Meles was supposed to be master of political manuver. Both his supporters and detractors talked about his political savy and his unparalleled intelegence in Ethiopian Politics.

Some 10 months ago Beyene, Berhanu, Merara and Hilu came to the political platform and literlally rendered Meles lifeless. Let me let you in a little secret, to borrow an expression from Meles himself. A shrewed political observer whould have noted that the first two joint press releases of UEDF and CUD set the foundation to pull the rugs from the feets of Meles that were planted on the support of the international community.

They read the international community right when they followed the press release with a savy joint proposal. They knew full well that Meles would not accept it. The rest is history. The architect of the moves in the last few months deserves our recognition. He/she is the master of politics. Meles is a deflated force a dead can bouncing. Kudos Berhanu, Kudos Merara, Kudos Hailu and Kudos Beyene Petros.

I would like to open discussion on this. Yilma, can you take issue with this analysis? Vj, have you now seen the light? Ethiopian when are you sending the money to Shibre's mother? Be a man pay your debt!!! Even Yoilma said you need to pay up.

Mamo Qilo aka
Yejib Tila aka
Yegimel Chira aka
Bula Geberdin aka
Tengara Gundan aka
Joro Tebi aka
Yimer Ali aka
etc

Mamo Qilo aka, Yejib Tila aka, Yegimel Chira aka, Bula Geberdin aka, Tengara Gundan aka, Joro Tebi aka,
Yimer Ali aka, etc

Too many names with one clumsy mind.

Here is what you asked for. I cut & paste for you. Enjoy it.

The Challenges of the New Mayor in Addis

By Yosef B.

When it comes to political power sharing in Ethiopia, even the hyena might spend a cosy night with the donkey until the day of reckoning comes. In human terms, you may call this a marriage of convenience.

They say that history repeats itself once as a tragedy and another time as a farce. In Ethiopia, political history often takes a comic turn. How would you otherwise explain the fact that the new mayor of Addis Abeba, Dr. Brehanu Nega, an alleged opponent of Col. Mengistu's regime in his younger years, suddenly found himself in the midst of alleged functionaries of the previous regime in the CUD and assume the post of mayor?

No doubt that these functionaries, including members of the defunct Workers Party of Ethiopia (WPE) and the disbanded military, were largely behind CUD's success in this year's elections. Add to this the naïve and inexperienced young people who have no memory whatsoever of the atrocities under the military and voted en masse for the opposition simply because they were under the illusion that the CUD would give them jobs, bread and a better future.

The Amharic tabloid press has been fanning the flames of hatred against the TPLF in particular and the EPRDF in general for the last 14 years which has contributed in no small way to the CUD's election by default in the capital.

Time will certainly show the true colours of the CUD in the coming months or years but the former the former functionaries might be making a comeback, at least in Addis Abeba. Whether the CUD will try to act with their script or take on a new role, the new mayor will soon come under enormous pressure from many quarters.

First, he will have to work hard to meet the wild expectations of the CUD supporters in the capital that put him in office, united as they were in their hatred towards the ruling EPRDF. The new mayor will have to produce results fast before expectations degenerate into disillusionment and CUD supporters turn into its opponents. Unless it produces quick and tangible results, the CUD in Addis might be facing a more formidable opposition to its administration in Addis.

The EPRDF might do anything to encourage the emergence of such an opposition.
The other pressure on the new mayor might come from the CUD leadership itself that is showing signs of frictions and fissures due to the power sharing arrangements among the main leaders. How the new mayor would distribute the posts in his administration might in turn determine the chance for the present CUD to continue as a united political movement without the emergence of rival factions that will be jockeying for power and privileges.

The third pressure will come from his own ethnic constituency who own most of the retail businesses in Addis, particularly in their traditional economic stronghold that is Merkato. They may not be strongly represented in the manufacturing sector but it is natural that they might expect advantages now that "their man" is in office in the economic 'melting pot' of the nation.

Will the new mayor avoid the temptations of ethnic favouritism; corruption and nepotism in a society where ethnic loyalties hold a powerful sway and influence the behaviour of those at the top of any political hierarchy?

The fourth and perhaps the most powerful pressure the new mayor might be facing is from the incumbent at the federal level. It may not hesitate to make life difficult for him in its bid to discredit and paralyse the new administration so that the electorate would regret its decision to elect the CUD. Obviously, the EPRDF might be working towards the next election in 2010. It may also take an approach bases on undermining the CUD administration and regain its lost power in the capital.

My guess is that the CUD and the EPRDF will never reach an agreement to work together without undermining one another. The CUD hates the EPRDF so much while the latter abhors the idea of working with the former.

The other handicap the new mayor will be facing might come from the conflict between what his office is all about: quick delivery of the election promises versus his party's tendency to use its new position to undermine the ruling party at the federal level. CUD does not seem to abandon its determination to oust the incumbent by any means available.

Will the new mayor sit down to tackle the most urgent socio-economic challenges or would he succumb to his party's bigger ambitions, total power, and forget the pledges it made to the electorate!

Time will certainly show.

Anyway, the new mayor's appointment at the head of the Addis Abeba administration represents an important watershed in Ethiopia's recent political history. At no time in the past had Ethiopian intellectuals come nearer to the centre of political decision-making as they have now. Look at the number of engineers, PhDs and professors that are gathered around the CUD?

What they would do with all this brainpower is something yet to be seen. It is obviously easier to operate as an opposition than administer a capital of more than three million residents with myriads of problems. As an old Ethiopian adage has it, the drum might be attractive in other people's hands, but confusing when one tries to play it.

Gebrelikiskis,

I feel sorry for you, since you don't have anything els to say, you are reduced to cutting and pasting the same garbage all over the place. Please remember this is a forum.

Is your master running out of money?

City: AA

Yilma,

Where are you? I thought you could rise to the challenge. VJ, any comment on this? Ethiopia, I demand you pay up the money you lost on our bet to the family of Shibre. How can you live with your consious after literally stealing money from a poor family? What you have done is nothing short of stealing from the poor family. At the very least you should pay the $200.

Ankasa Doro

Ethiopian,
At least you shoud match Mamo's donation of $200.00.
Pay up!

Ethiopian, please listen to VJ, Elsa, Yilma and many others who called up on you to honor your words.

Ankasa Doro aka
Mamo Qilo

They say the King has no cloth. Ana Gobez has undressed Meles. I believe Berhanu has shown he is 23.5 times smarter than Meles. Meles is dressed down. Have you seen his picture in Norway? He looked pale, somewhat confused and desperate. Someone on this ofrum said he looked like a cat. It was right on the money.

Ankasa Doro aka
Joro Tebi aka
Mamo Qilo

Mamo, he looked like rat , not cat! Did you forget cat is in Tiger family?. He looked like wet rat at that.
Yebret Kolo

You are talking to yourself. What is wrong?

no political savy in any country can fight hooliganism.Hooliganism has no boundaries, taboo subject or slogans, no moral limits of acceptable and despicable behaviour.
If somebody has unspeakable dirty campaign on the ground, do you expected Meles to follow them to the mad? No. He waits for them at the price. These hooligans don't care about anything else in the country except for power through a coup in Addis. Thats where you intercept hooligans.