Assimba Blog

By Zenebe G Tamirat

The impressionists were said to have been the most courageous but untalented artists in the mid 18th century of France. They claimed themselves to be revolutionary insisting to change the course of art forever.

When I first heard of the TPLF from a transmission that seems to be hidden in a faraway forest I was doing the listening hidden & with great caution so that no pro-Derge Agents would notice what I was doing. Listening to propaganda other than that of the Dergue used to end in a slash off the neck during that time. What really impressed me then was the situation in which the Dergue killed the king who armed it with rifles to use in defense of the people against external enemies. The king had believed that his soldiers would not turn the muzzle of the gun to the sacred royal family. I thought the Dergue was mighty and indubitable, for, it was bragging scary propaganda.

The TPLF on the other side was assuring the people that it would kill the army under the command of the Dergue and enter the capital city soon victoriously. I was impressed so much. I said that the leader of the TPLF must have been terrible. I was longing for their arrival at the capital city to bless them with my support! When they arrived I was stunned to see what they were looking like and with what they were up to. They were even more terrible than I expected them to be.

The first thing the TPLF did when entering Addis was clash against a crowd that rejected its red flag with the sign of the hammer and the sickle. Next day I saw a contingent of the TPLF Militiamen wrapping some bread and enjera with Ethiopian Flag. My feeling to this show was both anger and sorrow. Anger because the act was outrageous, sorrow because I was unable to do anything against these ignorant peasants because they were armed to the tooth with machine guns and grenades.

When Melese Zenawi was asked about the disrespect that his Militiamen and other members of his party were exposing he said rhetorically, he does not care about the Cherque, (piece of rag). I was disgusted. Yesterday, I was more impressed to see his dregs, wrapped and honored by the same object he called Cherque, the Ethiopian flag, pulled by the Imperial Cart, and surrounded by a flock of Bishops and Archbishops heading to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, its final resting spot. It is all amazing and perplexing. Melese Zenawi, a Guerrilla fighter, a communist, a capitalist, a Christian, a Prime Minister an Emperor, a dictator and what not was indeed the enfant terrible of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF).

The expression enfant terrible, is a nick name given to Edouard Manet (1832-83 ) for stealing the show in the famous Impressionist Salon (where they exhibit their works) with his amazing art work, the Lunch on the Grass, a Summer picnic set in the woods, in which two business men are entertaining two node women. He did that in an exhibition Salon of great respect that allows only the few and the selected artists like Degas, Pissarro, Renoir and Birth Morisot. The painting caused such a stir that it placed Manet in an instant notoriety. Since then, he became the enfant terrible of the art world by which he was distinguished for most of his career.

Like Edouard Manet, Melese Zenawi was distinguished by his notoriety. Some of the characters he exhibited in his persona include , disposing hatred to Pan-Ethiopianism, advocating ethnic nationalism, disintegrating national unity, destabilizing Ethiopia and fervor to building the Axumite Empire over the precedence of Tigray superiority, spreading ethnic animosity between the various tribal sectors including Tigray itself like between the contending children of Adowa and Axum, Shire and Makale and Tembien.

Like the impressionists the TPLF closes its doors behind non-members and makes it difficult for participation. Non-Impressionists that were refused to participate in the Salon however were lucky at least they were given an alternative by the then Emperor Napoleon who established what was known as “the Salon de Refuse” in response to the outcry of those rejected to expose their artistic works at the Impressionists Salon because they were not accepted as members. Unfortunately in the case of the opposition here there is no one to listen to their outcry. TPLF and Zenawi are two faces of the same coin. Emperor Zenawi does not provide the “Salon de Refuse” for those who are refused of human rights. So the opposition is left to look for its own “Salon de refuse” all by itself. Unfortunately such a salon once almost achieved was quickly demolished by the lethal arms of the TPLF led by its “enfant terrible.”

Contrary to the Impressionists Zenawi was talented with the art of flip flapping and was also extremely pretentious. When he entered Addis Ababa he said, the “peoples” he fought for were hardworking what they needed was freedom; freedom to speak, freedom to write, and freedom to choose what is best for them. But when he stood firm in power he accomplished none of his promises. Instead he imprisoned those who wrote, intimidated those who spoke and reversed the choice they made as best for them. This was overly demonstrated in 2005. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=u-V7oMke1Fo&NR=1

When he entered the White House, the nauseating Marxist of the Albanian type that served as the head of the School of Revolutionary Cadres there in the jungle, flip flapped to be a disciple of Adams, Hamilton and Jefferson, the fathers of American capitalism and democracy. He lectured George W. Bush in the Oval Office, on the disputes of the Federalists and the anti-Federalists. He consulted him on how to sprint from Ethiopia and hit “Terrorism” in the Horn of Africa and beyond; in North Africa and Yemen.

When Tony Blare, struck out his name from his list of “African Model Leaders,” he challenged him inviting China but in the meantime lobbied for his reinstatement through Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President who believed that Meles Zenawi was the person to work with business in Africa. When Blare, remade his mind to reinstate him, he refused to work for him unless he pays his due and to the astonishment of the multitude, Blare had to pay the due required immediately in millions of Euros. People thought Melese was smart; but how can you call him smart when he left Eritrea with Ethiopia’s only outlet to the sea and made his own country landlocked later to become a headache to his dictatorial rule? And how can you call him smart when he filthily entertained Chinese with resettlement land for their troubled citizens, endangering the nation with a force equipped with nuclear weapon? And tell me how you may call him smart while he submits to the demand of the West to let thousands of Ethiopian Soldiers die in neighboring lands?

The US does not like his matrimonial with the Chinese but does not want to lose his services either. He does what he is told to do in neighboring Somalia, the newly independent State of South Sudan, even in North Sudan, soothing his friend Al Beshir, and working as a middleman between Africa and the West. So the U.S. prefers to take its share bitterly swallowing its jealousy of China. To keep its share alive, it betrays its constitution derived from its forefathers that rejects dictatorship and kept on feeding Zenawi’s authoritarian government budget in billions of dollars. With the aid collected from the U.S. and Europe amounting to about 4mln a year, a miracle could happen in Ethiopia. Using this money Zenawi did insufficiently to the growth of the nation and yet it was highly exaggerated by Western Government leaders and Western Media simply because Zenawi was the perfect boy to take their orders. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19454803

In her Eulogy speech delivered at the funeral ceremony of Zenawi, Suzan Rice applauded Melese saying that he has done a lot to her personally and to her country. She called him passionate, uncommonly wise, tough and unsentimental and most of all a person who loves his country. There she goes mendacious! Melese never loved his country and he had demonstrated his hatred to Ethiopia repeatedly. Rather Melese is sweet to “Tigray,” sweeter to the “West,” sweetest,” to China and “nasty” to Ethiopia. The reason as to why Suzan was applauding him excessively has been obvious from her speech; it is because “he has made a lot to her personally and to her country.” I do not think that there will be anyone who does not agree to her statement here. But she blows the dust on the eyes of many when she talks about the love she was saying that Melese had to his land.

I do not understand how Rice, a distinguished Rhode Scholar, the doctoral thesis of whom had won the “Walter Frewin Lord Prize for Outstanding Research in the field of Commonwealth History” plus the “Chatham House International Studies Association prize” makes such rubbish mistakes. She admires the dictator who killed more than 200 peaceful demonstrators in the streets of Addis Ababa just to rig an election, murdered 400 Agnuwak citizens in Gambela for refusing to sell their land to foreigners. She insults opposition party members who differ from Melese in political outlook officially calling them “fools” and “idiots.” She says she is always struck because Melese is “consistently reasoned by his judgment.” Which one of the above judgments is “consistently reasoned” to really struck, Dr. Suzan, God only Knows! Ethiopians are really annoyed by her unbalanced statements. Some opposition members even accuse her for referring them to as “Idiots.” What a diplomat and what a failed diplomacy is genius Suzan playing here? She mingles passion with politics & emotion with wishes.

Dr. Suzan is considered to be a respected diplomat as a representative of a great nation in a great world body; but by committing such silly mistakes the respected diplomat has indeed degraded her honor and reverence that the people of Ethiopia have had for her and her family. Moreover for the unprecedentedly irrational view she echoed about Melese Zenawi the people of Ethiopia have begun questioning the integrity of her scholar parents and the judgment of President Obama for assigning such eerie person to represent the great nation of the U.S.A. in the UN. The elite consider her as “Persona non grata.” The people of Ethiopia have begun to ask how can Rice raised and brought up in a scholastic family consider a twenty years iron-feet-dictator a democrat and the act of killing of hundreds in a manner that equals the act of genocide as an act “consistently reasoned by judgment.” I am sure the people of the United States will join their counterpart, Ethiopians in demanding explanation to this faulty deportment.

Out of Ethiopia many, including journalists disagree with her on the statement that she equivocally exaggerated in outlining the nature of Melese Zenawi who is noted for his abuse of human rights all over the world. Diplomats and foreign Media may agree on the economic achievements they claim he gained though the people of Ethiopia are still starving, but not for the nature and behavior described by Suzan Rice.

The links above were attached here with for contrast between what Suzan says and what the people of Ethiopia say. The people say Melese is nasty to Ethiopians that he ruthlessly killed their children. Suzan says Melese is a sweet darling. Yes, we know! Melese the Enfant Terrible of the TPLF is sweet to Tigray, sweeter to the West, sweetest to China and nasty to Ethiopia. But we, as Ethiopians are prohibited to blame dead persons by culture. As we respect the laws of culture and traditions, and as we obey the law of God, love thy enemies, we pray “May God rest the soul of the King in peace and God save the Ambassador!”

The writer Zenebe G. Tamirat is available at ztamira@yahoo.com. Also you may follow the writer on twitter, Neguodguadzeneb@twitter.com and/or like Zenebe Tamirat @facebook.com

By Yilma Bekele

The US is getting ready for presidential elections. 2012 will be the 57^th time elections have taken place. The first election was held in 1788 and there were five contestants and it was won by George Washington. Barack Obama is the 44^th President. The Republican Party held its convention a week ago and the Democrats started their nomination process yesterday.  The candidates are thinned down by the grueling primary campaign. The conventions are more or less a coronation event and come November one of the nominees wins and everybody goes home and wait for another four years. This routine has not changed for over 224 years. If the American citizen is so jaded about the event you can see why. It is nothing to write home about.

Non-American citizens are not allowed to participate in the process. It is unthinkable any government will try to influence the election in any covert manner. The American people determine their own future without help or interference from any outside body.

As you know our Prime Minster died a few months back and we have been operating without a leader for quite a while. Either the Ethiopian people are extremely low abiding or phenomenally docile because nothing has happened that is alarming under the circumstances of operating without central power. The PM was buried last Sunday, or at least a casket was laid to rest and still no decision has been made regarding a leader.

We in Ethiopia have not developed a system regarding how we would like to be governed. Until about forty years ago our regional warlords duked it out among themselves and the one standing at the end crowned himself or herself king, Queen or Emperor. Haile Selassie was the last Emperor. Colonel Mengistu was the next warlord disguised as head of the Military Junta or the Derge. He was in the process of legitimizing his rule by forming a party when he was overthrown by the TPLF guerrilla army.

The next chapter of our history is a little bit murky and sort of opaque. We have held four elections since the demise of Mengistu. All four have been won by the ruling TPLF party. As a matter of fact the 2005 election is the only one that will be considered partially free and fair. It was won by the opposition. Today that election is looked upon with nostalgia by the majority of our people.

In 2005 the recently departed PM miscalculated his and his party’s popularity big time. It is what happens when one is locked in a palace for too long and is surrounded by yes men and sycophants. The TPLF party learned a negative lesson from this debacle and the last election held in 2010 was a travesty of what election is all about. As they lost big time in 2005 they won the whole enchilada in 2010. We have a broken system with warlordism disguised as democracy.  

This is why we are having this hiccup replacing the tyrant. He left a mess behind and cleaning it up is no small matter. There are so many rumors, theories and explanations’ twirling around the situation makes a Spanish novella look like a children’s bedtime story.

First and foremost to note in this tragic affair is that the Ethiopian people are not involved in this drama in any form or shape. We the people are ring side spectators waiting to be told the outcome of this three ring circus. We are keeping score.

Star of the show is no other than the Tigrayan people TPLF Party. It is rumored the party have different factions. The internal bickering is not expected to reach a boiling point. Others playing minor parts are the Amhara Party (ANDM), the Oromo Party (OPDO) and the Southern people’s Party (SEPDM). There are others like the Gambellan, Benishangel-Gumuz etc. but they are for all practical purposes as observers as the Ethiopian people. Everyone is organized under the umbrella known as the EPRDF.

The Executive Committee of EPRDF held its first meeting since the death of warlord numero uno and you would think their first agenda will be filling the void. No such luck in revolutionary Ethiopia. According to Woyane TV “The executive committee passed decision to strive towards success of the Growth and Transformation Plan and further strengthen efforts towards renaissance of the country.” As to the most important issue at hand the “The meeting passed decision to name chairperson and vice chairperson for the Front in its meeting to be held in mid September 2012. It called on the Ethiopian people to rally behind the Front in the efforts to reduce poverty and realize renaissance of the country.”

The only conclusion to reach after reading such a press release is that the EPRDF cannot agree regarding giving the position of PM to the person who was designated as the vice. Why do you think that is? Is it because the number one position has always been reserved to the TPLF Party? It looks like they have found themselves in a very difficult situation at the moment. Appointing a TPLF person would not be looked at kindly by all involved especially the foreign enablers. It is not that they have any objection to the TPLF but they are not willing to chance anything that would destabilize the current cozy situation they have gotten used to. Why rock the boat now must be what they are asking the ruling mafia.

It is said the EPRDF Executive Committee has thirty five members. Since the country is divided on the basis of ethnicity the EC is composed of representatives from four regions. What is peculiar about this situation is the number of participants in the EC. It is said that each Party sends eight people but how they arrived at this number is not clear. The Oromos’ constitute 34.5%, the Amaras’ 26.9% and the Tigrais’ 6.1% of the population. The disparity in representation does beg for an answer.

At the moment the situation the Vice/Acting Prime Minster finds himself is not enviable at all. It looks like he is going up a creek without a paddle. The military is in the hands of the TPLF Party. The Security service is beholden to the TPLF Party. The Media is under the control of the TPLF Party. Major industries such as banking, telecommunications etc. are under the TPLF Party. The Vice/Acting PM does not have a party he controls. He does not have a constituent to fall back on. Up a creek with no paddle seems to describe the situation.

Most of Ethiopians find themselves in a quandary. They want peace and stability. The problem is this situation of being governed by unelected individuals is getting a little too old to accept. The last time this happened it has taken us over twenty years to even replace one person. We find ourselves where we were in 1991. We were told to give the new government time, to be patient and not be so negative. I believe twenty one years is long enough to learn that those that assume power without the consent of the people are not in any position to let it go without hassle.

I started by reciting the news regarding the election in the US. It is clear to see that having a tradition of fair, open contest for the highest office in the land has resulted in the construction of a stable and prosperous country. Campaigns help the people to see what the candidates have in mind and how they intend to fulfill the wishes of the citizen. The elected leader is given a limited amount of time to show what he can accomplish. The citizen is given the power to remove him if he does not perform to expectations.

That is what we need in our ancient homeland. Our people are smart enough to know what is good for them. You do not need a PhD from Harvard to know your interest. This concept of discussing our business behind closed doors is not a winning strategy. Sooner or later it is bound to create problems and contradictions. A leader not answerable to the citizen is a recipe for disaster. A leader with no mandate from his people but beholden to a few with guns will in end harvest contempt and disrespect by all. We hope the EPRDF EC will quit deluding themselves into thinking fear will solve everything. We hope they will learn the lesson of what happened to the occupier of the office not long ago. Twenty one years behind barbed wire fence, with no love, no respect from those he was supposed to serve is not a life style to emulate. In the end we all lost. There was no winner in this game. Our country is still backward, our people are dispersed all over the planet and our future does not look bright if we continue this road of rule by force.      

By Yilma Bekele

I am hoping this is the last discussion about our emotional response regarding the disappearance then death of Ato Meles Zenawi. As controversial and in your face individual he was alive his death has brought drama, division and ugliness to our life. The person is refusing to go away in silence and dignity. I am very much conflicted about his going away. First and foremost I want to make it clear that I am definitely not sad at all. It is not because I am inhuman or lack empathy. Far from that, I consider myself caring and always concerned about others.

When it comes to Meles Zenawi my blood turns ice cold. It is not because of any of his physical traits but rather it is all about his record as the Prime Minter of my motherland. How he used his office and the power it comes with it is how I judge the individual. By all accounts he was not a pleasant human being and for over twenty years he rode rough on our poor nation and seemed to enjoy the wanton destruction he visited on his people. When I think of him what I visualize in my head are memories that bring negativity, sadness and rage.

I remember his constant put down of anyone that dares to ask a question not to his liking, the display of that stupid smirk on his face knowing the individual dare not confront him or else. I will not forget his cold blooded response after murdering over two hundred fellow citizens because they marched in peace because he cheated. His non-challant response to a reporter regarding the health of Judge Bertukan Mideksa whom he threw in jail for no reason by joking she is fine except she might have gained a few kilos and the display of that same smirk on his face is etched in my brain forever. Meles Zenawi was a despicable human being, a mad person that should not be trusted with authority over a family let alone a nation.

The current cry fest sponsored by his fellow criminals even after his demise is what worries me. In Ethiopia they are using the power they accumulated the last twenty years to assert their authority. The citizen is at the mercy of the TPLF mafia. Land belongs to the government, the regime is the number one employer in the country and such essential items as flour, sugar, oil and others are regulated by the dreaded kebeles. The average Ethiopian is a prisoner in his own land. There should be no surprise if they cry when told, march when ordered and ask how high when instructed to jump. It is sad but true. The fact they are obeying the instructions of the TPLF cadres does not mean they agree or are convinced. No deep inside they are laughing and bidding for time. Our people are not stupid nor cowards but they are not into suicide either. They are like mount Zukala volcano, dormant but not extinct.

The Ethiopians in the Diaspora are a different matter. There are those from the regime’s ethnic group that will support the regime due to commonality of interest. Most have vested interest in the survival of the TPLF regime. Then there are those that have used their dollar power to buy stolen land, stolen property and are intricately connected to the ruling party. They are the ones that are easily coopted or blackmailed into obedience.  A vast majority have their head in the sand and refuse to hear or see no evil. They wait for the most opportune time to see who will come ahead and join the parade. They are sometimes called the silent majority. Unfortunately their silence works against themselves and the loved ones they left behind.

It is the combination of the TPLF party sympathizers and their puppies they keep on a leash that are making noise regarding holding a cry fest in the Diaspora community. A few of them rent a hall or a community center get their video or picture taken to be beamed by Woyane media at home. The purpose is to show the Ethiopian people that their power and hold extends in the Diaspora community. It is another form of bullying. We saw that during their campaign to raise money in the so called dam on Abbay river. In the Ponzi scheme meeting held in our city over ninety five percent of the participants were from the ruling ethnic group. The cry fest is the same crap in a different guise.

The problem for us is this drama they concoct takes us away from the job at hand. It is vintage Woyane tactic to send us on a wild goose chase while they do their homework. If you notice they took a month to declare the tyrant dead. They used the month to call meetings of their party, the Kebeles and underlings to prepare the ground for country wide mourning. We used that time to speculate whether he is dead or alive, what hospital he is in, where his wife is spotted and discuss the many ramblings of Sebhat Nega. It was a useless digression.

We are at it again. The discussion is on the drama beamed by Woyane TV regarding who has been taken prisoner and made to cry or swear allegiance. We get worked over when we see Haile sobbing, Neway bending some other idiot in designer black silk cloth taken hostage and putting a show. We are programed to follow.

While we are wasting valuable time and energy on side issues Woyane’s are working in the background to shore up support and hold the structure from falling. Speculation is rife with Obama calling Hailemariam, Azeb snubbing Hailemariam, Sebhat under house arrest, Samora dying and Seyoum weak. I still have not seen any of our so called opposition calling for a country wide discussion where we should be heading and some kind of list of points we should be thinking about. Leadership is all about putting your preferences, your thoughts and your plans so the citizen can mull over the possibilities and make an informed decision. Always pointing out Woyane’s atrocities, wrong doings and Woyane’s plans is not a winning strategy.

The question facing our Woyane warriors is what comes next Monday. The drama is done and over and poor Meles is six foot under, what comes next. We just can’t continue with no one in charge. For the last two months Ethiopia and Somalia have been the only two countries operating without a known leadership in charge. We are on what is known as auto pilot. I don’t know if this is good and healthy. One thing is for sure it has not been tried before. In most previous situation the void is normally filled by regional warlords. Are we reverting to that?

Right now the foreign reserve has been depleted; commerce has been on hold for over a month and the two weeks mourning period has brought the poor economy to standstill. The noveau capitalists have been either hording dollars or transferring it outside the country.

How does the new regime afford buying fuel, buying wheat and oil and still pay all the millions borrowed by Meles? What happens to all the contracts signed by Meles selling different parts of the country? Do the new Kilil heads accept the one sided agreements dictated by the then strong TPLF or demand a new form of contract? Are the American and European enablers willing to allow more borrowing from IMF and World bank for a regime that does not show promise of staying stable? What kind of demands are they going to present now knowing they have a weak and divided central authority? Last time their solution caused us agony for twenty years are they going to screw us again?

Issues like this is what we should be discussing about instead of inner fighting and speculation regarding the health of dying Woyanes. We seem to fall into a trap set by the mafia group and waste time and money. We need to grow up and stick to issues that will help our country and people and mind our own business instead of being led astray by others that have their selfish needs.

It is time we bury Meles and his toxic ideas and move forward. It is time we decide the agenda instead of following one drawn by TPLF. It is time we completely ignore Woyane drama do what we got to do to define our issues and stick with the plan. My wish, my plan is that I do not mention you know who for ever and ever and completely wipe his face and memory from my brain. No need to dwell on a history that is only twenty years old while my country has over three thousand years of glory. He was a stain but a very tiny and insignificant one.  Time to move on.

By Meatu Derese

In my short article in Amharic a bit earlier I have tried to highlight the tragedy of the successive Ethiopian dictatorial regimes. Although the brutal dictators and their foreign sponsors are the main forces to blame, many pseudo opposition groups have also contributed to that tragedy by extending the lives of those dictators on power and the sufferings of our people. Sooner or later, however, all of these forces have culminated in great shame. The sad fact of the matter, however, is the failure to learn from past mistakes, and repetition of similar tragedies from regime to regime.

I am trying to make the following comments, in good faith, for a constructive criticism to encourage learning from those sad mistakes to pave the way forward for a united, meaningful, genuine and effective opposition that can shorten the lives of dictatorial regimes and facilitate democratic exercise, peace and sustainable prosperity for our people. I would also like to beg sincere apologies if some of my comments are found to be a bit offensive.

1. The mistakes of some opposition groups during the Brutal Military Dictatorship

MEISON is one of the notable opposition groups during the brutal Military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam. It chose to allay with the dictators against the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP) and the Ethiopian people at large. It shared power. It joined hands with the brutal military dictators and hunted down, beaten up, imprisoned, tortured and murdered the genuine and innocent members of the EPRP, especially children and young people.

If the MEISON did not join the Derg, the military dictators would not have been able to:

• Consolidate itheir power;
• Strengthen relations with the Soviet Block social imperialists;
• Butcher hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens; and
• Prolong the reign of terror.

History will never forget the brutal terror that had befallen those innocent victims, the type of extremely brutal terror that were beyond any possible human comprehension and imagination, hitherto never heard of. I don’t want to go into the details of that shameful fascistic terrorism as lots have already been said or written about them.

Although their objective of weakening the EPRP was fulfilled, they were not able to outsmart and topple the Military dictators to establish their own political power. Once the Military consolidated its power, it annihilated MEISON and similar civilian allies, throwing their leaders into mass graves. That was a typical consequence of the unwillingness of many opposition groups to strengthen their solidarity to struggle to bring about fundamental changes in a shorter period of time.

2. The mistakes of some opposition groups in supporting the TPLF Dictatorship

It appears that the Western Powers brokered a deal with Mengistu who peacefully fled the Country and settled in Zimbabwe with his whole family. A pseudo peace conference was arranged in London that never included any Ethiopian multi-national party. The Conference that was planned for 3 days was completed within half a day – the American Representative called Herman Cohen who organised and chaired the Conference read out a ready made declaration – the EPLF and TPLF to take the control of Eritrea and Ethiopia, respectively. It was a fait accompli, engineered by the Western Powers for their usual divide and rule policy.

2.1 The role of the EPLF

Needless to say that Eritrea was the integral part of Ethiopia for time immemorial. Over those long Millennia, we shared together all the joys as well as the sufferings. The Eritreans are very nice, kind and proud people.

Italy came to invade our Country but was defeated at the catastrophic Battle of Adwa. Due to serious logistic and similar practical reasons, however, the heroic and victorious popular army of Emperor Menelik was not able to chase the Italian forces out of the whole Country. Italians run to the North and lingered in Eritrea until they were eventually crushed and humiliated, thanks to the heroism and selflessness of our Patriots. Due to the unfortunate long stay of the invading Italian forces in Eritrea, the United Nations brokered a referendum to establish the feelings and wishes of the Eritrean people. An overwhelming majority of the population voted for a Federal relationship with their mother land, Ethiopia. This arrangement worked perfectly well for some 10 years until Emperor Haile Selassie flagrantly violated the Agreement and abolished the Federal arrangement. It was from that time that a revolt started, first by the ELF, and overtaken by the EPLF, to restore the Federal agreement. Through the long course of the struggle, however, the EPLF changed the slogan and pushed for a complete cessation from Ethiopia, supported by external forces that always wished to weaken the Ethiopian unity and strength.

I am not against the wishes of the Eritrean people and their democratic natural rights to decide on their destiny, including cessation. However, as far as I am concerned, the EPLF committed the following historical and major errors that had some devastating consequences:

•     It was not fair to mislead fellow citizens, especially the Eritrean youth with an endless wrong propaganda postulating Ethiopia as a Coloniser, and the Ethiopian people, especially the Amharas as major enemies;

•      Sponsoring and collaborating with the TPLF to weaken genuine Ethiopian opposition forces, especially the EPRP;

•     Crowning the TPLF in Ethiopia, forming an independent Eritrea and thinking that they will continue to have an unlimited access to the Ethiopian resources;

•     Believing the Western powers and the TPLF to achieve its short-sighted and misguided ego, and leaving the Eritrean people in a worst current situation.

2.2 The role of the OLF

The OLF joined the TPLF administration and signed a Charter. If the OLF did not join and sign the TPLF Charter, the Western Powers would not have been able to boast as some indication of legitimacy. Once the TPLF consolidated its power, it kicked out the OLF and facilitated an immediate exile for the OLF leaders. They left in an utter humiliation and shame.

The Oromo people are the most humble, innocent and hard working good citizens. Just like the other similar national groups in the Country, the Oromo people have suffered during the successive repressive Regimes, notably under Emperor Haile Selassie’s Feudal System, Mengistu’s brutal military dictatorship and the current ethnic-based brutal dictatorship.

The heroic Ethiopian student movement and the EPRP led ferocious struggles for:

• Land to the Tillers;
• Workers’ rights
• Equality of all national groups;
• Democracy; and
• Paid precious life sacrifices that history will never forget.

It is very sad to see the OLF failing to unite with the opposition multinational groups for more effective struggle to shorten the political lives of those repressive regimes and bring about a democratic system for a peaceful and sustainable economic prosperity for our troubled great people. It is even more unimaginable how the OLF that refuses to cooperate with the genuine Ethiopian opposition forces chose to trust and ally with the TPLF to share power.

2.3 The roles of individuals

There were also some notable individuals who rendered their support for the accession of the TPLF to power, with their uncalculated and empty rhetoric statements such as:

•     “They are the children of Ethiopia;

•     They deserve support and chance”;

•      Etc.

It is beyond my possible human comprehension to see those learned notable elders failing to understand the true nature of the Woyanes and the usual negative roles and plans of the external forces for the decline of our Great Nation.

2.4 The Collapse of the UEDF

In 2003, 15 opposition political groups united to form the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) to carry out a strong peaceful struggle. Among the agreements of the Forces, the need to ensure the formation of an independent Election Board and the presence of independent internal and external observer groups was underpinned, without which the UDEF would withdraw from participation in the pseudo election drama and call for a peaceful popular revolt. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to groups and individuals, including the EPRP that facilitated and sponsored this historic Conference, and true Fathers such as Abune Merkorios and the late Laureate Tsegaye Gebre Medhin, for their constructive advices and blessings

Two of the founding members, the All Ethiopia Unity Party (AEUP) and Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP) sadly pulled out of the UEDF before too long.

A Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) was formed parallel to the UDEF. A dangerous decision was made by the CUD and two members of the UEDF (notably Doctors Beyene Petros and Merera Gudina’s respective political Groups) to participate in the 2005 National Election under the Woyane partisan ‘Election Board’. Their unwise decision to do so was a big blow to unity-hungry Ethiopians as this was a flagrant violation of the most fundamental agreements they all signed to at the formation of the UEDF to boycott the National Election and lead a peaceful popular disobedience if the regime refuses to allow free and fair election.

The CUD and the UDEF still agreed to cooperate in the peaceful struggle. The CUD and the UEDF made sweeping victory at the 2005 National Election. However, the Woyane/EPRDF dictatorial regime claimed victory through vote rigging, mass murder, torture and intimidation, as expected. The Ethiopian people urged and warned the CUD and the above mentioned two UEDF members, in an unequivocal manner, not to even think of joining the Woyane-led fake ‘Parliament’, as doing so would lead to a more disaster than the gross sufferings seen over the previous 14 years. But they did.

The Ethiopian people in general and the Addis Ababa population in particular were ready to show an earth moving and mountain shaking peaceful civil disobedience in respect of their voices. Instead of leading that effective struggle, the CUD actually recommended restraints, castrated the struggle and frustrated the nation. Even then, Meles sent the whole leadership into prison and took further fascistic revenge on the innocent population that voted for the opposition.

Following the rigged election, popular peaceful protests and the fascistic measures taken by the Meles regime, joint task forces were established in the Diaspora, composed of the support groups of the CUD, UEDF, the Civic groups and other concerned Ethiopians. Those joint task forces carried out political meetings, vigils, demonstrations and hunger strikes almost all over the world and made an invaluable contribution to the struggle for the respect of human rights and democratic process.

Despite the above-mentioned historical victories during the struggle of the joint task forces, the CUD support groups in the Diaspora shamelessly isolated themselves, pulling out of those joint task forces and weakening the struggle. The votes at the 2005 National Election in Addis Ababa was counted fairly due to the presence of independent Election Observers, in which the CUD won the majority. Similar victories wedged by the UEDF in the rest of the Country where independent observers were not present were stolen by the TPLF. Due to that victory in Addis Ababa, some naive members have neglected the strong alliance with the UEDF and were preparing to take the control of Addis Ababa, including the Municipality.

We have all been deeply concerned and angered by the decision of the CUD that was not willing to cooperate with genuine Ethiopian opposition groups such as the UEDF to become the founding member of the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD), an Alliance of cessation groups that was brokered by the EPLF.

3. Concluding Remarks

Are we ready to learn from those past mistakes? If not, what alternatives are we prepared to leave behind? Our people have got thousands of years of history and civilisation behind them for the formation of systems of administration and survival mechanisms. We should not shy away from the fundamental fact about the capacity of our people to put in power any political party of its choice or to replace it when necessary in a peaceful free and fair election. The responsibility of all genuine political groups and individuals is only a strong commitment to facilitate the setting up of a democratic platform to empower our people. Taking into account, the strength of the internal dictatorial forces and external enemies, this task requires a very strong cooperation, collaboration and unity among all genuine political and civic groups as well as individuals on the most fundamental question of a common concern, i.e. the removal of dictators, facilitation of a democratic process and abide by the choice of the people. If the opposition joins hands and leads a protracted struggle, no force on this Earth can stop people from bringing down any repressive regime. If this is too much to ask, I wonder about the meaning of a political struggle.

There is a very famous Ethiopian saying: “DIR BIYABIR ANBESSA YASSIR”. There is also a similar English saying: “THE UNITED WE STAND, THE DIVIDED WE FALL”.

Yinegal Belachew(yinegal3@gmail.com)

Dear Ethiopian Compatriots all over the world;
Dear all human beings of this treacherous world;
Dear all readers of this message of grievance.

Dear Gentlepersons,

Allow me to say few words about myself. I am from Ethiopia, currently leaving in Ethiopia, working in one of public universities as instructor. Am an earthling, like you, suffering from the ugliest scenarios of almost all governments of all nations with respect to the poor handling of their own people. I am sleepless of Syrians of all factions, Iraqis of all sects, Afghans of all groups, Somalis of all tribes, Malians of both blocs, US’s and Iran’s nuclear conflict, the turmoil of the Middle East, the economic meltdown of Europe and Americas, man-made and natural calamities all over the world, etc. But I do not need to tell you the stark fact that I am neither the president of our earthly Mother, the US, nor the Secretary General of the toothless dog, the UN, both of which are doing little to minimize the aforesaid melancholic situation in this world; even the government I belong to doesn’t know whether I am born or not, dead or alive, here or there.
Please give not less attention to my message, as is the wont of millions of individuals on our planet to disdainfully look down such personal appeals, considering it as worthless and ineffective, because this world, as the old one too, believes in miracles. I feel we should sometimes open our ears to listen to the horrifying predicaments of co-habitant humans on this same hellish part of the entire universe.

By now you must have heard the fact that our Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, has passed away, R.I.P. Actually, according to some reliable sources, he died on July 15, 2012. But surprisingly, as analysts commented, just to buy some more time to give certain conventional shape to their amorphous political deformity at home, his stooges unashamedly denied his death and instead they had kept on saying inconsistent allegations that he was on sick leave to recuperate, was on vacation in the US, was giving his leadership contacting with only four of his assistants, and – was mediating the two Sudanese case along with the former President of South Africa, Tabo Mbeki, etc. More astonishingly, they had gone farthest even to the extent of condemning ESAT, a TV station run by the opposition forces from the Diaspora, as disseminating false reports about their darling while, they claimed, he was making merry in one of the resorts [in Europe or America] with his family [the picnic co-chaired by his wife, Mrs Mother of Corruption, Azeb Gola/Mesfin]. With this regard, there were highly conflicting reports and news for the last two months, the major cause of which is the nature of this junta. The people in the Woyane government are against all truths; they all are naturally liars, pathological liars, as some say so, and please recall the saying, ‘birds of the same feather fly(flock) together.’, and hence the lair/den of the Woyanes is full of lying people, the word ‘lying’ in its full-fledged meanings, if you like. They always mystify things, even at times they tend to unnecessarily hide things, as for example if asked, they may keep secret the natural fact that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, as if they are moron or dunce. But it is a pity for them that nothing remains mystified and hidden. As a matter of fact, everything has its own time to be or not to be, as Shakespeare put it correctly. You can never hide anything for ever and now be it under the influence of the west or the east or the sky and the earth if you like, his death is finally declared and we are suffering from this nice/bad news, depending on the listener in fact, even after his death; we are detached from some bright clothes, from music, from graduation ceremonies, from traditional ballets (otherwise bullets!), from singing and dancing, from talking aloud in mesmeric tone, from wedding ceremonies, etc. unless and before he is officially buried. Currently about 85 million people are subjected to cry for him in addition to their cry created by him since his seizure of power. We do not know even whether they will extend this undeclared declaration of mourning after the funeral. If we do such worldly things now, we are imprisoned and beaten as well. Such inhuman and inhumane happenings are happening in Ethiopia now. Know this and cry for humanity at large! In addition to what his cronies do among the society to make-believe that he was liked by the people at home and by the rest of the world, the fear not to be exposed to the severe punishment of the cadres is forcing citizens to sing the axiom known as, “Do as Romans do when you are in Rome.” And this forced but in most cases fake reaction of communities is making them proud of the ‘support’ of the people, which is totally misread and misinterpreted. What they do not and even cannot understand is the nature of the people of Ethiopia. As a matter of fact, let me tell you a secret, just between you and me, it is in Ethiopia where you can find a person rigorously crying for a person they themselves killed by poison or a clandestine conspiracy; it is a show off not to be suspected as a culprit. Hence, it is not surprising if we cry openly and laugh covertly at the death of the tyrant who has spoilt our societal and personal lives.
All this abracadabra of the EPRDF, hereafter nearly no more EPRDF(we’ll see how), was purposely aired to deceive the world, not actually Ethiopians, for we have passed the stage where we need such fuss. We Ethiopians at home have been Northkorea-ized in due course of TPLF/EPRDF’s 21 years of abundant time in power and they do not care to whatever they do whether we accept it or not as long as they carry their rifles and missiles and most favorable AK-47 without which they cannot stay in palace even for a second. You do not have to expect the will of people to be respected in a country where there is a parliament full of sleepy blind obedient and lack of rule of law in general. Meles himself has been the rule of law; he says something, just anything, it instantly becomes a law. To your surprise, one upon a time, when he was toooo… zealous in vengeance, he drafted a law on corruption just to achieve one purpose; that purpose which wasted millions of Birr in establishing one ministerial office was arresting and imprisoning one of his cardinal opponents, Siye Abraha, and disabling him from joining the group of anti-Meles campaigners. Meles did not need any help from other Ethiopians, the main thing he was taking care of was appeasing his western donors and off the screen masters. This has been Meles’ Ethiopia; we have been contemptibly treated for over the last two decades. It is because of this and similar reasons that most of us say TPLF/EPRDF is no more alive after the death of Meles; he himself was EPRDF, nothing else was EPRDF. All others were his puppets to raise hands whenever need arises.

Will this continue? Will our overseas lords have mercy on us? Will our masters abroad, who were the composers of the plays, the arrangers of the scenes into acts, the organizers of the stages of the drama, the painters and titivaters of the theatre hall, allow us to have a sigh of relief at least for five or ten years to come? Will Mr Devil leave us alone to have some breath after he takes his main hooligan? WE HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAS HISTORY FOR THIS DOWNTRODDEN NATION.

Sorry to tell you the stark reality that you too, the so called INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, have been duped by this junta for over 38 years since its inception in a place commonly known as Dedebit, in Tigray. I guess the International Community is succumbed for two reasons: in short, 1. Intentional motive and 2. Unintentional, innocence. Intentionally to quench the thirst of the historical enemies, whoever and wherever they are or live, of the nation and to retaliate the good-for-nothing social system, i.e, Socialism, of Mengistu H/Mariam. The retaliation has continued until the time Ethiopians fall under an authoritarian, totalitarian, despotic, tyrant and Beelzebub Meles Zenawi who was responsible for the absolute destruction of the country in just 21 years. The history of over 3000 years has been greatly threatened in few years when compared with the total chronological lifespan of the nation. The unintentional one doesn’t need my narration; it is self explanatory.

Do not be bamboozled by the buildings in or around Addis Ababa. Do not be deceived by the asphalt roads in the country. Do not get surprised by the statistic figures by the ‘experts’ of EPRDF and some international agents which money can buy. These ones are simply signs of growth, not development. Refer to these economic terms and get the real picture. Truth never tilts from its axis by a bombardment of regimented armies of words or with a lubrication of growth indicators insincerely magnified for a purposeful effect. No, dear guys, let’s come to the epicenter of Ms Truth, for it is She who finally sets us free from the dirt of this mendacious world. The way most of us are consciously choosing to walk on is skewed and against the commandments of the Almighty God. We will be responsible for our strayed actions, inactions, or reactions, whoever we might be and whatever power and money we may own. Ethiopia is forgotten by the world; instead her bandit leader is more magnificently being worshipped by those who couldn’t understand the real situation at home. It is an historic puzzle the answer of which is held in the hands of God. Here again, we shall wait and see Who will do what on whom.

To my understanding, a country develops in two ways; materially and spiritually. We, the citizens of Ethiopia, have been lucky to prosper in neither of them for the last 21 years. The sole reason for our incapability is the draconian rule of the TPLF/EPRDF which favors the few and stunt the majority based on first, ethnicity and second, the rule of the haves and the have nots.

I understand that the world knows this government of ‘ours’ constitutes 546+1 parliamentary seats. All seats, save one, are held by absolute obedient of the ruling junta, the killer of democracy. The majority of these ‘MPs’ are nearly illiterate, even to the extent of being unable to lead a relatively modern life in a small villa arranged for them by the junta, due to their rural background. Most of them never know how to use a latrine or toilet and flush it after use; it is human ‘gemena’, we have to know how the Woyanes have been playing political games on Ethiopia and Ethiopians, how Meles was fooling the US and others. These illiterates are instructed to raise their hands and speak like parrots what they have rehearsed earlier or applaud clamorously in clapping or give voices when they are eye browed; Really, Meles has been a real cheat who has been able to be greatly successful to feint millions and make them have a faintest picture about his nature of absolute tyranny and ruthlessness. The sole MP, the sole President, the sole Premier, the sole cabinet, the sole leader, the sole buyer or seller of the nation was HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI. We do not have genuine House of Representatives and Members of Parliament so far in this crooked government of thugs most of whom are, as mentioned above, sheer illiterates led by the rule of starvation, eating whatever is available in time of hunger. Everything was done by Meles. No need of even consulting others, for all of them have been considered as and serving him like speaking animals. Let me repeat it once again, it is because of this that I say there is no EPRDF here after. Of course, they may pretend to be existing as EPRDF or TPLF and will try their best until they all are defeated by any Ethiopian force and brought to justice or they may change their mind, which I think is impossible, and create conducive condition for real democracy to resurface in the country like that of the 2005 aborted national election.

Then, if the MPs and Cabinet Ministers are all puppets, what would be the fate of us, the laymen of politics, other Ethiopians who are out of the palace? You can imagine. If he has metamorphosed those so called MPs into a sort of stones or apes, if you like, if he has conjured much upon the leaders and diplomats of the world, to the extent of making him Africa’s mouthpiece, the young African democrat from whom others should emulate his caliber and knowledge, hope of the continent and the entire world, what can we say about the sorcerous nature of this treacherous guy? Let’s wait and see. Who knows, this world is full of marvels and mysteries and we may come to realize in the future that he was a real messiah of Ethiopia and the world.
Anyhow, it is due to the malicious nature of this guy, Meles Zenawi, that I said here above that we are brutalized in the same manner or even worse than North Koreans who are lashed if they do not cry properly at the funeral of their leader(s). This same story of lashing citizens is true in Ethiopia too. It is funny in Ethiopia that you should cry or laugh when kings cry or laugh; your real emotions have no place because you are considered to be subhuman devoid of human feelings and emotions.

Currently, the death of Meles seems highly politicized. His helpless people, i.e, his officials, are trying to somehow fill the gap he created, not a gap actually, it is a rift or a great cleavage hardly possible to cement it and make it function as before. He was nearly a demigod, even a god to many of his officials. It is, and I hope it will remain so, very difficult to find anyone who could replace him. The reason is: Meles was considered invincible to any terrestrial and celestial influences such as illness and death; this is the common characteristic of all dictatorial regimes. Dictators change the minds of their servants to the extent of being convinced that they are immortal. As we all know, dictators do not prepare any person to replace them in case they die or become dysfunctional in any circumstance. They fear even their shades, not only their children and the loved ones. It is because of this general fact that the Woyanes of ‘our’ government are in a big embarrassment to find one that will have acceptance by their own members and the so called international community, leave aside the people out of this matrix, in the first place, what are we after all to choose our gallopers? In dictatorial regimes, all graces go to one person and all others, including the people, are supposed to be graceless. The Woyanes are not presently able to create at least one graceful person overnight; all of them are collectively as disgraceful as we are, though there is some difference, just to give them the benefit of the doubt. It is due to this bitter reality that they are instead immorally trying to abuse or misuse the made-up ‘grace’ of Meles even after his death. They couldn’t give him due respect and get him rest, though presumably not peaceful. Their bewilderment is inexplicable now. They are in a great fear of the incidents that may manifest themselves after the funeral of this dragon whose feed was the blood and flesh of ‘his’ people. Believe me; I swear in the name of God, nothing is exaggerated here in my letter to your Excellency.

According to Ethiopian culture, a dead person is buried within a maximum time of 48 hours at normal conditions. Out of our tradition, Meles’ corpse is to get buried after 13 days of the official release of his death; one of Satan’s favorite numbers next to 666 is 13. Why do they need all this time? To buy time and settle the dust? And most surprisingly, why should they force people to cry and sing dirges without their real intention of doing so and air it to the world through the monotonous state-owned media they control? [By the way, we do not have free private media, be it press or electronics; even we do not have internet access, we are blocked from the outside world other than their communistic medias that hammer us with lies. have I heard you now saying, ‘what a cursed nation and people?’ I hope not.] Why do they over-propagate his death as if death occurred in the country for the first time since the creation of Ethiopia as a nation? How many souls does Meles have? How many people are dying since Meles died, most probably on July 15/2012 or before? What is the necessity of all this overreaction to the natural(?) death of an individual whose legacy is absolute destruction to both the country and the people? The situation is totally enigmatic. A person who caused the death of hundreds of thousands of citizens, the creation of poorest landlocked nation, installment of ethnic based maladministration and thereby unfair distribution of wealth in the country, the killing of education with a hatchet of detrimentally non-functional education policy, an incessant out flow of plethoric exodus of Ethiopian migrants and immigrants to all countries of the world due to the economic and political suffering at home, creation of destructive commotion among citizens of different ethnic groups just by purposely inciting the feelings of people to stand against each other, the imprisonment of conscience(currently thousands of people including journalists, party leaders, etc. are in prison and are obligated to cry for Meles lest they would be beaten harshly!), … We cannot enumerate the atrocious legacies of His Highness, His Dictatorship PM Meles Zenawi, the naughty child, the most pampered offspring of the west. Maybe, we have to consider sending our condolences to them. [እነሱን ልቅሶ እንድረሳቸው ማለቴ ነው]
I shall simply leave you here. But any and every earthling should know this: a time has come to Ethiopia, whichever is the calendar, Abushakir or Gregorian or Julian. Now is the time that a divine intervention is doing its historical responsibility; God willing we shall observe some more blessings, a blessing that results in the revival, the renaissance of the country on the grave of her ill-bred and negatively charged treasonous children. They will leave us one by one before the eyes of the world, and the world will witness the miraculous Providence offered by God as a reward for our patience of the untold suffering we have been encountering for the last four or five decades including the irreligious Dergue regime.

We have to wait and see what the future brings about to the oppressed mass of Ethiopia. We are witnessing the fact that what goes around comes around, and you reap what you sow. Nothing is new, I think. But what is new is the fact that we human beings are intolerably foolish in our stupidity, or in a euphemistic term, innocence, not to learn from our experiences. It is regrettable that one keeps on the path of Ghadafi and Meles after observing what happened to them. Apparently, foolishness seems to have become the guide of most people in this bloody ignorant world that trust in wealth and worships the antithesis of God the Almighty. God bless us.

Tedla Asfaw

We all die when the time comes. One thing which will not die is what as
human being we contributed to humankind including to our own people. Meles
Zenawi died this morning August 21, 2012 according to the government
controlled media due to illness for the last two months. Foreign leaders
are sending their condolences to the dictatorship in Addis Ababa. Most of
them are praising Meles Zenawi as a developmental intellectual leader and
the millions of Ethiopians who have no freedom to speak/ cry or assemble
are saying little. Preparation for North Korea type burial ceremony is
expected with the participation of West and China.

Quite to the contrary when the Ghanaian President John Atta mills died last
month the people of Ghana were in front to grieve for their  democratically
elected leader not foreigners who care for their own interest.Prime Minster
Odinga of Kenya was heard on BBC worrying for the ethnic fragmentation of
Ethiopia. Al Shabab declared the end of Ethiopia as a country. Both do not
know Ethiopia or Ethiopians. They need to go back and learn from history.

Prime Minster  Odinga and Al Shabab should not worry about Ethiopia’s
fragmentation because the West is going to perpetuate the system of
Developmental State of TPLF to continue at the expense of Freedom. “We need
Freedom, Freedom we need Freedom more than Food ” the shout by Journalist
Abebe Gellaw at Regan Building on May 18 in DC,  G8 conference on Food
Security, is a cry of more than 90 million Ethiopians right now.

Foreign powers, West, China and Saudi Arabia should not be in business of
picking rulers for Ethiopia. The day of using Ethiopian soldiers  to fight
war in Horn of Africa has to come to end. The taking away of land to feed
their  own people like what India and Saudi Arabia are doing is over. The
day of using Ethiopia to get influence in African Continent to exploit its
resource as China is doing must end.

America and Britain has backed Meles Zenawi for last 21 years that has
ended today and we will not allow another Meles Zenawi to be cultivated in
our country. “Intelligent leader” of Ethiopia is gone and it is we
Ethiopians who have to pick our own leaders in a free and fair election.
Our future leaders are accountable to the people of Ethiopia not to foreign
powers. Former defense minster Seye Abraha was saying on BBC today that the
current system of rule in Ethiopia is not sustainable.

Ethiopians did test what Freedom means for brief period in 2005 election.
They entertained different views and participated in debates like any
civilized world. They stood politely for long hours to cast their vote. We
all know what happened after that. Meles Zenawi has put Ethiopia under
martial law since then by killing more than 200 and  jailing ten thousands.
Ethiopian jails are now full of opposition leaders, journalists and human
right activists.

Opening up the TPLF jails is the first thing to do if Seye Abraha
reconciliation has any chance of success  under the fake Prime Minster
Hailemariam Desalegne who is now manipulated behind the scene by Meles
Zenawi loyalist in TPLF. All the illegal proclamation to terrorize the
Ethiopian people has to be repelled immediately and the right to organize
and assemble must be allowed immediately.

Diaspora based medias and movements have to function freely in Ethiopia
starting today. Ethiopia can not be the China of  East Africa as the West
and China designed it for the last twenty years. Freedom for Ethiopia and
Ethiopians is much worth than foreign aid. The more than 4 billion foreign
aid every year without including Food Aid did not help improve our people
lives. Ethiopia is still a beggar nation !!!!!

Ethiopian refugees running from Ethiopia are now in millions and all those
people will go back to their country if there is justice and freedom in
Ethiopia. The so called stability of the Horn will not be realized by
feeding and financing the Apartheid regime of Ethiopia. Divisive and
discriminatory regime of TPLF should be the thing of the past.

Yes we need Freedom more than food or Fake Stability. The West never cared
for the Arab people Freedom and instead backed the dictatorship in Egypt,
Tunisia, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Except Saudi Arabia the rest are on their
way to get their dignity by empowering their people. Ethiopia should not be
different. The fragmented opposition has responsibility to lead the
struggle without any excuse.

Change only comes by engaging the public at a great sacrifice. It is time
to come out in public and demand freedom of press and assembly right now.
Let us be jailed or killed for that. Let us be judged by what we do than by
what we say in foreign capitals. The people of Ethiopia are ready for that
as we all witnessed since January of this year by peaceful protest of the
Ethiopian Muslims to get their dignity. Yes we will get our dignity as
people !!!!!

 By Yilma Bekele

The Ethiopian TPLF Prime Minister Meles Zenawi died three weeks ago. He died at St-Luke University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. His Party kept him in the freezer while trying to determine what to do regarding the rules of succession, which the leader deliberately kept vague. For three weeks his Party made a mockery of the Ethiopian people by issuing conflicting press releases and unconfirmed reports. The death of the TPLF patriarch Aba Gebremedhin seems to have given them the opportunity to unthaw or defreeze his stiff body and prepare for a state burial in tandem with the wayward priest.

De mortuis nihil nisi bonum (“Of the dead, nothing unless good”). Is this maxim appropriate under the circumstances? I would say normally yes. The dead are not able to defend themselves. Is this always true? Not really, a few speak for many years after they are gone. They leave a legacy of evil behind. The living uses the negative experience to avoid future mistakes.

The same Ethiopian TPLF regime that was lying to us regarding the health of the tyrant has already began revising history and started the manufacture of fairy tales and Holly Wood style fiction. No adjective will be spared to build the resume of Legese Zenawi. Our airwaves will be inundated by lies, false testimonials and Mamo kilo stories. No one will be allowed to breath any truth in the land of the Abeshas. The TPLF controlled TV, Radio, Internet will be playing 24/7 how lucky we were to have such a visionary lead us and how difficult it would be to replace a giant of a leader that ever existed in human history.

It is important we the victims set this story in proper context and use this occasion as a teachable moment. No one relishes speaking ill of the dead. But the situation goes beyond saying a few bad words about the dead when the dead is still speaking thru the work he left behind. That is the work we would like to talk about because the death of the evil gives us the opportunity to undo the harm. We learn from the history of those that were confronted by that kind of situation and see how they dealt with it.

The best example I can think of the ill famous Adolph Hitler and the legacy he left behind. If you notice no one dares speak good of the Furher. He has become the personification of evil. It is possible to say a few good things about the Furher but the problem is his negatives outweigh his good deeds. One can speak of the economic miracles of Germany under the Nazis. At the end of World War I and the imposition of the Versailles treaty on Germany the country was in ruins. One can say Hitler and his Nazi Party united the Germans and built an economic juggernaut the dominated all of Europe. Germany’s prosperity was the envy of the world.

You don’t judge a book by the cover alone. There was the dark side of Hitler. That is all that is left of his legacy today. Today the German people use that period to teach their children the danger of demagoguery and blind allegiance to a person or a cause. They cannot undo the crime but they will keep reminding their people and the world the danger of what a single individual with a false vision can do to a people.

That is how Ethiopia can learn from the crimes of Legese/Meles Zenawi. He came into the picture with our country weakened from years of civil war, our economy in shambles and our moral compass out of balance. He used our confusion and lack of direction to take us on a road that has brought us nothing but misery. No matter how much some try to build the non-existent accomplishment of the TPLF party the reality will never confirm any of that assertion.

The World Bank, The Economist Magazine, the IMF, the US State Department and all foreign who is who will be telling us the double digit growth under the leadership of Ashebari. They will bring out pictures and graphs to prove to us how well off we are. The TPLF lie machine will repeat this to our people using all available media. Even a few of our own will be echoing the good virtue of Ashebari and the wonderful Ethiopia under his tutelage.

But we know better. We the victims tell a different story. There are over eighty five million Ethiopians. Why are they telling us about less than a hundred thousand of us? Does eating more than three times a day by the few substitute for the not eating of the three to four million who live on less than a 100 calories a day? They tell us double-digit growth but why are our children dying in Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda and the coast of Yemen? Why are our daughters committing suicide all over the Gulf and Lebanon? Why are more standing in line to change their names and go to where they know danger awaits them? Isn’t it hopelessness, the feeling of dejection and no tomorrow that is permeating our society?

Ato Meles Zenawi ruled our country for over twenty years. How do you think he will answer if asked what do you have to show for twenty years of absolute rule? It is a fair question that requires a real answer not some made up excuse. There was starvation when he came he left with starvation still the norm. He came in times of civil war he left with his people watching each other with suspicion and his Federal Police everywhere abusing, killing and feared. He came with the economy in ruins he left with his country loaded with debt, our land leased to foreigners and our central bank printing money like there is no tomorrow. He came when there was no political order and no rules of governance and he left with a Constitution not worth the paper it is written on, a parliament that can not read and write, a judiciary that is the laughing stock of the nation and a country serving one ethnic group.

Those that are in the process of inheriting his style of leadership seem to have learned no lesson from his debacle. They still lie, still show no respect and still play the same old game of fear, divide and rule and behind the scene deal making. They have written a new amendment to Constitution that they will make the Parliament approve and put the hapless Deputy in charge. He does not have a party, he does not have a constituent to fall back on and he does not have authority over the military or security services. He is what is called a figurehead. He cannot even give order to the TPLF guard outside his office. That is the reality of the situation no matter how we deny it.

It is time we start assessing the legacy of Meles Zenawi based on reality. It is time we stop repeating made up statistics by foreigners that tell a story based on their self-interest. There is no denying he sold land to the highest bidder and the facilitated the construction of condominiums. There is no denying he borrowed money in our name and built shoddy roads while scamming most of the money. There is no denying he established Universities in every Kilil but forgot to train competent teachers or well-equipped libraries. It is fair to say Meles was into appearance but not into essence. Let us use this occasion to repair what is broken, change what is not working and open a new chapter of building a fair society that embraces all the children of Ethiopia. We are given another chance to right what is wrong. Let us seize the opportunity and start anew.            

By Yilma Bekele

The TPLF regime is the kind that believes in a proactive stance in their approach to ward off unwanted happenings. They learned that during the war with the Derg. It is said that upon taking over a village their first act was to gather the village heads and kill those that don’t agree with them, humiliate a few to teach the rest a lesson and recruit the weak to use and abuse. That system sharpened and enhanced has served them to stay in power.

If you notice closely the main task of their propaganda department has been to use any and all means to saw dissent in the opposition by looking for little faults, weaknesses or minor contradictions and maximizing that until the unit disintegrates. It is a very difficult task to guard against such consorted attempt by a government body with unlimited resources hell bent on destruction. Sooner or later the targeted party or association will end up finishing up the dirty work started by the TPLF. No one can survive such scientifically designed attack.

The TPLF uses agents planted within the associations, the power of their vast media empire, their agents in neighborhoods and their hired sycophants among the Diaspora to carry out their mission. They never come out as members or admirers of the ethnic based regime but always qualify their poisonous message with well meaning words. They might utter such garbage as the regime is not tolerant and undemocratic but you have to admire the buildings and roads. Freedom and honor is exchanged for condominiums and paved road.

How the multitude responds to such abuse by the single ethnic based regime is a fascinating subject of study. Our reaction is based on our ancient culture of viewing all with suspicion, accepting authority without question and our capacity to suffer in silence. All this traits work against us. Today we have gone a step further and added educational title as another layer of what should be viewed as final authority. If you notice some of our intellectuals or learned brethren use their degrees as a calling card to be heard over others. The TPLF regime is aware of all this weakness in our psychological makeup. Ato Meles and company’s first order of business was to enroll in correspondence school to secure a title for their letterhead. They did not find being Prime Minster or heads of department as a proud achievement without the piece of paper to give them added legitimacy.

Today the Apartheid party TPLF is using all weapons in its arsenal to divide us, undermine us, create suspicion between us, or turn some off from the political arena. This is nowhere visible as in the current struggle of our Moslem citizens to assert their independence and ward off the government thus the TPLF party in getting involved in their religion. The party in power is trying to define the question of independence in its own distorted vision and accusing the victims of wrongdoing.

First of all the issue is not as complicated and as conspiratorial in nature as presented to our citizens by the ruling party. It is by no means connected to any Jihadist international organization or ideology or led and supported by outsiders. The regime has not presented any compelling evidence to prove its accusations. What is presented until now is wild theories and the usual disinformation that tries to fit a square peg in a round hole al la TPLF style. They want us to believe it because they said so. Sometimes it is necessary to state the obvious to refute their bombastic lie that is told over and over again.

Let us start by the simple statement that our country is populated by Christians, Moslems and people that worship their own indigenous creator. No one group should be seen as having any more legitimacy over others. The issue raised by the Moslem community is to be left alone to choose their leaders without interference by any outside body be it government or other authority. The problem reared its head when the ongoing Arab Spring movement in our vicinity unnerved the TPLF regime. The regime decided to be proactive and in its usual way and attempted to put its operatives as leaders. This did not go well with our Moslem citizens. The TPLF party of course escalated this very simple issue into the political arena in order to draw others into a fight it started.

How exactly is the regime using this movement for freedom of religion? The government is doing all it can to tell us that the Moslems are trying to take over and make our country into an Islamic republic. They have paraded many elderly Moslem leaders, elderly cadres pretending to be Moslem leaders and ordinary citizens to condemn the movement as sinister attempt by outsiders to stir trouble. They are using their mass media to plant doubt in out head, to destroy the legitimacy of elected and beloved Moslem leaders and scare the rest of us into supporting them out of fear and ignorance.

How do the rest of us view the situation? Most of us go along with the theory as presented by the regime. Some of us are unable to erase the doubt they carefully planted in our conscience regarding the motive of the Moslem community. I agree it is a very difficult situation when religion is used as weapon to confuse and undermine. It is more so when it is applied in a very conservative and not really educated society as ours. The issue of looking at others with different religion, thinking or looks than us with suspicion plays into the hands of the regime that knows how to exploit such cultural bias. Of course amnesia is our number one enemy.

What the TPLF party is trying to do to the Moslem community is what they have successfully accomplished in the Christian Church. TPLF has managed to politicize the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church and shape it in its own image. The reigning Abune was illegally pushed out of the way and a new one was chosen based on his ethnic affiliation. The last twenty years has been a time of trial and tribulations for the Church and there is no question it has weakened it considerably.

The current Abune is not viewed favorably by the vast number of the Christian community and like the political system the church has managed to divide and saw dissent. The Christian community has relied on silent prayer to fight this cancer in their body religion. They have not shown a concerted effort to fight and assert their right to be independent and run their Church. Prayer without action is faith without sacrifice. God help those who help themselves has never been truer than in our case. The TPLF party has been successful in creating confusion; cultivating hatred and using divide and rule tactics. Even in the Diaspora there is no Church that has not seen splits and fights among the parishioners. 

The current stand taken by the Moslem community is to avoid the same fate that has befallen the Orthodox Church. They have taken the lesson to heart. It is a gallant fight that should inspire all Ethiopians and a call to resist servitude to any outside power. It is not an attempt to take state power but a legitimate fight to protect their house of worship and religion from outside influence. It is a question of independence in its purest form.

The issue raised by the Moslem community is our issue as well. Injustice to one is injustice to all. We as a nation cannot be free if any of our citizens are targeted to be harmed or undermined. Despite what the TPLF says we should raise our voice and stand in solidarity with our Moslem brothers and sisters and echo their call to be left to decide their affairs by themselves. Standing with them is a selfless act because we cannot be free while they are oppressed. The leadership Our Orthodox Church in exile is correct when it supported the cry of the Moslem community in their fight against the illegal regime. It is the right and honorable thing to do. This attempt by the TPLF ethnic based minority regime to divide us using religion, ethnicity and regional differences is toxic and not good for building a strong and united Ethiopia. Recognizing that fact is laudable. Getting involved to stop those that preach and practice such act is loving Ethiopia in a practical way.        

Background

Combine activist youths with the determined and ready political organizations, the Ethiopian revolution will be around the corner. The clock is ticking. The other formidable force lurking around the corner looking inside is the potential of military coup d’état. No one can control this unpredictable scenario, of which this individual is in favor. This is the right time to strike and finish the oppressive era of Meles’s regime. The culture of tardiness that crippled the Ethiopian political struggle so far must end here and now. This is a call to the Ethiopian youth particularly inside Ethiopia, and, the Ethiopian political organizations both inside and outside of Ethiopia to girdle up, for it appears that the ultimate arbiter is going to be uprising. On the other hand, if negotiations have to take place it must be all for the political, economic and social interests of the Ethiopian people.

Meles’s health status have sent shock wave throughout the opposition forces, at least to those in Diaspora. When one reads articles written about it and listens to the comments and analysis being made in different radio stations, one would sense an overwhelming panicky situation. After suffering for the last 21 years it should have been the time to cool down, soberly observe, and study critically the political and the social environment around us and around the Ethiopian people. It should be taken as a critical time, particularly for the opposition political organizations, to assess their positions in terms of their readiness to lead. Readiness, in the organizational strength, in the adequacy of the logistics to be needed, and readiness in the grounds to be covered. It is an opportune time to rekindle the fighting spirit hidden inside them. It should also be a critical time for concerned progressive and democratic individuals to soberly assess their stand in terms of being counted in this critical time. Right now, evaluation at every level the society becomes a function of the current political emergency requirements.

Ethiopia is endowed with capable and intelligent sons and daughters that would step out and assume leadership in time of crisis or emergency, as in the emergency situation we are witnessing now. I believe it is their second nature. One concrete example is what took place in 1974 Ethiopian Revolution. During the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution, when the foreigners both at the leadership and lower level positions left Ethiopia, they were replaced immediately and very smoothly. All the administrative, research, and educational activities they were involved in continued to function smoothly. Considering what took place during that political juncture this one would be more easily manageable. Why, because the people of Ethiopia has on its side politically mature and already established political organizations, hence leaders that would replace the existing regime and run it simultaneously tackling problematic political issues. So, cool down and think deeply as to how to utilize this fertile political opportunity effectively and efficiently. It is not the time to panic. But it is the time to be contemplative and decisive. I will start my discussion with one of my subtopics which is the following.

Let the Opposition Political Organizations be in Charge

At this critical time the people of Ethiopia is expecting the opposition political organizations to step out and assume the leadership and lead the transition. The transition period should not be left to amateur and inexperienced ones. This is not the time for running an experiment. It is an opening to immediately start working. The question is who is ready to start immediately? Of course the political organizations. I don’t think this statement is challengeable.

Unfortunately, observably disconcerting situation is the neglect that is being shown towards the opposition political organizations. They are being looked upon as if they do not exist. Unfortunately, particularly those of us in Diaspora have developed a culture of not building on what we have, that is, on an already cultivated and established concrete foundation. There is miserable tendency of jumping all over the places a reflection of total deficiency of focus.

We have political organizations well tested over time, both inside and outside of Ethiopia. Whether we accept it or not the people of Ethiopia have these political organizations to lead it. One cannot simply dismiss these political organizations armed with specifically detailed political programs. There is no measurable comparability of any kind in trying to replace them with any form of transitional council, or government in exile or shengo. It is political blunder, or, at least it is unintentionally sabotaging the ultimate political and economic interests of Ethiopian people. So, think about it.

The current move of lumping civic and political organizations together will definitely hinder the independent thinking and moves to be taken by the political organizations. It is a regressive political action. It is a prison for political organizations. The political organizations who are joining this kind of arrangement are either dead or in the process of dying. I am not against forming a front. Except, the right way to do it is to form two formidable fronts first, that is, the political organizations front and the civic organizations front and then form a super front. The two fronts will come to a table with their specific goals and objectives and how they implement them, and then coalesce without affecting the independent and specific moves of each fronts. In principle political organizations are the ones who run for power, based on their platform, that is, on their political program. They are publicly accredited political organizations, that is, their accreditation is signed by the public. For the political organizations, then, not pursuing this accountability earnestly abandoning the people of Ethiopia. If so, they should be ashamed of it.

The question is, if one accepted the same political organizations with their weaknesses and strengths, to run for Office when the elections in 2005 and 2010 were held, what would be the reason for not considering them now to potentially replace the current regime? Have we even contemplated the absolute overriding power, yes political power at that, that the opposition political parties inside Ethiopia have over the hoopla of the Diasporas? No Diaspora body can dictate what they can and cannot do. Learn from what happened in 2005’s prelude to election, between the Diaspora political organizations and the political organizations inside Ethiopia.

They have the potential of immediately assuming power when and if the opportunity arises. They are there in the field. They have their offices there. They have members there that they interact with, daily, or weekly or monthly. Do you see how concrete they are? So, how can one totally dismiss them? By the virtue of the fact that these political organizations exists inside the people of Ethiopia the formation of any transitional body outside of Ethiopia becomes invalid and irrelevant. It is out of place. However, in consultation, the formation of such transitional bodies can be of the objective to strictly augment the activities of the political organizations inside Ethiopia as well as those outside of Ethiopia, not to compete against them, or dictate to them.

Therefore, I argue that to talk about power vacuum to be created, or, for some it is already been created, in the midst of these potentially equipped opposition political organizations, both inside and outside of Ethiopia, is absolutely invalid and irrelevant. Further more, in the midst of this potential to talk about the existence or nonexistence of power vacuum is self defeating. Particularly when this type of submission comes from those who were in the leadership position is, to say the least, unacceptable.

Meles Zenawi is the Mouth and the Brain of TPLF

The political party that was running the country is TPLF. Not, EPRDF. I have argued that TPLF/EPRDF was and still is a fake combination. And, it was wrong to refer the ruling party as such. ANDM, Amara National Democratic Movement; OPDF, Oromo People’s Democratic Front; and SPDM, Southern People’s Democratic Movement were and are the arms of TPLF to protect and defend the political and economic interests of the TPLF party, particularly the political and economic interests of those elites in the leadership position.

But fortunately, most likely, this militaristic kind of loyalty line up is going to change when Meles Zenawi ceases to function. Meles Zenawi was the rope that tied and held these four together, whether they liked it or not. It is neither
philosophy nor ideology that held them together. Ultimately, it is most probable that the political struggle to be ANDM, OPDF and SPDM on one side and TPLF on the other side. The arm of these three ethnic political organizations extends into the military, the security, and the mass of their own sphere of influence. In fact there is the potential for these groups to form a front and have the upper hand to hold the power and administer the country. So, don’t run to count them out.

Coming back to the main issue, the non-existence of Meles Zenawi is the non-existence of TPLF as we know it. According to Seye Abrha, Meles is the law of the court. He could make his wishes the law of the land in a matter of hours. Without any doubt then, he was holding the executive, the legislative and the judicial branch of the government alone. No one tried to challenge him about it. When Meles reflects, and acted upon what he reflected, the political organizations called TPLF, forget EPRDF, does not exist in his mind. He did not care what his Ministers say nor did he bothered himself whether the parliament agrees with him or not. In the absence of Meles Zenawi one has to look into the leadership of TPLF as well as the Ministers and the Parliament, partly through the lenses I just tried to explain. Simply put, they were robots who were being maneuvered by Meles Zenawi. For this group to wake up and come to themselves has to deprogram themselves.

However, if and when the mouth and the brain of TPLF ceases functioning it is wrong to assume that the remaining TPLF individuals in the leadership position will change their political and economic positions and convert themselves to concerned Ethiopians to chart out what would be needed for the well being of Ethiopian people. These are sadistic individuals who reached to the economic and political power they are immersed in by murdering the people of the nationality they claim they represent. (My sources for the following are the two articles by Gebremedhin Araya and a book by Asrat Abrham, ke-a-ger bestejerba). Case in point is the massacre of young, old, pregnant women, women carrying their babies on their back, at Hausin market. It was not Mengistu Haile Mariam who did it. It was the result of a meticulously and well planned conspiracy made by the TPLF leadership, Meles Zenawi and Sebhat Nega being at its head.

The famine of 1974 is another humanly unimaginable point that should never be forgotten. One can boldly say that Meles Zenawi and his collaborators sold on a weighing scale, if you will, the flesh and blood of the dead and dying young, old and children Tigryans to the highest bidder. They used the blood money they amassed, a) to establish their Marxist organization. They were feasting and dancing for 15 days while people are dying in mass due to hunger and unbearable weather. Imagine this. It is only Meles and his collaborators will have the heart to feast and dance while corps are in side the house. It should have been the time to grief. But, since they are the murderers they were not affected. b) To buy and beef-up their weapons, and c) used it as seed money for the corporation they established, namely EFFORT. Their hands are drenched with the blood of Tigray people. They are walking criminals. There is no question bout it.

During the famine the leadership of TPLF forced the affected Tigryans to migrate to Sudan. Thousands of them flocked to Sudan. The sad thing is instead of guiding the mass to sleep during day time and walk in the evenings they were made to walk during day time so that they would be exposed and bombed from the air by Mengistu Haile Mariam. When Seyoum Mesfin the ex-foreign minister was coming from Sudan to Ethiopia to participate in the formation of the Marxist organization he counted about 15,000 dead bodies on the way.

80% of the murder committed during the Red Terror was by TPLF, again Meles Zenawi and Sebhat Nega at the wheel. It is amazing to see Meles Zenawi reaping what he sow.

Here, the bottom line of my argument is how would one expect from these blood thirsty murderers, who did not have an iota of sympathy for Tigray people, to reform and be concerned for the well being of Ethiopian people in general. One can easily read the extreme hatred they have for Ethiopian people, how they structured the military, the security, the bureaucracy, the social media, the educational system, the health system, and above all the economic development system. It was not the intention of these elites, from the outset, to build democratic and prosperous Ethiopia that would have benefited the Tigray people as well. Therefore the leadership of TPLF must be replaced. They should be challenged in court for all the crimes they committed.

Constitutional Crisis

Where functional constitution, a constitution that aught to have been, of, by, and for, the people does not exist, to talk about the constitutional crisis in Ethiopia, particularly in relation to who would replaces Meles Zenawi is laughable. Where corruption is well embedded in the political structure, top to bottom, where anything and everything at any level, inside any administrative structure can be done or changed in a spur of the moment without any regard of its consequences, to worry about who is going to replace Meles Zenawi is, to say the lease, really a waste of time. The leadership does not need constitution nor worry about who to replace Meles Zenawi. They can do whatever they want to do any time. When the leadership of TPL F talks about the implementation of the constitution as it is written, it is for public consumption. Don’t take them seriously. They very well know that they did not mean it.

If at all, the constitution in Ethiopia is a one articled constitution. That is article 39. I think, how the regime benefited from this one articled constitution is quite obvious. The major and the functioning constitution in Ethiopia is the political program of TPLF, called, “Revolutionary Democracy.“ What TPLF does and does not do is in there. Therefore it is appropriate to think about a completely new constitution, with some adoption, when and if TPLF is replaced by non other than the political
organizations who have the experience and the political program as their blue prints. I argue that the only organized body, mentally and physically prepared, at least at this emergency period, capable of assuming leadership immediately are the political organizations that are present inside and outside of Ethiopia.

Can the Extremists Take Advantage of the Situation?

They would try. No, question about it. The current joint press release of OLF, ONLF and SLF is an example to be taken very seriously. The fundamental question is can they penetrate the mass and form into a formidable force that would threaten the unity of Ethiopian people. In my opinion the answer is no. For two fundamental reasons. The first one is that for the few extremists to have an inroad into the mass and build up, the opposition political organizations including the Oromo political organizations such as Oromo People’s Congress (OPC), the progressive and democratic individuals, and activist civic organizations must be sleeping. I strongly believe that the few extremists cannot overcome such formidable forces. The second one, which is an extremely important one is the Ethiopian nationalism, as opposed to ethnic nationalism, have reached to the level where such extremists cannot affect it very easily. It appears Meles Zenawi’s era that indefatigably struggled to erode the Ethiopian nationalism is coming to an end. I will provide three concrete cases to show the development of Ethiopian nationalism.

1. The Restoration Endeavor of Menelik II.

Menilik died on December 1913. He died about 25 years after completing the campaign of formally uniting the informally united Ethiopia. In the absence of the individual who brought them together, twenty five years was insufficient time frame for Ethiopian people to stay together and form a body of people, if you will, and continue living the manner they used to live. Had it not been for this informal unity that developed through time, trade, culture and religion being the catalysts, people would have rebelled against the central administration established by Menilik, immediately after hearing the death of Menilik. Regional insurrection would have taken place. But it did not happen. That was almost 100 years ago. Yugoslavia was broken into seven separate states after Tito’s death. Czarist Russian Empire when Soviet Union collapses seventeen new states were created. But when Menilik died, mind you after only 25 years of the completion of the campaign, Ethiopia did not experience what these two countries experienced. One can boldly argue then, that the inherently deep-rooted sense of unity existed then and still exists and thriving now. That is why Meles and his regime miserably failed to dismantle Ethiopia. That is why the prophesy of Isayas did not hold. Isayas gave Ethiopia ten years to exist. And, that is what the secessionists, particularly the OLF leadership was unable to factor in, this historical, social and economic interactions and come to a reasonable objective for the people of Oromo, which should have been the democratization of Ethiopia for all nationalities that includes the Oromo people, but not to secede. For the question of Oromo people is neither a colony nor a question of freedom. It is a question of democracy. (OLF’s Inconsistencies, Lies and Fabrications of History, Aug. 17, 2011). This social situation clearly shows that the history of Ethiopia is not only 100 years and the stability so created proves the development of Ethiopian nationalism.
(OLF’s Inconsistencies, Lies and Fabrications of History, Aug. 17, 2011). This social situation clearly shows that the history of Ethiopia is not only 100 years and the stability so created proves the development of Ethiopian nationalism.

2. The 1991 Entrance of TPLF in Addis Ababa.

After the political blunder made by the United States Government, particularly by the Executive Branch, TPLF and OLF, both ethnic liberation fronts, both of them with the motive to secede in the back of their mind, were allowed to enter Addis Ababa in May of 1991. Poverty stricken insignificant Ethiopia became expendable. I will come back to this US political blunder in another subtopic below.

One can boldly say that 1991 was a year where there was no government in Ethiopia. It took time for TPLF to stretch it’s security and administrative structure through out the provinces. During this space, a) had OLF confident enough in the Oromo people that it would follow it, it would have declared its independence overriding TPLF. b) The people of Ethiopia, amazingly, continued its social activities, fulfilled its commitments, and its routine daily activities. Farmers were farming, traders were trading as if nothing happened in Addis Ababa the seat of the central government. I argue that these stable social activities within the different ethnic groups and among an ethnic group itself show the strength of the level of the development of Ethiopian nationalism.

3. The Election of May 15, 2005

I argue that this election of May 15, 2005 was the final arbiter for the level of the development of Ethiopian nationalism. Over 26 million Ethiopians came to the ballot box and voted for the multi-national opposition political organizations. It is of historic significant indicator of the level of the development of Ethiopian nationalism. It is of historic significant because the people of Ethiopia came out literally against a regime that consistently campaigned, by using different available means, article 39 being the major one, to break apart the unity of Ethiopian people with one-articled-constitution behind it, that is article 39.

In my opinion the people of Ethiopia, in the election of May 15, 2005, totally rejected ethnic nationalism and upheld Ethiopian nationalism. The then ethnic political organizations including the opposition ones were not even able to garner seats that would enable them to form a coalition government with the multinational opposition parties. The Tigry community in Addis Ababa rejected EPRDF of which TPLF is a part and voted for the multinational political organizations.

Suggestion to the US Government

No, it is not suggestion. Particularly at this time of political emergency situation, it is a demand with no pre-condition from the people of Ethiopia. It is a demand to tell the US Government, particularly the Executive Branch, who is clearly aware of the Ethiopian social, political and economic miseries, to stay out of the internal political activities of the Ethiopian people. Let the seasoned indigenous political organizations who lived and breathed the social, political and economic miseries of the people to sort it out and solve it. Long term stability is guaranteed only when the local people are handling their problems without outside interference. The major concern of outside interference is to, at any cost, come up with temporary solution for its personal interest and immediate administrative accomplishment.

What you did, particularly in May 1991 tells that you were not sincerely interested in the permanent stability and economic development of Ethiopia. You fully understand particularly in the case of Ethiopia, the need of stability for economic development to eradicate poverty, to improve public health, and to progressively develop education at all levels. What you did in May 1991 is what Ethiopian people inherited from your deed that caused it persistent sufferings up to today, August 2012. The Executive Branch of US government cannot be trusted. To say that there will be or there is already leadership vacuum at the time Meles Zenawi ceases to function when there are well experienced political organizations hence leaders both inside and outside Ethiopia is pretext to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign country. So, stay out of Ethiopia’s internal political activities. Let Ethiopians solve it.

Here is what the US Executive Branch did in May 1991. It brought together exclusively ethnic liberation fronts, namely, EPLF, TPLF and OLF, with clear understanding of their objectives and their organizational structures to implement their objectives. It did this by completely excluding the existing multinational political organizations, which clearly showed that its concern for Ethiopia as a country and Ethiopians as a people was superficial.

The US Executive Branch knew the intentions of these fronts, from the outset, which was to secede from Ethiopia. All of them. Simply put, your hand is in it, that is, to break apart Ethiopia and at the same time to make it landlocked. With these facts out there in the open you went ahead and dealt with them at the expense of Ethiopian long term stability. Political expediency. A very poor, insignificant Ethiopia, stuck at the corner of the Horn of Africa, became dispensable. You allowed EPLF to make Ethiopia a land locked country. Isn’t this a fact? TPLF and OLF, mind you two liberation fronts with the ultimate intention to secede were allowed to enter Ethiopia and do whatever they wished to do. I don’t think you can deny this fact.

Therefore, the signature of your hand is: a) in the division of Ethiopia along ethnic and language lines, b) in the erosion of the unity of Ethiopian people, and c) in the creation of state capitalism which is fascism. You created a fascist regime in Ethiopia. So, these are concrete facts that the record shows about Executive Branch of the US government did to Ethiopian people‘s economic and political interests. The every year of human rights violation report, up to 2012, by the United States Department of States is the report of your own handiwork. If Meles and his collaborators take 50% of the blame why not you take 50% of the blame. Or, why not you taking 100% of the blame for the regime is undeniably your creation? I think it makes sense.

It is an understandable fact, a concrete one at that, that you do all these to protect and defend the economic and security interests of this great nation, the United States of America of which this individual is part of and in fact at the core of it. Therefore, the protection and the defense of the economic and the security interests of the people of the United States of America is the protection and the defense of the economic and security interests of this individual too. No question about it. The terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001 killed people of different nationalities from different parts of the world. I could have been one of the victims. So, this individual clearly, unambiguously understands what the protection and defense of the economic and security interests of the United States of America meant. It meant for him too.

But, my argument, in the form of a protest is that the US Government, particularly the Executive Branch, could have done it in a balanced and in a logical manner, where both the United States of America and, relatively, Ethiopia could have reaped the benefit. Unfortunately it was done in a one sided manner as it was and still being manifested in the field which was and still is against the interests of Ethiopia as a country and its people. It was wrong and it is still wrong to side with a butcher, blood sucking, treasonous regime at the total expense of the interests of the Ethiopian people and its unity. It is treasonous, mind you in a country where over eighty nationalities are existing, to divide the country along its ethnic and language line and expose it for division. It is treasonous to construct a constitution that intentionally encourages ethnic division and separation.

In addition, can you tell the Ethiopian people that you did not know the regime’s meticulously planned, well incorporated economic system of its own, for its benefit, within the economic system of the country, if such economic system of the country exists at all?

The people of Ethiopia demands the US government to stay out of its internal political activities unless and only when it committed itself that it would do it in a balanced manner, relatively, relatively because of the needs and demand differences, that is, in the economic and security interests of both the people of the United states of America and the people of Ethiopia. Both need each other.

Mankelklot Haile Selassie (PhD)
August 10, 2012

 By Yilma Bekele

It has been forty-eight days since we saw or heard from Meles Zenawi. Some are convinced the tyrant is dead while the regime insists he is recovering, on vacation or just hanging out, depending on Ato Bereket’s mood of the day. Whatever the reason his absence has stirred different responses from his subjects.

The whole idea of a leader of a country disappearing into thin air is a purely Ethiopian phenomenon. The head of state just don’t leave his post without notice. In most countries he can’t even catch cold without informing the press. The position is too important to be left vacant even for a few hours. Who is supposed to give guidance and leadership if a crisis happens. A crisis normally does not occur with adequate notice that is why it is called an emergency. For someone to give orders he/she better have the necessary authority invested in them.

All countries anticipate such scenario and have the solution built into the system to avoid unnecessary power grab contention between the different branches of government. The current uncertainty regarding the order of succession in Ethiopia shows the issue was not addressed during the design of the current Constitution. It is obvious this is not a matter of simple oversight by the architects of the system. They are definitely not that stupid. It is left unanswered due to the nature of the system that was put in place. Ato Meles and partners deliberately left the issue open because resolving such question would have made their life miserable.

Ato Meles used the issue of succession as a brilliant reward to tangle to who ever he favored at that particular moment. At one time the position belonged to the Amharas or was rumored to favor the Oromos then offered to any of the minority group currently in vogue. Committing such post on paper would have been a death sentence to the occupier of that position. All others close to the throne would have given up any hope of upward mobility and intensified either building up their own faction or doubled on the looting. Ato Meles would have lost a huge leverage to keep all sycophants in line. 

It looks like Ato Meles was taken ill without adequate notice. He never thought the end was close. He was only in his late fifties and the brain tumor situation was a cause for concern but not an emergency. I believe his humiliation in Washington DC pushed him over the edge. His whole system was jarred causing a cascading effect that he was unable to recover from. He has always been shielded from confrontational situation due to the fact that he made sure he dealt with adversaries from overwhelming power arrayed behind him. He did not even take a walk in his garden without a phalanx of security around him. He did not even trust his own shadow. He was a very fearful person or a coward to be precise and he used fear and terror as a tool. He understood the power of fear from personal experience.

Forty-eight days into his disappearing act and what are the Ethiopians doing? As docile as ever, the subjects are very quiet. The Ethiopian capacity to self-police is legendary. In fact they are so proud of it they chastise all those that try to rock the boat. The regime without its head understands this state of mind. How in the world can you respect someone that has no self-respect so to speak of?

The regime has been trotting out officials, those close to officials and self-declared spokes persons and puppet talking heads to fill the air with trash talk. All you got to give an Ethiopian is a few intelligent sounding lines and they are happy to fill the rest. Here in the Diaspora every coffee house is full of talking heads getting drunk listening to their own voice. Ask them to be part of the solution silence is their response.  

Ato Meles’s contempt to his subjects is legendary. His lieutenants currently working on his behalf seems to have inherited this useful trait. They have no qualms even in not announcing the whereabouts of the dictator. The reason for his absence is not even felt to be important enough to be disclosed. Ato Bereket is heard to speculate different reasons depending what day of the week it is. He is resting due to job fatigue, he is recovering from illness, he is on vacation or it is none of any body’s business has been the explanation given to his docile subjects.

Who is in charge is a good question. According to Aboy Sebhat, a non elected person but rumored to be mentor and close fatherly figure of the tyrant there is no need to have a leader present and accounted for. The system in place is adequate enough to function like a well-oiled machine. I love this explanation. It is a break through in human politics and system of governance. The same people that came up with Revolutionary Democracy have now presented us with a system that requires no leader or head of state. Brilliant is all that comes to mind. It has been working like a charm for forty-eight days now and at the moment there is no reason to think why it should not go on for a little longer.

In the absence of the head of state the Parliament has managed to pass a budget, the security has dealt with the question of freedom by the Moslem community in its usual harsh manner, the international agencies have continued to grant loans and aid in the usual manner and the citizen has accepted the status quo.

So far so good but is there any danger of this life without a head of state coming to a point where Aboy Sehat’s theory might not be able to address a situation? For our sake let us hope not but I feel it is always good to prepare for all eventualities. We are in this situation due to the fact that Ato Meles forgot he was human and being taken ill or dying is part of our programming. He put all his eggs in one basket. Of course we should have known better since we knew Ato Meles never has the interest of our country in mind and to be fair never pretended to care for anything else other than himself. As I write this I am sure where ever he is either sitting for a game of chess with Gadaffi or Kim Jung or laying on beach in beautiful Puerto Rico with a glass of Pena Colada, he must be grinning from ear to ear satisfied with what he left behind. 

So what could go wrong? A national emergency is one. Let us say for the sake of argument President Isaiyas decides to take over Zele Ambesa, who is going to give the order to the military to march north? You can’t have a committee declare war. A spokes man is not really the person to come on television and mobilize the population. The Ethiopian people will laugh if Ato Bereket or Shimeles Kemal show up TV and declare war. They just don’t have that look of a belligerent dictator. Would the Generals take order from Council of Ministers?  Would the population rally around nameless individuals?

How about another kind of emergency? Let us say the Moslem and Christian community coordinates their quest for freedom and march in all the big cities? Who is going to authorize the riot police to confront the freedom seekers? The last time this happened Ato Meles as the head of state declared state of emergency and sent his Agazi force and gave the order to shoot. Who is authorized to declare state of emergency and would the solder have to obey such order? Can a committee give the order to shoot? 

In both emergency scenarios the military seems to play a central role to bring stability and order, what is to prevent the Generals from taking matters into their hands and moving into the palace? Why serve a few un-elected pompous usurpers? Why share the power pie when you can keep the whole thing to yourself? In fact they might even reap some credit by throwing all the TPLF politburo members into Kaliti. That is what is called killing two birds with one stone.   

How about if this situation of no head of state goes for a few more months, would those who are governing at the moment get used to this situation and try to make it permanent? We have no idea if Ato Meles is dead or alive, how about if he is alive? Would the committee decide to kill him since his return would destabilize the comfortable situation they have created? Is Ato Meles willing to go into the sunset quietly or does he have a backup plan of his own?

All this questions are currently unanswered and I am sure a few more are bound to rear their ugly head. The question to ask at the moment is are we so docile that the ninety four percent are going to sit on the side while the six percent are trying to figure out how best to screw us for another twenty years?

The current situation is not sustainable. What is going to happen is not really clear to all concerned. The TPLF or the new TPLF that has been rebuilt by Ato Meles since he expelled his buddies is not something that is resting on solid ground. It is an amalgamation of sycophants and weak individuals that were willing to serve the dictator as long as there was enough to loot. His absence changes the equation. We have to admit he was good at reading the international situation and securing all kinds of handouts, loans and grants. Foreign donors are going to sit on the sidelines and wait till the dust settles. The greedy Diaspora that has been financing the regime is not able to continue at the old pace due to the economic situation in the west.

Already inflation is spiraling and dollar reserve is getting very low. The TPLF new millionaires and their supporters are entering a panic stage which means that they will sell all assets, hoard all cash and trip each other while trying to exit. The slowing of the economy will bring what is known as social unrest. The committee of heads of state is not familiar on how to deal with such situation. The only blue print left by Ato Meles is use of force at any and all situations. Compromise, give and take, negotiation is not part of the vocabulary for the last twenty years. One man can do that. He is the face of the regime and an old culture like ours is familiar with ‘strong man’ rule. But a committee is different. No one listens to a committee. A committee does not have one voice. Looking at the current members of that committee no one stands out that exudes leadership. Starting with Aboy Sebaht, Abay Woldu, Berket Semeon, Arkebe, Mesfin Seyoum, Berhane or Queen Azeb do not have the making of a leader. Background workers yes but definitely not leadership material.

As for the ninety-four percent this is the best time to present our demands so the committee can entertain some of our questions. The need for a new Constitution, the formation of a care taker government, the freezing of all EFFORT assets, the prohibition of moving money out of the country, the release of all prisoners that are in jail using the so called terrorism charge, the immediate abolition of the Communication department, lifting the prohibition of the free press should be in the forefront of our demands. If we do not ask how would they know? If we do not protect our interest who would?