I was surprised and bewildered by the fierce and impassioned defence of Zenawi’s record as an economic reformer by Sir Bob Geldof in his interview of 7 March 2010. While pooh-poohing testimonies of former TPLF officials, Aregawi and Gebremedhin, as “rubbish” and “rumour,” he was quoting the Economist Intelligence Unit’s report as a genuine record. I felt that by dismissing statements of those two officials, he was obliquely demostrating his racist feelings — he seems to believe only the white man can tell the truth. Apparently, he has forgotten what he said in the wake of the 2005 massacre of peaceful protesters by Zenawi’s crack military force. The following is what he had been quoted as saying:
Sir Bob Geldof told Channel 4 News the Ethiopian leader shoud ‘grow up’. On Channel 4 News at noon, he criticised the Ethiopian leader Meles Zanawi for violence which left dead 22 people who were protesting against the election result [in reality more than 8 times that number; no action has been taken to date despite an Inquiry Commission report that slammed the Meles regime. Two Commission members subsequently went into exile rather than make compromises as demanded by the government (ed.)]. Sir Bob had worked closely with the Ethiopian leader on producing the African report. He said: “Spare me, what are they doing? It is pathetic. I despair, I really despair. “No doubt, I’ll get a briefing from the Ethiopian embassy: ‘it wasn’t like this, it was like that’. Grow up, they make me puke. “I know those people, Meles Zanawi is a seriously clever man, what is he doing? What is he doing closing down radio stations, and journalists and that, it’s a disgrace. Behave.”
Is this the same person who had the temerity to stand in defence of Zenawi yesterday?
