“The rich world wanted to believe that you, Meles Zenawi, were doing your very best to deliver progress, reform, to your country. But one looks around the country today with an average life expectancy of 42, when millions and millions of people absolutely dependent on international food aid to avoid starvation, and when one does, after 14 years in power, what did you deliver for Ethiopia?” – BBC Journalist Stephen Sackur
Ethiopia’s May 2005 election opened a new political chapter in the country’s long-running deepening crisis, social apathy, and public discontent.
Meles
Zenawi who, by historical accident, ended up his protracted guerrilla war against the Mengistu regime, has been a squatter, unlawful tenant of Menelik’s Palace for nearly two decades.
As an unlawful tenant of the palace, stunned by unintended consequence of the outcome of the May 2005 election, instead of allowing democracy to run its course, he fought back by launching a vicious and ferocious countrywide crackdown, a campaign of violence and intimidation, including killing and jailing members, leaders of the most hopeful, popular political organisation, the then Kinijit – Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD).
The brutal measures to took dashed the hopes of millions of Ethiopians and the international community at large. Zenawi, as a classic squatter, fought all his way through to avoid any legitimate eviction up until the current saga of ‘resignation’ where he is prepared to re-establish his ‘legitimacy’ and/or the ‘legitimacy’ of his replica with an incredible theatrical standoff: is it not too good to be true?
In recent months, Zenawi has been telling the world that he would step down following the 2010 ‘election’. He was quoted as saying , “ I will retire if it is ok with EPRDF” , “This would be my last term” , “bored” , and when cornered by the BBC’s HardTalk host, he said , “My proposal is to make sure this is my last term.”
It appears that he would consider resignation save the blessing of his party, the TPLF. The magic word here is “if it is ok with EPRDF.” Is there such a party, a party proper or Zenwi’s own club? Is that not the club he wholly and exclusively wags from every corner of the niche or has he got any other party which the public is not aware of? Would you believe him? Is he trustworthy? Does his past tell us about his present intention? Or is he unpredictable but for wrong reasons? Knowing Zenawi’s political behaviour, prone to deception, sinister motive mainly against Ethiopian fundamental interests, a man with double standard on issues that matters Ethiopia, a man whose past speaks for itself as untrustworthy, could there be any fresh reason for optimism to believe or throw any shred of doubt that he would act against his own odds? Act against his critics? Most, if not all his critics who have been watching Zenawi for years would agree to disagree with such pure façade of him and dismiss such a suggestion as utterly bluff, disingenuous at best, a cock-and-bull story at worst.
Indeed, and taking into account Zenawi’s obsession to power, he could be seen manifesting himself in one of the following scenarios:
First scenario: considering the style and manner of his party’s political credo, inner party organisational values and bogus voting system, Zenawi’s club would merely endorse his leadership, and dismiss his alleged quest for resignation as uncalled for. His experience, organisational skills in keeping himself in power, his cheap manipulative power of his own circle, coupled with his ethnic-based intelligence network determined to keep him in office by all means possible, he could end up with a window dressing and tell the world that he wanted to resign but his party couldn’t let him do so.
Obviously, it is a theaterical set-up intended to look like democratic than he is. A sham resolve intended to fake the entire international community. Zenawi should have known that his gimmick agenda is quite noted, than he probably might have thought. There is no way that he could prove his critics wrong. This current saga of resignation is intended to fool the Ethiopian public, western media, and emerge as a favourite leader which he is not, pave the way for his next term rule. That is why Zenawi cannot and would not be trusted; he is unique, unlike most dictators he has the knack to disguise himself in the name of democracy. Unlike his predecessors, known for their direct and iron fist policy in what they believed in, Zenawi rules by deception, and in particular in the name of democracy whilst his actions speak otherwise. His past explains his current actions and intentions. There is an incalculable deception of him that compromised the fundamental interest of Ethiopia for the last eighteen years. It is normal for him, which is abnormal to many, to tell us one thing and do another (remember…” won the war for BADEME… won the border, boundary dispute at the international court,… opposition party leaders convicted of inciting violence, convicted of …and many more) Thus knowing, who he is and what he is for it is highly improbable that he would disprove his critics that he would step down as a leader. In fact this would only illustrate the usual feature of his political life style– do all the best he could to stay in power and act to the detriment of Ethiopia, do his unfinished job: extend ethnic politics, deepen ethnic xenophobia amongst ethnic groups which would potentially suit his sinister long term motive.
Second scenario: Zenawi may still step down from his post as PM, and in reality appoint, not elect, one from his loyalists, as Zenawi himself said “ …we have a large leadership pool” at his interview with AFP. As his obsession to power, he still stays as the most driving force of ethnic politics under the leadership of TPLF. However, even in this scenario, he would make sure that he is crowned as the party’s General Secretary (chairman) and drive state machinery as a talking tool. Those he put in the leading role of the state would simply act as robots. In essence it doesn’t make any difference whether he sits at the driving seat of the car or at the back of the car, he would make sure that he remains the sole engineer and driver of the car.. This is just because the party, TPLF, EPRDF is structured in such a way that indoctrinated individual party members have no say of their own, the party’s executive under Zenawi makes decisions, his decision essentially remains their binding decision and by analogy his own decision is the decision that ultimately binds party members. Zenawi as a person would not oust himself from real power; he would stay in power and continue what he does now, probably a lesson acquired from Putin of Russia. That is why the onus to prove that he steps down rests on Zenawi, which he is unlikely to prove. His chronicle of a series of twists and turns but for the worse right from his days as a guerrilla fighter to date proves one thing: deception with intent. The current window-dressing is pure and simple – engage the public in a pseudo-democratic theatre, ‘step down as Prime Minister, and remain a de facto Prime Minister by offering effective party leadership to the state machinery, provide leadership to the ‘pool of leaders’ which Professor Alemayehu termed as ‘a new generation of their clones’. Is that not an insult to the Ethiopian people, and to the entire democratic values of society?
In his recent interviews, Zenawi has been concerned about leadership. When asked by AFP, he stated that “We are not talking about Meles only. We are talking about the old generation. The party needs to have new leadership that does not have the experience of the armed struggle”. Brilliant, for the first time since he took office, he impliedly accepted, knowingly or unknowingly, that there was no need for an experience of armed struggle, though his motive is coded. In fact one would take this further, which he did not, dismiss his experience as superfluous, source of all trouble and shambles in present day Ethiopia.
3rd Scenario: Zenawi could step down once TPLF is re-crowned for another five year term. He could also seek safe heaven else where taking a role in international or regional institutions. Whilst this could be a blessed move in disguise, it is unlikely that Zenawi would take this option for various reasons.
For nearly two decades Ethiopia has been misruled by same TPLF tyrants, political cliques who have no clue to genuine democracy; unwilling or unable to comprehend the essence, rationale of democracy and the ultimate justice entrenched in democratic principles and fairness. There could have been a lot to learn from ancient Athens, who for the first time in mankind’s history, originated and exhibited a model of direct democracy and not pseudo democracy. In ancient Athens on every single issue each voter was able to vote freely, and no person had any more power than his counter part. Decision making and decision enforcement were not only the duties of every citizen, but were reciprocally congruent to each other. Ancient Athens rose above and beyond their times, unlike the 21st century ethnic warlords of Zenawi and his cohorts. Credit to the genius of ancient Athens, most of the western world has now benefited by the application of direct, representational democracy, rocketed themselves into space; whilst we Ethiopians remain under the yokes of abject poverty, where cow dung, wood energy unfortunately, is used to cook food and provide heat energy. Whilst such level of backwardness can not and could not be attributed to the misrule of Zenawi, one would expect a 21st century governance, leadership to leave and work up to an acceptable standard, and satisfy the legitimate expectation of its own people at least on democratic issues. Sadly, Zenawi who deceived the western media and some regimes as one of progressive leaders of Africa eventually proved himself, as the most authoritarian leader and misguided individual, who effectively undermined the sovereignty of Ethiopia and misconstrued the whole ethos of political pluralism in Ethiopia.
Power to the People: Ethiopians deserve better
If at all zenawi has to be taken seriously, he must and should confer power back to the Ethiopian people, the source of power itself. He cannot tell the Ethiopian people that he would transfer power from one TPLF boardroom to another TPLF club or pass leadership to a talking tool, whose very existence is determined by Zenawi’s own existence, or assumed presence and acquisition of monster power. If Zenawi has to be taken seriously, he must and should transfer power to the Ethiopian people, change from the existing ethno driven police state to democratic accountability, transparency, where those who abuse their power, as is in the present case, could be held to account irrespective of their positions and status in society.
If Zenawi has to be taken seriously, though he is not, he must and should accept the Ethiopian voting public that the Ethiopian public knows better than any political group including the TPLF; empowered Ethiopians would do better than he might have sought, that Ethiopia is greater than he might have sought. It is an opportune time that he limits the enduring damage done against all Ethiopians. He must and should allow, the generation for a better change to say enough is enough of his ethnic bigotry and bias, ‘liberating’ Ethiopians from Ethiopians. The nearly twenty years of ethnic worship, Amhara/Oromo, Anwak… prejudice, myth, hate- crimes committed against this or that ethnic group should end . It is time to undo the shekels of ethnic xenophobia and come into terms with modern reality: resolve the material life of all Ethiopians irrespective of their socio-linguistic differences.
It is time to learn from president Obama that there “… is not a black America, and a white Amrica, and Latino America and Asian America. There is the united States of America…” Would Zenawi and his cohorts learn or allow those able to shape such a notion of thought? Sadly, not and it is unlikely. If Zenawi, indeed vacates office, the issue at stake is not a “pool of leadership” from the TPLF circle but a quest for fundamental change, a change that could guarantee democracy, respect of human rights, justice, unity, sovereignty, science…economic prosperity …. commerce in a country where life is from hand to mouth. And that is literally the agenda for change which has always been incompatible to paradigms of TPLF. And as such agenda is alien to TPLF, the intended resignation, if indeed is true, should open the door for genuine political pluralism; political pluralism is far beyond the notions of hatching and nurturing satellite parties such as the components of EPRDF.
The way forward: free and fair election
If Zenawi has to be taken seriously, which he is not, it is not that justice is done but must be seen doing justice, engage political equality, create political space and allow free and fair election to take its course. He must and should drop politically motivated charges, free all political prisoners, journalists, liberal individuals who have been languishing in both known and unknown detention centres throughout his reign. Those that have been subjected to detention for nearly the last two decades have always been political opponents and not enemies. Opposition should have been appreciated and not branded as enemy- it is time to say enough is enough.
Zenawi must be seen freeing those that he held in detention, tell us the whereabouts of many disappearances whose destiny is yet unreciprocated. Political activists, sympathizers and those perceived as members or supporters of political organisations must be seen released and engaged in civil and political dialogue. Free and fair election to all political parties must and should prevail. It is not for Zenawi, or the TPLF to tell the Ethiopian public that ‘there is a pool of leadership” in which a leader could emerge. Zenawi would find it difficult if not impossible to convenience anyone except his own party, that his pool of leadership, would be accepted including by the international community. Ethiopia had enough of such ‘pools’, Ethiopians deserve to have a direct say in their political affairs, and choose one who they believe would run Ethiopia better; Zenawi must and should stop prescribing leaders or the sort of policy which would suit Ethiopians and Ethiopia; the public is aware that any change under his watch is but for the worse.
The beginning of the end: free Birtukan Mideksa
Zenawi would know that every minute, every day, season… that passes without any political solution is deemed to add to the on-going colossal political problems. Failure to act reasonably and justly or fabricate all sorts of garbage to keep political activists, dissents in jail is costly if not tragic.
On one hand Zenawi, makes a desperate attempt in pursuing voters, taking all draconian steps to make sure power doesn’t come out of his hand and reassert his ‘legitimacy’ in the name of democracy. On the other hand he locks up political leaders, and particularly those such as Birtukan who pose a real threat to his grip of power. As prone to mischief, and dishonesty, he attributes the imprisonment of the young and hopeful politician to a breach of conditions for pardon; a fraudulent legal exercise which shouldn’t have been materialised in the 1st place. Zenawi, if he has to be taken seriously, should begin to free Birtukan and all other poltical activists, civic society members, professional who have been languishing in jail under his watch.
Zenawi must and should release Birtukan with no condition attached. The Ethiopian public, international community including objective evidences from Amnesty international, Human Rights Watch, the US department of State Report robustly attest that her imprisonment remains politically motivated, hence unlawful, marred with procedural impropriety. Zenawi has no defence in a proper court of law; justice is beyond and above the reach of kangaroo courts.
To date, Birtukan has no access to her lawyers, journalists, diplomats, news papers, books, radio and other concerned human rights organisations except her aging mother and child. In effect her solitary confinement amounts to ex- communicado detention which in turn amounts to torture. Torture is prohibited against any individual by all international human rights instruments to which Ethiopia is a party. Further the so called TPLF’s constitution proscribes torture, however in effect Birtukan is subjected to ill treatment that amounts to torture. Zenawi would know no matter if he doesn’t the provisions of these human rights treaties are legally binding and he has every obligation to adhere to the instruments enshrined therein. Zenawi has no power whatsoever to derogate from this right at all times and spaces including in prison cells. Zenawi would know, no matter if he doesn’t, such action of his, coupled with all other staggering human rights violations under his watch begs for accountability, and that is a matter of time not substance.
