by Robele Ababya
Deep sorrow
I am, in my personal capacity of a concerned Ethiopian, enraged and deeply aggrieved by the beastly deeds that culminated in loss of lives, spilt blood, bodily injury, psychological trauma inflicted on universities students at Ambo, Alem Maya, Jimma, Lekemt et al. These heinous crimes were and are being committed by the EPRDF security forces under the direct command of the minority leaders camouflaging as citizens of Ethiopia. They are hell bent on destroying the cultural diversity of the Ethiopian people plotting from their hideouts in our nation’s capital Addis Ababa and in Tigray – the cradle of our civilization. In the same breath, I most sincerely wish to share the pain of parents and relatives who have lost their loved ones in the heinous cold-blooded murder of their sons, daughters, and all demonstrating residents victimized by senseless act of brutality by government security forces.
Addis Ababa is the melting pot of our diverse culture; Tigray is the citadel of our glory when Ethiopia was one of the four powerful countries on our planet Earth. Inclusive politics must take this into account beyond the fall of the reclusive TPLF regime.
Persistent gun politics in the era of TPLF misrule
The TPLF leaders at the top echelon are reverting to politics by the gun – the game they know best to cling on to power for another 40 years as openly declared by Abay Woldu. This moron from his hideout as President of Tigray is a self-proclaimed guardian of the rotten legacy of his former boss, the butcher of Addis Ababa. The moron and his followers and confidants with parochial views are in their wildest dream busy building the personality cult as “The Great Statesman leading Africa”. But this is not going to happen!!!
Apartheid politics is unnatural
Tigray belongs to all Ethiopians. It is the cradle of civilization of all the descendants of Noah: – Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Cush being the first born son of Ham is credited for establishing the Cushitic Kingdom later succeeded by the Axumite Kingdom. Is this not sufficient justification for averting and condemning in the strongest terms the internecine bloodshed and killings in cold-blood unleashed on universities students singling out the Oromos in particular? I bet the cobra going by the names of Abay Woldu is in trance savoring the blood of the young university students with a broad smile quietly. The victims were exercising their constitutional right of petitioning the brutal ruling regime in a peaceful protest; unfortunately they paid a hefty sacrifice trying to reason with a regime that has shut the door to dialogue.
Our inheritance and invaluable assets
Our sterling achievement is that the Judaic, Christian, and Islamic faiths lived together in relative harmony for centuries. Our greatest gifts are our industrious people, our waters, and vast arable fertile natural resources. These three are our invaluable assets indispensable to our survival as people. We have every right to utilize these assets in a way others can count on us as their breadbasket and source of electric power available for sale. Our water tower is safeguard of last resort against those who wish us ill.
Our ancestors have shown their indomitable spirit and fighting prowess on the international scene sacrificing their precious lives and shedding their blood for the territorial integrity of Ethiopia, freedom and dignity. The present generation is no less determined to assert its resolve to reclaim its freedom and dignity from the tight grip of the TPLF warlords.
The widespread youth movement by tertiary and secondary students has come at a defining moment. For Ethiopia is bound to lose her invaluable assets under the apartheid policy of the brutal regime meddling in religious affairs; stifling democracy; grossly mismanaging natural resources; blocking private landownership and suppressing the initiative and creativity of individuals; and discouraging self-reliance. The peaceful protest must elevate to the level of civil disobedience and spread like bush fire throughout Ethiopia for the sake of securing freedom and dignity for all citizens as well as restoring stability in the troubled region of the Horn of Africa.
The contentious Addis Ababa Master Plan
Ethiopians should be braced for the mushrooming of new cities and expansion of the present ones into metropolis and megacities gradually. This phenomenon will release rural lands for large scale commercial farming as people migrate to the cities seeking greener pastures by investing in business enterprises of their choice with the money acquired from sales of their private farmlands.
In highly industrial nations, less than 10% of their populations are engaged in farming. They feed more than their population require for food and the rest of the farm produce are exported. For example only 2-3% of the USA population is engaged in farming; the farmers produce more than needed for domestic consumption and the rest is exported flooding the world market and building the image of the USA as food basket of the world.
So the contentious issue of the expansion of Addis Ababa Master Plan should be resolved in view of the above. This can be done only by an inclusive democratic government following national reconciliation.
People must come first
Abject poverty is biting deep through the skins to the bone marrows of the masses while elites are failing to unite to ease their sufferings. The struggle initiated by Oromo university students must continue and gather strength across the ethnic divide. Peaceful struggle is already scarring the trigger-happy EPRDF regime to death!!!
In all our endeavors, the principle of putting people is the best policy. Buildings and wide roads constructed with borrowed money do not feed hungry people and develop them to repay the loans let alone increase prosperity. The repressive EPRDF regime has ignored this principle and is therefore well on its way to catastrophe for it has lost the trust of the people. The people know that the despotic ruling regime is causing unrest to rig and secure election 2015 in advance rather than go through the spate of protests that ensued in the aftermath of election 2005 which it lost but kept it by force; it wants to justify to the world that it fairly won election 2010 and hide the fact that it unilaterally declared garnering 99.6% of parliamentary seats.
The EPRDF regime is gripped with panic; it must revisit its failed strategy of robbing elections in broad daylight by accepting the inevitable scenario of peaceful transfer of power to the Ethiopian people.
Tribute to Immeye Menilik
The policy of imperialists was that black African workers should abandon the center of the cities every evening leaving their working places immaculately clean including residential houses, streets and public squares for the enjoyment of their colonial masters; their children were not allowed to study beyond 4th grade.
Ethiopia under Menilik with His stalwart warriors comprising all the mosaic ethnic groups were vehemently opposed to the dehumanizing policy of colonialists and paid a heavy sacrifice fighting for freedom and dignity and set example to all black people in Africa and in the Diaspora.
The ancestors of Amharas and Oromos were singled out for extinction by Fascist Italy; their descendants must therefore at all times stand together in self-defense; otherwise, the TPLF copycats of Italian Fascist’s policy will leave no stone unturned to divide and enslave them.
Urgent call in earnest on the EPRDF cadres, security & defense forces
Members of Security and defense establishment are supposed to defend the constitution. Unfortunately this has not been the case since the TPLF-dominated regime came to power. This costly gross blunder will hold you accountable sooner or later as it did the members of the security and defense forces of the fallen Derg regime. You will face the same fate unless you change course and stand on the side of the people without delay. You must say no to the EPRDF government, which is unabashedly lying through its teeth about the viability of GERD and double-digit GDP growth contrary to single-digit growth of 6 to percent forecast by the International Monitory Fund (IMF and the World Bank (WB).
So I make this urgent clarion call in earnest on the EPRDF cadres, security & defense forces to mend their ways and force the EPRDF party to come to the negotiating table with all opposition entities and civil societies and together pave the way to genuine national reconciliation by weeding out criminals by means of an independent court.
In closing
As the old adage goes” A house divided against itself cannot stand. Unity is paramount to defend, preserve and protect our invaluable human and natural resources.
The EPRDF is in panic because it failed to put people first in its development policy; it arrogantly snubbed inclusivity in matters of paramount national interests such as the GERD and the expansion of the Addis Ababa Master Plan. The reclusive regime is reaping what it has been sowing in all the years it has been in power; EPRDF is now in panic due to self-inflicted wound arising from its fear of people seeking peaceful change. All tyrants fear the people they misrule!
The EPRDF government must be held accountable for the heinous crimes unleashed on the Oromo students. The Prime Minister should take the lead in bringing all involved criminals to court or resign.
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