“Memorandum on the current situation in Ethiopia”
Abreha Belay et al
http://www.africanidea.org/memorandom.html

Tilahun K.
We are at a time when political turmoil in Ethiopia has taken much of our time, thoughts and discussions. Multitudes of criticisms and recommendations have been forwarded by many concerned citizens. Many have also been exerting relentless efforts to stretch the domestic political tension beyond control. Historically shameful and strategically awful alliances have been reestablished between a neighboring dictator and remnants of the brutal Dergue associated with CUD. All criminals of the past declared amnesty among each other and joined hands to topple EPRDF. The people of Tigray have been more than anytime humiliated and tarnished on one hand and labeled as “special children” of EPRDF, on the other. Social isolation was publicly declared as a means of intimidation against individuals, groups and “ethnics” standing by EPRDF. Innocent poor civilians and policemen were killed in open day light at early age of their prime time. Countless horrifying events prevailed without a slight consent and will of the Ethiopian people. All have been regrettable tragedies.

As I net looking for issues regarding Ethiopia, I came across an article titled Memorandum on the current situation in Ethiopia at http://www.africanidea.org/memorandom.html authored by sixteen Ethiopians from Tigray. The article outlines the dictatorial nature of TPLF leadership specifically Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Many on the list I believe have an outstanding knowledge about and experience with TPLF. The authors attribute the current political impasse to the dictatorial nature of Meles. I personally share some of the observations about the dictatorial nature of TPLF. Unfortunately, the memorandum falls short of making even a bypassing remark about the share of the opposition mainly of CUD for the political crisis in Ethiopia. I could not contemplate the individuals were hijacked by the first person on the list since most I know have independent personalities and political views. Nevertheless, I found the article to be among those usually posted at Ethiomedia.com with a due care not to criticize CUD for its wrong doings. I cannot see fairness in their assessment of the current situation in Ethiopia that grossly curses Meles as a sole source of the stalemate. I politely but strongly disagree with the essence of the article that Meles and its party are borne evil to do evil. As an independent observer, the current situation is an outcome of the sum total of the uncompromising arrogances within CUD and EPRDF leadership compounded by the disconnected Diaspora propaganda. 

In the intro of the article, the concerned authors reiterate TPLF/EPRDF leadership in general and Meles in particular are inherently undemocratic and hence are the root causes of the nasty situation at home. There are numerous issues which I personally feel have been the sources of skepticism of the public on EPRDF. The Eritrea’s issue has been and will remain on the forefront. This is an organization, which publicly declared the secession of Eritrea without consulting the Ethiopian people; it is EPRDF, rarely in the history of human kind that denied 70 million people of access to water; it is EPRDF that snatched the victory from the selfless Ethiopian young men and women over the dictatorial leadership in Asmara; it is EPRDF specifically Meles who officially gave away the Ethiopian Tsorona before the arbitration in Hague; it is EPRDF that called the public for street dance for “victory” in border decision; it is EPRDF that signed the sinful Algiers agreement; it is EPRDF that cut-down the high school grades to ten in a country of millions under poverty line. I would grade EPRDF “D-” in the area of sovereignty. 

However, we cannot deny the credit the young men and women of the EPRDF leadership deserve in other sectors. We would not have two or more political parties here in the US if one party could address all key issues of the public. President Bush won the last election because the public had a better faith on him regarding homeland security regardless of the slow down of the economy and other sectors. The demise of the brutal Dergue would have been far-from-easy if it was not for the courageous and hardship-resilient leadership of EPRDF. Most of the CUD leadership was in the Diaspora by then neither assisting the struggle nor lobbying their congressmen. Some also were either members of the Dergue cabinet or senior advisors. As to my soul, Dergue was a second-to-none enemy of Ethiopia and specifically Tigray. There were only 8 high schools for more than 3 million people of Tigray. The highest academic institution in Tigray was a high school before the demise of Dergue. High school graduates had to go to Gonder or Wello to attend a ten-month teacher’s training. The biggest factory was a Flour factory at Quiha with a capacity of less than 50 laborers to serve the need of the military in the locality. There was no a clinic at all in a town of a big wereda where I am from though the town and its environs were under relatively peaceful control of Dergue.

Many thanks to EPRDF, there have been many schools and clinics erected in numerous areas though a long way remains to reach the minimum required to satisfy the public need. Lamentably, the newly built few schools and clinics are under scrutiny by CUD. Tekeze power plant is presented as if Tigray is heading towards owning a nuclear bomb. Whatever investment takes place in Tigray is being attributed to differential favoritism of TPLF to Tigray. The people of Tigray have been portrayed by CUD as a special child of TPLF/EPRDF and first class citizen while all other nations and nationalities are second-class citizens. These are hard facts that can be retrieved from Ethiomedia and Kinjit website archives or can be googled using key names Profs Getachew, Tilahun, Muche, Negede, etcetera. Call and talk to independent concerned Tigrayans in Ethiopia and ask how CUD leadership behaved on Tigray and its people. Elementary and high school youngsters in the countryside were indoctrinated by their CUD affiliated teachers that Meles moved all resources to Mekelle and prepared them for violence until Hailu Showel becomes a premier. 

The road networks, electric power distribution and phone coverages are so immense. There was only one comprehensive University during the Dergue while we have many of them these days. The distribution of agricultural inputs and provision of Technical supports have been encouraging. A Clean water supply was a far dream for many cities and towns during the Dergue. Unfortunately, the disgraceful CUD belittles all these achievements by recreating reasons and justifying that most of the projects were planned and designed in the sixties and later on by the Dergue. CUD and its Diaspora cadres relentlessly worked to discredit the contribution of the people of Tigray to the political, economic, social, and historical developments in Ethiopia. Shamelessly, the CUD declared a social isolation of our people for their political views. The Tigre wede Mekelle nibret wede Kebele issue did not emerge spontaneously, but rather was part of the strategic move by Hailu’s wing as a means of instigating violence. High-ranking CUD cadres are shuttling between the west and Asmara negotiating with Isayas on ways of “saving” Ethiopia while the fact of the matter is destabilizing Ethiopia. 

My purpose in this article is not to enumerate the public knowledge about CUD and EPRDF, but rather to justify the current political impasse in Ethiopia has been driven by the devil in both CUD and EPRDF. The article by the concerned Tigrayans does not serve the purpose of the theme they picked. All shareholders need to be told what they have done wrong so that feasible corrective actions could be taken currently or by upcoming generation. Differential attack will not take us anywhere and falls short of reconciliatory essence. One-sided attacks are the most preponderant critics among us Ethiopians while balanced commentaries are on the verge of extinction.