Statement on the Amnesty Granted to Terrorist and Extremist Leaders by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia
Vision Ethiopia
Vision Ethiopia condemns in the strongest terms the pardons granted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to the criminal leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the extremist Oromumma fanatics groups.
The treacherous action by the duplicitous Prime Minister is but the latest affirmation of his inimitably Machiavellian strategy to advance the Orommuma agenda of subjugation, repression and domination of the rest of the country in general, and the Amhara ethnic group in particular.
Predictably, the pardons came in the aftermath of the calculated devastation of most of the Amhara and Afar regions, following the intriguingly abrupt withdrawal of the armed forces from the Tigray region on June 28, 2021. As reported widely, between that infamous date and December 23, 2021 — when the government outlandishly ordered its forces not to cross into Tigray — innocent Amhara and Afar civilians were subjected to brutal atrocities and pillage by the terror group, cultural and historical sites were obliterated, and immense damage was inflicted to life and property. After ensuring the irreparable annihilation of the Amhara region, the Prime Minister melodramatically orchestrated victory in the battlefield and started preaching a deceptively ominous sermon of peace and reconciliation.
Since he assumed power in 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has ludicrously ignored the gruesome attacks and genocidal violence against Amharas and other Orthodox Christians in Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz and Northern Shoa regions, while overtly harassing genuine freedom fighters, such as Eskinder Negga, Meazza Mohammed and Tamrat Negerra. As smokescreen, he shamelessly preached words of love, unity and patriotism, and mesmerized countless people, who have endured decades of tyrannically repressive rule by the TPLF.
Hitherto, many patriotic Ethiopians back home and in the Diaspora have given the Prime Minister unqualified support, with the hope that he would lead the country to a democratic future, where everyone would be treated equally and would have equal opportunity to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, without regard to gender, religion or ethnic background.
Regrettably, the Prime Minister has blatantly and repeatedly betrayed the trust of the innocent people he is obligated to serve and protect. On his watch, more people have been callously killed and subjected to untold misery and displacement than any time in the history of the country. He alone among leaders has earned the ignominious distinction of being the unique head of state in history who patently refused to acknowledge the massacre of his own subjects by terrorist groups, as has been the case with the killings of Amharas and Orthodox Christians in the Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz and Northern Shoa regions. To rub salt on wound, he now has granted amnesty to leaders of the same terrorists that have maimed, raped and plundered innocent civilians, days before the victims have barely recovered from their traumatic experiences.
Vision Ethiopia calls upon all genuine Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia back home and across the globe to prudently reflect on the deceitful actions of Prime Minister Abiy and the unconditional support they have afforded him so far, and take a position that would save them from being judged harshly by history and posterity.
As a generation, we owe a demonstration of our humanity to the little boy who saw the rape of his sister, mother and grandmother by terrorists; to the priests and imams who witnessed helplessly as their places of worship were desecrated by coordinated attacks of TPLF and OLF-Shene fighters, with the conspicuous acquiescence of Abiy Ahmed’s forces; to Eshete Mogus and Yitages Eshete, the father and son duo, who patriotically and gallantly sacrificed their precious lives in defense of the motherland; and to the traumatized Amhara and Afar people, who are left destitute by the senseless war that was unleashed on them by the calculated inaction of Abiy Ahmed’s government.
Vision Ethiopia earnestly hopes that this generation would not leave an indelible scar in the glorious history of our land by its submission to subterfuge and gambit that would irrecoverably condemn our people to harrowing servitude and subjugation for decades to come.
Board of Vision Ethiopia
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Cover Photo : Jawar Mohammed and Bekele Gerba (photo : SM/File)
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This article is written solely loaded with raw emotions. Pardoning prisoners is engrained in our tradition. What the writer of this article missing the fact that these prisoners command a huge size of committed and loyal customers. After all what is wrong with releasing a harmless 86 years old elderly man? Mr. Sebhat whether we like it or not still has considerable followers. Both those young men Jawar and Eskinder have hundreds of thousands of fanatic followers who will stand at the gates of hell for them. They can mobilize tens of thousands of the youth for whatever idea they have in mind and they had done so. Let’s hope that these freed men and women have learned from the mistakes that ended them in prison. That is my hope. We should also remember that the charges against them were not thrown out by the courts. It is a pardon. If they still go back to their old habit of flopping their lips and cause deaths and destruction their charges must be upgraded to murder of the first degree and should face the full weight of the law. There should never be bragging with a false bravado claiming to be the ‘2nd or shadowy’ government. The ball is now in these former prisoners’ court. You either shape up or get locked up with keys thrown away. Let’s not beat the drum of war from our comfy homes at safe distance thousands of miles away. We should also remember that these prisoners have sworn and lethal enemies from among their own ethnic groups. We should keep in mind that it was not that Amhara from Gondar who shot and killed Hachalu but rather a bigot from his own Oromo kin and kit. Let’s not scratch where it does not itch. There must be a way out of this carnage and that way is through peaceful solution. I also want to remind them that Oromumma should never be presented as a badge of extremists. I wish we should stay away from using ethnic terms as pejoratives. When I first heard the term ‘neftegna’ being used as a rallying cry back in the 1970’s I screamed foul because its deadly ramifications. I was told that I just worry too much. Then we all know what happened in 1991, 1992, 1993 and up to these days. Using ethnic terms as pejorative has proven to be deadly to innocent citizens. Whoever wrote this article should know better. Enough, enough, enough is enough!!!!
Ittu Aba Farda, examine your own response to the article, and you would find the absurdities of the position you are stuck into while defending the ephemeral Abiy Ahmed, who makes acrobatic maneuvers impossible for the most talented gymnast in the world. You say what is wrong with releasing a harmless 86 year old man. Ok then why imprison the “harmless old man” when he was 84? Why put the same “ harmless old man” in handcuffs and portray his photos? Does the “visionary leader” aka Abiy, understand the concept of separation of powers. He wants to play the executive, judiciary, legislative roles altogether and be our pastor too? He was elected with a mandate to govern, to secure the safety, security and freedom of every Ethiopian in all corners of the country. He had unprecedented support of many, from in side Ethiopia, from the diaspora abroad and from many friends of Ethiopia. Let’s admit and be honest. He has failed to deliver on even the very basic promises. How on earth ar you going to justify his so called “rule of law operation” now? He has interfered with his hands and feet all soaked in full in the judiciary branch. His stupidity and the imbecility of his advisors make it impossible for any logical support for his position. Count the number of foolish games he has played on his watch. The engineer Simegnew Bekele dead- reason given by Abiy and clique was suicide. The innocent, humble looking Dr. Ambachew dead with several others, with General Searee, Abiy told Ethiopians it was due to military coup de tat. His so called criminal investigators could not even bring one credible story about that conspiracy. Remember, General Asaminew Tsige was killed by Abiy’s federal forces and Abiy was on tv blabbering how “ they killed their own brother “ etc. Interesting to note that General Asaminew predicted the attack that could happen in Amhara region and wanted to prepare a defense force to protect the residents from such possible attacks. With Asaminew out of the way, the attack in Gumuz, Wellega, later in Wollo, and even Shoa occurred. His so called Oromumma fanaticism is no different from the TPLF ‘s own grandiose zeal for Great Tigray. The only difference is that TPLF leaders spoke about in the open, where as Abiy and his PP cadres hide behind Ethiopia first and unity to advance the Oromo first agenda. It is a sad time for many Ethiopians now; the possibility of a nation that values the lives of every individual as equal, with inalienable rights to life, liberty and equality will not be realized on the watch of this duplicitous prime minister who as a member of EPRDF, and a diseased by product of the toxic ethno fanatic era is himself one of the problems, not the solution. As usual, with his mundane, laborious and non stop deafening talk, Abiy will blabber on and on how this is unique and visionary. Then he will talk about the great construction that was done under difficult circumstances incessantly to distract and fool the average person. But at this stage his style has become stale.His modus operandi is predictable, and actually boring and morally repugnant.
Visionary Notreally,
Whether you are a group or an individual, as a man of peace, I come to you bidding you nothing peace! Peace has been an extremely rare commodity in the country we all leaved behind since 1974. It has lost millions of its precious youth in senseless conflicts instigated and sparked by groups of narcissist individuals mostly inflicted with the untreatable plague of Marxism/Leninism. Reformation and conciliation were despised and condemned and replaced by revolution and annihilation. The gullible and hopelessly unemployed youth was told and incited like ‘you see that guy, you see that group, you see that ethnic group? That is the one who is holding you back. That is the one who forced to live in such abject poverty. You cannot reform him. You cannot hold any dialogue with him /group to find conciliatory steps.’ Those smart alecks who were pushing this inflammatory rhetoric organized the gullible youth in countless groups pitching them against one another. Kill shouted those smart alecks from their safe rabbit holes while the youth went on to perish in its millions for much ado about nothing. The country that lacked the wherewithal to eradicate the scabby that has been ravaging its people was told it has ‘scientists’ who possess the ‘science’ of all ‘sciences’. That ‘science’ has upgraded itself as mutating pathogen churning one ‘liberation front’ after another; one Marxist’ party after another. Then the time came when that ideology proven to be bankrupt its darasaas/deacons/protégés went on to be some of the worst bigots that country ever produced. You see and hear them and their graduates calling my upright Oromos ‘extremists’. You hear/see them calling my upright Amhara neighbors ‘fascists’. You see/hear them denigrating our equally noble people of Tigray disgustingly pejorative names. I am very saddened(but not surprised) by these graduates of that demonic ideology degenerating into deadly bigots. I am not surprised because it is an ideology set on prejudices and presuppositions. They worshipped terrorizing others and you see them terrorizing those innocent and peace mongering people. You can see them even outside the old country. The worst Neo-Nazis are now led by former leaders of terrorist communist groups in Europe. It is a disease that has been ravaging our old country since 1974. Unless well coordinated effort is carried to expose its bankruptcy that pathogen will continue to mutate itself into more and more variants rendering the country a totally failed state shattered into warring fiefdoms. Unless that is done soon mark my word for it that the country, that gem of the colored will never be recognizable.
Meanwhile, please take me as someone who respect your opinion and I take our conversation as something between members of the same family. Peace!!!!
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Make that: Whether you are a group or an individual, as a man of peace, I come to you bidding you nothing but peace!
Make that: Peace has been an extremely rare commodity in the country we all left behind since 1974.
Obviously there is no democratic process or communication between Prosperity Party OPDO lead government and people, It is all OPDO secretive and hidden agenda that is going on. The government does not know or respect democratic process and respecting the involvment of every people in every decision. It is a dictatorship that gives order from OPDO controlled government one direction with threat to take action if people do not accept that order. Dr. Abiy is not fit for leadership. He should be Church priest instead.
The other hidden agenda is leaving the destruction of Amhara and Afar regions to the one million diaspora and returning EFFORT looted money back to TPLF leaders who Abiy called” rich Tigres” as if they were born rich and not looter rich. Then Shimeles Abdissa comes first to welcome the release of TPLF terrorist fathers who was quite as a mouse for the months and never offered any help to Afar and Amhara vicimes. Well what is surprising? OLF and OLF Shene are well dressed, fed and armed by stealing and slaughtering Amhara farmers and businesses. Training freely in open Oromia fields with encouragement from OPDO and Shemelis lead Oromia administration. Of course there is always lie and deceit attempts of telling and showing few individuals as being caught and claiming to have killed many more after every incidence of Amhara slaughtering.. Of course there is no evidence or proof to show.
Great points there on the “Confuse and Convince OPDO strategy”. The Abiy, Shimeles, clique will not hold any TPLF looters financially accountable. That is like asking a bank robber to return the stashes looted, they will do no such thing. They too want to steal and loot like their predecessors. They will amass what they do not earn, use the poor Oromo farmer for their grand schemes, thefts, and embezzlement. The poetic justice is just like TPLF, they too will fail. None of their pipe dreams will be realized. What is heartbreaking is that the misery, suffering and marginalization of hundreds of millions will continue. In a way, it is emancipating to realize the upshot of this predicted duplicity and treachery, now, deja vu, TPLF, a movie already seen and graded as 0% on the rotten tomatoes scale.
Ittu Aba Farda
Old man sick or not criminal is always a criminal. Where on earth are you living? Sebhat, did not climb with his sister and fascist TPLF groups and hid on a sharp peak of mountain because he was an old harmless man. It is because he knew that he is a wanted criminal. Just because he is now EFFORT looted money old rich thief or as PM Abiy refers him as “rich Tigrea” does not make him harmless. EFFORT itself is a criminal looting machine enterprises, looted from many deserving Ethiopians that every cent and asset must be frozen to return the loot back to the looted.
In any country convicted criminals who received life sentence, get old and die in prison for the crime they committed. That is part of the punishment. That is the only way to victims get justice when justice is served. If prisons’ are not to house such hard criminals then who deserve to go to prison? /Then everything would be trivial and irrelevant.
I respect your rights to your opinion. I’m also entitled to the same rights. We are in it together. Let’s move on! Peace!!!!
Vision Ethiopia, hmm! I thought it would speak for all Ethiopians regardless of Ethnic, religious groups and so on if they it aspire to be nonpartisan, intellectual and holistic civic organization. If Abiy has been making erratic political moves and decisions? Yes he does and does a lot. A suspicion of harbouring dictatorial instinct and ambitions? Very likely. But fomenting a conspiracy of particular group so far? I don’t think so and I must confess I’m not even enthusiastic supporter of his modus operandi stemming from my suspicion of his authoritarian ambitions, his religious dogma mixing with politics and the damage he would do to the Federalism system, among other things
Btw, I thought this group, Vision Ethiopia, had broken up into feuding factions in December, 2020. In any case this article has awakened proven bigots among my own Oromos and they are screaming with their dangerous and inflammatory pejoratives calling this group something like a citadel of ‘Amhara fascists’. There you go! They got what they wished. If any Amhara or Oromo is harmed there in the old country I will personally hold this group and those bigoted professors here in the USA, Europe and Australia responsible in the first degree. I don’t want anyone of you to call these bigot professors Oromos because they are NOT OROMOS PROPER. They are despicable bigots who happen to be born to Oromo parents. One of them is not only the worst kind of haters but a man of ambition. A friend told me once before that this bigot professor has an ambition to liberate the Cushitic ethnic groups who now live in Eritrea. But first he is doing every hideous thing at his disposal to provoke bloody ethnic conflict between the two noble people of Oromos and Amharas. He and his other bigoted professors and lawyers are calling our neighbor Amharas ‘fascists’. I can’t believe that? Do these guys say such disgusting and dangerous words and go home and sleep well. My goodness! Where did these monsters come from? Don’t you tell me they are Oromos! Don’t even try!!! I call upon my dear level head Amhara brothers and sisters to come out and admonish/chastise/condemn those among them who are calling Oromos like me denigrating pejorative names. They must be called out and be told for who they are, the worst trash of the trash that glorious country can ever produced. They are all the scum of the earth.
Rist Asfaafi never satisfies with any peace initiative for this country. As we are recently observing the release of political prisoners from Ethiopian federal prisons, millions of Ethiopia welcomes the decision of PM Abiy Ahamad. Unfortunately the tawhado and their followers opposed the decision of PM.
One thing for sure that the release of those politicians from prison, leads this country to peace and instability,
Naftanyuma will perish
This article shows the nagging problem with our so-called elite groups(community). It is not limited to to one or two ethnic groups but the affliction is every where. It is that stubborn notion of ‘I and only I know better than anyone else. I and only I is the one who knows the solution. I am very right and all others are all very wrong.’ They carelessly drive critical theory full tilt. Some elites want to dismantle the current federal system but have no workable alternative. Others want to impose a system of the past as ‘locally brewed’ democratic system on millions others whether they like it or not. Better yet, some others want .Somali Wayne’ resuscitated back to life from the dead and already decomposed. At their beginning these elite groups were just talk shops getting high behind closed doors. But overtime they have turned into committed hate groups. They do all that at safe distance from their comfy homes here among us Diasporas. Don’t take me wrong. These groups/individuals are not just high school dropouts/truants but well read intellectuals. They know ‘everything’ except one proven fact. Arrogance is the recipe for disaster.
Ittu Aba Farda, just a few posts ago, you told us you are swinging hard for peace. What happened? Now you are calling people with opinions different from you or your ideology, “scums of the earth”. Abiy is questioned for his callous, “I know it all”, “ don’t question my motives”, “I will show my Ethiopianist card, my pastor card” dictatorial behavior. He wants to advance his Oromumma pipe dream, at the same time as showing off as an ultra Ethiopia first “hero”, at the same time attacking TPLF’s pipe dream of making Great Tigray. Since these are self contradict positions, his logic is doo doo, and his speeches laboriously long, devoid of content and substance, and immoral and unconvincing.
Calling faceless bigots ‘scum of the earth’ or ‘trash of the worst trash’ is not a verdict of death sentence. I never called for their riddance by others but was telling for they are. Are you scared because you are of them? May be you are stricken with guilty conscience because you now know how your pejorative name calling such as ‘neftegnas’ and ‘Oromo extremists’ had caused the death of mostly low income innocent peasants and the destruction of their meager property. It was told that many of those innocent poor farmers were suddenly surrounded by murderous mobs incited by these bigots and hacked to death with machetes. They were shouting ‘neftegna’. Those victims were absolutely clueless with what was going on in their localities that day. They were just tending to their small plots of farms. Suddenly they heard the term they never heard anyone calling them in person before. They were not alone in their savage deaths but were accompanied in death by their upright Oromos who came out to rescue them. Did such consequences of savage hacking and mutilations stop these bigots from calling others inflammatory names? Not at all. They have now upgraded that to ‘fascists’. ‘Extremists’ now has a new badge ‘Oromumma’. Stop it! From top of my lung I am screaming at you with ‘STOP IT!!!’.
Meanwhile, your effort to make me feel guilty and just go away will be futile.
Just in case. I had applauded this group in their previous articles. I never expected them to soil themselves with using ethnic terms to bedevil others. They really disappointed me, dude. It was like a sudden wound up bolo punch to my stomach.
Make that: I never called for their riddance by others but was telling them for who they are. Are you scared because you are one of them? May be you are stricken with guilty conscience because you now know how your pejorative name calling such as ‘neftegnas’ and ‘Oromo extremists’ had caused the deaths of mostly low income innocent peasants and the destruction of their meager property.
So Ittu Aba Farda, since you state that you do not want any one to be name called, then are you open to doing away with the ethnic federalism system? It was tried for 27 years, it did not benefit the two large population groups, I.e. Amhara and Oromo. It did not benefit Somali region. None of the people in the so called SNNPR benefited from it. To make matters even worse, the system even did not benefit the majority of people in Tigray region. They are still among the poorest in Ethiopia. True a few minority in the TPLF camp and some cadres from all regions in Ethiopia benefited through kleptocracy, embezzlement and outright theft of national property. The arrogance of TPLF, how they manipulated the system, how they fooled the Oromo militants and extremists to abandon using the fidel script, use Latin to break the nearly five hundred years of Oromo and Amhara unionization is not understood by Oromo first fanatics. The fact that Amharic ended up absorbing and growing as much as 30% of Oromo language and word roots, and Amharic mother tongue speakers were also the largest Oromoigna as second language speakers was not grasped. The hidden motive of TPLF that these bifurcations were done to ensure the monopoly of power by a minority mob of Tigrean origin was not understood and still not understood by Oromo extremists. The quest for equal treatment before the law for all Ethiopians, a constitution that respects the rights of an individual regardless of ethnicity, religion and place of birth in Ethiopia, and gender is met with hostility and violence from Oromo extremists. These are facts on the ground. If you can show us, if you can prove that is not the case, please present your counter argument and support with concrete evidence.
No I don’t intend to do away with the current federalism unless someone shows me the better alternative. What should be added to it are the rights and recognition of citizenship by which it means any Ethiopian is free to live in any region he/she wishes as a law abiding citizen also protected by the law of the land. What I see missing since the mid 1970’s has been the absence of any organized effort to expose and discredit bigotry. All the effort was centered on how to overthrow existing government but not to discredit elements of hatred toward others’ ethnicity. It will be utter irresponsible to call for the dismantling of the current federal system without a workable alternative system in which all ethnic groups are treated equally in schools and governance. I can say more about the schools and governance from my own personal experience but I am sure you understand what I am alluding to. Show me an alternative that will be workable and acceptable, I will be one of the first to jump onto the bandwagon along with you. In conclusion, I want you to take one eternal truth with you. There was never an ethnic group where everyone was born with the sole ownership of governance decal tagged in his/her ears. Never been and never will be. With me?
Thanks Ittu Aba Farda for giving your gut feeling, and honestly heartfelt response regarding the so called “ethnic federalism”. Now let’s analyze your position and what it entails. The riots in “Oromia”, “Amhara”, “Gambela” and other ares in Ethiopia protesting the ethnic federalism of EPRDF was for what? To make sure the system continue but just change the diver? A bus or train going in the wrong direction will still keep going in the wrong direction, no matter who drives it, as long as their is no change in direction. Your last sentence answers your own dilemma and also contradicts the unattainable wish washy position of Abiy, his PP, and supporters. You insist there was “no ethnic group…….with sole ownership of governance decal tagged in his/her ears” Have you been looking at the federal government offices in nearly every sector in Addis lately? Just wow, wow!!!
Let’s roll the clock 67 years back. In the 25th year Jubilee, this is how Emperor Haile Selassie addressed the Shego (parliament) in 1955:”… the aim of of our Imperial government is for all citizens born in the nation to have proportional representation in the parliament, to have no differential treatment based on ethnicity or religion, to ensure basic rights for any Ethiopian, and for all our beloved people to live in brotherhood as in one big large family. In our nation, all Ethiopians will not be denied the right to practice the norms and traditions of their religion. We thank God for having it made possible to reach this 25th year anniversary”. Interestingly, Eritreans, Shoan Oromos, Hararis, were then among the richest and most successful group. Compare that to the last 27 years under TPLF/EPRDF. The Somali region is somewhere 6 times the size of tiny Tigray, with a population 2-3 times more than the minority population from Tigray which is at most 5% of the total Ethiopian population. The so-called SNNPR region comprising probably over 40 million people in Ethiopia with well over 50 ethnic groups was shamefully marginalized as “minority nations” and for whom EPRDf with TPLF as drivers and Oromo and Amhara assistant drivers (awtantis) were steering the fake ethno-federalist bus. So please spare me the drama and show. Ethnic federalism was and will continue to be a facade for a group of greedy thieves, embezzlers, public resources looters to organize as an ethnic mafia mob, capture state power and continue to suck the blood of all Ethiopians dry as leeches. The war, chaos, displacement, murders of millions is nothing but the result of the unproductive members of the society which are solely concentrated in government vying for control of public resources for private wealth creation through not hard work but looting. Here is the poetic justice, Abiy, if he continues to fail to reform the ethnic federalism which is the root of all evils in Ethiopia, will be history himself. A society based on meritocracy not “ethnocracy” is indispensable for Ethiopia. Every economic sector in Ethiopia needs to be freed from the influence of political cadres of PP and any other political party in Ethiopia. Each economic sector with aviation, mining, health industries, water and energy departments, education sector, banking and so on has its own expertise. The Nomore movement which has mostly been about external foreign actors involvement must also look inward and make a thorough soul search. Nomore cadres of any political party in any sectors of the Ethiopian economy and public service sectors. PP needs to take its hands off the military, judiciary, and all economic branches of the society. In the military reform, Abiy has claimed, it will no longer be used to serve the political interest of one party, and will evolve to become an apolitical, autonomous institute. The same holds true for the judiciary branch and legislative branch. Dr Gedion Timotewos is the Minister of Justice. The judiciary branch he runs is an equal branch of government no less in power than the executive branch Abiy presides over as prime minister. Any member of parliament, a legislator has an equal power as a member of the legislative branch to challenge, question and demand answers from Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minister. It has been 100 years almost, since Ethiopia got her first written constitution, the executive branch has evolved over the years as a monarch, military dictator, ethno federalist zealot and now Abiy. In each era, those who have questioned the status quo, have demanded for the executive branch from interfering incessantly with the judiciary branch in particular.
The ethnofederalism, the brain child of TPLF extremists pipe dream of making Great Tigray has failed. As they say putting lipstick on a pig will not change it from being a pig. It is high time for Ethiopians to abandon this fake system of robbery and plunder. Thirty years of fake federalism, with no mention of the Federalist Papers. John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison would have been a common name in Ethiopia discussed day in day out if TPLF, and TPLF2 PP members were serious about governance and knew what they were blabbering about.
Dear Vulcan Spoke,
As always I come to you bidding you nothing but peace! I also would like to thank you for staying civil in our conversation. You name any ethnic group it is our legendary culture. Thank you for bringing up what the late Emperor Haile told members of parliament in 1955. I always have a soft spot for him even though he was not devoid of malpractice. Who doesn’t, right? The Holy Scriptures of both religions tell us stories righteous men who once at grievous faults. That was why I said something promoting reformation back in the late 60’s just to be shouted down by almost everyone around me. After that politics become just touch and go item for me for more than 4 decades until recently when I reached retirement. Pressure cooker career in the factory and corporate jungle of America coupled with starting and raising a family had taken precedence. Since retirement I had done a lot of catching up with what is going on in the old country with many things I liked and many things I did not. Some of the things I read and heard were beyond cringing for me but rather shocking. Then I went into spats of denials. I said to myself those who write and say things using pejoratives were not and are not from the country that produced us. But in fact I was right in a sense that those were/are bigots who happen to born to Amhara, Oromo, Tigre, Somali, Afar or any other ethnic parents. Mine you these are not some elementary or high school dropouts/truants but highly educated dudes.
In regards to what you wrote about certain areas of federal and city governance being dominated by certain ethnic groups I don’t believe the cause is the current federal system. It is the result of dereliction of duty, nepotism and run away malfeasance. It is due to the absence of Big Brother at the federal level that has the power to correct and get rid of that. That is where a reform is needed most. The other thing they should strike out from the constitution is the phrase that goes like ‘including and up to secession’. That has done nothing good for the country and its people but it has encouraged bigots to congregate under the radar of the ordinary citizens and wreak havoc everywhere as liberation front this or that. Leaders of all these so called ‘liberation’ fronts are smart alecks who are best at taking advantage of the raw emotion of the gullible youth. Their ultimate prize is to carve out territories to claim them as their family property and lifetime fiefdoms. Then they will be living and breathing sheik al-bahr(old man of the sea) demanding black milk from a green cow from their own citizens. Democracy will be them and them only. Let me stop here cuz I can feel I have already started rattling some cages with these bigots. I can see the article under which you and I are having productive conversation is getting further and further down in the pile. I will seek you out in fresher article to say hello. You do the same. Let’s pray for peace. Insha’Allah!!!