By Yilma Bekele

Foreign policy magazine had an article by Professor George Ayittey titled “The worst of the worst-bad dude dictators and general coconut heads.” As an Ethiopian I was sold by the title. I knew I was in familiar territory. That is one category we can claim ownership. There are a few human experiences that are sort of associated with our country. It is like when you mention marathon or distance running the first thing that comes to mind is mother Ethiopia and her barefoot runners. That is good. On the other hand say famine or starvation the face presented is that of an Ethiopian. That is bad.

Thus I was sure that Professor Ayittey’s article was such a place where our country will outshine the competition. Yes sir, we will make them eat dust. Gentlemen rev your engines here comes the most important list. This special list contains 23 autocrats that control 1.9 billion people. Here is how he started his article:

I call these revolutionaries-turned-tyrants “crocodile liberators,” joining the ranks of other fine specimens: the Swiss bank socialists who force the people to pay for economic losses while stashing personal gains abroad, the quack revolutionaries who betray the ideals that brought them to power, and the briefcase bandits who simply pillage and steal. Here’s my list of the world’s worst dictators. I have ranked them based on ignoble qualities of perfidy, cultural betrayal, and economic devastation. If this account of their evils makes you cringe, just imagine living under their rule.

That is just page one. So I shout hurry up with the list and turn the page over. Number one is Kim Jung IL of North Korea. It is ok no surprise here. Kim Jung is a formidable tyrant with some sort of crude Nuclear weapon by his bedside. Guess who comes next. Freaking Mugabe, that is who. I was a little disappointed but continued turning the page. The picture was that of General Than Shwe of Burma. He looks like some character from Disney with all the self- awarded medals covering half his chest. No mention of us. Next is none other than our neighbor General Al Bashir of Sudan.

Well you should see my disappointment. Why do you do this to me Professor, I plead. Are you trying to take the only thing we got going for us? The professor is very cruel. He ranked some dentist turned tyrant from Turkmenistan as number six, followed by our neighbor from the north Isaiyas Afworki, coming at number eight is a ‘ruthless thug’ from Uzbekistan, and Ahmadinejad of Iran taking the number nine spot. Our dear leader for life, architect of 99.6% victory Prime Minister Meles is ranked number ten.

To say I was furious is an under statement. I was crushed. I Googled Professor George B.N. Ayittey’s name. I wanted to know what beef he got with mother Ethiopia. What is going on here? What kind of joke is the professor playing on us? I can understand number three, may be number four but number ten seems a little harsh to me.

This does not bode well to either the Prime Minister or his TPLF cadres. They have been sharpening their craft for the last twenty-five years and all they got to show for it is lousy number ten ranking? I do believe the Professor is trying to make them the laughing stock of the country if not the neighborhood. Have you ever heard of respect for number ten?

As a self-respecting loyal subject of number ten I fired off an email to the good professor. I told him in no uncertain terms that we take offense to that. I understand we might not brandish Nuclear weapons like ‘Dear Leader’ Kim but we make it up with other cowardly acts. Just take the ranking of those crude Generals from Burma as number two. What do they got that we don’t have? For starters they have the Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi but we got Bertukan Mediksa. That is a wash. On the other hand while Aung San Suu Kyi is under a house arrest, Judge Bertukan is in solitary confinement at the rat infested Kaliti Prison. Surely number ten gets extra points for that.

Number ten has sacrificed over eighty thousand subjects in the Eritrean war with another ten thousand or more in Somalia and various other conflicts, can the Burmese tyrants equal that? They don’t even have the balls to start a war with their neighbors. Give me a break professor. The lower ranking of Mugabe and Al Bashir is further insult that should not go un noticed. When it comes to terrorizing ones own population they can’t even hold a candle to number ten. We are talking about targeted shooting of unarmed peaceful demonstrators in broad daylight, imprisonment of over forty thousand suspected opposition sympathizers and incarceration of the entire opposition party leaders. None of the two tin pot dictators can boast of such a feat. A few unorganized acts of terror here and there but I doubt they have a well-equipped Agazi force at their disposal.

I am really surprised that of all the glorious achievements by number ten the Professor saw fit to mention the following:

Worse than the former Marxist dictator he ousted nearly two decades ago, Zenawi has clamped down on the opposition, stifled all dissent, and rigged elections. Like a true Marxist revolutionary, Zenawi has stashed millions in foreign banks and acquired mansions in Maryland and London in his wife’s name, according to the opposition 

I tend to disagree. I would like to think murder and genocide will out rank simple thievery in the scheme of criminal acts. I also think those properties are a ruse to camouflage the real location of the retirement venue. As you know both countries have no qualms regarding shipping former tyrants to The Hague, thus I would think number ten is aiming for either Shanghai or Pyongyang.

Further more do you see any of the other contestants at the G20 meeting anywhere? No sir, it is number ten that shows up consistently. The fact that he has noting of value to contribute hasn’t stopped him from hobnobbing with elected leaders. It is not lost on the organizers that number ten’s presence gives vibrancy to a boring and uneventful gathering. It is also true that the organizers reserve a special section for the Ethiopian Diaspora to vent out while forcing number ten to crawl down in the back seat. Master Card is doing a commercial based on this true story. According to reliable sources the ad campaign goes like this:

Plane ticket to Toronto- $1500.00

First class Hotel- $2000.00/night

Limousine rental $500.00/day

The look on number ten hiding in his limo driving by angry Ethiopians: priceless.

There is some things money can’t buy, for everything else there is MasterCard!

In the name of fairness and decency we ask Professor Ayittey to revise his list and restore our well-deserved ranking. Number ten is getting ready to take the oath of office after the grueling campaign and we hope this ranking will not deter the Mugabes, Al Bashirs and other highly rated misfits from skipping the ceremony. Some are claiming that the lower ranking is a conspiracy by Ethiopian haters to discredit numbers ten’s glorious achievement, but I wouldn’t go that far. I urge the Professor to reconsider. You can read his article by clicking at the following site.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/06/21/the_worst_of_the_worst?page=0,0

“You can take me out of Ethiopia, but you can’t take Ethiopia out of me”
Please take your time to read the article.
Thank you.

Many Ethiopians and those interested in Ethiopia have asked themselves over the years why Ethiopians cannot get along, or why Ethiopian organizations, groups, or collectives seem to not work very well. Indeed, over the past few decades, we have seen countless Ethiopian collectives of all types split apart, disbanded, abandoned, rendered ineffective, or operating inefficiently, often because of intra-group conflict-conflict among the membership-and an inability to practice effective conflict resolution

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For example, consider the state of Ethiopian Orthodox churches in the Diaspora, which for various reasons happen to be the strongest voluntary organizations in the community. It is fair to say that at least half these churches have experienced serious conflict leading to break-ups. And much of this conflict is not substantive – not due to political or theological differences. A priest, during a recent sermon, remarked that nearly all the large North American cities have Ethiopian Orthodox churches. “What else do they have in common?” he asked the congregation. The answer was quick – “Feuds!”

I believe that the propensity for conflict and the lack of tools and capacity for conflict resolution are fundamental reasons for Ethiopia ‘s poverty and underdevelopment. Endless feuding and infighting from the grassroots level upwards have made it difficult for Ethiopians to build and sustain the social capital and institutions necessary for development. I think it is imperative that academicians and development practitioners make awareness of intra-group conflict a top priority for study and intervention. But before I make my case, I would like to describe the nature of the problem in greater detail. Here are a few interesting points.

First, the intra-group conflicts we see in Ethiopian collectives are seldom caused by differences in ideology, organizational structure, or other substantive reasons. Nor are they confined to organizations whose members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Indeed, virulent conflicts occur in apparently homogeneous groups whose memberships have not only similar ideologies, but similar frames of reference, perspectives, and interests.

Another interesting point is that such conflicts occur just as much in the Ethiopian Diaspora as they do in Ethiopia . This is interesting because in the Diaspora, factors such as poverty, various types of oppression, lack of education, etc., do not exist.

Finally, intra-group conflicts are found in all types of Ethiopian collectives. We can observe chronic feuding and infighting in families, extended families, non-political civic organizations such as professional associations, religious institutions, local community and charity organizations, as well as political associations.

So, why is there so much intra-group conflict characterized by personal feuds and infighting in Ethiopian society? And when there is conflict, why is conflict resolution so difficult? One explanation is that we have been brought up in an environment where certain dysfunctional behaviors that hamper effective communication, cause conflict, and hinder conflict resolution are the norm. Below is a list of some of these behaviors that I have observed. I ask readers to reflect on whether you have seen them in yourself, in others, in meetings, and other group settings.

Personalization of issues

This is when we are unable to conceptually distinguish between people and their ideas or thoughts. For example, if someone objects to a suggestion I make, I see the objection as personal attack, not as a simple difference of opinion. In response to the perceived personal attack, I respond with a personal attack, instead of discussing the issues. Hence, the initial disagreement over ideas turns into a personal struggle, and because it is a personal struggle where pride and survival are at stake, we end up unable to constructively ‘agree to disagree’. Groups whose members find it difficult to ‘agree to disagree’ become paralyzed by feuding and infighting and eventually collapse.

Parochialism

We tend to irrationally favor those from our own kin-family, village, team, and ethnic group-no matter what the cost. That is, if a person from my kin has a conflict with someone outside my kin, I automatically favor my colleague, no matter what the substance of the disagreement. Furthermore, I extend the conflict to a dislike of the stranger and his entire kin-his family, friends, place of employment, ethnic group, etc. This is the root of blood feuds.

Parochialism within organizations leads to ineffectiveness, as decisions are made based on who supports the decisions, rather than on their merit. It also leads to organizations being split into smaller and smaller factions, and eventually collapsing. An organization may split into two main factions. Factions will develop within those factions, and further splitting will occur, until the organization fails.

Chronic suspicion and mistrust

We view each other first and foremost as potential threats. With such a heightened level of threat-awareness, any idea or thought, no matter how innocuous, is quickly considered to have negative ulterior motives behind it. Even the most innocent comments by the closest of friends can be misinterpreted as sinister, resulting in the breakup of relationships. This behavior is a fundamental cause of conflict in a group setting. No group can be effective without trust.

Paranoia

As we view everyone as a threat, we tend to disproportionately develop a paranoid outlook in our interaction with others, with the ‘threat’ foremost in our minds in our interactions. This paranoia, in a group setting, results in organizational paralysis with everyone looking over their shoulder and hesitant, instead of working towards the common goal.

Lack of empathy and empathetic understanding

Empathy, the ability to identify with or understand others’ situation, feelings, and actions, is critical for effective communication and teamwork. However, in our society, we are not sensitized to the importance of empathy. We do not ask questions such as ‘what in his background might have caused him to react this way’, or ‘what would I have done in his shoes’. This leads us to make erroneous judgments based on incomplete understanding, which in turn leads to confusion and conflict within groups.

Lack of suspending judgment or giving others the benefit of the doubt

Suspending judgment is fundamental to effective communication. However, due to our suspicious nature and lack of empathetic understanding, we have a tendency to judge and not give others the benefit of the doubt. If someone does something we do not understand, we do not say, ‘Perhaps there is something he knows that I don’t,’ or ‘Let me wait and see before making a judgment.’ We judge hastily, without taking time to examine all possibilities. This results in erroneous judgments and personal conflicts.

Character assassination

Rather than addressing conflict directly, we spread rumors and innuendo about those with whom we disagree. We engage in character assassination because we know that it is an effective weapon in our society. Since we do not give each other the benefit of the doubt, we tend to believe bad things about others! A strategy of muddying someones reputation will render them useless, as people will simply have had their existing suspicions confirmed.

Lack of openness

Openness facilitates effective communication. As Ethiopians, we are not open and forthcoming about our thoughts and expect the same guarded approach from others. This is related to our lack of empathy, which makes us afraid of being judged hastily and incorrectly if we speak openly. This fear causes us to be vague, unclear, and non-committal, which inevitably leads to communication gaps and communication breakdown, as others persistently try to interpret the hidden meaning of what is said, and often end up interpreting negatively and incorrectly. Lack of openness leads to misunderstanding and ultimately conflict.

Holding grudges

We tend to chronically hold on to personal grudges. Understanding or forgiveness of perceived affronts is seen as weakness, as it is assumed that everyone is and remains to be a threat. In a group setting, there are bound to be conflicts, and if people hold on to grudges, there can be no effective teamwork.

Envy

We hate it when others are better off than we are in any context, but instead of struggling to improve our own lot, we work to reduce others’! This comes from our ingrained perception that everything in life is a zero-sum game. If someone is rich, it is because another is poor. If someone is happy, it is because another is sad. It is as if the world has been allotted a fixed amount of wealth, happiness, etc., and it has been ordained that everyone should have more or less the same amount. Failing this, the ones with more must have committed some kind of crime to improve their lot and the ones who have less must be cursed.

Stubbornness and lack of compromise

Because of our zero-sum view of the world, compromise is seen as a weakness. We do not understand the concept of compromise as a building block for future win-win endeavors. Instead, compromise is seen as a loss forever.

I am sure that all of us have seen first hand these behaviors manifested in our various collectives, from families to religious groups to political organizations. Many of us in the Diaspora have been exposed to non-Ethiopian collectives where, generally speaking, such conflicts occur far less often. We have also observed that these collectives are, as a result, far more effective and efficient than Ethiopian collectives.

It is crucial that we find a way to raise awareness that intra-group conflict is a fundamental barrier to development, to put an end to our dysfunctional group behaviors, and to promote positive, constructive behaviors that reduce conflict, increase our capacity for conflict resolution, and increase our collective propensity (tendency) for cooperation.

To this end, as a first step, I suggest that all of us look inward and self-reflect, try to identify these behaviors in ourselves, and then try to change our thoughts and actions in ways that help us reduce the conflict in our own lives, and in those of our families, friends, and acquaintances.

My second suggestion is that there should be a collective attempt to stigmatize dysfunctional behaviors in our everyday lives. For example, we must make it unacceptable to attack anyone personally instead of addressing issues. We must not only refuse to listen to character assassination, but openly chastise (discipline) and correct those who do it – in a charitable and constructive manner, of course. We have to keep in mind that most of us engage in such behavior almost unknowingly, because of the culture we have grown up in. Unless sensitized to the ramifications of such speech and actions, we cannot become fully aware of the consequences.

Finally, I suggest that academicians, development practitioners, and institutions make the topic of dysfunctional behaviors, social norms conducive (encouraging) to development, social capital, and the like, a priority for research and action.

Salaam Yitbarek works for Statistics Canada in Ottawa , Canada . He is also a research fellow at the Ethiopian Institute for Nonviolence Education and Peace Studies (EINEPS)

My friend came from out of town for a visit. I took him around to all the tourist places, including our local Museum of Modern Art. Lucky for us there was a Picasso exhibit the critics were raving about. It was a delight to view Picasso’s work in living color.

I was transfixed by the painting ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’ or the chicks from d’ Avignon. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chicks-from-avignon.jpg)

Even though Picasso denied it, this work shows a strong resemblance to African art. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon is the maestro at his best. By some it is considered his most daring and outrageous work. The use of bold colors and brash diagonal lines makes the painting full of activity and perpetual motion. Pablo Picasso was a genius. Looking at Les Demoiselles d’Avignon one is left with the impression that Picasso was developing a new means of artistic expression. He is considered a maestro or ‘king of his craft.’

Then it came to me. I know some one that fits the description. It is no other than our dear leader for life Meles Zenawi. Picasso used his god given talent to bring joy to humanity while Meles uses his devil inspired negatively charged machinations to create chaos, mistrust and uncertainty to his subjects. The maestro, our very own ‘prince of darkness.’

It was a sad realization but nevertheless a realization that will at eat my heart for the next two weeks. No matter how hard I tried to push it out of my head, it wouldn’t go away. I have to admit it was an apt comparison. There was no escaping from the fact that we are witnessing the scientific evolution of the ‘art of terror’ and our very own Meles Zenawi is achieving the rank of maestro in his chosen field. OK I concede, we can qualify it by creating a new classification of ‘mal maestro’. It must be a proud moment for his friends and family. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some just cheat, lie, push, shove, and kill just to make it. We have a winner amongst us.

Bestowing the title of maestro on our ‘Dear leader’ might be offensive to some. But ladies and gentlemen, if you will forgive me, I don’t see anything wrong in giving credit where credit is due. The tightly choreographed play that passed for a democratic and free election is worthy of mention in any history book. Mal maestro sounds like a perfect title to me. Our friend Picasso introduced the African sense of unrestricted vibrant wild energy into the ‘Cubist’ style of the time. Last weekend humanity watched in living color the modern drama of unabashed robbery as witnessed by distinguished guests from Europe and Africa. The opposition candidates were led to the sacrificial pooling booth accompanied by neatly dressed and well-fed toy solders adorned in their best-imported uniforms.

Just to add a little bit of drama our mal maestro erected video cameras in every major corners to watch, record and intimidate while a low flying helicopter supposedly equipped with video camera and automatic weapons was thrown in for special effect. The 2010 fourth general election in Ethiopia is another milestone in our history that will be judged as the best work of mal maestro Meles Zenawi by generations to come.

It took five years of preparation to put paint to canvas, and come up with such glorious achievement of 99.6% purity. Many have tried it but none have achieved such pure nirvana. Sudan’s Al Bashir was awe stricken, Zimbabwe’s Mugabe was flabbergasted, Mymar’s nameless Generals demanded the blueprint, and the Chinese Communist Party was humbled. Iran’s Ahmadinejad called a cabinet meeting upon hearing such colossal achievement, and Kyrgyzstan’s petty tyrant is said to have wept openly from his hiding place in Belarus. Solomon Tekaligne is right ‘the eye browed’ one is one cool hombre.

Watching the mal maestro at work is a delight. Professionals make a difficult task look so easy. The election drama was played out to a mesmerized audience with such passion that it left the feeble opposition dumbstruck and shell-shocked. Mal maestro Meles displayed such bold moves as TV debates in undisclosed location to be edited and broadcasted at a later time. His use of vibrant colors full of energy was evident in his ‘warning’ of contestants that they will be held liable for their negative uttering regarding his policy. The only location they could campaign without being taunted, beaten or abused was thousands of miles away in North America among non-voting supporters. Even there, they were reminded of the penalty of ‘mis- speaking’ that will await them. They were forced to relearn the art of speaking without saying anything of value. The fact that the opposition sacrificed a few die-hards was compared to the 2005 election and declared an improvement.

Our mal maestro was so sure of success that he organized a victory celebration before the ballots were in. The neat beautiful tri-color posters were printed months back, the participants paid ahead and the beautiful dais at Meskel Square lit with special lighting. The bulletproof vest was adorned with a casual jacket, the baseball hat was lined with silk and the big Israeli gun was brought out openly to make a bold statement of ‘don’t thread on me.’ The picture of the little dictator behind the bulletproof glass in front of his adoring fans was a symbol of our insanity taken to a higher level.

Mal maestro Meles is not faint hearted. That is his undoing. Why pussyfoot around when you can overwhelm and relieve the peasants of their misery is his motto. He is daring but lacks wisdom. Crude is the word I am looking for. He is void of ingenuity, creativity and nuance. A wise person searches a clever way out of an unpleasant situation. Our mal maestro is not blessed with subtlety. By any standards a blunt force such as 99.6% is the least elegant solution. It is like calling upon the US Air Force to settle a bar room brawl.

What did his subjects do, you might ask? I will try to answer that delicately. For a people who have been trampled upon for the last thirty years, we have developed a very fragile ego. Who would blame us if we turn around and fault ourselves? Victim blaming certainly did not start with us. Didn’t the Europeans blame Africans for the slave trade? Didn’t Hitler blame the Jews for his atrocities? Didn’t Meles blame Kinijit for planning Interhamwe? Well it is no surprise that some are blaming the opposition for losing.

Please tell me something new. Isn’t self-flagellation our national past time? No one can surpass Ethiopians in that field. We leave our homeland empty handed, we settle in strange places, we build a life, we raise a family and we still bad mouth each other. Do you notice that we live together in humongous apartment complexes, eat Tibs and Kitfo in our own restaurants, buy insurance from our cousins but without pause, we talk about the uselessness of Abeshas. Why stop there while you are at it why not blame the University massacre, the war with Eritrea, the genocide in Hawasa, Ogaden and Gambella the over 40% unemployment, the debacle of Gibe Dam and other mal maestros misdeeds on the opposition. Hey why not include the lack of rain in the mix. That should show everybody the only smart choice is the gang from Adwa.

So how did we deal with our current debacle? I am afraid I have nothing positive to report. We have decided to direct the rage on each other. Our programming was so complete we were ready to accept any crumbs thrown by the mal maestro. The contestants openly admitted the impossibility of wining. The issue was presented how much less was acceptable. Talks about low expectations, our gallant parties were reduced to dampening the enthusiasm of some of their hotheaded supporters that took the fake election to heart.

Where do we go from here? Do we go back to old habit of passing the blame around, knocking each other down and hiding our head under the sand or try something new for a change. Something like looking at the glass half full rather than half empty. Do we dare building on what we have instead of raising the bar so high and setting ourselves for another failure?

I am an optimist. I see the glass half full. I believe the mal maestro due to arrogance of power or the freelance nature of his well-trained zombie cadres committed a slight error. 99.6% was not the intention. But you can’t undue what is already done. He has made it difficult to his foreign benefactors to turn the usual blind eye. So they will complain a little, wring their hands a little and advise his victims to be a little patient. Some of us have already started to crow about the few isolated statements foreign office junior officials regarding the lack of ‘level playing field’ yadi yada. We seem to revelle when the Ferenjis tell us how brutal the mal maestro is. Ferenjis enable the victimizer then tell us how painful it is.

Now the ball is in our court so to say. The opposition that entered this unequal competition has indicated that they do not accept the results and are asking for a ‘new vote’. It is very unlikely that would happen. They have no leverage to force the regime to listen to them. The ‘peaceful’ struggle they waged is all carrot no stick. They have not prepared or educated their supporters in the wonderful art of civil disobedience and boycott. It looks like they compromised their principles on the assumption they will be allowed a few seats. Mal maestro pulled the rug from under them. Can they recover is a good question. But their silence and disorientation the last few days does not bode well to the pro democracy forces.

We will argue for some time if their participation helped or hurt the movement.

On the other hand it is about time groups that have charted a different path show they got tooth, that we can and we will bite back. We want our own ‘shock and awe’ moment. The time for talk is over. Baby steps are not the solution. Condemnations, outrage, anger are so yesterday. Today should be ‘look mom I can stand up with no support’ display moment. It is to show the world we are not dead, that we are capable of sacrifice and when we set our minds to the task we can do it! The issue is not how strong the enemy is but how committed we are for freedom. It is about hitting them in their most vulnerable spots and creating uncertainty and doubt. It is about finding the weakest link in the chain and breaking it. Their benefactors will abandon them the first whiff of trouble. Our people will rally around the first inkling of trouble brewing. We ask someone to step forward and do the maestro a favor. He is tired, let us relieve him of such a heavy burden of bullying eighty million souls and let him get his deserved rest in a four by six room at Kaliti. We will include weight watchers manual in case of a few kilos from such comfort.

Fretsidiq Fekade

A receipt of acknowledgment to insufficient and misguided TPLF’s code of conduct yields a landslide victory to the self-declared and illegitimate regime . A political process carried out by a single authoritarian directive, to unequivocally serve its own interest and deliberate more insult to receptive oppositions. Bereft of candid vision , it mainly been a primary contention that guarantees the continuance of state enterprise and its existing power. TPLF’S govt. unlawful and arbitrary policy, practically unchallenged by the oppositions beyond rhetoric; more to it, less scrutinized and no effort made to resist in the process , certainly made possible the actor to ride on safe venue. Its crystal clear that Weyane launched a preemptive strike on both sides of the isles by presenting “the new deal“ in the name of code of conduct.  In short, the master of deception had declared victory prior to the election.  The later has simply been a show case to dissuade the “runner ups” from further taking center stage on the political platform. It was by far a grandiose do over in the history of TPLF political struggle; if one seriously looks into where the result points to. It is a synonym to obscene gesture the middle finger to mean I don’t give a flying f.  Thus spoke Weyane, call me any epithet, nonetheless, I am that finger points to your rear. Sorry…, you have been dozed off, that’s who I was, that’s who I am, and that’s who I will be.

In the absence of authentic opportunities and in the realm of unjust and unbalanced political space, the delirious oppositions hoodwinked by Weyane’s “ amicable” language of “election”. knowing this self- conducted election from the outset never instituted the principle of democracy, luck would have said it!, the slumber political experts amongst the oppositions were even convinced as such that would bring forth a solid outcome. The old saying “ yemilushion besemash gebeya balwetash”, or else if you were to know what has been said about you (fool !), you had better stayed home. While lost in translation as to how define the incumbent or else steadfastly probe into the deep-seated intrinsic identity of the ruling party, on contrary, entrenched into the uncharted territory of Weyane under the guise of “election,” with blurred vision and less audacity, culminated in a historical embarrassment . Would have been great if the oppositions had
known weyane thoroughly besides its superficial identity!!

If logical argument put in place let alone the indisputable reality unfolds before our eyes, how in the earth one can deny the nature of tyrants?  Is there any natural affinity for oil to mix with water if they find themselves together in one place? They may claim to have shared same container but doesn’t mean relate to one another via their predisposed quality. By the same token, it can be said an entity with despotic qualities and attributes cant relate its ethos or social context with one diametrically oppose it. By sheer chance or stroke of luck, or opportunity presents itself for each one randomly associate; it is inevitable their co-existence is short lived. Weyane has been adamant all the way through its political life to pronounce judgment when it comes to those stand against its view. Therefore all have been recognized enemies according to its ideology- revolutionary democracy. Point blank. Never been witnessed to vainly wasted a fraction of a second or giving a second thought to retract itself from such and such labeling . But for the most hallucinated oppositions to give a definitive look to weyane up until I write this last word is unimaginable.  What has been more clear is oppositions prefer to meander in  futile political course to define weyane as an enemy and denounce its rubber stamp constitution; before winning one parliamentary seat!

Same old fashioned exchanges of rhetoric and discourse between the junta and the oppositions, wasting time in futile parliamentary theater and so forth, is like Albert Camus’s expression of “ an absurd reasoning”. Rolling a rock up a mountain which would roll back down before one get it to the peak . There is no quick philosophical or political fix for the problems born out of the womb of TPLF. It is this same rock which one roll up and down to no avail. The political parties are condemned by the gods of TPLF govt. to the endless frivolous task of rolling this rock.

If our endeavor is more to be participants of a weyane drama, we may as well dare not say freedom fighters or agents for courageous people of Ethiopia. The people deserves leaders and representatives who can stand out as an emblem of liberty. Our people deserve to have politicians who can roll up a rock to the mountain and claim all vantage points with courage. Our people deserve to keep off those smooth political persona who strive for keeping their absurd soul alive.  It wasn’t a remote past for courageous Ethiopians to raise their voice before their slaughters- the voice which remains overwhelmingly in the conscious of many- tiglu new hiwete!
Weyane conducted election more to dishonor Ethiopians and reclaim its dictatorial run-of-the-mill governance. As simple as that. Needless to say more about its undemocratic and nontransparent mod-us operand i. Weyane has been always on top of its game, no one can play the rules of games on its own turf. Everything was done as business as usual and an attempt to mystify the process is nothing more than to introduce the most familiar. Same can be said to the oppositions; being duped by lunatics time and again is a habitual stuff.

A new, perhaps, most determined political movement must be galvanized with “ enough is enough” dictum to rid off the mobsters! No more same old propaganda is required, no more unique degree of political intelligence is anticipated, no pseudo-political farce is accepted, no more riddles and prose to be scribbled, no more to be confused by insensitive political opinions-if genuinely desired to emancipate Ethiopians from ethnocentric regime- we must bravely fight with one accord and one spirit against weyane. With all our ability, by all means necessary, lets do the best we can to save Ethiopia.
“All is despair,
Not much to repair.
Dwell in the insignificance,
Wandering in the realm of menace.
Too shallow to redirect the course.
Ignorance begets pseudo intellectuals
Wisdom hasn’t left footprints,
‘cause the spirit has been annihilated,
And the body is mutilated.

The mother of all
Left to work alone.
Her redemption and resilience
Slowed by vain politics.
Save me, she spoke,
To those being betrayed
By chance and opportunity;
Your politics is of pure unity
Your objective is not of conspiracy.”
Ethiopia will prevail!

BY Obo Arada Shawl   – MAY 23, 2010

Where there is no political war, there is no election

ELECTION IN ETHIOPIA = NO ELECTION IN ERITREA

What is election? It’s a process of choice. What is choice? It’s a selection among many alternatives. But choice involves free spirit.

But free spirit lives in an environment of freedom. Do we have freedom in Eathiopia? Did the Eathiopian people get their freedom? Or they did not have any, in the first place?

Historically Eathiopian politics was understood in terms of foreign powers. Kings, queens and the like did not bother the Eathiopians. If we believe they did, it is an anachronism (out of time and place). Eathiopians have to come to define our history of the Middle Ages as well as the Renaissance, in order to understand a feudal system of government.

ETHIOPIA

The personal names of Melesse and Isais is deciphered as MI =13 and 9

Mr. Melesse’s name adoption from that Legese has put him into a very complex personality. He is a materialist par excellence. He is in the business of accumulating riches without wealth. He is desperate to be recognized as a true image as a follower of Melese Tecle and an advocate of 13. On both accounts, he is faking. He is no Melese Tecle and he does not represent the 13^th. By the way elections were formally started functioning during the 13^th century.

The Ethiopians should stop believing that Ethiopia is being ruled by constitution and congress (cc). It’s being ruled by the central committee of adua.

TPLF’s deadly sin is their leading by lying- an uninterrupted lie will lead to nowhere.

The liars of Adwa clique leaders have put/in place congress and constitution but they have denied citizens of Ethiopia to exercise their hard-won freedom and liberties form Fascistic military regime. They are acting like foreign invaders – if they don’t allow DEMOCRACIA to flourish – they will be doomed to failure. My prediction is that the TPLF will be phased out in year 2013. Faking election after all we have gone through wars and revolution is not only wrong but stupid.

ERITREA

The EPLF considered itself as a conquered people by the Eathiopians. It is a paradox to be colonized by oneself when most of its members are considered themselves as Axumite Ethiopians. It is also a paradox to be colonized by “primitive peoples of Ethiopia.”

EPLF’s strategy of being a colony of Italy and a colony of Eathiopia was untenable. ELF’s stand on Eritrean Independence was tenable. This dilemma has remained an obstacle to any headway. What is worst, both organizations dwell on grievances, regret and possibly revenge. Their bet for solutions is DEMOCRACIA – nothing else will work. It is unfortunate that DEMOCRACIA is being abused by their leader, PIA.

Eritrean organizations have been cheating their people for too long instead of teaching them the right stuff – “who is your friend and who is your enemy?”

Mr. Isais is not in the business of pretension. He is traveling to reach the letter J =10.

In perception as in reality though, the Eritreans think that they are being ruled by the Central Committee (CC). But instead, they are being ruled by one man.

Lessons to be learned from Important Events

This week in history, three important events are taking place which are relevant to all Eathiopians

• Election – in Pennsylvania, USA

• Burial ceremony – in Hazega-Tseazega, Eritrea

• Election – at Adua, Ethiopia

The case of Pennsylvania is about a long-time Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania who lost his seat. Voters proved unreceptive to the converted Senator. The US Senator has switched parties after 44 years of serving as a Republican. It is reported that his move was to align himself with his Penn Public so as to prolong his political career. According to one journalist, he characterized the situation in America as “Ideology is out Trust is in”.

The Hazega-Tseazega case is about Tsehaye Minlik who has dedicated his knowledge, personal life and his children’s name to the cause of humanity, freedom and to the working classes of Eritrea and Ethiopia.

The annals of Revolutionary history of Eathiopia will remember this little unknown but great man who has served well the employees of the Assab Petroleum Refinery.

His name and family name transcends any other name in our region. The Sun (Tsehaye) which gives life here on Earth enjoys its presence in Eathiopia. Minlik is to the one who unified us not the one who divides us.

So what has happened to this man? This week on May 2010, on the eve of Eritrean Independence, he was buried on his village having buried in German soil for 20 years. Why is that his corpse was dug out and sent home? Why was he not buried in the cemetery that was allocated for the Eritrean Patriots? These are relevant questions to be dealt with in my subsequent articles.

For now, let me say that he was not only a fighter for the human free spirit but also he planned for posterity by naming his twin children as Nazanet and Harnet – both words have created confusion and chaos among the elites of Eritrea.

Tsehaye had definitely predicted the outcomes of the Eritrean Revolution. He died one year shy before the Eritrean Refendum.

Two decades have elapsed without enjoying the fruits of Nazanet and I hope the next decade will be the fruits of Harnet,

It’s reported that Melse is to complete with a lady for a parliamentary seat.

Election in Adwa is reported to be between the sexes not between ideas or positions. Both Mr. Melse and w/o Aregash have been together all along while messing up the Eathiopian societies. They are two sides of the same coin, so to speak.

There are people who said that Aregash is such a strong-willed individual that they don’t think that Melse is going to manipulate her.

The episode of Adwa election is helpless to bring us any closure. There is no finale to the TPLF leadership drama but maybe the end of the line.

Conclusion

Election in Ethiopia is equivalent to no election in Eritrea. I have predicted that the TPLF will phase out in 2013 and that the unity of Eritrea with Ethiopia will take place in 2013. There is no common era for 2013. They are Gregorian or Julian calendar.

Election in Ethiopia and no election in Eritrea are not different from each other. Cheating and lying are synonymous words. What both Liberation Fronts have been doing may seem to them as strategy and tactics. The TPLF leadership has developed hatred toward Eritreans while the EPLF leadership in turn hates the Eathiopians. In terms of hatred both are in the same wave length but in terms of strategy and tactics, they are different. One preaches for democracy while the other stands against democracy. TPLF leadership swims in fake democracy while EPLF leadership perverts democracy. Both parties depend on bullets not ballots. Eathiopians should strategize for a showdown for DEMOCRACIA – a political warfare.

The coincidence of today’s celebration of Eritrean Independence and the re-burial of my best brother/friend clearly tells me that the struggle was for cultural values not colonial.

TRUTH WILL PREVAIL

For comments and questions

woldetewolde@yahoo.com

Hama Tuma

This is really a joke, a pastime actually as dictator and intelligent are oxymoron. Sort of an idiot Savant, a fine mess, a little pregnant, accurate rumors. An Amhara Weyane and abundant poverty. Of late some quarters have insisted on calling the tyrant in Addis Abeba intelligent at a time when he is blatantly rigging an election while at the same time insisting on calling Robert Mugabe a blundering fool. When Idi Amin of Uganda was engineered by Britain and Israel to stage his coup against “Socialist” Milton Obote the British media was quick to mention and even praise his “native” intelligence. Native was the code word used for covering up “almost illiterate brute soldier of British colonialism”. Toe the line and you will be called intelligent.

The whole charade stems from two sources or motivations: the fist one being that notorious racist prejudice which makes a coherent black person intelligent, surprise, surprises the Kaffir boy knows how to talk at least. Or as the surprised Italian fascist officer said in a famous Ethiopian poem: “I saw the blacks eating like human beings” sort of surprise. In my own experience I have met this monster many times, with my listeners being surprised that I could explain the situation in my country and Africa as a whole and even debate with them. Without being cruel I have to state it is like the monkey doing new tricks very well, the ape speaks English and he can hold his own in a debate, hallelujah! And thus every street smart smooth talker becomes an intelligent person, with qualifications of course. As Santiago Carrillo, the late leader of the Spanish CP said it, “to ask for Western type democracy in countries like Ethiopia and Vietnam is to bray at the moon”. He was arguing that Ethiopians have to make do with a brutal colonel called Mengistu and his fake democracy as Carrillo, a pro Soviet to boot, was supporting the tyrant backed by Moscow. Thus, intelligent is by our own reduced standard, no one is comparing Meles with even any joke of a western miserable leader, mind you. The tyrants have used this prejudice to their own advantage as expected, they wear their Yes Bwana smile as a permanent fixture, they do the slave dance to perfection ( as Meles did sometime ago backing Sarkozy and Obama and betraying Africa in Copenhagen), repeat the buzz words that please the ears of the donors and, presto or voila, whichever you prefer, they or he appear as intelligent. When they say Meles is intelligent they do not mean he is crafty, devious, sneaky, able to hide his ignorance, intriguer, cruel, and a docile puppet, no. Meles said give me an opposition lest I become corrupt with absolute power and they clapped (intelligent was the cry). The dictator of Turkmenistan was one step ahead as he said: there are no oppoition parties so how can I give them freedom? An intelligent chap!

The second reason for some calling these depots intelligent is because they are their puppets, instruments of neo colonial domination, and their mercenaries. Albert Camus called an intellectual an unsuccessful idiot and the late Walter Rodney defined the dictator as follows:

“A dictator is defined as one who elevates himself above all other citizens and often makes claims to be closer to God than mere mortals. Emperors, kings and nobles of the feudal period easily became dictators because they could justify despotic acts on the grounds that royal power and authority were of sacred origin. In more modern versions of dictatorship, the absolute ruler has to fabricate an elaborate cult of the personality to prove that he is more intelligent, more potent and generally superior to any other human being. Idi Amin fancied himself not only a physical giant but also as an intellectual giant. Besides, he boasted of a direct line to Allah. Eric Gairy, our Caribbean ex-dictator, dabbled in obeah and convinced himself that he was better than the world’s leading scientists and would personally solve the problem of unidentified flying objects. This is the stuff of which dictators are made”. Not intelligence at all unless one mistakes vulgar notions and instinct for intelligence.

Back in 2008 TV personality Barbara Walters went to Damascus and called dictator Bashr Al Assad an intelligent and charming man. The friend of many African dictators, peanut farmer Jimmy carter, went to Korea and declared “I find Kim Il Sung to be vigorous and intelligent”. Castro came to Addis. talked to the killer who declared: I hate hurting even a fly” and publicly declared “Mengistu is an honest revolutionary!” America’s admired and “intelligent” allies ranged from El Salvador’s General Maximiliano Hernandez (the very man of the occult who said “it is a great crime to kill a fly than a man because men are resurrected while flies die forever”) to Ian Smith, apartheid Botha, Mobutu and Samuel Doe, Franco and Videla, Pinochet and Papadopoulos, Suharto and Nguema ( the latter who said “I am in permanent direct contact with God and the only man who can kill and will never go to hell” and then went ahead to slaughter thousands in Equatorial Guinea), So long as the dictators are theirs they are called intelligent. Washington, London, Berlin and the EU as a whole bankroll the dictator in Ethiopia. One western diplomat in Addis Abeba has gone on record admiring Meles Zenawi’s capability to lie outright and in more than four directions. He is so intelligent he can rig elections, slaughter hundreds and stay in power! The man who makes a fine mess, intelligent!

The admired native intelligence of Idi Amin (His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Conqueror of the British Empire [CBE] in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular and King Of Scotland”)
fast evaporated when he started to step on British and Western interests. He quickly became a monster, a fool, a cannibal, a savage, anything but intelligent. The “demonization” of all those who refuse to toe the line of the West is swift, cruel and relentless–just ask Gadafi, Mugabe, Sadam and others. The very people who praise Baathist and dictator par excellence Basher as intelligent would not be caught dead uttering one word of consideration as regards Sadam for example though he was a close ally of America at one time. Mengistu became crude and cruel because he was pro Soviet and not because he killed Ethiopians en masse which the new darling of Washington, a.k.a Meles, has been doing in earnest. The political alliance and consideration dictates the qualification. In actual fact, where there is intelligence there is knowledge and this does not mean vulgar and pedestrian groping to get one’s way by all means necessary, selling the country and the people wholesale if need be as Meles and others have done without qualms. It does not also mean power or authority but rather on how one obtains power and how he or she uses it. The West back then in the mid forties considered Mussolini civilized and mocked at Ethiopians trying to defend their country. The fascist was intelligent as was Hitler with whom many American companies such as General Motors, DuPont, Standard Oil of New Jersey, Davis Oil co., Ford, ITT, Chase National Bank, etc did brisk business, forget Nazism please, be intelligent. “Henry Ford was a good friend of Hitler and his book The International Jew inspired Hitler’s Mein Kampf and the Fuehrer kept Ford’s picture in his office and Ford was one of the four foreigners to receive the German’s highest civilian award”, wrote one fact finder. Intelligent people all around–they pay the piper and even the song is theirs. The intelligent West also did business with and backed the intelligent regime of apartheid in South Africa.

Of course, we may be crying foul because we have failed to understand the very meaning of being intelligent. If being intelligent means being a tyrant, a cruel murderer. a corrupt embezzler, a liar, an election rigger, a Western puppet, a traitor to one’s own people and nation, a complete idiot with the right buzz words, then Meles and other tyrants and their thieving wives are indeed intelligent. If we take intelligence as cleverly disguised stupidity then intelligent people are ruling us and making our lives so miserable that we want to intelligently but definitively remove them from power and the face of the earth. In the end all this can be taken just as an important trivia.

Sunday 23 May 2010
By Fitsum Alemu
May 22, 2010 — After one watches the “parliamentary” meetings and sees the assembled members with their varied “intelligence”, one has to pray for the country.
It is well-known that a Parliament supposed to be a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local or ethnic prejudices ought to guide, but the general good and the best interest of the country. Well, that is not the case in this Ethiopian “parliament”. Having been a member of the three consecutive “parliaments”, Ato Meles trained himself to talk, sometimes utters weird and unfortunate words and phrases which were repeated and quoted by friends and foes. The “speaker of the parliament”, Ato Teshome Toga, is incompetent to lead the meeting, as well as, afraid of following his own rules and discipline his boss, Ato Meles. Rather, the “speaker” has used his utmost power against the opposition. He shut them off and threatened them. It is disturbing to see the bullying and threatening of opposition members of parliament. What Ato Mels forgets or would like to forget is that, at the end of the day, in this “parliament”, he only represents the city of Adowa, if he really represents it at all. Opposition party members also represent districts- voters who sent them there. By insulting, threatening and bullying these members, he and the “speaker” are doing the same to the constituents. Instead of making this assembly “the house of bullies”, they could have spent their time by doing people’s business. One of them would be enacting real laws. Laws that will improve the everyday life of Ethiopian people, laws that facilitate growth and unity, laws that insure the respect of human and civil rights, laws that prohibits discrimination, laws that promotes equality and fair representation, laws that protects the environment, laws that give clear guidance about the role of the federal and regional governments, a law that creates a constitutional court to interpret the constitution, a land act which provides private ownership of a land, laws that regulates endowments and prohibits political parties from directly or indirectly engaging in business, many, many laws that will come up given the circumstances and events that triggers them. That should have been the role of parliament. Other countries of Africa are a head of Ethiopia by hundreds of miles. While the Ethiopia parliament sits and mostly deal with approving international aid agreements like board of directors of a big company, other African parliaments enacted laws that help their country’s development and advance the democratic process.
For instance, in 2009-2010 the Ethiopian parliament approved 58 International treaties dealing with aid and loan, and enacted 24 laws, including anti-terrorism law and charities law; in 2007- 2008, again the parliament approved 44 aid and loan agreements. Most of the laws that were passed since 2005 were intended to curb opposition activities, suppress free press, dismantle human rights organization, but strength the government financial resources so that it can spend unlimited resources to buy weapons and technology to monitor and persecute opponents and to hire more and more spies and security officers. That is why it passed the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, the Mass Media and Freedom of Information Proclamation, the Charities Act and the Electoral Code, to mention the few.
In comparison, the South African Parliament, in 2008, passed 21 bills that include social assistance, protection of information, regulation of the post office, consumer protection and even the sale and exchange of second hand goods. The Nigerian parliament debates dozens of bills dealing with employees rights, chemical waste management, lobbying, credit administration, disaster management, establishment of a space agency, cyber security, prohibition of torture, to mention some of them. Its counterpart in Kenya also passed 16 bills in 2008-2010. One of them is a new constitution. Moreover, the Kenyan parliament is debating bills like witness protection, free legal assistance and the control of alcohol drinks.
The point is, while other African parliaments are debating advanced issues and passing laws that serve the best interest of their country, the “parliament” of Ethiopia remained a rubber stamp for EPRDF’s loan and aid agreements and has continued to be a bullying field and a “speakers’ corner” of Ato Meles and co. That is why EPRDF is conducting election every five years, that is why people have to be killed, imprisoned, tortured, and that is why the country’s limited resources should be spent. It is high time for the Ethiopian people to say to EPRDF that you have sat too long for any good you have been doing.
The writer could be reached at fitsumka@aol.com

By Obo Arada Shawl  – May 13, 2010

ADWA I: An Act of Defense

According to thousands of written and oral histories as well as to historical beliefs including that of mine, the battle of ADWA (1896) was a defense against foreign aggression. I do not have to explain what conquest and aggression means to my readers.

ADWA I, according to many historians and in line to the perception of millions of Eathiopians, it was a war for defense for a nation known as ETHIOPIA. There were no buts and ifs.

ADWA is spelled also as Adowa, Aduwa or Adua.  Writing our names with Latin alphabets might have created problems for our educated elites not to communicate properly. With GEEZ letters, there is no problem. ADWA is an acronym for American Deer and Wildlife Alliance.

Adwa II: An Act of Offense

The current regime of Ethiopia led by the adwa cliques is considered as a ministry of war. It is about attack nothing but attack. It is about attack physically, mentally and psychologically. Some of the highlights of being a war monger clique leaders were the followings:

• The assault on the Ethiopian culture
• The war on Ethiopian Revolutionary Parties
• The war on Eritrean civilians
• The war against democratic elections and
• The war against immigration to Ethiopia versus its encouragement to emigrate

AADWA III: An Act of Conversion and defense

Despite many allegations against the Eway Revolution, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Party (EPRP) and the Eritrean People Revolutionary Party (EPRP) had embarked on downgrading the act of offense unlike as in addwa II. There is bound to be a lot of discussion and clarification on AADWA III.

It is about defense nothing but defense. For this reason, the ministry of EPRP is all about defense.

AADWA III is a simple and humble historical generation for teaching learning and leading by example for a better Ethiopia. One of its main objectives was to differentiate between conquests vs. conversion (CC) and to institute a CC (Constitution and Congress) in Eathiopia.

However, the TPLF using some EPRP dissidents who present themselves as representatives of Amharas, the DERG using All Ethiopia Socialist Movement (MIESON) and currently many mushrooming organizations are playing phenomenal obstruction or havoc by abusing the concepts of democracy, leadership and politics in Eathiopia. One such example is posted below for discussion.

Hi Sir:

As usual you are misleading your readers while remaining misled yourself intentionally or unintentionally.

It was the Abyssinians ( Menz, Tigre, Gojjam, and Begemidr ) who fought against the Italians in the battle of ADWA, and that fight ended up in a HISTORICCAL ACCIDENT as per SVEN RUBENSON of the history department of the Haile Sellassie I University.  There were two ADWA ENDA SILLASSIEs. The Italians split into two, and agreed to meet in one of the ADWA ENDA SILLASSIEs; but instead one half went to one ADWA ENDA SILLASSIE while the other half went to the other ADWA ENDA SILLASSIE after being misled by a man called AW-ALOM!! That is why RUBENSON labeled it a HISTORICAL ACCIDENT.

ERITREA came into existence with the arrival of the ITALIANS by merging together

1- THE COASTAL RED SEA AREAS of DANKALIA and SAMHAR that have been under the MUSLIM KHALIPHATE since 702 AD when AXUM lost the AREA to MUSLIM ARABS and were under the TURKS for 300( three hundred years) when  the ITALIANS arrived.

2-THE WESTERN PROVINCE that the ITALAINS got from the PARTITION of the area of the old BIJA KINGDOM  of 702 AD that blocked AXUMITE passage to EGYPT by land while the BRITISH got what is now EASTERN SUDAN ( Kasala, Port Sudan, etc).  THE WESTERN PROVINCE has never been part even of ABYSSINIA!!!!!

3-KEBESSA that includes AKELEGUZAI, HAMASSEIN, and SERAYE whose majority are  CHRISTIANS that came mainly from Tigre, Gojjam, and Begemidr through reverse migration.

This part of ERITREA only can be said to have not been demarcated emotionally or psychologically.

You noted that AST were oppressed by HAILE SILLASSIE’s government. How about WOLLO that HAILE SILLASSIE never forgave for its support of EYASU, and the attacks on his fleeing army in 1935 after his defeat in the hands of the ITALAINS at MAI CHEW????

AMANUEL ABRAHAM, ISAIAS’s uncle, who was the resident representative of the CROWN PRINCE who was the official ENDE RASSIE of Wollo, several times took money that was collected by the WOLLOWIES in a collaborative manner to make infra- structural development saying that the CROWN PRINCE would add as much to the collection for the intended purpose. BUT NOTHING WAS DONE FOR THE PROVINCE, thus remaining undeveloped and dilapidated!!!

Minelik II did not abandon ERITREA to the ITALIANS whose defeat at ADWA was as a result of an error that I explained above and the BLOCKAGE OF REINFORCEMENTS FROM ERITREA.

MINELIK II could hardly believe his victory when he was praying for a miracle after having exhausted the supplies of his army. Had the ITALIANS delayed their attack by a few days, his army would have collapsed.

So he had no possibility of driving the ITALIANS out of ERITREA.

The outrage of the ERITREANNS at ETHIOPIA is not due to MINELIK’s abandoning them to the ITALIANNS; but for ETHIOPIA’s violation of the FEDERAL status of ERITREA that was ANNULLED under GUN POINT with the support of a few stooges.

Then the SCORCHED EARTH POLICY that was implemented by the ARMY OF THE OOCCUPATION to suppress the rebellion will never be forgotten by the ERITREANS.

DO YOU THINK THAT THE ABOUT 8,000 ( eight thousand ) PEOPLE OF HARGIGO south of MASSAWA  will forget the simultaneous SEA and LAND attacks that ended after murdering 500 (five hundred ) people in 1975, and 800 ( eight hundred) people in 1977 some of whom were burnt with their houses???

Surrendering a NATIONAL SEA OUTLET is just a fiction, because ERITREA has never been part of ETHIOPIA although it was under a SHAM FEDERATION with ETHIOPIA for 10 ( ten ) years followed by COLONIZATION for 30 ( thirty ) years. In fact, ERITREA, like the other ITALIAN COLONIES of LYBIA and SOMALIA, should have got its independence; but thanks to the AMERICANS who were interested in the MILITARY BASE of KAGNEW and who pressured the UN to put ERITREA in a SHAM FEDERATION with ETHIOPIA ( federated with Ethiopia under the Ethiopian crown!!!!), it missed its rightful attaining of independence.   The Americans used to pay HAILE SILLASSIE US$25 (twenty five) million per year as rental for the Asmara Military base.

Russia is not in ASIA MINOR that consists of KYRGSTAN, KAZAKHISTAN, UZBIKISTAN, TAJIKHISTAN, and TURKISTAN. AZERBIJAN and ARMENIA are neighbors of ASIA MINOR.

ELF and TPLF did not follow a real revolution!!!! WHAT nonsense!!!

Each one of them followed the objective reality of their respective people; you are just misled by SHA’EBIA (EPLF) propaganda. There was even a LABOUR PARTY that was RED as RED can be embedded within the ELF, and that was what sabotaged the front by triggering the civil war that gave more resources to the ISAIAS group.

EPLF RECEIVED Chinese literature and training!!! How far from the truth!!!

Out of the whole EPLF only ISAIAS and RAMADAN MOH’D NOOR went to CHINA where they stayed for about a year for learning a combination of revolutionary tactics, and military training; and THEY WERE SENT BY THE ELF with 3 ( three ) other cadres. The five went as political commissars of the 5 (five) REGIONAL COMMANDS that comprised the front’s field force.

ISAIAS went from the 5th REGIONAL COMMAND of HAMMASSEIN after a stroke of luck!! The commander of the 5th REGIONAL COMMAND was Woldai Kahsai, and his chief political cadre was ABRAHAM TEWOLDE. When Woldai Kahsai betrayed the revolution in 1967 by giving his hand to ETHIOPIA, ABRAHAM TEWOLDE replaced him as commander, and so when the SCHOLARSHIP TO CHINA came, ISAIAS was picked up as the replacement ABRAHAM TEWOLDE. So he went at the end of 1967, and returned in mid 1969 when the field was in turmoil.

The Kiada Amma (the General Command) was formed at that time, and ISAIAS became part of it. But a few months later, he walked a way from the ELF with 69 (sixty nine) other CHRISTIAN HIGHLANDERS. Two months later, the PLF split from the ELF and ISAIAS’s group joined it.

It was in 1976 that the EPLF was formed by ISAIAS, RAMADAN, etc under the instigation of WOLDE-AB WOLDE-MARIAM to rebel against the leadership of the PLF under OSMAN SALEH SABBE, and SABBE remained with his wing that was liquidated by the ELF in 1979.

Again, under the guidance of WOLDEAB, the EPLF and TPLF joined hands and chased the ELF out of the field and into the SUDAN. Here the CIA helped ensure the non return of the ELF to the field by arranging asylum  to the USA and WESTERN EUROPE for about 10,000 ( ten thousand)  cadres of the ELF.

The EPLF fighting ability was built by giants such as IBRAHIM AFA who used to be an instructor of the COMMANDOS of the Ethiopian navy, Major Negash Tesfatsion ( a Harar Military Academy graduate of 1962 AD and member of the DERG), Major Khesete Gebre Hiwet ( also a Harar Military Academy graduate of 1962 AD), Captain Tesfa Mariam Negassie ( a Harar Military Academy Graduate of 1960 AD.), etc, etc

Of course they built on the foundation laid by Mohammed Ali Omaru, Ramadan Mohammed Noor, and others who graduated from the Military Academies of Syria, and Iraq.

In fact, ISAIAS was groomed by the Americans since the day in 1970 AD when he was recruited by CAPTAIN Capland of Kagnew Station.

Nowadays one of the old leaders of the ELF by the name of OMAR JABIR who is very proficient in both ENGLISH and ARABIC is writing about this history from where he is in Australia. He is in the middle of his second chapter, and he is posting his articles on ALNAHDA1.8m.com web site.

With best regards

Conclusion

Historically, ELF/EPLF, TPLF, DERG and EDU were operating on the basis of war front. It was equivalent of organizing a Ministry of WAR instead of Ministry of Defense. We cannot change historical facts. What we can change is the attitude for initiating a ministry of defense- defense for peoples’ culture, defense for religious values and defense for mothers’ land as in Ethiopia and defense for fathers’ land as in Eritrea.

TRUTH WILL PREVAIL

For questions and comments

woldetewolde@yahoo.com

Hama Tuma

I am no hashish smoker and I am not even restating the famous Marx saying that religion is the opium of the people. To each his own belief, poison, delusion or fantasy though I do know this can be a luxury in Africa where tyrants can ban Christmas, declare Christianity a crime, proclaim Islam a religion of slave drivers. I am proudly saying thank God I am not religious, with what that implies not escaping me, because far too many crimes and foolishness of grave proportions are being committed in the name of religion. I am also aware that religion is being used as a convenient cover to shun away from politics and ignore one’s responsibilities to the country and the people.

An Iranian cleric declares that earthquakes are caused by women who are scantily dressed and provoke males to pre martial sex and maybe the excited body movement disturbs the earth’s balance. One other cleric had years ago declared that women and men in the same bus means thousands of sins per day as they accidentally or knowingly brush against one another. Somali hard line Islamists, (a curse on that easygoing people), have banned all music and no Somali can hear foreign broadcasts from America or Britain or hum a song. Grim existence is in, wail or lament but no singing at all. An unpopular French president wages war against the sad polls by declaring all out war on Burka or Niqab wearing women (a few thousand or so) while millions want him to wage serious war against economic hardships and some right wingers want him to send off the whole African and Arab “invading horde”. A teenage woman is stoned to death in Mogadiscio after being raped by the hardliners themselves who then allege that she has committed adultery and religion calls for her death in this brutal manner. An old Nigerian MP marries a 13 years old girl and hides behind religion to cover his crime. In this same Nigeria some years ago, a woman called Amina lawal narrowly escaped stoning thanks to international protest action. Amina Lawal was at the time of the trial a 30-year-old divorced woman who was said to have confessed to conceiving a child while single.  She was sentenced to death by stoning in March, 2002 in Katsina state under a new law that considers pregnancy outside of marriage as grounds for being convicted of adultery. Sudanese journalist Lubna Hussein was to be whipped for wearing trousers in public. The Taliban cut throats and disfigure by acid the faces of innocent young girls who go to school all the time using religion as a cover. A man in France is a bona fide polygamist and declares he is devout but no religious law of his forbids him from having many women as mistresses. Where we see oppression of women we find religion buttressing or being used to justify the injustice. And take the Catholic priests all over the world giving paedophilia a strong Vatican ointment. The Crusaders and the followers of Saladin did all the terrible things they did some centuries ago but their example lingers on. The passage of time and all claims of civilizations become illusory, of no significance. States with aspects of theocracy are still present from the Vatican (Holy See) to Iran. Lebanon was almost destroyed because of a divide that was also religious and Hamas- Hizbollah and Israel also confront over a religious divide and not merely for territory. Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are beset by religious problems as was Ireland.

Thank God I am not religious! Murderer Joseph Kony calls his criminal horde the Lord’s Resistance Army and claims God talks to him often (in addition to the spirits of whom one is called “who are we?”) and has ordered him to cut off the ears and lips of people especially of those who ride bicycles. What has God got against bicycles? At least Alice Lakwenya, his relative, used to claim outright she was a witch! In the past we have had Pope Pius V the Grand Inquisitor who had thousands murdered, Saint Dominic (the king of torture as he was later called) who had pain machines invented and tortured to death so many, Saint Pedro Arbires the Spanish Inquisitor who wiped out Jews, the Vatican Pope in Mussolini’s time who blessed the Italian troops on their way to invade Ethiopia (and kill one million in the process). Ethiopian kings, of whom the most notorious in this respect was Atse Yohannes, murdered many in the name of religion as did the Dervishes and the Mahdists. The Ayatollah of our time had many Bahai believers hanged and fanatics in Punjab sodomized and beat to death a Christian barber for cutting the beard of a Moslem. Lebanon was wrecked by religious conflict and Nigeria is having its share too as we write and the spectre hangs like the sword of Damocles over Ethiopia too. The corrupt leaders in Riyadh sin against their religion but invoke this same religion to mutilate, decapitate and hang poor people like the Ethiopian woman they hanged in public. Afghan elites are allowed even by their wives to sodomize young boys of 7 to 12 years of age. Here is what one angry blogger wrote on the subject:

“Businessmen, warlords, and police officials seem to be the biggest consumers of Bachi Bazi, or boyplay. The prominent and successful men are introduced to the boys at Bachi Bazi parties. The men sit cross-legged and watch the boys, dressed as young women, do their elaborate dances. Afterwards, they are given out to the highest bidders for sex. The government is so corrupt that all attempts to stop the practice have proved to be half-hearted — even less.

Reporter Najibullah Quraishi bravely dogged Northern Alliance Commander, Dastager, following this notorious sodomizer as he met young men he wished to have in his harem. “How many boys have you had?” asked Quraishi. (he had clearly meant sexually). “About 2,000 or 3,000,” said Dastager, who appears to be about 40.

Things are no different where the Taliban holds sway. In John Krakauer’s book about Pat Tillman (the man who chose service to his country over a $3.6 million football contract), it’s reported that each Taliban fighting group maintained a cook’s boy — a field kitchen helper of 12 or 13, who’s duties went beyond cuisine”.

The sex abuse scandal of the Catholic Church has now reared its head in Africa, from Kenya– Uganda to Mozambique and South Africa though it should be said the scandal involved European priests as the local ones ( realistic chaps), in their majority, father children and even die of AIDS with absolutely no regard for Rome’s chastity laws.

It is fair to admit that non religious wars have killed more people than the ones attributed to religion. However, the use of God or Allah to justify the crimes of thugs has become too common for comfort. In Africa, we are forced to note that the guerrillas or rebels taken as exotic and liberators in the sixties and seventies ( many were flawed even then to state the truth) have now been turned into all out thugs and criminals (Renamo and UNITA are almost looking benign compared to the RUF, LRA. Al Shabab, etc). In Somalia, the fanatics wrecking that country claim to be soldiers of God, followers of America’s nemesis (Osama Bin Laden) or, even worse, more radical than Osama (no quarter giving Salafists). Religious fanatics have gone against science many times and it is no surprise to hear Iranian clerics accuse women for earthquakes occurring all over the world. The followers and monks of Saint Cyril beat to death a woman scientist Hypatia and we all know the fate of Galileo. How many women have been burnt to death as witches? The spectre of religion is haunting us in Africa and the omen is not very positive. Africa hardly needs more division and conflict on religious grounds but that is what is being fanned not only in the Horn but in other African regions. Banning music, killing off women who are not covered up, throwing acid on the faces of young women going to schools, cutting the throats of journalists and intellectuals, attempting to murder writers and educators–this is not progress, serving God or being religious. Sarah Palin echoes many rightists and calls for American law to be based on a certain sort of Judeo Christian “Sharia”: our laws should be based on the God of the Bible and the Ten Commandments! We remember the slave trade was justified as Christian by the churches and priests of the time and Apartheid was backed by the South African Boer churches.

I had in the past suggested that our politicians should wear the Burka–we do not want to see their ugly faces anymore. No one has taken my advice. Gaddafi suggested that Nigeria should be divided on ethnic and religious lines–that Tripoli man has failed to be original and his “get divided” prescription has, as expected and as his ridiculous Green Book, received no support. Joan of Arc was referred to as a woman who went mad for God but remember where she ended up– burnt to death and her monument in Paris is presently a gathering place of unholy fascists. Parties of God or parties of religion (Hezbollah or Hizb al Islam or Christian Democrats) are more than suspect and more problems than part of the solution. The Lord never said He wanted a Resistance Army or a Party in His name, or did He? Africa’s experience with Bible wielding missionaries has not been, to put it mildly, nice. Religion was used as a sleeping pill (is the tse tse fly Christian or Moslem?) enabling the colonialists to steal countries as Africans went down on their knees, wept and prayed and, to re-quote the late Senghor, “slept the sleep of the Negro”!

With all due respect to all those who love their religion I have to say thank God I am not religious as being religious these days is, more often than not, spelling disaster, hate, division and fatal weakening of Africa and her hapless people. No need to ask anyone in Jos, Nigeria. Mind you, despite my indignation, I have not yet called for a violent action against the criminal Abune/Archbishop/ in Addis Abeba nor sent a letter of support to the daring Atheist who demanded the arrest of the Pope (when he visits Britain) and his being charged for “crimes against humanity”.

Zeineb Aliye

Meles Zenawi and Co. call Ethiopians chauvinists and it is right for Ethiopians in turn to call them ethno-fascists. Ethno-fascism is fascism shrouded and served in the plate of ethnicity. However, this does not mean that all Ethiopians espousing ethnic politics are ethno-fascists. The description ethno-fascism applies to the Meles-Sebhat brand of ethnicity which has the characteristic features of fascism and racism. Ethno-fascism is the foundation of the ideology of the Tigray People`s Liberation Front (TPLF) and that is why Ethiopians call its leaders an ethno-fascists. Thus it is now time to leave aside the political correctness and resort to the use of the suitable descriptions ethno-fascism and ethno-fascists when referring to the TPLF and its leaders.
The rise of ethno-fascism to power in Ethiopia is an alarming development with potentially devastating consequences. It is threatening national as well as regional stability in the volatile horn of Africa. Its increasing dependence on western aid and willingness to go to any length to serve foreign interests, are harming the long term interests and sovereignty of the country. The ethno-fascists are demonstrating their hostility to Ethiopia by signing and giving away the vital interests of the country like access to the sea and fertile lands. Thanks to these anti-Ethiopia fascist forces, Eritrea and the Sudan have benefitted a lot at the expense of Ethiopia.
The Ethno-fascist and racist Meles Zenawi has been staging sham elections in order to deceive and portray himself as an elected leader in the international arena. In the eyes of Ethiopians his periodic sham elections are simple dramas he stages to entertain himself and his donors. Ethno-fascism is pursuing its trademark of divide and rule as a result of which our communities are polarized and the bonds holding them together are disentangling. Thus ethno-fascism should be rejected and the struggle against it should take the central stage and serve as a rallying issue. Ethiopian intellectuals should be courageous enough to call `a spade a spade` and enlighten the general public on ethno-fascism and the grave dangers it poses to the country. Meles Zenawi`s repeated references to the genocide in Rwanda are by no means mere political rhetoric. It shows what he has in store for Ethiopians and intends to do if his power comes under threat or he is forced to leave Ethiopia. It is well known that Meles Zenawi has employed fascistic propaganda and agitation methods to mobilize the Tigrayans and wage his wars against Ethiopia and Ethiopiawinet. The relatively destitute Tigrayan society has been receptive to the fascistic politics of the TPLF and Meles Zenawi. Ethiopian forces standing for Ethiopia and Ethiopiawinet receive his harsh treatment and severe punishment as the case of Birtukan Midekssa proves. History has amply demonstrated that fascism is very violent and does not entertain the ideas of equality, peace and reconciliation. Ethno-fascism is based on the politics of discrimination, exclusion and ethnic favouritism. It does not accept the equality of citizens and rule of law.
Meles Zenawi has defied and derided at repeated calls for peace and reconciliation. He has defied all the appeals and calls for the peaceful resolution of the deepening political crisis in the country. He continues to strengthen his brutal security apparatus which he uses to punish and silence the voices of peace and reconciliation. As a fascist, he has no interest in reconciliation and is squandering all such opportunities. Instead he has chosen repression and violence as his instruments of rule. His regime is declared illegitimate but clinging to power through sheer force and violence.
At this juncture, I am glad to express my support to the Ethiopian voices of democracy, freedom, justice and reason who are calling for the outright boycotting and rejection of Zenawi`s sham elections. The forces of democracy and freedom never take part in sham elections and cooperate with a ruthless dictator. Instead they stand for and pursue the course of creating an all inclusive and free political space in which fair and free elections can be conducted. It is only then that we will be able to have a democratic process in which all the stake holders take part without fear, hindrances, intimidations and restrictions. A democratic process can not be launched as long as the country is under the grip of ethno-fascism. It is also high time to put pressure on those forces who have been part and parcel of these sham elections by embracing Zenawi`s ethno-fascistic rule as a democratic process worth taking part in.. In this regard one does need only to see Zenawi`s preferential treatment and empowering of members of his golden ethnic group in the economic as well as the political arena. These facts are not lost to opposition forces vying for some seats Zenawi will kindly allocate to them. It is long overdue for these forces to review their wrong pro-Zenawi positions and come to terms with the political reality in the country. They should be aware of the long term political costs associated with taking part in sham elections and legitimizing ethno-fascism.
The so called code of conduct shows that sham elections are the joint undertakings of donors and Zenawi to improve and promote the international image of the latter. The belief among many Ethiopians that Zenawi is charming or deceiving the west is easy to refute considering the close alliance between the west and Zenawi. Zenawi can not deceive or mislead his western political advisers or coaches. Conflicting interests are at play and those are the aspirations of Ethiopians for democracy and freedom on one side and the sham elections of Zenawi. There is not any advantage to be gained by taking part in Zenawi`s farce. Nor do these sham elections advance democracy, freedom and justice in the country. Meles Zenawi has reportedly told his followers and supporters that his or the absolute power and hegemony of the TPLF will not be contested or submitted to public votes. It appears that Zenawi is more candid than the opposition groups who are lining up to get some seats from him. That is why I doubt the credibility and sincerity of the opposition who are participating in Zenawi`s farce.
I have read some contributions which arguing in favour of taking part in Meles Zenawi`s farce or what they refer to as elections. But I have not found any compelling or convincing arguments in them. In fact some of their points bear resemblance to the ones being advanced by the supporters of Meles Zenawi. Their reasonings condense to the assertion that democratization is a process and participation in the process via elections would contribute to moving it forward. There are also others who also cite  participation as a condition for the legal existence and functioning of the opposition parties in the country. Whether they take part in or not, these opposition groups and personalities are at the mercy of Meles Zenawi. Their participation in his sham elections does not safeguard them against his assaults and crack downs. They say that there is no free meal with Zenawi and one must expect to receive some pinches and punches from Zenawi. Some opposition forces claim that the peaceful struggle is the only effective means to dislodge the dictator from the palace. But in effect they are denied the basic rights such as free assembly and expression of ideas. Zenawi has banned demonstrations and the free press. They can not conduct public meetings without the permission of Meles Zenawi. Leaving aside the political cost participation in Zenawi`s farce entails, his degrading and humiliating treatments of the opposition figures sitting with his herd of cadres are unbearable. In fact as the enemy of our country, Zenawi is humiliating us all Ethiopians and derives a lot of pleasure by doing so. Even a practising Christian like ato Girma Kassa are fervently arguing for taking part in the sham elections. We know that the Bible forbids supporting deception or falsehood and ato Girma Kassa`s position contradicts the teachings of Christianity. This same person has written some pieces praising the ethno-fascist and racist rule of Meles Zenawi which is not expected of Christians. It is worth mentioning that there are also Ethiopian muslims supporting and working for ethno-fascism. This shows that our institutions of faith are becoming morally bankrupt and instruments of repression and violence. Besides, ato Girma Kassa, there are also others who are promoting and selling Medrek as a strong and unique combination of political parties with the potential effect of uniting Ethiopians and winning the sham elections. The advocates and supporters of Medrek seem to suffer from a short memory or be misleading the public. Some of the leaders of Medrek are well known personalities who have been an integral part of Zenawi`s sham elections and sitting in the rubber stamp parliament. These guys do not have any popular or national vision other than taking part in the farce and offering the sembalnce of legitimacy to ethno-fascism. Opposition politicians who have been cooperating with Meles Zenawi by taking part in his sham elections do not have any achievements to show and convince us. What they incorrectly call a democratic process is not moving forward since Zenawi is tightening his grip on power and closing the so called political space. Ethiopians are well aware of the reality and can not be deceived neither by Zenawi nor the opposition. We know why Zenawi is putting the opposition politicians in his assembly and enjoying their company. The recent successive draconian laws of Zenawi all refute the claims of those supporting participation in the sham elections. Zenawi has moved swiftly to close all the small openings or venues he thinks are available to the opposition. As a result we see no visible opposition political activity in the country. I do not see any difference between banning and stifling the opposition. Zenawi has apparently preferred stifling to banning to avoid embarrassing his donors. It is once again important to emphasize that the country has yet to set on a democratic process. A democratic process can not be initiated under a fascistic dictatorship like that of Zenawi. The sham elections Meles Zenawi stages are by no means part of the democratic process. As stated by many Ethiopians, they are designed and conducted to consolidate and legitimize his dictatorship. I think these are the essential points missing in the arguments and where the main confusion lies. Those arguing for participation are missing or deliberately overlooking these stark political realities on the ground..
As the main enemy of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi, should be denied any direct or indirect cooperation he seeks to legitimize his ethno-fascistic rule in Ethiopia. The opposition should not allow itself to be used as a pawn or tool to advance Zenawi`s anti-Ethiopia and personal agenda.. At the maximum they ought to mobilize the public and frustrate Zenawi`s ambitions of selling himself to the outside world and continuing to collect western aid cheques. At the minimum the genuine Ethiopian opposition forces should denounce his sham elections and distance themselves from them.  It is true that the west can continue to finance Zenawi`s regime irrespective of what happens. However, the election or democratic camfloulage or pretext they use should not be available to them. We recall how the donors and World Bank changed their canals of channelling money to Zenawi after the latter shed the blood of innocent citizens in the aftermath of the May 2005 elections. That is why many of us have come to the conclusion that the donors are not credible partners for democracy, freedom and development in Ethiopia. However, Ethiopians should continue their anti-fascist struggle to get rid of the illegitimate rule of Zenawi and associates and secure their rights and sovereignty.