Sniff…sniff…sniff…you have to excuse me… I am fighting for tears
here…come on, man!…you could do it!…lets see some
tears!…squeeze..squeeze those eyes! ….oomph… oomph … oomph …oh,
doggone it!..still no tears!!…
Here I am, in my small living room on a beautiful tenish Thursday
morning, comfortably settled in front of the solitary window. In my
hand, I hold a transcript our first lady’s (sorry, President Girma,
she insists on the title) undated, and, to my knowledge, unaired TV
interview.
I gather this is the loyal troops’ rejoinder to the recent news from
Spain about an alleged shopping spree in Europe by first lady Azeb
Mesfin, wife to Ethiopia’s PM Meles Zenawi; MP; Politburo member of
the TPLF and EPRDF; board member of one of the largest business
conglomerates in the country , EFFORT; and Czar of the anti-HIV/Aids
campaign.
There are more titles, of course. But these will suffice to
underscore an important point: Azeb Mesfin is to be taken seriously!
Take her for granted only at the risk of THE GLARE, famously witnessed
and written about by an American reporter.(Meles was at the receiving
end.)
But there is also a version of her popularized by Addis’ hyperactive,
and apparently, at least as far she and her defenders are concerned,
“delusional” grapevine: Azeb as a fabulously rich woman.
Indeed, no grapevine has ever demanded proof for its most sensational
scoops, and in all fairness, Azeb’s is no exception. But the image has
lingered doggedly over the years, believed rather than disbelieved by
most people (as bitterly noted by the pro-EPRDF blog.)
And Azeb had felt the need to speak about it.
“…it is with this paltry amount that we pay for the children’s
schooling…(inaudible)… (laughs)..I save for three months…and then I
settle the (school) payment…”… way to go, first lady!…sacrificing
for the children!…perfect role models!… “…Like I said earlier,
both of us(Azeb an Meles) don’t have (money)…this is how(by saving) we
manage (to handle the financial pressure)…”…poor Azeb!…Poor
Meles!…aren’t you already feeling sorry for them?….I
am!…sniff…sniff… “…One of our children, the eldest(Semahel), schooled
at Sandford… She scored high marks in the SAT exams in the sixth
grade…”…wonderful!…we are mighty proud of you, first
daughter!…keep it up, gal!… “…She won a scholarship to a girl’s
boarding school in England…I refused to let her go at that age…”…good
for you, Azeb…that was the right decision… “…I asked for the
scholarship to be transferred to (Sandford)…so that it could help
me….”…hold it there, Azeb…they rarely oblige such requests…what
happened?…must have been turned down, eh?…the rascals!…. “…They
transferred the scholarship (to Sandford)…”…what?…how did you do it,
Azeb?… “…She finished school( with the scholarship)…She (Semehal)
will finish this year…”…so six years of free schooling!…how many
smart kids have the same chance, one wonders….“…I rarely carry money
on me…If I do, I always give it away…I support 11 street children
children in Addis. They live on Bole street. They are like my
children…”…touching story, Azeb…I believe you…“…it (their bank
accounts and assets) could be checked by all means….”….ummmmm… “…I
think the world knows us…If you ask, America
knows…”….oooohhh…juicy!…Yamamato, any comments?… “..any country
with information knows…We are the worlds poorest leaders…”…Guinness
book world records: take note…”…you know what they said to me in
Sweden?…they said, (people say) you are dirt poor… But no…I am not
poor…Meles is not poor…”…excuse me ,Azeb…but…but…but…this goes
against every thing you had said so far… “…If we wanted money, we
would not steal from the Ethiopian people… I would convince Meles to
leave this job (the Premiership), because Meles’ smarts is enough to
buy me a house…”…yep!…here comes the inevitable Meles is a genius
speech…brace yourselves… “…Meles’ smarts is good enough to pay for our
children’s schools….He could go anywhere, enter any labour market and
be in demand for his brilliance….So I don’t steal..”…Azeb has finished
now….great speech, Azeb!…Thanks!!…
Remember Imelda Marcos?
How could one forget the 3000 pairs of shoes? What you probably have
not heard about are the 1000 handbags, over 500 gowns, and perfumes
“no one has ever really tried to tally.”
Her estimated net worth: 10 billion US dollars!
This works out to a cool half a billion for each of the 20 years her
husband, Ferdinand Marcos, was in power. All good years to unabashed
Imelda. “Ferdinand was good for the Philippines. He was responsible
for the only real economic development the country has ever known,”
she frequently reminds her fellow citizens. And indeed, the economy
has suffered since he left power; the world’s first victim to people
power. But this not where the real story is.
“I am poor!” Imelda, now 82 and still going strong, intones frequently.
Every time she utters these words, they climb right to the top of
world headlines. Best of all, there is her outrageously bejeweled
image to go along with the story. Journalists couldn’t have enough of
it. Neither could an intrigued, fascinated world.
And there is Leila Trabelsi, wife of Tunisia’s Ben Ali. Though noted
widely for her passion for racy cars, mansions(50 of them), and
shopping sprees, it was her occasional impulse to fly in exotic foods
from Europe that earned her world fame. Her husband, somewhat low key,
preferred a private Tiger, which was fed prime beef.
“I am poor!” Lelia, too, has claimed repeatedly.
Tunisians seem less charmed with their first lady than Filipinos are
with theirs. Unlike Filipinos, who consistently besiege Imelda for
autographs, they normally demand Leila’s hanging.
Fortunately, even Ethiopians, are graciously less harsh on Azeb.
Anger is expressed in other ways. A facebook Azeb fan page, for
example, boasts only 28 people. Her husband, on the other hand, has
attracted over 3000 people on two pages. But a “Meles is a great
leader” page has enlisted only 17 people. That is 11 less than Azeb’s.
All is not lost, after all.
Ethiopia’s Federal Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission defines
corruption as “the offering, giving, soliciting or acceptance of an
inducement, promise, or reward; the making of threats or the use of
intimidation, in words or in behavior; exerting influence by the abuse
of authority or its inconsistent application; which may improperly
influence the actions subsequently taken, or not taken, by a body, its
members, or its officers; for the benefit or competitive advantage of
self or another.”
How this exactly relates to the atypical scholarship of the Prime
Minister’s child (children?) demands more information. Foul play could
not reasonably be assumed just because a PM is involved. He deserves
the benefit of the doubt; the alternative being too crudely cynical
But that the scholarship is also worthy of serious scrutiny is also
beyond doubt. I seriously hope this serves as a reminder to
Transparency International. Ethiopia patently lacks a potent
anti-graft body.
How poor or rich Azeb and Meles exactly are may never be
satisfactorily answered. What could rather be satisfactorily explained
is why people, including passionate EPRDF supporters, are more
inclined to believe than disbelieve the stories about hidden riches.
In the absence of the checks and balances of a democracy, a despot is
at liberty to take at will. Such a person is Meles Zenawi. He has
unlimited power. Whether he has succumbed to the temptation or not is
secondary. It is the unlimited power he has that unnerves people and
induces them to suspect.
The End.
A friend sent this (author not specified)
:
DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA=Program installation
:
GUINEA: 100% Complete…
TUNISIA: 100% Complete…
EGYPT: 100% Complete…
LIBYA: Downloading…
ALGERIA: Downloading…
IVORY COAST: 60% [Alert: Virus-Gbagbo detected_Trojan Horse Ouattarra
in Quarantine]
CONGO: Connection lost since 1997
ETHIOPIA: 404 Error – Server not found
Cute! Thought it would be great for facebook posting.
