Myopic EPRDF warlords in their airtight cage

Self-defense
at this critical time in the history of Ethiopia threatened by divisive ethnic
policy being perpetrated by TPLF’s warlords is a natural right. The Amharas subjected to ethnic cleansing and indeed the living
under tyranny in abject poverty seek practical solutions to their multiple
miseries quickly before it is too late to avert civil disorder of far reaching
consequences to Ethiopia and the region of the Horn of Africa. The parochial
EPRDF warlords in their airtight cage care
less about peace and tranquility in Ethiopia and states in the region. The
warlords are strange cage-fellows mistrustful of one another and devoid of constructive
ideas.  

Writings and quotes
deemed relevant to this piece

In order to make a reasoned argument, I
starved for knowledge and sought respite in the writings of fellow citizens as
well as remarkable quotes of stalwart Pan Africanists:-

Ambassador Berhanu
Dinke (ABD)

1.         The
Imperial regime had faced several rebellions and outright challenges to its
policies, and rampant but silent disagreements among officials of the His
Majesty’s administration. The Emperor was above the Constitution, which He said
He granted it to the people of His own free will. He breached it in terms of
devolution of power. This breach led to a serious quarrel between the Monarch
and the renowned dissident Ambassador ABD – His Majesty’s trusted, visionary,
effective, incorruptible official.  DK sought
political asylum in the USA where he had to contend with several threats on his
life for his incessant and incisive criticism of the Imperial regime. Failure
to devolve power to the Prime Minister in accordance with Article 73 of the
Constitution was the main cause of the irreversible split between the
principled BK and the Monarch that ruled in accordance with the precept of the
divine right of kings.

2.         I
read BK’s two books written in Amharic each 69 pages long bound in one cover
with the titles “Qaisar ena
Abiot” printed on one side and “Albo
Zemed” on the other. Each book in my opinion is as
big as any in terms of its substance underlining the need to build democracy on
solid foundation. He quite rightly characterized the elites of the Ethiopian
revolution as rebels in an empty house devoid of the timeless fundamental
values rooted in Ethiopian history. I agree with him entirely.

3.         According to ABD’s eye witness account
as a young boy: Dejazmatch Balcha
Abanebso from his abode in Wolliso
mobilized a small force to march on Addis Ababa to fight the Italian Fascist
invaders. The Italians upon getting the news deployed one thousand soldiers
supported by tanks, artillery and fighter airplanes to engage the veteran
warrior with only 200 militias at his command. 
In a day long fighting, the Fascists suffered 100 casualties versus only
15 on the militia but with several men wounded. Several days later the Fascists
made a surprise attack on a camp near his birth place and killed the veteran
hero. He paid the ultimate sacrifice. 

4.         Balcha’s death
motivated the likes of Abebe Aregay
et al in Shoa; Mengesha Jembere and Belay Zeleke in Gojjam; Gebrehiot and Abay in Tigray; Geresu Dukey and Bekele Woya in the south. These
illustrious heroes were part and parcel of the first guerrilla organization in
the world. Incidentally, one of the Dejazmatch Abay’s sons was my friend in Addis Ababa; he tutored me a
lot about power struggle within Tigray which I found
to be similar to those in other parts of Ethiopia.

5.         According to ABD poetry, literary works
and philosophy in Ethiopia have independently developed to the level of
European achievement in Ethiopia. This is true!

Gebremedhin Araya (GA)

5.         I knew Gebremedhin in those days in Uganda when refugees were on
hot pursuit. My better half was a close friend of his wife and did her best to
assist the GA and his spouse when the couple was victims of nabbing by TPLF
security operatives led by General Tsadkan and Hayelom. GA is one true son of Ethiopia with unrelenting
courage and patriotism to this very date exposing the renegades within the TPLF
top echelon in his capacity as a former member. I thank him for his article in
Amharic titled እነ ማን ነበሩ? አሁንስ ማን ናቸው? posted on various
social media.

6.         I
extol GA in all sincerity for his confirming that the Imperial regime was
all-inclusive and that Tigreans held top positions in
that regime. I know this to be true in my capacity in key positions; it is a
matter of record that the Monarchy gave the highest priority to the development
of Tigray and Eritrea in spite of meager national
resources. 

Jomo Kenyatta quote

7.         “When
the Missionaries arrived, the Africans had the land and the Missionaries had
the Bible. They taught how to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them,
they had the land and we had the Bible.” In contrast the EPRDF regime is
welcoming the old and new colonizers by leasing large chunk of fertile land to
the latter in the face of serfdom bleeding Ethiopian peasants.

Nelson Mandela quote

8.         “Ethiopia has always held a special
place in my own imagination and the prospect of visiting attracted me more
strongly than a trip to France, England and America combined. I felt I would be
visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African. Meeting the emperor himself would be like shaking hands
with history”. The country so much admired is now Balkanized – the very concept
the Great Statesman paid so dearly to eradicate.

President Uhuru Kenyatta

9.         “… Let us all be
clear – supporting devolution is not a choice, as some claim it to be – it is a
duty. A constitutional duty. One
that I have sworn to uphold.
Our constitution does not suggest devolution, it demands it. I urge all Kenyans
to be persistent, pragmatic, patient and non-partisan,
as we pursue the promise of devolved governance.” This is in sharp contrast to
the partisan divisive ethnic policy of EPRDF in the absence of no real
devolution of power.

Professor Alemayehu
G. Mariam

10.       “Ethiopians
united — pulling together — can never be defeated by the bloody hands of
tyrants!”, from his inspiring analysis titled Liberating a “Prison Nation”
posted on Ethiomedia on 15 April 20113. I say Amen to
this quote wholeheartedly.

Failures in political
leadership & consequences

1.         Dictator
Mengistu Hailemariam has
unashamedly shifted the blame of his failure in leadership to his close
confidants and subordinates. His incompetence as Commander-in-Chief of the
Ethiopian Armed Force led to the disintegration of one of the largest fighting
force in Africa.

2.         This
coward spent time building his personality cult and finally fled the country
leaving the army in the lurch and the door wide open for invasion by the TPLF
regime.  He must be held accountable for
high treason. In all fairness, however, he neither falsified the history of
Ethiopia nor compromised the unity and territorial integrity of the country –
which could have constituted a more treasonous crime.

3.         The
EPRDF regime has been unwilling or incapable of resolving colossal issues inherited from Zenawi. These require
the collaboration of all Ethiopians in a democratic environment, which does not
exist now. The mega dam project is a time bomb that will explode at the
convenience of Egyptian authorities. Any Ethiopian opposition political entity would be right to link up with
progressive forces in Egypt in fostering regional democracy and prosperity.

4.         Endemic corruption is certain to
destabilize the regime. Moreover, the pledge by the EPRDF Prime Minister to
continue with the destructive legacy of the late tyrant Zenawi
will lead to the eventual downfall of the regime sooner than later.  

5.         The longer the TPLF warlords stay in their
tribal hermetic cocoon, the more they will become stupid and isolated from the
rapidly changing outside world in the sphere of politics, economic growth and
social development. This intransigence will not augur well for the stability of
Ethiopia and the region of the Horn of Africa.

Slow pace towards unity

Unity still seems a blurred dream.
After decades in the wilderness some Oromo elites are still unable to shed off
their tribal garb to change their wrong premise and make a paradigm shift to
embrace the spirit of Ethiopianism and Pan Africanism
under the umbrella of the African Union. I ask the OLF liberation from whom? How
can it be possible to dialogue on any national or AU agenda with a biased mind
towards ones’ tribe? Under ethnic federalism, would it be possible for meritorious
candidates from minority groups to hold electoral offices at the national
level? I think NOT!

EPRDF warlords are locked in their
airtight cage with their parochial views. The government is dysfunctional at
this material time. This is the moment for the Ethiopian people to inundate public
squares and streets and appoint an all-inclusive transitional caretaker
government.

The fate of those movements with
tribal mentality will be decided by the people forming the transitional
government. Those concerned are well-advised to read the signs on the wall and
do so recalling election 2005 where Ethiopians, regardless of ethnic origin or
creed, dealt a heavy blow to TPLF at the polls.

Zenawi’s ill-conceived vision, mission, and
strategy to destroy Ethiopia are well articulated by Gebremedhin
Araya. Full support for his call for a coordinated civil uprising as broadcast
in his interviews with ETSAT and G-7 radios is justified; his assertion that
the Imperial regime was all-inclusive is correct; it is true that Tigreans held more than their share of top positions in
government.

 Ethnic cleansing is an intolerable vicious crime against
humanity; no baby is born to parents of its choice and therefore the ongoing
ethnic cleansing of the Amhara race constitutes a
heinous crime against humanity. The descendants of the loyal servants of
Fascist Italy holding top position in TPLF/EPRDF must brought to justice.