The Grandiose Foundation for the Grandiose Legacy

  T.Goshu

April 2013

The mystification on “the great minded-ness and leadership” of the late Ato Meles Zenawi had been a campaign of indoctrinationthroughout his presidency, and later on his premiership. This had been ridiculously taken out of proportion right after the official pronouncement of his death that was followed by the declaration of mourning his death and paying “unprecedented” tribute. Now, the final and the highest stage of making him “an angel –like leader” of Ethiopia, “the leading politician for Pan- Africanism” and an “international political figure” are being launched. We have learnt this from the news and reports on the inaugural meeting held April 6, 2013. The people of Ethiopia have been showered with congratulatory news and messages about the coming into being of a historic foundation in honor of “a grandiose legacy of a great leader.”
Ato Amare Aregawi, the old guard of TPLF and who hopelessly continues struggling for the survival of the system of which he is extremely worried about after the death of his “great leader”, Ato Meles Zenawi has come up with a very ridiculous report titled, “the inaugural meeting of Ato Meles Zenawi’s Foundation has been Held with Mixed Feelings” (Amharic Version of April 10, 2013)
Amare Aregawi’s “smart” attempt of selecting very “impressive” topic for his report is the continuation of the mystification of the political personality of the late Ato Meles Zenawi in a very absurd and cynical manner. He has tried hard to imprint the very hypocritical legacy of the late Ato Meles Zenawi in the minds of the people of Ethiopia, and to deceive the international community. He has tried to convince (better to say to fool in vain ) the innocent people of Ethiopia and the people of the world (if the world gives any attention) that “the great and the most be-loved leader” once again made not only the people of Ethiopia but also “ the great leaders of Africa” shed their tears. It is not difficult to understand the very message of Amare Aregawi if we try to look at how he tried hard to paint his report with highly mystified and deceiving way of presentation. What he wanted once again to tell us is how the people of Ethiopia who lost “their great leader” and “the great leaders of Africa” and other “foreign dignitaries” who lost their “great friend” are still grief-stricken on the one hand, and filled with a lot of joy witnessing the establishment of the “historic foundation for his great legacy” on the other hand. That is what exactly the message Amare Aregawi has tried to send when he says “…mixed feelings.” Well, those who attended the meeting including the commissioner of of the AU, and leaders of African countries might have been inundated both with “grief and joy.” Their excitement about the political personality of the late Ato Meles Zenawi and being joyful about the establishment of the foundation on the one hand , and being gripped with life-time grief on the other hand is only and only up to them . But, one thing should surely and loudly be clear. And that is they have neither political nor moral capabilities to tell the innocent people of Ethiopia who have been incredibly dehumanized both politically as well as socio –economically that they should be grateful and proud of the legacy of the late Ato Mels Zenawi. That is an insult to the very intelligence of the Ethiopian people. It goes without saying that the innocent people of Ethiopia deserve to make unequivocally clear to those “great witnesses of their late great friend” who most of them are waiting for the days of judgments for what they have done to their own people and for their dirty political game they continue to play in the region need to stop muddling in the internal political affairs of Ethiopia.
Having said this general introductory part of my comment, I want to make myself clear before I proceed to some more points of observation. And that is to say that my comment may not be comfortable to those of us who want to be “humbly diplomatic.” I am saying this because my comment will rationally and with all due respect try to be critical of not only those cronies of the ruling circle but also those invited dignitaries of the continental organization (AU) and of countries (Djibouti, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda and Somalia.)
As I mentioned earlier, the Ethiopian people were preached during the meeting about the need to honor (worship) the late Ato Melees Zenawi forever as “the greatest leader” of Ethiopia; “the great Pan-African leader”; and one of “the brightest leaders of the world.” Imagine fellow Ethiopians how those foreign dignitaries undermine the intelligence of the great people of Ethiopia. They embarrassingly present themselves as great witnesses for a “great legacy” of the mastermind of political dictatorship, ethno-centrism, socio-economic destitution and moral degradation.

• I really don’t know what kind of gratitude the AU commissioner, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma gives to the great political figure of our time , Nelson Mandela if she had difficulties to find words to praise the late Ato Meles Zenawi whose political personality and policy have done quite the contrary to Ethiopia and its people. I remember an article appeared on the Time Magazine of Jan. 2012 that says the following about the ANC (African National Congress): “The ANC elites use the party’s legendary as the means to be elected and re-elected. They try to justify their greedy political power by referring ‘powerful legacy’ and by out crying “how you are going to turn your back on that.” Although there is no comparison between the legacy of Nelson Mandela and other genuine ANC leaders; and that of “ours”, the way the current ANC elites behave sounds what our EPRDF/TPLF elites do behave. Is the AU commissioner intentionally or unintentionally proving that?

• I do not think we need to say a lot about the Ugandan president who is in power since 1986 as one of the “new breed leaders of Africa.” But what Professor Ayittey ( Africa Unchained : The Blueprint for Africa’s Future ,2005) describes the magnitude of not only internal corruption and plundering but also the resources of other countries by African “great leaders” by citing the the DRC ( Congo ,Kinshasa ) as a typical case tells a lot about those “new breed African leaders.” By referring the report of the 2001 UN Panel of experts on Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and other forms of Wealth of Congo; he says “the panel found ’mass scale looting’ of stockpiled minerals, coffee, timber, livestock, and money by the armies of Rwanda, Uganda and Brandi military and government officials then exported the diamonds, gold, and a composite mineral called coltan to line their own pockets and enrich a network of shell companies owned by connected associates.” It is these leaders who presented themselves as “great witnesses” of the “great legacy” of our late prime minister, Meles Zenawi.

Professor Aittey adds the following particularly about President Museveni: “In fact, thefirst item president Yowri Museveni of Uganda purchased after obtaining debt relief was a new presidential jet.” Although the late Ato Meles Zenawi didn’t buy one, it is absolutely impossible to believe he had lived on his income of 4000 Birr of check to check as Mrs. Azeb told us.

• What about President Omar Bashir? As he is well known not only for being a terrible dictator but also on a wanted list for allegedly committing genocide on his own people, there is nothing surprising to see presenting himself as one of the great witnesses on the greatness of late Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi. Professor G. Ayittey (Africa Betrayed, 1992) states, “Lt. General Omar Bashir himself is reputed to have a number of Dinka and Nuer slaves in his own home, from the time he was a military commander.” It is these kinds of “leaders” who are trying to preach us about the “greatness of their great friend”, the late Ato Meles Zeanwi.

• Nigerian former president, Olesengo Bbasabgo ? As far as the standard living of the people of an oil rich country is concerned, I do not think the former president has rational and moral ground to present himself as one of the reliable and great witnesses of the great legacy of the late Ato Meles Zeanwi. Professor Aittey states, “The supreme irony of Nigeria’s economic development is that, despite the flow of substantial oil wealth, the country entered the new millennium with real income of per capita about the same as it was at independence in 1960 and heavily burdened by debt.” (Africa Unchained…, 2005). Is this not mainly because of the severe lack of good governance which is said to be accompanied by chronic corruption?

• I do not think I need to say many words about the leaders of Djibouti and Somalia. But, I want to say that both of them are not able to stand by themselves as governments in the real sense of the term .Thanks to France and the late Ato Meles for enabling the Djibouti government to be a government. And thank USA and allies and the late Ato Meles Zenawi for enabling the Somali Government to look like a government.

I am well aware that this would make mad those who belong to the ruling party and all other sympathizers. They always argue that the late prime minister deserves due acknowledgement for the “great things” he performed. I am not denying certain things done during his reign. But, I strongly argue that there is no any convincing reason to compare the horrible damage he caused to the people and the country and certain things done here and there with the flow of foreign aid and loans in this 21^st century of dynamic development.
That is why I strongly argue that It deeply hurts to be lectured and preached not only by our politicians and intellectuals who repeatedly swear to carry on “the great legacy” but also by those foreign leaders of which some of them are not different from, if not much worse than the late dictator Ato Meles Zenawi as far as the real sense of political freedom and respect for human rights are concerned.
The “leading figure” in carrying on the “great legacy”, Ato Hailemariam Desalegn tried to tell us with his words of “amazing witness” that could make those members of the inner circle of TPLF feel great. Yes, he is not expected to do otherwise as he is assigned to be responsible to his terribly manipulative bosses, not to the people of Ethiopia. And it goes without saying that he is proved to be not only a man of self-disgrace but sadly enough a man of national disgrace as far as his political personality is concerned. Needless to say that he has been one of a “nice guys” of the late prime minister as far as being instrumental in implementing the dirty political game of ethnicity which led him from the position of ordinary cadre to be the nominal heir of “his great mentor.” So, there is nothing surprising to hear him saying the following great witness as quoted by the English version of the reporter, “Exemplary leader in his unique leadership skills and flawless performance as chief of the executive.” He further stressed, “The establishment of the foundation is deemed necessary for a thorough study of his life and his works and their implementation thus for is important to ensure the continuity of the renaissance of Ethiopia.”
The former “first lady”, Azeb Mesfin had to say, “The foundation will assist researchers interested to study Meles’s academic works through scholarships to ensure the continuity of the implementation of his vision.”
There is no doubt that Ato Desalegn had to try hard in search of words and phrases such as “exemplary and unique leadership, flawless performance, and the continuity of therenaissance of Ethiopia “ so that he does make sure that he was put in the palace just as an instrument to carry on “the great legacy” of his political mentor. No more; no less! That is why he had to make sure that he had to recite (sing) what Mrs. Azeb Mesfin and her cronies desperately want to hear in a very jargonized, shameful and mystified fashion. Look at how the two of them described the late Ato Meles. Well, the former “first lady” is not expected to say something beyond what she has been indoctrinated (damaged) by the wicked ideology of the ruling circle she belongs to; and more than what she knows. It is neither uncommon nor unexpected in most African politics in general and the Ethiopian politics in particular to see those who grabbed political power by hook or crook (such as the late ato Meles, Mrs. Azeb and the cronies) trying to give their own authoritative definition that suits their limitless abusive political power. And needless to say that Mrs. Azeb is a typical example for this very unfortunate political culture. Her husband has died after 20 years of not only trying to rewrite the history of Ethiopia authoritatively but sadly enough using any deadly means to implement his authoritatively defined “academic works.”
Another self-disqualified witness is Professor Andreas Eshetie. I do not think there is a need to say much about him as he himself proved to be “good for nothing intellectual” during the past 20 years. But, I want to borrow the expressions of the most renowned intellectuals of Africa which strongly describe Professor Andreas. Professor George B. N. Ayittey( Africa Betrayed ,1992 ) has to say the following in his very powerful argument which endorses the great remarks of the great laureate, Wole Soyinka . Professor Ayittey argues, “Africa must be freed from intellectual barbarism by rising to the call of Wole Soyinka, the Noble laureate.” He quotes the call of Soyinka that was made at the Lagos Conference on African Literature in 1988 for ending the very unfortunate political culture of which “intellectuals” such as Professor Andreas are muddling in. Professor Ayittey reminds us the serious concern of Wole Soyinka which says, “The ‘divine right of kings’… has been replaced by the ‘divine right of the gun’….” I think this is a very serious concern which is powerfully relevant to the current political situation in Ethiopia unless intellectuals such as Professor Andreas want to deafen their minds and hearts, and go with their barbaric behavior.
Leaving all what Ato Meles Zenawi had done throughout his political life and particularly during his 20 years of palace politics to genuine and objective historians and political analysts, I just want to jot down my comments in the form of questions, but just a few:

• Is rewriting the history of the political problem of Eritrea with the rest of Ethiopia as the question of colonialism and going back to the most senseless war that had caused enormous human and material losses the product of a flawless performance?
• Is giving away the sea out let of the second largest populace country that has a strong historical and legal ground to claim for sea access with a strong support even from those foreign powers which had helped EPRDF/TPLF to come to political power the result of a great Ethiopian vision?
• Is evicting people from their homes and plots of lands and making them refuges in their own homeland which nowadays turning into the political crime of ethnic cleansing a legacy of an exemplary and unique political personality?
• Is the politics of the taking over of all critical political, intelligence, military, socio-economic and other governmental positions and replacing them with people from one ethnic group who belong to one dominant political grouping (TPLF) a vision of pursuing Ethiopian renaissance?
  • Is the politics of staying in power using any means including the deadly machine for a quarter of a century a product of a flawless leadership and political personality?
  • Are the politics of conducting elections but stealing peoples’ votes and turning them into deadly dramas unique and flawless political performances?
  • Is turning one of the most instruments for the protection of citizens (the judiciary –court system) into a complete political arm of the ruling party that throws innocent journalist and peaceful and legal members and supporters of opposing forces under a very nonsensical cover up of anti-terrorism a wonderful vision of a great leader?

The list of very serious and challenging questions can go on and on.
Well, there is no doubt that the truth will prevail and the legacy of the late Ato Meles Zenawi will be judged accordingly. But, it must be underlined again and again and again that it is only through a leading role of political organizations on the one hand ,and a self- motivated and active participation of the people themselves that the age-old sufferings in our country would come to an end.