The battle for freedom in Ethiopia is a struggle to get the answer for the WHY questions. It is a war between tyranny and freedom movements to keep the people ignorant or enlightened respectively, noting more or less to it. Which sides of the battle we choose to be determines freedom and the fate of our people. Those that skirt the WHY question to fit their agenda are parasites that live off the blood and sweat of our people; expanding the grips and extending the life of tyranny. They are the living dead, noting more or less to them.
by Teshome Debalke
The article ‘Why’ in the Land of ‘No why’ by Brother Muktar M. Omer nailed the most important question of freedom and democracy in Ethiopia. It triggered me to speak my mind and put the issue to rest. The simple fact, we as people couldn’t ask the why question and get the appropriate answer tell the story of our predicaments under tyranny for too long. Likewise, the failure to establish the right institutions to identify the responsible parties and institutions of tyranny to ask the WHY questions and demand answer itself requires the WHY question.
At present, there is no dispute we are under a degenerate ethnic tyranny that sees the WHY question as the end of its illegitimate and corrupt rule. At the meantime, its stooges and supporters see it as an end of their rent seeking-afforded to them by the same tyranny. Others see it ‘what is it in for me’ in their quest to benefit from the chaos ethnic tyranny created. In contrast, the rest of Ethiopians see the WHY question as a life-and- death issue of freedom and liberty to end tyranny for good. These divergences of interests are what got us into endless squabble among ourselves and with tyranny and its riffraff. The saddest thing of all is it doesn’t require a PhD to figure out the WHY questions and the responsible parties to answer them. But, we keep on asking the wrong question at the wrong time by splitting hair and wasting time from burying tyranny for good.
We must understand the WHY question isn’t going away until it is answered in the public interest until tyranny no more. Nor, we should expect tyranny to answer the WHY question against its very existence. Our misunderstanding of the nature of tyranny is costing lives and resources. The more we entertain tyranny can see beyond it survival the more we fail to reach freedom and democracy. Therefore, we might as well deal with the nature of tyranny head-on and once-and-for-all and move on to the next steps of making the responsible parties accountable. Failure to address this simple fact is where millions of our people are suffering under tyranny.
Before I say the way the why question should be addressed let me say how I came around to answer it for myself and live by its creeds. Early in life I swore not to associate or join any organization or group that doesn’t answer the WHY question of my people if hell freezes over. This personal decision wasn’t out of enlightenment or some divine intervention. It was not defiantly for personal interest on the expenses of my people. Simply, love and respect to the rights of my people and my demand for answer to the WHY question thought me a hard lesson. Individual in the position of responsibility are not willing to answer or afraid of the WHY question. I quickly realize the nature of tyranny runs deep at individual level in avoiding the WHY question of public interest. Later in life, I experienced the same behavior at institutional level; running from the WHY question in one institution or another.
Therefore, I recognized institutional transparency the key to answer the WHY question. Ever since, I have no respect, recognition, or interest in any institution that doesn’t answer the WHY question on the universal suffrage and the political, social economic rights of my people, the Ethiopians.
In a simple democratic language, no mandate, no rule of law and no accountability; no respect, no recognition and no interest in such regimes, institutions or groups no matter how much they pander to my personal above my people’s interest. I particularly detest those that peddle on ethnicity, religion, region… as excuse not to answer the WHY question of my people. I believe, they are not only playing the ‘us against them’ game contrary to Ethiopiawinet but, incapable of entertaining the WHY question as a moving targets.
I also reached a conclusion; for the most part our contemporary intellectuals are not up to the job of taking our people to the promise land. Pandering for their individual interest of power and lust by all means they failed raising the WHY questions on behalf of our people. Beyond that, I watched when they reduced the bigger public interest into pity squabble willing to waste time; watching lives and limbs lost and the integrity of our people and nation compromised, contrary to the sprit of Ethiopiawinet.
Therefore, the article ‘Why’ in the Land of ‘No why’ by Brother Muktar is timely and stirred me up to say my thoughts. It is unavoidable question that must be dealt with institutionally by all responsible parties. Without addressing it transparently in the interest our people there is no going forward.
Who is frightened of the WHY question?
No need to list the unanswered WHY questions of the public in the last century that traumatized, tormented, robbed and reduced us into poverty, we are living it. In fact, it is so obvious for all; including the benefactors of tyranny they are chasing those that ask the WHY question. Our tormentors didn’t learn from the millions of death and destruction they caused to our people and country. They still ridicule and mock us on our suffering. They still insult our intelligence in public by showing their ugly faces everyday. They still tell us they are doing us a favor; growing and transforming the economy to feed us ‘three meals a day’. They still produce dramas; telling us they are the best thing that happened to us in millennium. The still call us terrorist, extremist, anarchist…for asking the WHY question.
The shameless Shemlse Kimal, ‘Deputy Information Minster’ audacity to tell us, Ethiopians we are not supposed to ask the WHY questions together but separately. In another words, we have to ask permission from the brazen ethnic tyranny when, where, why and how we can associate with our own flash and blood. When tyranny reached the bottom of the pits not far from where it started that is what we get.
The bald-faced Deputy Minster Custom Gabrewahid Wolde-Giorgis of TPLF that asked the WHY question 40 years too late is another shameless criminal of the ruling regime we have been subjected to be ruled under. His cry for WHY; when a kangaroo court of the ethnic tyranny he helped erect knocks on his door is typical. Many of us are guilty one time or another either asking the WHY question at the wrong time or for the wrong reasons, if we ever ask it at all until it knocks on our doors. Those that claim victims of regimes don’t ask the WHY question when they victimize others either.
Our contemporaries self-serving behavior opened the door for the lowest denominator to emerge in our tyranny infested society; followed by all kinds of division, wars, conflicts, atrocities, corruption, misery and hopelessness because we failed to ask the WHY question early on and demand an answer when someone is unjustly killed, imprisoned, loss livelihoods and rights violated. Instead we trip over each other to take advantage of each others’ misery. That must be stopped and it will.
Our forefathers ingenuity and wisdom that understood justice 1000 of years ago that sustain us for too long is no where to be found in our contemporary elites in the 21st century. The best they do is blaming the past not to answer the WHY question of the present. How we degenerated to this level demands the WHY question and honest answers by itself.
The ‘WHY’ question has an easy answer if we have our people’s interest at heart. But, it is hard for many of our contemporaries; pandering one thing or another. Until we ask the WHY question collectively in the interest of our people we can chase one tyrant or another but we will never see the day of freedom and peace in our beloved country.
We must first ask ourselves; why we ask the WHY question too little too late? Why we are not tuned; asking the WHY question and getting the appropriate answer is the rights of every citizen and the only way out of tyranny? Why do we fail to understand we can’t hide behind our ethnicity, religion, region, or ideology not to answer the WHY question of the people? Why is it hard for us to come together to setup the institutions to ask the WHY question on behalf of our people?
by Teshome Debalke
The article ‘Why’ in the Land of ‘No why’ by Brother Muktar M. Omer nailed the most important question of freedom and democracy in Ethiopia. It triggered me to speak my mind and put the issue to rest. The simple fact, we as people couldn’t ask the why question and get the appropriate answer tell the story of our predicaments under tyranny for too long. Likewise, the failure to establish the right institutions to identify the responsible parties and institutions of tyranny to ask the WHY questions and demand answer itself requires the WHY question.
At present, there is no dispute we are under a degenerate ethnic tyranny that sees the WHY question as the end of its illegitimate and corrupt rule. At the meantime, its stooges and supporters see it as an end of their rent seeking-afforded to them by the same tyranny. Others see it ‘what is it in for me’ in their quest to benefit from the chaos ethnic tyranny created. In contrast, the rest of Ethiopians see the WHY question as a life-and- death issue of freedom and liberty to end tyranny for good. These divergences of interests are what got us into endless squabble among ourselves and with tyranny and its riffraff. The saddest thing of all is it doesn’t require a PhD to figure out the WHY questions and the responsible parties to answer them. But, we keep on asking the wrong question at the wrong time by splitting hair and wasting time from burying tyranny for good.
We must understand the WHY question isn’t going away until it is answered in the public interest until tyranny no more. Nor, we should expect tyranny to answer the WHY question against its very existence. Our misunderstanding of the nature of tyranny is costing lives and resources. The more we entertain tyranny can see beyond it survival the more we fail to reach freedom and democracy. Therefore, we might as well deal with the nature of tyranny head-on and once-and-for-all and move on to the next steps of making the responsible parties accountable. Failure to address this simple fact is where millions of our people are suffering under tyranny.
Before I say the way the why question should be addressed let me say how I came around to answer it for myself and live by its creeds. Early in life I swore not to associate or join any organization or group that doesn’t answer the WHY question of my people if hell freezes over. This personal decision wasn’t out of enlightenment or some divine intervention. It was not defiantly for personal interest on the expenses of my people. Simply, love and respect to the rights of my people and my demand for answer to the WHY question thought me a hard lesson. Individual in the position of responsibility are not willing to answer or afraid of the WHY question. I quickly realize the nature of tyranny runs deep at individual level in avoiding the WHY question of public interest. Later in life, I experienced the same behavior at institutional level; running from the WHY question in one institution or another.
Therefore, I recognized institutional transparency the key to answer the WHY question. Ever since, I have no respect, recognition, or interest in any institution that doesn’t answer the WHY question on the universal suffrage and the political, social economic rights of my people, the Ethiopians.
In a simple democratic language, no mandate, no rule of law and no accountability; no respect, no recognition and no interest in such regimes, institutions or groups no matter how much they pander to my personal above my people’s interest. I particularly detest those that peddle on ethnicity, religion, region… as excuse not to answer the WHY question of my people. I believe, they are not only playing the ‘us against them’ game contrary to Ethiopiawinet but, incapable of entertaining the WHY question as a moving targets.
I also reached a conclusion; for the most part our contemporary intellectuals are not up to the job of taking our people to the promise land. Pandering for their individual interest of power and lust by all means they failed raising the WHY questions on behalf of our people. Beyond that, I watched when they reduced the bigger public interest into pity squabble willing to waste time; watching lives and limbs lost and the integrity of our people and nation compromised, contrary to the sprit of Ethiopiawinet.
Therefore, the article ‘Why’ in the Land of ‘No why’ by Brother Muktar is timely and stirred me up to say my thoughts. It is unavoidable question that must be dealt with institutionally by all responsible parties. Without addressing it transparently in the interest our people there is no going forward.
Who is frightened of the WHY question?
No need to list the unanswered WHY questions of the public in the last century that traumatized, tormented, robbed and reduced us into poverty, we are living it. In fact, it is so obvious for all; including the benefactors of tyranny they are chasing those that ask the WHY question. Our tormentors didn’t learn from the millions of death and destruction they caused to our people and country. They still ridicule and mock us on our suffering. They still insult our intelligence in public by showing their ugly faces everyday. They still tell us they are doing us a favor; growing and transforming the economy to feed us ‘three meals a day’. They still produce dramas; telling us they are the best thing that happened to us in millennium. The still call us terrorist, extremist, anarchist…for asking the WHY question.
The shameless Shemlse Kimal, ‘Deputy Information Minster’ audacity to tell us, Ethiopians we are not supposed to ask the WHY questions together but separately. In another words, we have to ask permission from the brazen ethnic tyranny when, where, why and how we can associate with our own flash and blood. When tyranny reached the bottom of the pits not far from where it started that is what we get.
The bald-faced Deputy Minster Custom Gabrewahid Wolde-Giorgis of TPLF that asked the WHY question 40 years too late is another shameless criminal of the ruling regime we have been subjected to be ruled under. His cry for WHY; when a kangaroo court of the ethnic tyranny he helped erect knocks on his door is typical. Many of us are guilty one time or another either asking the WHY question at the wrong time or for the wrong reasons, if we ever ask it at all until it knocks on our doors. Those that claim victims of regimes don’t ask the WHY question when they victimize others either.
Our contemporaries self-serving behavior opened the door for the lowest denominator to emerge in our tyranny infested society; followed by all kinds of division, wars, conflicts, atrocities, corruption, misery and hopelessness because we failed to ask the WHY question early on and demand an answer when someone is unjustly killed, imprisoned, loss livelihoods and rights violated. Instead we trip over each other to take advantage of each others’ misery. That must be stopped and it will.
Our forefathers ingenuity and wisdom that understood justice 1000 of years ago that sustain us for too long is no where to be found in our contemporary elites in the 21st century. The best they do is blaming the past not to answer the WHY question of the present. How we degenerated to this level demands the WHY question and honest answers by itself.
The ‘WHY’ question has an easy answer if we have our people’s interest at heart. But, it is hard for many of our contemporaries; pandering one thing or another. Until we ask the WHY question collectively in the interest of our people we can chase one tyrant or another but we will never see the day of freedom and peace in our beloved country.
We must first ask ourselves; why we ask the WHY question too little too late? Why we are not tuned; asking the WHY question and getting the appropriate answer is the rights of every citizen and the only way out of tyranny? Why do we fail to understand we can’t hide behind our ethnicity, religion, region, or ideology not to answer the WHY question of the people? Why is it hard for us to come together to setup the institutions to ask the WHY question on behalf of our people?
