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Re: "I'm not saying that. I'm saying that if I have my way, this will probably be my last term."

Jafar, I used to share the same views for many years may be even a decade. But, What I am seeing recently makes me shudder and rethink, rethink hard and realize TPLF/EPRDF is no less if not worse than dergue.
Let me start with your last assertion about the Tirunba nefi/ashkerkaris of dergue being leaders. Yes, these were not people who deserve to be leaders but whom did TPLF brought, ethnic blinded cadres of all sorts who haven't even done their elementary schooling. some of them even to the highest position imaginable. Let me tell you, I have been through both the systems and have seen what they look like at their 14th year of power. We have seen dergue officials at many offices replaced by educated people at all walks of life, while TPLF stuck with loyality as the sole criterion. Only two years back Meles said "we don't care if illitrates become minster of education so long as they promote eprdf'S program" in an interview he gave TO ETV. To give him credit I know of a region/zone whose head of education is a 10th grade student till today. I have seen all woreda heads of even the remotest regions replaced by graduates. Where is the change taking place with TPLF/EPRDF after 15 years, I ask and compare? As to those killed by dergue and TPLF, injustice to one is injustice to all. All I see is that both are killing, imprisoning and torturing people one in hundreds and the other may be in thousands, what I see is the intent which in both instances is the same: maintaining power at all cost. what makes the later even more serious is most of the killings are in instances where there isn't any armed resistance as compared to the the EPRP city based armed struggle. About the military sacrifices, what I know is that thousands died to save Ethiopia intact and prevent the country from being the most populated land locked country in the world. Every other nation has gone to war for its biggest interest. I compare it to the hundreds of thousands who died to satisfy the ego of Meles and Esayas which ended up with utter loss to Ethiopia in every sense. I stopped and compared the two, and I found dergue to be better here.

About famine, I will give due credit for this regime for preventing "human disaster" from hunger due to its capacity to amass massive aid from the "very good relationship with the western countries" and the abolute prevalence of peace in all the places where starvation ensues. But, I have also wittnessed the number of starved people growing exponenetily during this regime. In this regime All corners of the country is starved as compared to what was confined to the north. One exception is Tigray which has faired better in this regard. What our PM bragged about "his dream being 2 meals a day for Ethiopians" 13 years ago has turned an ever eluding dream for tens of millions of Ethiopians. So, I stopped and compared the two and I say they are hardly different.

When you add to this what TPLF/EPRDF did to devide the people in ethnic line such that the futre would be almost impossible for Ethiopians to live together and the thousands who died as a result of ethnic clashes fomented by the current politics, I say, may be dergue is better.

My bro. when one compares the two, I don't think they are comparing them in terms of the specific acts, but the over all attitude of the regime towards its populace and the country at large. Yes, in many aspects you may find TPLF/EPRDF to appear better, but don't forget the fact that we are leaving in the era of the demise of communism, that it would be absolutely impossible to rule by an obvious stalinistic rule. Have you ever compared Hailesellassie and dergue regimes? Both were considered bad and behaved differenetly in different era of world, but many still agree Hailesellassie's regime may be better as there are as many who disagree.
regards