webmaster
© Copyright DEHAI-Eritrea OnLine, 1993-2010
All rights reserved
From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Dec 08 2010 - 18:43:44 EST
<http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/30494> The death of Greater Tigray
manifesto (updated with maps)
December 8th, 2010 | |
<http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/30494#comments> 58 Comments
By Elias Kifle
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/30494
In 1976, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (Woyanne) that is currently
ruling Ethiopia crafted its Greater Tigray Manifesto. The manifesto called
for transforming the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray in to an
independent country through expansionist policies. For Greater Tigray to
become a reality, Meles Zenawi and his Woyanne comrades decided that they
have to take control of the central government in Ethiopia and
systematically dismantle the country. They also appropriated lands from
neighboring regions of Gonder and Wollo (see the maps below).
<http://www.ethiopianreview.com/2010/republic-of-Tigray-010237.jpg>
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/2010/republic-of-Tigray-010237.jpg
The Greater Tigray agenda suffered a setback when Woyanne went to war with
Eritrea in 1998. Woyanne had to scramble and get Ethiopians to support the
war by trying to falsely present itself as an Ethiopian nationalist group.
The Woyanne's war with Eritrea caused split inside the organization's top
leadership, and Meles purged about half of the central committee members,
putting the final nail on the coffin of Greater Tigray manifesto.
Currently, TPLF under Meles Zenawi's leadership is not a cause- or
ideology-driven organization any more. It is a business mafia that happens
to wield political and military power.
As it turns out, Greater Tigray manifesto is having the unintended
consequence of diminishing Tigrean nationalism:
1. A growing number of Tigreans do not want to be associated with TPLF or
Tigrean nationalism any more.
2. Other than Mekele, the capital city of Tigray, most parts of the region,
including Meles Zenawi's hometown, Adwa, are still dirt poor and have yet to
receive the dividends for TPLF's political power, despite the enormous
wealth the Meles crime family has amassed.
3. Currently, there are over 100,000 non-Tigrean troops in Tigray (a region
with a population of 6 million). As a result, about 1 in every 10 child
currently born in Tigray doesn't have a Tigrean father. Tigreans are also
migrating toward south in massive numbers.
4. Woyanne's investment over the past 20 years has not produced tangible
results, other than a few shiny high rise buildings in Mekele. The reason is
that the investment was politically-driven, hence poorly studied and
planned. The end result of a government-controlled investment or command
economy is always a colossal failure. The Soviet Union comes to mind.
In recent days, we are witnessing an encouraging development. The Tigrean
elite, the last refuge of Tigrean nationalism, is coming around to finally
disowning the Meles dictatorship, although not as fast as we would like it
to happen.
A lesson that can be learned from the failure of Greater Tigray Manifesto is
that it is in the best interest of all Ethiopian ethnic groups to submit
their parochial interest to Ethiopian nationalism. Tigray, Oromo, Amhara,
and all the other ethnic groups can flourish under a strong and united
Ethiopia.
It is time for all Tigreans to wake up and join other Ethiopians in the
fight to remove the Meles vampire regime.
As the map below shows, the Woyanne junta claimed 20 percent of Gonder's
territory and a large area of northern Wollo.
<http://www.ethiopianreview.com/2010/Tigray-after-1991_011012.jpg>
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/2010/Tigray-after-1991_011012.jpg
Wollo lost almost half of its land, as the map below shows:
<http://www.ethiopianreview.com/2010/gonder-before-and-after-1991_121623.jpg
>
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/2010/gonder-before-and-after-1991_121623.jpg
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----