TPLF - the control freak and Diaspora Ethiopians
By Sewenet Kenennie
June 18, 2006
The 52-page document prepared by a TPLF Foreign Ministry department has the whole mark of what is wrong with Meles Zenawi and his rule. The document sets out the means and ways of wooing Ethiopians in the Diaspora through bribery, intimidation and blackmail to fall in line with the ideals of ‘the great leader’. The only tools missing in the document’s attempt to persuade Ethiopians abroad is imprisonment, murder, and massacre - not for the lack of the will to try, but is bound to get messy even by TPLF's standard. Simply put, the document is a vain endeavour to invade the privacy and sacred right of a person‘s freedom of choice. One has only to peel the sugar-coated veil of the document to see the endemic control obsessiveness of the rule of TPLF.
For the sake of simplicity I will present my comments in the first person, considering myself as a typical member of the Ethiopian Diaspora and portraying Meles Zenawi as the author of the document.
Mr. Meles, I live in a country where it is my exclusive right to choose which political party to support or oppose or for that matter remain indifferent. The government of the country of my domicile has no power (constitutionally or otherwise) to dictate me to follow a certain line of thought. It can not even send me a letter of invitation to attend a political rally if I let my intention known that I will not accept it. In short, the government has no right to be intrusive in my social or private life (with the exception of an emergency situation such as war etc.) I have thus become addicted to such concepts as democracy, freedom of choice, privacy, and the rule of law which you so unashamedly and limply pay lip service.
I am also an Ethiopian, not only by blood but sentiment, character and the deep love I have for my family, friends and by extension the people of that country - which by the way is not up to you to give or deny. Therefore, I take it upon myself to apply the measure of my love to my country by closely following your every move to keep my compatriots under servitude. Concurrently, I do my level best to help my people overcome your violent rule - wherever and whenever I can.
Over and above your blood soaked governance within the borders of Ethiopia, you now have stretched your wings to remotely blindfold and make me your supporter from thousands of miles away. You seek to snatch me from the grips of opposition parties and be part of your sphere through your embassies and obscure networks of agents. You know very well that no opposition party in the Diaspora does not and can not force anyone to sign petitions or participate on a rally against your atrocious rule. Nor can they afford to ‘buy’ my support even if I let them. On the contrary, I spend my own resources to be part of the Diaspora movement, because your madness needs to be stopped. Nevertheless, you have planned and prepared directives to help me cleanse my ‘evil’ thoughts of freedom and independence.
Let us see how you intend to apply your plan:
Bribery
Mr. Meles, so you intend to give me land, tax concessions, loans, and what ever I wish in exchange for my abandonment of support for opposition parties. Your ‘generosity’ has no bounds. I would have been grateful if what you are giving was yours and for the right reasons. Offcourse your ‘mana’ is covered-up with such outwardly innocent concepts as encouraging inflow of capital, building democracy, promoting peace and constructive engagement with the Diaspora. If I was not a witness of your fifteen years of pillage of the resources of the country, you probably would have a chance of neutralising my current position. If I had not known that you sustained your life through callous brutality, I would have wavered and listened with interest to your propositions.
The encouragement you received from the ever appeasing western powers despite your undisputed trumping of human rights is a sad reality of current international relations. These powers will sooner than later find out how their policy will back fire, because they are essentially aiding and abating a dictator – which in the final analysis will never be in the interest of these countries. The current mess in Somalia is partly a proof that you are part of the problem rather than the solution in the region. In the interim, the support of the west has emboldened you to dare control my choices. But my conscious is beyond the reach of your bribery or your ally’s short sighted influences.
Intimidation & blackmail
Mr Meles – your plan for the Diaspora essentially relays on violence at every stage. No matter how you try to cover it with various catch phrases of peace, democracy, and economic development, your end game is controlling my free will. You have stated that if anyone can not be influenced, cajoled, and bribed, you have issued a directive to your embassies and spies to find dirt and intimidate your opponents. Furthermore, you have again pulled your favourite weapon of choice – namely, charging every walking and talking opponent with genocide. It is amazing how you have not realised yet that you have become the laughing stalk of your observers. You seem to think that by repeatedly using the word genocide, you will cleanse your self of being accused of it.
You also intend to make us miserable by bringing legal proceedings against people who have no foreign citizenship and residence. You aim to seek extradition when ever possible so you can get your hands on some of your opponents. It shows how far you go to exterminate your political enemies. You have to know that sometimes you just become too big for your own good. Your plan simply would not work. Violence would not save you from your ultimate demise. It is only a question of time.
Ethiopia will overcome adversity by the efforts of all its children!!
--------
The author can be reached by emailing to: sewenett@yahoo.com
ETHIOMEDIA.COM - ETHIOPIA'S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE
© COPYRIGHT 20001-2006ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: webmaster@ethiomedia.com
June 18, 2006
The 52-page document prepared by a TPLF Foreign Ministry department has the whole mark of what is wrong with Meles Zenawi and his rule. The document sets out the means and ways of wooing Ethiopians in the Diaspora through bribery, intimidation and blackmail to fall in line with the ideals of ‘the great leader’. The only tools missing in the document’s attempt to persuade Ethiopians abroad is imprisonment, murder, and massacre - not for the lack of the will to try, but is bound to get messy even by TPLF's standard. Simply put, the document is a vain endeavour to invade the privacy and sacred right of a person‘s freedom of choice. One has only to peel the sugar-coated veil of the document to see the endemic control obsessiveness of the rule of TPLF.
For the sake of simplicity I will present my comments in the first person, considering myself as a typical member of the Ethiopian Diaspora and portraying Meles Zenawi as the author of the document.
Mr. Meles, I live in a country where it is my exclusive right to choose which political party to support or oppose or for that matter remain indifferent. The government of the country of my domicile has no power (constitutionally or otherwise) to dictate me to follow a certain line of thought. It can not even send me a letter of invitation to attend a political rally if I let my intention known that I will not accept it. In short, the government has no right to be intrusive in my social or private life (with the exception of an emergency situation such as war etc.) I have thus become addicted to such concepts as democracy, freedom of choice, privacy, and the rule of law which you so unashamedly and limply pay lip service.
I am also an Ethiopian, not only by blood but sentiment, character and the deep love I have for my family, friends and by extension the people of that country - which by the way is not up to you to give or deny. Therefore, I take it upon myself to apply the measure of my love to my country by closely following your every move to keep my compatriots under servitude. Concurrently, I do my level best to help my people overcome your violent rule - wherever and whenever I can.
Over and above your blood soaked governance within the borders of Ethiopia, you now have stretched your wings to remotely blindfold and make me your supporter from thousands of miles away. You seek to snatch me from the grips of opposition parties and be part of your sphere through your embassies and obscure networks of agents. You know very well that no opposition party in the Diaspora does not and can not force anyone to sign petitions or participate on a rally against your atrocious rule. Nor can they afford to ‘buy’ my support even if I let them. On the contrary, I spend my own resources to be part of the Diaspora movement, because your madness needs to be stopped. Nevertheless, you have planned and prepared directives to help me cleanse my ‘evil’ thoughts of freedom and independence.
Let us see how you intend to apply your plan:
Bribery
Mr. Meles, so you intend to give me land, tax concessions, loans, and what ever I wish in exchange for my abandonment of support for opposition parties. Your ‘generosity’ has no bounds. I would have been grateful if what you are giving was yours and for the right reasons. Offcourse your ‘mana’ is covered-up with such outwardly innocent concepts as encouraging inflow of capital, building democracy, promoting peace and constructive engagement with the Diaspora. If I was not a witness of your fifteen years of pillage of the resources of the country, you probably would have a chance of neutralising my current position. If I had not known that you sustained your life through callous brutality, I would have wavered and listened with interest to your propositions.
The encouragement you received from the ever appeasing western powers despite your undisputed trumping of human rights is a sad reality of current international relations. These powers will sooner than later find out how their policy will back fire, because they are essentially aiding and abating a dictator – which in the final analysis will never be in the interest of these countries. The current mess in Somalia is partly a proof that you are part of the problem rather than the solution in the region. In the interim, the support of the west has emboldened you to dare control my choices. But my conscious is beyond the reach of your bribery or your ally’s short sighted influences.
Intimidation & blackmail
Mr Meles – your plan for the Diaspora essentially relays on violence at every stage. No matter how you try to cover it with various catch phrases of peace, democracy, and economic development, your end game is controlling my free will. You have stated that if anyone can not be influenced, cajoled, and bribed, you have issued a directive to your embassies and spies to find dirt and intimidate your opponents. Furthermore, you have again pulled your favourite weapon of choice – namely, charging every walking and talking opponent with genocide. It is amazing how you have not realised yet that you have become the laughing stalk of your observers. You seem to think that by repeatedly using the word genocide, you will cleanse your self of being accused of it.
You also intend to make us miserable by bringing legal proceedings against people who have no foreign citizenship and residence. You aim to seek extradition when ever possible so you can get your hands on some of your opponents. It shows how far you go to exterminate your political enemies. You have to know that sometimes you just become too big for your own good. Your plan simply would not work. Violence would not save you from your ultimate demise. It is only a question of time.
Ethiopia will overcome adversity by the efforts of all its children!!
--------
The author can be reached by emailing to: sewenett@yahoo.com
ETHIOMEDIA.COM - ETHIOPIA'S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE
© COPYRIGHT 20001-2006ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: webmaster@ethiomedia.com
