African Renaissance leaders what a joke

What a let down for the British government and all the Western Governments, that saw Meles as an aspiring leader of a new generation of African Renaissance leaders. I wonder what made these Westerners feel that Meles and his likes were any different than there predecessors? Did they ever question how Meles was able to reach his position within his own party? Wasn’t it the same Meles that ascended to the top of TPLF rank and file through deceit and killing? After all, the whole TPLF organization is known for solving all their problems through killings and atrocity.

A brief rundown of TPLF’s opponents and how this notorious organization has managed to solve its problems:

· TLF (Tigrai Liberation Front) one of the first opponents of TPLF. Disagreement between the two was solved with an overnight massacre of all TLF members with only two or three escaping the bloodbath.
· EDU (Ethiopian Democratic Union) led by former Tigrai governor Ras Megesha Seyoum, did mange to defeat TPLF during the early years, thus the reason for TPLF’s animosity till this day for Ras Mengesha.
· EPRP (Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Party), another massacre levied by TPLF on their key opponent during the days of the jungle.
· Derg, well we all know what transpired between these two.
· EPLF (Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front) once the mentor organization for TPLF became their nemesis after gaining power. As you all remember, their differences was solved the old fashion way with the killings of thousands on both sides.

In short, TPLF has always solved its differences with opposing functions through the barrel of the gun. So what were we expecting from this malicious group when faced with their new adversary CUD?

Change has always been the last thing on Meles’s mind. He never had any plans or wishes to hand over power to the opposition. May 15th was the day that the Ethiopian population sent a clear and unmistakable message to Meles and company that they have overstayed their welcome. But the government in Addis is adamant on staying on. So which part of “we don’t want you anymore” they don’t understand I have no idea.

Previous Ethiopian regimes that overstayed their welcome have had nasty downfalls. The current Ethiopian establishment seems to be no exception to this historical rule. On May 15th there was a clear message in black and white that did not leave any room for doubts. However, that message has fallen on deaf ears.
Give it time, and we will be witnessing the downfall of the Meles regime in a way never seen by the Ethiopian public. The more harsher the regime, the harder they fall. What worries me is not when EPRDF will go down but how many lives will be wasted before EPRD’s demise.

ETHIOPIA...WHO KNEW?....

Guest: Amy Sullivan


ETHIOPIA...WHO KNEW?....Thought I should mention that right now, a few thousand Ethiopians are conducting a protest march around the White House (and, consequently, under our windows as well), pretty much shutting down traffic for six or seven blocks. The consensus here in the office is that it's nice to see a focused march for once. No twenty-seven different signs for various causes here. Just lots of green, yellow, and red flags and signs that read, "USA, Condemn the Massacre in Ethiopia." Also, some very catchy music blasting so loud that you should probably not trying calling our offices for a little while.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some internet research to do, as I'm apparently shamefully uninformed about the situation in Ethiopia. Job well done, Ethiopian protesters. President Bush may be hanging out in Asia, and Condi Rice is in the Middle East. But you've made it impossible for The Washington Monthly to ignore you!

Amy Sullivan

Diaspora Politics

Ethiopians in the Diaspora have either become clueless for many things or are getting high on some of the grass left over from the 70s. The reality in Ethiopia is by far different from what we here in the Diaspora think. We have become detached from reality that we have become the laughing stock of the whole country. If you ask me, I think we should just ignore the whole idea of going home to retire and plan on looking for a nice spot in the sunshine state of Florida. And since most of us don’t even have any form of retirement plan such as a 401k or a simple IRA we should just cross our fingers and hope for the best that social security will be around when we reach our 60s.

Isn’t it funny how we in the Diaspora love to do the flip-flop when it comes to supporting or despising our political figures? Take Dr. Birhanu for instance, one time hero and now an enemy in many circles for taking a moderate stand and mind you this all happened in a matter of weeks. How about Lidetu? A hero to many a few weeks back: and now an adversary to many. And the latest punching bags for the Diaspora are the Drs. Merara and Beyene. The Diaspora considered these two individuals, the future leaders of Ethiopia just a mere month ago when they came to the States for UEDF’s executive meeting. But now, the likes of Dr. Negede and the leader of EPRP God knows who or she is since their leadership believes in a hiding from public have stripped them of their positions as chair and vice chair of the organization. Now how pathetic is that? To begin with, the fifty-two or so members of UEDF elected to parliament belong to Dr. Beyene’s and Dr. Merara’s individual parties. Without these two individual parties, the other parties who are part of UEDF mount to nothing. I mean lets be real, how many members does MEISON have? Three or five tops!

For many political refugees in the West the time is ticking. Lets be real, it has been thirty-one years since the late emperor was overthrown. So if some of these individuals were in their mid-twenties back then, then we are looking at social security age in the horizon. So if I am not mistaken, they are desperate and time is not on their side. So it comes as no surprise when these individuals want the folks back home to rise up and revolt against EPRDF no matter what the consequence might be providing the government is overthrown. But keep in mind the “folks back home” part. It’s always easy to think that way when you don’t have to face Agazzi firing squad. I think Dr. Berhanu said it best when asked if he will support a move to fight EPRDF? He said he couldn’t support something that he would not allow his own kids to engage in.

Antagonizing these prominent individuals in Ethiopia is a plus to EPRDF and does not benefit the opposition at large. The fracture created among the supporters of the opposition is key in whether or not these two parties will survive the onslaught directed at them from all sides. CUD & UEDF leaders face the firing squad on a daily basis as we speak. So the last thing they need is pressure form thousands of miles away from the likes of Dr. Negede and company. If the Diaspora still insists on getting involved in Ethiopian politics, may I suggest that they purchase a one-way ticket on the one-stretch flight and head home to try their hand in Ethiopian politics? If they are not up to this challenge, then I suggest that they shut their mouth and become spectators and give up their Monday morning quarterbacking.

Let’s leave them alone

Dr. Merara and Dr. Beyene have gone their separate ways. The way I see it, they have the right and obligation for their constituents. Whether or not they will be effective in Parliament is yet to be seen. But we have no right to despise or deem them as traitors since we never voted for these two individuals to begin with. They are only accountable to their respective constituents. But this whole idea of making someone a hero when he/she follows our belief and the moment that individual steps out of bounds from our way of thought, bashing and degrading them has to come to a stop.

Who are we to have the moral high ground from seven thousands miles to dictate to the likes of Dr. Merara, Dr. Beyene and the rest of the opposition leaders to oblige to our demands. And don’t even say that we in the Diaspora represent the Ethiopian people. The leaders of the opposition are the ones facing EPRDF forces on a daily bases. Their lives are always in danger. Let them fight the fight the way they think fit. Let us not make this our fight. We can only be productive by supporting them either financially or morally. CUD and UEDF need our support. Let us not get in the way of progress. Let us for a change, support the first legitimate oppositions in our land to get to the promised land.

Good Luck

To say that the people of Ethiopia are going through a severe anxiety stage would be an understatement. The talk around town is whether the opposition (CUD) will eventually join the parliament or stick with their stand of boycotting parliament which they believe is nothing more than a rubber stamp parliament.

Some wonder if we will ever have a peaceful way of solving our political stalemate. From what I have been able to observe, I see hatred and vendetta on both sides and if we are to see some form of peaceful resolution to our current impasse, both sides need to check in their egos at the door and get back to the conference table to solve their differences peacefully for the sake of the nation and all the concerned citizens.

The ruling party needs to take the first step and take the higher ground and offer the olive branch to the opposition members so that they could come back to the round tables for more talks. And if that is to happen, and if Meles wants to be sincere, he should be their in person and not some newspaper editor or some two time political cadre from OPDO. Furthermore, Meles should bring along the likes of Girma Biru and other toned down EPRDF senior members to the round table and avoid the likes of Bereket, who has become more of a liability than an asset to the ruling party.

On the opposition side, the leadership has to recognize that nothing can be achieved by hard line stands and irrational rhetoric. Some times, one must swallow his/her pride to get what one wants. So the leadership should take a watered down approach and get the moderates to represent them in their talks with Meles and company.

As an avid observer of Ethiopian politics, I am beginning to speculate that the reason both Meles and Eng. Hailu come across as hard liners for the simple reason that both individuals have to answer to the hardcore members of their respective parties. If they were to water down some of their tough talks, I wonder how long these two could last as chair of their respective parties. But sometimes, leaders have to take risks for the betterment of their people and society. That’s when true leaders are born. Leaders with vision and love for their country. For me, I see Meles having more of a challenge to prove his allegiance to the whole population as opposed to Eng. Hailu.

I personally wish both men all the luck providing they have Ethiopia's interest at heart and not their parties.

What will Ethiopia’s future be?

As the cloak ticks down and the Ethiopian New Year looms around the horizon, both the opposition and the ruling party are in a huddle like great chess masters to outguess the others next moves. The opposition weighing the pros and cons of joining the next parliament, and the ruling party formatting a plan on how to best respond, and all this has increased our anxiety levels to a point never seen before.

The Ethiopian people are tired of this guessing game. The people deserve better. We need leaders with integrity and honor to lead us out of our misery. The ruling party has to understand that the people have spoken. In areas they have lost, they should face up to reality and be gracious losers. And like any loosing side, they should expedite the handover of power in a civilized manner. The opposition on the other hand has to realize that the faith of the people is in their hands. Any move they make will have a major ramification on the faith and destination of our people. So it is advisable that they think twice before they make their next move.

The sentiment of our people varies from place to place. There are those that don’t want to see a total distraction of EPRDF so as to counter balance the opposition groups and those that favor a total banishment of the ruling party all together. The latter opinion might be appealing to many; however, an all out expulsion of EPRDF might not be the most lucrative option in the long haul for our country. EPRDF, one has to realize is not a fly by night organization. It is a movement that has over a million members with the majority being of Oromo and Amhara origin. Even if their views do not coincide with many Ethiopians, it has to be argued that under any democratic society, no matter how small a following a group might have, it must be given its rightful place as an opposing view and should not be discarded as such. And if the opposition wants to win the hearts of the people, they should lead by example by accepting EPRDF’s opposing views and live by the cardinal rule of “agreeing to disagree.”

The wrangling between the opposition groups and the ruling party must cease. Both sides have the accountability to the people. Neither group can escape responsibility. Egos must be set aside for the good of the country. The ruling party must understand that you can’t win all the time. The opposition should also understand you can’t win a game with first at bat. Unless they come to some form of compromise, History will judge them as the generation that could have propelled Ethiopia to the next juncture but failed miserably.

The Purification Has Began

Considering that coup d'états were rampant and acceptable way of life in Africa in the 60’s 70’s 80’s and part of the 90’s. It is really refreshing to see that in most modern day African countries, power has began to change hands through the ballot box as opposed to the use of the barrel of the gun. It was a rarity to see among African leaders the likes of Sengor and Nyerere stepping down from office on their own terms. But as times have gone by and as we Africans have joined our rightful place in the world community, power grabbing by force is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

True, we still do have cases even under the disguise of democracy, where governments have managed to overstay their welcome by manipulating the ballot box in their favor. However, considering the journey we Africans have traveled, such scenarios will also be a thing of the past ones the people have been empowered with all the necessary knowledge and know-how needed to bring an end to fictitious democracies and replace them with bona fide form of government.

Despite all the wrangling that has taken place vis-à-vis the Ethiopian elections; one cannot deny that whatever the outcome, democracy is here to stay for good. The people of Ethiopia have tasted the power of the ballot box. There is no turning back. People have realized that it is their fundamental right to vote in and vote out their leaders. And as more and more people realize that, the chance of an unwanted leadership staying in power will be the thing of the past. Furthermore, citizens aspiring to ascend to the helm of power must prove to the people they are trustworthy and leadership material. Gone are the days when gunfights like the Wild, Wild West determined our leaders.

At the dawn of a new day, we Ethiopians must look forward to a new start, where myopic way of thinking will be a thing of the past. Let us not dwell too much on the past but long for a better Ethiopia where her people can leave in harmony under the guidance of democracy. Let the past be used as a teaching tool so as not to repeat some of our past mistakes.

As we embark on this new journey, we should teach the new generation that the word politics is not really a dirty word. And politicians are not all bad. In fact, we should encourage the young people to get interested in pursuing a life in politics. A culture of smooth transition of power can only be achieved if we have professionally trained leaders that are capable of taking part in elections and then moving on to lead the nation without having to create anxiety among the population. And as the title of this piece indicates, the purification in Ethiopia for a true democracy has begun.