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The late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi expected to lead the EPRDF’s (Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front) 9th Congress meeting, scheduled to be held on March 23 – 26, 2013 in Bahir Dar city, as a “ghost” from his grave yard declared the party. “WITH THE THOUGHTS OF MELES, STRONGER ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT FORCES FOR THE RENAISSANCE!!!” stated on the party’s stinky website1 as a motto to this year’s meeting. But what were the late PM’s thoughts? Rather than insulting and mocking opposition party Members of Parliament (MPs); intimidating and torturing citizens; ordering the killings of innocent people who challenged him or his party; building full of corruption authoritarian regime; threatening and jailing journalists on triumphed up treason; and above all showing his arrogance to the people he said he had fought for. Is that what they meant to keep on doing; stronger citizens terrorizing government?
What strikes my mind always is that “What do the people of Ethiopia really owe these “freedom fighters”, especially those of the TPLF (Tigray People Libration Front) members?” How many years is their sought payback period for fighting and defeating the Derg regime? It bet should not be forever or until all them passed away. One thing is very clear and no one would dare to deny that they have done something admirable and defeated yet another oppressive regime. Not alone though, they had been tirelessly backed by enemies of Ethiopia and the westerns who did not like the socialist ideology followed by the Derg regime. Back in the days, The New York Times had reported that there were negotiations and arrangements for the then president Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam to escape from Ethiopia flew to Zimbabwe. Here are some quotes;
United States officials in recent weeks had quietly suggested that Colonel Mengistu resign to achieve peace. Last month, Colonel Mengistu told former Senator Rudy Boschwitz, a special envoy of President Bush, that he would leave his post if it was the only way to keep Ethiopia united.
Colonel Mengistu apparently made his final decision to depart after President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe sent an envoy here on Monday to repeat his invitation that the Ethiopian leader move to Zimbabwe, where his family had already gone.
Colonel Mengistu reportedly invited many of his longest supporters to his palace for a farewell party on Monday night. He left for the airport this morning, unceremoniously, in a caravan of four vans surrounded by motorcycles. (NY times)
Since they were there to be backed, credit has been given for their sacrifices and persistence to defeat the Derg regime. And they were given all the time and unlimited resources to restart their life and educate themselves. Almost all of the former rebels have now accomplished, academically and life standard, what they would have achieved had they did not decide to become guerrilla fighters. The patience of the Ethiopian people, in return, should have to be compensated by building a democratic (or at least semi-democratic) country and transparent government. What it turned out; however, is leaders of the regime have been changed from what they had been “non-sense killers” to “educated devils”.
The TPLF/EPRDF regime has also been amazingly consistent in its oppressive style of leadership. According to Freedom House (“an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom around the world.”) the country’s political environment has been changed from “FREE” in 1998 to “NOT FREE” today. The trend has never shown any improvement rather kept on to be worse and worse since then. We had a “free” country, in civil liberties and political rights, for the last time in 1998 and then became “partially free” from 1999 to 2010. Since 2011 our beloved Ethiopia has become a “not free” country, for three consecutive years.
NB: 1 represents the most free and 7 the least free. (Freedom House)
With the current political environment and ethno-centric policy of the EPRDF we will never get back our “free” Ethiopia under this regime. The talk of free and multi-party Ethiopian politics is nothing more than cheap TPLF/EPRDF propaganda and it is no brainer that the party has been working hard to build an AUTORITARIAN REGIME over the years.
Current country conditions; the intense political environment among EPRDF coalition parties, internal fights over power control among TPLF old guards, the regime’s interference over religious affairs (unjust acts on the Muslim community and destroying historical places of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, such as Waldiba, in guise of development), land grabbing problems by foreign investors and unlawful displacement of citizens, ethnic cleansing activities by various regional authorities, illegal capital-flight2 out of the country, the non-stop brain drain, corrupted government institutions all over the country and depletion of the national reserve over the years are all as signs of a failed government. The EPRDF regime has failed and has lost its legitimacy (if it had any) to lead the country. The regime is on the verge of disintegration and has pressed the self-distraction button long ago. The only reason it is still in power is the late PM’s tactical distraction of opposition parties and severe punishment of any political dissidents. The rise of any opposition political party that unites the people of Ethiopia would undoubtedly remove the EPRDF regime with ease than it would have been before.
“United we stand, Divided we fall”
Victory for People of Ethiopia!
Footnotes:
1The ruling party’s official website is one of the worst political parties websites I have ever seen. Given the recourses (money and infra-structure) they are sitting on one would expect well a crafted and descriptive website. However, you would end up browsing poorly edited, disorganized, and disgusting site. No wonder they are media censorship addict and enemy of freedom of speech.
2According to Celebrity Net Worth website the late PM Meles net worth is 3 billion US dollars [http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-politicians/presidents/meles-zenawi-net-worth/], which is almost 40% of the country’s 2012/2013 annual budget. But he has said in an interview with local journalists in 2011 his monthly salary was 6,400 birr per month [http://www.ethiotube.net/video/13103/PM-Meles-Zenawi-My-salary-is-6400-Birr] 76,800 birr per annum. Let’s say he has saved all his salary and his starting salary was the same since he took office (in reality would be less than that) in 21 years his saving would be 1.6 million birr, with the current exchange rate around 89,000 US dollars.
What strikes my mind always is that “What do the people of Ethiopia really owe these “freedom fighters”, especially those of the TPLF (Tigray People Libration Front) members?” How many years is their sought payback period for fighting and defeating the Derg regime? It bet should not be forever or until all them passed away. One thing is very clear and no one would dare to deny that they have done something admirable and defeated yet another oppressive regime. Not alone though, they had been tirelessly backed by enemies of Ethiopia and the westerns who did not like the socialist ideology followed by the Derg regime. Back in the days, The New York Times had reported that there were negotiations and arrangements for the then president Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam to escape from Ethiopia flew to Zimbabwe. Here are some quotes;
United States officials in recent weeks had quietly suggested that Colonel Mengistu resign to achieve peace. Last month, Colonel Mengistu told former Senator Rudy Boschwitz, a special envoy of President Bush, that he would leave his post if it was the only way to keep Ethiopia united.
Colonel Mengistu apparently made his final decision to depart after President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe sent an envoy here on Monday to repeat his invitation that the Ethiopian leader move to Zimbabwe, where his family had already gone.
Colonel Mengistu reportedly invited many of his longest supporters to his palace for a farewell party on Monday night. He left for the airport this morning, unceremoniously, in a caravan of four vans surrounded by motorcycles. (NY times)
Since they were there to be backed, credit has been given for their sacrifices and persistence to defeat the Derg regime. And they were given all the time and unlimited resources to restart their life and educate themselves. Almost all of the former rebels have now accomplished, academically and life standard, what they would have achieved had they did not decide to become guerrilla fighters. The patience of the Ethiopian people, in return, should have to be compensated by building a democratic (or at least semi-democratic) country and transparent government. What it turned out; however, is leaders of the regime have been changed from what they had been “non-sense killers” to “educated devils”.
The TPLF/EPRDF regime has also been amazingly consistent in its oppressive style of leadership. According to Freedom House (“an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom around the world.”) the country’s political environment has been changed from “FREE” in 1998 to “NOT FREE” today. The trend has never shown any improvement rather kept on to be worse and worse since then. We had a “free” country, in civil liberties and political rights, for the last time in 1998 and then became “partially free” from 1999 to 2010. Since 2011 our beloved Ethiopia has become a “not free” country, for three consecutive years.
Source: Data compiled from Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Reports (1999 – 2013)
Source: Data compiled from Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Reports (1999 – 2013)
With the current political environment and ethno-centric policy of the EPRDF we will never get back our “free” Ethiopia under this regime. The talk of free and multi-party Ethiopian politics is nothing more than cheap TPLF/EPRDF propaganda and it is no brainer that the party has been working hard to build an AUTORITARIAN REGIME over the years.
Current country conditions; the intense political environment among EPRDF coalition parties, internal fights over power control among TPLF old guards, the regime’s interference over religious affairs (unjust acts on the Muslim community and destroying historical places of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, such as Waldiba, in guise of development), land grabbing problems by foreign investors and unlawful displacement of citizens, ethnic cleansing activities by various regional authorities, illegal capital-flight2 out of the country, the non-stop brain drain, corrupted government institutions all over the country and depletion of the national reserve over the years are all as signs of a failed government. The EPRDF regime has failed and has lost its legitimacy (if it had any) to lead the country. The regime is on the verge of disintegration and has pressed the self-distraction button long ago. The only reason it is still in power is the late PM’s tactical distraction of opposition parties and severe punishment of any political dissidents. The rise of any opposition political party that unites the people of Ethiopia would undoubtedly remove the EPRDF regime with ease than it would have been before.
“United we stand, Divided we fall”
Victory for People of Ethiopia!
Footnotes:
1The ruling party’s official website is one of the worst political parties websites I have ever seen. Given the recourses (money and infra-structure) they are sitting on one would expect well a crafted and descriptive website. However, you would end up browsing poorly edited, disorganized, and disgusting site. No wonder they are media censorship addict and enemy of freedom of speech.
2According to Celebrity Net Worth website the late PM Meles net worth is 3 billion US dollars [http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-politicians/presidents/meles-zenawi-net-worth/], which is almost 40% of the country’s 2012/2013 annual budget. But he has said in an interview with local journalists in 2011 his monthly salary was 6,400 birr per month [http://www.ethiotube.net/video/13103/PM-Meles-Zenawi-My-salary-is-6400-Birr] 76,800 birr per annum. Let’s say he has saved all his salary and his starting salary was the same since he took office (in reality would be less than that) in 21 years his saving would be 1.6 million birr, with the current exchange rate around 89,000 US dollars.
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