July 24, 2021
Tegenaw Goshu
The Puzzle or paradox is characterized by a) on the one hand , we seem seriously tired and sick of a political system of untold sufferings and deeply grave national embarrassment that makes us one of very few examples of not able to graduate from the very dehumanizing culture of abject poverty for a long period of time and still with no reliable way to end this tragic reality and b) on the other hand , we tragically and repeatedly have failed and keep failing to make our movements for the realization of true democratic change that cost us a huge and priceless sacrifices by allowing cynical, corrupt, self-aggrandizing , and ruthless merchants of the politics of ethno-centrism to hijack and disable our efforts of moving forward. And one of their best means to do this is to make us victims of our own emotion-driven, extremely opportunistic, event -driven , terribly misplaced way of doing things (stupid way of handling priorities), extremely short sighted, very terrible short memories (as the very cynical, highly deceptive and ruthless prime minister told us) , and consequently adapting ourselves to a dehumanizing way of life (if it is life in a real sense of the term).
What we are painfully observing these days is extremely embarrassing and self-disgraceful. We are badly accustomed to simply decrying this or that interventions of external elements whereas we are victims of appeasing or praising the ruling elites who have made our own home (the country) the playground of all kinds of damaging political games both internally and externally. We sadly enough, lost our own way of dealing with the very fundamental issue of bringing about a true democratic system by firmly sticking with our own mission, objective, principle and of course plan of actions. We are painfully victims of an extremely deceptive and trash political propaganda orchestrated by the same stupid and ruthless politicians and cadres and advocates of a criminal political system of three decades and continued in a much more miserable manner. We are victims of the very short sighted if not stupid way of political culture that is characterized by the very habit of getting rid of or keeping this sub-group or individual of the same political system of untold suppression and suffering instead of fighting for a fundamental change of a system. We allowed those ruling elites and their foot soldiers to consider or make us subjects of their cheap and highly deceptive political shows by making us painfully victims of the very tragic adaption of living with all kinds of dehumanizing situations. I hate to say but I have to say this is what we are observing both in the country and the diaspora. Believe or not, we are sadly trapped by the very tragic way of doing politics we have gone through for three decades.
As a matter of coming together and expressing grave concern about the very peace, security, sovereignty, territorial integrity of the country and the need to give the right response, the call for getting together in Washington DC (Sunday 25 of July, 2021) and do something about it sounds great!
But it is neither unfair nor a taboo to question ourselves about the way we think, and the way do things. I sincerely argue that the very reason we repeatedly and painfully failed to make a true democratic system a reality is because our activities are unfortunately characterized by a very self-defeating emotion , event-controlled thinking , extremely shot -sighted motivation, and of course being victims of the ruling elites who came to power by hook or crook ( by cynical, hypocritical, conspiratorial , narcissist/self-aggrandizing, and of course very deadly or ruthless political means). I understand that so many compatriots may try to paint individuals who have this kind of clear and straightforward opinions and comments with a very ugly accusation of being traitors or in betrayal of their own country. I sincerely argue that one of the reasons why we are victims of the political culture of repeated and nonsensical failure is because we are not courageous enough to face the very hard reality of our own. The reality of the desperate need to go with a concerted struggle and make our dreams for a real democratic system a reality, not appeasing and begging those ruling elites who are incurably or chronically ill both politically morally. We unfortunately keep making any clumsy if not stupid excuses over and repeatedly.
Let me straightforwardly say the following:
· It was three years ago when we totally abandoned the very fundamental objective, goal and principle 0f bringing about a real democratic system and make the very deadly political system of EPRDF the thing of the past that we became victims of the continuation of not only the same but a much more ugly and deadly political agenda and purpose of one the two factions and juntas of the same system , one renamed itself Prosperity controlling the Arat Kilo place politics and the other one controlling the Mekele palace and waging a very devastating civil war.
· How many protests we had when countless innocent citizens have been victims of genocide, destruction, displacement, and all kinds of untold sufferings for the past three years?
· Have we strongly and persistently put pressure on those ruling elites who deliberately and terribly failed to take preventive measures or to take swift controlling actions against the very unprecedented misery of innocent people?
· Was and is this not kind of political stupidity and moral degradation which we cannot either deny or hide?
· Why we terribly failed and keep failing at least to be courageous enough to strongly hold those highly cynical and miserably ruthless ruling elites of the very toxic and deadly political system of ethnocentrism responsible and accountable instead of allowing them to terribly fool us and mock the very sufferings of the people?
· Do we really believe that foreign powers including US government are much more dangerous than our own stupid or idiotic way of handling our own internal affairs or politics?
· Why we keep decrying the interventions of those powers which is not something new in the political game of world politics instead of excreting our maximum collective efforts on those two factions and juntas of the same deadly political system (EPRDF and its satellites or partners) and bring about a democratic system we desperately desire for so long?
· How we chose to remain ignorant about or kind of indifferent to the very hypocritical and conspiratorial orchestration by elements of the ruling circle as far the ongoing tragic civil war is concerned? Why we stupidly keep decrying the very horrible behavior and action of TPLF whereas it was and is vivid enough that those elements of the Arat Kilo palace politics are doing not only the same but much dangerous intrigues?
· Do we really believe that the civil war in the north and the very continuation of genocidal crime in Oromia (Wolega) and Benishangul-Gumuz are the works of TPLF only, not those who control the Arat Kilo palace politics?
· Are we comfortable to invite and listen to the very notoriously idiotic rhetoric of those officials you mentioned in your invitation banner without challenging them that they are nothing but the good guards or cadres of the same crime -infested political system of EPRDF/Prosperity which continues its dirty politics by making its document of killing the generation (the constitution) and all vital instruments of brutal suppression and exploitation intact? Is this not a very ruthless insult to the very basic consciences of the people?
Let me reiterate that I am not arguing that we should not come together and stand against any unnecessary intervention in the very internal affairs of our country! Not at all!
What I am trying to say is that if we keep being victims of those cynical, dishonest, and ruthless ruling elites and all other political entities of the very toxic and deadly politics of ethnocentrism, our cry and decry is nonsensical!
Who horribly causes miserable situations in our country for a long period of time? Do we really see real differences of political strategy between those two factions and juntas of the same criminal political system of EPRDF/Prosperity?
Is it not true that it is because of their beast-like (incredibly self-aggrandizing) and highly destructive power mongering behaviors that the country is not able to heal from a very deep and painful illness? Are we sure that we are not tragically victims of this horrifying situation? Absolutely we are not reasonably aware let alone to the extent of being sure!
How the political behavior of rallying behind these ruling elites can enable us to address and resolve the national cause we are talking about?
The political culture of not doing one’s homework that could make one’s home in a reliable and long-term order of a democratic system but simply decrying the unnecessary intervention of external forces mut be challenged if we want to make a difference and to be a good players of world politics.
I hate to say but I have to say that it is a critical time to question ourselves for how long and to what extent we keep making our very valuable values of arts and literature instruments or playing cards of the ruling elites and politicians who come to power by hook or crook and use it to stay in power unchallenged.
If we do not try to get out of this horribly embarrassing and consequently dangerous way of political thinking and behavior which we have gone through for a quarter of a century and much more miserable situations for the past three years of “democratic reform”, there must be something extremely wrong with us and we desperately need to figure out and make it right today, not tomorrow!
And that thing to be made right is to continue the concerted and persistent struggle aimed at answering the very question or cause of the protracted struggle for the realization of a fundamental democratic change of which huge and priceless sacrifices were paid for!
Democracy and the fulfillment of national interest will never become realities by aligning oneself with the politicians or cadres of the political system which is the very root-cause of not only serious obstacles but also cancerous social, economic, and moral illnesses!
Let’s try hard to get out of this very disgraceful and dangerous vicious Sycle of being victims of the disingenuous and ruthless ruling elites and reject the very self-disgraceful and self-defeating political culture of allowing ourselves to remain hostages of a very dirty and deadly politics of ethnocentrism!
Let us say enough is enough to dancing with those who keep dancing a monstrous political dance at the very expenses of the very untold sufferings of the people !!!