By Tazabi
In the past fifty-sixty years of African history, there have been known ways of grabbing governmental powers only few favoring the population at-large. Power transfer through military coup d’état or building armed rebel forces that takes over government through fighting were the most common methods of replacing governments during the second half of twenties century in Africa. Unfortunately, both methods involve violence and none of them produced the western-type of democracy. In fact, very few countries were success full to start their governments on democratic base. Today, more African countries are on democratic path due to irresistible pressure and ultimate sacrifices from the people. But, not all seceded getting what they have demanded and they have deserved. The nature of Ethiopian government in the past fifty-sixty years has shown the above scenarios in combinations without out a day-light in democratic administration. The 1974 people’s pressure on the monarch created a power vacuum that was overtaken by the military junta and later in 1991 a rebel group from the northern part of the country deposed the military government from power and has been ruling the country with iron fists. Of course during these time, there were missed-opportunities that could have taken the country towards democratic pathway that we didn’t use. Luckily, we have gotten one opportunity today that we cannot afford missing. We need to work with the current Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
I had no doubt that the TPLF was not the right governing body for Ethiopia replacing the military before they even assumed power. It was not difficult to figure it out their problems from what they have done and what they have planned as the rebel group. The fighting and wiping out of other oppositions from Tigray, their narrow-minded ethnocentric philosophy, undemocratic nature of cling to power through fighting among themselves, and their plan to weaken Ethiopia by disallowing access to sea are few to mention. After taking power, the systematic alienation of other Ethiopians from the government body, the sponsoring of Eritrean succession without consulting the Ethiopian people, their intolerance to novel political ideas are among their early features of government while the torturing, the killing and the incarceration of innocent people because of their political opinions have been even much brutal than the military government used to do during the red-terror era and to their rebels who were captured in the war. I can go on and on, but that is not my main issue here. My issue here is how to proceed into the future from now on wards. By no means I support fighting the TPLF with arms knowing that it will result with more of killing Ethiopians from both sides, and fighting for what? To set the way for another dictator to replace TPLF? No rebel group in Africa succeeded with democratizing government in Africa and I don’t expect the outcome to be different for us. Period! I was waiting for someone within the ruling government to rise up and see the underlying problems of the country that has been dragging its development with unresolvable Ethnic politics. I think we have gotten one, Prime Minister Abiy and we should galvanize our force work with him. If we are looking the spotless government as we see in the western democracy (even that is not spotless), I am not sure if we, the diaspora can be able see that government coming to Ethiopia soon enough. This is the only better opportunity that I have witnessed in my nearly thirty years stay outside Ethiopia. For those who are waiting the ideal and imaginary absolute democratic government to come to Ethiopia, I have a bad news for you. You might need to stay even much longer beyond your life time. We have been demonstrating for the past thirty plus years looking for the ideal democratic government, now we are in our fifties or sixties and still waiting. In the meantime, our productive time has passed still seeking that government and without contributing anything towards lifting the life of Ethiopian who are desperately need our help. While waiting the ideal time, we have never been in a position to let our children know their culture and homeland that we are proud of showing. Do we really have enough time to wait and allow this opening to be shattered by the adversaries who are looking a favorable time to victimize the poor Ethiopian one more time? If we are true Ethiopians who care for the betterment of our people and interested to contribute to the advancement of the country, I am not sure if there would be a better time than we have today. If we are true Ethiopians, I think we cry when our fellow Ethiopians cry and we bleed when they bleed. I don’t think we can afford to wait another year or many years until the most suitable government comes to Ethiopia. That is a risky gamble, which is likely to drain our resources without making a dent to the society that we aspire. We should do what we need to act now. Otherwise, if we stand on the sideline and choose to watch what is going on, at the end of the day TPLF would be more likely to recapture the power and our loss would be imminent.
A country where there are fifty universities unmatched with appropriate manpower and material deteriorates in its quality of education as it has shown. The contribution of thousands of distinguished professors in North America and Europe is huge even if they set aside one week per year to educate in Ethiopian Universities. This can be doable if Abiy’s is ready to facilitate such arrangements and our scholars are willing to do the right thing to their people. I think enough of the taking and it is time to do the walking! I, personally would like just that, but it matters when we pool our resources and knowhow. Despite natural resources of a given country, educated people are wealth and the vanguard to protect good governance; we have that seen elsewhere.
For Ethiopians with business ideas and entrepreneurs, I think this is the time to contribute. It is time to pitch-in when the country’s national bank is starved with hard currency after being looted by daytime robbers for twenty-seven years. It is time to keep sending remittance through the country’s banking system than facilitating the looters campaign of laundering Ethiopian Birr to hard currency. If Dr. Abiy’s government is ready, we should play a significant role in dismantling the bureaucratic red-tapes and hierarchies by exposing those who are hindering our efforts to work in the country. Dr. Abiy is the only Ethiopian leader in my lifetime who openly acknowledged the immense contribution that the diaspora can do and he openly invited us to leave our footprint in the country’s development; and I wholeheartedly agree with him if our intention is to give rather than to take.
If this change is good for Ethiopians, by default it should be good for all of us including the people outside and inside. Of course, there are unhappy by what is coming, but they should be always in minority. If good for the South Ethiopians it should be good north Ethiopians. Good for Gondere has to be good for Tigre with no exception. There is a wonderful American say, “what is good for the goose is good for the gander.” Although TPLF is largely from Tigray, it does mean that it is good for all people in Tigray. After all, if 94 million Ethiopians suffer, I am sure the six million people from Tigray would not be happy. People of Tigray are the founders of the nowadays Ethiopia as there is no Ethiopia without Tigray or there is no Tigray without Ethiopia. Tigray is happy when the rest of Ethiopia is happy. Let us hold hand-in-hand and work for the betterment of Ethiopia and its people at-large.
Finally, I know how we Ethiopian are looking forward for the ideal change to come and we want it to come soon. Unfortunately, it has taken twenty-seven years to build and certainly, it will take more than few months to dismantle it. If it has to be done with care, we don’t know how long it would take, but putting a lot of pressure on the PM may be resulted with numerous mistakes and we should give him enough time to do the job. We don’t want to see people die for something that can be avoided with time. Time is essence to distinguish friends from foe and I am not sure if the PM knows how long it will take as he is also fighting his adversaries within the EPRDF simultaneously. I am sure he knows what it takes and I think he has a clear vision where we wants to go. Let us give him the benefit of the doubt and support him. For those who are at the helm of Ethiopian civic organization and political entities in Washington, DC and beyond, you should know the nature of the EPRDF in general and the intention of the TPLF in particular. It is clear that TPLF wants the PM to fail and resume the status que by putting back their cronies. The PM himself cited the struggles against the well-crafted and organized impedes in his speeches. The last thing we need to do is being inactive in this process or giving the PM a cold shoulder, particularly when he is willing to cooperate with us. TPLF has planted many time bombs everywhere in the country during the past twenty-seven years. We need to work with the PM in clearing the fiend by removing these bombs before it blow up beyond our control. At the same time, we should also provide the needed help where these bombs have already exploded. From the PM’s multiple speeches and his accomplishment in undoing what has been done for years, we can comfortably predict that his best performance for the country is yet to come. At least, we should see his efforts as a half-full glass of water. Otherwise, we will miss this opportunity and will stay whining for generation to come. The Ethiopian civil societies’ approach in Washington DC reminded me my common mistakes when I was young; I used to refuse accepting partial deliveries for things I was demanding in full. Because of my stubbornness, I ended up losing all. My father, who was barely literate was saying “BILH LIJ YEYAZEWIN YIZO YALEKSAL” its loose translation, “Smart kids keep what they are able to get, and keep crying for what they are unable to get”. It is time to be optimistic and reply positively to the right call at the right time for the PM’s request to visit us in the USA. Unfortunately, if we continue to be stubborn by raising nonsense reasons and precondition, I think at the end of the day, we will be all the losers. I am not sure who is representing those Ethiopians who leave in the USA and wholeheartedly support the changes and who would like to meet with the PM. I was wondering to know who represents us, the Ethiopian reside in North America and Europe and at the same time waiting these opportunities to meet the PM and help their country as needed. Who is representing us? Who is representing us, the voiceless Ethiopians who are inactive in the diaspora’s political arenas, but willing to walk? I think it is time to realize that and voice our support unanimous to the PM! For those of us who are envisioning a shining democratic Ethiopia, division is not an option! Finally, let us support the PM’s desire to bring about changes with civility and give him a breathing space to let him continue doing just that!
From Tazabi
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