Tedla Asfaw
We all die when the time comes. One thing which will not die is what as
human being we contributed to humankind including to our own people. Meles
Zenawi died this morning August 21, 2012 according to the government
controlled media due to illness for the last two months. Foreign leaders
are sending their condolences to the dictatorship in Addis Ababa. Most of
them are praising Meles Zenawi as a developmental intellectual leader and
the millions of Ethiopians who have no freedom to speak/ cry or assemble
are saying little. Preparation for North Korea type burial ceremony is
expected with the participation of West and China.
Quite to the contrary when the Ghanaian President John Atta mills died last
month the people of Ghana were in front to grieve for their democratically
elected leader not foreigners who care for their own interest.Prime Minster
Odinga of Kenya was heard on BBC worrying for the ethnic fragmentation of
Ethiopia. Al Shabab declared the end of Ethiopia as a country. Both do not
know Ethiopia or Ethiopians. They need to go back and learn from history.
Prime Minster Odinga and Al Shabab should not worry about Ethiopia’s
fragmentation because the West is going to perpetuate the system of
Developmental State of TPLF to continue at the expense of Freedom. “We need
Freedom, Freedom we need Freedom more than Food ” the shout by Journalist
Abebe Gellaw at Regan Building on May 18 in DC, G8 conference on Food
Security, is a cry of more than 90 million Ethiopians right now.
Foreign powers, West, China and Saudi Arabia should not be in business of
picking rulers for Ethiopia. The day of using Ethiopian soldiers to fight
war in Horn of Africa has to come to end. The taking away of land to feed
their own people like what India and Saudi Arabia are doing is over. The
day of using Ethiopia to get influence in African Continent to exploit its
resource as China is doing must end.
America and Britain has backed Meles Zenawi for last 21 years that has
ended today and we will not allow another Meles Zenawi to be cultivated in
our country. “Intelligent leader” of Ethiopia is gone and it is we
Ethiopians who have to pick our own leaders in a free and fair election.
Our future leaders are accountable to the people of Ethiopia not to foreign
powers. Former defense minster Seye Abraha was saying on BBC today that the
current system of rule in Ethiopia is not sustainable.
Ethiopians did test what Freedom means for brief period in 2005 election.
They entertained different views and participated in debates like any
civilized world. They stood politely for long hours to cast their vote. We
all know what happened after that. Meles Zenawi has put Ethiopia under
martial law since then by killing more than 200 and jailing ten thousands.
Ethiopian jails are now full of opposition leaders, journalists and human
right activists.
Opening up the TPLF jails is the first thing to do if Seye Abraha
reconciliation has any chance of success under the fake Prime Minster
Hailemariam Desalegne who is now manipulated behind the scene by Meles
Zenawi loyalist in TPLF. All the illegal proclamation to terrorize the
Ethiopian people has to be repelled immediately and the right to organize
and assemble must be allowed immediately.
Diaspora based medias and movements have to function freely in Ethiopia
starting today. Ethiopia can not be the China of East Africa as the West
and China designed it for the last twenty years. Freedom for Ethiopia and
Ethiopians is much worth than foreign aid. The more than 4 billion foreign
aid every year without including Food Aid did not help improve our people
lives. Ethiopia is still a beggar nation !!!!!
Ethiopian refugees running from Ethiopia are now in millions and all those
people will go back to their country if there is justice and freedom in
Ethiopia. The so called stability of the Horn will not be realized by
feeding and financing the Apartheid regime of Ethiopia. Divisive and
discriminatory regime of TPLF should be the thing of the past.
Yes we need Freedom more than food or Fake Stability. The West never cared
for the Arab people Freedom and instead backed the dictatorship in Egypt,
Tunisia, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Except Saudi Arabia the rest are on their
way to get their dignity by empowering their people. Ethiopia should not be
different. The fragmented opposition has responsibility to lead the
struggle without any excuse.
Change only comes by engaging the public at a great sacrifice. It is time
to come out in public and demand freedom of press and assembly right now.
Let us be jailed or killed for that. Let us be judged by what we do than by
what we say in foreign capitals. The people of Ethiopia are ready for that
as we all witnessed since January of this year by peaceful protest of the
Ethiopian Muslims to get their dignity. Yes we will get our dignity as
people !!!!!