Perspective - Meaning of the Ethiopian Election under TPLF

Dissecting the Construction and Precise Meaning of the
Ethiopian Election Under TPLF Leadership
19 April, 2009 | Maru Gubena

The TPLF leader, Meles Zenawi, and those surrounding him, who have carefully
studied, checked and tested the mindsets and political culture of Ethiopians – who
in the eyes of the regime are the least informed among all African nations on

issues of nationhood, modern politics and the

indispensability of collective interest,

who have

no “sticks” and do not know how to use

“carrots” effectively when

presenting their

cases and grievances to the diplomatic or

broader

international

community and who,

sadly, seem

to have collectively,

unambiguously and firmly pledged and agreed

with each other not to work

together peacefully and harmoniously when it comes to the issues and common
goals of our country – have told them time and again that:

“We, the rulers of the land of Ethiopia, are in Addis to rule you forever. We

are

not here because we have been invited by the people of Ethiopia.

Instead, we are

here and have achieved our current military and political

power and economic

position by spilling an incalculable amount of the

irreplaceable blood of our own

young men and women from a single

province – Tigray. It is imperative that we

make this crystal clear to all of

you, to all Ethiopians, so that you can understand

precisely what we mean

and do not have the illusion, the dream, of sharing power

with us or

changing our status quo. We therefore kindly but also strongly request

that

you be submissive to our rules and laws, rules and laws that we ourselves

have constructed and produced with the full intent to impose them on you,

bowing your heads to the ground for as long as we are alive and in

power. To

accomplish this we have our own constitution, our election

board, our courts, our

armed forces, including our Agazzi special force,

trained especially for exceptional

purposes and events and to show you our

strength, our real power, and let you

understand what we can do to you

stupid Ethiopians when you try to mess around

with us. The police force

and media are all ours and are working tirelessly day in

and day out for us,

maintaining our law and order. We want to tell you in crystal

clear language

to respect their actions and decisions and be submissive to them.

They are

all our men and women and are our indispensable voice, protectors and

life

support. If you, however, disagree with the way we rule and prefer to

leave

Ethiopia for another country, you may do that as well. Under our rule

and

administration, leaving Ethiopia for another country is possible and

even easy. You

must understand that we are not as cruel and inhuman as

the Dergue regime,

under which all of you have had very painful

experiences and in whose hands

your precious children and other

irreplaceable family members perished. In case

you Ethiopians disagree

with our kind, wisely stated advice and suggestions and

our clear statement

of our uncompromising position, we have some even better

advice for you,

for all Ethiopians. As is known, one among our many objectives is

provide you unreservedly time and again our most helpful, constructive

advice.

We would therefore like to say this: follow our footsteps on the

road we traveled,

all over the country, during the 16 or 17 years of struggle

we waged, not just to

free ourselves – the people of Tigray, but also you,

all Ethiopians – from the

inhuman, most destructive regime of Mengistu

Hailemariam, who made your

country literally a killing field. Then you can

change us. Then you can overthrow

us and take power from us. You won’

t do that – you don’t dare to go through the

deadly

Chaka

and fight against

us? If you don’t dare to endure the deadly, cold

and hot Ethiopian

mountains and forests to face and test the strength we have built

through our painful experiences, then you should just keep quiet, and we

will

continue to rule you for as long us we are well and alive.”

This is more or less what Meles Zenawi and his ethnically oriented and trained
cadres have been saying since they physically entered the Ethiopian capital, Addis
Ababa. Yes, they have been and are still telling the God-fearing people of Ethiopia
in crystal clear language and repeatedly, openly and publicly, without the slightest
reservation and with no shame at all, using the most disparaging words, evil-
spirited and contemptuously constructed statements. On the other hand, however,
due to the end of the Cold War, which was responsible for the sudden,
accelerated disintegration of the well-known, highly respected and feared
Ethiopian armed forces and for the abrupt disappearance of the most repressive,
most inhuman and most hated ruler of Ethiopia and its people, Mengistu
Hailemariam, from the land of Ethiopia – and which greatly helped the TPLF
rebels, shortening the long road to the Minilik palace in Addis in May 1991 – there
was a complete absence of economic and political superpowers other than the
wealthy western industrial or rich nations. The TPLF leadership therefore felt it
had no other choice than to adapt, doing its best to construct election policies and
establish an Election Board and a judiciary system, which were creatively
fabricated to operate under its own rules, purely with the intention to trick the
western nations upon which TPLF’s survival, including its economic and political
structure, are entirely dependent. Yes, the elections that the repressive regime of
the TPLF has been and is organizing and holding are undoubtedly a direct
response, meant to fulfill the requirements, policies and ill-spirited and ill-
conceived demands of wealthy donor countries, just to support its usual tricks.
Nothing more and nothing less.

Yet, while the statements above, based on what Meles Zenawi himself, his own
families and his economic and war comrades have firmly and repeatedly stated,
are so abundantly clear and so far beyond Ethiopian socio-economic and political
realities, as has been shown, tested and proved, not once but three or four times –

and even though the

picture these statements

represent will never

change as long

as the

TPLF leadership is ruling

my country – surprisingly

and even shockingly, a

small section of Ethiopian

society has remained

willing and ready to

choose the

simple short-

term goal of advancing

their personal, family and

group interests

above the

collective and long-term

interests of Ethiopia and

the well being of its

people.

To these ends, they are willing, not just to participate in such fabricated elections
and judiciary systems, but also to serve as indispensable tools and witnesses,
supporting the creatively invented court charges, cases, words and statements of
the repressive TPLF leadership regime, thereby prolonging the lifespan of the
ethnic-oriented ruler. Instead of speaking decisively with a single, irreversible
voice and saying to TPLF leaders, “No, what we Ethiopians want is a collective
freedom and the commencement of the process of democratization. We don’t want
to be used as tools, as judges, prosecutors, or leaders of your small, ineffective
and fruitless opposition political parties, or employees of false election boards
and journalists for one-party-controlled media outlets. No, we don’t wish to be
your tools and witnesses anymore. No, enough is enough.” But our people do not
dare to say such things boldly and decisively to the repressive TPLF leadership,
not because they are afraid of Meles and his cadres, but because of their short-
term interests, economic or otherwise, which have been the cardinal enemy of
Ethiopia and its people in the past, and remain so today.

A few among my readers will disagree with my views and assessments, but I
nevertheless will continue to argue logically and relentlessly that as long as we
remain weak and unable to correct our behaviours, rearrange our arrogant,
simplistic, culturally shaped and imposed mindsets, and unable to resist and fight
against our own personal short-term greed and self-centered attitudes, then the
creatively invented TPLF policies, judiciary systems, rules and elections will
continue to operate, functioning to the satisfaction of the TPLF leadership and
those behind it. And that handful of conscious, determined Ethiopian compatriots
who may dare to show their true Ethiopianess and their opposition to the
repressive policy and rules of the TPLF will instantly lose their lives, leaving their
immediate family members not just behind, but impoverished and helpless. Worse
still, and much to our disbelief and shock, it may not be long before we can watch
Meles Zenawi on western television screens, not just shaking hands with the
current US President, but also sitting comfortably in the Oval Office, even
laughing with Barack Obama, in effect at all of us – at Ethiopians who act as if we
have made firm promises and irreversible agreements that we will not agree and
not work together, but instead remain as divided and hostile to one another as we
are today.

In closing, I would say that my conclusions today are not and should not be
different from the conclusions I reached yesterday, last year or even fifteen or
twenty years ago. They are the same, not because I am arrogant or rigid, but
because I believe in logic and in the day-to-day phenomena of socio-political
change in Africa and throughout the international community, which show that
without an irreversible unity, without resisting repressive and inhuman regimes in
a single voice, there will not be political and leadership change in any country,
including ours. The statements I have made here reflect my thoughts in a recently
published article, where I said “The willingness of Ethiopians to remain divided
and keep their heads buried in the sand, while women and children are being shot
to death on the streets of Ethiopian cities and towns and opposition political
leaders and artists are being endlessly harassed, arrested and convicted, shows
clearly that Ethiopians are most concerned with their personal and family well
being, and that the winds carrying the torches for collective well being, freedom
and democracy are far remote from the skies and high mountains of Ethiopia.”
(Maru Gubena, Reviewing the Damaging Effects of Ethiopian Politics,…..” 28
February 2009.) This acceptance of our divisions is our enemy, something that
we need to fight against, working both individually and collectively to tirelessly
wage both direct and indirect wars.

Maru Gubena
Readers who wish to contact the author can reach me at info@pada.nl

• See also my previously published article, “Lessons for Ethiopians from the
Downfall of US-Supported Dictators: An Urgent Need for Mature Mechanisms "

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