Open Questions to Deputy PM Addisu Legesse
By Fekade Shewakena
| September 7, 2006
Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture of Ethiopia
I know your North America tours were not received very well by the Ethiopian community and ruined in many instances. I have read stories that everywhere you go, you were met with angry protestors including here in Washington DC where I live. It appears that you wanted to reach us all and made it a point to come on TPLF and your government supported radio stations in Washington DC and other outlets in the area to share your views on current conditions in Ethiopia, something you could have done sitting in Addis Ababa and without spending tax payer money. I also heard you say that you would welcome questions from members of the Ethiopian community through letters and emails and you will respond. I thank you for the gesture. I took your word seriously and I am hereby sending you these questions expecting a reply.
In one of your conversations with a radio host you said that everyone was invited and was welcome to participate at the meetings. Sir, you lied on this one point blank. At least here in Washington DC, I know for sure that your gusts were exclusively invited. I wanted to come and listen to you even if I had to cross the picket lines. I could not. You locked me out. Your gusts were the usual suspects who are almost part of the permanent fixtures at embassy events, members of the TPLF and some individuals who are chasing private favors from your government. Some seem they are born to wag their tails to authority and believe me they will do the same even after your government falls. People commonly refer to them as the hodam; I prefer to call them the “Shikoko”, a rodent I remember I have seen in Northern Shewa when I was a little kid. For some reason, they look like that animal to me but I frankly don’t know why. I think some of the questions they asked you in the meeting regarding taxes and tariff and exemptions for returnees and the questions they didn’t dare to ask, questions like how your talk about democracy tally with the brutality with which you treat your people in Ethiopia, would tell you the nature of your gusts. Fortunately there are quite a few of them in the community.
You shouldn’t have been surprised that protestors spitted on them or called them names. In the eyes of most of those protesters your gusts are viewed like cows that chase the grass rather than any dignified human values. But the good thing you did for yourself was keeping your itinerary a secret. Had this been known to many members of the community and if your opponents had time to organize, you would have been flooded by thousands more angry protestors that would have made you more miserable than you were. You also said that you were surprised and saddened that in the greatest democracy in the world that there are people who ruin such meetings like yours and express strong despise to your entourage. The thing you don’t seem to know is that in this country (America) we know we can protest against people whose actions we don’t like and on people who committed crimes, sometimes spit on them, throw rotten tomatoes and eggs and deface them with pies and go home without getting sprayed with bullets as you frequently do in Ethiopia. In this country you can even sue the policeman if he pushes you hard. You see, democracy has some way of handling these kinds of misdemeanors without destroying life. By the way, how come you so complained that people spitted at you and your followers when your government hires thugs and provides SUVs to chase and spit on decent Ethiopians like Dr. Yakob Hailemariam who legally participate in their country’s politics? Did you not hear that this is a common practice in Ethiopia?
Your repeated comment that the protestors are undemocratic and intolerant and extremist is totally laughable or shows the degree to which you are so blinded to see yourself. You can call the protestors angry and if you examine what you do in Ethiopia since May 2005, you can understand why they are angry. You should understand that some are relatives and friends of the people your government killed, people your thugs humiliate and torture and imprison on a daily basis. How can you be so forgetful this. If your assumption is that we live very far from Ethiopia and know very little you are mistaken. Sir we live in relative space in this age of technology and we are sometimes nearer to our people than secluded officials who live in secluded and heavily guarded villas and palaces and drive in bullet proof cars after chasing by standers from the streets.
If you happen to respond to me one thing I should humbly ask you at the outset is to please spare me of your lectures about democracy and tolerance. In this country they have a name for the kind of crap talk. They call it BS. I hope asking to exercise some shame and humbleness from a person who only a year ago was mowing down demonstrators in Addis Ababa and rounding up tens of thousands of young people to send to concentration camps is not too much to ask. I feel like throwing up anytime you and Meles open your mouth to talk about democracy and how you are working hard to grow it.
Now to some of my specific questions:
- It appears that a good part of your mission is to tout “the economy has grown” mantra that your government seems to have devised since May 2005 for the diversionary tactic of changing the topic from the widespread human rights abuse going on in the country. One of the persons attending your Washington DC dinner told me that they were treated to a power point presentation of the economic statistics of the country, the growth in agricultural production over the last three years, investment and construction etc. He told me you have not shown anything about the growth in unemployment and the rise of the urban and rural poor or the number of the absolute poor living below the poverty line that has almost tripled since your government came to power 15 years ago. Your power point presentations nor your talks and god knows that so called Amhara President who accompanied you, do not have anything on the number and growth of the unemployed youth, your precious products, which you conveniently refer to as “adegegna Bozene”. There was almost none on inflation and real income and the per capita income that is still the same as the one we have three decades ago. Sir, why did you live out this sad statistics which show that you are apparently leading a failing economy and country? Don’t you think the house of cards you are building with this delusional data will crumble sooner or later? That there are many colleges and universities being opened in the country is good news. But sir, the next day you told us this I saw another figure on a newspaper. You are asking Nigeria to help you with an aid of 600 instructors. Some of us, unlike the shikoko, who were clapping their hands at the power point presentations, know that in many cases you have virtually turned former teacher training institutes and junior collages and some highs schools and called them universities. Buildings and students alone cannot be called universities or collages sir. That may look good on the statistics. But it is bad on the ground. You have to add the most important things that define a collage or university- the instructors and the materials of teaching. But the metamorphosis that you underwent from firing university professors and lecturers at will to begging some from a fellow African country is amazing. It appears you guys are making a mockery of education. By the way what are you doing with the 14 year old kids who you graduate from grade 10 high school? Can you make some stop to this lie and cruel joke sir?
- If you have assumed that we do not know of the fact that your government has been the highest recipient of foreign aid in Sub Sahara Africa, you are in a hole on this question. Your government has received over 22 billion dollars of foreign aid over the last several years. Sir, were we not supposed to see an increment in any sector of the economy as in the number of schools, construction and other services with all this aid flowing? Why can’t you tell us the net wealth created that is directly related to your policy measure? You see development has to do with the creation of wealth in the country and building a sustainable economy. It does not mean dispensing foreign aid. We all know that everything will collapse if there is a one season draught or if the good donors stop their aid instantly. Sir isn’t it true that as much as a third of your government’s budget is subsidized by foreign aid?
- As the Minister of Agriculture you may be the right person to ask this question. I agree with you that there is growth in agricultural out put over the last three to four years. But sir, you know that is not because of your policies which for practical purposes are not very much different from that of Mengistu’s. The reason was that there was good weather in those years. Isn’t this growth in spite of you policies sir? What is your response to the accusation that your policies have resulted in widespread soil degradation and deterioration of the environment to the determent of the future of the country? Do you know that if we keep the deforestation at current pace and leave the uplands to stay bare, we will have more destructive tsunami like floods in the future? Sorry for asking this question of a minister of agriculture. I am asking you this because I heard you on the radio blaming the recent floods on God without mentioning anything about our disturbance of the ecological balance. If you are telling us that there is so much growth why is it that we hear that some 10 million people are currently under acute starvation?
- Now it is well known that member organizations of the EPRDF, the TPLF, in particular, have investment companies and engage in business from wholesale to retail. I know you call these endowments. You don’t even have indigenous names. Deep inside you, you know that these are illegal businesses even by the laws your government has promulgated. I have a friend who wants to come and invest in the area of construction for example. How do you think he will fare in the competition between the Prime Minister’s SUR Construction Co.? Do you think this explains why the only investors of meaningful wealth are the Mr. Mohamed, the Arab guy and your party, the EPRDF?
- I have also heard you talk about how you championed the equality of nations and nationalities in Ethiopia. But people tell me and give me example after example that Ethiopia is currently dominated by the TPLF ruling elite? Is this false? Can you keep your power if Meles and Sebhat tell you to get lost? I have asked the following question before and the answer I got was a bunch of personal attack and crude attempts of distortion. I bring it up here again in case you have a better answer. Look at the graphs below. They are made of the official statistics including the data provided by Minister of Economy, Ato Sufian Ahmed. Do they show any semblance of equality to you? I know this figures annoy you. But hey! They are yours not mine.
- Your excuse that you do mistakes because of the flegiling nature of your democracy is interesting to say the least. It has become a mantra to explain all your wrong doings. But let me ask you this. How much do you think democracy has to grow so that we can be spared of getting mowed down by your army when we use our god given rights to come out and demonstrate on out streets? How much democracy do you think is enough to stop extrajudicial killings, nighttime raids without court orders, to unblock blogs and the internet, and before people could not be sent to prison for years because of what they speak and write? How big has democracy to grow before that 90 year old elderly Oromo in Kaliti that Berhanu Nega has dedicated his book to, has to see the light of justice before he is hundred? Sir, if you love democracy so much why are you so angry when people asked you to build democratic institutions, like when they ask you to get the government media, the judiciary and the election board out of the control of your party? As Ato Meles would say, Why? Why? Why?
Finally, I must tell you the most important place to exercise democratic discussion or dialogue is not with the Diaspora. We are not the problem or the solution to Ethiopia’s miseries. If you want civilized dialogue, the right people to have a dialogue with are the magnificent Ethiopians you have put at the Kaliti dungeon. Many among them have a lifetime record of fighting to make Ethiopia a better country. Think of that giant, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam. Both you and I could hardly were able to walk when he started to fight to make Ethiopia a better place. You know that they have not refused to engage in dialogue and you know how eloquent they are in making the people’s points. They even were to settle for some democratic reforms and leave you in power with the stolen votes. You are not going to solve your problems by criminalizing political dissent. For both your own and the country’s future release those prisoners now and start the dialogue. Each day they stay in that dungeon is a day you are dying by some amount. There is something in Ethiopia that has gone out of the bottle that you cannot put back again. The yearning of our people for freedom and democracy has now become unstoppable. Don’t let the lull full you. The people are burning inside. I see it from 8 thousand miles away; I am surprised why you can’t.
-----
The writer can be reached for comments at fekadeshewakena@yahoo.com
ETHIOMEDIA.COM - ETHIOPIA'S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE
© COPYRIGHT 20001-2006ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: webmaster@ethiomedia.com
Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture of Ethiopia
I know your North America tours were not received very well by the Ethiopian community and ruined in many instances. I have read stories that everywhere you go, you were met with angry protestors including here in Washington DC where I live. It appears that you wanted to reach us all and made it a point to come on TPLF and your government supported radio stations in Washington DC and other outlets in the area to share your views on current conditions in Ethiopia, something you could have done sitting in Addis Ababa and without spending tax payer money. I also heard you say that you would welcome questions from members of the Ethiopian community through letters and emails and you will respond. I thank you for the gesture. I took your word seriously and I am hereby sending you these questions expecting a reply.
In one of your conversations with a radio host you said that everyone was invited and was welcome to participate at the meetings. Sir, you lied on this one point blank. At least here in Washington DC, I know for sure that your gusts were exclusively invited. I wanted to come and listen to you even if I had to cross the picket lines. I could not. You locked me out. Your gusts were the usual suspects who are almost part of the permanent fixtures at embassy events, members of the TPLF and some individuals who are chasing private favors from your government. Some seem they are born to wag their tails to authority and believe me they will do the same even after your government falls. People commonly refer to them as the hodam; I prefer to call them the “Shikoko”, a rodent I remember I have seen in Northern Shewa when I was a little kid. For some reason, they look like that animal to me but I frankly don’t know why. I think some of the questions they asked you in the meeting regarding taxes and tariff and exemptions for returnees and the questions they didn’t dare to ask, questions like how your talk about democracy tally with the brutality with which you treat your people in Ethiopia, would tell you the nature of your gusts. Fortunately there are quite a few of them in the community.
Your repeated comment that the protestors are undemocratic and intolerant and extremist is totally laughable or shows the degree to which you are so blinded to see yourself. You can call the protestors angry and if you examine what you do in Ethiopia since May 2005, you can understand why they are angry. You should understand that some are relatives and friends of the people your government killed, people your thugs humiliate and torture and imprison on a daily basis. How can you be so forgetful this. If your assumption is that we live very far from Ethiopia and know very little you are mistaken. Sir we live in relative space in this age of technology and we are sometimes nearer to our people than secluded officials who live in secluded and heavily guarded villas and palaces and drive in bullet proof cars after chasing by standers from the streets.
If you happen to respond to me one thing I should humbly ask you at the outset is to please spare me of your lectures about democracy and tolerance. In this country they have a name for the kind of crap talk. They call it BS. I hope asking to exercise some shame and humbleness from a person who only a year ago was mowing down demonstrators in Addis Ababa and rounding up tens of thousands of young people to send to concentration camps is not too much to ask. I feel like throwing up anytime you and Meles open your mouth to talk about democracy and how you are working hard to grow it.
Now to some of my specific questions:
- It appears that a good part of your mission is to tout “the economy has grown” mantra that your government seems to have devised since May 2005 for the diversionary tactic of changing the topic from the widespread human rights abuse going on in the country. One of the persons attending your Washington DC dinner told me that they were treated to a power point presentation of the economic statistics of the country, the growth in agricultural production over the last three years, investment and construction etc. He told me you have not shown anything about the growth in unemployment and the rise of the urban and rural poor or the number of the absolute poor living below the poverty line that has almost tripled since your government came to power 15 years ago. Your power point presentations nor your talks and god knows that so called Amhara President who accompanied you, do not have anything on the number and growth of the unemployed youth, your precious products, which you conveniently refer to as “adegegna Bozene”. There was almost none on inflation and real income and the per capita income that is still the same as the one we have three decades ago. Sir, why did you live out this sad statistics which show that you are apparently leading a failing economy and country? Don’t you think the house of cards you are building with this delusional data will crumble sooner or later? That there are many colleges and universities being opened in the country is good news. But sir, the next day you told us this I saw another figure on a newspaper. You are asking Nigeria to help you with an aid of 600 instructors. Some of us, unlike the shikoko, who were clapping their hands at the power point presentations, know that in many cases you have virtually turned former teacher training institutes and junior collages and some highs schools and called them universities. Buildings and students alone cannot be called universities or collages sir. That may look good on the statistics. But it is bad on the ground. You have to add the most important things that define a collage or university- the instructors and the materials of teaching. But the metamorphosis that you underwent from firing university professors and lecturers at will to begging some from a fellow African country is amazing. It appears you guys are making a mockery of education. By the way what are you doing with the 14 year old kids who you graduate from grade 10 high school? Can you make some stop to this lie and cruel joke sir?
- If you have assumed that we do not know of the fact that your government has been the highest recipient of foreign aid in Sub Sahara Africa, you are in a hole on this question. Your government has received over 22 billion dollars of foreign aid over the last several years. Sir, were we not supposed to see an increment in any sector of the economy as in the number of schools, construction and other services with all this aid flowing? Why can’t you tell us the net wealth created that is directly related to your policy measure? You see development has to do with the creation of wealth in the country and building a sustainable economy. It does not mean dispensing foreign aid. We all know that everything will collapse if there is a one season draught or if the good donors stop their aid instantly. Sir isn’t it true that as much as a third of your government’s budget is subsidized by foreign aid?
- As the Minister of Agriculture you may be the right person to ask this question. I agree with you that there is growth in agricultural out put over the last three to four years. But sir, you know that is not because of your policies which for practical purposes are not very much different from that of Mengistu’s. The reason was that there was good weather in those years. Isn’t this growth in spite of you policies sir? What is your response to the accusation that your policies have resulted in widespread soil degradation and deterioration of the environment to the determent of the future of the country? Do you know that if we keep the deforestation at current pace and leave the uplands to stay bare, we will have more destructive tsunami like floods in the future? Sorry for asking this question of a minister of agriculture. I am asking you this because I heard you on the radio blaming the recent floods on God without mentioning anything about our disturbance of the ecological balance. If you are telling us that there is so much growth why is it that we hear that some 10 million people are currently under acute starvation?
- Now it is well known that member organizations of the EPRDF, the TPLF, in particular, have investment companies and engage in business from wholesale to retail. I know you call these endowments. You don’t even have indigenous names. Deep inside you, you know that these are illegal businesses even by the laws your government has promulgated. I have a friend who wants to come and invest in the area of construction for example. How do you think he will fare in the competition between the Prime Minister’s SUR Construction Co.? Do you think this explains why the only investors of meaningful wealth are the Mr. Mohamed, the Arab guy and your party, the EPRDF?
- I have also heard you talk about how you championed the equality of nations and nationalities in Ethiopia. But people tell me and give me example after example that Ethiopia is currently dominated by the TPLF ruling elite? Is this false? Can you keep your power if Meles and Sebhat tell you to get lost? I have asked the following question before and the answer I got was a bunch of personal attack and crude attempts of distortion. I bring it up here again in case you have a better answer. Look at the graphs below. They are made of the official statistics including the data provided by Minister of Economy, Ato Sufian Ahmed. Do they show any semblance of equality to you? I know this figures annoy you. But hey! They are yours not mine.
- Your excuse that you do mistakes because of the flegiling nature of your democracy is interesting to say the least. It has become a mantra to explain all your wrong doings. But let me ask you this. How much do you think democracy has to grow so that we can be spared of getting mowed down by your army when we use our god given rights to come out and demonstrate on out streets? How much democracy do you think is enough to stop extrajudicial killings, nighttime raids without court orders, to unblock blogs and the internet, and before people could not be sent to prison for years because of what they speak and write? How big has democracy to grow before that 90 year old elderly Oromo in Kaliti that Berhanu Nega has dedicated his book to, has to see the light of justice before he is hundred? Sir, if you love democracy so much why are you so angry when people asked you to build democratic institutions, like when they ask you to get the government media, the judiciary and the election board out of the control of your party? As Ato Meles would say, Why? Why? Why?
Finally, I must tell you the most important place to exercise democratic discussion or dialogue is not with the Diaspora. We are not the problem or the solution to Ethiopia’s miseries. If you want civilized dialogue, the right people to have a dialogue with are the magnificent Ethiopians you have put at the Kaliti dungeon. Many among them have a lifetime record of fighting to make Ethiopia a better country. Think of that giant, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam. Both you and I could hardly were able to walk when he started to fight to make Ethiopia a better place. You know that they have not refused to engage in dialogue and you know how eloquent they are in making the people’s points. They even were to settle for some democratic reforms and leave you in power with the stolen votes. You are not going to solve your problems by criminalizing political dissent. For both your own and the country’s future release those prisoners now and start the dialogue. Each day they stay in that dungeon is a day you are dying by some amount. There is something in Ethiopia that has gone out of the bottle that you cannot put back again. The yearning of our people for freedom and democracy has now become unstoppable. Don’t let the lull full you. The people are burning inside. I see it from 8 thousand miles away; I am surprised why you can’t.
-----
The writer can be reached for comments at fekadeshewakena@yahoo.com
ETHIOMEDIA.COM - ETHIOPIA'S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE
© COPYRIGHT 20001-2006ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: webmaster@ethiomedia.com
