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 Negas 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 MHuran 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 EPRPs 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.
EPRPs 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 Sellassies government, has revolted against the Menghistus 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 EPLFs of making history by the power of agitation, despite TPLFs assumption of power by preaching against Amhara Bureaucracy, despite DERGs declaration of anti- American Imperialism, and despite EPRPs 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
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