Opposing Meles Zenawi and the EPRDF: A Moral Imperative

By Tecola W. Hagos, March 21, 2010

Opposition to the EPRDF candidates, especially opposition to Meles Zenawi, in the fast approaching national election of 2010 is both a political duty and a moral imperative. In all of Ethiopia �s thousands of years of history, one cannot find a group or a leadership that had done so much harm to the people of Ethiopia and the State of Ethiopia as much as the current Ethiopian political leaders and their political cover organizations. Not even the Italian occupation of five years nor the medieval era destruction of the Ottoman Turks sponsored Gragn Mohammed�s twelve years had etched so much permanent harm on Ethiopia and Ethiopians as much as the harm done by Meles Zenawi and his political associates.

We, Ethiopians, in particular have heard the petulant and nauseating repeated claims by Meles Zenawi and his associates that Ethiopia is undergoing political devolution of power and some form of miraculous economic growth of six percent to nearly ten percent yearly for the last ten to fifteen years. Such bogus claims are based on one side on the destructive federalism by ethnicity on the political structure, and a cooked-up statistical date confirming the stupendous claim of economic growth on the other. It matters not to such claimants that the lowest development base one can imagine is, in fact, the starting base for such inflated claim of growth: if ones base for comparison is near zero, even fractional development would seem to show a steep graphic upsurge of a hundred or more percent growth rate. What stands out in the economy of Ethiopia in the last eighteen years is the corrupt practice of buying at very low prices national assets by the TPLF controlled non governmental organizations such as EFFORT, the leasing of millions of acres of fertile land to foreigners, giving gold mining concession to an individual who is looting the wealth of the nation because of collaboration with the Government officials with no transparent accounting or control whatsoever.

As I stated above it is both a political duty and a moral obligation visited upon each Ethiopian to oppose the candidates of the ruling party in toto irrespective of the individual merits of the candidates from the EPRDF. At the same time, one must support all the candidates from the opposition irrespective of the individual merits of the candidates or their political program(s). It so happened that the political program of Medrek is far more enlightened and responsive to the needs of the people of Ethiopia compared to the political activities based on some convoluted and dispersed political ideations of the EPRDF that we suffered through for the last eighteen years. My argument is that it would not have mattered what type of political program is being followed by the opposition, for what ever program is followed by the opposition will always be better than perpetuating the EPRDF despotic, corrupt, and treasonous leadership.

We all know that opposing a particular party or candidate does not automatically mean affirmative support of the opposition candidates. Here is where I would indulge my-self in some form of sophistry by claiming that opposition to the current Government Leadership translates as a support for all those candidates that are challenging the current Ethiopian Government Leaders irrespective of individual merits. Here is one instance that political virtue is ascribed by definition to all members who are in opposition without having to look into their individual merit, and I am advocating for its application in our current election of 2010. This may indeed be a singular incident in our history where one single act by the people of Ethiopia constitute both disapproval to one party (EPRDF) and at the same time approval of the opposing groups of political parties. I am aware of the fact that there are certain dangers inherent in such approach.

Opposition Candidates, such as Aregash Adane, Gebru Asrat, Merara Gudina, Seye Abraha et cetera and several other candidates identified with Medrek need be supported as the legitimate challengers of the despotic EPRDF and its candidates running for the 2010 elections. For example, Aregash Adane is the best candidate to challenge Meles Zenawi in Adwa for the 2010 Election. I have no doubt that the people of Tigray would overwhelmingly vote for Adanech. However, their vote will be discarded and the Government�s Board on elections will declare Meles Zenaw as winner. Now, the issue is shifted to whether it is of any value, knowing the outcome, to engage oneself in such process? What could elevate such participation to an act of legitimate political engagement from individual caprice? I think the political process (game) being played out is far more important than the outcome per se, for it would establish the fact of the political sickness endemic in Ethiopia . Thus, would be a form of teaching transition/tool for far better political outcome in the future.  

Some of the candidates from Medrek had a history of involvement in the destructive activities of the current Government a few years back when they were part of that Government. But they have come a long way since having realized their errors and publicly recanting their errors. They have participated in articulating a clear vision of a democratic political program that is light years ahead of the pseudo-totalitarian political ideations of Meles Zenawi and his associates in what they described as democratic centralism. There is no need for Ethiopians to be skeptical about the individual commitment of those former leaders of EPRDF who are now part of the opposition, for what we are undergoing at this very moment is a paradigm shift where individual histories are of marginal consequences in determining the future political path and economy of Ethiopia   

In a community where individuals are encouraged by the leader of the Government to take steps that was translated to mean to butcher peaceful contenders, as was amply demonstrated in the brutal murder of Aregawi GebreYohannes, the candidacy of Aregash Adane�s, as well as those of the many Candidates from Medrek, represents the singular courage of very few Ethiopians throughout Ethiopian History. Meles Zenawi will not hesitate to order the arrest of all the candidates in Tigray if it were not for an ongoing fracture within the TPLF and in the supra structure the EPRDF. If Meles is able to consolidate enough power to overwhelm the brewing dissention within the TPLF Leadership before the 2010 election, he will not hesitate to arrest or harm the leaders of Medrek.  One sure sign of the crack in the edifice of TPLF is the fact that the relatively young and the far more charismatic and the far less corrupt than Meles Zenawi, the former Mayor of Addis Ababa, Arkebe, is excluded from running in Tigray, which fact effectively would bar him from being in the Ethiopian Government that Meles Zenawi is designing for himself after the 2010 elections. 

International accolade for Meles Zenawi is a slap to the opposition in Ethiopia , and an undeserved promotion of Meles Zenawi as an international statesman. Such irresponsible acts by the Secretary General and the leading Western Nations had dealt Ethiopia �s local political challenges to Meles Zenawi a devastating blow. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon selected Meles Zenawi and Gordon Brown to co-chair the Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, on the World�s environmental issues, for funding and for the purpose of distribution of billions of dollars worth of funding, has given Meles Zenawi a new golden armor of invincibility. But the World Community that is held hostage by the powerful nations knows as much as Ethiopians do, the corruption and treason as well as crimes Meles Zenawi has committed against tens of thousands of Ethiopians and the State of Ethiopia itself. The leading Western Nations and the Secretary General of the United Nations owe us an apology.

Right now, Ethiopia is on the brink of total political implosion unless we take steps in earnest. It is time to develop a dedicated core for the maintenance of the Sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ethiopia . The political game that is being played out is one single manifestation of the process that may lead to the healing of the harm done to Ethiopia by the current leaders of the Ethiopian government. It should not act as a blinding curtain to all of us from seeing the great danger that Ethiopia heading toward, the chasm that is opening a few feet from us.  There is no point to indulge in political sophistry trying to bring about a highly polished opposition-politics into the arena. However crude and roughshod our opposition to Meles Zenawi and his government maybe, it still is a million times better for Ethiopia than the continued leadership of Meles Zenawi and his associates.  

Tecola W. Hagos

March 21, 2010

Washington DC