From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sun Apr 25 2010 - 05:48:22 EDT
Ethiopia: At A Decisive Stage Between Its People And The TPLF
PART VII
. Ethiopia's Economic Collapse During The TPLF Era
Note: Part I&II were posted on the 11th- Part III&IV on the
15th- Part V- on the 19th and Part VI on the 21st of April, 2010.
25/04/2010
In previous parts of this presentation, an attempt was made to outline the
TPLF regime's narrow-minded strategy of derailing the just and legitimate
goals of the oppressed Tigrayan people to advance its own agenda as well as
the regime's outdated racist policy that plunged the entire peoples of
Ethiopia into chaos never witnessed before and incite regional
confrontations that claimed the lives of many Ethiopians. However, as it is
said 'you reap what you saw', the TPLF regime as a result of its evil
strategy both inside Ethiopia and in the region, as a whole has become the
black sheep of Ethiopia and the region at large, which accordingly is now
doomed to a similar trend of history as the past tyrant rulers upon setting
the fi rst steps towards the cliff of its demise. As the entire past tyrant
regimes however, the TPLF regime is leaving Ethiopia plunged in deep
economic quagmire.
Although being endowed with big rivers and other rich natural resources,
Ethiopia was compelled to become a reference of famine as an example in
various dictionaries owing to the severe drought that claimed hundreds of
thousands of lives during the Haileselasie regime and again in millions
during the Derg regime. Indeed, because no prosperity or development can be
ensured in times of chaos and lack of harmony, Ethiopia was yet again
unlucky during the TPLF rule that failed to heal its wounds and further
plunged the country into deeper economic crisis and poverty. Woyane's
Ethiopia has therefore become one of the fi rst four aid expectant countries
in the entire world and Number One in Africa. In the years between 1999 and
2004 alone, statistics show that Ethiopia received an average of over
700,000 tones of relief food aids every year. Nonetheless, the drought
wounds Ethiopia sustained were not even with the enormous fl ow of the said
aid. Even at this point in time, around half of that country's population,
which statistically approximates over 30 million of people, is experiencing
continuous drought threat and malnutrition. Accordingly, close to 15 million
of Ethiopians are annually vulnerable to the death threat because of famine.
Although Ethiopia received a total of 30 billion dollars in development
assistance and over 12.6 billion dollars in loan from 1980 onwards, the two
major things that have been consuming all such enormous amount of money fl
ow that should have gone to the drought-affected population are known;
namely, war and corruption. Again, because these two major causes of
Ethiopia's backwardness gained momentum during TPLF rule, international news
reports indicate that Ethiopia has become Number One from among the 49
poorest countries in the world both in terms of poverty index and human
development. If there is any country in the world that cannot survive a
single day without relief aid, it is defi nitely Ethiopia. Hence, it has
become a must for the country to take 600 million dollars loan annually and
cover 70% of its annual national budget from aid.
Internationally, it is proven that people with an annual income of less than
900 dollars are living below the poverty line. Accordingly, it would be easy
to imagine the severity of Ethiopia's poverty if we take in to account the
fact that the per capita income of Ethiopia does not exceed 80 dollars.
Having been a recipient of huge relief aid, 75% of the people of Ethiopia do
not have access to potable water and 80% are still in the realm of
illiteracy. Not only that, Ethiopia is also a country where 200 mothers out
of 1,000 face miscarriage during delivery; next to South Africa and India,
Ethiopia is the third country in the world in the number of HIV/AIDS victims
and 73% of its population is vulnerable to various other diseases due to
lack of health facility provisions. The only people who do not have any clue
about dress are in Ethiopia. Again, if there is any country with its streets
full of exaggerated number of beggars and the homeless, it is Ethiopia.
Shameless of its ill-deeds that pushed Ethiopia into a hell of continuous
poverty, the TPLF regime rounded up beggars and homeless Ethiopians and took
them to concentration camps to avoid witness of the so-called visitors
expected to come for the Ethiopian millennium celebrations'.
Having been seated in its current position of leadership in Addis Ababa due
to the support of the people of Tigray, like the rest of Ethiopia, the TPLF
regime has plunged the Tigrayan people into deeper quagmire of chaos and
economic crisis. As development and prosperity cannot be expected from a
party that toils to disrupt peace and harmony, the people of Tigray not only
did not gain anything, but also lost much from the last 16 years of TPLF
leadership. Had peace reigned during the TPLF rule, the Tigrayan people
would have thrived and developed province without any support from the TPLF
Administration.
Now the Tigrayan people are facing the immediate consequences of the
destructive policy the regime is pursuing in Somalia, Eritrea and inside
Ethiopia itself. The regime's corrupt offi cials are laundering and
funneling the country's money to their personal accounts, crumbling
Ethiopian economy to set up their own companies, bulge their bank accounts
and fulfi ll their other personal desires. It is indeed ironic to consider
the Tigrayan people, who have gained nothing, except vain and poverty. It
was not for this cause the people of Tigray paid off their lives. In fact,
it is a very tragic ending to see the handful in power gain from the
legitimate and just struggle of the people. It is by far an event that
highlighted the betrayal of "Lekatit" and "Dedebit" at the same time.
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