| COMMENTARY Meles Walking on Thin Ice By Dr. G. Bekele September 24, 2002
Few thought Mengistu Haile-Mariam as honest. But he was smart. Which meant that while he could not be trusted to tell the truth, at least he knew what the truth was, which made him less likely to do something silly or dangerous by continuing to stay in his palace when Weyane deposed him from power. In a theatrical arrangement with western powers, he willingly fled to Zimbabwe by Airplane drinking Champagne, carrying his millions of dollars and his entire family after imprisoning and murdering innocents and his opponents including the royal family, Army generals and ministers who previously sucked the bloods of Ethiopians and milked the Ethiopian wealth. “Meles is not a man one could suspect of brains, indeed of anything much in the upper storey at all.” Perhaps he has “Choma Milas” to fool the fools around him. He is like his supporters at some web sites who without naming me said pointedly my critiques were “Madness” thus making inflammatory remarks and at the same time trying to preach the public that Ethiopian democracy is flourishing under Meles leadership despite TPLF’s split. They also ridiculed Solidarity (TISJD) using a high personal, orchestrated attack effectively hijacking Solidarity’s Anniversary and conference success blaming them and EDP to cover the big crisis created by their government in Ethiopia. Their “reheated and high-flown rhetoric” about EDP, Solidarity’s struggle & me had ignored the seriousness of the situation of “those who are being persecuted, murdered, deliberately sent to the war and those 6 – 8 million people who some are deliberately starved to fool the west to stay on power, secure international aids and loans.” The Ethiopian people and in particular the people of Tigrai who are under siege as I write, will find these web sites and individual’s support for Meles little recognition in their meanly- mouthed words and written scribbles. The views that were expressed on these web sites and by some individuals were not the voice of Ethiopia hence should be totally ignored. Those supporters are public enemies hence should be stopped too.
What makes me so angry too is that I can see no differences between the government owned Walta Information Service and these web sites and also the Ethiopian traitorous leaders and their supporters. How dare they launch a tirade against their own people and me when our country’s recent history is stained with the blood of innocents? Human rights violations are soared up and down the country. Our people are tortured; citizens disagreeing with the regime have been jailed. Therefore most Ethiopians, who are horrified at what is going on in Ethiopia, reject these bizarre and abhorrent views. Defending the indefensible by supporting the Meles corrupt and traitorous regime is illegal, irrational and immoral. For God sake don’t talk to us about morality, democracy and the so-called developments. We are no longer interested to listen to fabricated lies on Walta or these Web Sites and do businesses with the devil and his disciples.
Meles’s so-called democracy is not just a question of his famous verbal infelicities, which his supporters seemed to have worshiped. Intelligent but inarticulate men and women do exist who are able to run Ethiopia’s affairs in a more efficient and democratic ways than the present regime. The plain fact is that Meles is a man for whom the adjective dim might have been invented. His supporters are as blind as “Homer the Blind story teller” but without any sort of intellect. Why on earth TPLF are so keen to have leaders short of brainpower is an interesting issue in it self – but may be left for the moment. For God sake select loyal leaders with good brains!
There is always the danger with someone such as Meles, living beyond their intellectual means – and no doubt conscious of it – that he will try to compensate by showing how ‘Macho’ he is. His followers too are what the late Professor Asrat called some opportunist Amharas like Addisu Legesse, “Hodamoch.” As long as they are fed like Zoo Animals and get some perks, they will bark, bite and even go long way to wipe us out from the face of the earth and sell their country to the first beadier. They elected dictators, traitors, and foreign agents and now support them out of blind loyalty. Shame!
Yes sadly today history has repeated itself. The oppressed Tigrai people once more are suffering in Tigrai by the men and women they supported for many years and yet some opportunist Tigrians are still collaborating with their people’s oppressor, the Ethiopian traitors and are digging holes to burry their own people and their Ethiopian history. As far as history is concerned, in their long struggle and heroism to fight poverty, underdevelopment, backwardness, injustice, defending Ethiopian history and our motherland, the people of Tigrai never experienced such divisions and opportunist children like these before. It is very, very sad but true. Congratulations Shaebia!
I am astonished and saddened too not only by some Tigrian individuals but also by those generals and ministers who have betrayed Ethiopia and kept the worst monster of this earth to continue to rule over this great country of ours. Don’t be fooled by the government propaganda machine, opportunist web sites and individuals any more. Believe it or not, we are a nation under terror therefore it is a matter of national survival. Meles will now say to his ministers and his guard dogs around the world, you guys have all the brains and I have the courage to make them his obedient servants and slaves for life. Do they really have brains if they support a foreign agent who is slaughtering their people, auctioning their country and destroying their history? Nobody in his right mind will think so. Next time he will turn his gun against them as he did to the dissidents like Alemseged, Gebru, Bitew, Siye and the likes who fought and ruled with him for the past 27 years. One cannot trust Meles Zenawi anymore. Period!
To put flesh back on to his weakened party, he will do every thing he can to silence his opponents like EDP, his ex-colleagues (the Dissidents), every Tigrian or other opposition and the angry Ethiopian public. “Meles bites the hand that feeds his people and him” hence no one can peacefully and democratically work with him. Meles betrayed the people of Tigrai who raised him and put him on power. Meles sold Ethiopian sovereignty to our traditional enemies. By using innocent Tigrians, Meles ruled like a king and though he may be reclusive, he still lives in the palace like one and holds all the cards because of our weaknesses & divisions. And because of greedy power hopefuls he is trying to divide the nation further to suit his purpose. He has a history of tyranny. I think most people understand that he is going to be more dangerous to the Ethiopian people and in particular the people of Tigrai. Therefore, I want people to understand my deep concern about this man and his evil regime.
We owe it to the people of Tigrai who have been oppressed for over 27 years, our children’s children to free our country Ethiopia from those who hate Ethiopia and Ethiopians. Although Meles and his loyal government officers are somehow were fraudulently elected and are legitimate representatives of the state of Ethiopia, he, his ministers and some generals do not represent the basic values that Ethiopians stand for. Arrests, splits, parasitic elements within its administration, plots, rows, resignations, fleeing the country and dissent are crippling the regime. These are the words associated frequently with EPRDF politicians. His dogs are barking everywhere to save him and his regime is frightened to death because Ethiopians are beginning to unite and have been hitting them where it hurts. They are all loose and in disarray. We have already put them in the toilet as they say but need to pool the chain to flash them off. Meles is indeed walking on thin ice hence is about to fall under our feet sooner than he thought.
To mention few examples, when you organize a peaceful demonstration with the authorities permission in London supporters like Mulugeta Aserate-Kassa says that is not democracy. When you organize meetings in civic organizations, he makes a terrorist crisis out of nothing and accuses the organizers and puts them at loggerheads with the authorities. When you criticize Meles’s brutality, treason his government’s crimes against humanity, he tells us that is backbiting and character assassination. When you criticize Ethiopian collaborators of the traitorous regime like the daydreamer, pretender Haileselassie Girmay and others, he says don’t criticise them because they are fellows Ethiopians. These mercenaries are indeed panicking everywhere!
As I proved him wrong too Mulugeta is a man who always said Ethiopians don’t deserve to live on this earth and BERE WELEDE in any thing to do with Ethiopia and Ethiopians. Thanks God he is not the son of the real Ethiopian Hero Ras Alula Aba-Nega but HIM Haileselassie’s Ras. (Yedil Atbya Arbegnoch) they used to call them in those days. For public’s information, the government officials have told members of the public that they too don’t like him and didn’t want him to be elected for any committee or even allow him to make speeches on behalf of the London public. Reason: the government realized that would earn them a bad image because of his bad record. But they use him for radio interviews and use his name to write all the rubbish critiques we have been reading. He is their messenger. I will come back with more of Mulugeta’s story and above all the London Embassy’s crimes committed against the displaced in Tigrai during and after the war. That was the biggest and worst crime against the oppressed, displaced and humanity in general, in which Mulugeta Aserate Kassa also played a major role. This is not malicious gossip but a documented fact with evidences.
Coming back to the more important point, EPRDF is a band of frenzied feuding backstabbers who hate each other’s guts. Nothing, I ‘m happy to say, could be further from the truth. EPRDF is the party of friendship. Its ranks are awash with friends. It has friends like other people have infectious disease. The Ethiopian government is tottering on the brink of collapse as a stream of resignations and loyal friends left the traitorous Prime Minister. We hear sackings and resignations all the time. Arrests and killings are everywhere. TPLF owned companies are in disarray. They could not trust each other therefore a busy Foreign Minister is also running their business empire. What a shame?
Furthermore, the recent mischief by Meles too is a nasty and unpleasant fit of pique by a regime seeking systematically to undermine the institutions of democracy, including independent courts and independent media. I am totally, utterly and fanatically against that. I find it hard to reconcile some of the things that he is doing at the moment with Ethiopia. This all adds up to a feeling that “politicians are only interested in themselves and don’t give a damn about the public, which is damaging politics in Ethiopia.”
Dim and macho are a dangerous mixture in politics. Dishonesty and stupidity are bad too. Arguing the respective demerits of both may seem, like debating the precedence between a louse and a flea. All the same it’s an issue you cannot evade, certainly in politics. At least a dishonest man may know what he is doing, but not a stupid one. Which of course, again brings us to Prime Minister Meles and where he might be leading and taking us. But are we organized and ready to take over the responsibilities? For all parties, I say the choice is to do nothing or try to bring about the change quickly.
How will history would the memory of this elusive man and his cronies? But though Meles Zenawi walks on thin ice and political water, he remains a mystery: what we cannot pin down, they instinctively distrust. How rare it is to hear much warmth anywhere for him. There is admiration for his Teflon toughness in his circle, but still there is suspicion of a man without ideology and loyalty because a secular country needs political idealism and sense of direction. We need leaders who we can trust.
The Ethiopian army and the public must not “stand by and do nothing” while Meles “persistently mocks” Ethiopian Constitution and authority of International Law and continue oppressing his people and destroy his country. Meles have played games with our lives and our country for too long hence his regime will have to end. The choice is not his any more but it is ours because he hasn’t got much to make up his mind or amend the traitorous blunders and crimes he committed against Ethiopia and Ethiopians. He may play fast and loose with the Ethiopian people to survive but he will go and must go soon. Otherwise, believe it or not Shaebians will invade us soon and we will be second-class citizens in our own country as we were few years ago.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a vicious & traitorous dictatorship. There is no doubt too that its human rights abuses are legion; that it has threatened and attacked his people and his neighbours. He is reluctant to relinquish his grip on power and hopes to rule by force for life with the assistance of some traitorous army generals like Samora Yenus. They are fully and actively engaged in the destruction of Ethiopia and expanding of Eritrea. If all the EPRDF now insists upon is to stay on power, Meles effectively has no choice but immediately to depose him peacefully and face the law for his traitorous crimes against his people and his country. If his friends want to at least stop this for a while, they now have their last chance – but they will have to be quick.
Finally, my condolences goes to the families of those who died and injured in Tigrai Hotel in Addis Ababa on Ethiopian New Year’s Day. It was wrong too, to speculate or make publicity stunt at a cost of those people’s lives like that of Haileselassie Girmay, “Ethiopians Bombed” on Deki-Alula before investigation was fully carried out by police and we know whether it was fire as police said at the time (Source Addis Tribune) or Bomb. We now heard conflicting news on both sides hence urge the government to tell us the full facts and bring those perpetrators of this cowardly act to justice. Ben’s speculation of OLF being a suspect before the investigation had been carried had also been strongly denied. Therefore in future, please refrain from making speculations to mislead the public and in the process jeopardise the court trial. Let’s wait until the investigation is fully carried out and those perpetrators are officially charged. Next, I leave you with food for thoughts and judgment about personal matter.
I am not and was not a member of any political party as I repeatedly said before but am the oppressed people’s advocate as I have always been all my life and one of the most vociferous opponents of the present Ethiopian regime. As you are well aware, I have received genuine compliments for my contributions from many admirers. I was subjected to blackmailing and character assassinations from the desperate government and EPRP supporters too. Accordingly, an individual well known for his foul language and extremism recently etched provocative details of malicious gossips on the windows of Haweltina & previously on Axumite web site.
The monotheist texts preach neither peace, nor love nor tolerance. They were texts of jealousy & personal hate. I consider the allegation to be totally false, highly speculative and without foundation. It was “irrelevant, inflammatory and insulting rhetoric” too. It is a sign of “desperation” that mixed “helplessness & aggression.” I think the public will see through it. There was really nothing to be gained from “fishing and murky water.” That was solidarity in private, total candour in public. What a sick betrayal!
Now it emerges that this miserable specimen again has been touting on all the media about me. He has been running a poisonous coterie on discussion forums. What a shame on such worthless cad. Whatever prurient nonsense he has to say will eventually end up in the ditch. The spark and lies this Pratt spread, the serious life threatening remarks he made that appear to be flying none stop on the web sites, discussion forums and newspapers amazes me. He is indeed a psychopath. My crime was that I criticised EPRP, Abraham Yayeh, some radio stations and newspapers for their wrong doings.
Believe me, all his fabricated allegations will be proved to be wrong and he will be embarrassed in public soon. It is hard to conceive of a less convincing group of public good-doers than these bunches of self-publicists. Some EPRP Supporter’s politics has become a foul game, feeding on anger and hatred. Mr X has always tried to be a New EPRP Testament guy. Now with his tribal, malicious gossips and sacrificial language, it’s clear that he’s living in the Old Testament of EPRP. Why can’t he join his brother-in-Law’s party EPLF and officially fight all of us instead of pretending like the Eritreans?
Mr X is a difficult man, as can be seen in his articles and discussion forum debates. But to call him blimpish oversimplifies the devil’s advocacy the writer would like to indulge in. He is simply childish, ignorant and warmonger. His detestation seems to have been entirely reserved for the oppressive non-democratic brands of EPRP socialism. These false accusations are to many academics and genuine netters, the mark of a calculated insult and it puts a red rag to a bull. It was absolute nonsense of course. Are all these representatives of EPRP so adrift from their moral bearings that they don’t understand what is wrong or right? He is an embarrassment to his party and those he support.
And then we come to this self-satisfied champion of EPRP whose attitude towards every one adds another disturbing twist to our problems. This is a scandal that grows more un-edifying by the day in EPRP camp. As I have repeatedly said, I have decided not to respond direct to such allegation. I would like you to see why too, with some encouraging email messages I received from supporters after they witnessed his recent activities on the web sites and discussion forums. Please read the following messages!
“Dear Dr Bekele, you have by now earned an honour as an Ethiopian patriot. No amount of gibberish talk would destroy an image the size of a mountain. The weak is always measured by the cheap and dirty words they hurl at individuals. You don’t have to descend to Mr X’s level and reduce your good image. Your problem is not Mr X. Your problem is the TPLF regime. Mr X’s problem is Dr Bekele. Your problem again is the system that is destroying your country.
When Mr X continues in his – he thinks he is writing – attack then one day members of the public would be bored of smelling his stench, and call for his condemnation. As we said, never put yourself on par with those filled with hate. A patriot is patient, a patriot thinks in terms of the millions of muzzled people in our country. Keep on what you are doing. Never ever let Mr X idea cross your mind. The greatest glory to Mr X would be when you stoop yourself down to his level and write any response to him, no matter how you choose good words.
We know Mr X. His English is way down the gutter. From bad to worse, the hate-filled message stirs nausea. Our conclusion is that he should have received counselling. But the sad thing is no serious therapist has done anything to treat a raging psycho. The best way is to leave him alone. Don’t give him any attention, nor does he deserve any response.” This is one of the dozen emails I have received this week. That was very encouraging message indeed. Readers, isn’t that marvellous? I say thank you to those brothers and sisters who sent me these emails, those who defended me on the web sites as well as on discussion forums. God Bless!
Therefore, while EPRP’s self declared King Kong descends into leer-like hubris madness and tragedy, we the patriotic Ethiopians continue our blessed struggle until we depose the big Psychopath in Ethiopia. “The mad and bad will always be with us.” “You fools” didn’t you know that? LONG LIVE MOTHER ETHIOPIA ! |
