SOLUTIONS WITH DEBTERAW, IV: Call me by my name, address and task

By Obo Arada Shawl, 20 January 2009

If you are a Christian, repent

If you are an atheist, contact

If you are a cheat, stop your cheating habit

If you are a liar, walk to leave

If you are an Aethiopian, live and let live

“Dreams of our forefathers”

The unfinished journey of DEBTERAW

Versus

The Finished journey of B. Obama

On March 23, 2008, an article on Debteraw vs. Senator, was posted on debteraw.com call me by my name: solutions with Debteraw, XXV and http://mahder.com. That article was based on the differences between DEBTERAW and the Senator. It was about race, color and religion.

Today’s article is based on the similarities between DEBTERAW and President Obama’s education and experiences.

In as much as DEBTERAW has graduated from a prestigious university, like that of Obama, DEBTERAW started to work as a teacher though the school officials would not allow him to teach beyond 2^nd grade. When the new government came to power, the then current government officials wanted DEBTERAW to serve under their directions. DEBTERAW refused knowing that those officials were not genuine but “opportunists”. When the DERG appointees for education began to pressure DEBTERAW not only to work but also to cooperate with them, lest he will be classified as anti-revolution. As usual, DEBTERAW came with his new harmless creative device. That is, he told to the Board members of Education that his father is aging and that he was soon to take over the Zuquala Monastery as his primary job. The Board members were astounded at his request for resignation from teaching profession. Of course, clandestinely, DEBTERAW was educating and organizing a political party. The rest is history, as they say.

Let us have a look at these similarities

1. Obama worked as a community organizer for 3 years and

2. DEBTERAW worked as political organizer for three years.

3. Obama served as practicing attorney for 3 years and

4. DEBTERAW worked as editor-in-chief for a political publication known as DEMOCRACIA.

5. Obama served as a Senator for 10 years (both for US and State legislator).

6. DEBTERAW is serving full time Revolutionary for political reforms.

7. Obama used to lecture on part time basis and

8. DEBTERAW used to serve churches on part time basis.

9. Obama authored two books, one on dreams of our fathers and the other on the audacity of hope for future generations.

10. DEBTERAW authored numerous publications, books and poems.

As a result, Barack Obama has become the President (E) of a powerful nation on the whole world while DEBTERAW ended up as a prisoner of conscience of an ancient but civilized nation.

Obama has started his journey from Philadelphia – the source of the American Constitution but DEBTERAW has yet to travel from the red mountain – ASSIMBA – where the seeds - (Sudan-Eritrea-Ethiopia-Djibouti-Somalia)’s CONSTITUTION will be drafted.

Obama has traveled through B&D (Baltimore and Delaware) to reach Washington DC

ሠዐረ – WDC

DEBTERAW has yet to travel via ADAA ዓዳ (Assimba-Dessie-Addis Ababa) to reach the new flower, Addis Ababa. (See Tedla Asfaw’s regret as his knowledge of ASSIMBA revealed not by his fellowmen but by outsiders)

Concluding remarks

Obama is considered a product of Martin Luther King as well as Malcolm-X. His rebellious character is not by “any means necessary” as that of Malcolm X. Instead of working in places where Harvard graduates prefer to… Obama chose to negotiate his way through the downtrodden population of Chicago West Side.

DEBTERAW chose to work with Lab Adder ላብ አደር and Gebar ገባር - those who worked by their sweat and taxpayer Aethiopians.

Obama is lucky to live in a political system with all its checks and balances intact. He is also lucky that he lives in a country – physically surrounded by two Oceans, sea and land whereas DEBTERAW’s Aethiopia’s physical geography is surrounded by dry land, sea and rivers and with no political system familiar to all its citizens.

Obama was born around the time when President Kennedy pronounced as “Ask not what you can do for your country, ask for what you can do for your country” whereas DEBTERAW was a high school student when President Kennedy’s speech reverberated all over the world. Besides, DEBTERAW WAS BORN IN SOCIETIES THAT HONOR

SACRIFICE IN ONE’S COUNTRY not a dream.

Obama is 47 years old and he is the 44^th president of USA. Let us hope that on Obama’s 50^th birthday, DEBTERAW’s provisional political government will be put in place with the help of the 44 churches in DEBTERAW’s Tabots of Gondar and so God help all.

The Lab Adder and the Arso Adder have now become politically conscious thanks to DEBTERAW and his EPRP. What is now required is an immediate release of the true son of Aethiopia and Aethiopianism from TPLF’s dungeon.

TRUTH WILL PREVAIL

For comments and questions

woldetewolde@yahoo.com

Postscript

The Aethiopian Student Movement has taken almost the entire life span of President B. Obama. We do not know whether this is the beginning or the end of political and civil liberties for the Black Movement in America. Besides, President (E) Obama did not say. We have to wait and see.

But as to the Aethiopian Student Movement, it is high time to bear fruit. Despite this Movement and in spite of DEBTERAW’S down payments, Aethiopians have not been able to choose their government democratically. The institutions of the church should be left alone, the bureaucracy should be democratic and the freedom of speech, self-expression and assembly (SEA) should be respected.

The difference between the developed and underdeveloped is not based on material wealth alone but on the cumulative culture of knowledge and experience. EPRP has developed such a knowledge base and experience by keeping its name, address and task. Americans are united around BO. (ቦ) Why is it not possible to UNITE, if not for all Aethiopians, at least for those who at one time or another has been associated with DEBTERAW’s path of struggle? ህ ሁ ሂ ሃ ሄ E…ሆ. If you believe DEBTERAW’s path was and is wrong, let us discuss and iron it out. I truly believe that the way of DEBTERAW is similar to that of President of Barack Obama.

A prominent political commentator was asked why all Americans want President B. Obama to lead them. His response was “we need him more than he needs us.” Maybe this is true for all Aethiopians that they need DEBTERAW more than he needs them.

The Mockery of Election

Yelfiwos Wonday

Are we still expecting the miracle from TPLF to temper with opposing views and comply with the decision of majority rule in Ethiopia? TPLF is a freak of nature for the fact that it is an eccentric and outlandish to our norms and values altogether.  And most important of all, we all have learned that powers in the hands of warlike military juntas and in the hands of those narrowly based ethnocentric regimes are abusive and brutal.  Indeed we have learned that those consecutive authoritarian rulers do lack of knowledge and wisdom, which is why in my view they went that far to violate the law of humanity and nature to begin with.  They would continue exerting as much influence as they could to make it much more complicated for the oppositions and the public at large.  They do so by extending more of their scope of statutes and laws against the will of the public at large.  By doing so, they manage to take over the lands, the rights, the privileges and the activities of all citizens in the country.  Meaning they put an end to Civil liberty and a property right for citizens to possess property altogether.  That is when citizens become compelled to take the law on their own hand to free themselves from repression and to claim their lands, rights, privileges and liberty.  Eventually, though as the culmination of any given process, their dictatorial regimes come to an end by force and their reign of terror shall cease to exist at last.

With that said, TPLF adopts a top down command system in which few are favored to size up the situation and take command of the entire state machinery all together. Besides, in order to further ensure domestic tranquility under its own command, and of course, in its own favor, the politburo at the top formed an ethnic based federal system with its own government and legislature and controls over most of the state apparatus including but not limited the bureaucracy, the army, the election commission, the police and the security forces.  In short Ethiopia is a country in which the government uses all forces at its disposal to exercise repressive control over the population.  So without exaggeration, using force against any opponent that has differing political views is what the current regime knows best to settle differences.  To that end, in TPLF’S code of rule, there is always an ultimatum that says either one has to adopt a one part democracy to survive or leave the state high and dry.

Clearly though, from the outset, TPLF adopted the concept and practice of centralism in which the concentration of power is rested in few hands.  To ensure the control of the party over the government which in practice TPLF is in a total control of Ethiopia’s state machinery, Meles as a secretary general is charged with task of transforming the material and mental condition of TPLF/EPRDF and the entire social order in order to create the ideal socialist system which he calls it in his own term (ABYOTAWI DEMOCRACY).

TPLF’S goal is sought under the leadership of an elite group carefully crafted by individuals to serve their narrow purpose, which exercises national sovereignty in the name of one ethnic group namely Tigregna speakers.  The TPLF /EPRDF, a coalition in disguise that is, is led by the politburo (political bureau), a small group that selects its secretary general.  Meles Zenawi  is a secretary general and is the one who holds all the reins of party and government power in Ethioia today.

Likewise, Meles’s ABYOTAWI DEMOCRACY is marked by such an overlap of both local and national governments.  The very system in place is primarily designed to feed the elite; the elite sitting on the top of everything including but not limited above the laws, the constitution, the legislature and the judicial system of the nation as a whole. After all, it is a one party state that we are talking about here. The secretary general of the party can and often does serve as prime Minster of government, which Meles is in effect doing it fitting into that category.  Many politburo members are also members of the cabinet.  As they are part and parcel of the legislature they are also members of their handmade coalition or their associated organizations. Practically, all policy debate originates and is settled within the politburo way before passing it around or already disseminated by low profile cadres for public consumption.  Shortly before decisions are made they are referred to the central committee of the party and to the legislature for approval.  The function of these unauthentic groups is not to debate or amend the decisions once made by the politburo but to demonstrate the obvious correctness of the decisions made by the politburo at the top.  So they approve the decisions once passed by the politburo unanimously.  This is the extent of so called democratic process we see in Meles Zenawi’s ABYOTAWI DEMOCRAY.in Ethiopia today.

In practice, both TPLF/EPRDF and their handmade parliament contain a variety of special interest to cook in the nation of Ethiopia as a whole.  The politburo at the top is in control of several industries, agriculture, military, police and all subjects to be precise the assigned cadres and tribal chiefs are deployed all across the nation to keep their respective ethnic groups in check.  On the other hand, it is a foregone conclusion that the secretary general manages and totally dominates the politburo; he has every right even an ultimate power to arrive at decisions with little or no consultations.

In the ideal form of what WOYANES ABYOTAWI DEMOCRACY, TPLF is the ruling party that permits no competing institutions or success of independent power in Ethiopian political landscape at all.  To prevent any development of such sort, it has already its own line of defense in place.  An elaborate network of security apparatus, including but not limited police surveillance and informers are throughout Ethiopia ready to step in anytime to distract any developments such as an organized form of action outside of EPRDF and affiliates. Besides, it is obvious that TPLF/EPRDF inhibits the development of independent power and does so by placing loyal party members in all-important positions of all institutions in the country.

In TPLF’S establishment, free and fair election is unthinkable. Unthinkable, because if one is nominated is definitely nominated and approved by the politburo itself.  And also the entire candidates for political offices are approved by none other than Meles himself. Every active member of TPLF through out of its own chain of command manages all publications and other sources of information and opinions.  Every military unit has a political officer, a party member that is to monitor every movement of its own unit.  Every key economic sector such as factory, trade union, and major retailer has a member as employee in key positions.  Meaning, the entire system is designed ostensibly to make sure that all elements of society are working properly to fulfill the goals laid down by the party leadership itself.  In practice nothing escaped the party control. It is no wonder that many critics of this vicious system agreed as that TPLF is an outright control freak and a freak of nature.

One would say unlike many others, that TPLF has a ritual of its own locality when it comes to its political settings and inconspicuous position in the country.  As a result, neither is TPLF capable of reconciling its views so to go well with the wind nor has it the audacity to come to terms to reconcile differences in the best interest of our common nation.  Why?  For sure, one would say that aside the animosity WOYANES have for AMHARAS, they also tend to have a deep-seated hatred for the Ethiopian nation state as a whole.  To that end, we in no doubt can tell where their method of distraction has begun and what purpose it is serving ever since their ethnocentric dictatorial regime took place.  Nothing is further from the truth.

Narrow as ever, its ideology is designed under the guideline of ethnocentric cannon of scripture to run a one party state project, which is consistent to their code of rule at all times.  Shallow as ever, also TPLF has been pursuing an ethnic ideology that undermines the nationhood of our country.  Obviously, TPLF’S formation is always bound to be limited within the boundary of ethnicity in order to limit and undermine anything Ethiopian as well. As a result, one cannot expect a change of heart or anything of that nature from TPLF ever. Not now, not in our life time either.  It is democratic centralism (ABYOTAWI DEMOCRACY) in which WOYANES continue to insist on in order to satisfy their lust of power and monopoly of coercive force.

To that effect, the politburo is still in control of every financial resource, top political positions and the entire military and governmental bureaucracies in the country.  Security forces are deployed to subdue and block the movement of all genuine oppositions not to operate freely in their own native soil.  That is the fact.  Therefore, to date, neither we expect a change of heart from TPLF/EPRDF nor do we look forward to see them modifying their attitude so to peacefully Coe-exist with the oppositions and live up to the quest of the promise land.

In conclusion, unlike Narrow Nationalists and Reformers, we the people of Ethiopia are struggling to build a free land in which all of us Ethiopians shall enjoy our natural strengths and resources of our own nation.  And most important of all, we are striving to bring about a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people. Meaning to build a system of government that would provide all Ethiopians an important superiority over their own fate and national affairs.  Nothing more, nothing less than that!!

The struggle continues!

OPEN LETTER TO DR. TEWOLDE G. IGZIABHER: INTERVIEW WITH THE VOA

Adisu Aleme

 

Dear Gashe Tewolde,

 

First of all, kind greetings and melkam Genna.

 

1.       Preamble

 

I listened to your radio interview of last Saturday with the Voice of America with great disappointment. The main question was on the causes of the historical vicious cycle of socio-economic and environmental crises and the of the current human suffering in Ethiopia. You put the main blame on pollution arising from North America and Europe. When you were asked about local causes, you mentioned that it has nothing to do with the policies of the current government. You also went a bit further and mentioned that the economic crisis in the Country is only limited to few areas. Thanks to the genuine Ethiopian Researcher, Ato Dessalegne Rahmatu, the actual causes and extent of the effects were rightly explained during the same interview. I should also say that even the government Representative who was also on the same interview rightly witnessed the wider extent of human sufferings than what you tried to cover up.

 

2.       Your Roles under the 3 Regimes

 

Gashe Tewolde,

 

During the Imperial Regime, you were one of the few most highly privileged persons: highest education, University Department Head and Dean of Science at Haile Selassie I University (now called Addis Ababa University). During the Military Regime, you were promoted further to the highest position of the President of Asmara University. During the current Regime, you were given a luxurious position of the Head of the Ethiopian Environment Agency.

 

3.       Your Contributions

 

You had great reputation in your field during the Imperial Regime, during which you made some interesting contribution to environmental science. I am not very sure about your efficiency as the President of Asmara University. Even worse, your efficiency has been under a serious question regarding your current contribution to the protection of the environment:

 

·        All trees have been removed from Addis, that is making what used to be our green City look like a desert. It is not enough to blame pollution coming from North America.

·        Ecologies in the rural areas have been severely degraded. Even the Dergue had the National Policy that for every tree felled; two should be planted as the replacement. How about during your long Regime as the Head of the Ethiopian Environment Agency? As you said, the Government has good policies on papers. You also had the opportunity to collect millions, if not billions of Dollars from International Donors for the protection of the environment and food security. What happened then?

 

4.       In Conclusion

 

It is true that the industrialised nations, especially North America, are the most pollutants, making the highest contribution to Climate Change and Global Warming, posing a great threat to humanity. Yes, those nations have to be persuaded to make their due contribution to the mitigation of those threatening effects. Equally, also, responsibilities and concerted actions have to be taken at individual, household, locality, Woreda, Zone, Regional and national levels. Please understand my frustration when you put the entire blame on externalities, completely denying the most important local causes, responsibilities and actions.

 

Those types of blind supports to the paper policies are not enough. The biggest handicap of most government advisers and decision makers is their failure to provide true and scientific advices to the Regimes, with the fear that they may be less favoured. The end result will be a collective failure, as observed especially over the last 40 years.

 

With great sadness for my Lecturer that I used to respect.

 

Hilinachnin Yimelislin. Melkam Gena.

 

SOLUTIONS WITH DEBTERAW, III: Call me by my Name, Address and Task

Obo Arada Shawl (January 5, 2008) 

The Eway Revolution is about

· Dealing with the failure of the Monarchy’s Constitution

· Showing the failure of the DERG’s revolution

· Telling the truth about TPLF’s anti-democracy and

· Pointing out the failure of EPLF’s search for justice

 

The United States of Aethiopia, which will come in 2013, should dispel the “sea of doubt” among the traders (such as TPLF), territory lovers (such as EPLF, OLF) and the ideologists (such as EPRP). The current problems of mistrust, lie and cheat will be halted when the Eway Revolution is revealed.

Education and Religion

Historically, the three wise men brought Gold, Incense and Murk to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. According to some historians, gold was obtained from Israel, murk from Persia and incense from Ethiopia. The significance of these three products is obvious in today’s world.

 

The Society of Jesus popularly known as the Jesuits were organized some 470 years ago. This Society branched to Ethiopia, first to Teferri Makonnen School and later on moved to Addis Ababa University. Though the Jesuit’s teaching require the promotion of justice, its member vow of poverty, chastity and obedience. On that basis, the first of the alumni Ethiopian graduates wanted to serve the State and the Church but not the public.

After graduation, it was very unfortunate that the alumni in Ethiopia were not encouraged to be organized. Instead, they were under watchful eye of the government. The alumni association was for the most part was run by one man under the name of Samuel Alemayehu not to be confused with the Revolutionary Samuel Alemayehu. The history of these two individuals’ course of action has contributed much to the current situations in Aethiopia. However, my intention is not to compare the Samuel Alemayehu’s contribution to the Great Society of ours. Instead, let me quote the following

In 1960, there were about one thousand students at the University College of Addis Ababa (UCAA), less than fifty of who were women. Political attitudes were not yet formed and student concerns were introverted and parochial, focusing mainly on conditions in the college. The major conflict concerned the Jesuit administration and their pedagogical methods based on their experience in running elementary and secondary schools in Ethiopia. These methods were applied with minimum adaptation to the university. Student indignation was fueled by many trivial and humiliating restrictions, such as the rules forbidding dancing and whistling on campus. Issues of autonomy for the student council and freedom of expression for the student publication, News and Views were of particular concern. The Dean of Students kept the student council under a tight reign. All material published by News and Views had to be approved by a faculty advisor. Kiflu Tadesse, “the generation”, P: 35

Once the students have left the schools, the outside world also views them with suspicion and jealousy. The majority of the graduates became complacent as the government was the sole employer and those who stood for principles and beliefs have been labeled as anti-Ethiopian. In addition, the majority of high school students did not have the opportunity to continue education. The students had to fail of necessity the High School Leaving Certificate (ESLC). In such a dire condition, it was obvious that the failure of the education program (championed by the Emperor) had helped in the collapse of the Monarch, Haile Sellassie I.

 

Suffice to say that alumni reunions or forming alumni associations were difficult during Haile Sellasie time. (An alumnus or alumna is ether someone who has attended the school, a former student of a school or someone who has graduated). Alumni reunions are popular events at many institutions organized by alumni associations and are often social occasions for fundraising. The absence of these associations, I believe is behind every problem of past and current. The absence of SEA (freedom of speech, expression and assembly) should be considered in our daily menu.

In other words, it is no wonder that the Revolution was based on the failure of the Education system and its aftermath. The hope and aspirations of graduates and high school students were dashed.

The two elements i.e. the graduates and high school students have succeeded to penetrate the Ethiopian workers to get organized on clandestine basis. According to the literature and other country experiences of Revolution, the proletariat led by CELU (Confederation of Ethiopian workers Union) was embarked to lead the Revolution with alliance of the peasants of Ethiopia.

The failure of workers to lead the peasants has changed the Ethiopian reality and turned into an ugly bloodshed and personal feuds. As this aberration for leaders and followers occurs, The Monarchy and the Church have lost their source of power. Nevertheless, the remnants are still clinging to revive their power base. How far they can go, it is anybody guesses.

My present priority is to dwell on the fate of DEBTERAW who has left the Monastery but retained his faith that would have incorporated a family, and above all he would seek social justice for all Aethiopians without learning from the Jesuits. DEBTERAW wanted to bring social justice through the secular means of politics. DEBTERAW’S personal belief of God or Devil, or both or neither, I cannot testify. But what I know, he blew thousands of minds, touched millions hearts of Aethiopians. Today, I can hear that millions want spiritual journey by calling DEBTERAW as “heal me and touch me.” After all what comes from the heart comes to the heart.

Politics and Revolution

Political changes came from two sources.

· First, The USAID in collaboration with the government of Ethiopia has funded scholarships for countries south of the Sahara.

· Second, the Neway brothers had carried out a coup d’etat to topple the 225 King of Ethiopia.

These two events encouraged college students to be political. The African students have come with political traditions to be open and aggressive towards their demands for campus privileges. Some conscious Ethiopian students began to meet in clandestine fashion. But the unconscious college students have noticed albeit uncritically how a powerful king with a heritage for over three thousand years (225 x 15) =3375 years of historical rule could be toppled by officers of his own bodyguard. It was an amazing phenomenon; a light at the end of the tunnel was begun to be seen.

Alternatively, which power of Influence was important to our current conditions? Was it the external factor that was brought by the Africans including the Eritreans who considered themselves as foreigners or was it an internal dynamic phenomenon that was brought and developed through these forty-nine years (1960-2009)?

The answer lies in either of us who were unborn and not interested in the past or in those who carried the internal dynamic Revolution in Ethiopia. Take your choice, the Obama way or the DEBTERAW way? That is, Politics plus Change or Politics plus Revolution. My choice is the DEBTERAW’s way.

The DEBTERAW alias the Eway Aethiopian Revolution is an internal one that recognizes, the effort of Minilik’s modernity, Yohannes’s religious belief, Tewodros’s unity of purpose, and Haile Sellasie’s education program (not system). However, this does not mean that the way these kings carried out was democratic. It was autocratic simple and clear.

The Education Sector Review was a plan designed to stop the mass based education proposed by the Ethiopian government and opposed by the Ethiopian Teachers Association (ETA). The Eway Revolution was emerged to preserve and protect the positive aspects of modernity, belief and unity by reversing the education sector review. That was the last straw that broke the back of the mule so to speak, Haile Sellasie’s system of government into history.

The methodology of bringing modernity, belief and unity via the education system as proposed by Ethiopian Teachers Association galvanized by DEBTERAW to all Ethiopians regardless of race, religion or class was and is via – DEMOCRACIA-

Once the student movement has exhausted its limit to

· Modernize the country

· Secularize the state

· Unite the country and

· To improvise the education system

The methodology applied to take political power in almost all Ethiopian Liberation Fronts was similar to each other – by armed protracted struggle. Their basis of claim, however, was radically different from one other. The end results are testimony to their objectives and operations.

· EPLF has waged protracted war on the basis of a “colonial theory”

· TPLF has waged and is still waging wars for power on the “theory of ethno-nationalism”

· EPRP is struggling for political power on the “theory of multinationals”

· OLF is waging war for democracy on the “theory of ethno-colonialism.”

· Other recent comers are struggling on the basis on the “theory of unity.”

A discussion on the merits and demerits of these theories should be a topic for solutions.

Concluding Remarks

Basically our community is divided into two camps, those who had supported the Ethiopian Revolution and those who regret that they have joined the Revolution. To those who had regretted to join the Eway Revolution, I have nothing to say except to read the following dialogue:

ልጅ፤ አባባ አብዮት ግዛልጝ

አባት፡ ምን ልታደርገው?

ልጅ፡ ላፈነዳው። 

We all know what had happened in Ethiopia and among Ethiopians and hopefully what is going to happen in the future. Those who like to discredit the Eway Revolution had a kind of hope and child’s mind as indicated in the above dialogue.

 

The struggles that were applied for societal change in Aethiopia are the following five tenets that I believe were used in the guidelines for revolution and counter-revolution.

· “The objective of war is to preserve oneself and annihilate the enemy” as preached by Mao Zedong and practiced by EPLF

· “The Chinese Communist Party claimed to power through its military arm, political power grows out of the barrel of the gun” as practiced by TPLF

· “We must emphasize politics. Our army is an army in the service of politics and politics must guide the military in its day-to-day work” as preached by Lin Piao and practiced by EPRP

· “ A hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the best of the best; the best of the best is to subdue the enemy without having to fight,” Chinese proverb as practiced by OLF

· “Let us demonstrate to the world and seize political power as has happened after the collapse of the Soviet Union as practiced by KINJIT 

I believe our choice is clear.

Truth will prevail 

For comments and questions: woldetewolde@yahoo.com

Asimba: the home of the braves!!!

Tedla Asfaw

Forgive me for not be among the braves who went more than three decades ago to Asimba to make real their dream of united and equal Ethiopia. I have to be honest with you that I came for the first time to see this historical mountain because of the writing of AFP correspondent, Emmanuel Gujon on Dec. 22 about the Irob community at Asimba ’s  determination to keep their Ethiopian land  and identity no matter what.

The writer focuses on the last ten years of the Irob community history and did not ask questions what Irob looks like before TPLF and Shabia controlled the surrounding area militarily eighteen years ago. Before them there were young Ethiopian visionaries who came to Asimba from all areas of Ethiopia to realize their dream of free and united Ethiopia and start an armed struggle from their base at  Asimba about which many songs and poems were written.

The Irob community joined  this struggle by feeding and sending its young sons and daughters. The main reasons for  Irob people’s  determination to be courageous now facing two enemies, Isaias and Meles is the historical bond it  had with the rest of Ethiopia and the close relationship it developed with other Ethiopians  fighting  fascist Derg, TPLF and Shabia in its recent history.

Young students from colleges and high schools, professionals all joined  hands to fight for freedom and paid a high price together with the sons and daughters of the Irob community and that  relationship which was temporarily broken by TPLF anti-Ethiopian clique failed to destroy the  bond of love for a country according to the piece, “Tiny ethnic group claims Ethiopian allegiance ” by  writer Emmanuel Gujon (Dec. 22).

However, this Irob community is now a bargaining piece for  TPLF. It can be sold any day and time for TPLF’s own survival. The only thing which stops this transaction is finding  a reliable  buyer in Asmera. Meles Zenawi who told us in his own sleeping parliament about the generous Sudanese who received Ethiopian land as a gift could say the same on giving back Ethiopian Irob community and all the land to his beloved Eritreans one day.

This love of Ethiopia by our Irob community we have witnessed and recently disclosed to the whole world through the foreign journalist will not be different  if foreign journalists were  sent to our western boundary and talk to the people of Metema and south to Gambella. The people on those areas like the Irob in north have resisted giving away their land and  identity  and  are now fighting to remain Ethiopian.

The role of those EPRP visionaries, love for a country and freedom,  in our western front thirty years ago was also written on their blood and it is now one of the motivation factors  to fight both TPLF and Sudanese militia. Many like me who have not contributed to this struggle as fighters in Irob/Asimba, and western Ethiopia  should  come out from our closet and honor these gallant Ethiopian fighters.

I thank the foreign journalist for writing about the Irob community and waking up many like me to research our own recent history of heroism which is still going on long after many died and forced to leave Asimba. I salute the website Asimba and Asimba paltalk room for carrying this historical name and educating Ethiopians about our beloved country struggle for freedom and equality. I also suggest for this website to post mount Asimba on its home page permanently to honor those brave Ethiopians and the Irob community who are still continuing the struggle.

An open letter to Professor Aleme Eshete -December 23, 2008

From Obo Arada Shawl

I have read your article entitled “Hagos, the Cuban Missile Crisis and his deportation…” that was posted at www.mahder.com website of December 14, 2008. You seem to be surprised for not knowing how Hagos G.Y was deported and how his “comrades” of the time had betrayed him. We all should understand that his friends not only had betrayed Hagos but they have also betrayed the Ethiopian Revolution in general and the true cause of the Ethiopian Student Movement in particular.

At the time, Hagos G. Y. wrote about the two-headed hydra before he abandoned the Ethiopian Revolutionary Struggle. I do not know to this day whether his reference to the two-headed hydra was to the mythological serpent or the plant hydra? በአፍዋ በልታ በአፍዋ የምትተፋ

Since Hagos left the student movement, the two-headed struggle had continued to this day albeit in a different form.

On the one hand, there is the hydra, which re-grows a portion of its own body even after it has lost or injured. Examples in these categories including friends of Hagos, are plenty.

While on the other hand, there is the hydra plant, which regenerates its stems, leaves, and flowers so long as its roots are not destroyed. Thanks to people such as DEBTERAW EPRP is such an example.

In your article you said the following:
“As a historian and researcher I have been engaged for over 40 years in Ethiopian studies and publications. For a good part of my life I have also been engaged as an activist in the defence of human rights, in Ethiopia and in particular since my exile in Italy in 1986.”

I am writing to condemn in the strongest terms possible against Ethiopian Human Rights activists and to demand the freedom of EPRP leaders. The so-called Ethiopian Human Rights organizations including the founding chairman, professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam have denied knowing Tsegaye G. Medhin, DEBTERAW. Personally Zeru Kihshen (I presume he was your friend) told me about Mesfin’s total denial having known a person by the name of Tsegaye G. M.

EPRP has been vilified in propaganda dissemination by the DERG, Woyane, Shaebia, other groups/organizations and other media groups (the party) as “anarchist”, “socialist”, “agents of imperialism” etc. & etc.

Its members have been criminalized for defending themselves when TPLF declared war on them besieging their base with the largest military operation in guerrilla history and attacking them. That was when DEBTERAW was captured and held incommunicado until today in the dungeons of Tigrai.

This is outrageous, though consistent with rulers of Ethiopia’s anti-democracy policies towards genuine indigenous political parties. The EPRDF is still carrying policies anti-democracy in the name of democracy. አኢትዮጵያ የሰራልሽ ቀርቶ የገደለሽ በላ፡ እሰከ መቸ?

Some high-ranking collective leadership members including Debteraw are not only imprisoned but also held incommunicado since 1991. The EPRP recognized DEBTERAW as prominent PERSONALITY IN THE HISTORY of the organization. In the eyes of his enemies DEBTERAW is classified as “dangerous”. There is severe discrimination and persecution against DEBTERAW and his EPRP. WHY?

The case of EPRP leadership has been in the open since 1991. The prisoners were not even brought to trial let alone released.

What I don’t understand and what is unbelievable is the reason why and how the Human Rights Chairman of professor MWM became ignorant of the whereabouts and why people like you who are historians, researchers and defenders of human rights remain silent on these prisoners.

DEBTERAW is a shining example of what is going wrong in our country. I think it is a fact that again and again, that the voices of activists like you don’t become part and part of the equation when individuals liberties are tramped over.

I am aware of your contribution toward Preserving and Protecting Ethiopian interests and resources, though not for rehabilitation. Why are we so silent about the case of DEBTERAW? Should we wait another 40 years to know?

Cc: www.debteraw.com

Let us reject TPLF and the West democracy experiment for 2010!!!

Tedla Asfaw

The coming “election” 2010 has now become an issue in some quarters and this debate also reached to the ears of Ethiopians back home through the VOA Amharic interview this past week. Ato Teklemichael Abebe former Addis Ababa University President who supported participating on the coming election and Ato Azale Desta member of EPRP who opposes any participation on the election debate was first posted on the ecadf.com website this month and the VOA program (part one)  hosted by Alula tried to continue on that debate which was unheard in Ethiopia because of censorship of websites by TPLF.

Both Teklemicahel and Azale agreed that in TPLF’s Ethiopia, it is not possible to conduct any free and fair election and what was then their main difference? Teklemichael believes that election is part of the struggle to expose the crime of the regime for the world community. However, he failed to mention which new crimes the world has not known so far that he would like to expose.

Let us assume that the world community found new crime in Ethiopia related to the coming “election” of 2010 and then what? What did international community do to the crime committed by TPLF in the 2005 election? Is the hundreds life lost, thousands jailed and many exiled is not enough a crime that warrants action from the West that motivated Ato Teklemichael to conduct another election experiment to get sympathy for poor Ethiopians from the West ?

Is this not what the West have been doing for the last eighteen years in poor Ethiopia and paid the loyal opposition to do ? “Participate in any election, gradually, slowly and peacefully TPLF will comply with the peoples will and hand over power to the people “. Election to “expose” TPLF and educate the West about the undemocratic and tyrannical behavior of TPLF was tested in 2005 and TPLF learnt a big lesson and would not repeat such mistake again and gladly has already started the election campaign.

The Ethiopian people have also learnt their lesson and will not be part of such experiment again in 2010. The rejected election experiment of 2005 should not be repeated again and we have to test a new hypothesis, the total boycott of TPLF including the coming 2010 election.

Ato Teklemicahel’s new call to bring the rejected election experiment as if it is new  will not convince anyone except the known opportunists who are paid to sleep in the parliament and maybe recruit new comers. The West as usual care less for democracy experiment in Ethiopia and is unwise to repeat the same experiment to satisfy their interest and on the way buy five more years to expose our people for more killing and abuse.

Election of What?

By Yelfiwos Wondaya (December 21, 2008 )

 

As far as the upcoming election is concerned, it is a done deal as has happened during the 2005 election and for the record; I here by say publicly that it shall end in favor of TPLF/EPRDF as ever before again.  Nothing is further from the truth.  The election held in 2005 was over before it is even started and will happen now the same exact way as it was then in 2005. Obviously, we still see the same actors in several political groupings striving to assume power by devious route, all of whom were and still are in the hierarchy of the same organizations and continue to operate under the patronage of TPLF and foreign powers. After all, it is a forgone conclusion that the main assignment for those old buddies of TPLF/EPRDF in several organizations are also to sabotage the defined rules of their own made, and to perform divisive measures that cause disagreement and hostility within a group so to split the groups and thrown them into disarray.  TPLF and collaborators continue to use them to work here, there and everywhere to let organizations going into a separate way.  Isn’t that what happened almost to the entire organizations both inside Ethiopia and abroad?  In this case, it does not take any genius to tell the motive behind this entire unpredictable shift made by the same atypical few, controversial and prosaic individuals in several organizations. The same old buddies of TPLF/EPRDF lurking behind all of those Loyal Oppositions must be exposed now and face the consequences including and up to expulsion and dismissal from their own respective organizations and beyond.  Get rid of them and win the clarity we deserve to win the general war against enemy. 

 

Besides, why allowing such and such devious political groupings whose political agenda is sinister and UnEthiopian to take root in any given organizations and furthermore  giving them a free ride to spoil our plan of action aimed at the hear of our sworn enemy?   Seeing what we saw in them in the past would have been good enough for us to tell which is which.  So far what is done is done in favor of TPLF then in 2005.  And also it must be known that the motive behind this entire hot and sticky move is to make up whatever arrangement is fit to satisfy some selfish personal interest as opposed to Ethiopian national interest.  And they must be told right out. 

 

Next, in order for genuine oppositions to lead the struggles in a cohesive fashion they must closely united and have to develop a working relation so that way they can become formidable and can pose some pragmatic gesture against enemy and collaborators.  Before then, however, our genuine political organizations together with the general public must sort out whatever different political and ideological preferences they might have at the end and must make a joint decision and come to an agreement to work together.  I believe any organization that does not abide by such an agreement is considered to be a public enemy. 

 

Next, it is time to urge all of our genuine organizations be it political or civil to develop from a unity of organization into a unity of thought upon which they could acquire all the tools necessary to lead the struggle to victory.  For that to happen, every concerned individual who believes in our unity and freedom must come out to be strong enough in his/her thought to repel the unfriendly gesture of some elements especially those self-centered elements that have lack of consideration for our national agenda. 

 

Let us not allow TPLF and collaborators continuing to exploit the situation at hand and use those unscrupulous factions against the will of our country.  We have seen factions of all walks of life playing an act of copycatting others and yet they are about to end up bedding with TPLF/EPRDF in due time.  Make no bones to follow them every step of the way and expose their sinister act now.  Let us join with our natural alliances on an equal basis and continue our national struggle against TPLF/EPRDF now.  Refuse to associate yourself with those who are up to running the election in order to take up a parliament seat and bed with TPLF/EPRDF. 

 

Unity is power!

 

aeup_washington_update_dec09_2008

“Election” 2010 in Ethiopia by Minga and Tsion

Dear writers,

I read your article posted on www.ethiomedia.com (Dec 16) on the so called the coming election of 2010. I want to remind you that Ethiopians are not in any business of election and this is not an issue that worried most of our people at the present time. The only one that are worried are the ruling racist ethnic mafia of Meles’ TPLF,  those who are sleeping in parliament paid by poor Ethiopians and those who are currently dancing around to secure a seat  by participating on the coming fake election of 2010.

How comes you failed to mention, living and breathing in Ethiopia is only allowed for card carrying TPLF members and few in the name of opposition who are allowed to make noise here  and there in hotels and offices under the watchful eye of TPLF security ? What makes you believe this will change in 2010? On the recent so called local election we witnessed that TPLF bought the rural and urban people and fielded millions of candidates and this is what to come in 2010 even if foreigners are allowed to monitor the election as you suggested and surely TPLF will comply.

 

The preparation of the so called 2010 election is already underway and we know the winner is TPLF by landslide. Educated people like you should be courageous to tell the whole picture and do not waste our time in teaching us the basics of election which by the way we also learned from TPLF websites. Our poor people have proven us all wrong in 2005 by their excellent deeds, they know what is good for them and do not need our lecturing of what an election is or should be. Election is an exercise by free people and as you well know the country you are residing, South Africa did not end apartheid by election.

Thanks,

 

Tedla Asfaw