The problem is that this current socio-political dynamics is made by design by a group of short sited and opportunistic individuals that I wish to call rats – as an expression to their way of public life. The dynamics has sinister motives. Sinister in that the group wants to ride the otherwise peaceful, kind, cultured, hardworking, fiercely loyal to the nation at the same time poor and forgotten like many of their compatriots in other regions; mass of people. One need not go more than a few miles from Mekkele or within its confines to see what I mean by that. They do the actual riding by creating and playing emotions of fear and hate.
So why associate a few opportunistic nobodies with such a mass? Aren’t we falling into the trap that they prepared for us meticulously so long and so well?
I do not think it being in the nature of many Ethiopians to demonize a person of high position just because of his from whereabouts. We had plenty of heroes and leaders from all corners of the country.
A person is judged by who he is, by his merits, integrity, and love of country. Leaders above all are respected for vision, outwardness, selflessness, magnanimity. Have any one of the groups shown any of these qualities?
Who among the rats inspire us today? Who have we heard saying “I am Ethiopian and I am proud of it”? Which one of them stood in front of us and in public said, “On this date many thousands of Ethiopians from all walks of life and background went barefoot, malnourished and hungry, armed with practically nothing save their immense and unwavering courage and fierce love to the country to fend off aggression? Which one of them ever said in public that on this date we were bombed, shelled and gassed by an angry and racist enemy??? Which one of them ever said that we died in Massawa, Dogali, Gura, Mettema, Gundet, Indayesus, Maichew, ………..or Jijiga???? Which one of them ever told us – “today we remember the thousands who died and made it possible for us to live in independence” ? Which one of them said, “ thanks to our forefathers we lived with our pride and self esteem intact.”
Did they ever tell us that our dead are united in blood ? Did they ever tell us the blood is yet not dry? Did they ever say that ALL went behind the one flag ?, that ALL were ETHIOPIANS fighting for ETHIOPIA.
For them they remain faceless, nameless and nation less. For them they died as ethnicities fighting their own separate wars. For them, it is important to accentuate the “differences” rather than on the beauty of having so much in common.
If we ask why, the answer is simple. The opportunist rats want to stay clinging on our backs. The more divided we are the better for them to rule. Nothing more nothing less. The good thing that happened over the years however is that our people have come to understand that venomous trick. In other words, we have become immune to the venom.
We need to recall that this group of nobodies came to power with no credentials than that of destruction of property and the bleeding of the nation in a civil war that they and the Dergue initiated. They want us to believe that they made sacrifices to fight for freedom of the nation and therefore entitled to rule. Rule they did. However in order to do so they cowered – for 18 years now- behind the proud sons of the Northern part of the nation saying; “ if anyone is against us they are against you”. If any anyone disagrees with what we are doing they are disagreeing with you´”, “ If we are criticized (they read it as hate) you are being criticized too”- What kind of formula is that?
To others they rephrase the weird formula: “if you are not with us you will disintegrate “. They even take it one step further: “we will make sure that you disintegrate”.
They openly called it “destroy the Ethiopian house and rebuild it again”. Ethiopians called it divide and rule. To date they are still busy formulating and reformulating the arts of destruction.
On the reverse I have heard from their opportunistic coward friends in the North, saying that “ we like to see the preservation of the unity of Ethiopia”. This mind you, is their way of telling us that disintegration is possible…..see what I mean. Who the heck are they anyway?
The group will always stand against any form of democracy that would allow the creation and flourishing of a civic society as well as independent institutions. They will stand against a plural society with a multi-party set up that can take up the mantles of the state ,( were it to fall i.e. – and it will one day). They will stand against liberalism with its noble idea of the respect and guarantee of individual freedoms and is an antidote to discontent and strife. Such ideas cannot penetrate their thick skulls. They are immune to new ideas.
They resent demand for the right to organize, to freely contribute alternative ideas that may serve the well being of the nation. They dislike intellectuals, thinkers, preferring opportunistic dumbos instead. That way, the few at the top with their freshman , High School/ pre High School achievements can shine, no one to remind them of their ignorance and smallness.
I want to say, Folks: If there will have been disintegration it would have happened already. With the amount of venom that the rats have sown, the country would have gone to the dogs.
I however resent their wish openly stated. But they failed to understand something. They did underestimate and undervalued the fabric we are made of. They did forget that we gave birth, grew our children, lived, worked, fought, and died together. We were sometimes beaten but stood up together. We will stand up again. We may be beaten now but NOT defeated. It is a short term game that will end. It will only remain like a bad dream. The country and people will surely prevail.
As for the formula, it is a formula that comes from a sick mind. Do others have to swallow the same formula? I say NO. We are too wise and too cultured too civilized and intertwined a nation to follow the monkeys trek.
Tell me: Which one of the rats have ever made a single Ethiopian Birr through honest labor and sweat before (and that by a historical coincidence) ascending to the throne – so to say.
The answer is none. They took a whole population group hostage. They raped, they destroyed, they killed. One becomes some body through honest labor and contribution to the country and nation. One could then have credentials to pretend for or to assume power. Our rat rulers have always been nobodies and remain nobodies and will pass away as nobodies.
What did the rats chose to do after leaving school that the Ethiopian people were paying for? They went to sleep and connive with the cessationist sworn enemies of the nation and bleed the country. They bled it in unison – along with the equally opportunistic, dumb, ignorant Dergue and the discontented traitor misfits of the North. Are these honorable credential s?
What did the rest of us Ethiopians get at the end of it? – Anarchy, mistrust, oppression and the loss of our basic rights. We were better off under the Emperor in terms of individual rights.
Call one person amongst them who is inspiring. Call one name that the average Ethiopian wants to emulate. Call one name that we can call intelligent and charismatic let alone honest, patriotic and selfless. If one was honest there would have been no need to cower, no need to hide behind battalions of mercenary troops.
Ultimately, what we got is a nation with its hard won dignity and pride on the road to decline. We have now a nation that can hardly call itself a nation – a nation which easily could but cannot feed its own citizens; a nation which can do so much but its potentials stifled its initiatives crippled by opportunistic non-persons.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, the formula is meant to destroy the common house. We will then start thinking of how to sustain the starving within the “new House” – being “built” for 18 years now. In the mean time “revolutionary (how they love this word) democracy” – whatever that means – continues to consume its children…. What is the hurry? We got plenty of time.
