My neighbor and I in Addis Ababa were regular listeners to the clandestine radio broadcast by TPLF fighting the Dergue regime. We often exchanged our views and expressed deep concern about where our country was going, noting that sons and daughters of the peasants on both sides were killing each other by the thousands – in spite of the similarity of ideology professed by the belligerents. I remember one day in February 1991, my neighbor said to me that the Dergue and the TPLF pursue the same Marxist-Leninist ideology and he wondered why they do not reach some rapprochement to stop the fighting and embark on the peaceful development of Ethiopia. I reassured my neighbor by saying that any regime that would replace the Dergue would be better, adding that I have heard rumors that the US government is supporting the TPLF. I pinned my hope on the assumption that the TPLF leadership would abandon their ultra-leftist Albanian brand communist ideology soon after the Dergue regime was removed from power. Otherwise, I surmised that the USA would not support Stalinist rebels.

Unfortunately, my expectation ended up in utter chagrin as events proved later. In a nutshell, I lived to witness colossal damages inflicted on Ethiopia over the last fourteen years under the despotic and irresponsible leadership of TPLF:

1. Dismemberment of Ethiopia, leaving a country of over seventy two million people landlocked; it is unprecedented in the history of the world for a leader of a country to support a vital part of his country to cede. Meles shamefully supported cessation of Eritrea from Ethiopia in writing to the United Nations. In my opinion, the tyrant Mengistu Hailemariam would not have done such a despicable thing.
2. Ethnic-based parceling of the map of Ethiopia with evil design to make it convenient for cessation. This is a reckless and dangerous experiment, which should be utterly condemned not only by Ethiopians but also by all Africans suffering from tribal strife as a cancer to peace, stability and prosperity;
3. Daylight robbery of the resounding votes cast by the Ethiopian people at the polls of 15 May 2005 demanding change in no uncertain terms;
4. Execution in cold-blood, brutal beatings, bloodshed, injuries, imprisonment in harsh conditions, mental and physical tortures and other atrocities inflicted on innocent civilians and members of the victorious opposition in the aftermath of the election of 15 May 2005;
5. Creation of a feudal land tenure system in which TPLF is the landlord and the peasants live in slavery in serfdom;
6. Monopoly by TPLF of lucrative business interests and enterprises;
7. Disbanding of a well-trained, well-equipped and battle-hardened Ethiopian Army, thus leaving the country without a credible defense after the takeover of power by the TPLF; this unholy action stands in sharp contrast to the unrealistic ‘vision’ of Mengistu Hailemariam to build an invincible Army;
8. Stopping on the orders of Meles the advancing victorious Ethiopian Army from realizing its ultimate objective of removing the despotic regime of Eritrea from power and liberating the Afar people of Ethiopia to live in their traditional homes on the Red Sea Coast;
9. Tarnished image and plummeting reputation of Ethiopia in the eyes of the international community; Ethiopia as a founder of the United Nations and several international organizations, should have by now become a leading candidate for the envisaged two permanent seats in the Security Council of the United Nations being contested by Africa;
10. Abject poverty, disease, high unemployment rate, flawed and myopic education policy all adding up to unprecedented misery in the history of Ethiopia.
11. Suppression of academic freedom on the campuses of tertiary institutions using force and intimidation;
12. Suppression of freedom of the press by force, imprisonment, and intimidation.

The single most important responsibility of any government is to defend and protect the territorial integrity of its nation and safeguard the security of its people. Now, on this count alone, if one really cares to compare the evil deeds of the Dergue and the TPLF, the above examples tell it all that the TPLF is the mother of all evils. Nevertheless, I maintain that all evil rulers must perish all the same regardless of the magnitude of their atrocities.

Meles Zenawi is an accomplished master of deception. He wields political power in the ruthless style of Stalin by directly and effectively controlling all state security apparatus. Meles and his cohorts are plundering enormous wealth of the country and stashing away cash in foreign banks, while posing as democratic proponents of free market economy -thus ‘hoodwinking’ the donor community that TPLF is a democratic institution cast in the Western mold. I for one do not believe that the Western governments are ignorant of the dictatorial and deceptive nature of Meles Zenawi. I would rather express my conviction that any government, despotic or democratic, serving as their puppet or surrogate gets the blessing of Western leaders. They are merely using the atrocities of the Dergue regime as the baseline for their excuse to cast TPLF in good light. After all, it is said that national interest is permanent and that friendship is only temporary. I believe that Ethiopians should take this maxim into account in shaping the policy of our envisaged democratic country, which will come as a result of enormous sacrifices and resolute struggle. Ethiopia as a matter of policy and morality, must tolerate neither terrorists nor their foreign predators to operate on her territory.

The election of 15 May 2005 has torn wide open the iron curtain of fear and deception drawn in front of the face of the Ethiopian people for the last 14 years. This historic election, which amounted to a decisive referendum for change, has massively united Ethiopians at home and in Diaspora. As a tribute to this unprecedented historic phenomenon in the long history of our motherland, organizing under the banner of “Ethiopian Democratic Liberation Front” seems to me appropriate to save Ethiopia from complete downfall and free ourselves from slavery and restore our honor. To that end, moral, financial, and material support should be given to substantive political opposition forces such as the CUD and UEDF and encourage or even urge other smaller opposition parties to join them.

As for me, I subscribe to the old adage that dictators will not negotiate in good faith with democrats. The TPLF is scared to death to share power with others for fear of reprisal for its crimes inflicted on the Ethiopian people. It will not accept the idea of peace and reconciliation of its own free will because its heinous crimes will be revealed. Truth and reconciliation is imperative to heal our deep wounds. We need to break the ugly cycle of recrimination and retribution once for all through remorse and repentance; but it seems to me that it can only take place in a political climate without TPLF inner clique and cronies because of their intransigence. It will be foolhardy to expect Meles to dismount the ‘tiger’, which he knows it is hungry.

Fellow Ethiopians, wake up and hit the iron while it is hot! We have only God and ourselves to end tyranny in our beloved Ethiopia.

Note: The quotation under the caption may serve as a reminder of the present political upheaval where the TPLF leaders refuse to dismount the ‘tiger’ in spite of their crushing defeat at the polls of 15 May 2005. The hunger of the Ethiopian people for justice, their impatience with the intransigence of their repressive ruling regime, their determination to unseat the hated regime from power, ad infinitum, has thrown the TPLF regime into panic forcing it not to dismount the ‘tiger’.

Incidentally, Sir Winston Churchill quashed the Wayanne I movement created by British Field Officers soon after the end of World War II. In so doing he apologized to Emperor Haile Selassie I for the delay of British government policy recognizing the territorial integrity of Ethiopia including the Tigrai region.