|
COMMENTARY When a Dog discovers its Bite
As we further advance, the volume of despondent statements from disgruntled members and sympathizers of TISJD are getting louder by the day. In their “wisdom” some have even gone so far as to say that Solidarity must support the dissident’s quest for power. The dissidents were persons who enjoyed Meles’ trust to unleash the darkest specter of terror on their own people. If yesterday’s Meles accomplices today call themselves the opposition party, how come they failed to learn lessons from their unforgottable mistakes?
They had their time and they could have made significant progress in the advancement of democracy by now, but they stalled democracy and squandered it. We have almost 11 years of “democratization” and the results were laughable. It is about time we re-evaluate our commitment and loyalty to the rule of law. The opposition elite of the TPLF old guard is spearheaded by cynical, manipulative, self-serving dishonest opportunists and untrustworthy advisers. We will see how far they will march to grab power. Only a grave will bring them to this raw ambition to put them in power again. Our people have paid too huge a price in lives under the TPLF political fiasco. So far the price of cover ups and hesitation has been enormous. The crimes that the TPLF leaders of past and present have committed against their own people during the last 27 years are not hidden from anyone. Of course, we members of TISJD never believed their cries and lies anyway; the unfair distortion about our organization and us. This ill advised campaign is part of an orchestrated assault as well as misguided and misplaced, but also downright to our cause. On August 23, some enemies of Solidarity want to portray the outcome of the meeting with their cyber collaborators as fruitless because it did not go the way they wanted. Let’s face the facts, it was enough for the opportunists to speak out to prove they had nothing to say. All was refuted and reduced to dust. Members of TISJD have proved without the doubt their determination and strong bond even to welcome some die-hard TPLF insiders. The opportunists are enemies of Solidarity who have a vested interest in wanting to portray as usual their imagined plans. However, the events of the meeting made it impossible to bring agitation against the esteemed and respected members of TISJD, who are working day and night to expose the leadership of TPLF Trojan horse. This is exactly what the enemies of Solidarity have long hoped for. It only serves to confuse and obfuscate the real issue. What is needed now from Solidarity is creativity and boldness to clean out opportunists and persons who just want their own personal interest and fame. Solidarity must remain dynamic, democratic, transparent, and accountable in the formation of our peoples’ vision of a future completely free from the hands of TPLF insiders. Solidarity must not allow these kinds of scare tactics to distract us from our mission and our goal. It is about time that TPLF insiders must realize that the dark rule of TPLF is on losing ground. The Tigrian community in Diaspora cannot be only an observer of the situation when TPLF insiders are trying to revive failed politics in spite of angry voices. This is another sad saga. We cannot continue to live under an organization whose only goal is an organized rape on the fundamental rights of our people and territorial integrity. It is time we believed in our own people and empowered them instead of undermining their capabilities. Are we really so helpless that we must remain somebody else’s tail? Haven’t the 12 years of TPLF’s failure taught us a lesson? Shouldn’t there be a statute of limitation for power? It is the responsibility of the Ethiopian people to establish democracy, but our people have never been in a position, nor are they now, to exercise their will. No one can intimidate us if we do not bow down to their intimidation and no one can subjugate us if we refuse to be subjugated. We have to stop blaming others for what happens to us. I believe that if we Ethiopians unite instead of fighting each other, and rally around our goal of paying more attention to the voice of the people, and look out for the interests of the country, the shadow of suspicion will disappear.
Something has gone seriously wrong with our national consciousness and our sense of who we are as Ethiopians. It has been said those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. If we as a nation and society forget all the crimes that the successive Ethiopian regimes have committed against our people, we should not be surprised if there is a repeat of those crimes in the future even worse than those of the present. We should bear responsibility for it, if for no other reason than that of our selfish and shortsighted dilemma. No matter what our party affiliation and position, we are dead wrong. Our wishful thinking doesn’t guarantee our future. We came so close to democratization, a goal that generations of Ethiopians fought for and thousands have died for. It is a betrayal of the memory of the hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian patriots who have scarified their lives so that our people would be free. Yet never before there has been so much division in ethnicity and regionalism as that which now tears us apart. (a) We must foil the selfish and desperate moves of any disgruntled members or sympathizers to spread outright lies, fallacies and character assassinations of stem members of Solidarity, as we have seen in unsympathetic web sites and discussions forums, will not advance their cause. (b) We now have reached a stage where we need to ask ourselves some very fundamental questions. Those who use nationalistic tones to justify their slander against Solidarity and self-respecting members must stop their blunders. All rumors and Emails that were slanderous and equivalent to a political assassination attempt on the integrity and good name of the members must be put to an end. (c) Measured steps and condemnation must be taken. We have seen reputed members of Solidarity being attacked. Rest assured no one but the enemy of the Ethiopian people would benefit from attacking esteemed members of Solidarity’s integrity. Solidarity is nothing more than a visionary of the Ethiopian people’s political resistance against the EPRDF. (d) We still have some people who have not learned to put our unity ahead of personal hatred. We also have people who are still trying to politically ambush our integrity for personal political gains at every given opportunity. We will expose them at every level, if they continue their monkey business us usual. (e) What we need is an open and transparent debate about any issue of Solidarity to allow the Ethiopian people to state their opinion. This follows with Solidarity’s main purpose and aim, to create a democratic society. We are striving to encourage the Ethiopian people to build the cornerstone of a democratic and civic society, with freedom of _expression and freedom of political organization. There is nothing more noble and dignifying than allowing the people to decide their own future. (f) Solidarity’s approach in voicing the cries of thousands of Ethiopians who have been forcefully evicted from their land in Badme and Irob, which have been targeted for Eritranization by the regime of Meles, must be our priority concern. We are sure this elementary character assassination will only draw support to Solidarity, and fortify our determination to fight for the rights of our people. Once more to those who blindly support any party, we advice you better positioned to see the future if you have one. (g) The so called opposition of TPLF, yesterday’s yes-men of Meles Zenawi, must re-examine their strategy and commitment to the Ethiopian people. To cheat and run highly sophisticated political scams will not advance their cause. (h) Capitalizing on our ignorance, and the illiteracy of our poor peasant parents, those nefarious demagogues and opportunist sycophants are trying hard to disunite us. The TPLF leadership with its followers present and past took the Ethiopian people for a ride and landed us perfectly in the abyss of poverty. A little bit of their history will help explicate the tragedy which has befallen our people. In due course of time, we will uncover TPLF’s menacing past. We still have shortcomings but we will overcome these in no time. We are sure Solidarity will contribute to Ethiopia’s cause considerably. Despite all the pessimistic pictures painted by others, we will not despair and instead will work hard to achieve the goal of democratization. It is important that we all unite and focus on the positive gains Solidarity has achieved. |
