|
Ethiopia:
From Where to Whereto
(keyet
wedyet)
Engineer
Ghirma
May
17, 2007
Once
upon a time…
Ethiopia’s
history reads like a fairytale
book (which it is not). Ethiopia is the Cradle
of Civilization. I have one word to sum it up: Lucy
(ድንቅነሽ), the Mother of the human race.
Is she beautiful or
what! That aside, Ethiopia’s history and its contribution to civilization
is a documented matter of record for everyone to read and see.
Emperor Haile Selassie
The
late Emperor was the father of modern day Ethiopia in the 20th
Century. He introduced modern education, and attempted in all
earnest, to eradicate ignorance and poverty. However, he fell
short mainly because he could not and would not balance the needs
of the Ethiopian
people with his desire to remain an absolute Monarch. On top of
that, his failure to recognize the need for land reform;
and ignoring to curb the rampant corruption of his government,
lead to his eventual downfall. The 1973-1974 famine was just the last
straw
that broke the camel’s back.
Mengistu
Haile Mariam
And
then, there comes a bum
named Mengistu and his red
terror. I remember people privately calling for forgiveness
(ጃንሆይ
ይማሩን) from
the murdered Emperor; for prematurely celebrating his ouster by
the DERG. Little did people suspect that DERG would go on to
become the most ruthless regime the world had ever seen.
Mengistu
and his followers murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent
civilians. Young
people were butchered and dumped at the door steps of their
parents’ homes. Other corpses were collected and stored at
Menelik Hospital for identification by the parents. The bodies
were released after collecting the cost
of the bullets that were used in their murder. DERG cadres
murdered indiscriminately, innocent civilians in every
city in Ethiopia. Air raids were conducted on civilian populations
in Tigray and Eritrea, for the sole purpose of intimidation,
demoralization, and sheer show of fire-power.
Would
anyone believe that Mengistu still has supporters in the Diaspora?
Actually some of Mengistu’s DERG government appointees,
including an ex-Agriculture
Minister named Eng. Hailu Shawel, ran as political leaders in the
Ethiopian elections of 2005. It is mind
boggling!
Remnants
of DERG are still roaming American and European streets, and
plotting to reverse their defeat. I seriously doubt that they will
ever succeed! However, the whole idea is nauseating.
Meles
Zenawi and EPRDF
I
believe the time is now, for Ethiopia to become whole
again. Ethiopian Nations and Nationalities have been empowered
after the ratification of the Constitution, which granted them equal
rights;
and to decide
on their own fate, up to cessation. However, the break-up
of Ethiopia is not in the people’s mind right now. Prosperity
through development; the fight against disease; and the
alleviation of ignorance through quality education have become
their priorities. The EPRDF leadership, from all indications, is
in sync with those of the Ethiopian people at large; which is a
real blessing to say the least.
With
Ethiopia being endowed with abundant natural resources, including
rivers and lakes;
fertile land, and generally favorable climate;
the potential for the country to become the breadbasket of Africa
and beyond, is a foregone conclusion. However, my primary
fascination is with what Ethiopian Tourism Industry would become.
Arguably one of the most stunningly beautiful countries in the
world; add to that the historical land marks and its rich wildlife;
Ethiopia would become among the premier
destinations in the world for tourists. The EPRDF government
recognizes the great potential that tourism has to offer;
and they are expressing through the media that they intend to
aggressively pursue this venture not only for its obvious economic
outcome, but also for the rare opportunity to show the world the real
Ethiopia.
I
am proud of where Ethiopia has been throughout ancient
history. Ethiopia has gone through many trials and tribulations
under various monarchies;
and has experienced fascism under Mengistu and his vicious
military junta. In my opinion, Ethiopia is now headed
in the right direction. We must all remain vigilant to avoid
the traps that are being set by our internal and external enemies.
God forgive us all if we fail to protect the political and
economic gains which have been achieved by the Ethiopian people;
after enduring untold suffering for so long.
|
