Assimba Blog

By Hama Tuma

“An appeal court at The Hague war crimes tribunal has overturned the convictions of two Croatian generals for the expulsion of ethnic Serbs in 1995, in a ruling hailed in Croatia as a vindication of its war of independence but denounced in Serbia as evidence of bias”:

The world talks of endangered animals but there are human species that are also slated for extermination. The Serbs are the Amharas of Yugoslavia. The Amharas are a major ethnic group in Ethiopia for whose extermination the ruling Tigrean regime in Addis Abeba, other ethnic separatists, foreign powers and regional forces have all coalesced. The release of the Croatian generals accused of ethnic cleansing of Serbs while the same court has enthusiastically accused Serb generals and officials brings to mind the same old ugly double standard of the West. Voltaire once said “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”  Unless they are killers allied to the West. Many Croats were allied to Hitler and fought against the Tito (himself a Croat but a Yugoslav nationalist) led anti fascist resistance. Germany had a soft spot for Croatian separatists from the outset. Croat generals killing Serbs is ok but Serbs killing back is bad, criminal. After all, the dismantling of Yugoslavia was a Western plot and operation in the first place. In Ethiopia, the same situation was/ is in place. The most destructive regime is hailed as democratic and one of the worst dictators in Ethiopia’s history is hailed as a democrat because the West is duped into thinking that Amharas, like Serbs, are enemies, and Tigreans like Meles are like Croats– friendly forces. And the West is notorious when it comes to backing so called friendly forces from Israel to Equatorial Guinea, from Chad to Saudi Arabia or Bahrain and beyond.

The West always picks its targets and enemies. Resist its hegemony and you are an enemy. The Serbs with their history and proud culture were considered as an obstacle for the western ambition to destroy Yugoslavia, if not Russia, and assure Western hegemony in that part of the world. In Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, the West considers the Amhara people as an obstacle for its hegemonic drive to control the Horn. Poor Amharas who bear the burden of suffering under repressive regimes that others try to project as Amhara are blamed for privileges that have never been theirs. Ruling class and people are merged into one to compound the plight of the impoverished Amhara people and to condemn them as oppressors. The regime that Susan Rice and others sold outs and fools consider as democratic and the monster called Meles Zenawi that they tried to sell as progressive and democrat  are  supposed to be (and are ) against the Amharas that are said to have dominated and oppressed Ethiopia. Revised and falsified History is presented to justify this accusation.  The Meles Zenawi cabal defined its struggle as anti Amhara and anti imperialist but allied with imperialism to assume power against Ethiopia. As someone had said years ago fanaticism is the refuge of people without intellect and the dead tyrant, notwithstanding his street smart talk, was shallow to the core.  

The Amharas, like most Ethiopians, have a history to be proud                                                                                                                                                                       of, a history of resistance, nationalism and sacrifice and this is what the Tigrean dictator and his gang want to destroy. Thus, all opposition to the Meles regime was labeled as “Amhara chauvinist” by the late and unlamented Paul Henze and others like him. That Meles metamorphosed faster than quick from a die hard Stalinist into a self declared pro American is a miracle that only the likes of Clinton and Rice and Sheen are able to fathom. The Croat generals have been freed by The Hague’s so called International Court (ICC) that follows Western diktat and tries African war lords and Serbs who are not in the good books of Washington. Charles Taylor, backed in his time by Washington and Western rubber and mineral seeking quarters, got a fifty years jail term. He was sentenced for alleged war crimes in Sierra Leone, of aiding the RUF rebels in exchange for diamonds. If Sierra Leone be the contention it is no secret that Britain and even a South African Military company called Executive Outcomes (now part of the South African Strategic Resources Corporation) fought on the side of the government and are accused of atrocities as they tried to lay their hands on that country’s diamonds. Taylor was just a competitor that had to be removed from that part of the world . Enter the ICC which has now launched a warrant against Omar Besihr but stays silent on the war crimes committed by the late dictator Meles. Why not a warrant for the architect of the Red terror Mengistu whose exile in Zimbabwe was arranged by none other than Washington? It is of no use to repeat again and again that double standard and vicious real politic have victimized us.

At issue is not whether these personalities, war lords, tyrants and generals are  sympathetic people. No they are not, they were not. But Milosevic signed with Clinton the Dayton accord, Condoleezza Rice and that unmentionable Blair also went to Tripoli to embrace Khadafy, Dick Cheney went to Baghdad to meet Sadam and to back him against Iran. And so and on. Bahrain is invaded by Saudi Arabia and repression intensified without a pip from Washington or France who are no trying to oust Al Assad the Libyan way. The eulogies made by the Western leaders when the tyrant in Ethiopia died has not changed the image of his ugly and murderous regime but has only shamed them as hypocrites with only their national interest guiding them—to hell with Ethiopians and moral standards! It is thus no secret that the ICC is just a political tool of Washington and colonial minded Europe. Africans are paraded and condemned. More cruel war criminals are at large, color and alliance weigh in. They happen to be the darlings of the West and none can touch them.

In his book “Ethnicity and the Assault against the Nation”, Samir Amin analyzed the operations against Yugoslavia and Ethiopia using ethnicity as a weapon. Meles Zenawi and his Tigrean front were weapons in the hands of the enemies of Ethiopia. Yugoslavia has been dismembered and as they say the Serbs “weakened and contained’. The Meles regime has incorporated into Tigrai a big slice of land inhabited by Amharas, given over land to the Sudan and continued to attack, weaken, humiliate and contain the ethnic group that it hates with venom and stringency. Ethiopian say God does not quarrel with you without preparing a feast or something good for you. We can thus find solace in the fact that the regime in Addis Abeba does not hate Amharas alone. It hates Oromos, Somalis, and Gurages. etc… almost all the ethnic groups though the hatred differs in degrees and Amharas are the most hated (and feared too) by the regime. There are many who say the Tigrean regime does not like the Tigreans either.  Does that bring solace?  The Serbs have had a rotten deal from the dictators and their own Serb leaders. Are they to be comforted by having their own Serbia and a big Serb  called Russia?

Ethnocide or genocide? At the end of the day be the big ethnic groups like the Serbs or Amharas  are endangered. Just like the Hmongs, Nukaks, San and Ewe to mention but a few. The Congolese were massacred in their millions by Belgian colonialists and they are now being killed in their millions by the West for their Coltan, gold and mineral wealth. Mussolini’s hordes targeted Amharas as their primary targets because they had the notion that they can mobilize other ethnic groups against them and thus divide and conquer Ethiopia. It did not work. Meles Zenawi retried the Italian fascist experiment and he also has failed. Endangered people are not easy to wipe out. Too bad for the enemies of Serbs, Amharas and other endangered people all over the world.

Mankelklot Haile Selassie (PhD)
November 3, 2012   

I have read 18 articles, taking down points and statements to organize this article that I am going to share. I borrowed the opinions and the implications of the opinions from the 18 articles, embodied them into my thinking, and applied them in the five, briefly discussed, specific sub-topics I have already outlined. So, this article is the outcome of a kind of mini research. This  article is also the extension as well as the buildup of the last two articles, namely, Step Out and Step up the Leadership, August 10, 2012, written before the death of Meles was officially confirmed, and, Mengistu Killed Ethiopians Meles is Killing Ethiopia, September 25, 2012,  which was written after the death of Meles was officially confirmed.

Now I will begin with the most important subtopic, which, in my opinion,  will help determine the moves one takes including the assessment of ones strategies established before the death of Meles Zenawi. I argue that, after Meles, strategies aught to be substantively reviewed and changed according to the needs identified.

Meles Zenawi was the System

Meles was undeniably the system in Ethiopia. The legislative, the judicial, and of course the executive systems were shaped and completely controlled by him until his death. He was also the  engine for the system to run. And, it had to run exactly to fulfill the wishes of his personal, concretely exhibited, political and economic interests. Therefore, it is commonsense to conclude that when the creator and the gate keeper does not exist anymore all these branches will begin to crack and expose themselves to a harshly scrutinizing environment. The truth is, they did crack and exposed themselves big time. Add to this, this is what I learnt from reading the articles, the corruption that he was systematically manipulating to his benefit and controlling it, as he was using fertilizers and improved seeds on the peasants for political advantage. He was feeding from, and sleeping on the top of this corrupt and unbelievably rotten system. He was living and breathing this corrupt rotten system. He very well knew the rottenness of the system. So, one can imagine what this guy left behind.

Now, my primary argument is that after the death of Meles, the existing system, the system that he left behind, is not completely as it used to be. If we agreed, I think we do,  that there is political crisis in Ethiopia now, then we should also agree that  the system is already cracking, not intact and running smoothly because Meles is not there to keep it intact and run smoothly. Therefore, on deeper level of observation, to say the system is not changed is not correct. It is misleading. For one to have a properly articulated and fitting strategy accompanied with the tactics to implement it, pinpointing the extent of the crack or opening, that is, where and how deep the opening  is will enable one where and how to put the pressure to widen it. Imagine a large dam with a crack where water is leaking out. Once there is a crack on the dam and the water continues to leak it is a question of time for the pressure from the body of the water to burst it open. What follows after the burst is anyone’s guess.

But, here is the crux of the problem. Particularly for the opposition political organizations, to exert pressure and widen the crack, a) particularly those in Diaspora must be inside Ethiopia, they have no alternative but to be inside Ethiopia, and b) one would not be, what ever the degree of the political crisis that exists, outright against the controllers  of the remnants, as a group, of the system. It appears they are working as a group, collectively. A deliberate and a calculated move of this caliber requires primarily the change of the strategy held during Meles’s rule. This is very fundamental. Changing the strategies mean accepting the change of the political situation inside Ethiopia. It follows then, if one accepted the existence of political crisis in Ethiopia, which is the change, crisis brought about by the death of Meles Zenawi, wouldn’t it be naturally logical to come up with an immediate and measurable new strategy and tactics where one, through time, irreversibly replace the remnants of Meles and empower the people of Ethiopia. Remnants include the whole parliament, a body, that is morally and mentally corrupted, never able to think by itself except through Meles Zenawi and TPLFites embedded in all sectors of the administration.  Stop whining and find out the means to sit down for negotiation and take advantage of this widespread political crisis. I have negotiation as a subtopic to which I would come back later and share my opinion about it.

Activities from Inside

This aspect of the struggle is very critical. In my latest two articles, mentioned above, political organizations were consistently the target of my discussion. Here too they are the major targets, particularly those in Diaspora,  because they are, of course including those inside Ethiopia, the ones who are potentially organized to hold the power and run the country to change it. Now, clearly the ball is in their court. Unlike any other time, now, the environment is fertile to start activities from inside. What I discussed under the subtopic “Meles Zenawi was the System” mainly refers to the opposition political organizations. Unless the opposition political organizations “step out and step up” the leadership, the immediately needed measurable struggle will be without radar and anchor.

I want to be very specific here. My focus is on individual political organizations in a position of independent thinking and moves. I am no more a proponent of a formal, that is a structured, united opposition political organizations. I have witnessed a number of united political organizations. It did not work, it is not working now, and, it will not work in the future. So, why waste time on it. However, if individual political organizations, after affirming their strong independent individual moves, and already have started moving forward, strongly believe in forming a coalition, say to negotiate and establish bases in the field in Ethiopia, then informal unity can be the order of the day. In fact it is more effective if all those opposition political organizations in Diaspora come together and seriously discuss the issue of getting inside Ethiopia now.  If they got the chance to enter Ethiopia as a group they would have measurable impact on the political situations.  But still, even this has to be left to individual’s discretion. There should not be any pressure from the community. And the opposition political organizations should not be influenced by it either.

If the political organizations are sincere and observably aggressive in activities, it is inevitable for the progressive individuals and activist civic organizations to follow them and provide them with the support they need. The civic organizations mushrooming all over the places to the extent of intending to assume the political leadership, more or less to replace them, and progressive individuals ineffectively scattered all over the places, is due to lack of political organizations, including those in Diaspora, providing measurable leadership. Providing measurable leadership does not mean manufacturing press releases and commentaries. It only means a quantifiable and assessable political activities being performed inside Ethiopia. If not it is back to manufacturing press releases and commentaries. Bottom line of this position is self perpetuation and turning into professional political institutions.

Now it is the time to be in the field. There is a window of opportunity for the opposition political organizations particularly in the Diaspora to enter Ethiopia and start to change the system. It is irresponsible to squander this God given opportunity. Unfortunately in the case of Ethiopia no change will be brought about without sacrifices. The sacrifices include taking the step that is logical and correct and yet bitter to swallow. The opposition political organizations in Diaspora are extremely important factors, by any measurable standards, to establish a stable system in collaboration with those inside Ethiopia. For the Diaspora political organizations, to find out the means and the resolve as to how to be in the field and start working inside Ethiopia immediately is individual opposition political organization’s responsibility. If they could not solve this issue then they are no where to solve the misery of Ethiopian people of over 80 nationalities.  Further more, if they could not keep up with the changes of the political situations inside Ethiopia, it is better to disband their organizations rather than pursuing a fake existence. For how long could one stay faking anyway?

Picking up the Flags of the Fallen

I think it is very important to thankfully acknowledge the political struggle that  reached to this level and kept alive by the blood shade by Ethiopia’s sons and daughters in a hand-to-hand combat, facing Meles’s guns aimed at them. Meles Zenawi the murderer, very sadistically aimed at their heads to completely finish them. A lot of blood have been shade particularly by the youths.

Therefore, to pick up the flag of the fallen and continue the struggle, one has to be in the meadow where hand-to-hand fighting have taken place.  It is time to stop invoking those who sacrificed themselves until and unless one has
　
picked up their flags and given oneself to the extent of being sacrificed. It is ridiculous to invoke the sacrifices made for ever. It has to stop and it is time, in fact it is long over due, to take the places of those sacrificed.

Every year since 1974 we are witnessing the sacrifices particularly made by the young ones in all walks of life. Students in particular. The 1974 revolution by decimating the generation that was highly intelligent and  driven by conviction and determination, created absolute vacuum. As the result, the impact of the 1974 revolution is still affecting the efficiency and the effectiveness of the struggle inside as well as outside of Ethiopia today. To this day the caliber and the determination of the generation of that period is not replaced. As the result of the absolute vacuum created Meles and his cronies were able to do what ever they wished to do in protecting their political and economic interests. Still, until that generation is replaced, I think through time it would be replaced, it is only a question of time, long term stability hence economic development and the eradication of poverty cannot be fully guaranteed.

Therefore, picking up the flag of the fallen is to completely change the system where for example individual right is unleashed. In the case of Ethiopia, individual right is, in my opinion, the precursor for cultivating and raising a generation that would replace the 1974  sacrificed generation. One of the reasons to go for negotiation is, with non wavering objective, to produce a generation that is capable of turning around the political and the economic situation for the benefit of the society hence the completion of the objectives of those who sacrificed themselves. Aim at the bigger picture and negotiate!!! Take advantage of the crack created between and amongst the ruling party leadership. In the absence of Meles Zenawi, TPLF is no more in control of the political situation. It cannot be a full fledged threat anymore. By using the small crack created during the May 2005 code of conduct election agreement the Ethiopian people got the chance to beat Meles and his cronies. This is a good historical example to be used as a reference point and to be emulated.  How the then opposition leadership abandoned the 26 million who came out to vote is another issue. At the time, I have condemned their inaction in one of my articles, including in my radio programs.
　
　
　
　

Negotiation

Negotiation does not necessarily mean reconciliation. Don’t bring the case of South Africa here. There is a big difference between South Africa and Ethiopia. In South Africa it was whites against blacks. In Ethiopia it is Ethiopians against Ethiopians. In South Africa the economies could have not be run without the whites. The know how and the skill to develop the economy and to keep up with the science and technology are completely in
the hands of the whites. It would have been political and economic suicide  for the South African blacks to go against what they did. In Ethiopia the economies could be run by Ethiopians. In Ethiopia, since the society is completely against the regime there is an alternative to the negotiation. If the negotiation failed uprising is an inevitable route. Uprising, if it took place, means completely uprooting, with a lot of damage, all those TPLFites embedded in the different sectors of the administration. Therefore think about Ethiopia independently with independent solution. There is nothing that Ethiopia lacks given properly channeled and strategically implemented.

Under this subtopic the targets of my discussion are the opposition political organizations particularly those in Diaspora. The time is now to demonstrate ones relevancy and determination to hold power and completely change the system and establish irreversible multiparty democracy, the beginning of the empowerment of Ethiopian society, and, the beginning of looking deeply inward to find out the real causes of the hindering problems to pursue aggressive economic development. In the case of Ethiopia, the ultimate target aught to be poverty eradication.

Power is the master key to get the political and the economic situations under ones control in order to eradicate poverty. The main purpose of negotiation is ultimately to have this power. I think this is very fundamental. Unless one holds power there is absolutely nothing one can do. Of course, one should have passionate desire to hold power and ones for all remove the misery of poverty. It is meekness, if not an outright mistake, to shun holding political power. Therefore, for the opposition political parties, both inside and outside of Ethiopia, right now, the overriding objective must be, unashamedly, at any cost, to hold power. Think about it very seriously and rationally. Negotiation is one of the means, now, perhaps the only means, to make an aggressive move for power. I will repeat below, to refresh your mind, what I said in my article of Sept. 25, 2012, “Mengistu Killed Ethiopians Meles is Killing Ethiopia.”

Therefore, particularly for the Diaspora political organizations, the first step is to write an official letter to Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegna indicating the desire to be part of constructive political activities inside Ethiopia. Simply put request negotiation. This could be done in groups or  independently. The official letter, hence the request for negotiation,  should be simple without any very serious preconditions. The question of the constitution, the question of political prisoners, the question of the judicial system, and the question of individual rights, in my opinion can be addressed later as things stabilize and close understanding is created. I have the full confidence that if the opposition political parties, including those in Diaspora, a very important aspect of the future political and economic struggle, were allowed to fully participate in the political process, then it would follow that at the time the opposition political organizations achieve or share the leadership they can resolve the constitution, the political prisoners, the justice system, and the individual rights issues slowly but surely once for all. It is inevitable, once the opposition political parties are from inside the system and the civic activists from out side the system, if you will, the issues I mentioned to be alive.

Use international organizations both governmental and non governmental to put pressure on the group who are running the country. It is better to do it now before the political environment changes. That is, before the groups become stronger and more sophisticated. Before they think and act like Meles. This is the right and the opportune time to think fast and deep before it is too late. The unfortunate culture developed among the opposition political forces is tardiness, that is, slow to move and slow to react.

Let me say this, to sum up this power thing. Right now, given the current political situation inside Ethiopia the route to power is first to negotiate then to participate in the election to come. Therefore, here, power means people’s power. It means people empowerment. It means establishing, ones for all,  a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Forming a Transitional Government

This kind of political move diverts the needed resources, in terms of manpower and logistics, from the real struggle. Therefore it should be avoided and never hesitate to totally condemn it.

There is an invitation by ENTC group spearheaded by Elias Kifle of Ethiopian Review and Dr. Feseha Eshetu, to form a transitional government. Elias Kifle was openly advocating in favor of Hailemariam Desalege, the new Prime Minister. The question is, instead of strengthening his support for the Prime Minister, why is he trying to erode Hailemariam’s traction? It shows the lack of integrity. How can one trust such an individual?

In the first place, at this time to form a transitional government is a wrong move. What is needed is to think and act as to how to be inside Ethiopia and be with the people. Ones for all the focus has to be how and when to enter Ethiopia and be on the side of the people. What is more serious is to look into these two individuals who are proposing this opportunistic move. Dr. Feseha Eshetu was the messenger of Meles Zenawi to kill the Ethiopian Youth National Movement. That is exactly what he did. A very destructive action from a destructive individual. What is amazing is that ignoring what he did to the Youth Movement, there are hypocrite organizations who are still dealing with him, a reflection of the vacuum created by the 1974 revolution.

I did indicate this destructive act of Dr. Feseha in my article of June 28, 2012, “What Happened to Ethiopian Youth National Movement.” Dr. Feseha is not a credible individual to be trusted in any organizational structures and activities. He has the potential to sell out the organization. What he did to the Youth Movement is a perfectly measurable example. If he had the burning desire to help the Ethiopian people he had the opportunity to stay in Ethiopia join political organizations or form his own political party to pursue his objective of helping the society.
The second individual, Elias Kifle, is the agent of Isayas Afeworq of Eritrea. He has the potential to introduce Isayas’s interests in the activities of the  organizations that he would be part of. The transitional government intended to form could be one of them.  It is worthwhile to remember the role of  Isayas in the formation of the failed AFD. About 15 years ago Isayas prophesied about Ethiopia by saying: “This country called Ethiopia cannot have the age (life) of existence beyond ten years.”  Tobia No. 37, 1990 (E.C). The harboring of liberation fronts did not help his prophesy to be fulfilled either.  It is mere idiotic and self-centered shortsightedness  for any opposition political organizations of Ethiopia to develop political relationship with Isayas, such as what the bankrupting, as exposed by Ginbot 7-D, Ginbot-7 is doing. Ultimately, this types of actions boil down to the question of integrity. It is a fact that Isayas is not for the unity of Ethiopia.

In my opinion, fortunately, Isaya’s motive has nothing to do with the Eritrean people except with those extremist ones.  The people of Eritrea was separated from their brothers and sisters illegally and undemocratically. It was illegal because it was done by the non-elected groups the active and major role played by Meles. It was undemocratic because the people of Ethiopia did not participate in it. Therefore the people of Eritrea should come back to its original home. The war between the two, May 1998 – June 2000, was about to achieve this objective. Thanks to Meles Zenawi it failed. He stopped the fighting about sixty miles from Asmara. Had the fighting continued Asmara would have been captured and EPLF would have gone back to its foxholes. The people of Eritrea as they did not show any mass support for EPLF, this time too, they would have simply, without any complaint, switched their position and join the Ethiopian people.  Here, it is very important to look at the bigger picture. People  are very important to a country. The greater the number of population the greater the reality of having more scientists and researchers, more quality doctors and nurses, more quality teachers, larger and daring entrepreneurs, and the greater the potential of having of those different branches of the military forces who would defend and protect the country.

Once I am at this big picture issue I would like to attach to it another big picture to look at. A monumental history is being made in Ethiopia. Leadership is moved from North to South. The torch is transferred from the Northern Ethiopia to the Southern Ethiopia. A subliminal process indicating  the development of the unity of Ethiopian people. The Southern People should not take it lightly. Nor Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegne should take it lightly either. He should stand to the test. He must molt out himself, leaving behind his old baggage of dependency, to think and take independent moves and actions. The shadow of Meles Zenawi is unnecessarily denying him his independency. Self imposed crippling. He should wake up. It is he who is going to be judged based on his performance. Not Meles‘s. Meles is dead. The Southern people in particular and the Ethiopian people in general as well as the progressive democratic individuals and civic groups aught to lineup behind him and keep him motivated and accountable. Let history workout its course it started.  In my opinion it is critically important to view this Passing of the Torch, from the Northern People to the Southern People, if you will, positively and determine to cultivate it. It is a  phenomenon subtly brought about by Mother Nature. Don’t be against it. Look beyond the person, Hailemariam Desalegne, at the bigger picture.

Coming back to the two individuals, they claim that the formation of transitional government can force EPRDF, the party in turmoil and political crisis, to come to the negotiation table. The proposal is simply a fake one intended for building up ones statuesque, a mechanism invented by these two individuals. There is nothing they will not do to build their personal status at the expense of the political struggle. The more they perform their fake shows
the more they would be exposed. There is the potential, if not already have started, to convert it into a money making machine. There are credible  political organizations who has the potential, independent at that, to hold power to decide whether to negotiate or not to negotiate. They do not need the hoopla of the so called Ethiopian National Transitional Council.
　
　

Mankelklot Haile Selassie (PhD)

November 3, 201

By Hama Tuma

Sometimes we Ethiopians like to boast. The first in everything! The cradle of humankind. The fist bare foot runner to win the Marathon. The first to claim an annual economic growth of 12% and ask for food aid for 12 million people or more. The first country since the 1970s to claim a 99.9% wins for the ruling party in the general election. And now to top it all we have come to stun the world by having the first homeless prime minister in History.

Not that the new powerless Prime Minster was evicted from his home or became homeless for reasons that have made more than a half million Ethiopians homeless in the capital and other urban areas. Oh no. He is “homeless” because the wife of the dead and departed (all believers can add here: praise is to God or Allah) prime minster has refused to evacuate the prime minister’s residence. She is no ordinary woman this Queen of Corruption called Azeb.  She usurped the title of First Lady and then dipped her hand into the national wealth of Ethiopia (the couple stole more than 2 billion dollars say those in the know), lied better and more than her late husband (whom one American Ambassador admired saying he lies professionally). She has refused to evacuate and the puppet PM fronting for the Tigrean rulers has stated that she can stay. Which has made him homeless of the first kind, a prime minister without a home? Azeb has made it clear that she will leave the PM’s palace if she can go instead to the palace of the president (a nominal appointee) or a big palace is built for her in Addis Abeba. To make believe she has visited a property near the Sidist Kilo University but her claim of security worries means she would stay put for quite sometime. The new homeless PM will not object for sure.

The whole incident has made Ethiopia achieve another first. Claiming economic progress and boom while reeling under a big famine was getting boring anyway. Sadly some of the opposition tried to ridicule itself and achieve a pathetic first on its own but no one noticed. South African Zuma shot miners and tried to interest us on who among his four wives should get State subsidy but no one listened. The president of Benin claimed three of his close fellows were trying to poison him but his could not be a first at all. Drunken soldiers trying a coup are not original either. Mwai Kibaki shouting he is not a polygamist was a failure—it has been done before and it was never a true statement. In fact, we are forced to remember Jomo Kenyatta publicly forcing his wife, Mama Nigina, to deny his alleged impotence. Those were not Viagra days, the blue pills that sent Nigeria’s Abacha on his final journey during an orgy with European prostitutes. Lucky Britain is still keeping part of his five billion dollar theft. The Botswana king tried his part by marrying maidens every other year—no one was really very much impressed. Museveni of Uganda as a new old president bombed—his enemy Joseph Kony has, alas, more allure as a real bad man. Kagame arming the M23 rebels of the Congo was a “so what else is new?” event. So called A Qaeda rebels and Islamists in Northern Mali destroying shrines are a joke—the Taliban and Al Shabab had done more destruction on historical heritages and their nations. All this is what makes the Ethiopian experience so original. Having a homeless Prime Minister is creative and admirable. A real First!

 We are obliged to say despite the competition for the rivals were and are many.  Take the defeated Senegalese president (who wanted to anoint his son like in Korea and Syria) declaring: “I am the only president in a perpetual state of grace. It is a special phenomenon linked to my personality.—probably I am a man of action rather than just talk”. The man of action was defeated and ousted. Chad’s Idris Deby, who has 13 children and many wives, got married to the 21 years old daughter of a Sudanese Janjaweed chief and paid a 27 million dollars dowry (plus one million dollars for her jewels, gold and diamonds) and tried to be a first but those who heard of this laughed at him.  Huge dowries are not a first at all. All this is what makes the Ethiopian event very original and a striking first.  Making a Prime Minister homeless has not been tried elsewhere at all. The usual practice in Africa is taking the corpse of the PM and his family out of the State House. If not, the family moves out militarily thanking their stars for being spared or alive. Azeb Mesfin hopes she will stay on in the palace come what may. Delusion, illusion, desperation or an Ethiopian tragicomedy par excellence? A serious question.  That the answer is not yet in the hands of the Ethiopian people adds to the sorrow.

Though the situation is bleak and the future uncertain we Ethiopians can snatch some comfort from the fact that we give the world surprises and we are unique. We still have the syndrome of the chosen people like the Israelis, the Chinese, etc. as we think we are special—after all the very first human beings were Ethiopian, no? We think we are neither black nor white but some special brand of brown or “red “. How many in the world are those who have more than 35,000 political prisoners and still be hailed as a democratic rcountry? How many are those who can slaughter hundreds if not thousands and still be pampered as democrats? One is inclined to say none in this twenty first century are living in. But, alas, Ethiopia has reversed the whole equation—you can imprison, kill, starve, impoverish millions and ruin and shame a country but you can still be admired and supported.  Even without having the original show of a homeless Prime Minster!

By Yilma Bekele.

I dreamt about my uncle. He has been dead for over ten years so I was wondering what brought him to my conscious now. It was a vivid dream and I woke both sad and happy. So all day long I kept wondering what is it that made me dream about him.  I really think I was able to come up with a reasonable explanation why this memory was triggered in my brain. I believe it is due to what I have been reading lately that woke up this memory about service, integrity and today’s Ethiopia.

The night before the dream I read a very revealing article on http://www.goolgule.com/  (follow the link at the end to read the article) about the land grab in Oromia region. It is a very depressing tale of what those in position of power and authority do to our people. The story was told to give us perspective about Ato Jundin Sado who seems to find himself in a very precarious position lately. His problem that started before the death of the tyrant has escalated to his being dismissed from that TPLF satellite organization OPDO. It looks like this human puppet that has been serving his masters faithfully betraying the Oromo people is now paying the price for his sins.

I also have been reading about the Deputy Mayor of Addis Abeba Ato Kefyale Azeze defecting and moving to the US as a fellow refugee. I have also been informed about Ato Getachew Belay a high ranking TPLF official that decided to stay in the US abandoning his post. Ato Getachew has served his party as head of the Privatization Agency and head of EFFORT. Both are posts normally reserved for party loyalists.

The defections must have been that got me to think about service to people and country. That must be what triggered this deeply held memory to surface in the middle of the night. My uncle is one of the few people that have left a mark in my brain. I always think of him in a very pleasant manner. The earliest I remember of him from is the picture hanging on our living room wall. It was taken before he left for Korea as part of the United Nations peace keeping force.  He was dresses in a greenish uniform sitting on a chair with medals on his chest. It was a serious picture but his boyish face betrayed the stern garish looking uniform and made him look like a kind solder unlike a warrior he was supposed to be. No question that picture impressed all of us growing children.

Upon his return from Korea he was recruited to work at our embassy in Egypt. He must have stayed there a long time because when we met next I was already in high school. He was working as administrator at Paulos/Pertos Hospital in Addis Abeba. He got married and built a beautiful bungalow in Gulele. My brother and I used to love going over to visit him in the weekends and spend the day listening to him talk and observe the disciplined and meticulous way he lived.

He built the house himself and for us it was like a Ferenji place. It has a beautiful bathroom with toilet, bathtub and bidet with working plumbing system including hot water. The house has a beautiful dining area and a living room for entertainment with couches and a radio. His flower garden was a marvel to look at. We sat and ate in the dining room and washed our hands in the bathroom without a maid fetching water and towel to our table.

A few years later he built an addition on his land to rent for income and help raise his three beautiful daughters. He was making an honest living and looking forward to enjoying his retirement. I finished High school and came to America.

The appearance of the Derg changed everything. The turmoil that followed affected my uncle and his contemporaries in a negative manner. The Derg expropriated all wealth created regardless of how it was achieved. My uncle became the victim of this haphazard and meaningless policy. The Derg became the landlord of his property and his tenant started paying rent to the government. My uncle was forced to retire due to the turmoil in the country.

When I visited him next I couldn’t help but notice how fast he has aged. He was still living in his house but there was no incentive to do any repair or make his house into his own castle. It was shocking to see the deterioration of both man and property. Such a vibrant and go getter of a person was reduced to spending his days on trifle affairs and mundane subjects. It was odd to see his previous tenant subleasing the house and making money. The coming of Woyane did not make things any better. They took over where the Derg left off. That is how much things have turned topsy turvy.

May be I am grasping for straws, maybe I am letting my imagination go wild but the truth is I saw a connection between my dreaming of yester year and the current news coming out of Ethiopia. My uncle’s life was a simple straight line of service and hard work with rewards of stable and fulfilling end until it was rudely interrupted. His achievement was on merit and his honest service is what makes the wheels of society turn in predictable manner. His honorable way of life was an example to all our family. We all learn by example and he was a proud mentor.

Why am I writing about my uncle is a good question. I wanted to tell you we have not always been the way we are now. Lawless, corrupt, shifty, no roots and void of faith, this is what has become of us. I believe this describes the new Ethiopia. Not long ago our country and people were different. Yes there was inequality, there was injustice and we were definitely backward. But we were not degraded, self-loathing and hopeless.

What do we have today?  There is no sense of public service but public robbery, there is no sense of do the right thing but a sense of what can I get away with, there is no sense of pride in workmanship but cheap labor for fast money, there is no sense of us but it is all about me. That is what the TPLF regime cultivates. That is why they could do all kinds of damage to our people and at the end of the day abandon all and move out of the country.

When I read about the likes of Junedin, Kefyalew and Getachew I start to wonder about the future of my country and people. What do our people learn from such disgraceful action? What kind of society produces such individuals? How did our country find itself putting such people in charge?

Let us take Ato Junedin. Let us also remember the entire OPDO leadership was rejected by the Oromo people during the 2005 elections. They were restored to their position after Ato Meles ordered recount of the ballots. It was in the aftermath of this event that the OPDO leadership decided to teach the people a lesson. Land is the only wealth the Ethiopian peasant owns. He has no bank account, no capital in machinery and no stocks and bonds. People like Junedin robed the land from the simple peasant. The stolen land was leased to grow flower for the export market while some was used to build condominiums and town houses.

The same peasant that lost his land was recruited to work as a day laborer while his children were let loose in the green houses where they grew flowers. Fifteen and sixteen year old Oromo girls were exposed to chemicals and fertilizers without adequate or no protection.  The land given to the developers with fancy names puts the children’s fable Alice in wonderland to shame.  In a country where the per capita income is less than $700 a year our developers are constructing housing that costs five million to twenty million. That is what a company called Country Club Developers is building in Legetafo, Oromia. It is also true that over 95% of the residents of Oromia cannot afford to purchase their dream house in Legetafo. Ato Junedin made all this possible.

Folks like Kefyalew and Getachew are the engines that facilitated the working of the TPLF anti Ethiopian machine. Today they come to America as victims. They followed high officials of the Derg regime that left before the fall of Mengistu. Derg era criminals today are respected members of our community. I assure you in a few years Kefyalew and Getachew will join our Church, Mosque and Eder as ordinary fellows in exile. How could a lesson be learnt if yesterday’s criminals are today’s freedom fighters?

Do you think the problem is with them or with us? Do you think people like Junedin, Kefyalew and Getachew can exist with us? There is no ying without yang, there is no smoke without fire and there is no criminal without a victim. Our indifference our apathy makes people like the above flourish. When we keep quiet while observing injustice we encourage such evil act to continue. When we participate in buying stolen land, building on stolen land we facilitate the coming to death of our homeland. We mock our people’s plight because we ventured out and collected a fist full of dollars.

It does not require a fortune teller to predict sooner or later the injustice, the famine; the hopelessness will force our people to resort to force as they have done before. Today’s Ethiopia is reaching that boiling point. This is not because it is written but it is so because her children failed her, because her children refused to act because her children looked the other way. The solution lies in each one of us. We all know what is right and what is wrong. We all know we cannot judge the Junedins and the Kefyalews and the Getachews if we would act like them given the chance. The question to ask ourselves is would I be different? Am I a better human being aware, conscious, and keeper of my brother?

—————

http://www.goolgule.com/ethiopia-legetafo-paradise-and-hell/

 By Yilma Bekele

President Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney had their first debate this evening. Watching this debate for the highest office in the land was a learning moment. This is not the first debate I have viewed or the first election I am experiencing. But no matter what, for an election starved Ethiopian like me every time it happens it is a like being hit by a lightning bolt experience. It literally gives me a jolt.

It is not really difficult to figure out why this is so. No one has asked for my consent to be my leader. Furthermore those that have assumed the position have always abused me to no end. When I see candidates presenting their best side and begging for votes I literally find myself on the verge of mind melt.  This evening was no different. I stayed tuned, I worried for my candidate, I was elated at times fretted often and sweated a lot. I watched the big event with my American friends. That by itself was most revealing on how I interpret reality and act on it.

I am an Ethiopian. I look at things black and white. Who cares about grey is my motto. The debate was an insight into my soul. Here I was with an elevated heart beat, a hyper ventilating state of being and I was supposed to sit cool and collected. Being detached and above it all was the norm. How in the world did I find myself in this company was my first question.

What I needed was some passion here. I wanted someone to push me further on this rollercoaster of emotion. I longed for an Ethiopian beside me. I wanted Obama to jab, push and humiliate Romney. What is with this idea of mentioning where you agree when the thing to do was point out the negatives of the other dude?  I want my candidate to come our firing and mock his opponent. I wanted Obama to be aggressive. I wanted him to be dismissive and cute.

That is what I know. That is what I am used to. My leaders are supposed to be dismissive and and above it all. They are all knowing, expert in every field, feared and uncompromising. My last leader was like that. He will never bring himself down to debate with mere mortals about the art of leadership. You send your minions for a task like that.

        Do you remember once upon a time we had a debate in good old Ethiopia? It was not that long ago. Don’t tell me you forgot, it has only been seven years. It was 2005 to be precise. That event will go down in history as the golden year of elections in Ethiopia. Woyane thought they were ready for prime time. After lengthy and silly negotiations debates were allowed. Our ‘new leader from behind’ Ato Berket was the negotiator on behalf of the clueless regime. He brought out so many do’s and don’ts to get an advantage but the opposition agreed to all his demands. Kinijit was willing to humor Woyane because they knew they were smarter and were sure that they were selling a better product to the Ethiopian people. They just wanted that TV time to talk directly to the Ethiopian people.

        Shall we say that history will judge Woyane to have been humiliated beyond repair?  For the first time our people saw their leaders without their clothes. It was an ugly sight. Woyane sent their best and Kinijit exposed them for what they are to the Ethiopian public, a bunch of illiterate idiots that cannot finish an idea in a coherent manner. I remember the then Foreign Minster with his shrill voice trying to explain the loss of Assab.  To see that he was considered crème de la crème, one of Woyane top guns was a reality check. All Dr. Yacob could do was stare at him with amusement and watch him try to explain the impossible.

        I also remember the dead tyrant panicking as usual. He can not show up at the debates due to the fact that he was the ‘leader’ and it was beneath him. He knew that he will be exposed for the empty suit he was if forced to play by the same rules as others. The only alternative was to bring the camera to the palace so he can shine all by himself. A candle inside a barrel (ye gan mebrat) at its best.

        The reason Obama/Romney debate got me twisted out of shape was due to my unfamiliarity with this concept of being shown respect as a citizen. As far back as I can remember in my country no one has come to power by the will of the people. Anybody that assumes leadership without the consent of the people is not accountable to the public. Where I came from leaders don’t compete to get elected, they take it the old fashioned way, by force or a very underhanded manner.

        In Ethiopia we had a change of leadership a few weeks back. It was not done by election. It was all back room dealings and we were told someone emerged as the leader. Thus the non- elected individuals somehow decided to appoint the new guy as the leader. There was no debate. There was no competition and we don’t even know who else was running for the position.

        Now you know why this debate in North America was a little disorienting to my Ethiopian brain. When you consider the new guy who was presented to us insults my intelligence by claiming he was going to continue following the bankrupt polices of his predecessor you don’t fault me for assuming the fetal position and crawling back into bed. If only there was a debate I wouldn’t be in this hopeless mood.

        President Obama and Mr. Romney were most respectful of their fellow citizens. They did not mock or put anybody down. They were uplifting and went out of their way to praise their people’s determination to forge ahead when faced with dire economic problem. They acknowledged that they needed everyone’s help to bring back peace and prosperity.

        This I found to be in stark contrast to how things are done in my home land. The leader tells our people but does not bother to listen. The leader is not interested in being respected and loved but cultivates being feared. The leader makes sure that he is not one of the people but better and above them all. The last leader was never seen in public mixing with ordinary people but always surrounded by his bodyguards and with pre-selected fans. The leader leaves in a palace with more comfort than his people and travels in convoys with streets closed and people told to stay inside.

        Our new leader was in New York to attend the UN opening ceremony. Don’t ask me why a poor country will spend thousands of dollars to transport him and his entourage to make a speech no one will care to listen to. The amount of money spent for this silly purpose is not supposed to be the concern of the citizen. That is why the leader did not bother to sit with his fellow citizens in exile and discuss common issues and encourage their participation in helping the country. When you consider the Ethiopian Diaspora is such a rich and important resource that can be harvested to move our nation in a new direction like the way it was done by India, Singapore, China and others our leaders do not see that. They would rather pick our pockets for spare change to build condominiums, bars and hotels.

        Accountability is the hallmark of a successful system. Without accountability, checks and balances it is doubtful a system will work in a healthy manner. That is the reason our country is always on the verge of crisis and perpetually holding its hands out for alms. The leaders we produce have no respect for us and do not feel they have to answer or explain their policies. They come out of our midst but as soon as they assume that office they start to believe they are God’s gift to us. We elevate them so high no wonder they lose all semblance of respect to those they are empowered to care. The fault goes both ways. As they say you reap what you sow. We really can’t force the leader to change but the least we can do is change ourselves. The leader will follow our footsteps and change his ways.

By Yilma Bekele

There is no place on planet earth that begs for change like our country. There is no need to itemize all the areas where we stand at the tail end of human achievement. That is the bad news. The good news is we can’t get any lower than where we are at now thus the only way for us is up.

It is obvious that we have all what it takes to improve and make life better for our people. We are blessed with a vibrant and colorful population; we possess a beautiful land with plenty of water and untapped resources waiting to be exploited. The ugly and troubling political situation that has engulfed our ancient land the last forty years has forced us to migrate outwards. It is true it has caused plenty of pain and misery to the vast majority of our people. On the other hand it has created its own dynamic too. Today we have managed to acquire real practical knowledge that can be harvested to help our country transition from agricultural to industrial society within a short period of time.

In short there seems to be no reason why our beautiful nation is known for famine, poverty and always on the verge of civil war. The reason we are stuck in this never ending cycle of non- achievement is lack of a political system that enhances our positive aspect. The political condition is our Achilles heel. Our Political system is what is dragging our country down.

The death of Meles Zenawi has opened a new chapter for our country to move forward. I do not need to itemize the many negative qualities of the late tyrant here. The economic, social and psychological state our country finds itself after twenty years of misrule is proof enough. Our new year has brought us a new Prime Minster.

I, with the vast majority of our people wish nothing more than Ato Hailemariam Desalegn to succeed in his new role. Success means a peaceful, prosperous Ethiopia where the citizen is not afraid of his government and is free to pursue happiness. Success means an Ethiopia where equality of all reigns, Human Right is assured and our children are free to achieve their potential.

Is it possible Hailemariam could be the agent of change we so dream and desire? Is this a realistic dream or some kind of delusion our mind is trying to conjure so as to force current circumstances fit reality. I am aware that it usually is not good to be a naysayer. I also understand blaming the messenger of bad news is a common human condition. Blindly going along to preserve peace when the situation does not warrant is also a disservice even between friends let alone a country.

During the Wild West days of the US economic boom of the 1990’s Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan talked about the dangers of what he called ‘irrational exuberance’ that was permeating Wall Street. His frank talk was seen as unnecessary caution. His fear was realized in one of the worst economic downturn the US has seen.  

Is the current tendency to blindly wish Ato Hailemariam success despite circumstances not under his control a good idea or is it a recipe for failure due to ‘irrational exuberance’? Is this business of predicting the future based on the past a reasonable idea? If we believe that is a rational assumption I believe looking at the individual’s practices in the recent past could give us clues to how he will deal with his new position of power and authority.

Ever since his election to the position of Prime Minister we have been able to have a glimpse of his style of work while climbing the ladder of leadership. The fact that he has gained his past positions due to appointment rather than being elected makes it a little difficult to know him close and personal. The fact that he was elected to the Presidency of his Kilil is not an indication of real democracy at work. Elections in Ethiopia are mostly affairs of coronation. It is enough to mention the 99.6 landslide by Tigrai People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) the dominant party and its affiliates in the 2010 elections to see the farce. He did not have to share his views with the citizen but only satisfy the requirements of those that anointed him making our job a little harder.

He has served as assistant Dean and Dean of Arba Minch Water Technology Institute (Now Arba Minch University) until he became Vice President then President of Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) which was followed by Membership to the House of people’s Representatives, advisor to Meles Zenawi and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. From his autobiography I was able to gather he has never worked in the private sector either as wage earner or entrepreneur.

Ato Hailemariam still is Chairman of Southern Ethiopian people’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM). It should be noted here that SEPDM like its counter parts such as Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO) among others is the creation of TPLF. As a matter of fact the TPLF under Meles Zenawi choose the leaders and run the party’s as a wholly owned subsidiary. (Please read Jawar Mohammed’s article about the growing pains OPDO has faced since the death of dictator Meles)

Ato Hailemariam came into leadership of SNNPR upon the fall of Ato Abate Kisho that made the mistake of siding with Seye Abrha’s splinter group during the TPLF internal struggle. It is fair to conclude that his elevation to the Presidency of SNNPR from 2002-2005 was a show of gratitude by Meles and his TPLF. The following paragraph is taken from Wikipedia entry about our new PM.

‘After his tenure as President of the SNNPR, Hailemariam worked in the Prime Minister’s Office as the advisor on Social Affairs and Civic Organizations and Partnerships for two years. He led the team that drafted the Charities and Societies Proclamation law (CSO law) that limits the interference of international NGO‘s in local political activities. The law was adopted by Ethiopian Parliament in 2009. He is also credited in pushing EPRDF re-organize its structure after 2005 elections in ‘1-to-5’ model (one member recruits five new people – አንድ ለአምስት አደረጃጀት) that boosted the number of party membership from 400,000 to 5 million by 2010 elections.’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hailemariam_Desalegn

Please note this law that went into effect in 2009 was denounced by Amnesty International, CIVICUS, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project and Human Rights Watch as ‘stifling human rights work’ in Ethiopia. Thanks to the work of Ato Hailemariam the courts were able to freeze bank assets of Human Rights Council (HRCO) the oldest human rights organization in the country and had crippling effect on such organizations as Ethiopian women Lawyers Association (EWLA) including Save the Children Sweden among many others. It is safe to conclude he has served TPLF admiringly.

It is fair to say Ato Hailemariam Desalegn was again elected into the current position he holds by TPLF and its affiliates. It is also fair to say none of the leaders of these parties or organization were elected by the Ethiopian people in a fair and open contest. Regardless of this irrefutable fact in front of us the reality of the matter is we are stuck with him at his point in our history.

There are discussions on how to deal with this new reality in front of us. There are some that are advocating giving the new PM ‘time’. Some are saying what is there to expect from someone that came to power not by the will of the people? Quite a few are convinced what we are witnessing is reshuffle not change- it is expressed in Amharic as ‘Gulitcha bilewawetu’ situation. As usual our country has entered a very confusing and uncertain future. Accepting something knowing the chances it will succeed to be nil is cowardice while pointing out the futility of the situation and trying to change it is seen as being a naysayer even narrow.

To those who say ‘let us give him time’ the simple question would be to do what? If he was willing to serve a leader (Meles) and a party (TPLF) that ruled with an iron hand, if he was willing to be used as a tool in the degradation of his own southern region and people, and if he was willing and enthusiastic in formulating such a draconian policy (Charities law among others) that restricted independent Human Rights work, why in the world do we hold any hope that he will change his tune once in position of authority?

Furthermore there is this little issue of who actually is in charge here? Chairman Mao said ‘power comes from the barrel of the gun.’ George Washington, Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta among others that gained their freedom by the barrel all agree with this proposition. It seems like the saying is still valid today. In our country the TPLF party is in charge of the military, state security service, the Federal Police, the Bank, major business entities, all media including television, radio, newspaper, Internet, telecommunications and Foreign affairs. What in the world can a Prime Minster do without the control of these key organizations even if he wanted to?

As I wrote earlier the past is a powerful tool to look at the future. It looks like Prime Minister’s Hailemariam resume does not bode well for our country. We are hoping he will change his mode of operation even though we have no data to indicate that to be possible. On the other hand his meek service the last fifteen years to those that held power in complete disregard to the wishes of our people shows the individual to lack independent initiative and a tendency to be used against his people’s interest.

I realize this to be un- pleasant conclusion that has a disturbing effect on our morale. I also believe one should follow the facts where ever that might lead to. It was not long ago when a rag tag army deposed of a hated military regime and we all cheered. We all wanted change and ascribed our wishes and dreams on the new leaders. ‘’Give them time’’ was the cry of the many. Time proved us all wrong. We paid a heavy price. After twenty long years we find ourselves where we started. My simple question is shouldn’t we learn from the past and prescribe a new medicine this time around?  As Lincoln said “you can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

By Tedla Asfaw
The rainy cloudy Sept. 28, 2012 was not a welcome weather for anyone. It
was raining hard from early morning and we followed the weather hour by
hour fearing for a washout of our rally scheduled for 3pm at 47 Street and
2nd Avenue at UN. Rain started to tamper down at noon but still the cloud
was threatening . Hailemariam Desalegn might have liked the rainy day to
avoid any protest after he gave a very unwelcome interview to VOA’s Peter
Heinlein yesterday which angered most of us.

Our protest rally was not organized to unwelcome or welcome Hailemariam. It
was a Freedom rally which was dubbed as May 18 the Freedom rally which
forced the late Meles Zenawi to bow his head in front of his foreign
supporters at Regan Building in DC on May 18 this year. The slogan we
prepared were calling for all political prisoners to be released and the
backers of the Ethiopian regime to stop financing dictatorship that
violated civil rights of its citizens.

However, after the Sept. 27 interview that accuses the jailed activists and
journalists as people who carry two hats one for legal activity and another
for illegal activity we have no choice but to respond in kind and our rally
soon turned denouncing Hailemariam as another Woyane from South. Hailemarim
Desalegn is a living Meles Zenawi. Hailemariam is Woyane was shouted at the
UN.

Some who wanted time to be given to Hailemariam started distancing
themselves from Hailemariam after his VOA interview. New York has to
“update” its slogan accordingly. Around 1pm fellow Ethiopians have arrived
from DC area in Manhattan two hours earlier than the protest time. Taking
advantage of the brake in the rain we started gathering around 1:30pm and
start putting our placards and flags in the designated area. The police let
us gather even before 3pm and we took advantage of that.

The on and off slight shower did not bother us for the first hour or so. In
fact we were energized by the shower and slogans to denounce the
dictatorship in Ethiopia went on continuously. Stop terrorizing the people
of Ethiopia !!! Shame on you Obama for supporting dictatorship in Ethiopia.
Shame on You USA for selecting Ethiopian dictators behind the scene.
Ethiopians did not vote for Hailemariam. The slogan went on like that.

More people started coming around 3pm and the slogans went on both in
English and Amharic. A Swedish media had an interview with us for less than
half hour. The journalist asked the aim of our rally and what we thought of
the recently released Swedish journalists from Ethiopian jail. We informed
them that the Western media heard similar story years ago but ignored it
and now forced to hear from their own people who suffered in Ethiopian
jail. Nothing new for us or the people of Ethiopia who have been abused for
the last twenty one years.

Other medias also covered our rally without asking for interview. The UN
diplomats were educated on what is going in Ethiopia. Around 4:30pm the
time Hailemariam addressed the UN 67th General Assembly there was similar
address for the Ethiopian people from the plaza. The address challenged
Hailemaram Desalegn to tell the whole truth about the injustice, corruption
and human rights abuse in Ethiopia and to resign from his position or
“Mideba” in Amharic  as a messenger of Woyane/TPLF.

Unfortunately Hailemariam missed this historical opportunity and officially
declared himself  another Woyane/TPLF from South at UN. Some Woyane/TPLF
supporters were tearing the flyers they were handed out of anger. In reply
they were condemned by the protesters as “Hodeaderes”. The shower has
completely stopped and the huge crowd passing around UN was educated on
what is going in Ethiopia until 6pm.

Hailemariam Desalegn led government is identical to that of the late Meles
Zenawi’s government. its backers are the same. Its vision is the same.
Hailemariam himself without any apology declared that he is another Meles
Zenawi. Hailemariam should get what ever Meles got in the last two decades
whenever he travelled out of Ethiopia. New York has given him the first
unwelcome and this will continue until Hailemariam is alive or forced to
resign.

By Hama Tuma

Desmond Tutu condemned Tony Blair and George Bush junior as war criminals who should be tried at the Hague and refused to attend an event where Blair would be present. Yet, the so called International Court is a Western tool targeting anti-American dictators or warlords from Africa and other such regions. This aside, Desmond Tutu’s stand has made my day and I have more reasons than him (he mentions Iraq and Afghanistan) to call for their immediate arrest knowing quite well this may never happen. No ground for optimism–Henry Kissinger has never been tried for his crimes in Indochina; pro American war criminals have never been touched.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused the deaths of millions. The wars are unjust especially in Iraq because the premise for the war itself was a hoax. Blair and Bush did know that Iraq had no WMD at all and yet their frenzied drive to oust Sadam Hussein and get their hands on Iraq’s oil motivated their crusade against the Iraqi dictator they had supported in the past. Previously, an embargo on Iraq had led to the deaths of half a million children who were dismissed as mere collateral damages by Madeline Albright. The carnage in Iraq and Afghanistan is a crime of great proportions as Reverend Tutu has aptly pointed out.  I would like to add that the full support that Bush and, especially, Blair gave to the tyrant in Ethiopia is behind the deaths of thousands under the dictatorial regime.  The Meles murderous group started to get massive US and British assistance in 1984 as, under the cover of the catastrophic famine, the two powers concocted a subversive plan to destabilize and overthrow the totalitarian Mengistu regime. Meles, the self declared admirer of Stalin and ardent follower of Albania’s Enver Hoxha got hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and material. The movement that was about to go bankrupt and face defeat was saved and strengthened. The Meles front was able to use the money to buy Sudanese and Somali top officials and to procure end user certificates to buy arms from China. Meles got Sudan’s backing to trek to Khadafy, to swear to him that Ethiopians are Arabs and if he takes power Ethiopia would join the Arab League bla bla and thus got millions in cash and arms from the Libyan dictator. Who backed and supported Meles? America and Britain, Norway and others.

The Meles criminal group was propelled to power by none other than America and Britain. The joke of the so called London Peace Conference is known—the surrender of the military regime was previously organized by the CIA and the top officials of Mengistu (who had sold out earlier). The sham transitional conference that followed in Addis Abeba and that blocked Ethiopian organizations from taking part is also known as a parody of the East European style. American backing to Meles brought him to power, backed his flawed transitional operation, supported the break up of Ethiopia and has put us in the tragic situation we find ourselves in. When Meles came to power America and Britain cuddled and supported him, sabotaged the Ethiopian opposition, allowed him to commit crimes so long as he became a loyal stooge. Blair made him acceptable as an African Commission personality, as a G8 invitee.  Shame.  The eulogy that Blair and Bush (and now Obama and Gordon Brown and Cameron and others) heaped on Meles Zenawi was totally undeserved. Here is a despot who has so impoverished the people that more than 12 million depend on foreign food aid, the more than 30 % inflation has made even urban dwellers a starving lot and there they go the apologists telling the world that there is economic boom in Ethiopia thanks to Meles. Here is what the dour and colorless Gordon Brown said: “Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, made more progress in education, health and economic development under his leadership than at any time in its history, and it is a tragedy for the Ethiopian people that they have lost a committed leader and a champion of children at such a young age,” he said. “When I last saw him earlier this year we held meetings about how we would ensure every child would be in school in Ethiopia by 2015. His passion was in abolishing poverty and our hope is that he will inspire a new generation of men and women who will champion the cause of eradicating poverty.”  Lies. Meles Zenawi did not eradicate poverty but tried to wipe out the poor and to increase their pain and suffering. Meles Zenawi messed up the educational system for his own narrow ethnic aims. Public schools were reduced to only 15%, trained teachers were purged, and education became a business to the detriment of the majority. The health system also collapsed except for he jaundiced eyes of the likes of Bill Gates suffering from arrogance and ignorance of indecent wealth. Children of Ethiopia were sold out to the highest bidder (the adoption racket brings in millions to the regime), thousands of young girls were sold unto modern slavery in the Middle East, preteen girls were routinely raped by government bigwigs and children were subjected to child prostitution, child marriage, mutilation and abuse. A rotten system that has made the life of children and women a burning hell on earth. And yet Blair, Bush, Brown, Obama and Cameron are honorable men trying to praise him!

The gross human rights violations of the Meles regime were ignored, Gambella, the Ogaden, the Anwar mosque and Adebabaye Iyesus murders, the 2005 massacre of peaceful protesters, the 2002 massacre of Sidamas in Hawassa (for which he new PM is very responsible), the more than 35,000 political prisoners, the dozens disappeared, the systematic torture of dissenters, the non Tigreans discriminated and oppressed were all ignored. Real politick in its cruelest term was applied by Blair and Bush junior and today by Obama and Cameroon. They are responsible for the tyranny and murders. As accomplices to a war criminal like Meles, Bush and Blair are best candidates for the Hague not to mention their Iraq and Afghanistan war crimes. This is why we should support Reverend Desmond Tutu. Bush junior is a well known mess and almost a clown but who is the Blair fellow really?

Tony Blair was a curse on Britain and the world. The man had no principles and no honor.  He is presently a political consultant to an East European dictatorship at the price of 10 million British pounds a year. Here below is an expose of his mercenary activity:

“Blair has established Tony Blair Associates. This firm will “allow him to provide, in partnership with others, strategic advice on a commercial and pro bono [free] basis, on political and economic trends and governmental reform. However, Blair has been the subject of criticism for apparent conflicts of interest that allow the former prime minister, now a Middle East peace envoy, to earn large sums of money, both directly and through Tony Blair Associates ^“.

Blair is also an envoy on the Middle East issue. Here is what those concerned say about his role:

“ Nabil Shaath, a senior Abbas associate, said that Blair was acting as Israel’s “defence attorney” in face of Abbas’ application for a Palestinian state to be admitted as a full member of the United Nations. According to a recent episode of the investigative documentary series Dispatches on the UK’s Channel 4 Blair has used his Quartet role to gain introductions and proximity to Arab leaders, with whom he then signed private consulting contracts for Tony Blair Associates. He obtained one such contract, worth $40m from the Emir of Kuwait, to advise on reforms, and another from the rulers of the United Arab Emirates. Blair was instrumental in lobbying Israel to release frequencies in November 2009 for mobile phone company Wataniya to operate in the occupied West Bank. Wataniya is owned by the Qatari telecoms giant Q-Tel  which bought Wataniya in 2007 with a $2 billions, loan arranged by the bank JP Morgan , according to Dispatches. Blair also works for JP Morgan, which pays him over $2m a year for providing “strategic” advice. JP Morgan stood to make “substantial profits” if the deal went through, the British documentary said. Israel had tied approval of Wataniya’s frequencies to the PA dropping efforts to pursue the Goldstone report on Israeli war crimes in Gaza the UN. Blair also brokered another major deal with Israel for British Gas to secure contracts to exploit natural gas fields worth up to $6 billions, in the territorial waters of the Gaza Strip. Blair negotiated the deal directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2007, the United Nations Program of Assistance to the Palestinian People spent over $400,000 on three armoured cars for Blair.” Tony Blair is a money hungry opportunist and an ally of despots. Proper inquiry may even show that his conversion to Catholicism is motivated by  material gains.

No wonder Blair so enthusiastically backed Meles Zenawi. They are both corrupt and have a liking for dictators. As Ethiopians say, those who stink stick together (gim legim abro yazegm).  Meles Zenawi and his ethnic chauvinist regime wreaked havoc in Ethiopia and thousands died as a result. The petty tyrant did what he did with support of Bush and Blair and now with the backing of Obama and Cameroon. All these friends and supporters of the tyranny in Ethiopia are responsible for massacres and mass murders in Ethiopia. Hence, Reverend Desmond Tutu’s condemnation of the accomplices of murder, carnage and oppression is just and to be supported.

Ethiopia shall prevail over her enemies!

Truth will prevail over  nlies!!

By Yilma Bekele 

Someone broke into our house. They forced the backdoor open and went through every square inch of the house. They turned our mattress over, pilfered through our drawers and left the closet in a mess. It was done in the middle of the day and it looks like they took their time. They stole laptops, I pod, tablet computer, flat screen TV’s and my wife’s gold jewelry.

We have lived in the same neighborhood for over twenty years now. Nothing like this has happened before. We felt safe and secure. We did not have a burglar alarm. There were no metal guards on our doors and windows. When we moved to the area most of our neighbors were elderly people enjoying their retirement. They were always outside sitting on their porch and remising and watching. It is true there were one or two houses where the young kids were dealing drugs but the presence of the grandfathers made their business low-key.

Burglary is an ugly and very personal crime. Most of the stuff they took is replaceable. What is disturbing and creepy is the fact that a stranger went thru your stuff. I just keep visualizing their ugly dirty hands in my drawer and all over my home. They stole expensive stuff like computers but what bothered me most was the loss of quarters I was saving for my son. They took the flat screen televisions and Google tablet but the loss of little gold crosses from my mom to my wife is what keeps me awake at night. The thought of a burglar never crossed my mind but now I am convinced burglars are the scums of the earth. I better not be called for a jury duty where the crime is burglary. Off with his/her head is what first comes to mind.

I was seething with anger regarding my home invasion when I read Ambassador Susan Rice eulogy at the funeral of you know who in my homeland. My depression was compounded. Et tu Susan? When Bush was the President Mrs. Rice in an article she wrote for the Washington Post said “We Saved Europeans. Why Not Africans?” regarding the administration’s refusal to use force in Darfur and her praise of President Clinton’s military intervention in Kosovo. Compare that to her statement at the funeral of an African tyrant. Our fearless Ambassador was very generous with her praises of the dictator and was nice enough to include the human side of him inquiring about her family. She went out of her way to heap accolades like a smitten teen ager and elevate the dictator to new heights. I have no problem with her ignorance but what got my goat was her statement “He [Meles] was tough, unsentimental and sometimes unyielding. And, of course, he had little patience for fools, or “idiots,” as he liked to call them” That to me is too personal. Shame on you Susan Rice! Those of us that fight injustice are not fools or idiots. My dear Ambassador it looks like you got things reversed.

Those that deny freedom to others, those that deny democracy, those that deny the rule of law are considered fools and idiots. On the other hand those that fight back to secure their God given right to live in peace and dignity are normally referred to as freedom fighters. As a black person that find herself in such a high and powerful position representing her country I would have thought she would be the perfect candidate to identify with the cause of our people and be able to articulate our wishes and dreams better than her Wasp predecessors. Mrs. Ambassador it is a little disconcerting to think a poor immigrant like me is constantly fighting rednecks and conservatives that judge you negatively based on the color of your skin and declare you unfit to represent America and here you are paying my favor by dancing with criminals and unsavory characters. Too bad she is not a student of MLK. Where did she miss the bus?  I forgot she did not take the bus, may be that is why Fox news referred to her as a ‘limousine liberal’?

Anyway I gave her transgressions and insulting behavior some thought and was able to put things in perspective. I decided there is no reason I should spend an ounce of energy on what she thinks and say. I got bigger problems to solve. Thus I went back to my home burglary issue and viewed the two items and marveled at the linkage of the situation.

I did not leave my home open. Someone forced the door open. What I have done since then is install security doors and windows, install cameras and use cloud storage to back up my documents. It is impossible to stop a determined criminal the least I could do is make the bum work to earn his pay. It is said you know who your friends are in times of difficulty. I was humbled by two of my friends that gave me a lap top computer and a flat screen television to ease my pain. My friends Getachew and Dr. Tesfaye made me realize I am not alone. We are each other’s keeper.    

When it came to my homeland the situation is a little different. The burglars did not have to break a door or climb thru a window. They just bought their way in to our precious country. They used collaborators to open the door and let them in. We left our door open. No need to blame the burglar for our being indifferent regarding our treasure. Ambassador Rice was praising an individual we allowed to dictate to us for over twenty years. I know some fought back. Plenty paid with their life. The use of ethnic loyalty was his calling card. I am also sure that his harsh and intrusive system have something to do with his longevity. No matter the reason, our door was left open, and our security was compromised.  

The solution to safeguard a country is a little different than securing a home. Walls, cameras, border guards on the ground and drones in the sky are not a solution. The best full proof system is a population that is empowered to safeguard its own freedom. The citizen has to feel that they are in charge and they own their country. Those in charge have to understand that they serve by the will of the people. That is what is meant by ‘for the people by the people.’ As they are hired by the citizen they must know that the possibility of being fired for misconduct is real.

This kind of arrangement assures the leader entrusted with the key will not open the door and let strangers in to take advantage of a poor nation. Strangers will not try using underhanded means to get in and and act like king makers knowing it will be rejected. The recent death of the dictator is proof that our door was left wide open. The situation has favored the outsiders at the expense of the citizen. He was loved, respected, held in high esteem, considered a visionary and a person of extraordinary super natural gift. Unfortunately the sky high phrase is uttered by no other than those that enabled him to stay in power.

The issue is not Susan Rice, European Union or any outside party. We are that are the legitimate owners of this Nation called Ethiopia that allows misfits, megalomaniacs and unsavory individuals to hold the key to our door. We refuse to stand for fair play and justice. Recently when talking about an issue that tested the American people President Obama said ‘As Americans let us never, ever forget that our freedom is only sustained because there are people who are willing to fight for it, to stand up for it, and in some cases lay down their lives for it. Our country is only as strong as the character of our people and the service of those, both civilian and military, who represent us around the globe.’  It is when we can say those words regarding our motherland that we can stand straight look each other in the eye and utter the words ‘I love Ethiopia.’ Anything else is hot air and bluster. Happy New Year, may we have the strength of character to take advantage of the new reality God has given us and build a strong and democratic Ethiopia.

Hama Tuma

Meles Zenawi , a man who identified himself as a Tigrean (his ethnic group) and hated Ethiopia, was not able to say all reports of my death are exaggerated though his death was announced long before he kicked the bucket from an ailment that his friends have decided to keep secret. His death was late by Ethiopian standards and expectations while his masters, loyalists and sycophants wailed at his “sudden” passing away.

The death of this cruel despot has highlighted the degeneration of his regime unto a North Korean type of immense shame and parody and has exposed the level of ridicule that sycophants can sink into voluntarily. For most Ethiopians, Meles Zenawi was dead more than a decade ago when he emerged as a narrow Tigrean nationalist and advocated the breaking up of Ethiopia based on ethnicity. The corpse moved on spreading havoc, ceding Ethiopian land to the Sudan, forcing thousands of peasants and pastoralists out of their land  and handing it over cheaply to environmental disaster making  Indians, Chinese and Arab so called investors, fanning ethnic and religious division, proving himself as a  loyal puppet of the West. Meles Zenawi was a pest hated by Ethiopians as much as the cursed famine that plagued the country time and again including under his rule. Those who declared that the people respected the tyrant do not know the meaning of respect.

The North Korean type funeral show was, to put it mildly, disgusting. Quite a few uninformed souls and those who had deliberately been covering up for the despot talked of Ethiopians “mourning their leader”. Ethiopians in the know wonder even if the tears of Azeb Mesfin, the wife of Meles, were for real. The choreographed funeral show suggested that the tyrant died before they announced it and they had had time to prepare for the show. The sight of North Koreans when their tormentor Kim Jong Il died a few years ago was a comedy of sorts—with soldiers and women and citizens all wailing for the camera (see below) . No one missed the fact that they were all marshaled out and ordered to weep. The Meles cabal has done the same. State media interviewed street children and the homeless who “proudly” declared that Meles brought security and development and they were thus able to sleep on the streets without fear of any violence. Thank you Meles indeed! Families mourning the deaths of their kin were rounded out of their tents and taken to the government erected tent of mourning for Meles and told to cry there and get filmed and interviewed by the State controlled TV/media. And with the official cameramen active with their videos who dares not to be seen weeping? Money was paid to drag out tears out of people who were otherwise full of joy to see the dictator dead. Evidently, Meles was genuinely mourned by those whose life and wealth depended on him, the young and inept officers raised to higher ranks by him and all those who feared his death may herald the end of the Tigrean front’s domination and control of Ethiopia. Paid for and choreographed mourning. Even refugees in Khartoum seeking laissez passer documents to return to Ethiopia were told that they have to publicly mourn and demonstrate support for Meles before they get the paper. If you do not weep you are punished.  Remember Kim Jong IL’s death. This was the report with photos to accompany it:

“ North Korea’s hardline regime is punishing those who did not  cry at the death of dictator Kim Jong-il, according to reports.

Sentences of at least six months in labour camps are also apparently being given to those who didn’t go to the organized mourning events, while anyone who criticized the new leader Kim Jong-un is also being punished.

Those who tried to leave the country, or even made a mobile phone call out, were also being disciplined, it has been claimed.

Hysteria: North Korean soldiers mourn Kim Jong-il at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace

Real or fake? Pyongyang residents react as they mourn over the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il

Weeping: Children weep at the death of the supreme leader, Did theynreally know who he was?

And the foreigners who enjoyed his servitude, who have been given Ethiopian land to exploit or, as in the case of the Sudan, to take as theirs are also sad. And those who have established military bases on our soil and were able to use Ethiopians as cannon fodders for their wars in the region (the tennis court partner of Meles was none other than the American ambassador). And political fools like Bill Gates and African dictators who lost a brother. For all these, Meles was an intelligent leader, a visionary, and for Bill Gates, who only talked no more than a few hours with the forked tongue Meles, Ethiopians are enjoying great health progress thanks to Meles. If there has been so much progress in the health sector how come Meles went to tiny Belgium for medical treatment? The malaise is actually widespread—many African leaders go abroad for routine medical check up and some of them die there also. In Ethiopia, the health system has almost collapsed, the public hospitals are a disgrace, the private clinics expensive and most of the time ran by quack doctors who diagnose throat cancer as sore throat and cancer of the rectum as hemorrhoids.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Swear to God. Bill Gates attended the tyrant’s funeral and was quoted praising the departed. Not more than 5% of children are vaccinated, life expectancy is 56 years at best and infant mortality rate among the highest in the world. The budget for health is only 3.6 % and so one wonders why Bill Gates talks of miracles in the health sector. Susan Rice represented Barack Obama who has himself praised the defunct (many Ethio-Americans had voted for Obama and I am sure some of them for whom Ethiopia does not matter will do so again) and gushed out praise and eulogy to a murderer and a war criminal . She has for long been a political idiot of sorts who advocated the cover up of the Rwandan genocide arguing that using the G word may not be good during election time. The Meles eulogized by Susan Rice never lived in Ethiopia. If he was “uncommonly wise” as Rice claimed unabashedly he would have ruled Ethiopia democratically, depending on the choice and will of the people and would not have relied on repression and massacres to stay in power. What is being intelligent and wise anyway? Serving Washington or being wise enough to gain the support of the people to justify one’s rule? The foreigners loved Meles so much so that Ethiopians wonder if there were two Meleses in the world. Ethiopians know a street smart lying tyrant, responsible for the killing and disappearance of thousands, an ethnic fanatic with enough hatred to arm an anti people WMD, the butcher of the Ogaden and Gambella, the man who has more than 35,000 political prisoners in his dungeons and secret prisons, a cruel and corrupt anti Ethiopian who has aggravated the impoverishment of Ethiopians. 12 million people depend on food aid, inflation is at 20% minimum and even people in the urban areas are unable to afford two miserly meals per day. Meles, one apologist said, was not corrupt “in the usual sense” but the despot was corrupt in the best African sense whisking away, along with his wife and family, no less than 2 billion dollars. He may have no Swiss bank account but he has American, British, Cayman Islands and Malaysian bank accounts. Meles was corrupt since his guerrilla days, depositing millions of dollars in the Saudi American bank and buying property in London and other European cities and using more than a hundred million dollars for his own speculation and trading in the stock market. If there is any economic benefit it is in and around the palace and around the Tigrean ruling elite and does not concern the majority of the poor Ethiopian people.

The West helped and backed Meles and his Tigrean group long before the tyrant took power. Meles worked, hand in glove, with Britain and the USA, with Germany and Sweden, with Norway, Libya and the Sudan. He sold Ethiopia long before he got to control the country. He chased away the South Sudan SPLM and opened the border for the Sudan of Omar Beshir to attack the SPLA (the present rulers of South Sudan seem to have forgotten this!).  He was instrumental in the secession of Eritrea and gave permission for the security forces of Isaias Afewerki to murder Eritrean dissidents on Ethiopian soil. Most of all, Meles proved a determined puppet, backing the invasion of Irqa, registering as a foot soldier in the so called war against terrorism, serving the West’s interest in the Horn and all over Africa and invading Somali twice to serve Western interests. This and more is what have made him adorable in the eyes of the West. This is why the West lies about the reality of Ethiopia and hails and praises the predator of the free press and one of the vilest human rights violators in Africa. As Susan Rice knows, dictators like Nguema and Idris Deby, not to mention Museveni, Kagame and many others, are tolerated and praised because they are America’s babies. As Kirkpatrick said years ago, because they are “our own SOB s”. Meles was an SOB par excellence and those who hailed the mass killer are no less guilty of condoning his crime against the Ethiopian people.

And where is the so called economic progress? It is not an endangered animal but an extinct one. Hirelings like Abdul Mohamed (a confirmed CIA operative now working in Darfur) and so called human rights activist Alex de Waal (a long time Meles groupie) have even dared to assert that Meles has followed the Chinese path and transformed Ethiopia. What transformation? A ring road in Addis Abeba? Half built buildings? Shoddy roads? The lack of electricity and drinkling water? A stinking city? Half a million homeless and more than 75% below the poverty level? An agricultural sector in ruins and permanent starvation stalking the land? A modern hotel in remote Hawzein not visited by anyone? A joke of an MIT in Makalle, Tigrai ? Kiosk and grocery type colleges? The fleecing of Ethiopia by Tigean state controlled conglomerate called EFFORT ? The 11% annual economic growth is a result of false government statistics backed by the IMF and others for political reasons to cover up the bankrupt economic policies of Meles Zenawi. There is little or no economic transformation other than benefits for the Tigrean sold out bourgeoisie and for foreign investors of all sorts. No wonder the fate degenerate Saudi billionaire Sheikh Alamoudi wailed that he has lost his right hand with the death of Meles (thereby disappointing Ethiopians who had expected the Sheikh to lose more than one hand).

Meles was surely a hardworking man. It takes a lot of work to steal hundreds of millions, to push ten million people to starvation, to put thousands in prison, to supervise torture, to ruin a whole country, to chew choice Kat every afternoon and to toe the line as set by the West. It is hard work to lie day in and day out, to play the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde show all the time, to decide on big and small issues, to supervise the theft of millions of dollars by one’s own wife and cronies. Meles Zenawi has to work hard to handle and deal with so much hatred for millions of Amhras and Oromos, Gurages and Somalis, etc. and to plot and actualize their suffering and pain on a constant level. In the end he was a tiny man at al levels and he could not contain his hatred and thirst for exclusive power and mix it comfortably with his addictions. Meles Zenawi had to die by his own folly depriving his kin and ethnic fanatics their ease of ridign roughshod over millions. The time of reckoning has come and those from his ethnic group who hope that Arkebe or some other Tigrean substitute will salvage them from the impending doom are fooling themselves dangerously.

Ethiopians have had to endure the totalitarian regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam. They were ordered out to demonstrate and express support for the regime or face sanctions on basic necessities and so they went out en masse and cried “death to our enemies “ and “long live Mengistu”. Some people did not even go out before they heard over State radio that they have demonstrated in favor of the “great chairman’. A similar event has taken place. The carrot and the stick to bring people out on the streets and to weep for the very man who made their life miserable and humiliated their country. A charade and as one report puts it the North Koreans are not amused by the pale imitation.   Ethiopians, as we know, may be a quiet and private lot but they are wily and with their own sense of humor.  It is not beyond them to cry and weep when they are actually bursting with joy. Let no one take them for dupes, no. They did not keep Ethiopia sovereign and independent by being fools even though they had and still have their share of traitors. Those in fear of losing their drone base and mercenary are shedding real tears and worried if the crisis ridden group in power may weather the storm. They have and they will have more to weep about. Amen.  Aside from that, saying good riddance is in order! May his loyal friends follow him on his journey to the end of the damned!