Dekialula.com--Ethiopian Online Newsletter


Commentary
It is Neither “Now or Never”
By Tesfu Alemseged
July 7, 2005


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In an incredibly partisan manner many Ethiopians in the Diaspora are pushing the country into a state of confrontation. The difference between political organizations and civic organizations has become murky. Community organizations that have a scanty record of helping Ethiopians when they were hungry, bombed by a fascistic junta and aggressed by foreign forces are now at the for front of the struggle to oust Meles from power.

Oust they can. But they should be aware that Ethiopia belongs to all Ethiopians, and if their current actions are an indication, it is the ‘select’ many that are deliberately ‘confusing’ Meles with the constitutional rights of citizens and communities, and scrap all the gains that have been made in the past 14 years. One person whom I incidentally met at one place summed up his frustration by saying “ ahuns betam beza: endie, echi Ethiopia yenesu bicha nech endie?”. The strange deeds of some in the Diaspora are indeed troubling. Their actions, if left unchallenged by the responsible voices of reason, will render the country non-viable, poor, and traumatized.

One should, by now, predict that CUD is not ready and able to be a loyal opposition. By now, one should be able to predict that Melese’s party will be declared a winner in this election. By now, one should be certain that the Diaspora that is organized under the banner of CUD will not accept the electoral defeat of CUD. This group has warned the CUD leadership at home that they will be punished severely (‘ayiqetu qtat tiqetalachihu’) if they accept the verdict of the election board even if the Europeans and the Americans attest to its fairness.

In a nutshell, a section of the CUD leadership, Ato Shawel among them, is saying that ‘kenu zare neww zare’. Imitating his former boss’s slogan of “enat ager weim mot”, Hailu is saying “sltan weim mot”. My hope is that he gets neither of them.

The Diaspora, led by some old names such as Mammo Muchie is very happy to court Hailu Shawel all the way. Responsible ‘intellectuals’ under normal circumstances are expected to preach peace, call for restraint, and help the process of reconciliation and compromise. Unfortunately Mammo and his colleagues seem to be oblivious to these basic instincts.

Perhaps, we are expecting too much from our ‘intellectuals’. Mammo Muchie, several decades ago was not happy with the stand of the Ethiopian Student Movement in Europe on the Eritrean question. As a result he alienated himself from the movement and went to oblivion. It is when the EPRDF, OLF and EPLF gathered in London for negotiations fourteen years ago that Mammo’s super-nationalist ego flared up and became an un-official spokesperson of the Derg and the other left-over opposition elements in the streets of London. Alas, fourteen years later, grabbing the opportunity, realizing that Hailu Shawel is a man who can fulfill his dreams, we are once again seeing him holding the un-official spokesman ship of the opposition in Europe. “Andandie, andie yeyaze abaze beqelalu ayleqim”. The slogan ‘zare new zare’ through the orchestration of these elements is reverberating in the camps of ‘super-Ethiopians’ all over Europe and USA.

The bad news for these elements and the extremist wing of the CUD is that this dream will not come true this time around. The existence of “And Ethiopia’ is dependent on its constituents. Its constituents, through a democratic and equal arrangements will make “And Ethiopia”. It is the ‘super-Ethiopian’ ultra-nationalist that is detrimental to the existence and prosperity of Ethiopia and Ethiopians.

CUD is right to be worried. If it does not by some miracle hold power this time around, it will never be able to get the seats that it has been able to get this time around. CUD’s votes are protest votes. CUD is a collection of extremes. It is formed under one banner: its dislike (if not hate) of EPRDF. We and they (CUD members) know that one has to have more things in common than a mere ‘dislike’ in order to form a party worthy of holding power. CUD is none of that. Hence, the inevitability of its future failure. It is no wonder, then, that it will refuse to come to any kind of agreement and sit in the parliament with the EPRDF. That is unless the elected members partly due to their personal interest and partly due to respect to those who elected them defy the CUD leadership’s call for boycott and assume their parliamentarian role.

One way or the other CUD will fail. Only a portion of it will survive. The better option for current CUD constituents is to go to the drawing board and evaluate themselves. Those with similar convictions and principles have to distance themselves from the others and prepare themselves for future elections. Those personalities with questionable past have to excuse themselves from getting engaged in the politics of the country and enjoy the lavish but ‘obscure’ life that they deserve.

The ‘professors’ abroad have to make an effort to profess what is true, objective and constructive. Bygones are bygones. Nationalities have, at least constitutionally, got the right to be free from oppression. Eritrea is a forgone conclusion. Unless they realize the benefits and wish to be part of the Ethiopian entity once again, they are as free as a bird and they can be what ever they want to be.

Our ‘professors’ can do better instead of urging the world rich not to cancel Ethiopia’s debt on the ground that it will strengthen Melese. According to these men, the logic is to let Ethiopians suffer from hunger because a hungry man is an angry man, and we need angry men to drive out the EPRDF from power. In short, they are urging the rich donor countries to use food as a political too against Ethiopia and Ethiopians.

These men are no different from Hailu Shawel who declared same in his interview with the BBC. Except he went further to state that Ethiopians are ‘double-faced’ humans who are untrustworthy. It is shameful to our professorial individuals, is it not, to be aligned with Hailu Shawel and sing ‘zare neww zare’ - a wishful thinking which will never materialize either now or in the future. Time will tell.

Thank You! seifu,

Well said.

Tesfu Alemseged,
You forgot to tell us that Ethiopian people voted for CUD. You show a luck of respect for Ethiopian people. Who told you that everybody who are protesting are only Amharas? I am one of the protesters and I am not Amhara.

Tesfu Alemseged

You need to take few steps back from the ethnical issues for few moments and think about the young people that were gunned down on the streets of Addis Abba over the years. Your Prime Minster described them just ‘unemployed youths’. In your eyes unemployed youths life is worth nothing. In a country where the very majority people who are unemployed and have nothing to eat (due to the stupidity of your PM), are you telling me their life is worth nothing because they are poor. Shame on you!. We are talking about tomorrows doctors, who will attend to your medical needs, we are talking about tomorrows farmers, who will feed your hungry tummy and we are talking about tomorrows solders who will defend the country. I am sure your Prime Minister was once an unemployed youth himself.

These unemployed youths’ could be Amarah, Tigria, Oromo, Gurage, Gambela etc…. You people are so comfortable where you are (in power) you just don’t want anyone to share the country.

Your PM is a serial killer. He has been killing people since the 70’s. All the people he fought with in the 70’s are either dead or in prison. He has got blood on his hand.

Remember every dog has his day. Your days are numbered.

Email: HA9beth_tes@hotmail.com

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