawel was a Minister of Agriculture under Mengistu Hailemariam’s military regime. Although he claims that he resigned or left his post because of his profound difference with the regime’s policy, one could ask a question about his rise to a cabinet position under a regime that terrorized its citizens for 18 years. Even lower level bureaucratic positions are rewarded to those who showed unwavering support to the regime and participated in the atrocities committed against the people of Ethiopia. Therefore, the question is what don’t we know about Mr. Hailu Shawel? Is he a born opportunist that will say anything and do anything to have that “honourable” title and the power that comes along with it?

Political compromise and concessions are part of a political discourse. However, such deals are often made under one condition and that is the advancement of the greater good. In the case of the recent so-called ‘electoral code of conduct’ deal, the only thing being advanced is the strangle hold of power by the TPLF. The reality is that the TPLF and the common good are irreconcilable. The political principle of TPLF is deliberate polarization, oppression and the infliction of maximum suffering and trauma on the people of Ethiopia. As for Lidetu Ayalew and Ayele Chamiso, well they don’t even deserve being mentioned by name.

The author could be reached at alem671@hotmail.com

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