In response to Temesgen Zewde’s “Let the people go!"

A feminist prospective
By Hirut Mesfin
I feel compelled to respond to this article. Whilst I am in agreement with the gist of Temesgen Zewde’s argument, about constitutional right to travel, the problem of unemployment and the lack of alternatives, I am deeply troubled with the underlying tone of the message which reveals indifference to the plight of young Ethiopian women. This attitude is not unique to the writer; it is manifested across the board. I had an opportunity to raise this issue with Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Tedros Adhanom. He too, pretty much concluded that it was “their right” to travel and no one can stop them. Nobody wants to address what these women are subjected to, before, in the run up to, during and after they travel- it is shocking. The whole thing is slavery dressed up as modern day travel in search of work.
This is an issue very close to my heart. As an Ethiopian woman and a lucky one to have gained a decent education from the start, I have been observing some disturbing elements about the raw deal the vast majority of Ethiopian women get both at home and abroad. Temesgen Zewde referred the government travel ban as “myopic, Stone Age and draconian”. Sir, what is myopic, Stone Age and draconian is a society and its government who accept the concept and practice of young, uneducated, ill equipped, ill informed desperate girls from poverty stricken families from Tigray in the North down to Arba Minch in the South are being shipped out of their country daily in their thousands to their demise in the Middle East! That should shame us all!
My issue with this article is, it wants to uphold the constitutional right to travel while ignoring the right of the individual/s basic need being trampled on. Why should disadvantaged sixteen, fourteen even thirteen year old girls who should be at school have to be the bread winners of their families in the first place? Why should they bear the brunt of economic upheaval of Ethiopia that claims to be growing 10 % per annum? Who is going to call for ban for this state and society sponsored gender specific abuse and neglect of women?

No easy way to democratize Ethiopia?

  Response to Tagel Getahun
By Andualem Tefera (Eskemeche

When I read Tagel Getahun’s article - Ethiopia: No Easy Way to Democratize Ethiopia, on one of the Ethiopian websites, I was shocked. Then I went to find out the original source of the article. Alas! – it was the REPORTER.

Taking it seriously, I figured this is not written by any lawyer ( Tagel Getahun Is a Lawyer. He Can Be Contacted At Tagelgbekele@yahoo.com ) or any one individual but by TPLF leaders, the governing body of the country. It is carefully planned, written, rewritten, reviewed, and collectively agreed upon by committee. The purpose of the article is to lay out the political calculation of TPLF leaders and tell Ethiopians where they stand. I understand you can read what is written and what is between the lines but I am going to give a reply with the understanding that it is an official TPLF article.

It starts with an unequivocal statement and continues:

 

“The business sphere and the powerhouse of the visionless Ethiopian oppositions must be corrected before it gets beyond repair.”

Who are they afraid of? Who is it targeting? In general it is the opposition and in particular it is:

“This is the simplest issue we need to sort out before judging the political choices that avail themselves on the national political scene.”

 “It is hard to say there is an opposition in the Ethiopian politics as the existing one is more of political speculators.”

“Though the majority of the opposition political figures are intellectuals, . . .”

“ . . . electoral resurgence of 2005, especially in Addis Abeba. Else, the only two interests they managed to represent are businessmen who love to lead the market place through oligopoly and the . . . urbanites that are opposed to the self-governance rights of every Ethiopian ethnic group.”

Why are business owners targeted?

“But the businessmen were doing every wrong in order to collect as much wealth as they could, using every means possible. Regrettably, instead of investing their returns on the manufacturing sector and expanding the local production of goods, they expatriated it.”