Isayas Afeworki, TPLF and Ethiopians

by Eyassu Lebenu

The Why and What Questions

I must confess, before I decided to write the article I had a little conversation with myself about why I should deal with this complex and elusive subject matter when too many people have too many opinions and perceptions, factual or otherwise. I also questioned myself if I really am entitled and rightful person to engage with this task. After contemplating the question for sometime I came to agreement with myself that as an Ethiopian I have every right to engage myself in any endeavor that concerns the nation. In so doing, based on my personal, educational and career experiences I will put forward the little I know to right the wrong, correct the incorrect and uncover the covert to create concrete evidence that would be the basis for rational decision and action. This article is forwarded with that in mind and with no sense of authority but rather deepest humility for being able to share my insights and findings with my fellow citizens.

Some might find it improper to include the Eritrean leader in the matter of Ethiopian affairs since it is exclusively Ethiopians only. However, we have to realize that as much as internal dynamics and forces shape and direct the political reality in Ethiopia it is also relevant to understand the impact and role of other interest groups. Specially, a country that has been one part of the Ethiopian territory until as recently as two decades ago there are many issues that are still unsettled and unresolved. Besides, new ones has also been created following the independence of Eritrea. So, addressing issues that relates to Eritrea would be pertinent in understanding the Ethiopian reality and the future of the region at large. But, I would like to remind all that it is not the intention of this writer to give opinion or evaluation about the Eritrean leader and his domestic and international policies. I have neither the will nor the right to do so. My attempt is just looking the region holistically with an attempt to deal with the realities in Ethiopia.

This piece has no intention of lionizing one and demonizing others. What it attempts to address simply is the relations ship and dynamics between the three entities so as to examine issues of friendship; cooperation; enmity; betrayal; deception and naivety with the hope of shedding light on the basic destructive and constructive underpinning factors. Why I put TPLF and Ethiopians as separate entities on the subject is due to my understanding of their difference of opinion on many issues and policies, including the difference on matters as big as what Ethiopian interest really is. That is what made it so difficult for me to put them in one category or regard them as the same entity. As much as there are differences of opinion between TPLF and Isayas Afeworki, there is the same level of differences between TPLF and Ethiopians despite they are in one politically defined area called Ethiopia.

We are a rational being who should have the capabilities to decipher facts from fiction to make an informed decision based on reasoning and analysis. That is exactly why I took the liberty to address the subject that had in fact been inexplicable for me for a long time. As much as it is true that my point of view and explanations create positive reaction from some it is also expected to create some non-smiley faces in some quarters. No matter what the effect, however, the beauty of freedom of expression is all about saying what you believe is right and put it in the open for everybody to see and judge. This is a beautiful and healthy discourse that no human being should be restricted from exercising anywhere, including Ethiopia and Eritrea. And for me personally, being able to speak loud what I have inside with no fear of retribution from any authority means a lot. And truly, that is my American Dream nothing more can substitute. Specially, when you know people are jailed, tortured and abused for exercising this right you feel more convinced of its importance and that drives you to do more.

This article underscores one fundamental principle, not all that we see and hear is what it is until we make our own investigation and careful observation that would help us reach the truth by refuting politically motivated and patronizing information of others. Specially, in politics where politicians are mostly concerned about how to achieve their goal while being less concerned what means they use it is imperative to find our own truth rather than being treated as buffoons who take all make believes than the facts on the ground. All sorts of tactics are put in place by politicians just so they accomplish their personal or group agenda disregarding moral, societal and even legal boundaries. What this article meant to achieve is one thing, to address the subject matter in a different light in an attempt to uncover the facts and erase the delusions created by politicians. In doing so, I attempt to investigate the dead past and explain the paralyzed present so as to breath life on the future by recommending some ideas and direction for actions that would hopefully be used to redeem the nation and the region.

The Ethiopians delusion; identifying the source

For a person like me who did not pass the age of fourteen when TPLF became a government it is easy to be co-opted growing up with the lies and deceptions propagated through the two state controlled Medias, ETV and Ethiopian radio. On top of that, the entire time TPLF has been ruling the nation for the last twenty-three years it has also been effective in institutionalizing and well organizing the Communication Ministry. Under the propaganda Chief Bereket Simon the ministry has been tirelessly working like a beast deluding and deceiving Ethiopians in an attempt to protect TPLF’s interest while betraying that of the nation. Bereket’s repeated denial of Meles’s death; his denial of the election 2005 loss; his denial of the crossing of the Ethiopian troops in to Somalia; his adamant claim that Badme was awarded to Ethiopia in the Algiers peace agreement when the reality is otherwise are some of his many landmark accomplishments.

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The perils of outsourcing the fight for freedom

by Yilma Bekele

I could have titled this piece ‘Obama and his Africa peace keepers’ but that would not be fair. Anybody with half a brain can see that I am trying to make my issue to be his problem. Excuse me just because fighting for my right is beneath my dignity there is no reason to impose on him that I am unable to do for whatever reason. Dear Mr. President we Africans are not amused! This is what appeared on The Guardian

‘According to President Obama, who announced a series of American support and initiatives generated from the summit, the US government would be creating what it called “the African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership (APRRP, “A-Prep” for short), with “a new investment of $110 million per year for three to five years to build the capacity of African militaries to rapidly deploy peacekeepers in response to emerging conflict, a concept that holds powerful life-saving potential.”

It is President Obama’s lasting gift to Africa. He is helping Africa by training and arming soldiers from countries that rely on the gun to stay in power. Compared to all other abuses our continent receives from outsiders this one seems to hurt the most. It was a moment of Et tu, Obama? Is this how you pay your cousins? Sending the gun instead of bread? Sending the solder instead of the doctor? Calling them ‘Peace Keeping Force’ is that good old American trick of giving an awful thing a pretty sounding name. It was not long ago President Regan named the MX missile that was capable of turning the Soviet Union into one big parking lot the ‘Peacekeeper’.

The African peace Keeping force he is proposing conjures up visions of the condition of Latin America in the sixties, seventies and eighties that saw the procession of Military Juntas with the training and active support of the US. We are watching history repeat itself – the game is the same but the venue has changed.

We Ethiopians in the US supported Obama’s Presidency among other reasons is the hope and belief that he would forcefully bring the issue of Human Rights and Good Governance to the table. Despite his high sounding and intoxicating rhetoric he has failed to contribute positively towards the African Renaissance.

Right now my focus is not on the policy advanced by the administration that would only increase Africa’s suffering. Looking at the composition of the group nominated to be in charge I have no doubt burning, looting, and rape are considered peace keeping methods. Assembling solders from Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda is like picking the City police force from the local penitentiary. I doubt any African is excited about being a continent trotting mercenary in the employ of one super power or another. What the heck we Ethiopians are good at killing each other why not kill strangers and still get paid for it is another way of looking at it. Do you think it is a win-win situation for savage Woyane?

Let us talk about Ethiopia and our reaction to the policy of coddling tyrants, insane and certified psychopathic African strongmen by the ‘Democratic’ West. We never tire pointing out the inconsistency between word and deeds by the West. Are we correct in calling them coward and selfish? Do you think they should have done more including using economic and military tools to punish dictators and human rights abusers?

I am sure all my readers agree the West has not done much to help the aspirations of non-white people to be free. In fact it can be said the West has actively worked to thwart the quest for freedom. Everybody knows that. Putting that aside do we Ethiopians believe the West to be entirely responsible for our misfortune? Or do we share the blame?

In the interest of fairness this is what policy makers in the West witness when they see their options on how to interact with our country and people. They look at the Ethiopian government and see one big pyramid scheme with a taint of ethnocentrism and a dash of thuggish behavior mixed with a spoon full of ignorance. Unfortunate for us they also get to notice how the population both at home and in the Diaspora react to such abuse and mis-use of power. The Western policy maker gets to see as we really are-warts and all.

I am not going thru a laundry list of the crimes of the TPLF or their lack of empathy and their capacity for unsatisfiable greed. I am sure Western Policy makers are aware of Woyane’s sick state of mind. Thanks to Wiki leaks we are today sure the US knows where all the skeletons are buried. Time will tell. Anyway let us not worry about outsiders.

What else do you think they see? They see a Diaspora that fled Ethiopia through different means and in the process of rebuilding in foreign lands. They also notice the same Diaspora that has become the cash cow of the government that is still practicing the policy of displacement that made them flee their homeland. The western policy maker observes the Diaspora to be a primary contributor to the welfare of the Woyane regime.

What are the ways the Diaspora help the TPLF Government to rule with an iron fist and abuse our people and country? The Diaspora money is cash with no strings attached. The Diaspora is a major player in the condominium building process on land leased from Woyane owners. The Diaspora is a sure market for Ethiopian Airlines. The Diasporas contribution lubricates the Woyane cash need – the lease scam is used to corrupt the civil servant, the building frenzy keep EFFORT floating and Ethiopian Airlines is a Woyane taxi and cash cow with plenty of fringe benefits doled out by TPLF based on ones’ ethnic origin.

Today the Diaspora can dine on injera that’s is made in Ethiopia and flown packed in plastic to the USA. It is no surprise to see Ethiopian owned dining and entertainment establishments here in the US stock their bars with Woyane controlled Brewery and its Woyane supply chain, cook our food with spices from home imported by Woyane business men (always in the background) and swear by butter and grain brought in container ships all facilitated by the ruling group in one way or another. They export those basic necessities to amass dollars that in turn finds its way out of the country to be deposited in savings or buy Real Estate with cash all over the world, especially here in the US. We have the list.

Diaspora can dine on injera

This behavior is definitely not good or end good for all involved. How we got into this is part of our history. We are not the first one to fall on hard times nor will we be the last. Right now our concern is how to climb out of the deep hole we have dug for ourselves. We totally do not want to insistently dwell on the past and relive our mistakes or endlessly recount the many ways Woyane’ are evil. No sir we want to about talk what we can do in response.

The last few years activists and community organizers allocated plenty of time, cash and other resources to closely work with Politicians, community leaders and other decision makers in the West to bring change at home. We are proud to make Human Right in Ethiopia the discussion in the halls of the US Congress and European Union. Our country will always remember all those brave Ethiopians that stood with their people despite extreme heat and freezing cold all over the world. It is safe to say that our effort has at times tamed the savage regime.
Our effort has shown promise at times but it is becoming obvious that it never is a game changer. It is our problem and we are the only ones that can solve it to our satisfaction. When solution is imposed or incubated by outsiders it never lasts long and one is back to the drawing board within a short time. Logic dictates that we devise a way to do the job ourselves. Once outsiders see that we are trying I am sure they will be happy to help because no one is loved and worshiped more than a winner.

The solution to our problem is all around us. We learn from those that fought for freedom before us. I know it is our second time around but I wouldn’t mention that if I were you. The American Revolution started by dumping English tea in Boston harbor. The colonies were refusing to pay taxes without consent and the rest is history.

Ever since then history book is full of wars, civil wars, civil strife and civil unrest where people fought to be free. That is what we are doing now. Fighting to be free once again. Finishing the job that started over fifty years ago.

The answer is very simple in the face of it but very difficult in the implementation. Normally humans act based on selfish interest. But there are times due to circumstances we act in ways that is hurtful not only to others but ourselves. That is what is happening in Ethiopia. We the children that were lucky to leave our home and build a good life outside at times do things that end up hurting those we love while empowering the evil doers. I am sure some do it because that is what they are, morally bankrupt and weak. On the other hand there are a lot that given the fact would not hesitate to do what is morally right.

We have to strive to empower our people. Our culture, the relentless war waged against our core values by the Woyane regime is toxic but we have shown we are resilient. That is exactly the reason there are no credible grass roots organizations based on ethnicity or religion in our home land. The ones we see today (OPDO, ANDM blah blah) are the brain child of Woyane and the laughing stock of our nation.
That is the wonderful foundation we are given the opportunity to build on. Surely devising a way and convincing our people to act in self-interest is not beyond our capacity is it?

The culture of being held accountable and behaving in a responsible manner towards each other are values we have to encourage. Being aware Woyane to be the root cause of our problem, we have to have the strength and conviction to take the next logical action – avoid all dealings with Woyane. It is consciously staying away from all situations that would force us to deal with the regime or its agents unless it is of utmost importance. Marginalization of Woyane, their supporters and their products is one of the most potent weapon we possess.
Should we form an Organization, a Committee or a Chapter to organize this momentous undertaking? May be. My experience in such matters is not encouraging. On the other hand it is a good idea to come out with different ways of reaching the stake holders. Educating the people is the key to the campaign. We are able to undertake the task of education when we stop our voracious appetite to hear the evil Woyane tales and fables. Enough said.

It is not about the West. It is not about TPLF Woyane. It is all about each and every one of us. How could they have respect for us when we tolerate the abuse of our people? A few knowingly or out of ignorance participate in this feeding frenzy. (See how easy it is to get diverted?) I forgot it is not about them. The question I should answer is if I am following the program of loving Ethiopia and avoiding Woyane and associates? Nothing less nothing more. It is not about my neighbor it is about me.

What we are about to do is proven to work. Gandhi used it against the British, Martin Luther King Jr. used it against segregationists, South Africans thru ANC urged all foreigners to divest from their country and today it is widely used to force Corporations change their behavior when it gets out of line.

Indians went without salt during the salt boycott and endured, Black Americans walked miles to avoid taking the bus and won, manufacturing companies closed or reduced work hours and Black South Africans lost wages and today they enjoy freedom. To discuss whether our action will hurt our people is insane. Human life and dignity is not something to bargain with. No one is willing to serve as a slave no matter the pay. We will not serve Woyane rule under any circumstances or negotiate about servitude.

Surely going without injera, not drinking Woyane beer, not taking Ethiopian Air Lines, not building on stolen land, not sending money using Woyane agents is a sacrifice we should bear with dignity on behalf of freedom and equality. Here is a wonderful quote ‘To achieve goals you’ve never achieved before, you need to start doing things you’ve never done before’. Avoiding Woyane is a good place to start.

Agonizing to reinvent the dead horse Woyane is futile

by Teshome Debalke

Woyane is dead horse and every stooge knows it. But, like anything dead the real and imagined memory lingers long after from letting it go. For those that benefited and built their life around its criminality it is difficult to let go than others that don’t know any better. Therefore, coming up with all kinds of excuses to hang on to the dead is expected.

Naturally, goodwill of any entity long gone would keep people going in the human experience. But, Woyane has none; driven by the ideology of Apartheid, the economy of extortion, the rule of terror and the dialog of deceit, noting could be worthless than that.

Under such awful record is where the stooges are agonizing to resurrect and reinvent the dead Woyane and, it is not pretty sight. What is even more comical is their audacity to recreate it into something different altogether using the same old methods.

This is where human nature gets ugly beyond return to miss the opportunity of atonement. The inability to accept reality is time tested human behavior to the bottom and, the stooges of Woyane are a classic example.

Let’s not celebrate too much on expenses of the stooges. We all have the moment of illusion at one time or another in life. But, once we see reality hits home we won’t make a jack ass out of ourselves.

But, Woyane stooges keep pushing the envelope stuck with the dead horse to nowhere. Instead of abandoning illusion for the reality they keep attempting to resurrect or reinvent the dead to something else that it is not.

That my people isn’t normal state of mind even for stooges of any dictatorship.

Quite frankly, I don’t think people know what Woyane injects its stooges to behave the way they do but, it is not funny and we must prepare ourselves for the worst.

The fact the masterminds of ethnic Apartheid calling our people terrorists from their hidings is a good indication the stooges are in a state of denial of the reality to keep riding a dead horse. The fact the officials are hiding from the public whispering with imaginary Al-Qaida or with the ghost of their dead leader is an indication they are in the illusion of living in the afterlife. The fact they believe anything they are told as the holy truth is an indication their brain is wired with Apartheid ideology and the trickledown economics of corruption. The fact the stooges trumpeting Hi-ha and dance around the dead horse on the Media is another indication of bubbling head working its tricks not to accept the reality with grace.

I wish there was easy way for the stooges face reality in their bubbling head. It is like living in a sand castle and crying foul when they wake up in a pile of dirt. The 19th century British poet and scholar A.E. Housman put it best when he said ‘The house of delusions is cheap to build but drafty to live in’.

Drafty it is, and the last thing the stooges should do is agonize over when reality slaps the devil out of them on something that was doomed from the start. Congregating with their bubble head comrades to find an easy way out of the reality won’t help either. As the Arab proverb says ‘Lying and stealing are next-door neighbors’ or as our own proverb says ‘አባቱ ዳኛ ልጁ ቀማኛ’. Most hopelessly, blaming others in a make-believe propaganda is a poor excuse to nowhere. In short, any way you shake it or bake it Woyane is a dead horse that need quick and unceremonious burial to move on.

I know…I know it is hard to swallow when decades of living in a bubble comes back to bite you on the ass. But it beats living with the poison, and the possibility of honest and honorable life.

By the way, the stooges of Woyane shouldn’t feel lonely in a world of bubble heads. Most of Africa is full of stooges like them. That is why most Africa is a laughing stock and the basket case of the world. Like them, the best bubble head stooges of dictatorships can come up with is recycle begging and stealing to call it growth and transformation.

Therefore, every time they open their mouth to insult our intelligence remember, It doesn’t even require fake diploma to understand no nation grow and transform by begging and stealing. Thus, facing the reality: Woyane is nothing but professional beggar and a thief with no honor or goodwill is the first step in the right direction. As the Indian proverb says ‘A thief is a thief, whether he steals a diamond or a cucumber’. Better yet, the German proverb says ‘set a beggar on horseback, and he’ll outride the Devil’.

What I say is not a political statement or an insult, it is the reality. I am simply passing on the message. Agonizing to label me terrorist, anti this-and-that or kidnap and jail me is not going to change the reality nor revive a dead horse into something worthy.

Therefore, my advice to the stooges, particularly the Media operators is simple. There is no honor serving or apologizing for Woyane except riding on a dead horse to nowhere. The truth is the only salvation for the stooges. As Mark Twain ‘said, ‘if you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything’.

If you can’t handle the truth; you have a vested interest on a dead horse to insult and terrorize your way out of the reality. The only hope is living in hiding with stolen money a life of a fugitive.

Speaking of stolen money, the bible says ‘stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth’. That is preciously why Woyane stooges speak with both side of their mouth. Surprisingly, the big thieves are hiding while the little thieves are screaming the loudest.
As the Swahili proverb says ‘the company of a thief is a thief. Therefore, when you see two or more stooges come together to talk about anything ask; what good would a summit of thieves besides planning the next heist?

Watching the online Media lately, I can’t help notice the agony the stooges go through to make-believe of their heist and find good distractions from the reality. The long buried ‘dear leader’ along war drum with Eritrea is back. The last distractions (the imaginary Grand Ethiopian Renascence Dam and Growth Transformation plan) that brought out all kinds of pseudo PHDs from the woodwork is no longer useful replaced by the dead tyrant’s legacy and war with Eritrea. The aim is to change the narrative from the ongoing discussions and mobilizations of Ethiopians to oust Woyane. Closer look on the usual Medias down playing the reality on the ground into entertaining the new detractions will intensify.

The agony the stooges go through to cover up the crimes of Woyane to preserve the distractive force is admirable. As irrational as it may look for many, such nonsensical dedication that requires predisposition to embrace criminality make it happen, criminality rules.

Don’t blame the messengers or those that pay the ultimate price to fight criminality but those that agonize over how to make everyone criminal to make Woyane look good.