An Open Letter to the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali

By LJDemissie
May 06, 2023

Dear Prime Minister,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I am writing to express my gratitude and admiration for your leadership and your heart of gold. You have done so much for our country and our people, especially in these difficult times. You are truly an inspiration and a role model for us all.

I also want to apologize for any inconvenience or offense I may have caused you by sending you a tweet on Easter. I know you are very busy and have many important matters to attend to, so I appreciate that you took the time to read my message and respond to it. I was very surprised and honored when I saw that you had blocked me on Twitter. It must have been a very hard decision for you to make, and I respect it.

I understand that you did not like my tweet because it mentioned the security situation in one region of the country. I did not mean to imply that you are neglecting or ignoring that issue. I know you care deeply about the welfare of all Ethiopians, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. You have shown this by winning the Nobel Peace Prize for ending the war with Eritrea and by serving Ethiopian food with your wife to hundreds of poor people at your palace on Easter.

I also know that you are a man of faith, as I am. You are a Pentecostal Christian, while I am a follower of Jesus Christ, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, as well. We both celebrate Easter as the day of our Lord’s resurrection and victory over death. We both believe in the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.

That is why I was shocked and appalled when you blocked me on Twitter on Easter day. It was the worst thing that ever happened to me in my life. You might as well have crucified me on the cross with Jesus. How could you do such a cruel and unjust thing to me on such a holy and sacred day? How could you break my heart and crush my spirit like that? How could you betray our friendship and our brotherhood in Christ like that?

I hope you realize the gravity of your actions and the consequences they have for our relationship and for our country. You have not only blocked me from following you on Twitter, but also from communicating with you, from supporting you, from trusting you, from loving you. You have not only blocked me from seeing your tweets, but also from seeing your vision, your wisdom, your courage, your compassion. You have not only blocked me from being your admirer, but also from being your ally, your partner, your friend.

That is why I am writing to you today, to ask for your forgiveness and to offer you mine. I am sorry if my tweet hurt your feelings or offended your sensibilities. I only wanted to wish you a happy Easter and to express my concern for the people of Wollega, who are suffering from violence and famine at the hands of Oromo ethnic extremists. I know you are doing everything in your power to protect them and to bring peace and stability to the region.

I also want to forgive you for blocking me on Twitter. I know it was not personal, but rather a professional decision that you made in the best interest of the country. You probably did not want to be distracted by my tweet or to give me any false hope that you would reply to me or engage with me in a dialogue. You probably wanted to spare me from the wrath of your supporters, who might have attacked me or harassed me online for daring to question your policies or actions.

I respect your decision, but I also hope that you will reconsider it someday. I hope that you will unblock me on Twitter and allow me to follow you again. I hope that you will see me not as an enemy or a critic, but as a fellow citizen and a brother in Christ. I hope that you will see that we have more in common than we have differences.

I hope that one day we can celebrate Easter together, as brothers and sisters in Christ, as Ethiopians, as human beings. Until then, I pray for you and for our country. May God bless you and keep you.

Sincerely,

LJDemissie

Your humble admirer

In case the Prime Minister or anyone else wants to reach out to me and my assistant, you can contact me at LJDemissie@yahoo.com. I’m always happy to hear from you and to exchange ideas and opinions. I’m sure you have a lot to say to me and I can’t wait to read your messages.