Ethiopia - With all due respect

By Tibebe Samuel Ferenji | February 24, 2010

When I wrote the piece Mr. Isaias: A friend of Ethiopia? I was not aware of Al Jazeera’s interview with Mr. Issaias; nor was I aware of the planned protest opposing the UN sanction on Eritrea. Having been in politics for too long, I am surprised the uproar that the piece I wrote created in the Ethio cyber world. It is interesting to read the comments of my fellow Ethiopians and Eritreans in other websites. Some took their time to send encouraging, supportive and extremely graceful comments to my personal e-mail. Others who are upset with me personally have attempted to bully me also through my personal e-mail. I know how hot the political kitchen is on this sensitive issue and the fire does not threaten me. It would be nice if all of us could keep our eyes on the ball and deal with the issues at hand instead of resorting to character assassination and unfounded allegations. I don’t think anyone could achieve anything through cyber gorilla warfare.

The purpose of this piece is not to indulge on a personal matter but to remind my fellow readers to stick with the issue - let us deal with the subject at hand instead of with the person. I am prompted to write this after reading the BBC news and because I was reminded repeatedly by my fellow Eritreans regarding the “successful” protest that “Eritreans” and “Ethiopians” held around the world condemning the UN sanction on Eritrea.

It was entertaining to read “the success” of the protest although I do not know how that “success” was measured. If the objective of the protest was to help lift the sanction on Eritrea, I would say the protest was “a successful failure”. What is amusing is that the people who are exercising their right for free speech are protesting so the Eritrean people could continue to live without exercising their right for free speech. This is a thing that makes you say hummmm. Mind you, the protest was held in Europe and North America. Thanks for Western democracy, as I said; these individuals have exercised their God given rights. I do applaud them for standing for what they believe in and for expressing their frustration and displeasure with the UN. I hope they will respect my right to express my disagreement with their protest as much as I respect their right for protesting.

As I read the news, I was reminded the quote of American journalist and philosopher Walter Lippmann; Mr. Lippmann was right when he said: “It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf”. It is unfortunate that the protesters who are “Wise” enough to realize that they have God given rights to express their dissatisfactions with any State or any International organization, have failed to display an iota of “wisdom” that showed any concern for the democratic rights of the Eritrean people. The notion that democratic rights should be exercised only in the Western countries and that the Eritreans should be happy with the tyrant ruler who is more interested to satisfy his ego than the well being of his nation is extremely tragic.

Through various media outlets the United Nations has made it clear the objective of the sanction is to pressure the regime in Eritrea to stop meddling in other countries affairs. The sanction is not against the Eritrean people and does not apply to food and other essential commodities. If the protesters are serious in their desire for the UN to lift the sanction all they have to do is pressure the despot regime they support to stop supporting terrorists and to stop meddling in the affairs of other countries. It is as simple as that. The question however is does the regime in Eritrea and its ardent supporters want the sanction to be lifted? The answer in my opinion is a resounding No!

I am reminded the movie that was made during the Clinton era titled “Wag the Dog” which was directed by Barry Levinson. The movie is a political spin in Washington. Before elections, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to "fabricate" a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal. The whole purpose was to divert attention to the war in order to save the president from the sex scandal. If we look at the situation in Eritrea in the same light, then we will see similar tactics. I believe that Mr. Issaias can no longer feed empty hope to the people of Eritrea. All the signs are there that his brutality has reached an epic proportion. The only thing that would save Issaias at this juncture is a new diversion. Thus, I believe, the sanction has become blessing in disguise. Though the sanction is in the best interest of Issaias, he has to make some noise in order to claim that he is a victim of international conspiracy. We have heard such claim before from Nazi Germany and brutal criminals like Melosovich.

The sanction may benefit Mr. Issaias politically temporarily, but it will not have a lasting effect. I know that the people of Eritrea are tired of PFDJ’s excuses the last 19 years. It is now time to say “putt up or Shut up”. During the Aljezera interview, Mr. Issaias had made it clear that he did not promise any thing to the Eritrean people. I beg to differ; Mr. Issaias and his cronies promised the Eritrean people freedom, justice, democracy, and the rule of law. Like all Ethiopians, the Eritrean people sacrificed a great deal yearning for freedom from the military junta’s brutal rule. The people of Eritrea did not sacrifice their children so the aspiration and the hope of living in a free society to be hijacked by few who believe that they are destined to rule. The people of Eritrea deserve better than a man who tell his soldiers to shoot to kill their fellow citizens if they attempt to cross Eritrean border fleeing from the government that is chocking the life out of them.

With all due respect to the protesters, it would have been genuine in their part if they experience what the Eritrean people are experiencing; these protesters are in safe heaven far away from the killing machine of Issaias Afworki; these protesters are not experiencing the excruciating pain that an Eritrean mother whose son has been in a malaria infested military camp the last ten years waiting for a pseudo war from neighboring country; these protesters are not feeling the agony of an Eritrean woman whose husband has been deployed to the “war front” for number of years to no end; nor could they imagine the anguish an Eritrean child is experiencing for he has not seen his mother for years because she is serving the high ranking officers who are administering the SAWA camp. I would have respected the protesters if they had said the Eritrean people deserve the kind of freedom that we are having; if they had said we want the rule of law in Eritrea; and if they had said the life of every Eritrean is as valuable as ours and they should not be shot to death because they defy a regime so brutal, so inhumane, that makes the devil looks like an angel.

My father journalist Samuel Ferenji called Mengistu Hailmariam “Angel of Death” in one of his articles few years ago. Sadly, Issaias Afworki is not any different from the tyrant he had replaced. This angel of death has brought untold misery and suffering to the Eritrean people. Some have said ‘this is what Eritreans chose when they decided to be separated from Ethiopia; therefore, they deserve what they have got’. Do they really deserve what they have got? Whether as part of Ethiopia or as an independent nation, like any human beings, Eritreans deserve to be free of brutality. It is a historical mistake for any Ethiopian opposition to ally with and support Mr. Issaias. It is not only that Issaias is not trust worthy, but hoping to leap to Menlike Palace by stepping on innocent Eritreans and Ethiopians blood would only backfire. It is ironic that some in the Ethiopian opposition camp who are pleading with the international community to impose sanction on the Ethiopian regime are opposing sanction against Eritrea. Such hypocrisy would only damage their credibility and would only make them useful idiots. More over, they will have no moral authority to speak of justice, freedom and democracy.

I have no illusion that these few insignificant individuals within the Ethiopian opposition camp would have any effect on the Ethiopian regime by allying with Mr. Issaias; rather my concern is that such “support” may give a wrong impression to the Eritrean people that such vocal but do nothings could remove the regime in Ethiopia with armed struggle and with that Freedom may come to Eritrea. Such foolish conduct may give false hope and may send a wrong message that says Issaias would have no excuse for not implementing the constitution that was drafted in 1996 after Woyane is removed from power.

Do not be fooled, Mr. Issaias is like the Scorpion that crossed the river on the back of the frog and end up killing the frog by stinging it after it got what it wanted. It is high time for the Ethiopian opposition to focus in changing the political dynamics in Ethiopia. Lack of strategic planning and political myopia has allowed the regime in Ethiopia to continue its human rights abuse. The Ethiopian opposition needs to analyze its strength, weakness, opportunity and threats. It is high time that the bickering stops and the opposition unite in the objective of bringing about a genuine democratic change in Ethiopia. Election is not the end game; election in any country is a tool that takes people to the desired path. We keep focusing on election every five years that seems to be the only political agenda that the opposition has. Let the opposition work together to bring about the desired change in Ethiopia. We want visionary leaders with genuine concern to our people. What we do no want is self serving egomaniacs who continue to waste valuable times and resources by diverting the effort of genuine opposition to an unattainable goal.

Once in our past, Ethiopia was a beacon of hope not only to her neighbors but also to the continent. How could we forget that other African freedom fighters fought against the colonizers in one hand holding their flags and waving the Ethiopian flag on their other hands? It is time that this generation brings back the legacy of our forefathers. Let us be a true beacon of hope for the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea who are suffering under delusional and merciless brutes.

For those brothers and sisters who are knowingly or naively supporting Mr. Issaias I will leave them with this quote from Mr. Lippmann:

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on”. Unfortunately, Issaias has destroyed the will, the conviction and the hope of the future generation; instead of building a better Eritrea, young Eritreans have chosen to flee their country knowing the risk of being shot to death by their fellow citizens. With all due respect, ladies and gentleman, this is what you have supported by protesting for Issaias. Would it be too much to ask for the people of Eritrea to exercise the same rights that you have enjoyed exercising in your host countries?