“I know Gudu Kassa, I grew up with Gudu Kassa, you are not Gudu Kassa, Mr. Prime minister”
By Truneh Girma
The Ethiopian parliament chamber echoed with the hollow pronouncements of the Prime Minister, a performance of manufactured optimism that clashed violently with the grim reality beyond the parliament’s walls. His address, a tapestry woven with outright lies and insidious innuendo, painted a picture of economic prosperity and national security that existed only in his distorted perception. The country, however, was a stark counterpoint to his narrative. Civil unrest simmered, erupting into sporadic civil conflict in many regions, a direct consequence of his divisive policies and inept governance. The nation is facing extensive armed conflict, and certain areas are under the control of foreign entities. The situation in Tigray remains so volatile that an armed showdown could erupt at any moment. And yet, the Prime Minister, even amid lost territories and widespread internal conflict, audaciously proclaims his pride in avoiding war with neighboring nations, a statement that rings hollow in the face of stark reality. His time is dedicated to ethnic cleansing and genocide, leaving him no capacity to deal with national sovereignty. His wars in the Amhara and Oromia regions have so thoroughly siphoned the nation’s treasury that any other focus is rendered impossible.
The Fano’s fight, driven for the mere survival of the Amhara people, continues to escalate, even amidst drone strikes and heavy weapon attacks. The Amhara genocide is a daily occurrence, deliberately orchestrated by the government, especially directed by Abiy Ahmed.
His empty bravado about access to a “ወደብ” (port) in the Red Sea is more than just rhetorical bluster; it is a dangerous taunt aimed directly at Eritrea, deliberately stoking tensions and risking a wider conflagration in the already volatile Horn of Africa. By publicly asserting claims to Red Sea access, the Prime Minister is deliberately creating a crisis. Remember: His continuous news feeds promoting a war for a port stand in stark contradiction to his speech, where he claims he will not go to war with Eritrea for a port—a clear and dangerous case of double speak, designed to sow confusion and maintain his grip on power. This serves to distract from internal problems and potentially rally nationalist sentiment, even if it risks regional war. Nationalist sentiment, which is what he thinks but the reality is not there.
His war on his own people has effectively shattered any semblance of national sentiment; his appeals to patriotism now ring hollow, drowned out by the cries of those he has betrayed. Yet, he fixated on trivial, shiny distractions, a desperate attempt to divert attention from the nation’s precipitous decline.
Following the Prime Minister’s disingenuous display, Dr. Desalegn Chane talked in a stark contrast to the preceding false narrative. He spoke with the weight of verifiable facts, laying bare the true state of the nation. The statistics were damning: a staggering eighty percent of the population languished in poverty, essential services were crumbling, and the very fabric of society was unraveling. Desalegn’s conclusion was unequivocal: the nation was a failed state, a stark indictment of the Prime Minister’s leadership. It was a powerful indictment of the prime minister’s leadership, even amidst the murmurs of objection from his lackeys. Those murmurs are permanent fixtures, a chorus of unwavering defense, reflexively deployed whenever they perceive a challenge to the Prime Minister’s authority.
The Prime Minister’s response was not one of reasoned rebuttal, nor even a semblance of contrition. Instead, it was a descent into unhinged fury, a spectacle of uncontrolled rage. He abandoned all pretense of decorum, resorting to personal insults and vitriolic attacks against Desalegn and the constituents he represented. His demeanor was reminiscent of a child gripped by a tantrum, a display of emotional immaturity utterly unbecoming of a national leader. He showed his primordial nature, a raw display of evil and hateful prejudice, particularly directed towards a specific group of people. This is not just general animosity. It is a focused, targeted hatred, directed with intensity towards a certain group of people.
Abiy Ahmed used the parable, “A hyena went to an unknown land and asked for a hide to sit on,”( ጂብ በማይታወቅበት ሃገር ሄዶ ቆርበት አንጥፉልኝ አለ) without context. Abiy did not say Hyena but meat eater. It was meant to demean and belittle Desalegn; it is a weaponized parable used to publicly humiliate Desalegn. It is also a gotcha moment, a way for Abiy to assert his perceived superiority and put Desalegn in his place. Only if he knew himself! The parable’s irrelevance to the actual debate underscores the prime minister’s focus on personal attacks rather than addressing substantive issues. It was not used to address the issue at hand, but rather to question Desalegn’s credibility, and by extension, the credibility of the people he represented.
ጎጃሜ ቡዳ ነው ብለሽ ያወራሽ
ሰውን ሰው ሲበላው የት አባስ አየሽ።
አለች ይባላል፣ አስከትላም አንችን በልቶ ማን በቃር ይሞታል ያለችውም አለ። the vagabond lowlife, intending to demean Desalegn, ultimately demeaned himself. His attempt at humiliation backfired, revealing his own character flaws and lack of substance.
This outburst, however, served a purpose. It peeled back the veneer of calculated deception, revealing the Prime Minister’s true nature. His words were laced with hatred, a venomous disdain for a specific group of people, their traditions, and their history. The mask had slipped, exposing a deeply prejudiced and potentially unstable individual. The carefully constructed facade of a benevolent leader crumbled, replaced by the chilling reality of a figure driven by malice and intolerance. This display confirmed the fears of many, that the very person entrusted with the nation’s welfare was, in fact, the greatest threat to its stability and unity. The parliament, and the world at large, witnessed not a leader, but a manifestation of the very forces tearing the nation apart.
The prime minister’s erratic instability, fueled by his enablers like Birhanu Nega and Daniel Kibret( Aba Mogeses) demands a unified and courageous uprising from the citizenry to reclaim their nation from the precipice of ruin. Crucially, the Prime Minister’s instability is enabled by those who surround him. His “water carriers” – the politicians, bureaucrats, and even ordinary citizens who perpetuate his lies and excuse his behavior are complicit in the nation’s decline. Certain representatives were applauding during his emotional outburst. These enablers, driven by self-interest, fear, or blind loyalty, prioritize their own positions over the well-being of the country. Birhanu’s broad smile juxtaposed against his paymaster’s full-blown tantrum, revealed a chilling complicity, a stark illustration of the enabler’s role in perpetuating destructive instability.
The situation demands a collective response. Citizens from all levels of society must recognize the danger posed by this unstable leadership and its enablers. It necessitates unity: transcending ethnic, religious, and political divisions to forge a common front against tyranny.
We call for action: peaceful protests, civil disobedience, and any means necessary to remove the Prime Minister and restore stability to the nation. He is the albatross around the neck of our nation/people, a constant, burdensome reminder of our failing leadership. Act now; tomorrow may be too late.
Note: I know Gudu Kassa, I grew up with Gudu Kassa, you are not Gudu Kassa, Mr. Prime minister.
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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