Obo Arada Shawl alias Wolde Tewolde

June 3, 2008

About nine months ago, I wrote an article about Dignity and Pride in relation to EPRP. (See call me by my name: XVIII). Now it seems to me that Ethiopians are giving up hope of restoring dignity and pride by not paying a simple price known as RESPECT to oneself and other. For there is not Me without You in our community.

Why do Ethiopians campaign for Obama? Is it because he is from a neighboring country of Kenya? Why do the Eritreans do not campaign for Clinton for I know the majority of them are campaigning for Obama? Mrs. Clinton has at least visited their country, Eritrea. I believe most Eritreans are male chauvinists. What ever the reason is, I do not see why their hopes is being shattered. The following examples will illustrate my points of departure.

Long time ago, while Blacks were allowed to sit in the back of the buses, it is said that an Ethiopian boarded the bus and the driver told him to take a seat in the in the back. The Ethiopian passenger told the driver that he is an Ethiopian. The driver asked the passengers where Ethiopia is. The passengers suggested that Ethiopia may be somewhere in the state of Florida. The driver said to the Ethiopian passenger, “ You see, move and sit in the back.”

My daughter while she was in elementary school, all her friends were African-American, while walking in the streets of Washington, many Ethiopian passersby ask her whether she was an Ethiopian and were curious why she was going with Black girls? And her friends used to ask her what they were asking and she simply told them “are you an Ethiopian?” and her friends quipped “what a stupid question!” One day she confronted me with the question of whether we are black or white. I told her to visualize her uncles and aunts who came from the same womb but some of whom physically black and some look like white and so to make things better for her, I emphatically told her we are neither white nor black. She said to me at the time “it made a lot of sense”. I do not know about now. She is grown up. She has her own explanations and preferences. I think she is campaigning for Obama following the Ethiopian crowd.

It is a common knowledge that Emperor Haile Sellassies while visiting the United States of America in the 1960s, a journalist asked him, “are you the first Negro to come to the White House?” And the Emperor said, “ I am not Negro.” And the journalist continued, by saying then you are white, and the Emperor said, “No I am not white.” But the propagandists continued to inculcate hatred among Ethiopians and African-Americans by harping on one section of the Emperor’s i.e. “I am not black.”

So what now? Have we learned our lessons? How do we learn and from whom?

There are two ways of learning, one by reading books and the other by experience. Experience is the best but it is inconceivable and so the easiest and convenient is learning through books. Today, I want to quote two individuals who were supposed to have learned through reading books. These are Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam and Robele Ababya. Professor Mesfin in ‘Ethiopia from where to where’ as quoted in www.abbaymedia.com defined “ETHIOPIAWINET” in seventeen red written words all of which do not explain any concrete things. They are all abstract terminology. As a geographer, he should at least define it in terms of location if not in politics. Does the professor understand what politics is? Does he understand what science is or for that matter does he has some grasps of technology? I am still puzzled what he knows or where he is from? No Arts, No Science and No Technology. It is a disaster not only for him and his students (if he is still teaching?) but also for many of his followers.

The other quotable person is also from abbaymedia.com posted on March 26^th, 2008. Mr. Robele attempts to discredit the Ethiopian Revolution in direct contradiction with the Professor Mesfin. “The copycats made a mess of applying the works of Marx to the socio-economic conditions of technologically, scientifically and industrially backward Ethiopia.” Mr. Robele seem to tease Ethiopians that “Land to the tiller” was a passion. According to him it was an empty slogan. Shouldn’t he recognize the DERG’s proclamation of land to the tiller, 10 hectares was enough for Mr. Robele!!!

In addition Mr. Robele misunderstood the nature of the Eway Revolution. He thinks like most ordinary people that the Revolution was a one-day event. He continued to argue, “In the aftermath of the revolution, various political orientations emerged including copycats of the works of Marx, Engel, Lenin, Stalin, Mao et al.” What about EPRP? Was it a copycat? Did you know anything about EPRP at the time of the so-called revolution? If the revolution of the Derg was real and beneficial to all Ethiopians including you, why do you think EPRP had opposed? I am sure you do not know the answer. I have no doubt that your knowledge of Revolution is limited. You have repeated what was said as is (in written form at that), all the wrong allegations labeled against EPRP by the Dergists and their cronies. Here is what you repeated like a parrot “ The onset of white terror led to red terror. That was a horrendous political mistake of the EPRP (old) leadership in firing the first bullet to kill their opponents. The other blunder is that they argued that the Eritrean problem is a colonial question and should be resolved in that context. During the invasion by Siad Barre, their cadres in the battlefield actively opposed Ethiopian forces fighting to repulse the aggressor in the Ogaden. It was heart-breaking to see the exodus of Ethiopians in the Ogaden for safety in the north of Ethiopia.” What a Papa Gallo person you are! After thirty something, you do not know. Where are you now? What is your name? Do you live by your name? Why do you mud slug the name of Ababya?

What is worst, you seem to be joyous about the split of EPRP. It is about a split beyond your comprehension. It is not about make it or break it like you think. It is about process of Democracia’w way of struggle. In EPRP, there is no old or new, it was the same and it is the same EPRP. Give up hope of splitting the Party for it was founded on solid grounder like the obelisk of Axum which stood for three thousand years, or like that Fassil Ginb, the Lalibela church or the Wall of Harrar which stood hundred of years. EPRP, whether you like it or not, it is psychologically, physiologically, philosophically and politically is grounded. Robele conclude by saying “ they are now politically bankrupt. The split is welcome. Good luck to EPRP (d)!” What a wishful thinking!!!

In conclusion, what I wrote on www.Debteraw.com call me by my name , XVIII is a good outlook for Ethiopians and EPRP opponents. The article explains the relationships of EPRP Party-Army-Community. An Ethiopian Integrity, Trust and Dignity are illustrated through the eyes of an observer. Call this Ethiopiawinet if you like.

Finally, I would like to remind the professor and the Robele that Debteraw Tsegaye was not and is not a phony man. He is held against his will in INCOMMINCADO in Woyene’s hidden Prison. As a person, Debteraw was not a bad person for both of you. I do not think you have a quarrel with that assessment but I am of the opinion that both of you are coward towards ‘learned Ethiopian men’. Debtera’s and his colleagues are not copycat men but creative, bold and generous in every aspect. Please, be advised that you do not have to be a parrot and arrogant individuals. The professor wants to cover up his weakness through the Ethiopian flag of red, yellow and green, and Mr. Robele has written his article under a map of the Horn of Africa. What is this? Have they switched professions? A Flag and a Map, the very beginning of a scout boy.

Let it be clear to everybody and everyone that Debteraw was not hiding either under the guise of flag like the professor or fighting under the map just like Mr. Robele in order to explain what Ethiopiawinet meant. Debteraw and his party of EPRP have lived in Integrity, Trust and Dignity since the 1970s so as to demonstrate the value of ETHIOPIAWINET or call it by any other name.

For criticism and comments

woldetewolde@yahoo.com

Fretsidiq Fekade

Looking further back into the past, archives collected from every epoch and through out ages indicate Ethiopian history is a prototype or an archetype to what civilization and the evolution of humanity inclusively are all about as well as exclusively to Ethiopia and Ethiopians. “ It is pretty well settled that the city is the engross great contribution to civilization, for it was in Africa where the first cities grew up”. E.Haldeman Julius said in regard to Ethiopian civilization. Count Volley also said “Those piles of ruins which you see in that narrow valley watered by the Nile, are the remains of opulent cities, the pride of the ancient kingdom of Ethiopia. … There a people, now forgotten, discovered while others were yet barbarians, the elements of the arts and sciences. A race of men now rejected from society for their sable skin and frizzled hair, founded on the study of the laws of nature, those civil and religious systems which still govern the universe.”

In the absence of scientific and cultural colonialism, geographic and pale anthological distortion, Ethiopia takes the top place in every discovery. It is true that classical historians conceded, in ancient times Ethiopia extended over vast domains in both Africa and Asia. Egypt itself used to be called the oldest daughter of Ethiopia. Materials likely to support the above thesis are common and pervasive. As a DNA helix provides genetic information to trace a particular organisms biological make up in a given environment as is; in the same token, the geographical positioning of inhabitants suffice to give a clue as to how the cognitive and spiritual development attested. Therefore, when we talk about Ethiopian civilization or evolution, one fundamental substance plays a major role in the process is the intelligence nature endowed to the Ethiopians. The prevalence of this substance is simply the hallmark of growth. So in thus biology and history are two fundamental tools by which we come to perceive the nature of humanity in its metamorphosis and a subsequent course of events or processes respectively. Consequently, in Ethiopia’s case, it is also quite true and plausible. As a result, this is the reason why Ethiopians are proud of whom we are – that is the extension of ancestral collective consciousness inherited. In implicit connotation, here is what is written in the book of the prophet Jeremiah, God says “ can the Ethiopian changes his/her skin, or the leopard his spots? Allegorically, “skin” may denote consciousness with in the context.

Any research attempts to define a society without basing the predominant consciousness of the inhabitants is subject to distortion and more likely fallacious and un orthodoxy; hence, is immaterial . In fact, it is well said that every discipline must begin with its origin. My contention is not to articulate a full-fledged biological or historical analysis; however, is to cognize the fact any identity acquired through biological mechanisms solely unique to a particular environment has underpinning factor to leave its psychological and social experience or imprint to the generation to come – be it the negative or positive dynamic entailed. To be an Ethiopian isn’t a mere superficial matter but it is that consciousness of Ethiopiawinet one psychologically experiences compatible with others. Nationalism, or to be a nationalist, isn’t simply earned or freely given to those who wish to be. But it is again determined by the strong psycho spiritual belief system collectively predisposed, upheld or enshrined; over and above, the sacrifice paid to preserve this common denominator is invaluable. Whatever consciousness depicted or exhibited otherwise is a reverse of this fact, and tantamount to conditioned identity and distorted beliefs. These reverse facts are testimonial as in the case of TPLF stooges malevolently ensuing the annihilation of Ethiopia at the highest rate.

Those who cant think Ethiopiawinet are deficient of Ethiopian consciousness

Sadly enough, the past 17 years we have witnessed that Ethiopia’s history and geographical limitation have been marginalized and relegated all its valuables; by envious narrow nationalist elites born out of the seed of dissolution in Tigray, and by other historical enemies. As a result of this, our motherland has more ever become a victim of its own children of “liberation fighters”; with consecutive atrocities, distortions, miss education (disorientation), and un accountable crimes perpetuated upon the citizens to cope with.

Recently, startling and extraordinary social, Political, and economical phenomena are taking center stage, and heralded heavily via media outlets and websites. Starting with impoverished economy up to political embezzlement; the territorial integrity of the country, etc. are mainly knocking on everyone’s door eliciting a sense of urgency. One can possibly reach at conclusion with out political rhetoric and interpretation (analysis) given as a prerequisite. The mission of modern and historical enemies of the mother land is almost accomplished by the incumbent, self declared, run-of-the-mill government of weyane. A land once begot patriots, who had been uncompromisingly custodians of its sovereignty, is occupied by traitors who are diabolical intrinsically and stir up its demise. These very creatures have plotted the demise of Ethiopia from where they were conceived and sprouted up, long before seizing power by their western collaborators. With no doubt and hyperbolic expression, among the elements surfaced Ethiopia then and now, the TPLF government unequivocally disgraced what has been exalted and fought for by our predecessor for eons-that is the sovereignty of Ethiopia. Why?

Beyond the physical, the psychological experience weighs more in perpetuating beliefs (since beliefs are a psychic element) thereby influencing individuals to act in distinctive manner. As the mystics say “what a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. This is evident in the case of butcher Meles Zenawi. His perception is a conclusive evidence to ancestral psychic impediment ( the spirit of a banda ) bestowed up on him; thus became of a personage nothing less than a traitor, idolatrous, conceit, any evil epithet you can name! Convincingly, he is the exact out put of his papa and grand papa’s cerebral. Ethiopian history and evolutionary mechanics are yet a myth to his wicked intelligence. What do we expect any good to come out of the banda whose psychological make up or cognitive development, and political adherence is inherently alien to our convention? If my argument is concise enough, I dare to deduce Ethiopia is occupied by alien force – nothing more or less than a foreign invader.

This is not an insult intended just to disparage one’s personality and capitalize on antithetical opposing view; however, is a good example to correlate between the behavior being exhibited by the prime minister and his familial inscription. So ironic! isn’t it? No, it isn’t. It is factual and logical that whatever he thinks cant depict a complete Ethiopian consciousness as a result there of. Prima facie, his political motives and intents are absolutely to terminate the existence of Ethiopia. Do I need to chronicle all what he and his Tigrayan “decadents ” have done or presently doing? No, I don’t. but I will mention a few. There was nothing as such Meles and companies concealed from Ethiopians for a fear of a public riot or disobedience. Whatever has been done to us and the country, done in disdain. For that matter, Meles or weyane made it easier for us to react sooner than later; unfortunately, we didn’t. In short, there hasn’t been a political secrecy weyane held and executed behind a closed door for us to declassify nor to react late.

Among the lists either or not chronologically recorded below, which one of the following has been concealed from the public knowledge? Be your own judge if Ethiopiawinet bear such acts.

From its inception to present, The TPLF manifesto declares the ultimate purpose of its struggle is establishing the Tigray republic.

Ethnic federalism, the main theme of the Ethiopian constitution is incorporated from the TPLF manifesto and was ratified in 1994.

The cessation of Ethiopia’s northern province, Eritrea, in 1993 with out a referendum that involved the majority per se.  From its inception to the present, TPLF deliberately distorts and refutes the countries 3000 plus histories.  Genocide and atrocities against the Amharas, Oromos and Agnuwaks, who are the majority collectively, has been committed by the TPLF.

Vital economic privileges has been given to one specific ethnic minority ( the Tigrayans ) under the provision of the federal government.

Human rights abuse.

Badme. Here is a case that serves no particular purpose, as a matter of fact, left a historical predicament for the country to win over a war and yet loses a territory fought for. What a paradox!

Rigging and losing an election, subsequent prosecution and jailing including the leaders of the opposition.

The aggression on Somalia, which can be defined as proxy war, special servitude given by the prime minister to his Masters, Tony Blair and George W. Bush, under the pretext of war on terror. Logically, a terrorist government can’t ensure stability to others by destabilizing his own. Virtually, it is a political reciprocity norm enmeshed in human sacrifice.

Persecution and coercion.

Prevalence of corrupt judiciary system thus unable to implement the rules of law.

1600 km of lands giving up to Sudan. This is a confirmation to every one of concerned citizens that Weyane facilitate a means to establish the Tigray republic by blocking a gateway to contiguous region like Gondar. We can as well correlate this with the annexation of lands from Gondar and Wello which took place a while ago.

I can take it back if anyone comes up with any counter point of argument to pin point if any of the above mentioned is used just to serve a political motivated mind. Or, attempt to persuade me in any style of reasoning, be it inductive or anything else (except Malelitizm), whatever Weyane has done has justifiable cause.

The machination of similar psychopaths help the regime extends its power.

Meles and companies maintain a game attitude by publicly extol the virtues of a game player attitude to sustain power for ever. This game attitude ( pick and roll ) targeted few individuals who don’t have good resumes in mobilizing a national struggle. This is very indicative as to why they spirit of a Banda is selectively contagious or run into its likes. We could possibly see how well inculcated in Dr. Berihanu’s and Andargachew’s mind. Two ordained personalities of lies, capable of altering realities with illusion, appear normal on the surface until performing an outrageous criminal act. Suitably and reasonably exhibit psychopathic personality. Beside what is believed to have been a public secret, a “genius” operative Dr. Berihanu managed to disintegrate CUDP while he was “imprisoned”, let me recite a line or two out of his “mystical ” speech which was high lighted much before his ascension to the summit. To what avail, I am not sure, yet, Dr. Berihanu promised to his congregants in regard to his upcoming political strategy. He said, “I would like to contemplate by sitting on the mountain top in the state of Pennsylvania”. could that be a prayer seeking for a remission of sin, or plotting something as usual?

As many would suspect that he may have some good left somewhere to bring down to the struggle, analogical to Moses ascension to Mount Sinai where he received the Ten Commandments. Hitherto, serve as sacred and immutable law to his followers (the Jews ) as well as to the Christians. Nevertheless, the good Dr. neither articulated what his contemplation would be about nor did he say the purpose intended to serve. Whatever the case may be, there was something deep rooted at the back of his mind. Any guess would be to the readers power of discernment. But as for me, it builds up same old case study categorically elaborates the nature of mental distress he is bound to further denial. For that matter, I would speculate what the immaculate pilgrim would bring forth after the “subae”. The spirit of a traitor descended down from where he was contemplating and disguised in the skin of “the patriots of Adwa, delivering the tablets where the commandments were scribbled – a call for armed struggle.

The declaration is something I go for it personally, but, guess who is talking? Dr. who?  An expert in manipulating others by playing to their emotion. What a transformative psychopathic stage of development the expert entrenched into? Is he a psychopath? Before giving an answer, I would like the reader to understand what a psychopath means and see the reason why I use it to describe the good Economist in the context above.

The psychopath is one of the most fascinating and distressing problems of human experience. For the most part, a psychopath never remains attached to anyone or anything. They live a “predatory” lifestyle. They feel little or no regret, and little or no remorse – except when they are caught. They need relationships, but see people as obstacles to overcome and be eliminated. If not, they see people in terms of how they can be used. They use people for stimulation, to build their self-esteem and they invariably value people in terms of their material value (money, property, fame, power, etc). DR. Robert D. Hare, a researcher renowned in the field of criminal psychology.

Indeed, it is true that “the prominent characteristic involves psychopathic personality presents no signs of guilt or remorse regardless that is factual and congruent to the behavioral pattern being observed. Many victims of the imposter are those who are myopic to discern the spirit of a psychopath with a lack of realistic long and sustainable goal; on top of that, count on his grandiose sense of self worth. Unlike to Moses followers as such delivered by a true prophet, the busy drummers of Berihanu’s camp are undeservedly bow down to an “emancipator” who is a psychopath. I guess it is a sort of “ the same birds of a feather flock together”, which can be translated in Amharic in a way very descriptive  Gim le Gim abreh azigim. If the snake in the suit was a healthy political figure, he would ask for an apology to what he did – raising the fascists from their grave. In so doing, he became the most favorable great asset to Meles zenawi. So thus, is he really an opposition leader? Who is he opposing to?

What we Ethiopians with in the country and across the globe should do now to do away with these Bandas, came out of the wilderness of Dedebit and their cronies, is to exorcise their demons, and order them to go straight down to the pit. Their spirit is contagious and likely to infect many if not cast them out promptly from the sacred land graciously preserved by our ancestors. Remember also the old saying, telatima telat new asqedimo memtat ashokishakiwin new”. We are pursuing a career involves the liberation of Ethiopia from anti Ethiopia psychopathic entities. How contagious the spirit of a Banda is a matter of serious thought. So, to spearhead the struggle at our disposal in a manner free of saboteurs and traitors, we must be vigilant, courageous, and willful to defend and preserve our sovereignty.

Ethiopia will prevail!

Obo Arada Shawl alias Wolde Tewolde – May 13, 2008

Politics is about Addition

Revolution is about Division

Cession is about Subtraction

Nationalism is about Multiplication

EPRP is about Addition and Division

On Meeting

I normally do not attend public meetings especially if I sensed hidden agendas and time bomb. I do not quite understand why hidden agendas will help for advancement or cooperation. Most of the time, on the one hand, while the educated class or elites of Ethiopia practices hidden agendas, on the other hand, the uneducated class of Ethiopians prefers time bomb. What I meant by “time bomb” is that they hold grudge against those who have different opinions for them opinions are not separated from facts and truth. As a result, they wait patiently until their organization or groups or tribes gain control and ready to attack. This is what I call a time bomb, which will blow up in time of adversity. Most Abyssinians belong to this vengeance system. But the educated classes all cling to its hidden agendas when they are short of alternative solutions and lack of freedom.

Let me be an apologist for a moment for EPRP’s hidden agendas and time bomb. Many opponents of EPRP claim that EPRP practice hidden agendas and wait for time bomb. But this is not true. It seems true because politics is about controlling the message. While EPRP was struggling to bring change for all Ethiopians, the people who were in power were using the propaganda (Yabiyen Ekek wede Emye L’kk) of hidden agendas and time bomb propaganda against EPRP. The fact of the matter is that EPRP’s addition via politics and division via Eway Revolution is difficult for many folks to grasp.

Some years back, a personal friend of mine invited me to attend a public meeting of EPRP that was held at 1610 16^th street, in Washington DC. The meeting place was a church called “Unification Church.” EPRP getting unified in religious terms! Wow. I did not attend the meeting to analyze EPRP in terms of religion, but here I was inside a church watching a heated presentation about EPRP’s quo vadis (from where to where) and its future struggle.

Starting with the seating arrangement of the EPRP leadership in the open was a bit strange for me. Normally, the collective leadership is conceptualized in a circular table but this one the seating arrangement was hierarchal. Five leadership members sitting in a row and behind them in raised platform two veterans, a patriot and a heroine. This was my first image of collective leadership in a holy alliance. Right there and then, I did not take it to be a political or an organizational meeting. For my self, I perceived the meeting from a religious point of view. Here is why.

On the first row was sitting Ato Iyassu whom I considered as an Apostle

On the second row was seated Ato Mersha whom I considered as a Prophet

On the third row was seated Ato Fassika whom I considered as an Evangelist

On the fourth row was seated Dr. Getachew whom I considered as a Reverend

On the fifth row was seated Dr. Mesfin whom I considered as a Teacher

The main reason why I labeled them as I did was simply not only because of their sitting arrangements and the fact that they were in a church but also because their presentation and analysis of the Ethiopian situation. I have told them in person about my labeling of course, jokingly.

On Religion

Religion is recognition on the part of man of some higher unseen power as having control of his destiny, and as being entitled to worship, obedience and reverence (WOR). Much of traditional organized religion is of the nature, Debteraw used to argue. Debu used to indicate that the tragedy of all religions is that they violate the principles of freedom as soon as they become mass organizations controlled by an ecclesiastical bureaucracy.

The worst thing is that many people have character structures, which are authoritarian and therefore easily fall prey to the large religious organizations. When such people join the church, for instance, they become a part of a great authoritarian structure. They feel that they too now possess the strength of the authority, which in turn gives them a sense of security, even if at the expense of their own integrity.

In authoritarian religion God is a symbol of power and force, whereas in humanistic religion God is a symbol of man’s own powers. The individual who is attracted to the first symbol and internalizes it may find a tentative kind of psychological security, but he will never be an individuated person, a whole mature adult. For genuine maturity a person must embrace humanistic religion.

Debteraw’s faith-love-hope (see call me by my name XII.). A humanistic religion is centered around man and his strength. Man must develop his power of reason in order to understand himself, his relationship to his fellow men and his position in the Universe with God. He must recognize the truth, both with regard to his limitations and his potentialities.

I know Debteraw has developed his powers of love for others as well as for himself and experience the solidarity of all living beings. Debteraw has principles and norms to guide him in his aims. Debteraw’s argument is to achieving the greatest strength, not the greatest powerlessness. He says that virtue is self-realization, not obedience.

In Debteraw’s Ethiopia religion was united as far as loving humanity but separate in structural operation.

Dr. Tesfaye Debessay was Catholic Christian

Debteraw Tsegey is an Orthodox Christian

Engineer Osman was a Muslim

Berhane Meskel Redda was an atheist

Many other leaders of EPRP were Protestants.

This collective leadership used to respect not only their own religions but also their friends religions including their organizational and geographical set up. After all, every one and every body in EPRP must embrace all religions.

The Tesfayes can have a center in Vatican if they want to

The Debteras can have their center at Axum if they desire to

The Osmans can have their center in Mecca if they prefer to

The Berhane Meskels can have the “Communist Party’ as their center if they choose to

The Protestants can embrace the corporate world if they can handle it. By the way, I believe that the current Ethiopian situational crisis have emanated from the corporate religion.

On Conclusion

Notwithstanding about my labeling, what did the collective leadership say during the five-hour meetings?

The Apostle summarized that EPRP is going from “Struggle to struggle” (Ke’Tigle wede Tigle).

The Prophet’s emphasis on EPRP as losing ground.

The Evangelist revealed that words of EPRP is spreading all over the world

The Reverend disclosed about his student presidency during the downfall of the Monarchy of Ethiopia.

The Teacher pleaded to call back all ex EPRP members.

As democracy is only relevant when a group of people want to make decisions collectively for the group, the existence of a group is vital, but issues of its size and composition can raise problems for the success of democracy. Relations within the group are important. When the group is seen as a collective, as a cohesive whole, then decision making will be different from cases where the group is seen as an aggregation of individuals. Reflecting back to what was going on during this important meeting, we should have asked the collective leadership the following questions:

• Who can put an issue on the agenda?

• Who can suggest alternatives?

• Was there informed debate on the issue?

• Who decides on the options?

• Are the decisions that are made followed?

Now what has happened? Two of the five or seven collective leadership have withdrawn or walked away from the main stream of EPRP. I can see that the prophet could not predict the future of EPRP and the Reverend could not feed members of EPRP not only physically but also mentally. What a tragedy!

For comments and criticism

woldetewolde@yahoo.com

By Kidane Alemayehu  UN Expert (retired)

It is highly gratifying to note that the new Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, unlike his predecessors, including Mr. Kofi Anan, is showing a keen interest in African issues right at the outset of his tenure. Aside from his relatively frequent visits to the region, his focus on complex issues such as the cases of Darfur, the Eritrean/Ethiopian border, the on-going conflict in Southern Somalia, etc. he has now taken on the challenge of the devastating malaria pandemic which is responsible for the perennial death of millions of African people. Mr. Ban Ki-moon deserves to be commended for his effort in giving some attention to the beleaguered continent which is afflicted by huge issues of poverty, diseases and lack of democracy.

After all, despite all its shortcomings, real or perceived, the United Nations remains one of the very last hopes for humanity.

The question is whether Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s priorities are appropriate? The more apt challenge for Mr. Ki-moon is, in fact, whether he has the moral courage and fortitude to address the real fundamental issue facing the millions of Africans who are suffering under abject poverty not because of lack of resources but mainly due to lack of democracy and the consequent poor governance. It remains to be seen whether he would meet that challenge head on or, like his smart predecessors, hide behind the mantle of “the UN mandate”! Judging from the very positive start of his onerous assignment, I would prefer to believe that Mr. Ban Ki-moon would side with the masses of poor Africans suffering under their twin enemies of poverty and vicious dictatorships, at times, masquerading as “democratic” parties.

Despite the fact that his job is made difficult by superpowers who tend to emphasize his being a Secretary than being a General, there is no doubt that he does have the opportunity to bring to focus issues of substance that affect humanity in a significant manner. This is particularly true especially when comparing the United Nations organization with such other entities as the African Union which is an almost totally toothless bulldog that demonstrates a zero sensitivity or impact when it is confronted repeatedly by gross human rights abuses right under its very nose. Recent examples of election riggings throughout Africa (with the exception of extremely few such as Ghana) have not evoked even a peep from the African Union which is supposed to be there to look after the interests of the people of Africa and NOT those of the petty dictators! The fat leaders of the African Union are, in most cases, parading in their limousines and their a la mode fashions while Africa is burning from tyrannical regimes bent on corruption, gross abuse of human rights, and turning virtually a blind eye against devastating diseases such as malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS. African leaders are not ashamed of the fact that the continent has become a basket case while it is endowed with god-given riches (resources) that could make it a bread basket for itself and the world if only it had a democratic system of governance that would give priority to the interests of the African people and not the corrupt few.

Among the black man’s burdens (to turn a phrase) that Mr. Ban Ki-moon has to bear in the context of “the UN mandate” is the fact that corrupt dictatorships in Africa are often supported by self-serving developed, and less developed countries such as China for their immediate interests. The Secretary-General’s dilemma is evident in that he has to bear in mind that it is mostly the permanent members of the UN Security Council, which is his virtual boss, that are siding with the dictators at the expense of the suffering African people. Nevertheless, it is hoped that Mr. Ban Ki-moon would also recognize the fact that it is incumbent upon him, as the leader in charge of enhancing respect for human rights globally, to play an effective role in bringing about a change in the international community’s complicity with corruption and tyranny. He is one of the very few leaders on earth who could and should tweak the conscience of the international community regarding the tragic plight of the African people suffering under the most oppressive regimes.

USA has a declared policy to promote democracy throughout the world. In one of his inaugural addresses, President Bush had stated: “All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty we will stand with you.” It is in USA’s long-term interests to adopt a more potent policy of siding with the people instead of their oppressors. As the sole superpower in the world today, USA’s clear support to the UN Secretary-General in the quest for democracy in the developing world would, more than anything else, accelerate economic development ending the grinding poverty and consequent diseases that cause millions of deaths in Africa. One of the beneficiaries of such a sound policy would be USA itself from expanded trade and the prevalence of stability.

A point is often made to the effect that it is only Africans who can liberate themselves from their oppressors and that expecting the accomplices of their tyrants, in this case the international community including the UN, is an exercise in futility. Nevertheless, it remains the strong opinion of this writer that the United Nations could and should play an effective role in bringing about a fundamental change in policy towards tackling one of the world’s most serious challenges, namely, the unbridled dictatorships that are the bane of so much suffering for millions of people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In any case, what chance do poor Africans have when their oppressive regimes are armed and supported by the international community?

Given the constraints under which Mr. Ban Ki-moon is operating, what could he, as a person of conscience, do, in his capacity as the head of the United Nations organization, to alleviate the untold suffering of the African people?

1. He must face the truth: that Africa’s primary problem is not lack of resources; its main problem is lack of democracy without which, the international community may continue to pump in billions of dollars into Africa but would have little to virtually no positive effect except to meet certain natural and man-made emergencies and enrich the corrupt few.

2. There is an urgent need for the Secretary-General to use his considerable moral and political influence to bear upon the gross abuse of human rights and corruption in Africa in a manner that would yield practical results unlike his predecessors, who satisfied themselves with merely hollow expressions of double-talk that were scoffed at by African dictators. It is interesting to note here that Mr. Kofi Anan was more effective after the end of his service with the UN with his masterful performance in Kenya than all the years he wasted as Secretary-General without making a dent in the vicious grip of dictators in his own continent!

3. There is no doubt that Mr. Ban Ki-moon is aware of the numerous ways and methods by which he could influence events in Africa. What, above all, is needed as a matter of great urgency is to formulate and apply an effective strategy for the creation in Africa of an environment in which dictatorship and abuse of human rights would not be tolerated and that there would be a heavy price to pay by tyrants and corrupt governments. Tyrants should be given a clear notice to make way for democracy!

4. It would be most important for the Secretary General to be personally engaged in the quest for democracy in Africa to the extent that it would constitute one of his top priorities and eventually become his unique legacy as a huge contribution to humanity during his tenure. Such a courageous policy would not endear him with the dictators and their bosses elsewhere but it would be worth the fight unless he prefers to be an accomplice in the continued subjugation of the African people under a brutal suppression and abject poverty.

5. The Secretary-General should be wary of the fact that some of his top advisors could be bureaucrats honed in perpetuating a continued debilitating impact on the United Nations and that their advice regarding Africa is likely to side more with the corrupt dictators in that continent on the basis of the so-called UN mandate than taking new initiatives that would liberate the Africans from the vicious grip of poverty and untold tyranny.

6. Another extremely important aspect that Mr. Ban Ki-moon will have to consider carefully is that the powers that be in the international community are interested in Africa more for the purpose of exploiting its immense natural resources as well as their other latent motives such as the so-called “war against international terrorism” than the alleviation of dictatorship and poverty: the very factors that breed terrorism in that sad continent.

CONCLUSION

The new UN Secretary General’s, Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s recent focus on Africa deserves appreciation. However, it remains to be seen whether he has a clear cut strategy for the continent, focusing on its immense challenges as well as opportunities. It would, in particular, be interesting to see whether Mr. Ban Ki-moon will exert the necessary effort in ridding the continent of the gross human rights abuses and its rampant poverty emanating from the vicious dictatorships from which millions of African people are continuing to suffer.

It is hoped that the international community, especially USA and EU will, in their own long-term interests, side with the UN Secretary-General’s efforts at alleviating the grinding poverty and dictatorship in Africa instead of supporting oppressive regimes for myopic interests.

It is hoped that under the able leadership of Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations will for once help in bringing a real democracy in Africa resulting in the efficient utilization of its immense natural resources for the benefit of its people.

*The title is an obvious play with words and a hyperbole but one would not be blamed for wishing the power of a magic wand for Mr. Ban Ki-moon!

Mammo Muchie, Dphil
Professor, Chair Person NES

Introduction

In Ethiopia food aid/dependency continues to persist for over three decades now since the 1974 famine! Food security and independence continue to recede. Schemes like the food security strategy by the regime in power (1996) has not made any difference to change the food dependency situation of the country running now for over a generation with no clear way yet in place to get the country out of this unacceptable predicament. Since the great famine of 1974- it is 34 years now! – Every year, whether there is rain, harvest or drought something between 5 to 10 million people have always relied on food aid from outside. It has been reported that the number of hungry people have not grown less over time since this regime came to power in May 1991.This situation has prompted the country to be diminished and condemned by the following type of unflattering commentaries: On February 2, 2006 BBC reporter Peter Greste wrote from Mekele, northern Ethiopia: “Like a patient addicted to pain killers, Ethiopia seems hooked on aid. “ He added: “For most of the past three decades, it has survived on millions tonnes of donated food and millions of dollars in cash. It has received more emergency support than any other African nation in that time.”

At present a reported 9 million people in Ethiopia need food aid under conditions when food prices have been pushed up by inflation and food supply difficulties preoccupy the managers of the world economy. The cost of living has been rising and the hardship ordinary people are facing is beyond forbearance in Ethiopia. It is hard times now in Ethiopia for the people, though the elite continue to live a life of opulence with cold and cruel indifference to the plight of ordinary people’s lives.

2. Endemic governance crisis at the root of Ethiopia’s food aid addiction

Any country that has been in the situation Ethiopia has been for a generation, that is to say, not being in a position to feed oneself-is invariably a country that suffers from endemic governance crises. Any Government that has not developed a comprehensive and integrated system of agricultural production to assure a sustainable food security framework in a country fails to command respect and legitimacy for extending its tenure. The regime in Ethiopia has been full of contrivance and deception in playing ‘democracy’ more as a game of deception rather than as a principle of governance to find workable arrangements with moral, intellectual and political integrity to solve the age-old governance problems of the country.

2.1 Democracy played more as a game rather than principle

Very often and invariably, this is what the regime does to the people when it plays the so- called democracy game: the regime invites the people for an election charade only to disabuse them when they vote for the candidates or parties of their choice by harassing those not toeing the official line backed by the military and police might at its disposal. Why the regime prefers to go through the motion of an election, when it has literally zero interest or commitment to honour the choices and voices of the people particularly when they vote for opposition party candidates, strikes any impartial observer as nothing else but activities that are supremely diversionary, opportunistic, cynical and immoral. It is the regime’s indulgence which appears to be a cruel joke on the people. It would have been more honest not to play the multi-party game when in reality the regime knows that it has neither the intention nor the courage to afford to relinquish power through the verdict of the people based on their free votes, voices and choices.

It would have been honest not to disabuse the people by dishing out voting cards and calling them out to vote when the regime has no intention to honour the results especially when the votes goes against the candidates it fielded to continue and prolong its tenure.

The recent boycott of the local elections by even the loyal opposition shows, if it proves anything that the regime has regressed far beyond anything one expected to happen away from the democratic gains that appeared during the May 2005 election. The regime is far from solving the governance crises with democracy. It does not seem interested in solving the governance crises in the country in general.

If it has no principled commitment to solve the governance crisis, invariably it shows that it has no strategy to break out of the vicious cycle of food aid dependency.

To be sure, Ethiopia is one of the few countries that should benefit from creating a system where political transitions come through competing parties that must also have the culture and maturity to consult each other by privileging the higher good for solving such intractable difficulties such as establishing sustainable food security and fresh water provisions for the population as a whole. It is far too late for Ethiopia to be in a situation where it is not able to create a political culture where political transition can take place without deception and violence by mounting proper discussion, conversation, debate, policy distillation and finally by means of votes and elections that are conducted with rules, norms and procedures that are open and accountable, as they are free and fair both in reality and perception.

What is even more alarming is how the existing ethnic-vernacular pattern of political arrangement has been manipulated by the ruling group in the country since 1991 by creating a double problem to the country.

The first is fear that those who rule have to remain in power since they cannot imagine what may happen to them, if they are voted out by fair democratic means. They invoke scenarios of ‘Rwanda type genocide in Ethiopia,’ should they lose and they spread fear amongst their core supporters that any opposition win means ‘death and killing’ to them! This fear-mongering was invoked in the pre- and post- May 2005 election leading to the shooting that got hundreds of innocent people killed in the end and finally many elected opposition MPs and civil society activists to land in jail.

The second is the proliferation of opposition parties, fronts and armed groups that seem to be recreating the same pattern of political fighting that existed in the pre-1991 period. Those opposition groups that demand self-rule paradoxically from a regime that claims whatever record one thinks it has, the one it continues to broadcast as success is its ‘contribution’ to have created a ‘system of self-rule’ encapsulated in the 1995 Constitution that has parcelled governance according to the division of the national framework of Ethiopian citizenship according to the description of Ethiopia as ‘peoples, nations and nationalities.’

Together from these two actions of current regime politics emerge the inevitable consequences: the blackmail of genocide is invoked to limit the full democratisation of the country for an indefinite time, and the claim that it has created self-rule is belied by the proliferation of parties and fronts fighting for self- government. If ‘self-rule’ have been established, as claimed by the regime, why would all these forces proliferate then to fight for’ self-rule’? The fact that self- governance is not recognised at the local level, in reality has embroiled the country into a theatre for various types of contradictory military actions producing the hazard that at stake has become nothing else but the very survival of Ethiopia itself!

What the regime’s parcelling of the nation and the national citizen by erecting vernacular-ethnic political boundaries did was not to create trust but mistrust, not to consolidate the national framework, but to divide and rule by fragmenting and weakening national citizenship, not to unify and mobilise the nation but to create miscommunication and suspicion, not to satisfy the demand for self-rule on the bases of shared rule, but to exacerbate past and present conflicts and force many groups to even resort into armed fight against the regime. The regime is confronted with all these consequence in spite of its claims of recognising the self-determination of ’peoples, nations and nationalities’ ostensibly according to its now discarded Stalinist canon to forge national unity. This is the abstract story. The reality is that the national idea and framework for citizenship engagement and expression that is capable of imparting equal treatment of diverse groups has been undermined and protesters have not gone to sleep. At the moment, there is increasingly and alarmingly more inter-group mistrust and barriers of communication between the people now than an attained and renewed culture of national civic engagement to unite the people and the nation to address the most important problem that any Government must be able to address itself and not contract out to donors- that is, to feed and nourish the people without making it a habit to beg others.

All those that have developed and those developing countries like China and India have first and foremost addressed the food problem before they addressed their major development problems. In India food security has been the major concern of all the political parties. The country plans and expects within the next four years to provide not only food but also fresh water 100 % to the over 1 billion Indians!

There can be no credible sustained national development project without first and foremost feeding ones people. Not to organise ones agricultural system with an integrated approach combining irrigation, innovation, seed varieties, biotechnology, farming technology, multi-seasonal cultivation, spreading and diffusing education and scientific culture so that the farmers become responsive and forward looking, shows a failure of governance. There can be no systematic agriculture without an organised approach to stem the deforestation, erosion, desertification, water shortages, improved cultivation methods and techniques, sustainable land management practices, clearing of woodlands and so on. “The direct costs of loss of soil and essential nutrients due to unsustainable land management is estimated to be about three percent of agricultural GDP or $106 million (1994 $). Other modelling work suggests that the loss of agricultural value between 2000-2010 will be a huge $7 billion”3 The signs are that unless the situation is reversed by creating a national mobilisation by fostering legitimacy, the road is likely to be rough. Improving the governance situation of the country therefore brooks no delay for all those who wish to see a well- fed Ethiopian population sooner than later.

Therefore at the core of the food crises lies a much deeper governance crisis that is endemic as it is anti-democratic, indifferent, cynical, immoral and unjust to the plight of those vulnerable sections of Ethiopian society.

Ethiopia cannot go on living on food charity for ever!

To give may be easier, but to receive is harder. There is so much one loses when one is a recipient of foreign aid. The latter is often doled out in ways that make it recurrent and essential very often to the detriment of the recipient. It is not always the case that foreign aid solves such critical problems such as feeding ones nation. Feeding a nation must be the responsibility of the Government and citizens of a country. It cannot be contracted out to outsiders to help feed a nation. One off help may be necessary and unavoidable when vulnerabilities strike and foreign aid may be useful sometimes depending on how it is given. But if the help continues year in and year out, it comes at the expense of a nation’s necessary confidence to take its own development chances by itself. It can cripple a country’s agency. Loss of confidence that is often purchased by being aid addicted invariably undermines the national will and effort to build capacities, capabilities and innovative competence to deal with ones own problems by using ones own ingenuities, resources, imagination and the mobilisation of talent, tolerance, technology, knowledge, human and institutional efforts.

Some analysts say: ‘

‘Just as it is hard to show aid has beneficial results, it is difficult to prove it has negative ones.’4

Whether aid has beneficial or negative results, the sovereign matter of feeding ones own country must be a matter of national concern and effort where food dependency is firmly displaced by a national food security framework that works.

3.1. Food aid dependency saps national self- confidence

What kind of confidence can the nation have, if Ethiopia continues to suffer from headline news such as the following year in and year out over a generation now: “Ethiopia food aid ‘habit’ worsens locked into a vicious downward spiral of food aid dependency” (BBC News Nov 1, 2006)? After nearly a year the Herald Tribune confirms the same story line: by its reporter Jeffery Gettleman:”Ethiopia (is) thwarting food aid to rebel region in East” (July 22, 2007.). Similar allegations abound where the people who need help are reported to be abused by those who are meant to help them in the Ogden areas now!

This type of projection of the country’s situation not only destroys its image but also saps its confidence. This situation has been taken to an extreme length by some to comment wryly and metaphorically that: “It is not rains in Ethiopia you need to worry about, but whether it rains in America or Canada’” What this means is that if there is food shortage in the food aid giving or supplying countries, then it means that the people who depend on the charity of these countries will have no where to return.

Now that time seems to have come. The world food economy is in crises. The World Bank says ’food price crisis imperils 100 million in poor countries” (R.Zoellick, April 14, 2008). Lo and behold! Long-term food aid addicted countries will have to deal with limited food supply that may or may not be available even by paying exorbitant inflationary prices. When such dire situation imposes itself, hunger and starvation follow. Together they lead to chronic famine. Governments that continue to beg food cannot get what they used to, if more countries need food aid. Invariably the preference will probably go to the countries that have not been food dependency addicted and those that fell to the misfortune because of the vagaries of climate, weather or the shrinkage of arable land due to the misguided utilisation of such land for bio-fuels and other water-thirsty and land hungry flower-rose production that our country at the moment has been exposed too as well.

4. From food aid dependency to food security independence

For over a generation Ethiopia has been living on food aid charity. That it went into this unacceptable situation in the first place may be understandable given the historic problems, threats and internal governance crises it has confronted for thousands of years. But that, in the present time, with a regime that tirelessly broadcast its ’democratic credentials willy-nilly’ and claims it has ’governance’ under control, how come the country is still described as food-aid -addicted?

That there is a failure to evolve a strategy to get out of the vicious cycle of food aid dependency is not condonable. The regime has now been in power for nearly 20 years. If one thing that it should have done well is to provide a national food security framework that tackles at the root the food problem in the country. Nobody can take responsibility for this except the regime in power for the way the country has not been able to come out of hunger and starvation. That regime acolytes would like to blame the world food economy and excuse the regime’s responsibility will not wash or stick.

If this regime had been serious in solving the food dependency problem, it will have started by trying to create synergies that combine and interlink the national political and economic system in order to make it infinitely productive to address critical problems with efficiency and strategy. The regime would have brought into systemic connection national policies, institutions, knowledge and research, incentives to come to bear and address the vital matter of agricultural transformation. It will have a methodology of learning from implementing both from specific sector -specific national strategies as well as micro- foundational local-level mobilisations and actions. Both mistakes and successes will be sources of learning and constant iterative feedback will be used to inform policy to make the system as a whole responsive to the needs and wellbeing of the people for whom Governance is meant to serve and support.

Analysts at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research claim that the agricultural sector accounts for 40 % of GDP, 90 % of exports, 85 % of employment, and 90 % of the poor in the country. They say that largely due to land shortage, per capita land area has fallen from 0.5 ha in the 1960s to only 0.2 ha by 2005. If land per hectare is shrinking, how are the farmers to introduce new technology that is costly to improve the yield per hectare and build agricultural- based wealth? How can they benefit from a biotechnology revolution that may require they share the costs to harvest the gains with economies of scale and economies of scope?

Add to this even a more alarming matter that can seriously undermine a nation to forge ahead. Ethiopia has something like 3 % of the population of tertiary age enrolled in higher education. It has 21 researchers per 1 million inhabitants. Its expenditure on R %& D as a percentage of GDP is 0.2 %. Over 30 % of the research funding comes from donors! It produces less patents and scientific publications than Kenya with Ethiopia boasting more than twice the number of people Kenya has!

For Ethiopia to move from food dependency to food security, it requires to build a national research, knowledge and training system capable of feeding into a national system of production and innovation to provide a strong framework for establishing food security on a sustainable pedigree. This requires that Ethiopia builds a knowledge- infrastructure and R & D support that can stimulate a radical revision of the agrarian system by systematically creating a comprehensive biotechnological revolution using modern information technology systems and diffusing them across the breadth and depth of the land. This requires a new national imagination, where Ethiopia is upgraded into an Ethiopia-Africa nation combining its diversities and managing it rather than degrading into many vernacular ethnic nations, nationalities and peoples!

The national framework is a necessary condition for providing the food security framework. Without a national framework, Ethiopia will find it very difficult to break out of the food aid dependency situation it is in- a problem that has afflicted it for over a generation since the famine of 1974 that ended the traditional imperial order.

5. Conflating Ethiopian hunger with American poverty!

Some regime acolytes outrageously defend the prevalence of food aid dependency and hunger and poverty by conflating and equating poverty in the USA with that in Ethiopia. This is like comparing oranges and apples. The USA is not a food addicted and dependent country. It is a country that has a welfare system. There is no comparison between the poverty and extreme deprivation in Ethiopia and the USA. If such regime acolytes can go to such extreme of defending their bankrupt policies, that have not changed the hunger situation in the country, by allusions that falsely equate and create symmetry with the poverty in the USA, how can anyone believe such intellectually weak and fragile persons will ever help Ethiopia to get out of its cursed and humiliating food dependency situation? They resort to sophistry and blackmail rather than addressing seriously what has gone wrong and how remedies that the people can own may be forged together by creating the climate of tolerance for the best ideas to guide the country out of the morass it is in.

What is required is to create the conditions that all that have the desire and commitment to contribute can enter into a national united effort for the singular and focused purpose of accomplishing the mission of getting Ethiopia out of its hunger predilection.

By accomplishing a shared mission together, the achievement creates a historic feeling victory just like that of Adwa or any other major success the country had in coming out from food aid dependency to the era of food security for national development.

This transformation will change the status and reputation of the country for good and will be recorded as probably the most significant achievement of the country in the 21st century.

These same acolytes, who may have self- interest in the growing flower business, allege that much arable land that is dedicated to the flower business has no impact on the struggle of Ethiopians to emerge from food aid dependency. Given how much land owned by farmers has shrunk, any arable land leased to the flower business is land lost for growing much needed food. There is an opportunity cost that no matter how much one lies to oneself and be in denial, land dedicated to land –hungry and water thirsty flower-rose farming comes at the expense of land for food production in the context of severe shrinkage of hectare of land per person in the country. Ethiopia has now 10-12 % arable land and with a commitment more land can be redeveloped with modern scientific techniques to rescue it from its current diminishing trajectories.

Given the prevalence of food aid dependency and the limited arable land the country enjoys currently, any leasing of significant portion of arable land for the land hungry and thirsty flower business can only come at the expense of securing a national framework to create food security. It shows a misplaced priority by the regime which does not seem to feel shame as we all do that the country is unacceptably in a food aid dependency predicament for so long. We all say the country must come out of this prolonged food dependency situation sooner than later using its arable land to create food self-sufficiency. This will make the few business persons who benefit from the flower growing and selling industry and their Dutch suppliers of flower seeds irate, but it will make Ethiopia proud to attain national food security.

The world food economy will continue to fluctuate, but those countries that have systematically aligned their policy systems with their national framework for establishing and sustaining food security can both engage and protect themselves from the vagaries of the world economy. It is absolutely stupid to give up and say a nation’s fate is to continue begging for food because of the fluctuations of world food market in the world economy. That attitude again shows an unbelievable intellectual weakness of those who seem not to bother if people continue to starve. The acolytes want to blame the country’s bad reputation as food aid addicted nation on all those who suggest a strong national food security framework is long overdue. How can those who are trying to find ways to address this critical problem be to blame, when, in reality, what imparts bad reputation is the fact that the country has not been able to break out of food aid dependency dilemma it has been in for such a long time?

What is very worrying is how intellectually weak and bankrupt are all those who try to defend the regime’s unacceptable policies of maintaining food aid dependency. Instead of working to help bring food security, they resort to all sorts of subterfuges to defend the status quo of food aid dependency. They even resort to blackmail and criminal allegations against those who genuinely are searching to find ways that can bring all those involved to contribute the best to help their country attain comprehensive national framework for food security and development.

6: Concluding Remark: The call for this generation

It will be a big shame to pass the twin crises: governance and food – to the next generations. That will be very selfish. It will create inter-generational tyranny rather than freedom and opportunity. It will be highly irresponsible. This generation of Ethiopians must strive and be resourceful and tolerant enough to engage with a culture of democratic debate to make sure that the over–generation old food crises and governance crises come to an end for good that have been hounding the country for far too long time now.

A new chapter of policy debate and proper ventilation and distillation of ideas is necessary to make sure this country modernises, unifies, democratises and creates justice. Food dependency is tied to lack of democratic governance. An endemic crisis of governance undermines the very capacity, capability and innovation to create a sustainable food security framework for the nation. Instead of imposing a state of intolerance and irresponsibility by blackmailing and threatening democrats such as our NES with preposterous accusations of alleged links to’ terrorist organisations’, the thing to do is to admit that there is a serious problem of democracy, justice, unification and modernisation deficits with this regime that feed into distorting government’s role in solving the real challenges and problems of food, water, bread and butter that the people deserve to have as a matter of right and not privilege.

In the final analyses, this generation has to make a choice- fulfil the dream a food self-sufficient nation that is capable of launching its own development path with courage and knowledge or remain static on the beaten path of food dependency by failing to confront head on this vital problem due to lack of courage, knowledge and will. We can either cross the bridge by using our creative powers and imagination or remain like the shameless and self- centred, boastful and lying regime acolytes by claiming the regime is doing great when it keeps getting slaps on the face for not getting both governance and food security right. There can be no excuse to allow food aid dependency to continue unchallenged. Neither criminalising nor blackmailing us will work to deter us from highlighting the situation that the least able amongst us find them trapped in Ethiopia.

We will do all we can to articulate what is keeping the people, whose voice is often ignored by arrogant power, in a state of food aid dependent situation, and what things must change to change their condition. We must imagine, dream and work hard to realise our images of a well- fed country by improving both governance and food security to get all fed more as a principle of entitlement rather than privilege. That is the true challenge of this generation, never to leave this task of governance and food crises to the next generation.

We say from food aid dependency to national food security now!!! This is a generational call to all to stand up and not give up the fight because food is a right to life and liberty for all Ethiopians.

Mammo Muchie, Dphil
Professor, Chair Person NES
Coordinator of DIIPER
Research Centre on Development Innovation and IPER and
NRF/DST SARCHI chairholder, TUT, South Africa
Aalborg University
Fibigertraede 2
9220-Aalborg East
Aalborg, Denmark
Tel.no. 00-45 9940 9813
fax.no. 00-45 9815 3298
http://www.diiper.ihis.aau.dk/
http://www.ccis.aau.dk/

1 See David Elleman: Helping People Help themselves: from the World Bank to an Alternative philosophy of Development; Michigan University Press, Anarbor, 2006, p.12)

2Darren, Lobatse Darren, Botswana quoted by Martin Plaut, BBC Africa Analyst, Africa’s Hunger-a systemic Crises, January3 1,2006

3 See Leonard Berry’s land Degradation in Ethiopia: its extent and Impact, May 2003, P.2

4  Tim Allan et al, Poverty in the 21st Century, p.209.

Seblework Tadesse

I have been observing the increasing sexual exploitation of refugees in Kampala. The concerns are increasingly worrying. These are no longer rumors as it has becommon a common problem formang and it is openly discussed among young female asylum seekers who are regularly being pressurized to do sexual favors and/or to pay bribe by refugee workers employed by intergovernmental agencies in Kampala.

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I, myself, have experienced the pressure and I am outraged by the behavior of some male officers who directly and/or indirectly ask for sexual favors in order to speed up my asylum case.

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I have also been in contact with several other young females especially from Ethiopia and Eritrea who have categorically been under similar pressure by these Ugandan officers who deal with asylum cases.

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Many of these young women have language barrier and lack of information which make them totally dependent on refugee officers to acquire knowledge about their rights. This dependency makes them vulnerable to sexual exploitation. In many cases, dependency on refugee workers leads to personalized communication resulting unprofessional conducts by some of these officers who take advantage of young female asylum seekers.
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Already prior to arriving Uganda, a great number of these young women, including myself, had to handle with serious dramatization: violence, imprisonment, torture, oppression and fear of being discovered during flight. Asylum seekers in general leave their homeland both to get protection from repressive regimes and in order to claim their internationally recognized rights for protection through the UNHCR.

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It obvious that the exploitation of female asylum seekers and refugees is well known by these international agencies, NGOs and the UNHCR. Unfortunately, their failure to address the assistance needed adequately, especially for younge female asylum seekers, has resulted in serious consequences in the form of sexual exploitation and prostitution.
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There are a number of accounted cases in Kampala where female asylum seekers have been forced into prostitution because they have been asked to pay bribe by officers dealing with their asylum cases.
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In addition, they go through high risks of infection with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS, which accompanies all sexual exploitation against these young women. Lack of knowledge and lack of income to use the health services worsen the impact of diseases and chances for treatment.

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While the Ugandan people in general are welcoming, peaceful and generous, there are, unfortunately, few civil servants/refugee workers who selfishly take advantage of their power to exploit asylum seekers who desperately need their help to seek protection.
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It is inexcusable for those authorities involved including those international agencies to keep silent as they already know about these abuses.

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Something has to be done soon!

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Seblework Tadesse

Obo Arada Shawl alias Wolde Tewolde – April 9, 2008

What is his name?

Retta Adane was his given name. I used to call him as Rettaw just to upgrade him from his two syllabuses name. However, he has refused to do so.   My idea of a third letter is to avoid Black vs. White type of conversation, in other words, avoiding them and us. We always have a third arm or leg in the Ethiopian context. Retta used to tell me that there was only two-way struggle. He was saying there is still two Ethiopia, one for the privileged class and the other for the underclass. He chose to side with the underclass. Retta recognized that he came from a privileged class but he abandoned it for the sake of the majority of Ethiopians. Nonetheless he lived in both worlds fighting tooth and nail.

What are his accomplishments?

Academically, Rettaw has an associate degree. He was an accomplished photographer, career wise. Professionally, he was a real REVOLUTIONARY. He fought in the cities, in the metropolitan areas, in the mountains, and across deserts and ghettos of Ethiopia and America. He had sacrificed his comfortable life to combat grievances for a better tomorrow in political, social and economic matters for all Ethiopians.

How did he live?

Unknown to his family and many of his friends, he had lived a comfortable life. A life of freedom and liberty. He freely moved between the Badme (Zone of Washington), namely Axum and Zula restaurants. He had been sending messages of free spirit and life. Retta traveled physically from America (A) to Ethiopia (E) and from Addis Ababa (AA) to AAssimba (AA). He showed us the way of alphabetical travel from A-E. Having left the party, Rettaw has been traveling mentally and spiritually from Axum (A) to Zula (Z). Retta has traveled from A-Z, a complete study of the Latin alphabet. What a noble journey! Call me by my name. What is my name?

His Weakness

The hallmark of EPRP and EPLF was discipline. One is internal and the other external. Retta did not like both of them. As a result he abused himself albeit without abusing his own organization, EPRP.

His Sense of Humor

Retta’s sense of humor was impeccable.

One day, I met Retta while traveling in a city bus and he asked me whence I was coming from. I told him that I was coming from a public meeting where Negede Gobeze, Aregawi Berhe and Eyassu Alemayehu were attending. He was taken aback. He labeled them in the following manner:

Mr. A as ki’lo (innocent)

Mr. E as selay (spy)

Mr. N as feri (coward)

How can you put these three together, he asked me, mockingly? I said to myself as (sic)

spy-innocent-coward. I did not tell him to decipher any of my alphabetic letters. I know he was trying to be funny.

At another time, I met him again in a city bus. This time I have asked him from where he was coming. He said, “I have been to my doctor, a doctor who told me that I would only live for three months but when I returned to see the doctor for my final appointment, I found out that he was dead. I must have misunderstood my doctor. He was prescribing death for himself.” I teased Retta that he must have suffered from the deadline. He smiled because he knows that I know that he was not afraid of death. I laughed, laughed and laughed as usual for his sense of humor.

Another sense of humor of Retta as was narrated to me by one of his comrades was as follows. As his friend was addressing a gathering, by saying “ladies and gentlemen” Retta added a third category by addressing a “those in between”. This has happened in Italy some twenty years ago. Retta was ahead of his time and he was teaching by example. Of course, this was contrary to his “them and us”.

During his career, I think Retta was employed temporarily by Tamrat Lyne a one time prime minister of Ethiopia. Retta has lost his job, as did the prime minister. Retta had a photograph taken from Makalle field of donkey’s mating season. Whenever he wants to scare or test people’s mentality or culture, he shows them the picture as they gasp, “ he is crazy.” He was teaching his countrymen to face reality lest culture shock breaks them.

The lesson Retta is leaving behind

It is said that Mark Twain aptly described about mysteries, the mystery of God, Death and of Life. For most Ethiopians God and death are certain but not life.

Retta’s death was not sudden and unanticipated. He is divorced, unattached, have 3 children and his whole life revolved around the concept of EPRP as the head of a family, community and society. He no longer felt safe when EPRP and a whole lot of his comrades died, exiled and imprisoned. Nevertheless, he deeply believed in the ultimate success story of EPRP.

How do the Retta comrades at this age and stage of life grieve? How do they overcome the complete emptiness and fear? Well, he has lived enough time to teach and to struggle albeit with harmony, peace and freedom with himself and his surroundings. Retta is to be emulated in his personal courage.

Grief is natural and normal. It hits us in different ways. For some of us, it is as if a stone is sitting on our chests until we can barely breathe. For others, it is a fact that can’t be faced, so much so that they keep busy from dawn to midnight drinking or working. Grief is like a blanket, smothering us with sadness and fear, but in the case of Retta, there is no grief for he has carried out what he wanted to accomplish

And so it is with all of us. Good books and politics will ease his comrades’ pain though these are not the only options. Prayer will encourage contemplation. We all have lost a truly special person. We all will carry a bundle of sorrow on our back if we miss his point of view and life style.

Those who have attended the burial ceremony informed me that many have regretted of not knowing him enough to appreciate his life. I know most of them were frustrated and angry at his behavior. We should look for the best in everybody. If we had the patience to listen and see long enough and keep on waiting, their good side will come out. I wish I had asked him what wisdom he would impart to the world if he knew it was his last chance. I suspect he would say “ Retta lived for 30 years after a terminal diagnosis for freedom.”

Tell him how much we miss him and ask him for advice on how he coped up during rough times. He won’t answer; imagine what he would have said, “vive EPRP and continue the struggle”

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Obo Arada Shawl alias Wolde Tewolde — April 1, 2008

Despite many confusions and claims, EPRP’s political history was and is simple and straightforward.

The Issue was clear:

DOMESTIC Affaire

In the South of Ethiopia, it was about Land to the tiller (Me’re’t L’arashu)

In the North of Ethiopia, it was against Reactionary Bureaucracy ((Ishi Nege)

FOREIGN Affaire, it was against Anti-Imperialism both capitalist and socialist Imperialism

The Vision was obvious

One Flag, One Alphabet and many Freedoms (FFF)

The Method was defined

Peace in the North and Democracy in the Center for DEMOCRACIA to prevail everywhere and anywhere. (More on this issue is forthcoming).

The Current Status of EPRP

Some individual people tell me that EPRP’s thrill is gone. I tell them that there was/is no thrills with EPRP. EPRP is about responsibilities with oneself and society. That is the first indication of a responsible party.

EPRP is about responsibility, helpfulness and confidence. When I speak in such a manner, some opponents tell me bluntly that I do not sound as either a member or a supporter of EPRP. In fact, they point out that I sounded like a Republican.

I wish the EPRP (d) understands what Republican means. I wish they could present themselves as Republican or democrat within the party of EPRP.

Inasmuch as EPRP has led as a vanguard party to show all organizations and groups why and how they should struggle, EPRP is still in the forefront of struggle for DEMOCRACIA. The party of EPRP still leads and teaches by example.

EPRP’s opponents whether from domestic or foreign countries have painted the Party for what it is not. The shocking part though is that some veteran leaders accuse of themselves as members of an anti-democratic political organization in Silence for quite a long period of time. This is unheard of in the history of EPRP (there is should not be conspiracy theory within EPRP). Even the Guerrilla fighters of EPLF and TPLF label EPRP as a democratic organization. In their language, the EPRP (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party) gives guidance to EPRA (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Army) and not vice versa as practiced in their own organizations. (See more articles on the relationship between EPRA and EPRP).

CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN EPRP’S TRADITION

Externally, so far, there was no confusion in EPRP’s vision and mission towards the people of Ethiopia as a whole.

Internally though, EPRP has faced with two major conflicts of A, B, and numerous minor conflicts in the letter of C embedded in the letter of S.

A= Anja

B= Bitena

C= this is the third stage. It is about cooperation or Separation. After all C is part of S, which is Secrecy and Conspiracy.

ANJA: This was a faction of a serious nature regarding leadership style and operation. Two decision makers of the party dissented against the majority’s decision of the party and acted wild in decimating the party they have helped to create. In other words, they were found guilty of undemocratic action and by the will of the majority, they were ousted from responsibility (mind you not from power) and by fate they were banished. The case was closed democratically and honorably. This should be Number One Lesson to be emulated by all organizations and parties. It is the legacy of EPRP collective leadership, pure and simple. After all, it was about responsibilities and commitment and not about power. So far, nobody is complaining. I hope it does not crop up in the future.

B’TENA: This was a concept of re-evaluation of EPRP along its lines of struggle after the so-called “Red Terror”. The leaders have assembled for almost three months for re-evaluation of its past and to assess of its members willingness whether to continue the struggle. In the mean time, many of its freedom fighters disbanded not into abyss but into societies. I have witnessed this phenomenon in Dessie, Wollo, in Gonder, Gonder (Begemder) in Addis Ababa, in Kenya and in Washington. This should be Number Two Lesson to be emulated by all organizations and parties. After all, the meeting was long and democratic to consume such a long time. It was obvious that many members and supporters became, for lack of a better word, disfranchised from EPRP. EPRP has always welcomed them despite some disgruntled individuals.

The C groups for lack of name a.k.a Walk away, Teletafi, splinter or any other name attached to them as many of their ideas were contrary to EPRP’s method of struggle, DEMOCRACIA. EPRP was known for its long-term plan and revolutionary struggle and not coup d’etat (Gultcha bi’le’wa’wet Wet’Ayataftim). Every time individuals or groups feel weak, hopeless or even when betrayed, they have been resorting to condemnation of EPRP leadership and against some prominent members. Instead of joining gracefully and honorably or alternatively abandoning EPRP (my friend calls this phenomenon-Parking), some of them became enemies of the party. I believe it may be in the Ethiopian/Eritrean culture of blame, a culture of blame inculcated only in winning. They should be reminded that EPRP accepts the culture of losing. EPRP has liberated the minds of its members to be whatever they want to be but not as an enemy of the party.

All of the splinter groups have the obligation to tell the Party and its collective leadership so as to resolve the issue or the vision peacefully, amicably and democratically. PAD is acrimony for Peace-amicable-democracy.

Sometime back, ASSIMBA Team reminded us of a looming danger of crossing the Rubicon (in their language the Redline).

Now the moves of EPRP (d) seems tantamount to crossing the Redline, setting the stage for deeper involvement in Ethiopia’s ethnic and Eritrea’s language political confusion and crisis.

Leaders of this splinter group do not seem to have long-term strategy for taking their members on more assertive role for change of regime or for the release of DEBTERAW and his comrades.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

These days, there is a lot, it seems of collateral damage, between Issayas and Melese (I&M), between Obama and Clinton (O&C) and Hailu and Mesfin (H&M). What is to be said of EPRP? What has happened to the concept of collective leadership? I thought the leadership issue was resolved by the Anja a.k.a the Ha and Le faction, two individuals were responsible and they received their penalty either from the party or from the enemy. It is done and closed.

How about the Bitena? These too have come to pass. From 3-5 individuals have taken the responsibility for encouraging to be disbanded. This has taken place over twenty years ago. I do not understand why people dwell on revenge instead of resolution. Some of us slumbered for a long time and suddenly came to realize that EPRP is still alive. That is a healthy position to be in. But there is a cost to pay, a simple cost called RECOGNITION. Those who continued the struggle in the name of EPRP should be commended and never negated. And in return, those who had continued along the lines of Debteraw have to understand why those who did not continue for various reasons. After all EPRP is about doing the Right Thing and not much about the Wrong Thing. And so I would like to ask why is this current of Duplication or Copy is necessary?

For the sake of clarity let me ask my readers the difference between the following two dual words:

Duplicate vs. Copy

Rabbit vs. Hare

Duplicate:

• Identically copied from an original
• Existing or growing in two corresponding parts, double
• Denoting a manner of play in cards in which partnerships or teams play the same deals and compare scores at the end, i.e. Duplicate bridge

Copy:

1. • A reproduction
   • To follow a model or pattern,
   • Imitation

What is the difference between a rabbit and a hare? There are of the same kind with a little physical and social difference that only experts can tell.

What has happened now is unprecedented in the history of EPRP. The only political party that has passed the test of time is EPRP both internally as well as externally. This Party, at no time has seen such an unholy alliance in its name and character. Many have stolen its name, slogan and emblem but never its vision, mission and value. I wish the EPRP (d) could come up with courage, principle and vision instead of story telling and copying materials. (More on this coming)

What is needed now, is about an image or a strategy. Leaders of EPRP should not pay any cost. Dr. Tesfaye Debessai and his followers have paid the cost. Tsegeye Debteraw and his colleagues are still paying. What kind of price should the current leaders pay?

What is needed of them is the following:

• They should be Fearless leaders i.e. speak the truth (like Hama Tuma)
• They should follow a timeless principle leaders and (Fassika Bellette)
• They should be visionary leaders and followers (As Azmatchs & Zematches together)

Sustain:

• To keep in existence or continue

Preservation, Rehabilitation and Protection of Ethiopia is the name of the game and not revision of EPRP. Call me by my name. What is my name? It is EPRP and not EPRP (d). Let us not confuse our community and societies. One Flag, one Fidel and many Freedoms.

For comments and criticisms

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By Geresie Bonkie

We can think of democracy as a system of government with the following key elements:

1. A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections;

2. The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life;

3. Protection of the human rights of all citizens;

4. Transparency and accountability to the public;

5. A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.

In a democracy, the people are sovereign-they are the highest form of political authority. Power flows from the people to the leaders of government, who hold power only temporarily. Laws and policies require majority support in parliament, but the rights of the minorities are protected in various ways. The people are free to criticize their elected leaders and representatives and to observe how they conduct the business of government. Elected representatives at the national and local levels should listen to the people and respond to their needs and suggestions. For elections to be free and fair, they have to be administered by a neutral, fair, and professional body that treats all political parties and candidates equally. All parties and candidates must have the right to campaign freely, to present their proposals to the voters, both directly and through the mass media. Voters must be able to vote in secret, free of intimidation and violence and etc. But none of the above-mentioned are exercised in Ethiopia, instead under the disguise of democracy and fake election, high crimes have been committed for the last three decades.

In the latest May 2005 national election, 25 million of Ethiopia’s illegible voters stood in line for long hours to cast their votes. Mr. Zenawi’s regime was overwhelmingly defeated by the opposition. However, Mr. Zenawi had difficulty in accepting that the opposition had won the national election and declared himself a winner, ordered his security to shoot and kill more than 193 innocent citizens, embarked on a massive and sustained crackdown of all dissents in the country. Thousands of innocent citizens, mostly young, were held in 5 specially arranged Nazi-type concentration Camps.

In this regard, if we quote from the recent U.S. Department of State country report of 2007, which is almost identical to the predecessor’s years, on human rights practices, it is reported as follows. “Human rights abuses reported during the year included: limitation of citizens’ rights to change their government during the most recent elections; unlawful killings, and beating, abuse, and mistreatment of detainees and opposition supporters by security forces: poor prison conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention, particularly of those suspected of sympathizing with or being members of the opposition or insurgent groups; detention of thousands without charge and lengthy pretrial detention; infringement on citizens’ privacy rights and frequent refusal to follow the law regarding search warrants; use of excessive force by security services in an internal conflict and counter-insurgency operations; restrictions on freedom of the press; arrest, detention, and harassment of journalists for publishing articles critical of the government; restrictions on freedom of assembly; limitations on freedom of association ……….”

Here we go again, Election! recycling evil in the name of democracy in Ethiopia. Prescribing fake election to cover up the high crimes being committed and clinging to power, not through the will of the people, but through the barrel of the gun. In Ethiopia, gun culture is ruling over reason and logic.

The current regime in Addis Ababa has routinely engaged and continues to engage in tortures, beatings, systematic abuse, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment of dissidents and opponents in violation of their own Constitution. The regime of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has severely curtailed the right of freedom of associations and the right of the people to engage in unrestricted peaceful political and civic activity. The regime continues to violate the people’s right to assemble freely by disrupting or unlawfully banning opposition party meetings, arbitrarily denying or delaying or engaging in last minute revocation of public meetings or demonstration permits, and by using pressure tactics on ordinary Ethiopians, including requiring opposition members to renounce their party membership, even systematically harassing and intimidating opposition parliament members and their constituents not to hold meetings to address any issue. The regime continues to harass, persecute publishers, editors and journalists and controls all broadcast media. The regime relies on politically appointed judges to obtain predetermined outcomes, which often result in a miscarriage of justice.

If all the crimes committed by Meles Zenawi regime for the last three decades are investigated by international independent investigators, we are sure that the world would be shocked and it will be one of the records at the top in the 21^st century. As we speak, the regime in Addis Ababa is busy hiding its crimes on humanity. It should be painful to mention that all the above said crimes and human rights abuses were happening under the watchful eye of United Nations and western countries, who claim that they stand for human rights and democracy, turning their blind eye and deaf ear to all the atrocities committed against Ethiopians.

We Ethiopians have paid for democracy and the rule of law in terms of our blood and treasure for years. Ethiopians say democracy and ask all to stand with the people of Ethiopia whose rights are denied. You can right wrongs, and say enough of blood and tears in Ethiopia to stop the ongoing crimes being committed under the cover of democracy and fake election.

Stop Recycling Evil In The Name of Democracy and Fake Election in Ethiopia!

Geresie Bonkie March 2008

Obo Arada Shawl alias Wolde Tewolde  – March 23, 2008

Three days ago, a girl whom I met at the Starbucks surprised me by telling me that she has never heard about ABYOT let alone to know what it meant. On the other hand, she perfectly remembers very well about the Wars of Maichew and Aduwa, Korea and Congo. She further told me that she was going to Ethiopia to get married in a traditional wedding. She prefers the marriage to be consummated in Ethiopia for cultural and religious values.

“What religious and what cultural values are talking about?” I have surprised her in the same way she puzzled me about ABYOT. I told her that I did not return home in Eritrea since 1972 and to Ethiopia since 1986 for lack of traditional, religious and cultural values.

I believe that the Ethiopian Revolution aka known as the Eway Revolution was to be remembered. It was not destructive, as some writers wanted us to believe. The Eway Revolution should be understood in its proper context of change, i.e. Revolution via Democratization.

I was about to explain to this young and vibrant lady what ABYOT or the Eway Revolution was/is meant, when suddenly her ride came to take her home, i.e. Ethiopia. We will discuss about ABYOT, Tradition and Marriage when she returns in about three months. But in the mean time, let me switch to a different and explosive topic for America and Ethiopia.

The Eway Revolution is not about nationality, ethnicity, language or ideology as was subscribed in Ethiopia and Eritrea as indicated below.

Leaders Tenets Symbolic Tools_______

Haile Sellassie I Christianity The Lion of Judah

Menghestu Haile M. Socialism The Black Lion

Mellese Zenawi Ethnicity Star of David in pentagram

Essayas Language Camel, olive tree and colors

For Debteraw and his political Party, EPRP it is none of the above. For Debteraw and EPRP, it is about the Ethiopian Security and the Eritrean politics by means of Revolution via Democratization.

For Ethiopia, the E-Way Engine (EWE) has brought a new way of thinking, thanks to Deteraw and his political party, EPRP.

For America, the Search Engine (SE) has brought a new way of thinking, thanks to Obama and technology.

However, the politics and experience of Debteraw and Obama are markedly different in many ways but similar in some ways. The origins of race, color and religion (RCR) are traced in Ethiopia, but they are nowhere a threat to Ethiopia as they are to America.

SENATOR BARACK OBAMA (FLF)

This week Obama spoke loudly and vividly something that was simmering on underground. The talk of race, color and religion were everywhere and but nowhere as an issue for – America is believed to be a melting point for everything. RCR was not discussed in public as a political issue. Now Senator Obama talked about it in such a way that it will help America because of his mixture of races. What races? Obama did not say it enough. He should have said that he is from a black and a white skin color. It is all about the color of the skin. This is what we call in Ethiopia K’L’S. He should have confirmed that his skin is a mixture. Instead Senator Obama says time and again that he is a unifier and not a divider. His reasoning is that has adapted various cultures by living in different places with different people. That is the trouble. It is not the mixed culture that will assist him to be a president. It is the single value that will unite the country. After all, Americans are known by their Flag (13 stripes and 50 stars), by their Latin alphabet and by their Freedom (FLF) and not by their culture, as Obama campaign wants us to believe.

Obama’s value is embedded in his name rewritten in Latin alphabet. Did he live by his name? Or alternatively, does his name signify something? That I do not know.

DEBTERAW TSEGEYE GEBRE MEDHIN (FFF)

In Ethiopia a person’s skin did not matter. The same womb can deliver black or white regardless. In Debteraw’s country a human being is a human being. He is an Ethiopian, a child of God regardless. But in recent years, especially after the so-called modern education, things have changed. Some individuals began to hide their identify, especially after the Italian colonization. Some intellectuals began to hate their identity. They were captured by false pride of being educated without the “Alphabet” of GE’EZ. Here comes the scholar Debteraw Tsegeye into the picture.

Without the development of GE’EZ Ethiopia/Eritrea would not have been civilized. Civilization by definition is of mental exercise and record keeping. In the absence of GE’EZ, or any other alphabets enormous things would not have been possible. Philosophical thoughts, Biblical religion and Organization of societies would not have been possible without the written word. GE’EZ had and will continue to have great impact on social, economic, political, cultural and educational investment sectors.

What is GE’EZ? Fidel or Abugida?

I want to leave the answer to be discussed by my readers. 

U-T (HePe) ever since we know how to read and write, we have never thought of where it came from or how it was evolved. The answers to these questions were only told by foreign researchers mostly enamored themselves to be known as Ethiopinists. Inasmuch as they themselves were foreigners, they had to say that GE’EZ came to Ethiopia from outside the country via South Yemen.

Scholars of Ethiopia like Debteraw insisted that GE’EZ is an indigenous script and language. In order to dispel or reveal the truth of the value of GE’EZ language and in order to communicate with the alphabet of it, Debteraw became a debtera instead of a priest and had deciphered the content of the language of Ge’ez in terms of Qine-qidase-wazema-trgum-sewasw (QQWTS) and this has scarred not only the high priests but also the high government officials. While on the other hand, Debteraw went to college in order to understand the values of the western world written in Latin.

Those who became literate and educated in Latin alphabet are basically against Ethiopia and Ethiopians – essentially against themselves. Their own identity is at stake. What a tragedy?

First year students who attended Geography 101 class used to tell us that PMWM starts by teaching about Ethiopia in the following manner. He starts from the North, Eritrea is stone, Tigrai another stone and before saying more some students withdrew from Geography class thereby becoming ignorant of their own country. What do you call this? Hatred or ignorance?

Another example as narrated to me by a friend was as follows. While Emperor Haile Sellassie I was visiting the library of Alemaya College, the emperor asked the Dean of the college whether the library houses GE’EZ books. The dean bowed without saying any thing. Haile Sellassie again asked him the same question, the dean again bowed. The Emperor said, “ Is that the answer”, the dean bowed for confirmation. So we can see why the responsible officials like the dean of Alemaya, the lecturer of Geography in Addis Ababa never like to promote the true educational system for Ethiopia. The history of Axum, Meroe and Egypt (AME) do not seem to sink in the minds of our educated professors. Call me by my name. What is my name?

As if that was not enough, Mesfin Wolde Mariam is making sure that Debteraw will never see sunlight while he (PMWM) is alive. What a travesty? The reason is simply because Debteraw is literate in GE’EZ and English and he knows the difference between knowledge and wisdom unlike the professor who only negotiates his way via information.

Mesfin writes about Obama and not about Debteraw! Can anyone ask the professor why he is not writing about Debteraw? This question should be added to the 20 questions posed to the professsor by www.EthioLion.com) to become the 21st question. What a tragedy? Is he an Ethiopian or is he a mixture of cultures as Obama himself. I am wondering!!!

Semitic, Hamitic or Cushitic as a language was not an issue for Debteraw. The choice of FIDEL (GE’EZ) as in ATT (Amharic-Tigrigna-Tigre) and the Latin alphabet together are of fundamental importance for our peoples’ communication. The Afaan Oromo, with a modified Latin alphabet called Qub’ee as presented as Oromo Script is another alphabet to compete with GE’EZ. What a wonderful world of choices!!!

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