A
Critique on Article "What moral ground do you have to cast out EPRP …"
Also
read my Article "A Stranger in a Strange Land" to get the full picture.
5
By:
Dr. G Bekele
22
August 2002
6
The
writer, Mr. Getachew Reda of San Jose, California may sound functionally
illiterate and proud of it, or a bloody nutter but he is perfectly serious
about his favorite party EPRP, his hero Abraham Yayeh and the so-called
finest children of Ethiopia around the alleged anti-Ethiopia Radio stations
and Newspapers. Mr. Reda, a reputable patriotic Ethiopian who admired my
entire article to date, praised and defended me on the Internet repeatedly,
is now very upset because I rose the public’s doubts and questions on those
organizations and an individual he admires. It was a scandalous waste of
time for him to blindly defend them.
I
do not want to be handed with him as he is a friend or wish to Bomb him
as he sarcastically said for which I am more than capable and proved to
the enemy camp. Therefore, I rather clarify this issue and add some relevant
points on this matter. First of all I say to Mr Reda don’t rush, slow down
and read my article carefully in full. Secondly we live in an information
technology age hence information, communication, reading and knowledge
was the grounds in which I raised those questions. Therefore, there was
nothing personal, malice or devious motives in it at all. It was prepared
purely for comments and to create a reaction from those concerned. None
of them came forward to defend themselves to date.
To
further enlighten Mr Reda and the readers, let me quote few writers and
some of the contents of their recent articles on Ethiomedia and Aiga Web
Sites.
1."EPRP
leaders who are out of country and out of action for over 30 years could
not represent the interest of the Ethiopian people as they are ignorant
of the function of the truth on the ground. I would not believe that the
party exists as an organisation but there are some remnants whose main
objective is to promote hatred." – Melaku Tegegn, former founding member
of EPRP. Source: Aiga. Plus many things has been said and written about
EPRP and others.
2."I
know EPRP people, which are probably few hundred at best but are able to
destroy the cause of Ethiopia wherever they can find. I have worked with
them and they get furious whenever they see any organization succeed. The
damage they have done to Ethiopia is immense and they should stop their
psychopath trend and let the new generation take over." Tuffa Billa – Source:
Ethiomedia.
3."EPRP,
a political group with an unknown leadership can tell us who the chairman,
the vice chairman, the secretary, the treasurer or other officials of EPRP
are? It is a secretive, cult like organisation, which should not qualify
as a political party as they are with an outdated political program. Where
there is EPRP, there cannot be unity. Wherever there is EPRP, there cannot
be progress. I believe that EPRP has done more than the TPLF did to hinder
the struggle against the Meles anti-Ethiopia dictatorship." Elias Kifle
– Source: Ethiomedia. Why did Getachew or EPRP ignore all these and others?
Mystery!
Therefore,
blind supporters like Getachew must be alone in failing to grasp that EPRP’S
plight is almost entirely of its own making and weaknesses. The simple
and sad truth is that EPRP has forgot what it did stand for. They haven’t
been able to come out of a nosedive they did through the 1980s and 1990s.
They always lost the game in a raw and still don’t seem to learn the lesson
of it. What I expected and would have liked was the thought to be stronger,
tougher, and sharper in argument. May be it is time EPRP and all anti-democracy
Ethiopian organisations concentrated on running their secretive party empire,
not expanding it to poison innocent people or allow their swollen head
to explode.
The
old and newly born democratic forces of Ethiopia know all too well an appalling
example of the depravity to which human can sink. Some of these guys literally
don’t know that the world is round too. They must be cursing a string of
party mishaps that have made EPRP look like a scrappy bunch of losers again
after years of quiet recovery from the dead and their grave. But when they
might have been expected to head for the glen or poolside they were earnestly
engaged in the merits of their invincible leaders or ethnic minority candidates
like Abraham Yayeh, an old-fashioned and ex-TPLF leader.
Some
EPRP supporters seem to have been political rottweilers for a decade. Though
their teeth are not as sharp as when they were guard dogs for their leaders,
their instinct remain lethal. Oddly enough they still dream of grabbing
power by accusing every party, individual and terrorising their citizen.
EPRP’s leaders, albeit of the herbivorous variety may urge their hundred
or so demoralised supporters to calm down and play good politics in the
open rather than making a spectacle of themselves in public. If there is
difficulty it is not because of EPRP office, which they say does not exist
of course, it is because for some reason they are intent upon continuing
this loud internal and external madness debate about others.
The
cries of pain came from the excluded supporters keepers of EPRP old flame.
Even these maligned people who are binding their time, does not deny the
need for change in Ethiopian politics and in particular within the old-fashioned
EPRP. The dozen principles of compassionate EPRPism will simultaneously
suggest that "one size does not fit all" and "top down does not work."
But Ethiopian voters are close to not caring. They embrace social diversity
and democratic principles, but not as an obsession. The public will take
a political party seriously when it says something serious. Time is running
out for EPRP.
This
fits, to a startling extent, with their personal histories. They always
had an inferiority complex in comparison with other parties about leadership
experience. It is alleged that men in their mid-50s and 60s, ie the "Korea
Zemecha" generation now mainly lead EPRP. It is not my custom to mock others
ailments, but any one who listened and read their political arguments can
imagine the dripping scorn they would bring to the revelation. In their
case, a pain in the arse is peculiarly appropriate. Admission: I did not
serve in the Korean War (Yekoria or Yewuchale Zemecha) either. My country
did not ask me because I was not there. Unlike most of the EPRP leaders
and supporters, I am profoundly alarmed about the one now being plotted
against EDP leaders, Tigrean Solidarity (TISJD) and me.
For
the Getachew’s information, I say this: This debate is not personal but
about Ethiopia’s future, about the majority, and about choosing genuine
democratic forces for our country so that the oppressed Ethiopian people
are liberated from the worst dictatorship rule that shattered our economy,
divided our nation and destroyed the lives of millions of our brothers
and sisters. Unlike EPRP, parties get supporters and are elected because
they always speak to the concerns and aspirations of ordinary people. Now
that must all seem like a bad dream to the EPRP supporters. The only realistic
way to behave these days is to be honest and upfront. "Living in disguise
like EPRP for over thirty years simply isn’t an option. They need to come
out and compete in front of the public.
"It’s
nice to see honest politicians, honest and patriotic individuals. It’s
equally good to see the beginning of something like modernity in the parties
too. It would have also been better if those Radio stations and Newspapers
admired by Mr Reda have not spread unfounded and malicious allegations
against individuals and parties and muddled with pure speculation on the
things they don’t have reliable evidences at all. That was why I decided
to criticise them so that they defend themselves if not found to be true
and at the same time shown my genuine support for EDP and civic organisation
like Tigrean Solidarity (TISJD).
Therefore,
I don’t feel guilty for doing that and doing well, because I have to believe
that I am brave and up to it for the sake of my country and my people.
Furthermore, unless we as a nation wake up to the fact that the government
is in sever difficulty … instead of forever going about ideological differences
or purity within our own parties or circles and blindly criticise those
democratic forces and individuals who support them, then we will not make
the gains that we could. This is an assault on freedom and democracy. Let
no one be deceived. Hence the only regrets I have is that I have disappointed
an Ethiopian friend, wasted my time in scribbling this and in the process
made the enemy camp happy. Very sad indeed! May God have mercy on all of
us!
IF
IT BRINGS SOLUTION FOR OUR PROBLEMS,
LET
US BOMB ONE ANOTHER
AND
SAY
LONG
LIVE MOTHER ETHIOPIA!
PS:I
did promise not to respond to such criticisms but again one cannot ignore
an Ethiopian friend who mistakenly chose to go public on a very minor issue
like this to defend individuals, radio stations and newspapers that so
far failed to defend themselves. For GR, I say couldn’t you discuss it
with me privately? Sad!