17. October 2010 by Assimba.

  October 16, 2010
By Yelfiwos Wondaya

Contrary to citizens’ percepts, most of the illegal crimes are committed by tyrant regimes themselves and continue to rule the country with an iron fist.  Tyrants are the mother of all violence, often fail to obey, keep, and preserve the laws, the trust, and the promise they made prior to grasping power. That is basically why they often fail to assure us that every word they used and the promise they made us previously is no longer true. To that end, they end up with taking horrendous actions to silence citizens and continue as such to suppress allcomplaints.  On the other hand, the sole purpose of freedom fighters is nothing but to defend freedom of speech, freedom of choice and freedom of press from strife. Most important of all, freedom fighters fight to bring about justice, peace, stability and prosperity to the country.  They do so by ending personal wishes and as well the will of bully dictators ruling the country with an iron fist.

“Give me liberty or give me death”

First of all, in the eyes of narrow-nationalists, competition, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence are unknown concepts.  Rather Peace if possible, power at all cost is the motto of Meles and his ethnocentric dictatorial regime.  If at
all possible, though he will exhaust all possibilities to stifle the voice of the dissents and the spreading of public uprisings, if not, he will continue on creating more of a feeling of fear, owe, and inadequacy in citizens through out of the country.  If such acts of terrorizing the public at large fail to
accomplish his objectives, in terms of silencing sever criticism and keeping
dissents at bay, he will continue on killing political dissents without any
valid reason, entering buildings forcibly, and searching out houses
indiscriminately and arresting dissents and looting their valuables on a regular basis.  And also, in order to intimidate competent dissents, he will as well continue on unleashing his inept cadres to searching through the pile of
documents, forcing dissents to bow their head in shame and live in disgrace
thereafter.  Wasn’t that what Mengistu’s had done and as well what Meles of TPLF
is acting against dissents in today’s Ethiopia?  So, in order to put an end to
his evil motto, Ethiopians of all persuasions ought to forge a durable relation
with their own kinds and come to the point where they can be useful in terms of forming some broadly based government whose vision is broad enough to accommodate the interests of all Ethiopians and thereby taking us to the road of justice, peace, stability and prosperity.

Second, violence” is inevitable in Ethiopia so long as TPLF/EPRDF is in power.
As the offensive intrusion of TPLF/EPRDF against the will of the public unfolds, taking precautionary protective measures on the part of the public to safeguard its civil liberties is inevitable as well.  So much so, the people of Ethiopia in general and the genuine oppositions in particular have every right to react in response to WOYANES violent act.   Collectively, though we should defy and defy now to the ethnocentric dictatorial regime of Meles Zenawi sat pretty in Minilik’s palace of Addis.

‘Give me liberty or give me death’

Besides, like any other bully dictators, the ethnocentric dictatorial regime led
by Meles of TPLF in Ethiopia made laws not to protect citizens, or to protect
the weak from the bullies rather to control the people by breaking the laws.  It does so by launching a series of campaign against the will of the public aimed at the very heart of the publics’ peace and life in the name of cracking down on political parties opposed to their tyrant regimes.  In such a way, it continues to breaking the laws and the rules it created itself and abusing its powers by using an excessive force against the public.  As ever before, it will continue on detaining public leaders and influential figures ahead and shall keep them in places where criminals are kept. It shall do so to intimidate them by making them feel fearful and timid forever.  So isn’t that perfectly justifiable for citizens to retaliate against such actions against tyranny?

 ‘Give me liberty or give me death’

After all, tyranny is the source and the root cause of all violence and the real
heart of the reason for their decline is also that of their diabolic nature in
politics.  The same is true though that Meles’ tyrant regimes is incapable of
learning from both the past and the present, which is why he continues on
carrying out a mission other tyrant regimes before him did so. He is trying
everything at his disposal to stifle the voice of the people but in vain. After
all he like any other dictators before him is incapable of creating an
environment in which justice, peace, stability and prosperity are possible.
With that said such unprovoked violence against the will of the public shall
give rise to mass of disruptions and cause them havocs and instability in the
country, and brings about an end to their tyrant regimes. 

‘Give me liberty or give me death’

Next, the vast majority of Ethiopians are believed to be defiant to all forms of tyrant regimes.  They dethroned the king and unseated the military junta.  And yet, let it be known that it is also within the capability of them to depose the ethnocentric dictatorial regime out of power in Addis Ababa today.  In fact, an all out war against the ethnocentric dictatorial regime is within their reach to do so.  They know when and how to defend their inalienable rights and achieve their end. 

 ‘Give me liberty or give me death’

And also Ethiopians are aware of what some secret admirers of the TPLF are up to.  Unlike, them however, they recognize that The TPLF on one hand and the peace and freedom loving people of Ethiopia on the other are at war against each other.  The allegedly ideological agenda of peaceful and legal movement promoted by some quarters aside, Ethiopians are also aware of what their motives were, they campaigned tirelessly to join the TPLF’S parliament.  Moreover, Ethiopians are well aware of what peaceful or legal means of struggle is all about.  They know that such vague impression is nothing more than an elite-centered analysis of conflict. Whether or not such notion has something to do with their popular movement rising in protest to do away with the current dictatorial regime, the question goes to those who are advocating peaceful means of struggle in Ethiopia.  In reality, though the secret admirers of such approach have already made it difficult for themselves to gain legitimacy in Ethiopia’s current political environment.  After all, the so-called nonviolent and peace studies stressing on such notions as pacifism, reconciliation, constructive engagement, and forgiveness would not apply in today’s Ethiopian political reality. Rather
such notions of pacifism and reconciliation had been primarily concerned with the then nuclear disarmament, the avoidance of international conflict on an international scale to resolve the then Cold World War era with the soviets.

Lastly, an armed struggle that may well bring about a motion to end violence in Ethiopia is in close proximity.  So it is time to plan big and act quickly.  After all, using any means necessary to defend one’s freedom and employing any methods possible to achieve one’s liberty is a privilege that is granted to any given society under any circumstances.  That is when we can prove their tenuous justification of what peaceful and legal means is nothing but to serve the interest of academic zeal. We must get it over with and cease to be confused and misdirected by those who intentionally give us a false impression about so-called peaceful struggle in a plain, open and emphatic way. Say no more for the answer to their empty dreams!  Let the public itself endorse a campaign of brief action that brings about the downfall of TPLF real. Do what is necessary to bring about the largest possible balance of power against enemy.

After all, any valid means of struggle aiming at ousting WOYANES out of power is not a matter of choice.  It is rather a matter of mandatory comes out of the situation triggered by none other than WOYANE itself.  The situation in which we find ourselves into due to the repressive nature of TPLF in Ethiopia is giving us no option but to use whatever means of struggle is necessary to defend our existence   

 ‘Give me liberty or give me death’

Slowly but surely, the opposition groups need to come out to be strong enough including but not limited in supply with materials of all ammunitions and in the source of all capabilities to fight on in defending of their existence from violence.  The violence aimed at the very heart of our nation must be bridled. Afterward, whichever method serves best our interest i.e. to topple WOYANE so as to replacing it with a democratic system of government is yes it is yet to be put into practice by our people and our united force since we are forced to do so.  Presumably, it may well be regarded as an antidote to alleviate our dilemma and to secure our future.  If there is any other method better than an armed form of struggle to defend our existence from tyranny and that can pin down and twist WOYANES’ arm I will be the first to submit to that grand gesture.  Up till then, it must be silly to anyone to believe or to say otherwise in regard to
this burning issue.  Hence, whichever method we think is consistent to our
movement must be pursued with out postponing it for another decade to come.

With conviction, the utmost method would be the one that leads us to gain a
great deal of faith on ourselves and to win a vote of confidence from friends
and alike across the world.  Since we are in a search of such a method, which is sound and counteractive to succeed our objectives we have got to choose it earlier than the incidence itself is in place to take its own toll.  Without fear or favor, the wickedly act of WOYANE must be bridled by any means necessary if you will. With that said, a method that can bring about a counterbalance, a method that we can count on in regard to stepping up our struggle is remained to be second to none to our preferences substituting the first option if ever tested, or if at all fall short to succeed.  So much so, violence is an act of disrupting a peaceful quality of life and it is also an aggression of privacy by intruders against the will of the person or the community at large. Self-defense on the other hand is a plea of justification for the use of force against intruders. One cannot think of any valid reason than defending of one’s own ideas, principles, actions, freedom, family and property against intruders and trace passers alike.

In conclusion, Melse of TPLF may fail to learn from history but one thing is for sure that his tyranny and abusive powers don’t last that long.  For the reason that his strength is growing weaker by the day and as well becoming slow to act against any possible public uprisings,  his regime will be history sooner than later.  “Give me Liberty or Give me Death”

Yelfiwos Wondaya

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16. October 2010 by Assimba.

The Eway model for Eathiopia By Obo Arada Shawl -October 13, 2010

‘They will fight, you will see’

Nega Ayele, quoted in Class and Revolution in Ethiopia

Indeed they fought or have struggled for a Revolution. Both the underlined words were interchangeable during Nega’s time. The entire current crisis in both Eritrea and Ethiopia should be understood in terms of the student movements. Using other criteria including that of culture and religion for success or failure would be a futile attempt. Blaming the Eathiopian students for promoting a Revolutionary path to democracy and for its subsequent failure for the succession for legitimate power must be carefully re-evaluated…

Although, at this stage I do not want to initiate discussion on the Eathiopian culture and its religious practice, it is a glaring fact that many so-called political organizations and church affiliates are in the business of misrepresentation and distortion. Eathiopian culture is too diverse while religion is too monolithic for discussion.

For now, let me say something in relation to the Eway Revolution

EPRP: In support of the Eway Revolution

Although Eathiopia was in existence long before the Common Era (Before Christ), there was neither hunger nor poverty in the country known as Eathiopia, because of abundant energy and climate (CE). That is, “with excellent climate and an abundant solar energy”; neither hunger nor poverty could have existed.

What was the rationale then for carrying out an Ethiopian Revolution if it were not for relieving hunger and poverty? The Ethiopian problem was man made. It was purely the lack of leadership and managerial skill. Whereas the managers of the time were not exposed to technology, the Ethiopian leaders were ignorant of sciences. In other words, the leaders of the time were only leaders in preserving the natural resources of Ethiopia while the managers were protecting the little organized resources that were somehow escaped form the leaders’ attention.

The challenge for Eathiopians to fight or to struggle came with the coming of colonialism seeking for raw materials, market or revenge.

For lack of appropriate terminology, “YA TWLD” comprising Tsinhate M’Huran akal such as Nega Ayele embarked on a long march to fight or struggle against the encroachment posed by Imperialism, Bureaucratic Capitalism and Feudalism.

For seventeen years, the military junta that was led by Colonel Menghistu H.M., in the name of fighting Bureaucratic Capitalism, was promoting Socialist Imperialism – one critical source for our perceived problem.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the TPLF a true follower of Albanian Socialism was caught between the Eway Ethiopian Revolution and the Eritrean colonial history. The TPLF is known for war mongering, partly because of its feudal stand against Haile Sellasie who has perhaps never officially visited Tigrai region and partly because of the provocation by Asmarinos of a perceived “poverty”.

But poverty and feudalism was their own choice. It comes with the territory. The majority of the Tigrians were Orthodox Christians and by definition, Orthodoxy has to depend on natural energy and climate as opposed to science and technology - a foreign stuff.

The Eritreans in their own territory has never stopped fighting American Imperialism even before the closure of the American military base aka “KAGNEW”. ELF with a single track of history was to have a national state at any cost regardless of changing political conditions in Ethiopia, alienating its rival EPLF. For ELF, it was long and arduous struggle with a mantra “the right way or the highway”.

On the domestic front, the Monarchy, the Aristocracy and the Church with a long history to preserve and protect the natural resources of Ethiopia have been challenged.

The Ethiopian Monarchy was challenged by ELF with a clear aim of physical as well as political geography. EPLF spoiled the struggle by inserting a letter “P” inside ELF and hence all Eathiopians are now in crisis only parroting with words such as “Hafash or Shaebia” adding more to the confusion at hand. What a tragedy!

The Aristocracy of Ethiopia was challenged by the DERG initially accepting the Crown Prince but immediately massacred many of the prominent aristocrats and in lieu instituted itself as the Aristocratic class of Ethiopia.

The Church of Ethiopia was challenged by EPRP. Although it may seem absurd for a lot of Eathiopians to accept this assertion especially for EPRP members and supporters, it was true. For EPRP, as far as religion is concerned, it took the position of the separation of the State and Religion. It was in the context of separation of power that the church of Eathiopia was challenged. It was the end of the story as far as religion was concerned…

What is the role of the current Ethiopian regime, one may ask? EPRDF (included name of a country, people, revolution, democracy) Front, Federal Government, ethnic government and so on and so forth, what a name! And how many adjectives! As far as we know, TPLF was a Trojan horse in the history annals of the Ethiopian Revolution. From beginning to the end the TPLF has been fighting against the Ethiopian Monarchy, against the Ethiopian Aristocracy and against the Eathiopian Church. In other words, for the TPLF, fighting against the Monarchy was meant to fight the EPRP, fighting the Ethiopian Aristocracy was like fighting against the DERG and to fight against the Church was like fighting against ITSELF (TPLF). What a comedy!!!

EPRP: In opposition to tampering with culture & religion

Unlike the Liberation Fronts and allied political organizations including the DERG regime, EPRP did tamper in anyway neither with the Eathiopian culture nor with its religious practice.

Just as in language, according to EPRP, Culture could be born, grow and die on its own merit without pushing and pulling strings. As such EPRP’s policy on culture was not to advance or to negate. I should point out though those individual members of the Party could change their cultural behavior as well as their religious beliefs. Such discretions were left to the individuals to choose. However, the cultural behavior of some groups and their religious practice might have been construed as policy guidance from the Party.

EPRP’s liberation front was geared towards political and economic sectors of the country.

Land, the mainstay of the Eathiopian peasants and labor the backbone of the Eathiopian workers were very critical areas of contention for EPRP.

Bureaucracy of the Amhara, of the Tigrai or any other was not and should not be of major issue for the Party. These were issues for the Eritrean and the Woyane Liberation Fronts and it is still relevant for present day opposition organizations and for some activists.

Despite these wonderful principles and positions of EPRP, why is it impossible for a lot of Eathiopians to accept the party of EPRP? The answer, perhaps, lies in the cultural and religious heritage of Eritreans and Ethiopians. What is it? Can we discuss about culture and religion? It is about time to open a discussion before it is too late for debate…

The best solutions for the country of Eathiopia and perhaps for EPRP to present itself as an alternative political party will hinge on finding an individual or groups of individuals who can assume the role of Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, the person who released the Pentagon Papers – the top secret decision making of the US government about the Viet Nam war. The process of involving Ethiopians and Eritreans into the Ethiopian Eway Revolution was long and unknown and should not remain hideous to the general public.

The Impact of taking positions

A regular critic on my writing articles has emailed me the following texts. It shows how much he was influenced by oral communication. I know he is well read and still reads everyday but the point is he has not accessed the minds and hearts of the Eway Revolutionaries. Nevertheless, I admire for his positions and proposals. I present it as is as follows:-

“Please let us work for bringing about a level playing field for the people regardless of BREED, CREED, and STEAD.

The general impression about the causes of the failure of the EPRP is the drive of its leadership MAJORITY to retain positions of leadership for the BOURGEOIS of the AMHARA and TIGRIAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANs.  Consequently, OROMOS such as HAILU FIDA drifted away from the party, and went on working for implementing programs that would enable their OROMO people to attain an EQUITABLE SHARE OF POWER in the country, and that enabled MENGISTU and his DERG to play them off against one another until they reduced them to virtual non-effectiveness and non-existence.

So please let us work with focus on providing to the people the same quality of education across the board with the same syllabus and curriculum through a NEUTRAL MEDIUM OF ISTRUCTION:  ENGLISH.’

Concluding Remarks

EPRP has resisted to Haile Sellassie’s government, has revolted against the Menghistu’s military regime and was defeated by the combined armies of TPLF and EPLF in the regions of Gondar and Godjam. Currently EPRP has survived by the realities on the ground for its mission involves Justice for all by the power of DEMOCRACIA.

Agitation and propaganda were two methods of struggle. One is in a written form while the other was in oral form. EPLF has used and still may be using the power of agitation, the oral form of struggle. The written form is almost non existence to date. The censorship has killed and will kill Eritrean nationals. Due to its credit the EPLF has made regional History by the power of AGITATION.

Ideology has become the form of struggle for TPLF. First it was aspiring for socialism by adopting the Albanian style – fighting the Giant (China) as ants. Today, the TPLF is playing Giant fighting the ants through grabbing any kind of resources. TPLF is sharing Profit by the power of SUBMISSION to globalization.

Despite EPLF’s of making history by the power of agitation, despite TPLF’s assumption of power by preaching against Amhara Bureaucracy, despite DERG’s declaration of anti- American Imperialism, and despite EPRP’s call for peace and democracy, there still are no alternative institutions to replace the Monarchy, the Aristocracy or the Church hierarchy of Eathiopia.

The Eway Ethiopian Revolution was intended to bring peace in Eritrea and democracy in Ethiopia. But terror by the DERG, greed and cheat by the Woyane leadership and misrepresentation of history by EPLF leaders has changed the course of history both in Eritrea and in Ethiopia (Eathiopia). And above all the absence of justice in both countries has remained stumbling block for harmony and reconciliation.

TRUTH WILL PREVAIL

For comments and questions

woldetewolde@yahoo.com

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7. October 2010 by Assimba.

By Yilma Bekele.

Chairman Bertukan Mideksa has been released from Kaliti Jail after spending six hundred forty four days, one hundred forty of it in solitary confinement. We are happy she is reunited with her family and loved ones.

She was thrown in to a rat infested jail not because she committed some
dastardly crime but for the simple reason of demanding justice and the rule of law in her homeland. Bertukan was what is called a ‘political prisoner.’

The fact that she was the leader of the largest political party and the country
was in the process of holding general elections was a factor in her
imprisonment. Her determination to participate in the election process and her overwhelming popularity with the public was a cause of concern for those in power.

They solved their dilemma by the only way they know. Bribe, blackmail, jail,
exile or kill are the options the TPLF regime brings to the table. They choose
jailing in Birtukan’s case.

That it was the wrong choice has been made clear during her two years stay. Her imprisonment became a ‘cause celebre’ for the Ethiopian people. Her
incarceration highlighted the absence of rule of law in Ethiopia. Chairman
Birtukan became a rallying point. Her plight was discussed in the US Congress, European Parliament, Noble Prize Committee, Sakharov Prize and many other international awards. What the regime did to her became the symbol of what is wrong in Ethiopia.

Her freedom should be seen as a beginning of what is to come. Birtukan is but one of the many Ethiopian citizens languishing in Woyane jail because they were deemed to be a ‘threat’ to the ethnic regime. There are thousands of nameless Ethiopians still in jail. Today, as we celebrate the release of Chairman Birtukan let us not forget those thousands left behind.

We are not thankful to the regime nor do we see it in a different light. The
release of one individual does not wash off the crimes against eighty million
people. We know she was released because her country people would not stop invoking her name and her cause in every gathering.

If those in power think that her release would stop the struggle for freedom
they are sadly mistaken. If they think releasing one of many will change how we look at our jailers they need to go back and study history. We assure them that the quest for freedom cannot be satisfied by some symbolic act or public relations gimmick.

Welcome home Chairman Birtukan; we have a lot of unfinished business awaiting us.

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