Ethiopia is the only country which excercise Ethnic based federalism in the horn of Africa because of this sometime i want to share my experience how this evolved around the student movement of the 60s and 70s as well why the members of the ruling party such as Leggesse Zenawi and others stick to this ideas as a solution to the question of nation and nationalities.
Since i was a bit late to the 60s students movement except i was one of the kids who went to bury an empty funeral box for Tilahun Gizaw at the saint Mary Church in Mekelle my participation was minimal. What i remember of the time was the blue magazine published and distributed by the student council at Atse Yohanse secondary school,may be this time Legesse was also at Adwa.
My foccus will be mostly from the early 70s where i used to be one of the students who know him very well as well why he tried to bring an old ideas which evolve at our school after a long guerrila warefare.
As students i can say that our school was a mixed forum of Ehnic groups from all over the country with good educational backgrounds the reason being to produce the elites which could contribute to the future of the country (not bad idea).
It was during this time that students fight each other joining their ethnic background by using sticks and bricks at each other.This tells our people that that there was also some issue related to ethnic roots which is new to most of the people who live at harmony among them in all places and conditions(EVEN THOUGH some Tigreans come from Gamo Gofa/Amhara from Harar or Sidamo etc).
In 1970s was a clash between the Amhara and Oromo students and before there was also clashes between the Tigreans and Amhara students which sometimes police was invited to settle the case.
These backgrounds lay grass root hatred and there was at the time an excercise to teach Quobee in the time the example given was Ziad Barre who started Latin written Somali language as now it stands for Quobee. This time produced people like Legesse,Yohanes(Lencho),Negerri,Solomon,Jifar,Zemicheal Oqbe,Alemu,Asfaw bomb ras,Brehane wedi chewa,Abel etc emerged, of these some came to form the trasitional government after the fall of the Military junta.
Thsi ill driven and dreamt idea was easy to excercise when one has the gun and what started to free Tigray ended up to a mock to free Ethiopia from Dictator and replace another Autocratic Leggesse.
What we learn from the above situation is that unless and otherwise we fight this divide and rule ethnic based government our misery will last for our childeren and we have to stop for a second and think what every one of us what we have to contribute. That does not mean interms of positive one but also to not contribute on the negative side is also a positive contibution to the struggle of the Ethiopia People.
January 29, 2009
January 19, 2009
UNDEMOCRATISING ETHIOPIA
Discussion Paper
Background
This paper focuses on the nature of democracy in Ethiopia and wants to give a bird’s eye view for people to raise some issues to enhance democracy in Ethiopia.
The title undemocratising Ethiopia tends to show that there is democracy in the country but it is the contrary that is why I used the term.
Democracy which is the basic rights of people in life is denied in Ethiopia because of the successive governments who came to power in the name of democracy were and are not ready to practice it but the term to them is governance of the people by the barrel of the gun or deprivation peoples basic rights with practice laying camouflages and unpractising laws in the constitutions they draft and proclaim.
Ethiopia for the last century is governed by Feudal Imperial regime till 1974, military Junta till 1991 and till now with guerrillas who came to power in the name of democracy. What is the difference and the unity with these governments needs detail historical analysis but the focus of the paper is to focus on current conditions so does not discuss this issue in detail but will underline some of the practice to substantiate the arguments to raise some issues.
Since the focus of the paper is on the current undemocratic practices in the country mostly those issues raised are for the last a decade and half.
Undemocratising Ethiopia
The ruling party in the country EPRDF came to power in May 1991 by overthrowing the military Junta who hard handed ruled the country since 1974, the Junta also came to power in the same way overthrowing the Imperial regime of Haile Selassie.
As Ethiopian the nature of the overthrown Junta was a dictator where the power of the people from time to time was transferred to one man the chairman of the Working Party of Ethiopia namely Mengistu Haile Mariam. Anything what he said was quoted as a guideline to all the sectors of the country. Even though the development of the country was deteriorating the government told the Ethiopian people that there is progress in all sectors of the economy which was a farce.
When the hearts and minds of the people was blocked to the military Junta, it was not possible to extend the war wedged in the country and the Junta fell down and was replaced with Albanian communist organization named EPRDF.
EPRDF some months before coming to power was propagating the best views of socialism and communism to bring democracy in Tigrai (northern part of the country) to enhance development but changed their local oriented struggle to cover the whole country and were automatically baptised to follow liberalism and formed an alliance from the major ethnic group organisations mainly (Amhara, Oromo and other ethnic groups) who were against the junta but excluding those who did not accept ethnic politics.
The struggle was over and the junta overthrown in May 1991, which means in normal, terms a change in government but the first step taken by the TPLF led EPRDF transitional government was to abolish all socialist based institutions starting from civil societies to institutions prevailing in the country and trying to administer according to the laws of the jungle which was practiced during the time of struggle.
Since the country was organised according to the socialistic principle all localities have at least have associations (farmers, youths, women, urban dwellers, workers, teachers, medical personnel’s and other professionals). The core step take was to abolish them so that they will not request their rights because the EPRDF was against the dictatorial junta regime so is for human rights and the peolpe will try to ask what was deprived by the Junta. Here starts the undemocratising process in the country. Here starts the problem rather than refining the existing institutions to better condition by correcting the malpractice EPRDF also was not sure of their own nature of democracy so they abolished them to replicate a new born ones in their own way of baptism.
In the end of the century the paramount focus to establish community based organisation (CBO), NGOs ,and civil societies was immense but what undemocratically elected governments are doing is dissolving them and forming their own puppet organisations, so it is the first step for EPRDF led government to unseat such forums. Besides what was the next step done by the EPRDF was hatching small ethnically based parties and association which exclude the former members of the association and labelling them as Dergist (Junta followers) or members of the Workers party Ethiopia as well putting them without any refinement in different camps for being members. This also holds true to members of the military serving the junta regime.
Here since it is fearful to leave the military members out in public could be said dangerous to security but one has to see the suffering working for other government which is not a sin and military is a job by itself is seen as a revenge by all members of the EPRDF and it was a revenge done for fighting with them.
There comes the next step in undemocratising which was the setting up of ethnically bounded regions which practically were fourteen including the capital city Addis Ababa. But the rush to set this fourteen regions was curved by joining the region 7(Gurage), 8 (Sidama), 9 (Wolayita and Gamo) and the 10 (Kembata) and the Keffa region now named as Southern Peoples, Nations and Nationalities (45 ethnic groups) since at the beginning was not well founded also currently is not well founded merely due to administrative hardships (the capital of the region being in Awasa 275 km from Addis Ababa, while the people from Keffa have to travel minimum 2 days to reach the highest decision makers of the regional state).
As the hard hand ruling continues the country has duplicated association for teachers, youths as well parties for every party formed by the oppositions with a suffix democratic party taken from the mother party EPRDF.
Building of democracy needs basic democratic rights such as freedom of press, association as well electing own representative even at a lower level in community based organisation as well those who run government offices which are rights stipulated in the international convention and the 1995 approved Ethiopian constitution but the reality in the country is the other side of the coin. That is when we say democracy in Ethiopia EPRDFs definition is that a one horse race to reach the goal or only and only member of EPRDF is elected in all posts in the government that is democracy but if someone defeats EPRDF member it is genocide, treason and crime against humanity (see reports after the 2005 election).
Why we raise the issue to undemocratise Ethiopia could be a true solution to democratise the country because the definition by the ruling EPRDF party for democratisation is distorted und unfounded so if we try to undemocratise the country may be this people well come against the will of the people and would start to think of it.
What are the realities and what we are told in the media about democracy in the country? This issue will give us some ideas how to fight for democracy in Ethiopia.
In any country including Ethiopia the constitution declares the executive, the judiciary as well the legislative are the core of the government while the reality is that all these three are in the hands and good will of the prime minister as was in Haile Selassie as well Mengistu in the last regimes. Besides the civil servants who serve in the government prerequisite is not profession or capability but the loyalty to the ruling party. These are founded realities and always spoke out even by the prime minister himself saying we do not care you have PhD or you are a NASA scientist unless you are loyal to EPRDF but if someone is loyal to EPRDF and even he is illiterate he is welcomed by me to serve my government at any post (taken from speech in the parliament).
To undemocratise Ethiopian conditions starting from the peoples representatives down to local government is just simple thing that is to hand pick personnel by the prime minister and assign them at all levels but how to replace this situation needs a better approach whether we like it or not this situation is stinking from top to down and the Ethiopian people have the right to deserve more than this reality.
There could be more ways to reach a goal but the best way is to reach as early as possible since the disease could not propagate and infect others who are our neighbours and the transmission later to us also will have along term effect.
The most and important issue is to stand together and tell the pot that it’s a pot and we have to say enough is enough to tyranny. Tyrants always think that they are smart and would like to fight at any cost to stay in power.
Here what I remind is to all oppositions in and out of the country to come and think once and for all why we are weak to enforce EPRDF to respect the human rights in the country, are we always chasing the assignment given by EPRDF or are we myopic to our own vision? Have we done our assignments properly? Are we ready to see a democratic Ethiopia in the near future? Or are we expecting EPRDF vanished as was the later governments? or are we expecting the westerners to free us from the tyrant?
Here is the million dollar question because there are more parties which are organised in and outside of Ethiopia than the number of parties in the Horn of Africa. The parties are sometimes two steps forward and three steps backward due to the nature of their organisation and some coherent problems during formation but all have the same goal which reads as Democracy for Ethiopian People and what are the reasons for not coming together. Parties who fight against ethnic federalism and the lawlessness’ of EPRDF are sometimes dragged by the yoke of EPRDF and start to think about their roots (ethnic) which is assignment given to them. Moreover some of the parties organised give more emphasis about the merit they expect before the victory which is a miscalculation in reality. The bottom line should have to focus let we fight the giant first and it will be the decision of the people to give power to whom he ever voted.
Less God bless Ethiopia
chillalo@gmail.com or access Ethiopia At Cross Road
Background
This paper focuses on the nature of democracy in Ethiopia and wants to give a bird’s eye view for people to raise some issues to enhance democracy in Ethiopia.
The title undemocratising Ethiopia tends to show that there is democracy in the country but it is the contrary that is why I used the term.
Democracy which is the basic rights of people in life is denied in Ethiopia because of the successive governments who came to power in the name of democracy were and are not ready to practice it but the term to them is governance of the people by the barrel of the gun or deprivation peoples basic rights with practice laying camouflages and unpractising laws in the constitutions they draft and proclaim.
Ethiopia for the last century is governed by Feudal Imperial regime till 1974, military Junta till 1991 and till now with guerrillas who came to power in the name of democracy. What is the difference and the unity with these governments needs detail historical analysis but the focus of the paper is to focus on current conditions so does not discuss this issue in detail but will underline some of the practice to substantiate the arguments to raise some issues.
Since the focus of the paper is on the current undemocratic practices in the country mostly those issues raised are for the last a decade and half.
Undemocratising Ethiopia
The ruling party in the country EPRDF came to power in May 1991 by overthrowing the military Junta who hard handed ruled the country since 1974, the Junta also came to power in the same way overthrowing the Imperial regime of Haile Selassie.
As Ethiopian the nature of the overthrown Junta was a dictator where the power of the people from time to time was transferred to one man the chairman of the Working Party of Ethiopia namely Mengistu Haile Mariam. Anything what he said was quoted as a guideline to all the sectors of the country. Even though the development of the country was deteriorating the government told the Ethiopian people that there is progress in all sectors of the economy which was a farce.
When the hearts and minds of the people was blocked to the military Junta, it was not possible to extend the war wedged in the country and the Junta fell down and was replaced with Albanian communist organization named EPRDF.
EPRDF some months before coming to power was propagating the best views of socialism and communism to bring democracy in Tigrai (northern part of the country) to enhance development but changed their local oriented struggle to cover the whole country and were automatically baptised to follow liberalism and formed an alliance from the major ethnic group organisations mainly (Amhara, Oromo and other ethnic groups) who were against the junta but excluding those who did not accept ethnic politics.
The struggle was over and the junta overthrown in May 1991, which means in normal, terms a change in government but the first step taken by the TPLF led EPRDF transitional government was to abolish all socialist based institutions starting from civil societies to institutions prevailing in the country and trying to administer according to the laws of the jungle which was practiced during the time of struggle.
Since the country was organised according to the socialistic principle all localities have at least have associations (farmers, youths, women, urban dwellers, workers, teachers, medical personnel’s and other professionals). The core step take was to abolish them so that they will not request their rights because the EPRDF was against the dictatorial junta regime so is for human rights and the peolpe will try to ask what was deprived by the Junta. Here starts the undemocratising process in the country. Here starts the problem rather than refining the existing institutions to better condition by correcting the malpractice EPRDF also was not sure of their own nature of democracy so they abolished them to replicate a new born ones in their own way of baptism.
In the end of the century the paramount focus to establish community based organisation (CBO), NGOs ,and civil societies was immense but what undemocratically elected governments are doing is dissolving them and forming their own puppet organisations, so it is the first step for EPRDF led government to unseat such forums. Besides what was the next step done by the EPRDF was hatching small ethnically based parties and association which exclude the former members of the association and labelling them as Dergist (Junta followers) or members of the Workers party Ethiopia as well putting them without any refinement in different camps for being members. This also holds true to members of the military serving the junta regime.
Here since it is fearful to leave the military members out in public could be said dangerous to security but one has to see the suffering working for other government which is not a sin and military is a job by itself is seen as a revenge by all members of the EPRDF and it was a revenge done for fighting with them.
There comes the next step in undemocratising which was the setting up of ethnically bounded regions which practically were fourteen including the capital city Addis Ababa. But the rush to set this fourteen regions was curved by joining the region 7(Gurage), 8 (Sidama), 9 (Wolayita and Gamo) and the 10 (Kembata) and the Keffa region now named as Southern Peoples, Nations and Nationalities (45 ethnic groups) since at the beginning was not well founded also currently is not well founded merely due to administrative hardships (the capital of the region being in Awasa 275 km from Addis Ababa, while the people from Keffa have to travel minimum 2 days to reach the highest decision makers of the regional state).
As the hard hand ruling continues the country has duplicated association for teachers, youths as well parties for every party formed by the oppositions with a suffix democratic party taken from the mother party EPRDF.
Building of democracy needs basic democratic rights such as freedom of press, association as well electing own representative even at a lower level in community based organisation as well those who run government offices which are rights stipulated in the international convention and the 1995 approved Ethiopian constitution but the reality in the country is the other side of the coin. That is when we say democracy in Ethiopia EPRDFs definition is that a one horse race to reach the goal or only and only member of EPRDF is elected in all posts in the government that is democracy but if someone defeats EPRDF member it is genocide, treason and crime against humanity (see reports after the 2005 election).
Why we raise the issue to undemocratise Ethiopia could be a true solution to democratise the country because the definition by the ruling EPRDF party for democratisation is distorted und unfounded so if we try to undemocratise the country may be this people well come against the will of the people and would start to think of it.
What are the realities and what we are told in the media about democracy in the country? This issue will give us some ideas how to fight for democracy in Ethiopia.
In any country including Ethiopia the constitution declares the executive, the judiciary as well the legislative are the core of the government while the reality is that all these three are in the hands and good will of the prime minister as was in Haile Selassie as well Mengistu in the last regimes. Besides the civil servants who serve in the government prerequisite is not profession or capability but the loyalty to the ruling party. These are founded realities and always spoke out even by the prime minister himself saying we do not care you have PhD or you are a NASA scientist unless you are loyal to EPRDF but if someone is loyal to EPRDF and even he is illiterate he is welcomed by me to serve my government at any post (taken from speech in the parliament).
To undemocratise Ethiopian conditions starting from the peoples representatives down to local government is just simple thing that is to hand pick personnel by the prime minister and assign them at all levels but how to replace this situation needs a better approach whether we like it or not this situation is stinking from top to down and the Ethiopian people have the right to deserve more than this reality.
There could be more ways to reach a goal but the best way is to reach as early as possible since the disease could not propagate and infect others who are our neighbours and the transmission later to us also will have along term effect.
The most and important issue is to stand together and tell the pot that it’s a pot and we have to say enough is enough to tyranny. Tyrants always think that they are smart and would like to fight at any cost to stay in power.
Here what I remind is to all oppositions in and out of the country to come and think once and for all why we are weak to enforce EPRDF to respect the human rights in the country, are we always chasing the assignment given by EPRDF or are we myopic to our own vision? Have we done our assignments properly? Are we ready to see a democratic Ethiopia in the near future? Or are we expecting EPRDF vanished as was the later governments? or are we expecting the westerners to free us from the tyrant?
Here is the million dollar question because there are more parties which are organised in and outside of Ethiopia than the number of parties in the Horn of Africa. The parties are sometimes two steps forward and three steps backward due to the nature of their organisation and some coherent problems during formation but all have the same goal which reads as Democracy for Ethiopian People and what are the reasons for not coming together. Parties who fight against ethnic federalism and the lawlessness’ of EPRDF are sometimes dragged by the yoke of EPRDF and start to think about their roots (ethnic) which is assignment given to them. Moreover some of the parties organised give more emphasis about the merit they expect before the victory which is a miscalculation in reality. The bottom line should have to focus let we fight the giant first and it will be the decision of the people to give power to whom he ever voted.
Less God bless Ethiopia
chillalo@gmail.com or access Ethiopia At Cross Road
January 13, 2009
IS IT A SMEAR OR A REALITY ABOUT THE SITUATION IN ETHIOPIA
Comment by Berhanu Tesfaye
on
“Oppositions and Supporters Endless Smear Campaign
Written by Matheza in four parts”
Introduction
I have read the article and would like to leave ideas on what people said and write because they’re able to substantiate their ideas. But i will focus on the pertinent issue that the writer wants to underline his ideas on. As to me some are raised on the realities as well my experiences when I was serving the last two regimes but that does not mean I was a member of the former WPE or the later EPRDF.
It is easy to write but is hard to criticize unfounded realities by bringing realities which the other party could not open eyes to accept them but I will try my best.
Having cleared the controversial ones i will try to put my ideas together to say it is a collection of crap idea to mislead the few because it is written in English, that is t to say, it is written to few Ethiopians where the radios could not address them as well i found it unfounded argument due to that accumulation of ideas from the regimes propagandas which are aired daily.
Let I come to the point.
§ The writer tells us that the Diaspora as well the oppositions are demoralized by his intelligence, capability ……respect in the international community.
As to me respect come from oneself and the second important respect has to come from the people who are administered and this comes from the respect ion of the basic Human Rights of the citizen and to abide ones written constitution and serving the people according to the law
What we need is the respect of our people but not the ones who drive us from behind us as a rabid dog and we as Ethiopians do not need to be told by others but we have to be told by our people that we run justice not tyranny, but my critic to your unfounded idea is hat let the people of Gambella massacred in 2003 ,people of Sidama who are shot by the bullets of the federal police ,the people of Ogaden who are bombed by the brutal Air Force tell us about what disrespect their own government had on them, those who died in Jimma due to the orchestration of cadres (Christian/Moslem) and those innocent people who are behind the bars(prisons) in Zwai, Kaliti ,Denkoro Chaka, Shewa Robit etal speak about what your crap respect.
To add insult to cover the reality the writer tells us about intelligence of our Prime minister and would like to tell about what intelligence at school and in administration are, sometimes they are interrelated if only if some brought them to apply in their day to day activities. But what Leggesse brought and practiced in the nation is a replica what he was dreaming at the high school he was attending. The reality looks as if that he want to achieve what he lost in this time for four years.
Scenario at General Wingate School:
Head Boy: Amhara /Oromo/Amhara /Oromo
Deputy Head boy: Oromo/Amhara/Oromo/Amhara
Prefects: from all ethnic groups
Head cleaners; from all ethnic groups
This was the scenario at his stay in high school after 17 years of struggle that boy which I also know him at least as an outstanding student came up with the same formula and tried to form his transitional government and still the formula is practiced in the government he think is good functioning it includes the writer himself. Is that a model from one of the development paradigms or is it amalgamated with the socio economic conditions of the country? It depends how you see it because for a myopic visionary it is the best model but does not contribute to the development of the nation.
This is blinded vision put on Ethiopians while most countries in the world trying to come together our brilliant Prime Minister is cooking for us a time bomb which never bring the citizens of the country together.
§ The writer Mathza tells us about security ,territorial integrity ,national interest and security…to me as far as I know this government of EPRDF who is run by Leggesse Zenawi do not care anything about the above and he also know that they are words and only words because of the following reasons;
I was working in one of the dissolved corporations during the fall of the Military regime and during the transition period we have shortage of cotton bags and we tried to import from Tanzania with USD 2.50 which is equivalent to almost ETB 5.00 but what all the stooges cared about was Alcohol factories in Asmara and told us to import at a price of ETB12 which has to be paid in kind brown sugar from Metehara as well to be transported.
With trucks with plate numbers ER. Here we see what the words mean to the EPRDF, I leave judgment to the writer.
As i was reading these words what remind me was the day article 39 was passed in the parliament and know the writer is telling us the EPRDF government is concerned about integrity ,sovereignty and national interest, that is Ethiopians pay some about one month resource for the blunder done by this government from inception.
§ Sound economic policies which the write tells us that there is growth and successful strategies to break the vicious circle in the country as i read this what it reminds me is that in 1977/78 there was a catastrophic situation in the country and after the help of the world we were breathing an air and one of the person who admire saw the activities were stopped which were done and told his cadre no problem Debela Teff kebela. If yes you are right but the strategies of the government as well the policies are myopic without a vision that is why every year we are dependant of alms from the international community rather than self sufficiency. Let i remind you in 1996 Ethiopia exported 20 thousand quintals of maize but in Gamo People were dying of hunger and the prime minister said we thought twenty years to be self sufficient but we reached within few years which was a crap. To add to insult let i tell you how some of our policies are formulated i did not bring it from heaven it is written on the field visit report of the former American president Jimmy Carter, I and Meles(Leggesse because i prefer the name i know because Meles Tekle died as a fighter not as a villain ) went to Awassa to visit my demonstration fields launched by Sasakawa Global 2000 and he was very excited to see the results and after we came back to Addis Ababa he called his Minister of Agriculture and Launched Padets as a country program and after a years we focused on post harvest because he has registered more than million farmers in the program. Yes my friend it happens all over again it is an old wine in a new bottle.
If we see the flamboyant policy of the country you are talking about is about destitution the people and putting Ethiopian in an open prison and if you are aware that what the government tells us is always the second version of the theatre written by the junta and exercised by EPRDF because we starving when the junta tells us we are growing at this rate at that rate which is the same what I hear now.
The other issue you raised is that about the policy the success of policy is manifested in terms of Education, Health care, social cohesion, infrastructure and alleviation of poverty. If we take the above I will not try to annoy you by bringing numbers but I will raise the escalation on the down ward nature of the quality in the above situations. We have to accept that the construction of schools or clinics or roads (infrastructure) by itself is not a goal they have to be equipped with the necessary resources (Human, financial. logistics etc)but what in reality seen are clinics without a single cooking material for syringes, schools with out books and other facilities sometimes without teachers, schools teaching teen ages without proper sanitation facilities ,schools or clinics without maintenance budgets, roads constructed to be used by three cars per year etc.
Here one can see the sound policy of the government according to the writer with escalating numbers in HIV/AID, Tuberculosis, Malaria and water born diseases.
§The third issue which I raise is that the success of the Prime Minister to mobilize foreign funds and assistance to the development of the country, that is he is good at begging foreigners since he needs to rely on donors and other government source rather than mobilise the resources at hand because he is smart due to that these are hot moneys to stash them some where or to buy armaments to kill and harass the people of Ethiopia as well are easy to allocate them to spy on his own people outside of the country rather than try to feed his own sisters/brothers(which he does not accept).
By the way it is in recent years Ethiopia depend to ear mark the annual budget more than a third from foreign source without producing foreign currency earning. It is true the prime minister will do what ever ordered to do if there is money flowing for repression as he has did in Somalia may be he will do it in other parts as a hand of legal mercenary. Sorry for those who sacrifice their life for unjust wars and repressions?
for comment sent to chillalo@gmail.com
on
“Oppositions and Supporters Endless Smear Campaign
Written by Matheza in four parts”
Introduction
I have read the article and would like to leave ideas on what people said and write because they’re able to substantiate their ideas. But i will focus on the pertinent issue that the writer wants to underline his ideas on. As to me some are raised on the realities as well my experiences when I was serving the last two regimes but that does not mean I was a member of the former WPE or the later EPRDF.
It is easy to write but is hard to criticize unfounded realities by bringing realities which the other party could not open eyes to accept them but I will try my best.
Having cleared the controversial ones i will try to put my ideas together to say it is a collection of crap idea to mislead the few because it is written in English, that is t to say, it is written to few Ethiopians where the radios could not address them as well i found it unfounded argument due to that accumulation of ideas from the regimes propagandas which are aired daily.
Let I come to the point.
§ The writer tells us that the Diaspora as well the oppositions are demoralized by his intelligence, capability ……respect in the international community.
As to me respect come from oneself and the second important respect has to come from the people who are administered and this comes from the respect ion of the basic Human Rights of the citizen and to abide ones written constitution and serving the people according to the law
What we need is the respect of our people but not the ones who drive us from behind us as a rabid dog and we as Ethiopians do not need to be told by others but we have to be told by our people that we run justice not tyranny, but my critic to your unfounded idea is hat let the people of Gambella massacred in 2003 ,people of Sidama who are shot by the bullets of the federal police ,the people of Ogaden who are bombed by the brutal Air Force tell us about what disrespect their own government had on them, those who died in Jimma due to the orchestration of cadres (Christian/Moslem) and those innocent people who are behind the bars(prisons) in Zwai, Kaliti ,Denkoro Chaka, Shewa Robit etal speak about what your crap respect.
To add insult to cover the reality the writer tells us about intelligence of our Prime minister and would like to tell about what intelligence at school and in administration are, sometimes they are interrelated if only if some brought them to apply in their day to day activities. But what Leggesse brought and practiced in the nation is a replica what he was dreaming at the high school he was attending. The reality looks as if that he want to achieve what he lost in this time for four years.
Scenario at General Wingate School:
Head Boy: Amhara /Oromo/Amhara /Oromo
Deputy Head boy: Oromo/Amhara/Oromo/Amhara
Prefects: from all ethnic groups
Head cleaners; from all ethnic groups
This was the scenario at his stay in high school after 17 years of struggle that boy which I also know him at least as an outstanding student came up with the same formula and tried to form his transitional government and still the formula is practiced in the government he think is good functioning it includes the writer himself. Is that a model from one of the development paradigms or is it amalgamated with the socio economic conditions of the country? It depends how you see it because for a myopic visionary it is the best model but does not contribute to the development of the nation.
This is blinded vision put on Ethiopians while most countries in the world trying to come together our brilliant Prime Minister is cooking for us a time bomb which never bring the citizens of the country together.
§ The writer Mathza tells us about security ,territorial integrity ,national interest and security…to me as far as I know this government of EPRDF who is run by Leggesse Zenawi do not care anything about the above and he also know that they are words and only words because of the following reasons;
I was working in one of the dissolved corporations during the fall of the Military regime and during the transition period we have shortage of cotton bags and we tried to import from Tanzania with USD 2.50 which is equivalent to almost ETB 5.00 but what all the stooges cared about was Alcohol factories in Asmara and told us to import at a price of ETB12 which has to be paid in kind brown sugar from Metehara as well to be transported.
With trucks with plate numbers ER. Here we see what the words mean to the EPRDF, I leave judgment to the writer.
As i was reading these words what remind me was the day article 39 was passed in the parliament and know the writer is telling us the EPRDF government is concerned about integrity ,sovereignty and national interest, that is Ethiopians pay some about one month resource for the blunder done by this government from inception.
§ Sound economic policies which the write tells us that there is growth and successful strategies to break the vicious circle in the country as i read this what it reminds me is that in 1977/78 there was a catastrophic situation in the country and after the help of the world we were breathing an air and one of the person who admire saw the activities were stopped which were done and told his cadre no problem Debela Teff kebela. If yes you are right but the strategies of the government as well the policies are myopic without a vision that is why every year we are dependant of alms from the international community rather than self sufficiency. Let i remind you in 1996 Ethiopia exported 20 thousand quintals of maize but in Gamo People were dying of hunger and the prime minister said we thought twenty years to be self sufficient but we reached within few years which was a crap. To add to insult let i tell you how some of our policies are formulated i did not bring it from heaven it is written on the field visit report of the former American president Jimmy Carter, I and Meles(Leggesse because i prefer the name i know because Meles Tekle died as a fighter not as a villain ) went to Awassa to visit my demonstration fields launched by Sasakawa Global 2000 and he was very excited to see the results and after we came back to Addis Ababa he called his Minister of Agriculture and Launched Padets as a country program and after a years we focused on post harvest because he has registered more than million farmers in the program. Yes my friend it happens all over again it is an old wine in a new bottle.
If we see the flamboyant policy of the country you are talking about is about destitution the people and putting Ethiopian in an open prison and if you are aware that what the government tells us is always the second version of the theatre written by the junta and exercised by EPRDF because we starving when the junta tells us we are growing at this rate at that rate which is the same what I hear now.
The other issue you raised is that about the policy the success of policy is manifested in terms of Education, Health care, social cohesion, infrastructure and alleviation of poverty. If we take the above I will not try to annoy you by bringing numbers but I will raise the escalation on the down ward nature of the quality in the above situations. We have to accept that the construction of schools or clinics or roads (infrastructure) by itself is not a goal they have to be equipped with the necessary resources (Human, financial. logistics etc)but what in reality seen are clinics without a single cooking material for syringes, schools with out books and other facilities sometimes without teachers, schools teaching teen ages without proper sanitation facilities ,schools or clinics without maintenance budgets, roads constructed to be used by three cars per year etc.
Here one can see the sound policy of the government according to the writer with escalating numbers in HIV/AID, Tuberculosis, Malaria and water born diseases.
§The third issue which I raise is that the success of the Prime Minister to mobilize foreign funds and assistance to the development of the country, that is he is good at begging foreigners since he needs to rely on donors and other government source rather than mobilise the resources at hand because he is smart due to that these are hot moneys to stash them some where or to buy armaments to kill and harass the people of Ethiopia as well are easy to allocate them to spy on his own people outside of the country rather than try to feed his own sisters/brothers(which he does not accept).
By the way it is in recent years Ethiopia depend to ear mark the annual budget more than a third from foreign source without producing foreign currency earning. It is true the prime minister will do what ever ordered to do if there is money flowing for repression as he has did in Somalia may be he will do it in other parts as a hand of legal mercenary. Sorry for those who sacrifice their life for unjust wars and repressions?
for comment sent to chillalo@gmail.com
January 8, 2009
sOME POLICY MATTERS COMMENT ON dr TEWOLDES OPINION
On January 8, 2009 at 12:13 pm BERHANU(corrected version) Said:
Dear Adis Aleme
It is a nice anylysis of what Dr.Tewolde has described but the root cause of Environmental degradation of pollution is the reflection of the over all National policy of the country. When we say that since the economy is intemingled with the political as well the social aspect of a country this intemingled situation needs a sound policy formulation.
Due to the above conditions the outcome of the regimes policy which is ill thought and harshly implemented can bring more disaster than the guns they used to rule the country.
Environmental degradation is sometimes the manifestation of refutance to the national policy of a country because every person looses the belongingness of the country due repression,not having forum to express ideas and their mentality will focus only how to survive today than tommorow or stop to think about the comming genaration so the result will be devatsting.
Let i give some example which encountered in my life.
I was working in Bale region in 1971/72 (Ethiopian calender) where the first settlment was launched in Harewa Bale administrative region,the place was cleared for farming but the surrounding was densley forested but since the people who came there were forcifully brought they start cutting trees when ever they go to pee or sanitat and the result was total devastation.
Why i brought this experience is that to show that one needs belongingness to the society,vicinity as well to the state of art of administration prevailing in the surrounding if not could not contribute to the protection of nature surrounding him.
This leads us to the main question what to do next? We have to revisite our policy basically the Agricultural policy which is the mainstay of the population and is directly related to the environmental issues. But EPRDF and its stooges do not care about the future generation as well the environment and they try to sell (lease their words)lands to stash some money to feed their military an put in banks outside of the country.
First and foremost they have(but have not the minds)to think over their agricultural policy (not one fits all)in collaboration to environmntal policies and launch a sound and uncontroversial soulutions to this problem.
The second issue which we have to consider next to the policy have to be the structural organisations of the agricultural sector(this is true to all service sectors) to be a normal pyramid rather than inverted pyramid situation which is now available. For example Dr.Tewolde has three cars(one 4-WD,Tow sedan plus another car for his aid,fax,internet,radio,three or more line of telephone,two secretaries and an office girl only to bring files and coffe) which accounts minimum the salary of 6 proffessionals while the respective Development agent do not have a single bicycle to accomplish his errand(buy supplies if budgeted at all).
Besides as well the office have the best experts of the country with rich experiences are only just to prepare and submit papers at different forums /conferences around the world writing sometimes some fictious sceneries which have not been excercised in the country.
Besides all these Ethiopia is one of the countries which is pporly use allegaed money from donors for envirnmental protction since the government never scrutnize the terms in the document before signing which include a prolonged system of reinbursment and contractual procedures because the eyes of our officials+ is only thinking securing the number to tell the public we have earmarked a budget of such amount which goes from one physical year to another as AIDS not aid.
I wish Dr.Tewolde comment on this issues because it is nice to see his reaction.
FOR ANY suggestion you can adress me at Ethiopia at A crossroad orCHILLALO@GMAIL.COM
Dear Adis Aleme
It is a nice anylysis of what Dr.Tewolde has described but the root cause of Environmental degradation of pollution is the reflection of the over all National policy of the country. When we say that since the economy is intemingled with the political as well the social aspect of a country this intemingled situation needs a sound policy formulation.
Due to the above conditions the outcome of the regimes policy which is ill thought and harshly implemented can bring more disaster than the guns they used to rule the country.
Environmental degradation is sometimes the manifestation of refutance to the national policy of a country because every person looses the belongingness of the country due repression,not having forum to express ideas and their mentality will focus only how to survive today than tommorow or stop to think about the comming genaration so the result will be devatsting.
Let i give some example which encountered in my life.
I was working in Bale region in 1971/72 (Ethiopian calender) where the first settlment was launched in Harewa Bale administrative region,the place was cleared for farming but the surrounding was densley forested but since the people who came there were forcifully brought they start cutting trees when ever they go to pee or sanitat and the result was total devastation.
Why i brought this experience is that to show that one needs belongingness to the society,vicinity as well to the state of art of administration prevailing in the surrounding if not could not contribute to the protection of nature surrounding him.
This leads us to the main question what to do next? We have to revisite our policy basically the Agricultural policy which is the mainstay of the population and is directly related to the environmental issues. But EPRDF and its stooges do not care about the future generation as well the environment and they try to sell (lease their words)lands to stash some money to feed their military an put in banks outside of the country.
First and foremost they have(but have not the minds)to think over their agricultural policy (not one fits all)in collaboration to environmntal policies and launch a sound and uncontroversial soulutions to this problem.
The second issue which we have to consider next to the policy have to be the structural organisations of the agricultural sector(this is true to all service sectors) to be a normal pyramid rather than inverted pyramid situation which is now available. For example Dr.Tewolde has three cars(one 4-WD,Tow sedan plus another car for his aid,fax,internet,radio,three or more line of telephone,two secretaries and an office girl only to bring files and coffe) which accounts minimum the salary of 6 proffessionals while the respective Development agent do not have a single bicycle to accomplish his errand(buy supplies if budgeted at all).
Besides as well the office have the best experts of the country with rich experiences are only just to prepare and submit papers at different forums /conferences around the world writing sometimes some fictious sceneries which have not been excercised in the country.
Besides all these Ethiopia is one of the countries which is pporly use allegaed money from donors for envirnmental protction since the government never scrutnize the terms in the document before signing which include a prolonged system of reinbursment and contractual procedures because the eyes of our officials+ is only thinking securing the number to tell the public we have earmarked a budget of such amount which goes from one physical year to another as AIDS not aid.
I wish Dr.Tewolde comment on this issues because it is nice to see his reaction.
FOR ANY suggestion you can adress me at Ethiopia at A crossroad orCHILLALO@GMAIL.COM
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