Letter on Messay Dejene’s response …

June 1, 2013

I don’t often write an article on your media, but I like to take this opportunity to thank you for the opportunity you give voice to many people, however good or bad, to express their views. I know you represent a one sided view, but that is ok. Everyone entitled to his/her opinion and has a right to take or advance whatever opinion he/she has.

However, I also expect a high standard and principles your writers need to have on the common denominators or core values we Ethiopians cherish i.e. love and respect to our people regardless of what race, religion or region they come and in what position they occupy whether in government or opposition side. That shows maturity and most of all shared value. If one has a contempt on other Ethiopians and belittles their identity, I don’t think he/she deserves the right to claim respect or the intellectual and ethical high ground for himself/herself. Most of all the personal title he/she has before his/her name whether Dr. Mr or any other adjective will be meaningless and a sham!

I think this applies to the so called Dr. Messay Dereje who wrote a response article on Ethiomedia today (Thurs May-30-2013). I felt somewhat nauseated when I read his article, though I started with good intention first curious to see his genuine intellectual pros and debate to refute Tecola Hagos’s message.

Instead, I found Dr Messay’s article extremely chauvinistic, arrogant, damn and empty filled with contempt of Ethiopians (especially the minorities). He starts our by belittling the PM Hailemariam, by referring him as a servant “serving his masters”, and went on insulting the entire generation of Ethiopians under the age of 45!! Alas, what a Dr! I wonder where you got your PHD degree, the respected Dr. Is this what you learned?

The average Ethiopian from the countryside, whether he comes from Wolayta, Oromoia, Tigray or Amhara (Gonder or Gojjam) has a very high standard of ethics and respect with high value and courtesy – the roots of Ethiopian heritages and culture than you do have – the well educated Dr!

Please read again what you wrote, and hopefully try to grasp your own thoughts!

Here are excerpts from your article:

1. “Woyanes and their venal Woyane-appointed tribal riffrafs of whom most have barely seen the four walls of high schools, are the supposed representatives of the bantustanised Ethiopian regions.”
2. “The vast majority of people in the cities, the generations that are under 45 are generally vulgar, inconsiderate, abrupt, dishonest & unreliable. The nation is polarised along ethnic lines.
3. Beware also of the following realities. Unfortunately people with Tigre names or with Woyane affiliations are socially shunned. That is a sad reality in Woyane’s Ethiopia.”

Dr Messay: I wish you a recovery from your head that is filled with hate and ignorance!

Yours,

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