THE AFRICAN PARADOX CONTINUES

26. February 2012 by Assimba.

Hama Tuma

 

President Museveni of Uganda justified his clinging to power by illegally amending the Ugandan Constitution with the argument: I have stayed long in government and I am now an expert on governance and thus the better placed to rule Uganda. It is a kind of a vicious circle argument more in the line of lawyers defending the indefensible. And the AU built on the ruins of the most notorious Ethiopian prison, the Kerchielle, where thousands have perished and suffered, its new HQ. It is very appropriate in my view as the thieves and embezzlers and killers who are gathered within this useless body should sit on chairs on top of a former dungeon and hanging ground.

 

What is more sad is to observe some Ethiopian opposition figures (apparently they have no burning issues to fight for) fuming against the AU for not erecting a monument to former Emperor Haile Sellasie next to that of Nkrumah at the site of the new AU headquarter. I can imagine how horribly Nkrumah would have felt if he were alive at the fate of the African Union he had strongly called for and for the fact that those who have sold out Africa to the West and China have dared erect his statue. In Africa, the art of the irrelevance still dominates. The fundamental problem of the AU was not lack of space or the need for a bigger HQ. The Chinese spent 200 million dollars to build the new HQ—it was obviously no philanthropic gesture on their part. As the new invader or colonizer of Africa, China is robbing Africa blind and paving the way to what may turn out to be settler colonialism and the least it can do to dupe the so called African leaders is to build them an unnecessary new building in which they can gather and pompously declare their nonsense and hail their impotence.. The AU has proved to be a deader version of the OAU; its troops in Somalia are but soldiers for non African powers. Mention the presidents that are part of it and the list does read like that of the top tyrants of the world.  Some of them are even Franc Masons, a semi secret sect or lodge linked to colonial France or Britain. Francois Bozize of the Central African Republic, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Ali Bongo of Gabon, Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso, Idris Deby of Chad, Mamadou Tanja of Niger, Robert Guei (former head of Cote d’Ivoire), and John Kuffuor of Ghana are all Franc Masons with their first loyalty to the sect or lodge rather than to their countries and Africa.  Meles Zenawi, a nauseating “tribalist” who has sold himself and the whole country to foreigners, has reportedly applied. The new AU building, standing on a ground that should have been a museum for Ethiopians and their suffering, is just a hollow building, a big showcase of Africa’s failure to redeem or regain its honor and independence. Ali Bongo succeeded his corrupt father Omar Bongo who robbed Gabon ten times blind and amassed at least a 3 billion dollars fortune (Meles and his corrupt wife are catching up!). In 2008, Omar Bongo owned 33 properties in France, including a US $30 million mansion in Paris. Gabon’s oil reserves also allowed him to spend lavishly at the official level, with an US $800 million presidential palace back home in Gabon. Omar Bongo and other Francophone African presidents contributed large amount of money to French political parties and presidents and any national who wanted to have an important post had to be a member of the local Franc Mason first. The web of subservience to the West is so tightly woven that quite a few of the sold out presidents are now sending their nationals into war spots following the order (not of their national interest) but of the West.

 

A recent report in a Kenyan newspaper revealed that in Nyeri, Kenya, husbands have become victims of domestic violence with wives and women beating up the men. No Kenyan man was heard declaring “this is poetic justice” but it pushes one to wonder if women takeover power in Africa things could change. Alas no.The female president of Sierra Leone is a disappointment, Kibaki’s wife is a notorious slapper of men and Kibaki, who is rumored to have a mistress, often denies the fact and declares his loyalty to his wife. The wife of Meles Zenawi is the Queen of Corruption and many Ethiopians hope she would one day slap her husband in public and humiliate him to no end. More tidbits are informative. An Ethiopian impregnates the daughter of the South Sudan president and marries her publicly but threats against him have forced the coupe to move quietly out of corruption plagued Juba and to live in Nairobi. The man who has bled Chad dry, Idris Deby, married a 21 years old beauty, the daughter of the chief of the notorious Janjawid militia (Omar Beshir attended the wedding ceremony), after paying a $26  million dowry plus $1 million spent on the young lady for jewels of all kinds. Chad is one of the poorest countries that can ill afford a 27 million dollar dowry to please an ageing tyrant who already has four or five wives and more than a dozen children. And yet, Idris Deby is a respected member of the AU. As is Senegal’s Wade, in his late eighties and in full political senility, who is trying to be president for life and in the process dragging Senegal into the usual African pit of conflict and chaos.

 

On another level, the sale of Africa is brisk. It is an all year discount jamboree. If Mobutu senior was a kleptomaniac his son Joseph is worse. Meles Zenawi has sold off the land of Ethiopia to Arabs, Indians, and Chinese etc and permitted the use of pernicious fertilizers and chemicals on the land itself— money rules. Forced conscription, forced villagization, forced contribution are all in progress. Zambian copper, Sudanese oil, Gabon’s uranium and oil, Congo’s gold and Coltan, Sierra Leone’s diamonds, Ethiopia’s fertile land and more are all being robbed and taken out. It is not really important or crucial whose monument stands outside of the AU. If Haile Sellasie was ignored so are Nasser and Ben Bella to mention but two. No big deal. Africa’s real heroes are actually almost always unsung and dead— Um Nyobe, Machel, Cabral, Lumumba, and many more—while their killers were and are all members of the AU. A redressing of History is called for in the first place.  The irrelevance of the AU is obvious for all to see. One yearns for the good old days when the likes of Tubman of Liberia told the Liberian people openly: “I know Tubman is not the president you want; I know Tubman is not the president you deserve but Tubman is the president you got!” Take it or leave it—no pretension, no duplicity, the Emperor is naked and go deal with it. The hullabaloo on the new AU HQ is desperately trying to cover up the stink of the organization that has turned into a zombie manipulated by old and new colonialists. The legendary bread to be cut is but the corruption money to be handed over and as soon as is this is done the puppets start to swing before even the ropes are pulled. Bwana, Master of all of us all, your command is our duty; we shall sell you the country, the continent. The AU is the centre of the despots who have sold out the whole continent. That is the truth and essence of it all. It is perhaps Kaddafi’s confused yearning for a more effective AU and united Africa that precipitated his downfall as much as the oil wealth of his country.

 

After all is said, and said again and again, the hard fact remains: Africa has been re colonized. The richest countries of the continent are most hard hit but dirt poor ones like Djibouti, Niger, Mali and Ethiopia have not been spared either. In the coming two decades more than 350 million Chinese are expected to live and work in Africa. Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese are streaming back to Angola and Mozambique to search for work.  Thousands of French live in West Africa the life of the Pasha. The land grab is spreading at a shocking pace. Foreigners aside, ethnic politics prevailing, members of the ruling ethnic group and party do dance on our heads all over Africa. The more it changes, the more it stays the same. The fight for Africa, for national and continental liberation is calling on all of us. Given this dire and drastic situation the question of the AU headquarter and whose statue is erected there is more than irrelevant.

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37 years of the TPLF and the footprints of Meles

26. February 2012 by Assimba.

By Tesfay Atsbeha and Kahsay Berhe

February 2012

Part one

On 19 February 2012, the official 37th birthday of the TPLF, many people in Tigray have to think of their loved ones as martyrs as every year; it is a day for remembering the loss of about 60 000 young women and men; as well as thousands of civilians killed in the country side and urban centres by the TPLF and the Derg respectively. The only act of paying respect to the martyrs would have been the prevalence of justice, the rule of law and democracy for all Ethiopians. But this is not the case and therefore the day is a day of sorrow for the overwhelming majority of oppressed and hungry Ethiopians.

For a few oppressors and exploiters as well as their supporters it is a day of celebrating their gains and luxuries. There is also the macabre situation of the sad being forced to celebrate their losses.

There are special events which transcend regimes and ethnic membership, like the victory of Adwa, which are celebrated by Ethiopians, but the birth of the TPLF will never be one of them. The celebration of this particular event is unlikely to outlive Meles. We Ethiopians, as many other people all over the world, do not have a tradition of celebrating events which do not have a positive meaning for posterity. We do not celebrate victories per se. No victory of Tewodros over Ras Ali, Dejatch Wondyerad etc. no victory of Yohannes over emperor Teklegiorgis, no victory of Menilik over king Teklehaimanot is celebrated by Ethiopians and therefore no victory of the TPLF over the Derg which ended up in the tyranny of Meles will be celebrated by Ethiopians in the future.

When it comes to principles, Ethiopians celebrate and pay respect only to those historical figures who selflessly struggled against invaders and for the dignity of the people, no matter whether such figures were victorious or not. Patriots like Abune Petros and Zeray Deres who sacrificed their lives for a genuine cause are as much respected as the patriots who victoriously defended the independence of Ethiopia. As we are living at a stage of the development of the world at which the struggle for (at least formal) independence is a thing of the past, Ethiopians have been struggling for democracy since almost four decades. The TPLF under Meles and his clique has proved itself without any reasonable doubt so far that it is not only anti-democratic but also extreme ethnic nationalist by obeying the orders of Meles to the disadvantage of more than 94% Ethiopians. We say “so far” by probably hoping against hope and taking into consideration that some members of the TPLF who have not committed crimes can still get rid of the criminals and help facilitate the transition to democracy in Ethiopia; because although it is very late it is not too late.

Meles has been paying lip service to the martyrs, hiding his own atrocities and talking about those of the Derg to present himself as a liberator and benefactor of the people. In actual fact, Meles has by his evil deeds played a decisive role in destroying the possibility for the martyred and living members of the TPLF to have a positive history all over Ethiopia.

Whenever the anniversary is followed by fake elections, Meles uses the occasion to disseminate lies, hatred and fear. On the 30th anniversary of the TPLF in 2005 before the fake parliamentary election, Meles told the people of Tigray not to worry about the enemies, because we (meaning the TPLF and the people of Tigray) have knocked out the teeth (in the sense of defeating and disarming them) of the enemies. He was referring to the legal and peaceful opposition and maliciously equating the opposition with the deposed military regime (the Derg) without mentioning the regime by name. By telling the people to consider the opposition parties like CUD as enemies, Meles was conveying the distorted message that the multi-ethnic Ethiopian organizations have to be associated with the Derg, chauvinism and Interhamwe.

On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the TPLF which was again about three months before the fake election of 2010, Meles with his boundless rudeness could not behave even like a simple disciplined Ethiopian citizen, let alone like a prime minister. He portrayed Tigrayans who were in the opposition as a cover used by the enemy of the people of Tigray to cheat the people of Tigray, insulted them as chaff, dirt etc.. and agitated the people to be angry at them. Then, he hypocritically advised the people not to physically attack members of the opposition, not because they don’t deserve it, but because the opposition would use it for mud slinging. The speech of Meles was a green light for his tugs to attack the opposition, which they did. Aregawi Gebreyohannes from the opposition Arena was stabbed to death. We don’t mind if Meles considers any Ethiopian multi-ethnic organisation as his enemy. However, the claim that such organizations are the enemies of the people of Tigray by falsely associating them with the Derg is an act of irresponsibility and evilness.

Now, since there is no election, an election cannot be a motive for Meles to abuse the occasion to harass people. The regime is currently preoccupied with prosecuting and terrorizing patriotic and peaceful journalists as well as opposition leaders by using its own distorted interpretation of terror. It is also distorting history by denying emperor Haileselassie’s rightful place in the formation of the OAU and therefore in paving the way for the formation of the AU. It is also continuing with the double digit growth rate of the economy which is rather a double digit growth rate of its lies. The evil performances of Meles on the issues pertaining to the interpretation of terror, the denial that emperor Haileselassie belongs to those who deserve a statue as well as the lie of a double digit growth of the Ethiopian GDP will be the footprints of the TPLF with the limelight taken by Meles.

As we are writing this article in connection with the 37th anniversary of the TPLF, we will make a short review of the footprints of the TPLF in the course of 37 years and thereby concentrate ourselves on the less known aspects of the history of the organization. We hope readers can compare and contrast our presentation with what they know about the regime and make their own judgment about our characterization of the TPLF.

It would only be an anomaly, if tyrants came to power in a democratic society or organization. As Professor Messay Kebede wrote somewhere that the TPLF is as much the creation of Meles, as Meles is the creation of the TPLF, Meles has absolute power, because the members of the TPLF were and are - as many Ethiopians - vulnerable to tyranny. The underdevelopment of our country is mainly caused by submission to the tyranny of a single individual who suppresses ideas, drives the educated out of the country (brain drain) and blocks correction of wrong policies. Why do evil individuals come to power in Ethiopia? Why has not our moral standard been strong enough to deter criminals from being our masters? Is our enlightenment so low or not so wide spread enough that our society can be manipulated by bad people? Could it also be that there are many Ethiopians who appreciate any victory by evil means, as long as it is a victory, like doping to succeed in a sport competition?

In respect to the last question, an innocent Ethiopian said something surprising. It is important to mention that the gentleman is innocent as this would apply to many innocent people. In a heated discussion about the atrocities of Mengistu Hailemariam, the murder of the 60 ex-officials and that of General Teferi Banti and others were cited. When the phrase: “They wanted us for lunch, but we made them a breakfast.”, which is supposed to have been said by Mengistu was mentioned, the gentleman who was actively participating suddenly said: “but he is also a man (ginko wend new)”. It was shocking. Mengistu was actually a coward and a power monger who murdered his compatriots and told a lie that he did it in self-defence or in defence of the revolution. If people appreciate the success of crime and the successful criminal, it is a sign of the lack of moral virtues and encourages criminals who should be condemned. Of all criminals a criminal politician is the worst, because such a criminal, like Meles, can commit several acts of crime simultaneously and rule by (criminal) force.

The TPLF is not principally made up of progressive elements who consciously struggled for democratic and human rights. Such rights have never been respected in the organization itself. Conversely, although the TPLF never needed Meles and it would have been much better off without him and therefore without his anti-Ethiopian views and activities, serial mass murders, lies, deceptions, ethnic divisions, corruption etc. the TPLF behaves as if it were created to fulfil the wishes of Meles. The Front has so far really been devoid of any freedom, tolerance and any differences of ideas short of enmity, as if all members of the organisation were produced with a programme to act like a private army of Meles. Meles has cultivated such an undemocratic, unpatriotic, servile and irresponsible behaviour in the TPLF that this behaviour has also been extended to the other members of the EPRDF and its sympathisers. In this sense, Meles has also partially re-created the TPLF as an organisation of servants who in turn treat their subordinates and the people as servants. This system of Meles was already in place during the armed struggle, during which the “freedom fighters” could not even defend themselves and their peers against arbitrary killings and physical beatings within the organization. The history of the members of the TPLF which could have been associated with the promotion of democratic and human rights has been turned by Meles to a history of a tool of terror, repression and corruption.

It was a (feudal) tradition for civil servants including the armed forces and dignitaries until Emperor Haileselassie to portray themselves and even boast as the servants (ashker) of the emperor of their respective time. Since the reign of the military regime, the servants do not call themselves “servants”, but they are more servile and less free than their predecessors. It seems that the 1974 revolution has abolished some words of servility, like ashker and replaced them with words like “comrade” without any change in the content. In the meantime, the culture of treason, serial mass murders, lies, deception, ethnicity, fear, hatred and corruption has become an integral part of the system of Meles as we will show some of it chronologically.

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Ethiopia and Syria revisited

25. February 2012 by Assimba.

By Yilma Bekele

The Syrian regime is killing its own people to save the country from terrorists (Ashebari). The world is watching and keeping score. Thanks to social media such as Twitter and Facebook we are all witnessing this display of total madness safely from our home. The Missile attack on neighborhoods is televised in living color. The old Soviet tanks lined up outside towns are not defending the country from outsiders but rearing to rain death on their own people. It was only a few years back that such atrocity by dictators was not considered newsworthy. It is not because no one cared but rather because it was done behind closed borders. Things are different now. There is no place to hide.

 

The last year has been a very tumultuous year in our neighborhood. We have all witnessed the happenings in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria. All these countries have imploded from inside. There was no outside interference so to speak of. There was no scapegoat. If you look closely there is one theme that is common to all. The existence of what is called a ‘strong leader’; ‘dictator’ or ‘mad person in charge’ is what is true in every instance. Change was overdue but dictatorship and change are not compatible. Dictatorship cannot be overcome by evolutionary means. Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria are living examples of the validity of that statement.

 

I am sure the citizens of all those countries would have preferred a peaceful route to bring needed change. I am also sure they for many years, have tried to convince their respective Leaders to accommodate their demands. The upheaval is the result of the inability of the system to fulfill the aspiration of the people. When the needs of the citizen and the wishes of the dictator clash the country enters a very volatile state that can only be resolved by some sort of explosion.

 

There are controlled explosions and spontaneous explosion. The transition from the Derg to TPLF was a good example of controlled explosion. The transition from the Emperor to the Derg was a very haphazard, creeping and tiring kind of wimpy explosion. The last one standing won. The one with balls but no brains was victorious. Result speaks louder than words.

 

Syria is entering or has entered that stage. This is the last show and the curtains are coming down. There will be no repeat performance. We all know how it is going to end. By ‘we’ I mean the rest of the world except of course the Syrian ruling lass. All Dictators have a tendency for getting caught by surprise. For some the denial is so strong they don’t even have an escape plan. That is what Gadaffi aide said in an interview. The Leader never thought his ‘people’ would be able to gather their nerves and rise up against him. Didn’t he crush their will and personhood? The Idiot was surprised!

 

Our current object Syria is nothing but a continuation of Arab awakening or “Arab Spring” that originated in Tunisia. But it has its own unique features. In the scheme of Dictatorships in history, it gets a grade of D- at best. It looks like it will only last a single generation. It is nothing to write home about. I do not mean no disrespect or sneer at ours that is gasping to last even a half-life but that is the nature of the business. Africa is littered with wannabe dictators that have lasted less.

 

The Assad’s have managed to exist by all sorts of trickery and Ponzi scheme. This includes Clannish behavior, benefactor role, blackmail, extortion, assassination and every kind of criminal activity that buys them another day. Today the fabric that has been painstakingly woven is breaking apart. It has run its course and there is no new trick left to prop up the dying system. The Assad’s know it, their Alawit Clan is aware of it and the Syrian people are doing all that they could to hurry matters along.

 

What exactly is arrayed against the Assad clan is a good question. The main characters all are easy to spot. We are witnessing their cajoling for the best spot after the dust settles. And there are many actors in this farce. The Israelis want a weak Syria with Assad in charge. Their motto is decapitate but not kill. The Jordanians are not thrilled by another crazy regime on the other side of their border. Iraq has already caused a lot of dislocations. The Lebanese are as usual caught between a rock and a hard place. They are keeping a low profile. Turkey is delirious by the opportunity to be seen as an emerging neighborhood bully. Turkey is flexing its muscles.

 

Iran is depressed. This could not have come at a most unfortunate time. Iran is under siege and it its important ally is jumping from a plane without knowing if the parachute would work. The Mullahs in Quom are not happy and the Islamic Republic will do all that is necessary to prop up the dying regime. The US is walking a tight rope. Mr. Obama does not want anything to complicate matters in this election season. The Israeli Lobby is beating war drums. Mr. Obama has no intention of picking a fight with a powerful constituent no matter what the cause is.

 

Russia is posturing. Mr. Putin still possess a few not sea worthy submarines prone to accident and rusting nuke Silos and for some reason the West pretends he packs a punch. Clint East Wood would say “Go ahead Vladimir make my day.” Russia’s useless posturing is tolerated because it buys the West time to figure out the volatile situation inside Syria.

 

The Chinese are looking after number one here. They are thinking “if these foreign devils pass a resolution regarding interference in Syria what is to stop them doing the same when it comes to Tibet?” China is still smarting over being tricked into going along with the invasion of Libya. They have concluded this not to be the time to posture but send scouts to bid on infrastructure building that will definitely follow the mayhem.

 

Did you notice who I left for last? Yes, good old Syrian people. I am afraid they allowed this abuse by the Assad family and his minority Alawit Clan to go for so long they have become an after thought in the search for a solution to their problem. No one takes their protestations and defiance seriously. Outsiders are looking for a ‘solution’ to impose on them with little or no regard to what they want. It is exactly like what parents say to their child ‘eat your vegetables, it is good for you!’

 

We Ethiopians are looking closely at the situation in Syria. We have a lot in common. We are both victims of a mad leader and minority clan rule. We both live in a very dangerous neighborhood where others use our precarious existence to wage proxy wars. My interest in writing this paper is to show you what will be done to your country and people in the next few months. I hope you will not feign surprise or pretend you were in the dark. What you see in Syria will be what you will witness in Ethiopia. It won’t be exact but it will be close enough to act as a model. I promise to be the happiest person if I am proven wrong, but that would be flying against facts.

 

In a very simplistic term this is what we got in Syria. Assad is a second-generation dictator. His power base is the minority Alawit Clan. They consist 12% of the population and occupy all the upper echelons of the military. Security is in the hands of close family members. The economy is used to reward or punish the rest of the population including the majority Sunnis. All media is under the control of the State.

 

Syria has been in turmoil since March of 2011. The official figure is over seven thousand killed. The Syrian government has killed over seven thousand of its own citizens to stay in power. Bashir and his Alawit Clan are telling the rest of the Syrians either we rule or you all die. It is that simple. He owns a formidable army. Unlike in Egypt the Army is disciplined and controlled better from above. They do not hesitate to fire even into populated areas. Assad, his family and Clan today are feeling like cornered animals. Due to situation they created their escape route is narrowing as we read this. Under the circumstances the only thing to do is pray that the Syrian people put their differences aside and finish this varmint once and for all.

 

When we look at Syria in the mirror why do I get this feeling that we see Ethiopia. Look at the bright side. This gives us the opportunity to avoid disaster. If we share a common problem and if one of us self-destruct trying a solution I believe the second party should lean from the mistakes and adjust accordingly. That is where we come in. Observe and study all the wrong moves taken by the Dictators and circumvent it before it takes place. I agree it is not easy for Prime Minster Meles and his group. It is a little naïve to think they are doing this because they are evil or lack the expertise. The simple answer is because that is the only way they know how. But it is very easy for us to learn and adopt.

 

A far as Assad or Meles are concerned the last thirty years has only proved the effectiveness of their method. I said effectiveness not correct and sustainable. Since their inception the use of brute force has been the only way they have resolved any contradiction. The chances of teaching them the value of compromise and the lasting nature of give and take is not possible and utterly a waste of time. It is not going to happen. Gadaffi did not fall for that. Assad will not even consider such farce. The TPLF party is not into committing suicide. We all know they are not capable of learning.

 

I was talking about us. I believe we are capable of learning from the failed experience of Gadaffi, Saleh and Assad. Ato Meles is not going to invent a new reality. He is going to act exactly like his fellow criminals in a predictable manner. Killing and more killing is the only solution. They assume the more they kill the less we rise up against them. That always worked. Unfortunately once the population gets rid of its fears death is not a valid threat anymore. More killing only breeds more sacrifice and primal anger. Go ask Gadaffi he will tell you what the wrath of the people feels like.

 

There isn’t much the world can do for the Syrians. Send ‘coffins’ is what a Syrian said in the town of Homs. The Syrians are on their own. May be it will be a good idea to work on our collective responses when the time comes. We Ethiopians are going to find ourselves on our own pretty soon. Thus when you hear the agony of Homs think of Addis Abeba, when they mention Daraa you might as well cry for Dire Dawa when you read the shelling in Hama remember that is what is waiting Hawasa. You might say I exaggerate but really isn’t it the same Meles that killed close to three hundred unarmed kids? Isn’t it Meles and company that used their EFFORT lorries to haul any body and everybody to Zuwai, Sendafa etc? Do you think I am being an alarmist?

 

We have an opportunity to find a way to work together and minimize the damage that is bound to occur when this unfortunate experience implodes on itself. Sergena meta berbere kentesu is not a winning strategy.

 

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The art of bullying Ethiopians.

17. February 2012 by Assimba.

By Yilma Bekele.  

‘Prime Minster Meles Zenawi said on Wednesday Ethiopia could pardon politicians and journalists arrested under a 2009 anti-terrorism law.’ That news was reported widely including inside Ethiopia. Normally what we hear outside and what the people are told is two different things. This time the message was meant for the Ethiopian people. It reinforces the idea of the benevolent Land Lord. 

What the Ethiopian minority based regime is doing is bullying it’s own people. According to Wiki ‘Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when the behavior is habitual and involves an imbalance of power.’ Gaddafi was a serial bully so was Mubarak or Saleh. Meles Zenawi is a habitual bully. He uses lethal force as well as verbal aggression on a daily basis. His regime terrorizes our people both inside and outside the country.  

No one speaks openly in the so-called developmental state of Ethiopia. Every body is spying on everybody else. It doesn’t have to be true but they all believe it is so. That is what matters. This is a form of mental terror. Those outside are not immune to this. In most meetings Pictures are shot from the back of the room careful not to alarm people. Most prefer ‘pen’ names or aliases when they write to hide their identity. That is true even on social media. It is not to belittle or make fun of our behavior but it is true and it is so due to fear. Real or imagined is not important but it affects how we think and act. It affects our inner soul.

 

That is what a bully does to you. Bullies instill fear. Remember agriculture (peasant farming) is the vocation of 85% of the population and accounts for 45% of GDP. We are the product of a pre industrial society. It really don’t matter where one resides that trait is wired into our behavior. Sometimes in haste we seem to forget that. The truth is that we accept authority with out much fanfare due to old culture and ignorance. We accept the importance of hierarchy and the virtue of keeping quiet and suffering silently. 

This drama of “pardon” is nothing more than another ponzi scheme to play with our fears. The current drama started with the ferenji reporters. The regime had a hot potato issue in its hands. The Swedish reporters were caught in the Ogaden during a firefight between the TPLF Army and ONLF freedom fighters. Once they were caught alive they were never in danger. They cannot be made to disappear. You just don’t go around killing white people like you do with Africans. The moment their capture became public their own government and every European Embassy made it clear that the Ethiopian Junta is responsible for every single hair on the body of their unwelcome guests.  

The idea of using the reporters to bully the Ethiopian people seemed like a winning idea. It has its risk but one can only deal with the cards on the table. The regime decided to use the occasion to send its own message to the Ethiopian people. The ‘anti-terrorism law was a perfect vehicle to widen the net. Ethiopian Journalists and opposition leaders were hauled away and bundled with the ferenjis. The West was consumed by their own kind and did not pay that much attention to the natives. I am talking about the Western Governments here and their big Media. There were plenty of organizations and individuals protesting loudly regarding all prisoners in Ethiopia.  

We are always thankful to Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters without Boarders (RSF), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Doctors without Boarders (MSF), and plenty others that are friends of all those that suffer under all kinds of Dictators. Using the anti-terrorism Law the TPLF regime has arrested god knows how many Ethiopians. We have the names of all the prominent ones but to their friends and family all arrested are prominent and dear. We publicize the names of the ones we know but they speak for all the other thousands. Eskinder was picked up on his way to pick up his son from school, Andualem was arrested at his office, Reeyot, Wubshet and Zerihune were hauled away from their place of work. None were caught with any kind weapon other than their free will and their pen.  

I keep Eskinder in my heart all the time. I have conflicting feelings about him. His stubbornness irritates me. His strength threatens my docility. I harbor a certain amount of anger towards him.  That is the Ethiopian in me, blaming the victim. There aren’t many Eskinders on this planet. That is why we treasure them when they show up like the morning Sun, bright and warm. His determination against all odds fills all of us his brothers and sisters with so much strength while his jailers recoil with shame. Using the might of the State to bully one citizen is such an abuse of power and authority it makes the jailers look so small and uncivilized. He has been in jail since September 14. It has been over one hundred twenty days or over six months my brother has been kidnapped for no other crime other than wanting to be free to think, write and raise a family. His wife Serkalem and his miracle son Nafkot live in agony. We cannot imagine their sorrow. How do you miss someone you haven’t met but I miss him and wish him all the strength to live another day.  

The regime used the ferenji prisoners to talk to us. Bullying is how the regime communicates with us. Jailing our best and brightest is meant to teach the rest of us the futility of defiance. Meles and company to show us they can do whatever they want. They can even jail a ferenji and impose their will is what they were telling us. Observe and behave is the message. It is a government gone rogue.  

No words describe the satisfaction when we witness the plan boomerang. It backfired big time. It is not a game changer but it has managed to expose the workings of the Ethiopian Junta in power to a bigger audience. It counts a lot. We the vocal Diaspora, the talkers and non-doers are very happy of this outcome. We take complete credit for the debacle. The exposure of the regime’s method of waging war on the Ethiopian people has become a public relations nightmare to their public relations firm. They are attempting damage control. They are trying to put lipstick on a pig.

 

Ato Meles and his minority-based dictatorship are feeling the heat from their enablers. The spring of TPLF style ‘Pardon’ is upon us again. Kinijit Pardon Judge Bertukan’s pardons are in the history books. I have to refer to Pardonoligists to determine if Judge Bertukan’s pardon is given one or two credit. Our two foreign guests are leaving us soon. They will be pardoned and let go in the next few weeks. The regime using its monopoly media will tell its subjects that the Swedes accepted responsibility and asked for forgiveness while showing remorse and they were deported. But the damage was done. Even the New York Times noticed. What we have been saying is sort of noticed by foreigners that matter. As I said it is a step forward but not a game changer.  

The issue becomes are we going to sit and watch Meles releasing the foreigners while our people languish in jail? Are we going to suck on our lips and wait for the next drama from Arat Kilo? Do you feel helpless? Is it your helplessness that empowers the dictator and his gang? Is this a case of being immobilized due to fear? It is all right to admit it. We are all afraid. It is human to fear organized crime. By now you have realized the Meles regime is nothing else but criminals in charge of state power. Why do you think we are backward and starving? It is not necessary to have a degree in nuclear physics to figure this out my dear Diaspora do you?  

I will give you a simple example. You as a refugee make ten dollars an hour and your rent is five hundred dollars. Your family consists of husband and wife and two kids. You pay for utilities, food, car and insurance. If your salary is fifteen hundred and your expenses are sixteen hundred you figure you have to adjust your life style or get a 2^nd job. Of course you can ask for help from family and friends but for how long? You can also get further training and increase your income if possible. It is that simple. 

 

Think of Ethiopia the same way. How does Meles solve this little problem? No 2^nd job or no new training, that is not the Woyane way. Here is what he will do. 1) Get rid of a son. 2) Lease the daughter to a neighbor 3) Apply for welfare 4) Lease a bedroom to an outsider 5) Get rid of the car and phone 6) restrict use of electricity and water 7) With the savings hire security and paint the outside of the house. Cut off the wife’s tongue not to hear her complain. 9) Burn the house for the insurance unfortunately his own security refused to let him out. This is the solution you have been raving about. We enable this idiotic behavior by our silence and a few by cooperation.  

Arab Spring’ has made a few things clear. The people themselves have to conquer their fear and demand their rights. There is no other formula or recipe. What we saw was when the people slowly realize their power there is nothing to stop them from snatching it away from the usurper. How it is snatched is a whole story by itself. Think of Mubarak, Gaddafi, Saleh and think of Ben Ali. Three selfish bastards with three different responses to the same demand. Go figure who today is able to pray facing Mecca. 

 

What is clear is that we are contributing our share. Make no mistake about our role. No one will pay attention to Meles’s crimes if it was not for us in the outside. Our activates on the Internet and on Facebook is bearing fruits. ESAT is proving how balanced, informative and educational we could be given the chance. ESAT is 100% made in Ethiopia. The independent Web sites are flourishing. Arab Spring was all about using every available means to create one big family focused and willing to act as a bridge to tomorrow land. I am sure an opinion maker like Mr. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times Googling us will see the kind of people we are. We are passionate but we are not haters. We are probing for a solution that is acceptable to the many. We celebrate diversity.  Our Free Web sites reflect that. The Ethiopian regime cannot say that. They block ideas they do not agree with. They are afraid of airing an opinion different from theirs. They win by silencing not by the power of their argument. A dammed down population is easy too bully. They keep our people in the dark by design. That is why some of us shout and scream. Looks like we are getting heard.  

What we do with this knowledge is something to think about. Surely we think about the prisoners of conscience that are paying for doing what was allowed in the regimes own constitution. Do we double our efforts so the Eskinders, the Andualems, the Reeyots the Zerhunes, the Wubshets will be free and enjoy life to its fullest? Do we dare to conquer fear and unite in a positive manner to do good? Do we allow the regime to bully us into submission or rise up in righteous indignation and say hell no! Our individual tiny contribution in consort with other minuscule offerings becomes a tsunami when put together. That is what we learnt from Egypt. Do not let the bully get away with his rude and crude method of dismissing us but make him pay attention and watch him flail to explain the unexplainable. 

 

Listen to Communication Minster Bereket Semeon trip over his words trying to explain who and how in the world he thinks he is entitled to regulate what we write and say. Watch the Junta leader confess that he copied the Law from the West so it must be correct. It is pathetic and so void of commonsense it makes you wonder how they view us. When you see the Kangaroo Parliament laughing at his tasteless jokes and moronic explanations you can see it is the blind leading the blind and our current situation of jumping from one crisis to another makes perfect sense.  

There are a few fighting evil. We are not all docile. We are not all self centered. On the other hand it is true most of us are afraid. We try to cover that by being belligerent towards each other. Afraid of Meles and his killing machine we turn our ire against each other. That has to stop. It is not cute and it makes us so cheap and laughable. Being afraid to confront Meles and his people does not justify dumping ones anger against those that are resisting his crimes. Do you see yourself my friend? You lie down dead and blame those that fight back? Does that make sense? What are you going to do when the Ethiopian people rise up like Egyptians or Libyans or Syrians? Blame the victims and blame us for inciting? Some say why don’t you go back and fight? Really is that the best you can come up with? From where I sit most of us have three choices to make. We can help our people resist, we can sit on the side and pretend dead or join the TPLF as junior partners. Choose and act.

 

Further Information:

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/36678

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/36505

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/36364

http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/36209

 

 

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The Ethio-Norway Forced Repatriation Agreement in Retrospect

16. February 2012 by Assimba.

By Samson Seifu  - Oslo, 12 February 2012

Prelude

On January 26, 2012 the state secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, Pål K. Lønseth appearing on TV channels announced with great sigh of relief the coming to an end of 20 years of negotiations ordeal with the dictatorial regime of Meles Zenawi to repatriate the rejected Ethiopian asylum seekers. According to the official press release of both the Ministry of Justice and the Directorate of Immigration (UDI), the signed agreement carries with it the threat of forced repatriation of about 400 rejected asylum seekers to the regime in Ethiopia. 

The news of the signing of the agreement; however, has shocked and saddened in disbelief the Ethiopian Community in Norway in general and the stakeholders in particular (the rejected asylum seekers who have been leading a life full of uncertainty and hopelessness for many years). Most of these rejected asylum seekers were working legally for many years paying taxes to the Norwegian Government, established families, well integrated themselves with the Norwegian society and most important of all, they have been politically active in the matters of their country of origin, Ethiopia, with the Ethiopian opposition organizations in Norway.

The repatriation agreement in retrospect

The talk about forced repatriation agreement was surfaced for the first time on media some seven years ago in 2005 by the then Communal and Regional Minister, Mrs. Erna Solberg and the minister (Mrs. Erna Solberg) announced that the government of Norway has finalized repatriation agreement with the dictatorial regime of Meles Zenawi.

Given Norway’s track record as a leading democratic state among the western nations that promotes the realization and respect of basic human right principles and rules of law throughout the world including Ethiopia, no one anticipated that Norway would be serious about negotiating and reaching agreements with the world’s worst repressive regime of Meles Zenawi.

 Meles Zenawi was the leader of the Tigrean People Liberation Front (TPLF) during the cold war era of the 1970’s and 1980’s and took power by force and controlled Ethiopia with iron fist without interruption since 1991 with the approval and blessings of the victors of the cold war era United States and United Kingdom in a negotiation meeting held in London in 1991 which was presided over by US Ambassador Mr. Herman Cohen. 

With the above mentioned background of the Meles regime which is also well known to the authorities and government of Norway, the government went ahead with the experimenting of deportation of some rejected asylum seekers and the attempted experiment was met with strong reactions from the Ethiopian Community and Ethiopian political support organizations operating in Norway reversing the implementation of the forced deportation.

Given the seriousness of the situation signaled by the futile attempt to deport Ethiopian Asylum seekers, the Ethiopian Community in Norway called for a meeting to all Ethiopians in Norway and established in 2005 the Ethiopian Asylum Seekers Association to engage a lawyer which would assist the association in bringing the matter before the Norwegian courts. The process of engagement was slowed down due to confirmations from the Communal and regional department to the association dated 22 December 2005 that Norwegian authorities have not made a repatriation agreement with Ethiopian authorities.

The Norwegian and the dictatorial regime of Meles Zenawi’s diplomatic relationship faced a serious setback after the dictator’s visit in Oslo in September, 2005 to receive a prize from a private fertilizer producing company called Yara. The then government of Norway led by Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik courageously distanced itself from officially receiving the dictator and oppressor as a head of state due to the fact that Ethiopian in Norway had staged a huge campaign against the Yara prize award and also staged a grand protest demonstration accusing the dictator for bloodshed committed in his command and watch against innocent election fraud protesters following the 2005 parliamentary election. In June and November, 2005 around 200 innocent civilian protesters were massacred in Addis Ababa on a broad day light by the TPLF’s Special Forces called the Agazis.

Following the humiliation, the Meles regime forged a hostile move against the government of Norway culminating it in 2007 with a diplomatic break down between the two. The Meles regime accused Norway of helping terrorism in East Africa. As a consequence of this false allegation and Norway’s maltreatment by the Meles regime, the crisis got a huge media attention in Norway and lead a public resentment blaming for the failure of the first (2005-2009) Stoltenberg’s coalition government in handling with caution the delicate and often shrewd government of the TPLF regime of Meles Zenawi. 

Since then the first (2005-2009) and second (2009 – to date) Jens Stoltenberg coalition government took a serious of conciliatory measures to win the trust of the dictator and thereby stop the latter’s hostile propaganda against the good reputation of Norway as a peace negotiator (as in Israeli-Palestinian and the Tamils-Sri Lanka’s government conflict cases) and peace prize rewarding state (via its Nobel Peace Prize Institution).

The following are among the series of reconciliatory moves made by Norway:

1. Prime Minster Jens Stoltenberg’s interest to work with the foe dictator Meles Zenawi (the African delegate for the negotiations on climate change). Meles Zenawis’ participation at the climate-change conference in Copenhagen in December, 2009 was met with a fierce protest from demonstrators from all over Europe including the Ethiopian oppositions from Norway.  

 

2.  The so called open seminar and discussion under the title ‘’Election and development in Ethiopia’’ arranged in Oslo in May 2010 by the Norwegian Development Fund. In this seminar one of the speakers from the director of the department for east and central Africa at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry Mr. Hans Jacob Frydenlund actually highlighted the fictitious double digit economic growth claimed by the Meles regime and tried to defend Norway’s continued development aid which the Ethiopian oppositions in Norway always insist and demand to link this aid with the respect of basic human rights and rule law in Ethiopia. This meeting was also attended and witnessed by the regime’s operative in Oslo. 

 

 

3. The so called open seminar and discussion under the title ‘’Politics and development in Ethiopia’’ arranged in Oslo in November 2011 by the Norwegian Development Fund. This time the Government representative was Mrs. Ingrid Fiskaa, the state secretary in the Foreign Department. For questions I raised to her as to why the Norwegian government gives a deaf ear to the repeated outcries and concerns of the Ethiopian oppositions in Norway who always knock the doors of your government’s ministries and; on the contrary, you continue to support the oppressive regime making it difficult to forces who work hard day and night to get rid of the regime? Her answer was simply ’’ it is not our job to get rid of the regime’’ but she had no answer to another related question from the audience i.e. ‘’Why then Norway bombed Libya and Gadafi?’’.  

 

4.  The invitation to the dictator Meles Zenawi by the coalition government of the second Jens Stoltenberg government. The arrival in Oslo of the dictator to participate in the conference entitled ‘’Energy for all financing access for the poor’’ held in in Oslo, in October 10 and 11, 2011 was marked by three successful anti-Meles protest demonstrations staged by the Ethiopian oppositions functioning in Norway. At this moment of his visit, the dictator was once again so humiliated that he had to leave Norway without attending the luncheon party arranged by the Norwegian Government to the participants of the conference.

It was after this historic resolute of the opposition in Norway in exposing the true face and nature of the oppressor and the dictator, Meles Zenawi to the Norwegian public and the international community that sparked the signing of the repatriation agreement to revenge the Ethiopian Asylum Seekers who both at the leadership and grass roots level were instrumental for the successful accomplishment of the October 9 &10, 2011 anti-Meles protest demonstrations. 

 

By Samson Seifu 

Oslo, 12 February 2012

 

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