KINIJIT NOW ANDENET - The Way of Peace & Ethiopiawinet

Girma Kassa

Chicago (muziky68@yahoo.com)

February 29, 2008

Couple of month ago I got a chance to meet a gentleman who recently came from Ethiopia to visit the United States. We had a long intense but civil chat on the current situation in Ethiopia. The gentleman seemed to be honest and very objective in his over whole assessment. Since our eyes usually see only the bad parts of the EPRDF, for a change I asked this gentleman to tell me if there are any good items that the regime has done in Ethiopia.

He said that he had been living outside Ethiopia for more than 5 years and returned back right one year after the May Election. He told me that the EPRDF has changed a lot the country. Mainly he was impressed by the various constructions all over the regions. "You can go to Diredawa in 6, Awassa in 4, Debre Markos in 5 hours from Addis Ababa. If you look at cities like Nazareth, Mekele, Bahir Dar, Awassa ....they all have developed greatly. Many building construction and investments are taking place. The World Bank and many western countries have waived loans to Ethiopia. Former Prime Minister Blair, Secretary Rice, the then Secretary Rumsfeld, the then Chancellor Schroeder, Chancellor Merkel, The Japanese Prime Minister, the World Bank president and many more and more prominent individuals have visited Ethiopia. This shows Ethiopia has become visible on the African map. There were famine dangers but the regime was able to maintain it. At least they did not have in their watch millions dying in starvation like the Derg and Haile Selassie era. Universities and colleges are being built all over the place. Do you know that there are Universities in places like Jijiga and Samara (Afar)? All these are positive changes” he explained.

I interrupted him and asked why then have the regime lost the 97 election and was so hated by Ethiopians all over the country? "Let me finish … When I tell you all these accomplishments, it does not mean there are no problems. You asked me for the good things. You did not ask me for the bad ones. If you want to know the bad ones and why they lost the elections the answer is very clear. Even though there are positive changes in Ethiopia, if you ask "who is benefiting from these changes" and get an answer you will understand why this regime has lost the trust and confidence of the people. Only handful individuals have benefited from all these changes. All investments somehow are directly or indirectly controlled by the TPLF. So there is inequitable distribution of wealth. The fact only very few from one ethnic group are benefiting more has made the bitterness, anger and hate even more acute. On top of that the brutal actions they took to silence the CUD, ONC and OFDM supporters …., the crimes they are currently committing in Ogaden, the innocent unarmed civilians they killed, the hundred thousands they barbarically detained, the villages they burn down to the ground …. have all put a big scar on the mind of millions Ethiopians." the gentleman added.

"Ummm" I said listening to this neutral and enlightening assessment. The following day I gave a call to another person who also recently came from Ethiopia. I shared to him what the first gentleman told me and asked similar questions. I got confirmation that what I was told by the first gentleman was pretty much accurate. However the second gentleman explained to me the situation from a different angle. "If you go to Addis Ababa there are two cities. One City for the rich and the other for the poor. If you walk along the Bole road, it looks like you are in America. There are restaurants named under western cities..London Cafe, New York restaurant ...Yes there are many house constructions ...Houses are sold in millions of Birr. Who are the buyers? Rich merchants and those who came from the Diaspora. There are different groups- Boston Groups, Dallas Groups ...who build houses in groups. As you see this Addis Ababa is for the rich and for those from the Diaspora. How could one expect ordinary Ethiopian buy a house with one million birr? That by itself shows how rotten and immoral the system is. There is another Addis Ababa where 98% of the population lives. That Addis Ababa is in a very terrible situation. There are many people who eat only one meal a day. There are many Young people who do nothing but chew "chat". The situation there is terrible. One quintal of teff and other basic needs are out of control. Unless someone has a relative outside, you cannot live. At least during the Derg there were "hibret Souks" where you can get basic needs that you can afford. Now the life of the majority Ethiopians is getting worse. The regime is not hated because they are from one ethnic group. They are hated because the majority of Ethiopians are suffering and loosing hope. Unless some concrete changes are implemented I can guarantee you the whole think will collapse. Already robberies and thefts have grown exponentially. “he said.

Lately gasoline price has skyrocketed to almost 10 Birr per liter. The cost of Kerosene that regular Ethiopians use to cook their food has dramatically increased. 100 Kg teff is more than 680 Birr. One liter cooking oil is 62 Birr. Per the nazret Blogger Urael, loss of purchasing power has surpassed the 50% range due to inflation. “And the citizens of Ethiopia are feeling the pain directly. For as far as people had any purchasing power, they are loosing it, criminality is raising fast and the landowners from the north, as one minister called the Tigrayan beggars in Addis Ababa, have to share the generosity of the fortunate ones with many others. [1]” wrote Urael. Around Felluweha 18 fellow Ethiopians were seen surrounding a foreigner to get few coins. Kids are spending their time around hotels and restaurant to get “terefrafis” when they should have been sent to school and well cared for.

Our fellow Ethiopian brothers and sisters are living above the dead and below the livings. Their pride, their dignity their honor has been taken away from them. As Urael reported “It is this arrogance and probably also ignorance, that is pushing us down and only a small group of carefully selected ones, who are called the “elites” or the privileged, are celebrating and making profits out of the misery of the masses.”

Why would this ignorance and cruelty from the part of the leaders in Arat Kilo? Why the reluctance to take serious and drastic measures that moves our country to a better future? When do they stop working day and night, investing millions of dollars to preserve their power when our people are suffering? Don't these people have also children of their own? Or are they doing all these on purpose?

On January 16, 2008 I wrote:” Emotionally, psychologically and economically weakening the populations they rule is the first major tool dictators use to preserve their power. They create the sense of hopelessness and fear within the mind of the people and create a false image of invincibility. They inculcate the complete submission to their authority. Therefore, people will be too frightened to share their hatred of the dictatorship and their hunger for freedom. They become often terrified to think seriously of resisting the regime. Instead, as Gene Sharp said, they face ‘suffering without purpose and a future without hope’ [2]“

Could this be a systematic policy from the part of the regime to economically strangle Ethiopians at large by their neck, so that they only focus on getting bread but not their God given human and democratic rights?

If the answer is “yes”, then I would like to remind Ato Meles et company of the tragic story of the then King of France Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. It was on October 5 1789, that regular individuals marched on Versailles to demand their voices be heard. They stormed the palace the following day, killing several bodyguards of the King. At the end both the King and his wife ended up being guillotined. Their associates and supporters were one by one apprehended and killed.

The EPRDF officials could also get another good lesson from Somalia. Their empty bravado led to the invasion of another country. They taught they are invincible and could calm down everything so easily. Well, as is openly known now by the whole world, they could not even control and stabilize the capital Mogadishu, a city with less than a million residents. How can they stabilize a country with more than 70000 millions people should the volcano erupts? THEY CANNOT.

I hereby advise officials in Arat Kilo and their supporters to again come to their senses, humble themselves and do the right thing by listening first the Ethiopian People. They must recognize that they cannot stay in power forever. Whether they like it or not one day their rule will be over. It might be in days or weeks or months. The policies and their politics of arrogance have already alienated and pushed millions to the edges. Many are losing hope. The rope is being pulled further and further. Unless some concrete and visible changes are quickly implemented, situations will surely be out of control.

Talking about development is not enough. Holding sham elections are laughable and offensive. There need to be real changes in ways the government functions. Immediate actions to provide the very basic need of our poor people must be implemented. The judiciary and the NEBE have to be independent. The Ministry of Information must be disbanded and closed to be replaced by a board consisting of independent minded individuals. Independent radio and TV stations must be allowed. Organizations like the CUD must be given their name and election symbol, and allowed to function freely all over Ethiopia. Exiled political parties like the EPRP, ONLF, and OLF must be allowed to be part of the mainstream peaceful political activities. Civic right leaders and many who are unjustly languishing for years in prisons (Netsanet Demissie, Daniel Bekele, Abera Yemane Ab, Tsegaye Gebre Medhin – Debteraw ….) must unconditionally be released.

If the EPRDF, as it has been always the case, gives a deaf ear to calls for change, it would be a monumental political blunder of a historic proportion. It is like playing with wild fire that may end up consuming everything that was accomplished for the last 17 years. The people know who is doing what. There will be serious consequences for anyone who stands against the will of the people. “He who has an ear let him hear” says the Book of revelation. I HOPE those who need to hear will hear this time.

# posted by Kinijit- The Way of Peace @ 12:38 PM 0 comments

SOLIDARITY FORUM

By Dr Golto Aila

My dear compatriots,

For more than 30 years now Ethiopia has endured two tyrannical rules! Thousands, may be millions, have lost their lives directly or indirectly as a result of these tyrannical rules and thousands have been flung to the four winds, never to come back to the country of their birth! All forms of resistance have been attempted – passive resistance, active and peaceful, active and violent, and everything in between! The result of the resistance has invariably been failure except for the demise of the Mengistu regime (as a result of the rebel support by outside powers and loss of Russian support for the Mengistu regime)!

What is wrong with us ? A population of 70+ million people has consistently failed against the regime of the day, attempt after attempt! After every failure the questions on everybody’s lips, invariably were, and still are “what is wrong with us?”, “why can’t we agree on anything?” etc, etc! If the context of these questions weren’t and aren’t so serious, one would say they were and are laughable! Why? Because if only one quarter of the 70+ million people, one day decide not to go to work, or execute a sit-in in government offices, or ceaselessly demonstrate or if worse comes to the worst, throw only one stone each, the tyrant of the day would have been brought down to its knees in a matter of days! So what is the anatomy of our failure?

1. We fail to stand together and fight the tyrant!

2. Different political parties have mutual hostility which, to a bystander, appear to be worse than the hostility against the tyrant!

3. Even within the parties, we cannot respect the by-laws we crafted, we are dictatorial, and we have no respect for each other!

4. We put personal ambitions and ego ahead of the interest of our Motherland and her suffering people!

5. We fail to see that personal gratification – hand-outs from foreign or home-grown agents - will eventually hurt us and those whose hope depend on us!

6. We are insincere with ourselves – we ask questions such as “what is wrong with us?” when we know precisely what the answer is!

7. We don’t listen to each other and we don’t listen to ourselves!

8. We fail to see the power of forgiveness!

9. We fail to see strength in saying sorry for wrong doing!

10. We fail to see two wrongs cannot make a right!

11. We fail to appreciate pulling together is better, and more rewarding than tearing each other apart!

12. We point accusing fingers at others, and totally refuse to acknowledge our own mistakes!

13. We want to run when we haven’t even learnt to walk.

14. We love to tell the history of our Motherland and its people, while totally abdicating our responsibilities today for benefit of those who come after us tomorrow!

15. We fail to see the plight of children who have no food to eat, no medicine when they are sick, no parents to look after them, no place to call home!

16. WE FAIL TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!

17. Etc, etc, etc!!!!!!!

Obamania: Well, God has not totally forgotten us! He has brought a black man called Obama who has come to tell America about a word we use many times each day – CHANGE! He follows it with a reassuring “Yes We can”! In my daily routine I advise against infection, but how I wish we all get infected with the sentiment that is sweeping across America for the benefit Ethiopia! The words I quoted above and Obama are a recurring theme on EEDN these days - please just don’t use it as a slogan, but think about what those words will mean to those back home who suffer under the yoke of tyranny today!

Grass-root Movement: As many of you know we have been talking about the SOLIDARITY FORUM OF ETHIOPIA for several weeks now. A number of us have been working have been working behind the scene contacting various distinguished and ordinary individuals in our community both for support and ideas! This process is going on as I write this piece! I want to share with you the one question which almost every person I contacted asked:

“WHY DO YOU THINK THIS EFFORT WILL SUCCEED WHEN SIMILAR EFFORTS HAVE FAILED EVERYTIME IN THE PAST? WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME?”

These are legitimate questions asked by those who have given everything to the cause of their Motherland over and over again and returned EMPTY-HANDED everytime! They ask this questions not because they are cynical but because they are looking for a ray of hope so that they can hang on it for comfort!

There is an expression that I have used repeatedly in the past – it is insane to repeat the same method and expect a different result! In short that is precisely what my compatriots are saying to me, and I accept that!

So, my fellow Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia today I have a challenge for you all! Look at the list of the anatomy of our failures above and take the following action - create your own “My SOLIDARITY FORUM OF ETHIOPIA”!

1. Get together with your relatives, friends and neighbors and create discussion groups

2. Reach across the town and discuss with similar groups and form a larger group

3. Repeat the process throughout the country in which you live

4. Communicate with the FORUM founders as soon as the details are announced.

Yes, You Must Do It! We are masters of the art of organizing, let's do it for the Motherland this time!

What will be the topics of discussion?

1. How to tackle the short term problems of Ethiopia.

2. Promotion of our ancestral and historical spirit of independence and responsibility towards our society and country;

3. Exploration of our systems of coexistence (with our ethnic, gender, class, and other differences) to rethink, rearticulate and institutionalize workable social reform implementation strategies;

4. Setting the priority areas that need public attention and stating the associated problems and solutions;

5. Exploration of the ways and means of carrying out political reform along the genuine paths of liberating Ethiopia from patrimonial rule, namely the destructive personalized social, political, economic processes that lack a sense of social responsibility;

8. Adopting and practicing the culture of transparency;

9. Creation of an open, peaceful, cooperative and transparent work environment for civil society associations, political parties, and other groupings.

10. Promotion of the rule of law applicable for all Ethiopians, irrespective of the levels of their crimes, their social, economic or political status or past records.

11. Promotion of separating the legislative, judiciary and executive branches of government in Ethiopia.

12. Finding ways of convincing the world that Ethiopians have our own very high standards, priorities, views and expectations about our ways of life, systems of coexistence and type of internal governance;

13. Creation of an environment for transforming Ethiopian society through dialogue, tolerance, transparency, social responsibility and honest engagement in the above and other similar matters of public concern.

Let us not wait for a leader to come from somewhere to deliver our Motherland from tyranny, let us create leadership from grass-root. Let each of us play a responsible role in crafting the destiny for our Motherland. Let us each take 100% responsibility for what has happened and will will happen, hence!

Organization: Appoint team leaders for each FORUM and these should include:

1. The chairperson

2. The secretary

3. The treasurer

4. General membership

Why am I suggesting this?

1. The FORUM is yours and you take the full responsibility

2. If the FORUM fails IT IS YOUR FAILURE

3. If the FORUM succeeds IT IS YOUR SUCCESS!

4. I am avoiding repetition the same methods and expecting different result!

5. We shall all share the burden of creating this organization

6. It is from the grass-root up, no boss from the top!

If you think this message is worthwhile please pass it on to your community, to other media outlets and by whatever means available to you! Please show you care about your Motherland, take initiative, take action now!

# posted by Kinijit- The Way of Peace @ 1:29 PM 0 comments