By Yared

This commentary is the edited version of an offline discussion with Dr. Getachew Begashaw. It was triggered when G7 and OLF had a meeting in Arlington, VA, on July 10, 2011. The speakers of the meeting were Dr. Berhanu Nega of G7, Dr Nuro Dedefo of OLF and Dr. Getachew Begashaw (as an independent).

I watched this meeting on YouTube and felt uncomfortable by Dr. Getachew Begashaw’s appreciation of OLF and ONLF flying flags together with that of Ethiopia.

This made me search for Dr. Getachew’s email address to send a polite note why I do not agree and asking him why he thinks that the Ethiopian flag does not represent the Oromos and Ogandens to rally around.

To be honest, I didn’t expect a reply. In fact I feared a defensive or antagonistic reply we often see from Ethiopian politicians but Dr. Getachew understood my anxiety and sent me a reply explaining what he meant and in what ways his approach may not lead to my conclusion.

This put the ball in my quarter and I had to scratch my head and articulate my points. What took me by surprise is that rather than being antagonistic which we often see in Ethiopian politics, Dr Getachew came back with generous reply and even encouraged me to publish what I wrote to start the debate on the public forum.

I found Dr Getachew rational and open minded to discuss any issues. He also promised to come-up with an article to explain his points.

So it is on this basis and Dr Getachew’s suggestion that I am posting my concern for the benefit of the wider public. My concern is about the further politicization of ethnicity, in what ways it could be dangerous for the survival of the country, whether it can bring about a democratic governance and prosperity in the country.

Below is my reply with a few editions.

Selam Dr. Getahew,

Thank you for your explanation and understanding of my worries. It gave me an opportunity to think and reflect. In my view this is a serious issue that we all need to worry; just in case our action becomes a catalyst for revival of ethnic parties and a contributing factor for the demise of our country.

If Ethiopia is led in to the direction of breakup, ethnic cleansing and an endless war, we cannot escape from judgment of history by pointing our fingers on others.

Even if we do not have a role to play, the future generation would look back at the time where the country comes to an end to ask where these idiots came from to inherit a proud country and reduce her into piles of rubble and extinction.

History teaches us that while some generations are nation builders, some are nation destroyers engaging in pity squabbles to pass slavery to their children.

Roland Reagan is not Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson; he was a charming cowboy, but he had made one important observation that best describes our situation.

He said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them…”
We should not forget that it took only one Indian generation to sell their country to a British East India Trading Company and let many subsequent generations of Indians suffer and humiliated over the span of 400 years.

Already this generation is not going to be remembered for the monuments and Obelisks it erected, the poetry and artistic creations or for inventing i-Phone or cracking of human Genome. Its place in history is assured as missionary of destruction through waging mindless civil wars, ideological fanaticism, starvation, ethnic cleansing, terror and making Ethiopians maids to the Middle East.

Millions of people have perished in the last 40 years through ideological driven “uncivil war” and political persecutions and the end is not yet in sight.

The destructive journey that was started over 40 years ago has been eating the country away and has not yet stopped. And yet, there seems to be a lack of intellectual capability and unwillingness to stop and reflect. We are engaged in doing the same thing again and again and expect different results. It is from this perspective that I see the momentum being built for the formation of EPRDF version-2 as the last nail in Ethiopia’s coffin.

Of course, I fully understand your points and motives but I want to bring my worries to your attention. This is to help you think about it from different perspective but not criticize your approach.

Allow me to elaborate in what ways your attempt to bring back the ethnic organizations would have the opposite effect. First, these are self-appointed organizations which represent themselves and we should not assume that they are representative of the ethnic groups.

If we take the logic of first-formed-first-representative, then we may end up making TPLF, OLF, ANDM, etc the only legitimate representatives of the people of Tigray, Oromo, Amhara, Ogaden, Gambela etc.

Appeasing self-appointed ethnic organizations will surely leads to ostracizing and silencing of the members of ethnic groups who want to celebrate their Ethiopian identity. If you praise the OLF flag, where does it leave an Oromo person who opposes the views and goals of OLF and want to fly the Ethiopian flag?

Let me give you a good example by telling you what one Eritrean friend who always maintained his Ethiopian identity told me before the Eritrean independence.

He said, at the start, there were many Eritreans who opposed ELF/EPLF arguing Eritrean strong link with Ethiopian. However, he said, it was when the so called the Ethiopian ‘progressives’ came to endorse the views of the secessionist movements that we were reduced to backward individuals who are instruments of the monarchy.

This politician and academic has always opposed EPLF all his life by arguing that the interest of the Eritrean people would not be served by secession of Eritrea except installing two dictators and two flags but the others felt intimidated by the so called Ethiopian Student Movement & “progressive” forces to toe in line with Shabia.

The Eritrean populous and some of the critics of secession had better chance of influencing the course of history for good had it not been, in his word, the “Ethiopian progressives” advocating the views of Shabia and Jebeha.

Since then those who are arguing for democratization rather than separation are considered traitors not to be given a chance at all. They were intimidated, killed and silenced.

So, endorsing self-appointed secessionist groups as a legitimate representatives of those groups is nothing but knifing of those who still celebrate their Ethiopian identity. It is these groups that should be encouraged, supported and protected.

Our experience with Eritrea should have been a good lesson. ESM and others who call themselves elites of the society thought EPLF and ELF were progressive forces that the Ethiopian left movement can create alliances to fight the monarchy. Once you start nationalism, you cannot put it back on a leash. Nationalism is about “us” and “them”.

No matter how apologetic and sympathetic one can be, the “them” will never be allowed to have a say in “us” affairs.

An Indian academic who did extensive work on ethnic nationalism define ethnic nationalism to have three features (Kancan Chandra, 2004).

Ethnic nationalism is descriptive. First, it has to define “us” and “them”, “insiders” and “outsiders”.

It is exclusionary. It has to block the view of anyone considered an “outsider” no matter what the view of the so called outsider is beneficial. For example, no matter one has a concern for Tigray, Oromia, Ogaden unless one is a Tigrean, an Oromo, or Somali, i.e. an  “insider”, he would not be considered to have the best interest of  the people in the eyes of liberators to be allowed to contribute for the political process.

By definition and birth mark, he/she cannot join TPLF/OLF/OPDO/ONLF etc. It is the same with EPLF and it will be the same with ONLF. No matter how hard Berhanu and Andargachew promote the cause of ONLF, they are outsiders and they will never ever be allowed to influence the course of ONLF.

A good example to look is the relationship between EPRP and TPLF. EPRP had all the sympathy for ethnic rights but it was chased out of Tigray in the 1970s using the same exclusionary strategy. You mentioned that you quoted the Aregawi of 2011 but it is the same Aregawi of the 1970s who had used this exclusionary strategy to lead an army and chase EPRP out of Tigray.

The third thing is that ethnic parties have patronage structure. Ethnic organisations are a cheaper and simpler imitation of the monarchy. There could be only one ethnic representative. It is only one group; one leader has the best interest of the group and can speak for the ethnic or nationalist group. There can be only one TPLF, OLF, and ONLF etc. There cannot be diversity of opinions or choices.  It is for this reason that TPLF fought first the other Tigrean liberation front “Tehat” from the start and EPLF has to fight ELF.

Still, for example, TPLF may tolerate multi-ethnic parties to have a  small stake in Tigray but it will not let another TPLF to emerge. OLF assumes that there won’t be OPDO by the time it reaches for power. But if it exists as an organization, there is no doubt that it will fight it until it is eliminated. That is why I think the Ethiopian student movement terribly failed to understand nationalism.

Of course, there were no libraries, access to internet, books or media to pick all these basic concepts in the 1970s. Most of the students’ knowledge was based on hearsay rather than material researches. As a result, the students failed to foresee and understand the very nature and potential of nationalism to become an instrument of division.

In a way it may be difficult to blame the likes of Walellegne and co. for indulging in a subject which they didn’t understand. Nevertheless, there can not be a sound and logical excuse for politicians who spent all their life in politics and academics to claim ignorance of the danger.
We should not also forget the cultural settings. The 1970s students were deacons who were serving in churches and who came from deeply traditional religious society. Thus, they took everything not through critical thinking and reflection but through dogmatic view of religion. Put simply politics became their new faith.

As you know, faith is believing in a thing that you could not see, understand or verify. If you can test it and prove it, it will be called science.

They simply abandoned their religious faith to be born again in a new religion, where Stalin becomes the new Jesus Christ. Of course, you know what happened next. Questioning the virtues of the Stalinist view of the world became blasphemy.

This blind faith in Stalin led to righteous indignation and outrage against whoever does not buy the Stalin’s theory of nations and nationalities.

In the beauty of hindsight, one can see a parallel between ESM and modern day Taliban’s of Afghanistan. Both couldn’t possibly think that they could be wrong or there could be an alternative truth to that of theirs. Being brought up during the revolution, I see the same righteousness of their beliefs.

Since then, the world has changed. Marxism has gone bankrupt. The Berlin Wall had come down. The self appointed vanguard of the mass (the new age monarchies of the East) have been swept out of power.  Socialism as ideology was put on trial. And yet, Stalinism is still a governing principle and the mind-set of the revolutionary generation. It is mind boggling to note that many couldn’t think out of this mind-set!

You well know that the government in power is an ethnic based organisation that struggled under the banner of the Stalin theory – nations and nationalities. It claims to fight and die defending the nations and nationalities right to self-determination up to and including secession  And the alternative presented in Washington conference is exactly the same.

The opposition, the likes of ONLF and OLF, are carbon copies of the ruling party in power. They went back in 1991 to set up the transitional government, banned pan-Ethiopian political parties from taking part in the transitional government, drafted the controversial constitution and declared that Ethiopia’s 3000 years ills have been resolved with endorsement of nations and nationalities rights to self-determinations (Article 39).

The other guys, like Dr Berhanu and Ato Andargachew, were also the ones who accompanied TPLF to power, took part in partitioning of the Ethiopian society under imaginary ethnic boundaries, dismantled the national institutions like the army, trade-unions, and pan-Ethiopian institutions, wrote pamphlets why the Amharas need to organize along the “ethnic” line.

Then we were told that the vision of Ato Walelegne has been implemented to start and enjoy the golden 1000 years of peace. We were also told that the old imperial Ethiopia has been dismantled for good in exact manner prescribed by the student movement to be re-created on willful association of the nations and nationalities.

Now 20 years fast forward, the same guys are working to recreate the failed June 1991 conference. Why? Certainly, not because they have ideological differences with the ruling party but because of the power and privilege they have lost during the power struggle. They are angry because they are pushed out into the cold and back to 9-5 work.

Rather than pausing and reflecting to rectify the mistakes they have made in the last 40 years, they are back again into their comfort zone with the creation of EPRDF Version 2.

Now two ethnocentric political forces are dominating the political arena. One is led by TPLF and the Other by OLF. Out of these two groups, I expected some sort of pan-Ethiopian political forces to have a say, why both cannot bring about democracy, tolerance and prosperity.

What makes me feel sad is that the independent minds appear to shift their goal post to appease/endorse rather than standing firm to present/advocate the Ethiopian cause.

As a long standing political advocate and no member of any ethnic parties, I expected the likes of you to present a compelling case why Ethiopia belongs to all of us, and why we need to rally together under Ethiopian flag, just like united Egyptians, Tunisians and others to bring about a democratic change, equality and prosperity to all.

If you could not speak about Ethiopia passionately and eloquently, who should then? I didn’t write to Ato Andargachew or Dr Berhanu because I believe they are happy to accompany another ethnic political party to power and have few years honeymoon and get a kick on the teeth. But I thought you are different and I expected more.

Any Ethiopian who feels strongly about survival of Ethiopia should not encourage or flirt with flying ethnic flags. Engagement is important. Debate is even better. But appeasement is naivety and making the same mistake again and again. OLF and ONLF were weakened organisations. Now thanks to G7, they are given a new lease of life.

The OLF nationalism, like the EPLF, needs a symbolic enemy and has to invent distinct identity to advance its own distinct and separate national feeling. The same goes to ONLF. As you have seen in the political program, ONLF doesn’t give a damn to its words to express its feeling towards Ethiopia.

And yet there was no one at the Washington conference to say, hang on a minute, Ethiopia belongs to all of you and please let us not destroy her.

I expected that was your natural role. That is why I felt I have to write to you. I hope when you get the chance next time, you would stand up to make a cause for need for united and democratic Ethiopia for the benefit of all of us. No one lose from a democratic and united Ethiopia.

I didn’t expect a reply and I really appreciate that. Thank you again for taking your time and thought provoking idea. Hope you take my views in good faith.
Regards,

Yared

By Yilma Bekele

Some of our independent Web sites have put me in a quandary. That is not a good place to be. A certain amount of certainty is a must for rational existence. There have to be stuff that we all have to take for granted. Some things like a mother’s love for her child or the fact of gravity are not open for discussion. I include Shale Mengistu in this category. His crime against my country is not a talking point or something to bargain with. He was evil and he did evil things to us. No need to split hairs.

Well this last week I was forced to rethink a few things I took for granted. What made me wreck in agony was the issue of Shaleka Mengistu Haile Mariam and his place in our history. I know it is another assault on our country but this time I believe the blow was self-inflicted. Mengistu Haile Mariam was prominently displayed on our Independent Web sites. It was not to commemorate or celebrate his demise or some catastrophe that has befallen him but rather an interview with some Australian Amharic radio station offering us his advice and opinion.

That is what brought depression, sadness and a big dose of uneasiness in my already precarious existence. I was left wondering if something is wrong with me to so much obsess about such a matter. Was seeing the individual being quoted on our ‘fiercely pro democracy and upholders of Human Rights’ Web sites so troubling to loose sleep over?

I have come to the conclusion that it is something to worry about. It looks like our understanding of the concept of good and bad or evil is based on a shaky ground. It seems to be very fluid and open to interpretations based on other factors, which we are free to tack on. We love to qualify all our statements. He is evil but he loved his country is a common comment. I guess he loved us so much that he was willing to kill us all to see it his way.

It actually took me four days to force myself to listen to the so-called interview. It was a very difficult decision. I feel sickness when I see his name while his voice causes me nausea. His picture brings negative and violent feelings inside of me. If I have my way, I would love to live in a world where he does not exist. I braced myself and pushed play and listened. To start with I was disappointed with the interviewer addressing the individual as “erso”. I knew we were on rocky ground here. Then the monster began to speak. I got sick. My stomach was turning over. My mood became dark. I wanted it to end. I listened but I did not hear.

The Shaleka speaks in a monotone. There is no feeling or emotion in his voice. It seems like he has

rehearsed it so many times that it comes out cold and stripped of any feeling. It has a strong resemblance to some one we know. You can tell he is street smart but not intelligent. You can say the same about most dysfunctional leaders. They can talk. Most of it is garbage but they believe it.

My issue is not with the Shaleka but with our Independent Web sites. What were the editors thinking when they posted his ugly mug and the stupid interview? Did they think it was news worthy? If so in what way? Was it supposed to inform us, motivate us, make us laugh or remind us of the good old days? What exactly was the message here? I am afraid I don’t have a good explanation but I do know how it affected me personally. It got me in a very funky and ugly mood. That is not fair.

Do you think this is an issue of freedom of information and the press? In a way, yes it is. But I am not debating whether they have the right to publish or not. My issue is regarding their editorial judgment regarding using a criminal to discuss such important concept as freedom and democracy. That is what SBS Amharic radio from Australia did. Someone actually asked the monster about his feelings about our country, the current regime and independence of South Sudan.

It is very humiliating to hear this murderer talking about my homeland. It was a shame to see it prominently displayed on the Internet. It is an insult to his victims to have the criminal discuss our issue from his luxurious hiding place. The crimes he did to us is still fresh. The mothers and fathers that lost their precious children are still with us. The image of our parents that died humiliated by his tugs is etched in our brain forever. Millions of us are uprooted from our homeland due to the decisions he made as a ‘leader’. The exodus that started during his watch has continued unabated. Our country lost the best and the brightest. A generation was wiped out at a critical moment in our history. All this disaster leads to Mengistu Haile Mariam and his associates.

There isn’t a single Ethiopian family that has not been negatively affected by Mengistu Haile Mariam. His crimes are recorded by so many of his victims that there is no punishment enough fit for this monster. He made so many ill-advised policies that millions paid the price. He was not man enough to stand behind his decisions. He lacked the courage to answer for his actions. He choose to flee to save himself. He is what you call a coward.

This is the person the radio station brought out to discuss the country he left behind in the middle of the night in a chartered plane with his family and immediate criminal friends. Today he is a refugee, a Diaspora what ever you call it like the rest of us. But he did live with suitcase full of US dollars and he does not have to sweat like the rest of us. I hear he is a gentleman farmer in Zimbabwe. I also understand that he is on the look out for another location due to the precarious position his friend Mugabe is in. My only good wish to the Shaleka is may he roam the planet in search of a home and may he not find it!

What I think is that this philosophy of the enemy of my enemy is my friend is not really a winning idea. It is too simplistic and void of value. Like the FIFA rule states ‘winning is without value if victory has been achieved unfairly or dishonestly.’ Trying to use Mengistu Haile Mariam to point out Meles Zenawi’s fault is like taking a sucker punch, it might work but it is vile. Wining will be empty. I hope it is something better we are working for and aiming at. For it to work it has to be honest and fair. If not what is the point?

I have a few things to say to this sorry ass of a human being named Mengistu Haile Mariam. I would rather he shut up and stay under the rock he has been hiding under. I am saddened to think that the last twenty years have not been a time of reflection on his part. A little amount of remorse would have been better. It has confirmed my strong suspicion that he is a mentally deranged person unable to understand the gravity of his crimes and the extent of the havoc he has caused on millions of Ethiopians. The dude is not fit to be a leader. His lack of knowledge, understanding and training among other things were evident in the final result he left behind. There is no need to explain because it cannot change the result. We are living it.

This is my message to the varmint. We want you to take care of yourself. We want you to live a while longer. It is not because all of a sudden we are interested in his welfare. No sir. It is because we want to see the day that he would stand for trial and answer for his crimes. When Ethiopia becomes free and democratic, we will do all our very best to haul his sorry ass back home and face the music. He will be kidnapped by our special forces like his counterpart predecessor Adolf Eichmann. To refresh your memory Israeli agents abducted this garbage from Argentina and he was tried and hanged in Jerusalem. The Shaleka deserve no less.

Let us make something clear here. Criminals like Mengistu have no place in the Ethiopia we want to build. Twenty years ago if we have arrested this monster and his associates and brought them to justice we would not be faced with the same situation today. Our current leaders would have understood the consequences of crime and punishment. That is why witnessing the Mubaraks facing justice brings a certain amount of satisfaction to our heart. It is not really whether Mubarak is jailed or not but rather the fact that he has to answer for his actions is a lesson to future Egyptian leaders. We missed our chance and we are faced with the sons and daughters of Mengistu.

My advice to our independent Websites, please respect the sensibilities of your readers. You are our voice and use your mighty power with caution. Calling one criminal to testify against another waters down the severity of the transgression. We are not here to compare the degree of lunacy of our illegal leaders. This is not ‘Merkato’ where you can bargain over stuff but real life where the actions of monsters like Mengistu and Meles have real life consequences. Tell you what the next time we want to hear about Mengistu is to inform us his death or arrest which ever comes first.

A letter to the people of tomorrow  (an uneducated view)
Ambassador Imru Zelleke

You are in your twenties and thirties, you have grown up in one of the most painful era of Ethiopian history, you have been traumatized by the violence and misery that you have endured and seen since your birth. All you have learned and viewed from your unhappy experience is the ever increasing poverty and wretched existence of your people, including you family and kin.  All this spirit and physical flagellation has certainly left you with some bitter view of your country, especially that it is a home grown calamity that started with good intention and end up into a catastrophic cataclysm.

You identify yourselves mostly as Ethiopians, for better or worst, because it is the only origin, history and culture you can identify with, and for its worldwide recognition. You also enjoy Ethiopian cuisine, music, humor, manner and style, your civilization is second to none in the world. You can quote you history from ancient times, you are repository of two great religions Christianity and Islam. All this heritage, and the gifted talent of our people,  should have given  us a spring board to create a modern and dynamic nation. But instead of building our future on the basis of our wealth and traditions, we fell victim of ideologies and notions that had already failed their own authors.

It is true that our inherited Monarchical system of government had, even by its own reckoning, that it has seen its days. Nevertheless,  in its quest for survival it had introduced many positive elements that constituted a good foundation for the future. Yes it was not democratic, yes it was oppressive, but compared to what followed it might be called almost liberal. (Dr. Minasse Haile’s monograph “Comparing Human rights in two Ethiopian Constitutions”, Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law, Spring 2005.) Thus, began a deconstructions and unbridle mystification of Ethiopian history and the creation of the evil “bully” the “Amara” oppressor. Accordingly to the new legend the Amaras who inhabit the regions of Gondar, Gojam, Wollo and Shoa have a higher standard of living than Americans, which they gained by exploiting the rest of the population.  If you visit those area you won’t see their wealth because they make them invisible by some mysterious magic, you need special three-dimensional eye glasses. Which reminds me, some years ago there was a fashionable song in Ethiopia named “Ayn yeTfeTerew hulun lemayet new”, one day  my five year old daughter asked “why is it that cannot see everything” I told her that it is because she is not yet a Ph.D. 

Coming out into the light from the dark cloud of mystifications, it would be pertinent to ask of what and of whom this Amara polity is made off. As you all know a political group holding power cannot exists without allies and fellow travelers, with vested interest in the system. Even presently Meles has his own Amara, Oromo and other allies. Historically,   the same paradigm stands for Ethiopia. In our part of the world Cushit and Hamitic people have been mixing for thousands of years. (Dr. Fikre Tolossa “Common Factors Uniting Ethiopians”, Ethiopian Review July 2011) Therefore, there has been a continuous population movement in the whole area, resulting in a miscegenation of races and tribes.  throughout the centuries, our rulers stem from the same historical process. Few Ethiopians can claim racial purity and unique ethnic identity; all of us are of mixed origin, but for some cultural trends that differ amongst the many entities that make up the nation. As to political power the dominating group in the late one and half century has been an Amara/Oromo hegemony consisting of the Monarchy down to the lower ranks. Therefore, the claim that there was an oppressive regime composed solely of an Amara ethnic group is utter nonsense. If the Amaric language was preponderant and become the lingua franca of the nation, it is because of its age old alphabet and written religious and literary traditions, in difference to the oral vernacular. The Monarchs Minilik, Zewditu, Yassu, Haile Sellassie, Negus Mikael, and all the great leaders Gobena, Habte Giorgis, Balcha, etc. etc. where of mixed ethnic origin. Hence, if there was oppression and malfeasance  by one ruling regime or another, the guilt must be shared by all and not to some fictitious character created to justify a political agenda. It is perfectly legitimate for one to espouse a particular social group and culture, but to use it as instrument for the deconstruction of a nation that has been built by the bloods and guts of millions of people from many origins is inacceptable, and neither conducive to a healthy and prosperous future. 

This year when Americans are celebrating the 253rd  year of their independence, we should be proud and celebrate our thousands of years of independence, despite the many crisis caused by our faulty governances. Unfortunately, we lament past misdeeds and  negate our own role in the making of our disastrous fate,  without devising solutions for our predicament. We are told to forget the past, as if it was not the foundation of our existence. We are advised to look to some indiscernible future where milk and honey will be plentiful and our whims and wants will be fully met.  Which divine power will bestow upon us all these blessings? Is a good question to ask.  In 1974 we were told to forget the past and look towards a prosperous future in a free and just society, we all know what happened after that. In 1991 we were promised the same, we all know the results. Now we  are promised the same, and asked to consent a priori to the eventual ethnic breakup of the country, and accept a promissory note from political parties of doubtful consistence and popularity. Is this a promising future for a country that is barely striving to get out from abysmal poverty?  Is this what the Ethiopian people aspire for their salvation?

No !! We must build our new Ethiopia on solid bases, on our common history and common heritage. We are not people sown on this Earth as some wild weed. We are civilized people of the first order, our tradition, cultures and values are universal. Our people are talented and our land fertile and rich.  Let’s make the Ethiopian renaissance with a national spirit and rejuvenating outlook, instead of indulging in endless willy-nilly political deals that promise an uncertain future. In 2005 when more than two million people demonstrated openly in Addis Ababa and later when twenty six million voted peacefully without a single incident, they voted as Ethiopian and nothing else. We should stand with them and work unremittingly to liberate them from the TPLF nefarious dictatorship.

I am asking the young people that are the people of the future not to succumb to views vented by false prophets, and to inform themselves properly and judiciously about the realities in Ethiopia before acting. You must all realize that individually and collectively you are responsible for the fate of millions of people.

Reading the above some will probably say that I am an old foggy still anchored in the past. With all humility I say that I am not, I have struggled and fought for Human Rights and Democracy in Ethiopia for over half century, much before many of you were born, and  I intend to do so until the end. I am a nationalist and patriotic Ethiopian, proud of my country of origin and the people of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia Lezelalem Tenur.

IZ – July 2011

Hama Tuma

In the Horn of Africa, History repeats itself always as a tragedy. Famine has come around, the guilty regimes point their fingers at the usual “culprit” drought and the preying vultures that call themselves NGOs and charity organization rear their heads in anticipation and glee much like the cruel vulture in that famous photos of a starving South Sudanese child. We have seen it all before and the tragedy continues, the charade is on as the vultures we knew so well warn the world help or else the Africans in the east and the Horn are going to perish!

There is hardly a pip against the main culprits, the corrupt regimes pampered by the West, which exposed their people to starvation and famine. Instead, Africa bashing is warming up (with a nasty drawing of an Africa in the shape of an African heads with the Horn opened as a hungry mouth that appeared in the Times of London, Tuesday July 7), angry articles are written in defense of spreading GM seeds/farming all over Africa (or else they will starve always and be a burden on “us”– in the same Times issue), and the whole cabal ) from Christian Aid to Save the Children, Oxfam UK, etc ) have put out ads soliciting immediate and urgent help. Back in 1984, the same scene was played out over one million Ethiopian corpses. There can be no doubt that Ethiopian (1973-4,1984) and other famine victims are grateful to the sympathy and help they got from the people of the world and that there were and there are NGOs and charity organizations true to their humanitarian mission. Sadly, it is equally true that food aid is part and parcel of politics and many NGOs play the political game and are parts of the Lords of Poverty. Back in 1984, the likes of Christian Aid, Oxfam UK, War on Want, Save the Children, Norwegian Aid and many others were playing politics on the famine victims and giving the food aid to the rebels of the Tigrean Liberation Front (TPLF) and the money to buy arms or to deposit it in their Saudi American bank account in Jeddah. All this is well documented and a hard fact despite the shrill protest from Bob Geldof and Christian Aid (the latter’s representative was even photographed handing over hundreds of thousands of Birr to a high level Tigrean rebel cadre who is now in exile and has exposed the farce and the conspiracy). The TPLF is now in power and the same aid organizations that were passing it the food aid and money are soliciting for money. Something is rotten in there!

The famine that is attacking the East and Horn of Africa has little to do with drought and much to do with corrupt and inept regimes, disastrous agricultural policies and callous disregard for impending catastrophes. The Meles Zenawi regime in Ethiopia was for many years boasting of double digit economic growth, grain surplus (“we are going to export maize to Kenya”!), agricultural policies admired by World Bank and IMF experts, massive handover of land to foreign companies (the size of Israel or Belgium leased over cheaply to Chinese, Indian, Arab and other firms who farm and take all their produce abroad). The reality was quite different. The double digit economic growth was/is fiction. Grain surplus is a white lie. In fact the grain stored was sold on the market and then an attempt made to by grain from South Africa to refill the silos. The disaster prevention the regime boasted about has proved another lie. The regime has supported the foreign land grab that has roved a disaster for the country as there is absolutely no technological transfer, no substantial employment and all the produce is exported or taken out by the firms. The regime’s own companies in the agricultural field enjoy monopolistic control, the so called Ethiopian Commodity exchange sector has assured the control of the agricultural export market (coffee, sesame, etc) by Meles Zenawi’s firms (Guna, etc..). The overall existing bad governance and ethnic discriminatory politics has also agitated against self sufficiency in the production field.

The variations in degree aside, the Somali anarchy aside, the other so called drought affected countries are characterized by being pro West corrupt regimes. Drought is the least of their worries; bad governance is their primary ailment. Existing conflicts and ongoing wars make the situation dire. In Ethiopia, land is owned by the State and dispensed by it irresponsibly. The impending famine is but an opportunity to plunder and fleece, to use food aid for political purposes, a chance for the usual vultures to prey and profit. That is why as things stand it is proper to call for vigilance against the misuse of donors’ food and money by the regimes in place and their callous allies. We saw it in 1984 in Ethiopia, how famine was used for crude political ends and how the aid organizations played along duped or, in most cases, knowingly. This should not be repeated. No food aid or money should be given to the regimes (especially to the heartless and thieving regime in Addis Abeba) and control must be imposed on the aid organizations themselves not to repeat the condemnable experience of the past.

HAMA TUMA

A controversial man himself, Kenyan Mutula Kilonzo, has blasted at corruption the hangman’s way.  The corrupt should be hanged, he has recently suggested.

This was the only way the vice could be fought successfully, Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Mutula Kilonzo said.

“Let us have a law that will deal effectively with the question of bribery and kickbacks. In countries like China, they punish (offenders) with death. I am not afraid to propose this too, if at all we want to rid ourselves of the vice,” he said.

The way things usually happen in Kenya the proposal will be bribed away unto the archives and Bwana corruption will continue with vigor. That aside, what about the suggestion that obdurate fools should be punished with vigor and determination to rid our continent of fools that sell their sovereignty for thirty pieces of second hand silver? As we all know, foolishness or stupidity is not painful and half of the time the victim does not even know it. Hence, a reminder should be supplied. This whole thing was made pertinent recently when we were forced to listen to Hilary Clinton (the same woman who years ago went to Asmara, Eritrea and hailed the ruler there as a democrat) warning Africans to be wary of neocolonialism (no, not the American one but that of the Chinese) and preaching the need for democracy in the capital city of one of the most vicious tyrants bankrolled and fully supported by Hilary’s America. Clinton’s holier than thou hypocritical preaching was (you guessed it!) hailed by many Africans from various quarters including Ethiopia where American backing for a dictatorship has wrecked the country for more than twenty years now.

In the beginning there was the Word but overtime the cost of living has risen beyond tolerance while words have become cheap. Meles Zenawi vowed to assure Ethiopians three decent meals per day but deprived them of even one and ended up preaching dieting to a people that has been starving for centuries.  Clinton’s speech in Addis Abeba weaved cheap words and sanctimonious preaching often associated with a sinful and decadent priest. If dictatorship is evil and Africans should rise against their oppressors how come America allies itself with the enemies of the people and smashes the revolt of downtrodden people? How come America backs the killer Meles, the savage Nguema, the Bahrain Butchers, the Saudi retrogrades?  These are not new queries and wonder but age old ones and African has for long been on the receiving side of the hypocrisy. The savage and fury against Gaddafi (who was good friend with Berlusconi, Blair and Sarkozy) does not accord, as the French would say talking of grammar, with the kid glove treatment of Assad, Bahrain and even Yemen for that matter. Clinton talking about the dangers of neocolonialism in Africa is like a rapist condemning the pedophile. The new kid on the block is China and America is only wailing against the competition. Here also some Africans miss the point and like old times they take the Bible from the Clinton woman and bow to pray while she takes away the proverbial land, Africa’s wealth. Did anyone hear her or her big eared Boss crying against the Western sponsored mayhem, rape and murder in Eastern Congo?  The Mr. Ocampo of the International Criminal Court is a sad caricature of a man seeking justice, inclined to attack Africans and Third world targets, oblivious of the real war criminals  from the Balkans to Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Syria. If Kaddafi is a war criminal what about Saleh and Assad, the massacre man in Ethiopia, America and other pro American butchers all over the world?

Trees in a big forest held an assembly, says an Ethiopian fable, and wanted to identify their main enemy. The axe said many; others declared it is the man wielding the axe. A wise old tree counseled all of them in the following words: brothers and sisters, will the axe cut us if it had no handle? Will man wield the axe if it had no handle? That is why you must know that we are our own enemy; we are the handles of the axe, enabling the axe and man to chop us down. “Yerasachin temama” said the old tree in Amharic. Our own crooked piece of wood! Clinton is Clinton, she represents an America we know so well as victimized Africans. Our problem is with our own crooked brothers and sisters, the perennial victims of stupidity, the gullible and foolish ones who believe time and again the same old lie in new garbs. Time and again, the West supplies us with devils and the Satan we are supposed to condemn and hate and time and again we cry curse on the donkey along with them. We say thank you Hilary Clinton the same time she and her government embrace the dictators who are destroying our peoples and continent. Check any African predator and monster and you will find the West standing behind him. Beshir is no saint by any standard but the hue and cry against the Sudan smells partial and foul. Mugabe is not worse than Meles but who is reviled and who is praised?  France continues to play pathetically as an imperial power but it is responsible for the malaise in many so called Francophone African countries and just as it continued to rile against Kaddafi and bomb Tripoli it donated US $600 million dollar of aid to Meles Zenawi. If corruption be the issue (and if we say as the Kenyan minister “hang them all!”) then we have to denounce that America’s friend Meles Zenawi, who has whisked off no less than 8 billion dollars from the country, has substantial stolen money in American banks just as the stolen billions of Sani Abacha are also in British banks.

 Hilary Clinton said: “In several nations, the institutions of democracy are becoming stronger. There are freer medias, justice systems that administer justice equally, and impartially, honest legislatures, and vibrant civil societies. Earlier I mentioned the Arab Spring, a name that suggests the blossoming of something new. And what is now blooming across the Arab states has already taken root in many African nations, commitment to democracy, recognition of human rights, investment in economic health and education programs, and an emphasis on meeting the needs of our young people” .

Was she talking of Africa? Of the Africa we know? And to add insult to injury (or goiter over an ears ailment as we say in Ethiopia) saying all this in Addis Abeba where a brutal regime holds more than 35,000 political prisoners, has banned the free media, controls the judicial system and mocks at justice and the rule of law? Years ago, I went to a book signing event in Paris and heard the late Paul Henze praise the Meles regime to the skies as he presented the French translation of his book called Layers of Time. As questions were not allowed I went to him in the end and asked him if his presentation was about an East European country. This, of course, did not amuse the man who did so much damage to Ethiopia and her sovereignty and history. It was a tumultuous evening he passed in a heated argument with me and most of the Ethiopians present. Reading Clinton’s speech, this was what or who I was reminded of. Reread what she said and wonder of wonders try to find an African country that fulfills her irresponsible and demagogic utterance. Her very host Meles is anathema to what she said or proposed. Those Africans who said thank you Hilary are dangerous fools (is there another kind actually?), candidates for vicious neocolonial plunder from various quarters. The woods that help the axe chop of the trees, as it were.

As Hilary Clinton danced with the Eritrean strongman Isaias and his wife and hailed him as a democrat (her husband added Meles, Kagame and Museveini to the list), a few kilometers away in Sembel prison dozens of political prisoners were suffering. In Addis Abeba, the AU headquarter is not far from the old notorious Kerchiele prison. Meles Zenawi’s secret or ghost prisons are not also far from where Hilary spoke and uttered empty praises. The infamous Kaliti prison is not also in another region. She was out there in her own surrealist world and she was not attempting some absurd humor, no. And that is what makes the whole proceeding a tragedy. The foolish Africans heaping praise on Hilary for her absurd speech push one to demand a punishment for stupidity. Have your say Mr. Mutula Kilonzo!

June 27, 2011
By Yelfiwos Wondaya

One wonders why one makes such a public call without something on hand to
support his plan of action to implement, and even worse the movement absented
itself from the event  it claimed to lead up to the strike for the 28th of May
2011.  Whether or not the movement did it merely to impress its inflated ego or
it believed it can persuade freedom hungry Ethiopians and let the demonstration
go astray with no sense of direction, time will tell us.  In most cases,
however, causing general public outrage such as this very irresponsible public
call is seen as disgraceful and immoral in any given society so is the un-known
movement who called upon the people to rise up in protest against woyane in
Addis and else where in Ethiopia. The call was heard loud and clear but the
clique on the other hand was not anywhere nearby to be seen.  What an irony! 
Although the time has passed the pamphlets in which the messages and propagandas
of the public call, attributed to that of the movement itself are here for us to
review and examine their content.  To begin with, in order to take on leadership
roles one must be in a close range to fight the fight, to walk the walk and of
course, to carry on the mission to the end.  Or else one would conclude that the
said movement is nothing but a national disgrace. As that, the said movement
cannot become a moving force and a force of change for the fact that it is not
destined to find itself in public arenas where the real movements take place. 
One also must be an action oriented force daring to perform outside of his
comfort zone and beyond.  Or else it is fair to conclude that such movement with
such urgency must either have some sort of false impression of the situation in
Ethiopia or have other motives to interfere with the revolution yet to come.
Whatever the case maybe, time will tell us why and history will judge it in
accordance with what has been said and done.  In reality, though the bogus call
heard from afar did not hold any water when checked.  “We must not be led astray
by the small-time deceivers and false teachers we see today who are the
forerunners of the Antichrist and the false prophet”
First and foremost, one won’t win the hearts and minds of the people by
insulting their intelligence and yet undermining the injuring capability of our
enemy shows how naive and armature the movement is.  How Law and Disgraceful one
get than this!  No one in his right mind would promise something out of the blue
moon and get away with anything serious like these public calls. However,
whoever has done it must be held accountable for his own action. Bogus as it
sounds one would also label it nothing but false alarm.  Empty promise of such
nonconforming movement aside, however, the real revolutionary movement led by
the real revolutionaries in Ethiopia is bound to happen.  Eventually though the
civil disobediences that would pave the way for the real revolutionary movement
in Ethiopia are forthcoming.

Secondly, unlike the half hearted revolutionaries the real revolutionaries are
enthusiastic about the revolution and its real results ahead.  So to reach those
results they would rather tend to intensify the conflict amongst enemy camps,
and capitalize more on the wisdom of Ethiopian society.  It is true though that
the wisdom of Ethiopians is prevailing against the unfounded hatred, fear and
mistrust the TPLF has been trying to make us feel.  Thus, continuing to feel and
behave in a manner that benefit all in the family, and adjusting actions and
deeds in response to the desires and needs of their links is what Ethiopians’
wisdom in action like. Together Ethiopians do praise Ethiopian nationalism by
raising their flag higher and higher instead of being divided and weaken by
saboteurs’ act of denial and ploy. Ethiopians must continue to carry on the
unity slogans as unity, democracy, equality and social justice for all
Ethiopians regardless.  Mutually though they give an enthusiastic approval to
the motto of one flag, one nation and one people.  So in this case, Ethiopians’
wisdom says it all that Ethiopians embracing Ethiopian nationalism will come
victor at the end as had had happened in Adwa, Metema, Mekidela and several
other battlegrounds wherein Ethiopians of all walks of life engaged in an armed
conflict and defended their common territory against foreign aggressions in the
past. Likewise, as ever before, Ethiopian national anthem together with
Ethiopian flag will be praised by all Ethiopians regardless.  After all,
Ethiopians’ national anthem and flag are symbolically popular, associated with
their greater Ethiopian identity, characteristics and causes of all time. 
Moreover, Ethiopians’ national anthem will have taken place to celebrate a sense
of solidarity Ethiopians enjoyed for centuries as opposed to that of narrow
nationalists’ song sung to shed tears for a Killil territory.  Thus, on the part
of the people it is time to prove the saboteurs’ claim wrong and move on.
Ethiopians must say no more both for the TPLF/EPRDF and for the agents!!  The
saboteurs joining us in disguise to divert our focus into something else we
believe is not important are our antagonists.

Next, the genuine patriots must use the crisis within the TPLF/EPRDF and move
on.  As started, they ought to call upon the different factions allied with the
current regime:  the military, the civic and political organizations to stand in
solidarity with the people against Mele’s regime, and as well ought to continue
agitating the public to be watchful and ready to deal with whatever comes next. 
For sure, the on going internal conflict would undermine the TPLF/EPRDF’S
organizational strengths and technical support it happens to preserve from
within.  And in due time the civil disobedience popular with both the young and
old, audiences shall reinforce the internal conflict and finally put an end to
the ethnocentric dictatorial regime in Ethiopia and to that of the fake
revolutionaries that declared the war publicly and of course in an emphatic way
but at the end there were not anywhere nearby.  And yet both the current
Ethiopia’s socioeconomic crisis and the internal conflict from within the
TPLF/EPRDF and the church led by Aba Paulos are the real threats revolutionaries
must capitalize on to force Meles out of power too.  Unlike the atypical
movement mentioned above and its bogus call, the upcoming revolution in Ethiopia
is bound to be the only way to do away with Meles’ tyrannical regime.
Historically though what the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the
American Revolution, the Ethiopian Revolution, the Agrarian Revolution, the
Tunisian and Egyptian Revolution had in common was nothing but change.   Radical
Change now!  Therefore, revolution is a must now both to reflect on the current
understanding of our situation in Ethiopia and the complex phenomenon the tyrant
regime brought us to rule our country with an iron fist. 

.

Last but not least, what the false prophets know best and carry on is confusion,
mistaking one for another and gone astray and ended up lost. So here is when we
ought to say enough is enough for them.  We must tell them loud and clear that
they are false prophets for they are deceiving the public and as well
circulating reports, pamphlets and statements without facts to confirm their
truth. Time and time again they tried everything they could to lead the public
into an error of action such as the call they made for the 28th of May 2011. 
“In religion, a false prophet is one who falsely claims the gift of prophecy, or
who uses that gift for evil ends. Often, someone who is considered a “true
prophecy” by some people is simultaneously considered a “false prophet” by
others”  Be that as it may, it is not up to the fake ones but up to the genuine
revolutionaries and the public at large to exploit the situation at hand and
move on. As it happens, a ground breaking revolution is necessary, and then,
unity, organization and strong leadership are the most important continuities
the public need to recognize in order to remove the TPLF/EPRDF out of power.   
Lastly, we must reject the false prophets under way and act in unison to defy
and defy now their act of denial and ploy.  The false prophets aside, we are
expecting a unified force led by Long Standing Political organizations to take
the leadership position ahead; a unified force that is prepared to resist, to
control, and to vanquish that of Mele’s apartheid policy and the system
altogether.  Ethiopians have dethroned the king and unseated the military junta
in the past.  Today what they need is not a bogus call from afar but real
freedom fighters from nearby that would lead the people to victory.   

Down with Narrow Nationalism!!

What follows is a brief excerpt from my forthcoming book (planned to be a little over 300 pages), “The Ethiopian Revolution and the Generation of the 1970s: Dreams, Memories and Harsh Realities.” The two main characters – Jembernesh and Kurat – were childhood lovers in the 1970s. After being apart for many decades, they unexpectedly met at a conference in May 2006. The Kitchen Story takes place while Kurate is visiting Jembernesh in Paris, where she lives.

By Maru Gubena

It was a sticky, hot July, and we had spent a long and extremely tiring day visiting the Eiffel Tower and many other museums and sights of Paris. Immediately after arriving home, my Jember of the 1970s and I went upstairs to rest for a while. A little more than an hour later, we went downstairs to prepare and eat some food.

Jember held my right hand tightly and pulled me towards the kitchen. She said lovingly “Kurate Hode, wouldn’t you like to stay here with me in the kitchen while I warm up our dinner? We still need to eat, it’s pretty late. I think the children will probably stay ’til late evening or perhaps the whole night, enjoying themselves with their father at Disneyland. By the way, am I offending you by bringing you to the kitchen? I mean, traditionally speaking, many Ethiopian males don’t even enter the kitchen, and since you and I have grown apart over the last three decades, I really don’t know what you think about it. In many cases, even if a man wants to enter the kitchen, his wife and other female family members will not allow it. In Ethiopia the kitchen is strictly forbidden territory for most Ethiopian males, as I was taught in childhood.

“Isn’t this a very strange and a tragic pattern of our culture? Just imagine, Kurate Hode, if a man were starving to death and there were no women and no girls around, what then? What is he going to do? What will he eat? You know, I can vividly recall what my mother, and more particularly my maternal grandmother, used to tell all of the female family members.

“‘A real man, a real Ethiopian patriot,’ said my grandmother, talking to me and two of my younger sisters, ‘would never, never go into the kitchen. It is a room just for women, where they prepare and cook all the food for the family. The man is just supposed to enjoy the food prepared for him by his wife, mother, sisters or grandmothers, after a woman has brought the food to the dining room or wherever he is to eat. But certainly not in the kitchen’.

“When Kuku, my youngest sister was just eleven – she really enjoys provoking her family – asked grandmother a question that was a bit confrontational, grandma got somewhat emotional. Kukuye’s question was in fact simple and it was valid, at least in my eyes. It was enough, though, to annoy grandmother. In her usual bossy way, Kukuye loudly asked grandmother and all of us ‘Imagine now Eneye, grandma, that I am married to a very handsome, gentle and hardworking young man, who is very caring and loves me so dearly, what will happen if I take my husband into the kitchen to help me cook and talk with me? Why would this be wrong, Anchi Eneye?’

“My grandmother began to stare at me and my sisters, Kukuye and Kiduse. She began to shake her head in a way that clearly showed her surprise and her complete disapproval of Kukuye’s question. Grandma then spoke to my sister, saying ‘my love Kukuye, come here in front of me and listen! You are not going to do that. You are not supposed to take your husband into the kitchen, however deep his love for you may be. If you do that, then your husband will no longer be a man. He will be seen by the neighbourhood and by all the villagers as a man without his manliness. A man married to a lovely girl like you, like my grandchild, is supposed to be sensible. He must be responsible for the entire community, to help save lives, secure peace and restore hope for our entire people and beyond. But he must never be allowed to accompany my lovely girl into the forbidden “women’s territory” of the kitchen. If any of you do that, you will never see my face again,’ concluded Eneye angrily. As can be imagined, Kiduse and I were a bit scared by her frowning face. But not the bossy Kukuye! Instead she kept on irritating Eneye.

“‘What is that?’ asked Kukuye again, challenging the strong traditional beliefs of our grandmother. Grandmother looked more and more irritated, tired of the confrontational behaviour of her own granddaughter. ‘Listen my love, it simply means that if you allow your husband into the kitchen, he will not be a complete man. He will be seen by the whole community as half man, half woman, someone who is not capable of protecting his family and his country.’

“Kukuye wouldn’t stop, however. She kept challenging, asking more and more questions. These were interesting and relevant, though not in the eyes of our grandma. Kukuye said ‘but Anchi Eneye, that wouldn’t be true. How is it possible that my husband wouldn’t be a complete man? Who says so? What makes him incomplete? Of course not! Such things wouldn’t happen to my husband; unless people in our village did something crazy to him, my husband would remain exactly the same man as long as he still had all of his body parts. That is what I believe, even though I will have to wait and see for myself.’

“My grandmother had become increasingly angry. She seemed to have had enough of trying to advise and teach us. She reacted not just to Kukuye and her confrontational questions, but to all of us. ‘I don’t want any more talk with any of you. Woregna hulu! Please leave me alone! Leave this room immediately! Please go away. I don’t want any more of your talk and questions.’ Then we all ran outside to play hide and seek, which we always enjoyed.

“But you know, Kurate Hode, this is an important issue, and a difficult one for me. Let me tell you a little more about how I feel. I see myself as an agent, an engine, of change. I often go places, not just to inform people, women and men, young and old, but more importantly, to make them really understand the broad gaps that have always existed between women and men. They need to see how urgent it is to change the inequalities that have lasted so long. I honestly love doing everything I can to bridge these gaps. But unfortunately I have a real dilemma. Even though I completely disagree with the views of my grandmother and people like her, when it touches deep inside my own household or my personal life, I often find it extremely difficult to accept, not to mention enjoying it. Whenever I see Hailu, my husband, standing in an apron in the kitchen cutting up a whole chicken or trying to make Enjera, our traditional food in Ethiopia, I just can’t stand him; I can’t tolerate him being busy with women’s business. I actually don’t mind seeing him making some small things, like breakfast or salads. But not those big dishes, certainly not our traditional foods. I honestly really hate it. Yigermehal Ayimechegnim. Betam Yidebregnal! I always prefer to make our big dishes by myself; then I feel so happy, so satisfied when I see my husband and my children enjoying the food.

“Also, I remember how worried I was when I used to travel long distances and attend a conference for two or more days, leaving my children behind with my husband. Even though I am 100 percent certain that my husband loves his children just as much as I do, I nevertheless always felt that he might not take care of them in the same way as I do. I used to spend many unnecessarily sleepless nights.”

I found Jember’s story and her experiences fascinating, and listened attentively. Now it was my turn to say a few words – just a few words, especially since I could not disagree with Jembere’s story and her experiences: I am undisputedly part and parcel of Ethiopian culture and society, and often heard such stories being told to my own sisters. On the other hand, I was somewhat surprised by Jembere’s hazy memory when she said “I really don’t know what you think about being in the kitchen,” so I tenderly repeated what I had told her some time ago.

I looked directly at Jembere and said softly and adoringly “I thought I told you a few days after we met again, at the conference, that I love being in the kitchen – especially with you, with my Jember, my Mukete. In fact, cooking is something that I enjoy so much. Whenever I cook I always feel creative and joyful. I hope you don’t see this as an advertisement, but cooking, cleaning and ironing are among my favorite hobbies, especially after sitting in front of the computer for a long time. Those physical activities relax my mind and my entire body. I might even say that I become more energetic and enthusiastic, and I am able to produce great text for articles or academic papers.

But what I want to tell you most of all is that I am fascinated by the story from your childhood. It is a great example of something I see all the time. Ethiopian socio-cultural values and norms seem to have been constructed to discourage girls and women from enjoying their relationships with their husbands, lovers and friends to the fullest.”

“Oh yes!” responded Jembere enthusiastically. She looked a bit serious and went on: “that is part of the reason I am always running from place to place or from symposium to symposium. Those harmful traditional values and practices like keeping males out of the forbidden territory of the kitchen mean that men cannot share household responsibilities. But there are so many complex issues for African women, including their socio-economic position within African society. Then there are things like female genital mutilation (female circumcision), which permanently affect the health of women and girls in Africa. None of us should ever stop lobbying and campaigning against traditions like that.”

Maru Gubena

Readers who wish to contact the author can reach me at info@pada.nl

 By Yilma Bekele

“… within an established totalitarian regime the purpose of propaganda is not to persuade, much less to inform, but to humiliate. From this point of view, propaganda should not approximate to the truth as closely as possible: on the contrary it should do as much violence to it as possible. For by endlessly asserting what is patently untrue, by making such untruth ubiquitous and unavoidable, and finally by insisting that everyone publicly acquiesce in it, the regime displays its power and reduces individuals to nullities. Who can retain his self-respect when, far from defending what he knows to be true, he has to applaud what he knows to be false – not occasionally, as we all do, but for the whole of his adult life?”ⁱ

That is the capability the Meles regime is trying to build in Ethiopia. Anthony Daniel observed this and other strange behaviors by human beings during his travels inside totalitarian regimes of East Germany, Albania, North Korea and Cuba. The Ethiopian regime is modeled after them. All the above countries were/are economically backward, single party dominated with a sick megalomaniac in charge and highly armed. Cultivation of fear was their number one industry. The fear administered by these regimes is studied for its effectiveness and meant to strip the individuals of his/her self-respect. To dehumanize the person into submission was the main goal of the totalitarian state.

In Ethiopia the regime has all the tools of coercion at its disposal. The regime is the number one employer in the country. All our cousins rely on the goodwill of the regime. All land belongs to the State, thus ninety percent of Ethiopians live at the whims of the Federal government, the Kilil, all the way to the Kebele level. One false move and it is the end of the World, as they know it. They are victims of engineered fear.

Part Three of the video with ‘Ethiopian Merchants’ was all what the meeting was about. It is the Crown Jewel display of a regime bullying its own citizens that contribute the most. It was to give a public spanking to the people that have been operating under tremendous pressure to eek out a living. It was a moment to emasculate the Ethiopian merchants. We are talking about a breed of people that survived the socialist, military, and ‘strong man’ rule Ethiopia only to be administered a public flogging by The Leader himself. I am sure there are some that take the short cut. They are a few. The biggest and insurmountable threat was coming from the State subsidized, Privately owned conglomerates like EFFORT and its offsprings.

Despite all this our merchants were finding ways of going around obstacles and supporting family and friends. Our merchants are our best ambassadors. They travel to the remotest of Chinese villages to get a bargain. These naturally smart people seasoned in the art of trade on international level by sheer determination and drive were declared unnecessary and irrelevant by Ato Meles. He said the regime would rather involve in meaningful development rather than ‘being a soap peddler’ like the merchants. That was said in contempt, which is very sad. I guess we all can’t be Prime Ministers.

The meeting was to humiliate our merchants. Ato Meles was hitting hard. He meant to completely obliterate the middle class. This meeting was the unfurling of his new scheme. His new attempt to copy Wal-Mart and incorporate that success into nation building scheme. I told you he was unconventional. To go with our new flag, we will have a new name. Welcome to the Federal Democratic Republic of Wal-Opia where the regime ‘buys in bulk, repackage it, determine the profit margin and allow the worthless peasants to distribute it.

Fasten your seat belt; Ato Meles is the driver this time around. Looks like Colonel Mengistu jettisoned off a while back. If you close your eyes, you are excused, no one likes going off a cliff without a parachute. So sorry about that, there is only one parachute in this bus. Hope you enjoyed your final ride.

In Part Three Ato Meles was using the power of his office, the absolute control of Parliament and security under him to bully the merchants into submission. At the end of Part Two He called them common thieves that present false vouchers never to be trusted (7:37) then went into bully mode right away. In Part Three he started off by mentioning the last meeting with the same merchants and remembered it this way:

We assumed that the road from the existing system to the correct system would be a rocky one when we discussed with you earlier, and we agreed on the ‘price set’ I remember the questions some of you asked. You said if this policy does not work what are you going to do next, the question might have been innocent on the other hand it might have hidden messages like we are going to sabotage the price controls so what we are you going to do next

I would say this type of approach does not encourage frank discussions especially if the PM sees ulterior motive behind every question? He said that to lay the ground rules for this meeting. The story he told next is the map of economic activity under the rule of TPLF new and improved formulae.

He said the economic policy he had in place for the last twenty years assumed that by shielding the trade sector from foreign capital our people would accumulate enough capital and move into industry, farming and manufacturing. It did not happen. (1:01) Thus the blame lies on the merchant class for not involving in those activities. He reminded them of what he said before of the possibility of opening the market to foreign competition or the State being forced to participate in the trade sector. Thus due to the sabotage by the merchants against his ‘price control policy’ and the general lack of competition he announced, “we have decided to pick a few main commodities such as Oil, Sugar and Wheat and restructure the system how they are imported. What that means is one central authority purchases for all of Ethiopia and in bulk and we will have several choices to get cheap price in other words like what the Koreans do. (Please note he did not specify which Korea and what exactly they do?) We can buy it unrefined and refine and repackage it here.” (4:14)

Next is where the theory is seen in its practical form. The plan is as elegant as any devised by a committee of academicians sitting in their high tower and equating ants to human activity. You can see the problem a mile away. Looks like he forgets the pesky ugly trait humans possess that is known as ‘free will’ and it never fails to show up. This is what the Great Leader for life said “Upon buying it in bulk we do not want to assume the distribution end of it. We want plenty of distributors and retailers in every town what we don’t want is vertical integration between retailer and distributor. (5:03). It will be done in all the Kilils. We want your cooperation here. In the future we are not going to worry about the price of beer here and meat over there we want to make a fundamental solution. (9:03). We want to start slow and include all commodities.”

The Ethiopian government just declared a section of its most vibrant and creative citizens irrelevant. This is not the first time. Ato Meles and company have this nasty habit of taking a section of society and making an enemy out of. There was a time when Ato Meles declared University professors unnecessary. The best and experienced were fired. We kept quiet. Independent Trade Unions were deemed superfluous and leaders like Ato Assefa Maru were fatally shot in public. We turned a blind eye. Political Parties not organized by TPLF were seen as the enemy and Ato Meles used state power to murder leaders (Professor Asrat Woldeyes) Imprison elected leaders (Kinijit) jail leader of an opposition Party (Judge Bertukan Mideksa) disrupt (All Ethiopia, OFDM, OPC, Andenet) and we turned our face away. Independent News Paper editors, publishers, reporters and even street venders were systematically eliminated and we betrayed all by our silence.

Is there room for optimism here? Do you think our bosses found the secret formula to grow our economy and usher in a period of peace and harmony? You know the answer. If it has not borne fruit in twenty years it is not going to happen even if you give it additional hundred years. I am not being a naysayer, just realistic. There comes a time where you swallow your pride and admit defeat and get out of the way. That time has arrived. Ato Meles and company were given a clean sheet and given the power and authority to draw any picture they wanted. There was no opposition, no organized force to stop them and no external enemy to threaten them.

When you consider Meles and company never have any experience running a little kiosk let alone a national economy there is no surprise for that uneasy feeling we all have. There is one thing al the TPLF leaders have in common before they assumed power. They never had a bank account, they have never worked for wages, and they have never paid rent, bought a car, shopped for insurance or received utility bills. All their knowledge comes from theory not real life experience. There is no substitute for actual experience.

When Ato Meles speaks of being a distributor of oil and sugar and when he talks about vertical integration and stuff you know it all came from books, not real life situation. The fact of the matter is Wal-Mart is successful because it is driven by purely personal interest. The central motive is making a profit. Wal-Mart faced competition and relied on the creative potential of the founder and his associates to build such a colossal successful enterprise. It is testimonial to the power of the individual to excel when given the chance. Cadres are not capable of understand that fact.

The Ethiopian people are under tremendous pressure. The Meles regime has used the last twenty years to sharpen its weapons of coercion. They might have failed in growing the economy but they have excelled in constructing a prison that passes itself as a country. They might not have enough books for our children, they might not have medicine for our sick, they might not have enough food in storage for our people, they might not have enough teachers, doctors and other professionals to make our peoples life better but they have the best army fully equipped, they have the best security force that is embedded in every house hold and even have the latest and fastest computers to spy on, collect information and intimidate the population.

That is in Ethiopia. How about outside? What is the situation with those that escaped from this national jail? Have they managed to conquer the fear? What do you think? I am asking you my reader, yes, you! Are you afraid of Ato Meles? Shouldn’t distance from the source of fear relieve us of some of that anxiety? I see, you claim you are not afraid. Good, I will take your word for it. But I got a question for you. Now tell me when Ato Meles and company are abusing your cousins, squandering your wealth, exposing your parents to famine and starvation, exiling the young and able how did you respond? Did you say hold on a minute this does not sound right?

Some did. A vast majority of us choose the road of see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. Why? Because Fear cannot be wished away. Fear has become part of our persona. Fear of authority, fear of elders and the tendency to conform is a sickness we are unable to overcome. Most of us are aware that the current regime under the TPLF is not the way out. We all talk of the incoming apocalypse. We are always predicting civil war, internal strife, bloodshed around the corner and implosion from inside. What is so curious is that most of us are not willing to do what is necessary to avoid this horrible scenario unfolding in front of us. May be it will be a good idea if we take the time to self analyze and find the reason for this self-destructive behavior.

It is not true that the individual is helpless to do anything about it. That is a cover we give our self to avoid responsibility. As it is said not a single raindrop will admit to be the cause of the flood. The same with us, we might think our individual action is insignificant in the scheme of things but how wrong we are. It is our individual action that empowers the tyrant, plus you can only answer for your actions not for mine, so what do you say fellow country person? Are you contributing to your liberation or slavery?

The last few days we are really happy that Secretary of State Clinton told the AU and Ato Meles about the importance of Democracy. I am very happy. But why do I get this feeling that her words do not match her deeds? Isn’t Ato Meles coddled and propped up by our foreign friends? Who trains and equips his army, who grants him loans from World Bank and IMF, who lets him sit with elected leaders in International settings, who bestows legitimacy on him? So tell me what is all this excitement about?

I understand now. It is that old habit of wishing others to do the dirty job for us. It is that dysfunctional tendency we have acquired to outsource the liberation struggle. It is not going to work. It has been tried for the last twenty years with nothing to show for it. Looks like the burden is on us again. May be it is about time we do some growing up and face responsibility? May be it is about time we cut out this pretension and stand up to be counted. No one can force you to do the right thing. No one can make you see the light. No one can help you regain your self-esteem. It is one thing to play dead, what I don’t understand is this tendency we have to feverishly oppose even those that are trying to stand up for our rights. Some of us are an embarrassment to our heritage and our brave ancestors.

i Anthony Daniel ‘The wilder shores of Marx.’

fekadubekele@gmx.de  

From the outset I would like to express my frustration that Professor Messay`s article does not have any new substance or cannot be accepted as entailing a thoughtful idea. Those who side with the position of the Professor may think and believe that Professor Messay wrote a grand theory which might be seen as a panacea to save Ethiopia from all the evils the Meles regime has inflicted.

After reading the article twice, I cannot detect the theoretical and methodological foundation of the article of Professor Messay. Howerver, Professor Messay believes that his approaches in characterizing the Meles regime, and Meles himself, and the theory of developmental state are new theoretical reflections which can be carefully studied. In all the three points I cannot scrutinize the exact methodological and scientific approaches to substantiate his theory. Except that he commands the English language which makes impossible for many to detect his theoretical weakness, I am not convinced that the article can teach us new things. 

If somebody writes such an article he must either explicitly or implicitly clarify that he follows some paradigmatic approaches to prove that the article he writes reflects things which are taking place on the ground.

First of all to pursue authoritarian politics is not a matter of choice, but it is a desire of certain groups to impose their interests and thereby to shape the entire political landscape according to these interests. Such kind of authoritarian politics emanates from the nature of the person who seizes political power. In order to understand the character of such an authoritarian ruler one should study the society and the circumstances he grew up in, and the education system which shaped his mind to behave like this. Family backgrounds also play decisive roles in shaping the mind of such an authoritarian ruler. As Meles and his compatriots are the products of a particular area, even though they boast that they follow this or that ideology, what ultimately decides their thinking and handling is the socioeconomic condition and the family background in which they grew up. Philosophers, psychologists, and men of drama like Schiller have already proved that the exercise of political power for good or bad can be conditioned on the particular circumstance in which the political actors are grown up. To say that Meles had no other option than to be an authoritarian means that he can alter his mind at any time and become a democrat. That is why Professor Messay thinks that there is no other option than building a grand coalition before the country falls into pieces or the situation ends in bloodshed.

If we accept the argument of Professor Messay as he tried to analyze in his essay, what Meles and his friends did against Ethiopia was not calculated from the outset, and they were compelled to follow an ethnic and a neo-liberal policy because they did not have any other choices. As we all know Meles and his group could not seize political power without the help of Blair and the American government. The West in general and America in particular did everything to eliminate the Mengistu regime to wipe Ethiopian nationalism out once and for all. Therefore ethnic politics and neo-liberal economic policy as Meles had introduced and practiced in Ethiopia could not be materialized without the help of America and England. In all his previous analysis when Professor Messay accuses the Meles regime, he either deliberately or unconsciously omits the role of the Americans and the British in shaping the Ethiopian politics over the last 20 years. Only in a weakened country in which a regime which pursues ethnic or any other politics which fits the interests of the West and practices a neo-liberal economic policy, it is easy for the West to meddle in the internal affairs of such a weakened country.

Coming to neo-liberalism, it seems that Professor Messay did not understand the economic policy of the Meles regime prior to the 2005 election. As if the regime until then did not follow a neo-liberal economic policy, Professor Messay tells us that the Meles regime understood well the danger of neo-liberalism and has done everything to convince his comrades to follow his developmental policy which is strictly regulated and manipulated by the state. To my understanding, prior to the election of 2005, Meles and his regime had agreed with the IMF and the World Bank to strictly apply the structural adjustment program (SAP). Devaluation of the Ethiopian birr in relation to the US Dollar, privatization, liberalization of the internal and foreign market, reducing state budget for social purposes, so as to canalize the money for productive “purposes”, are all instruments of neo-liberal economic policies. In all Sub-Saharan African countries where such a policy was applied, though the negative effects vary from country to country, in general such a policy has enriched the few and impoverished the masses. There are well documented studies which show the negative effects of SAPs. In short the main agenda of SAPs was to de-industrialize Africa, and to make her dependent on one or two raw material or agricultural products. The chaotic situation in many Sub-Saharan African countries, including Ethiopia prove that how SAP was designed to impoverish the entire continent and canalize wealth to the capitalist West via different mechanisms. If any country accepts the shock doctrine of the IMF, it will end up in permanent debt, and payments of this debt permanently by transferring her hardly won wealth every year become a natural law which must continue indefinitely. It is a calculated intrigue of the West to systematically unlock such kinds of governments to pursue a macroeconomic economic policy which does not work in such backward countries like that of Ethiopia. After the Meles regime has been applying for almost fifteen years such a bitter economic policy, to say that he has well understood the danger of neo-liberalism is a pure mockery against the Ethiopian people. The misunderstanding of the work of the IMF and the World Bank is not only the fault of Professor Messay. Many Ethiopian economists whom I know have the same attitudes; and many of them cannot understand the ideological foundation of neo-liberalism. Because all hate the Meles regime, they believe that what our country had to experience over the last 20 years is solely the work of one dictator. It is perceived that all foreign forces and their international organizations which shape economic polices for Third World Countries are by their nature innocent. The widespread belief is that African dictators block the application of the policy as is prescribed by the IMF and the school books and thus all countries are condemned to poverty.

Coming to the developmental state, many development experts, by eliminating social history and economic anthropology from their heads convinced many Third World students that the policy of developmental state is a new phenomenon which can be reduced to few countries. If one studies the economic history of Europe, at least from the fourteenth century onwards, state systems had played crucial roles in shaping and manipulating their economies and social systems. Especially from the sixteenth century onwards, European Monarchs had pursued an active economic policy to develop a home market in their respective boundaries. Their approaches were holistic, and supported by all available instruments to build a coherent and strong nation in their respective countries. If we come to Japan, there were well established relationships on one hand between the German and the Japanese governments, and on the other hand between the United States of America and Japan during the Meiji dynasty. Japan had sent some young men to Germany to study the economic performance of Germany, and sent others to America to study modern administration systems. The Meiji dynasty which had a well disciplined military organization, and which was determined to modernize the economy had forced the industrialization of Japan. The unique socio-cultural condition of Japan and their disciplined psychological make-up helped Japan to materialize her inward looking strategy. Without a disciplined bureaucracy, and without a unique culture which prevails in the society, it was not possible for Japan and others to pursue their policies. As Professor Messay believes these countries did not follow a strict free market economic policy and the rule of law, but the unique relationship that had prevailed between the banking system, the state and the industrial sector helped the industrialization of Japan and South Korea. During the 70s and 80s South Korea was governed by military dictators which did not allow any political participation, and the organization of trade union was strictly forbidden. As some critical analysts affirm, foreign debt and military dictatorship are behind the industrialization of South Korea.

To apply in countries like Ethiopia such a strictly state oriented economic development policy like that of Japan and South Korea is an impossible task, because the cultural situation of the society and the psychological make-up of the intelligentsia are factors which block any meaningful economic agenda. The fragmented and intriguing characters we have, and the loss of our self-reliance, and weak theoretical background we posses, are some of the factors which block our wishes to develop Ethiopia. I do not know any Ethiopian economist who has extensively studied the role of Mercantilism, and the Works of Friedrich List, Heinrich Pesch, and others, which are crucial indeed for the application of a developmental state economic policy. Neither do I know who has a good understanding of philosophy and tries to combine philosophy, sociology and cultural transformation with a kind of renaissance economic policy to foster industrialization policy in our country. As so long as we are stick to the market economic policy of the IMF and the World Bank it is practically impossible to get Ethiopia out of the present situation.

Having this in mind, if we come to the advice of Professor Messay to create a power-sharing arrangement with the regime, I do not believe that the Meles regime with such a bloody past, and which has been selling our country to the so-called foreign investors, and systematically destabilizes our country so that patriotic feelings could not develop among the youth, will accept an arrangement which could save Ethiopia. Meles and his clique are determined to see a much weakened Ethiopia, and could stay on power when they follow such an intriguing policy. Foreigners who know the regime very well say that Meles and his clique hate Ethiopia, and the divide and rule system which they have been systematically applying nation-wide over the last 20 years weakened the entire nation. Today we have in Ethiopia not a political elite as Professor Messay thinks and believes; instead we have a Mafia system across the country which has corrupted all the local administrators. How is it possible to build a grand coalition with such a regime which dreams day and night to see a very fragmented and weakened Ethiopia? Meles like his masters, the West hates the concept of a Nation-State, because only through a strong Nation-State the people of a given country could freely exercise their true freedom, and build a strong economy which is based on science and technology. It seems that Professor Messay does not know what is going on in Ethiopia, and the real economic and social conditions which the Ethiopian people are subjected to. Therefore, not only from a theoretical, and paradigmatic point of view, but also from the conditions which are existing on the ground, and from the nature of the regime, the proposal of Professor Messay is not acceptable. At the same time when the Meles regime is in a very desperate position, and no more in a position to cope with the social and economic crises of the country it is unwise to call for a grand coalition.

The writer can be reached at fekadubekele@gmx.de

 Obo Arada Aba Shawl    June 13, 2011

Distortion on IBSA’s profile and belief

Introduction

I have read Amnewsupdate’s blog “The OLF controversy: Veteran OLF hardliner Ibsa Gutema…”as was posted in Assimba Website. I have also read Obo IBSA’s article titled “In Defense of Bilisummaa” that was attached also dated on same date as posted – May 22, 2011…

What IBSA Gutema wrote on colonial history and of economics is his own readings and belief. I think he belongs to a category of ADWA I in terms of history and Adwa II in terms of economic policy.

Since our days in school or in workplace (Transport), Ibsa and I have come to grasp that subsequent Ethiopian governments have been instruments of Oppression ጭቆና and Exploitation ብዝበዛ. The reason was simple. There was no written contractual agreement between the government of the day and the people of the day. Living together was based on simple trust cemented by Orthodox Christian belief.

However, according to Marxist historical theory, five economic systems have come to exist in the history of humans. IBSA and I have witnessed all the five systems of oppression and exploitation (OE) being concurrently practiced in the entire country of Ethiopia during our lifetime. These were

1. the primitive system

2. the slave system

3. the feudal system

4. the crude capitalist system and

5. The Pseudo socialist governance system.

Mr. Ibsa has encountered bureaucratic maladministration locally, regionally as well as on a national level whereas I have traveled and gathered first hand data/information on socio-economic system. We both theorized and analyzed the five systems of economic and political systems of Eathiopia. Mind you within our life time, centuries of transformation and reform was presented to us on a platform. No one can beat this speed except the “Melese regime’s TD Bond phenomenon”. Ours was an era of Revolutionary and Reform and we are still living in it. Are we not a bit lucky? I think we are.

What I am writing here is to defend Ibasa’s personal records in college, in government and in social affairs. There are ten points that should be corrected or updated by Amnewsupdate in order to be a credible blog.

The content of the blog

1. about politics of hate

The first sentence starts with “Ibsa Gutema is no novice to hate politics.” What an assertion of distortion. I have known this person for exactly half a century (50 years). He was and still he is an Oromo nationalist but not an internationalist! Is it not true that nationalism is higher ideal than tribalism? Which one do we choose a Tigrian tribalist or an Oromo nationalist? You be the Judge.

IBSA Gutema cannot hate politics as he chose to graduate in political science. Are we referring to ethnicity, nationalism or religion? Ethnicity is about survival, nationalism is about faith, and religion is about hope.

IBSA’s personal life did not apply in any of these three. As far as his personal life is concerned, he is the only person I know who is happily married for life with a large family. He did not, have identity crisis of nationalism for his roots are deeply entrenched in Oromia. And as far as hope, he was/is an Orthodox Christian who believes in the next world. So why did he chose to live in prison for a decade, to be exiled or to advocate for Oromia Nationalism. The answer is simple and straight foreword. He is worried for the Oromo people. That does not mean he is not interested in Ethiopia and Eathiopians. That is precisely why he asked the right question at the right place and at the right time. Manew Ethiopiawi? That question ማነው ኢትዮጵያዊ was it sociological, anthropological, psychological or political question? At the time, for me it was a poetical question and I did not care for poetry at the time. For many Eathiopians, poem is a way out for freedom of expression. I leave the answer to the readers of this article. Who is IBSA? Oops, wrong question.

A decade ago, I asked Obo IBSA why he was still stacked to his poem of the 1960’s. He said to me jokingly “no one gave me a response” That was and perhaps how he still feels. Forty years is a long period of time to be national of any nation. There is always a statute of limitation in any society.

2. about joining the Melese regime

A decade ago, I had asked IBSA as to his participation within EPRDF’s government, he told me that OLF has accepted the power sharing on the following principles:-

The Oromo’s for the most part were/are peasant farmers and were suburbanized, for this reason; the OLF chose to take four cabinet ministers in order to transform their people’s lives…These were

• The ministry of Agriculture

• The ministry of Interior

• The ministry of Education and

• The ministry of Information

These four ministries are conducive for changing lives and for transformation and development even for any developed nation. Mind you, OLF leaders did not aspire for the defense, foreign affairs or finance which they left for the “Habeshas”. By the way the Habesha is a pejorative name even for the Northern Ethiopians including to the Eritreans.

Actually that was the right and correct way of transformation and development not the current way the Melese regime wanted us to believe about TD

The Oromos are far genuine for transformation and development though not necessarily at their expense. I have witnessed it myself when I was in National Service. If they were for the so-called “independence” struggle – they would perhaps, choose other ministries. I believe their whole cultural identity is based on “DEMOCRACIA” bottom up not top-down as is the way of the “Habesha’s.”

3. The Blogger claims that IBSA lives in lives in New York, that is not true

4. The Blogger claims that IBSA has penned a book about the fictional Ethiopia. That writer is not IBSA Gutema, it was Sisay Ibsa.

5. My own observation is that everybody and everyone are sticking to his/her birthplace or residence and not to ideology or commerce. The writer of the blog teases IBSA that he did not know anybody from Eritrea perhaps colonized. The fact is that IBSA’s roommates were for the most part were Eritreans.

6. IBSA does not need exit visa or entry visa from leaders he does not recognize. As far as he is concerned, he is a freeman to go in and out of his birth place

7. We are not Ethiopians – the empire has to be dismantled. This is the slogan IBSA’s and every one of us believes. If we all believe in DEMOCRACIA and democratization in all over Ethiopia, then we are speaking of dismantling the Empire, be it the empire of MTY (Minilik-Tewodros-Yohannes), be it of Haile Sellasie, and be it of Menghistu, Melese or Issais. The Eway Ethiopian Revolution was carried out in order to democratize the Institutions of Ethiopia. We have not done that yet. And so the struggle will continue.

8. The Blogger claims that IBSA played a prominent role in the abandonment of Geez Alphabet and adoption of the so-called Quubi. What is wrong with this effort? Are we opposing knowledge or the abuse of knowledge? Geez Alphabet: AGOL (alpha-Geez-Omega-Latin).

9. Obo IBSA has written a book on Conscience in relation to Prison and Prisoners in Ethiopia. The Blog did not mention about this book. Why?

10. Although I have not seen it, I was told that IBSA has produced a Dictionary of Oromiffa.

I do understand that many of my readers will be puzzled by mixing up the above named personality of leaders. However, it is time to tell that we all should have common understanding of Ethiopia or Ethiopianism. “Call me by my name, what is my name?’

• The Europeans has defined Ethiopia on a mythical geography.

• The Amharas defined Ethiopia in terms of philosophical geography

• The Tigrigna speakers defined Ethiopia as physical geography

All others including IBSA’s Ethiopia is defined by Political Geography.

As if the above definition is not enough to confuse us, there is the Biblical definition of Ethiopia which in real terms is not compatible with the current state of religious affairs being practiced everywhere.

CONCLUSION

IBSA Gutema is not a linguist scholar and I am not educated in linguistics either. IBSA was educated in political science and I was educated in Economics. IBSA has worked in various Bureaucracies of Ethiopia and he understands the concept of Oppression. I do recognized what Exploitation was meant as I have worked in semi-autonomous organizations.

Take for example, the Kilil concept, and we should have a look at Addis Ababa and its environs. It is populated by Oromo population. Look inside the Washington Metropolitan surroundings. It is populated by Eathiopian aka known as Amharas. My friend IBSA and I do not communicate on geographical or mythological terms but on ideological and political understandings.

When IBSA says the Empire “has to be dismantled” I think he meant the way Eathiopians think is outdated. They are still live in conspiracy and secrecy. That age is gone for ever.

I know IBSA’s action and thought are motivated by love, the outcome of which will be advantageous to all of us.

We do not have to believe what we have read or heard. We should not support liars.

Proposal

Democratic culture is the norm. One piece of advice to my friend Ibsa is to come out and revisit the broken families, the academic and the communities. It is not about the government that is responsible for killing the Oromos. Everyone and everybody is aware of the world is even lost between working class and the capitalist.

As a seasoned politician and an elder citizen, please come up with a workable proposition. I for one believe that we all need a cultural change – a Revolutionary or a Reform – I cannot tell. For a starter, I can suggest a debate among Eathiopians who reside in Washington Metropolitan in Virginia and Maryland. According to my preliminary studies, our Diaspora communities are clustered on the following basis.

• The Socialist Eathiopians are living in Maryland

• The Ethiopian Capitalists reside in Virginia

• And the hyphenated Eathiopians are living in Washington DC

Let us debate about economic and political systems and not for nation-nationality issues based on languages and ethnicities. Our common friend Wallelign has done that. It is time to move on beyond building Walls as in Shaebia, building Dams as in Woyane but building Bridges as in BRDCMV.

Let us respect DKW (Dega-Kola-Weina) of our country not victory or domination as wrongly claimed by the leaders of Shaebia and Woyane. Our actions should be on negotiations and should be demonstrated in good faith for success stories belong to those who operate in good faith. The leaders of Shaebia, Woyane and their outcrops do not operate on good faith. Both organizations hate the word democracy maybe they are scared, I cannot tell. As to the new emerging agents such as Medrek and Ginbote, we should not be bothered by their intentions and actions. They have to learn the hard way as we did.

The current regimes of Weyane and Shaebia cannot out-live, out-manipulate or maneuver other Eathiopians no matter how clever they are. Everyone and everybody who acts in good faith have to pay a price. Our value or love is universal truth.

TRUTH WILL PREVAIL

For comments and questions

woldetewolde@yahoo.com