Tesfaye Z. Yigzaw
There have been much political discussions in recent days following the disappearance of Tigray People Libration Front’s leader who brutalizedEthiopiafor over twenty one years. Nonetheless, I am appalled to the oppositions not demanding TPLF’s autocrat to relinquish its power to a transitional government until people elects a democratic government. First of all the oppositions must demand the release of all journalists and political prisoners without preconditions. These are forefront questions to be raised and it’s appropriate and timely. Instead some people from oppositions are speculating the next prospective leader among TPLF’s men. Once again, this is the window of opportunity for oppositions to make at most pressure on TPLF’s government to surrender power to people.
The oppositions lost many opportunities in the past, and it seems, they are still not ready to lead the people because they have not put aside their differences.
Obviously, all these years the strength of TPLF has come as the result to the weaknesses of oppositions. Most importantly, the oppositions have not agreed upon the issues they are at variance. For this reason they are not come into consensus to get rid of TPLF.
It is ridicules for oppositions to debate about: “Who will be a successor among TPLF members and the constitutional crises for leaving the power vacuum”. All along it is well known, the constitutions had been written to serve a one man dictatorship. Again, the so called constitutional experts, philosophy and political science intellectuals were among those who reviewed the draft law in 1990’s, and they were quiet until now. Who should to blame? The oppositions are forgetting the reasons they are struggling to bring a change in the country if they have not realized the constitutions had been erroneously devised.
Note that a few examples among many; also missing in the constitutions is a term limit for the Prime minster, while a president is toothless in a government has two terms in an office. Again, politicians are immune to persecutions for their crimes, the army and intelligence services are not neutral of politics, etc. There is no doubt this is very poorly written constitutions intend to give an absolute power to one man, and its TPLF organization to misrule the country.
However, Ethiopians are not fortunate in terms of leadership in recent years. The people have been ready for a change, democracy and a rule of law, but they longing for leaderships to guide them in a right path. The much talking and do noting oppositions are either waiting for people to come to their homes to carry them into a palace, or they are waiting for TPLF to invite them grab a power.
Nevertheless, I would like to say a few words about Mr. Meles Zenawi:
There is no a refined human being that wishes a suffering of other life. However
This is a man who denigrates the Ethiopian people for years. He has created abomination and engrosses himself with a negative energy, surrounding himself with this power to live in revulsion to others that finally took a toll on his life. With his organization, he has built up ethnic divisions and conflicts among the people to prolong his power. Nepotism and corruptions have deep rooted under his rule than the previous governments only to benefit the Tigray ethnic elites. This man would be remembered in history, as the first leader in the world who stood against the interest of his own country, by doing so apportioned territory to its neighbors, most importantly, he made the country a landlocked. His organization is one of a few remained zealous hardcore communists in the world that still controls State power. He has lived all these years by building up his ego. He is a flamboyant who loves international publicity and special attentions from west. His shrewd behavior gave him a privilege in the west as a reformer when in fact he is well known enemy of democracy, freedom and human rights.
Now, he is powerless awaiting his own fate. No lives are immortal, and it is the matter of time for everyone to take same journey. He may rebounds back from his illness or may not at all recover, depending upon his prognosis. If his recovery is not confine him on a bed, and able to come back to power, he must search the wisdom of peace to reconcile with himself and the society he has mistreated for most of his life. In contrary, his death maybe an ultimate relief from a painful suffering as the result to his illness and it is also a dignifying exits from a future humiliation that will soon to come, which is an obvious and imminent popular uprising that dictators like him has had encountered. I believe, most Ethiopians do not like for him to die in this form, they want him to stand a trial for enormous crimes he is responsible.
No need to “beat up a Dead horse”:
The future of the country depends upon the unity of democratic opposition forces. The true oppositions’ task is not dissipating time and energy by talking about the death of Mr. Meles Zenawi. Their precedence is to save a country. They should unite themselves by leaving behind their personal ego, and to commit on important issues of the country. They should talk about taking away power from TPLF, and ultimately bring democracy, justice and human rights in the country. The oppositions must talk how to reverse the TPLF’s twenty one years clutter. They must not repeat the same mistakes once again. They should remember; Deargue had an opportunity to eliminate both EPRP and MESON while the two were fighting for insignificant ideological differences. Subsequently, about two decades later TPLF came to power by chance because there was not other political challenger to replace Deargue. Since TPLF has been in power, many political oppositions sprung up. Because they have been weak and divided, TPLF employed its deceitfulness to systematically further weakening and eliminating them to strengthen its power. In any rate, the oppositions are unable to topple TPLF using an obvious opportunity, it is time for the Ethiopians to rise against oppositions and take the matter on its hands.