All the way with Medrek driven by the vision of Birtukan

By Robele Ababya | May 11, 2010

I would like to start this piece by paying tribute to the opposition parties such as Medrek on home soil for their stellar performance in the debate in which they have succeeded in driving the brutal TPLF Party to the corner, defenseless on every issue raised. They have articulated burning issues with courage against draconian odds. It is fair to conjecture that those who have followed the debates diligently and objectively have learnt a lot. I did. The ruling party was a loser in all respects. The one issue regarding construction industry - buildings and roads � to which the ruling party sought refuge in the heat of the debate was shredded to pieces. It was told the roads are already badly in need of repair; that the only railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa is in tatters; that lack of own harbor is costing the country US$ one billion per annum. Gross violation of human rights; utter failure of Gibe II electric dam project; denial of private land ownership to the peasants; virtually no attempt for irrigation farming despite our blessing with plenty of water; poor quality of training and education; rampant unemployment et al are the shameful hallmarks of the brutal regime speaking volumes of its dismal performance as disclosed by the opposition.

The top leaders who represented Medrek � Engineer Gizachew Shiferaw, Ato Seye Abraha, Dr. Negaso Gidada, Ato Gebru Asrat, Dr. Hailu Araya and the young and vibrant Secretary General of UDJP, Ato Andualem Arag� - held their ground so well proving their worth in Medrek.

I have some more to say here about Ato Seye to respond to some of my virulent critiques in respect of my article entitled �A question to ask � actions to take�. One of my critiques asked �Is Seye worth defending?� and another one demanded I should give up my name. But I will never give up my name given to me by my Oromo parents and I am proud to keep my Gobenite psyche of which OLF supporters accuse me.

Anyway, my rationale for supporting Ato Seye without seeking favors or reciprocity is captured in the following paragraph. I hope my critiques, assuming they are Oromos caring for their ethnic group, will understand my rationale. It was at the time that he coined the magnetic phrase "እስር ቤቱ ኦሮምኛ ይናገራል"(the prison speaks Oromiffa) that I was convinced that Ato Seye Abraha was really a changed man as an eye-witness to the plight of the Oromo people during his ordeal of six years in the infamous Kaliti prison. �ብርቱካን የኛም ናት እኮ!�(Birtukan is ours too!) is another public utterance which gained him the rising support of the Ethiopian people to whom Birtukan is an apple of their eyes forever. Therefore, I would be remiss in my duty as a human rights activist if I withhold deserved compliments to leaders of the caliber of Dr. Negasso Gidada and Ato Seye Abraha.

Medrek is a credible p