Interview with Form 65
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ltBYyuaKz4
http://www.zehabesha.com/ethiopia-a-call-to-the-true-sons-and-daughters-of-tigray/
Ethiopia: A call to the true sons and daughters of Tigray
July 21, 2016 | Filed under: News Feature,Opinion | Posted by: zehabesha
by Yohannes Berhe | Ottawa, Canada | (yohannesb23_at_gmail.com)
“Nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come” the great
Victor Hugo uttered these enduring words more than a century ago. And
yet, one would be hard pressed to find more fitting words to describe
the crises currently unfolding in Ethiopia. A few months back it was
the southern part of the nation (Oromigna speaking area of the nation
to be precise) that was engulfed in a vast array of spontaneous
protests against the TPLF dominated regime. The most recent one is
Gonder, one of the northernmost and oldest regions of Ethiopia. Given
the most stifling political environment and the complete shutdown of
the political space, this worrisome development is not at all
surprising. Added to the total lack of democratic legitimacy, the
officially sanctioned ethnic policy is an aggravating factor that is
pushing our country into uncharted water. The focus of my commentary
is indeed to underscore the danger of this hyper-ethnicized political
environment as far as the Tigrayan community is concerned.
Why single out Tigrayans when we have a slew of EPRDF/TPLF supporters
that hail from other ethnic groups as well? It is true there are
enough sycophants and peddlers of lies from all ethnic groups that
profit handsomely from the system. In fact, without these turncoats
the EPRDF/TPLF regime might not have survived this long. However,
there are several elements that put the Tigrayan community in
unfortunate if not lamentable situations, hence, throws unwanted and
unavoidable spotlight on their actions or inactions.
First, in a highly volatile social and political situation it is
difficult to totally avoid identity based discourse, let alone one
that is sanctioned and fomented by a governing body that use it as a
divide and rule policy.
Second, in an unjust society wealth confers access to political power.
In today’s Ethiopia ethnicity confers political power, which is easily
convertible to wealth. In any society what irks people’s feeling more
than anything else is an unfair political and social arrangement for
the sole purpose of economic gain. In a poor country such as Ethiopia
where there are meager resources to begin with, the resentment can be
profoundly felt.
I am not in any way suggesting that all Tigrayans are benefiting by
virtue of their ethnic affiliation, but if we are being candid about
the current social and political arrangement in Ethiopia, it wouldn’t
be difficult to recognize the fact that ethnic Tigrayans are
disproportionately afforded the opportunity the system makes it
available. A cursory observation of major business owners around the
country attests to this fact. Of course, there is also the case of
EFFORT – Endowment Fund for The Rehabilitation of Tigray; an entity
that epitomizes the rampant corruption and the unprecedented
appropriation of the nation’s resources by a minority group through
rent seeking and monopoly power.
Finally, the indisputable reality is the fact that the majority of
those who are currently wielding the coercive power in Ethiopia are
members of the TPLF, which claims to represent the province of Tigray.
Certainly, guilt by association is not only unwarranted to say the
least, but it is also morally repugnant.
Race and ethnicity is an involuntary membership, an ascribed status
that no one should be judged on. However, we have to be realistic. We
are not merely dealing with philosophical and moral abstraction. We
humans are tribal by nature. It is an unfortunate reality of the world
we live in that ethnic affiliation with those who are wielding power
can be both an asset and liability. Which raises the question of
moral stance of a non-voluntary group in whose name, supposedly, crime
is committed.
Furthermore, even without the incessant TPLF’s propaganda of fear and
hate, the dehumanizing condition of extreme poverty exasperate the
us-versus-them thinking. This is indeed the reason why I think
Tigrayans involvement in the struggle for democracy should be front
and centre. It is very important that they should openly and
unreservedly condemn the crimes being committed in their name. Staying
silent in the face of growing TPLF’s atrocities is no longer an
option.
It is easy to become engrossed in ethnic triumphalism or to find
comfort in seeing someone of our own heritage in a position of power
and influence. However, this comfort becomes a moral abdication when
is traded for one’s humanity. One has to make a conscious and
deliberate effort to untangle himself/herself from this parochial
state of mind.
So, what can Tigrayans do in order to ‘reclaim’ their rightful place
in the struggle for democracy?
First, you should unequivocally condemn the crime being committed by
EPRDF/TPLF regime both as organized group and as part of the growing
chorus of opposition groups.
Second, you should withdraw any material or moral support to the
members of the regime in order to force them to accept the will of the
Ethiopian people through all inclusive and verifiable democratic
process.
Third, you should use the propensity of the regime to be partial
toward you by virtue of your ethnic affiliation, to conduct covert and
overt actions, hence, to expose their crimes and further undermine
their authority.
Fourth, you should not take part in any gathering that is directly or
indirectly sponsored by the regime to advance their divide and conquer
agenda.
Fifth, you must openly and unequivocally denounce the separatist and
loud fringe among you who like to spout racist bile against others.
I am cognizant of the fact that in spite of all these suggestions,
there will always be those who will remain mistrustful of your motives
and actions. However, one has to understand the fact that after 25
years of TPLF’s steady diet of lies and hate propaganda it will not be
an easy task to rebuild the broken trust among us. Nonetheless, you
are taking a principle position and fighting for a just cause that
will be seen as a gesture of solidarity with fellow Ethiopians while
differentiating the very few who are committing the crime from the
majority of Tigrayans who are themselves the victims.
On the other side, there will also be those – the die-hard supporters
of the regime – who will continue to sound an upbeat tone how things
are good for the country and even better for Tigrayans and continue
their fear mongering in order to drum up support. No matter how they
try to slice and dice it however, the status quo is unsustainable. No
regime has survived the wrath of the majority of population and no
amount of violence, deceit and coercive control can stop the march for
freedom. There is also the issue of representation and the complexity
of governing a society with competing interest such as Ethiopia. No
matter how benevolent and resolute any one group might be, our
country’s problems are very complex and exceedingly difficult to
entrust them to any single entity let alone a minority group. Solving
our intractable problem involves creating an effective and inclusive
political system that can at least be seen by all elements within the
society as legitimate.
It is no longer a question whether the EPRDF/TPLF regime will
collapse, but when. The unmistakable signs of gathering storms of
protests are all around us. TPLF honchos and their supporters will
tell us that the growing uprisings around the country are misguided
actions by a small group of criminal elements. They might even try to
quell it by force, but we all can clearly see the writing on the wall.
The head-in-the-sand approach of the regime and its supporters does
little to ease the gathering storm, or to quench the thirst for
freedom
For the last 25 years EPRDF/TPLF has used your name to stoke the fires
of hatred and disunite our country while all along debasing your
character and undermining your long and proud legacy – the very
foundation of our country. No one’s interest, least of all Tigrayans,
will be served if our country plunges into the abyss. Don’t let, what
might be the definitive chapter of your glorious history be written by
a gang of thieves and racist, who don’t hesitate to sell you down the
river at the slightest opportunity
Received on Thu Aug 11 2016 - 09:31:55 EDT