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Kinijit
versus Tigrai
By
G. Gebrezgiher
The
following is my personal opinion called for by the circumstances
in an attempt to present the other side of some aspects of an
article titled “Tigrai vs. Kinijit” written by Ayte Abraha
Belai as a report of a meeting he exclusively had with Prof. David
Levine.
It
is the prerogative of the two gentlemen to conduct a dialogue on
any subject they wish, but to accord face value credibility to the
assertions postulated, requires more than - being the sole person
- to provide opinions.
Assuming
Prof. Levine wanted to learn about the issue, it would have been
appropriate had it been conducted in a form of a forum that
allowed inputs from various concerned individuals or groups.
Otherwise, opinions remain opinions without discernable lasting
effects.
However,
one is compelled to present a counter opinion in order to dispel
malicious and groundless accusations against Tigrians. The aim of
the writer (Abraha Belai) is obviously designed to intimidate
nations and nationalities into submission by vociferous Diaspora
opposition.
Let
me start by the interrogative form statement: Quote “I wonder
how those Tigrians who have distanced themselves from the national
struggle of fellow Ethiopians could have felt when Shabia invaded
Tigrai in 1998,………. the Ethiopian people to join the war
against the invaders had fallen on deaf ears! I wonder if our
people -…deserved to be abandoned when the same people who sent
their children to fight for what was practically Tigrai areas “unquote.
The essence of the statement is how would have felt Tigrians, had
the rest of Ethiopians refused to take part in the defense of
Ethiopia when Sheabia invaded Tigrai in 1998. Tigrai being part of
Ethiopia, Such hypothetical question could come only from devious
minds that portray Ethiopia as being Balkanized beyond recognition
while the reality is the opposite. To equate a country’s
invasion to a stance of a party supporters unfortunate death in a
clash with authorities is to be ignorant of ones own history. It
is not the first time though we heard from some Ethiopians
purportedly fighting for democracy or “Democracia” (in their
parlance) when Somalia invaded Hararigue circa 1970s, enjoyed
saying that it was “Just cause”. Somalia was repulsed by all
Ethiopians and Sheabia was defeated by all Ethiopians having put
aside their internal squabbles. That is one of the basic values of
Ethiopians, in the past, present and future; because, we have only
one country.
Quote
“Woyane isolated the Tigrians from joining the rest of their own
Ethiopian compatriots, who took to the streets of Western
capitals,” Unquote. The assertion that Woyane isolated Tigrians
in Diaspora has no merit. Like many, I am not a member of Woyane
neither been influenced by it. But, I decided not to join those
choreographed vigils and demonstrations which have more to do with
decrying the failure of the actors strategy designed to achieve
power “by any means necessary” even by sacrificing “ten to
fifteen thousands” of poor souls, (by the estimate of the chief
architect.) Those demonstrations led by the disgraced hypocrite
patriarchs, bishops and priests have been shunned not only by
Tigrians, but also by all sensible Ethiopians all along. Ethiopia
is not owned by Orthodox Church. It belongs to all Ethiopians of
all faiths. To portray Ethiopia as of one faith and one nation,
does not sit well with many nationalities.
No
doubt, whatsoever, that the Diaspora Orthodox church leaders are
serving the same old folks whom they used to bless for carrying
the most heinous crimes of the century – Red Terror; no wonder
they like each other, (Similis simili gaudet.) Ethiopians know
very well that during the foreign invasion, the Church leaders
stood their ground and gave their life for their people and
country; like our father and martyr Abune Petros. Why is the
Diaspora clergy a partner of the Diaspora opposition? Is it
because some Ethiopians ousted the Derg and assumed political
power?
The
majority of Tigrians in the Diaspora are not aloof on lookers.
Quote
“…..the majority of Tigrians in the Diaspora have practically
remained aloof from the struggle we are waging to bring…”unquote.
Wrong again. It may seem so for the unfamiliar onlooker or for
those unwilling to learn the mores of Tigrians. Delving deep into
Ethiopian pysc, that appearance of aloofness is in fact a state of
silent rejection of mendacious utterances. Characteristically
speaking, Tigrians are not verbose; we prefer to act. We are not
like trained seals to jump at every bite; we wait to see if there
is no hook attached to it, nowadays, of which baits are presented
in special flavor and packaging: Here is AFD, without the “E”,
chocking indiscriminately the gullible and the astute.
"How
Tigrians Feel About Kinijit."
Yes,
Tgrians in Addis voted for Kinijit, but that is before they saw
its real face. The face masqueraded as pan Ethiopian for equality
and unity. However, Kinijit by hastily unmasking itself, Tigrians
were able to see the specter of Damocles sword descending upon
them from whence the Derg left it hanging low.
To
trivialize what Tigrians experienced during the Kinijit initiated
chaos in Addis is tantamount to insult the whole Tigrian
community. It was real and palpable. Speaking Tigrigna was
considered as inviting trouble. Women going to churches were
pummeled with insults, such as “go home, you don’t belong here”,
etc. Street boys paid by Kinijit ganged up on by passers hurling
obscenity against Tigrigna speaking individuals. Gurage
shopkeepers and restaurant owners refused services to any Tigrigna
speaking clients. If this is not a prelude for worst-case
scenarios what else could be? This is not a hearsay, it is real
life lived.
Now,
Tigrians knowing that Kinijit has been carrying in its belly ex
Derg apparatchiks', we feel terribly betrayed and abandoned
especially by Kinijit in the quest for democracy in Ethiopia. Once
again, the fair mindedness of Tigrians has been tested and
authenticated by acknowledging how they voted, including by those
who relentlessly try to undermine us. In the present as in the
past, we Tigrians demonstrated our fair and liberal mind by
aligning ourselves in different political movements of our choice
and belief, without sticking to our ethnicity. Some of us even
served Derg with loyalty, but always keeping the interest of
Ethiopia in our heart and mind.
I
would like to ask Ayte Abraha, how he would have felt, as a
Tigrian, to be told, “The minority ethnic are colonizing
Ethiopia?” Moreover, how would he feel, to be told, “Go back
to where you came from?”
The
so-called “Seasoned politicians” shouldn’t they know the
basic principle how to govern a country as ethnically diverse as
Ethiopia? Where is the knowledge of the country they pledge to
lead?
By
the way, is it the desire of Ethiopians to have recycled Derg
apparatchiks for leaders, as Ayte Abraha egregiously asserts?
Quote “The Ethiopian people have found the leadership they have
been looking for generations in Kinijit” Ethiopians know who
Derg members were. But, what percentage of the Ethiopian people
know the existence let alone the academic credentials of those so
called “heavyweight academics” To travel to Washington to take
orders and money does not make a leader worth of the people he
intend to lead. People need leaders with unwavering
self-confidence on whom they can bestow their trust. Above all, a
leader’s truthfulness is measured by his/her consistency in
delivering his/her credo for every constituency not according to
what the audience wants to hear. In Washington, the speech is
about armed struggle while back in Addis is peaceful one. That is
the ultimate deceitful behavior not worth of a leader to be.
TPLF
has its own sins and blunders. Tigrians unforgivingness towards
the front is about violations of the sanctity of Ethiopian
sovereignty. In this respect, Tigrians fought and are still
fighting tooth and nail against the leadership. With the exception
of few die-hard Woyane followers, every Tigrian condemns every
aspect of the dealing with Eritrea. While the conscientious
Tigrians inside and out side the country have been waging bitter
political and psychological war against the regime’s stance
regarding Ethiopian’s territorial integrity, the amorphous
opposition groups have been engaged in black mailing Tigreans as
the sole beneficiaries of the regime.
If
it was not for the people of Tigrai who rose in unison to counter
the economic parasitism of Eritrea, it could have continued for
long time down the road. Tigrians having realized the intensive
plundering of Ethiopia’s wealth with impunity took the onus upon
them to initiate the blockade against all odds facing the mighty
Sheabia army while the so-called opposition then, never went
beyond the rhetoric and now, in the form of Kinijit are aligning
themselves with the enemy to destabilize Ethiopia. Equally, the
people of Tigrai stood their ground in preventing the unjust, now
aborted border demarcation.
Repeatedly,
we have been telling the Diaspora opposition to refrain from
isolating Tigrians by labeling us minority colonizers, but they
choose to duel in love to hate attitude.
So
much so, we are under no illusion that the creation of AFD has
been designed to strip Tigrai of its state-hood. The manner and
circumstance AFD was created, especially the fact being sponsored
by Sheabia, suggests a sinister idea to create a new geopolitical
configuration of the country. Tigrai as a state being perceived a
hindrance by Sheabia towards its hegemony, it is tantalizing for
the latter to tear it apart reducing its size and power in a new
configuration within Ethiopian political landscape. The Diaspora
CUDists know that, but, their major concern is not the sovereignty
and preservation of Ethiopia unlike the Diaspora Tigrians; rather,
it is how to recover the lost glory of the past. That is why
Tigrians prefer to look from the sidelines instead of being
accomplices of retrogression to the shame and indignity of the
past.
Addendum:
In
these days where integrity and sober reflection are rare
commodities, we should not keep silent when we hear and see
detrimental maneuvers to our very existence as people. If we ask
ourselves honestly and answer honestly our own questions, we can
find the right things to do. The problem lays when our questions
are selective and our answers are in contingency with our ego
trip. The result becomes blurred. It takes courage to be honest to
ones self. A country like ours needs statesmen endowed with
honesty and integrity, free from partisanship of any sort.
Statesmen need not be PhDs. nor fluent in foreign languages, for,
of those kinds we have in abundance who are good for nothing
except copy writing about Ethiopia from books written by
foreigners.
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