Washera_2000
June 11, 2009
I am not sure if this was a vacation to visit with his family or an educational tour of duty. In the last two weeks, Aboy Sebhat Nega, the most senior member of the TPLF organization, has had an EPRDF public relations stunt like no other!
We first met him at that well-attended Ginbot 20 celebration at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C., where Ato Wondimu Asaminew gave a memorable speech about the occasion and introduced Aboy Sebhat as one of the key individuals who started and lead the heartrending armed struggle that lead to victory over the Derg regime. That night belonged to the young Wondimu, but Aboy took charge from that moment on and went on an educational tour of duty, appearing in nearly all of the Ethiopian Media outlets in America. He started out at a meeting of the Ethiopian community in the Washington D.C area and went on the talk show circuit, from Hagerfikir to VOA, from the famous Paltalk rooms like Civility with Aba Mela and Gezategaru to Ben's EthiopiaFirst internet radio and meetings with various EPRDF support organizations. I am not sure how the TV stations in our area lacked out.
Aboy Sebhat was born and raised in Adowa where he completed his elementary education and then moved on to Mekele for his High school education. After that, it was to college at Addis Ababa University followed by ten years of service as a teacher in various schools in "mehal ager" as he calls it or central Ethiopia. He was 39 years old when he joined the armed struggle, obviously much older than most other fighters and probably the wisest. During a mission near the town of Tsorona, a lady invited them for coffee and referred to him as "Aboy". That name stuck and has been called such ever since.
Most of the interviews had a relaxed atmosphere and he had plenty of time to respond to questions addressed to him. At the Ethiopian Embassy meeting, the questions ranged from constitutional concerns to the state of affairs with Moslems and Christians in Ethiopia and even problems with land allocation to Diaspora Ethiopians. He had that calm and collected tone of a wise elderly gentleman and responded to each question with confidence that could only come from years of experience and accumulated knowledge. He was the professor with a mission. Aba Mela provided the best opportunity for hundreds, may be thousands of participants throughout the world, listening to the interview and having the opportunity to ask questions. Ben of EthiopiaFirst needed to ask only two questions to get the most out of the professor.
Of all the interviews, I found the VOA portion very intriguing and interesting. Although it was done in three or so sessions, the interviewer appeared to have so many questions that he was throwing them at a fast pace, one after another. It did not phase Aboy and he responded without missing a beat!
Thank you for breaking the silence, but why are EPRDF officials prevented from accepting interviews with VOA Amharic? Not an EPRDF policy at all, although he has heard that the view at the station lacked balance, leaning more toward opposition politics. He will check on the facts on his return.
Why are you no more close to PM Meles, not a Politburo member and not a leader of EFFORT? I am no closer to the PM than others. I am not a Politburo member or a leader of EFFORT any more, because the party felt other more able individuals needed to be in a leadership position. Talk about empowering the next generation younger Ethiopian leaders.
He was grilled on the finances of EFFORT, press freedom, Election Board and the future of EPRDF. He did not back off on any of these issues. His explanation for the legal and democratic basis for resolving all the concerns raised was difficult to ignore and the interviewer was taken to task to articulate his questions.
Aboy enumerated some of EPRDF's achievements: Lasting solution for the Nations and Nationalities question; democratic basis of our constitution and the peace dividend we have had since liberation and our belief in unity with equality and bring about a capitalist economy. Believe it or not, the objective is to develop the country on the above basis and dissolve EPRDF. Through the freedom of the Nations and Nationalities and the development of an infrastructure throughout the country, our unity through equality is becoming a reality.
EPRDF believes in transfer of power through a multi-party democratic participation. He does not see any contradiction between the revolutionary democracy as articulated by the ruling party and the Ethiopian constitution. The growth of capitalism and a multi-party society will bring about the end of EPRDF as it exists now. An opposition group that tries to topple the government by force, like Ginbot 7, will be repulsed at any cost, whereas peaceful opposition forces will be encouraged and supported.
As usual, the Eritrean and sea port access issues were raised in many places. His response was unambiguous. Eritrea was liberated before the fall of Derg. Our participation in the succession of Eritrea was just a formality for a done deal. Ethiopia's legal right for access to the sea can be debated and possible solutions for this problem are open for discussion.
He was not shy to blame the ruling party for its weaknesses, for taking too much time to resolve its internal contradictions. But he sees a bright future, a road toward that ultimate democratic multi-party society economically empowered to deal with poverty and disease in our continent.
As he ends his tour, many of us will take stock of his achievements and our free education. He has addressed a variety of concerns and issues and has promised to take many more of the questions raised and address them to concerned officials back home. You cannot expect any more than that.
Thank you Aboy and may you have health and enjoyment in your twilight years.
The PR office of the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C. pulled off a well-deserved public relations stunt. Next stop the National Press Club for the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
በዋሺንግተን ዲሲ የተከበረው የግንቦት 20 የድል በዓል።
ከዋሸራ_2
ግንቦት 22፣ 2001 ዓ.ም.
መታደል ሆነና በዕለቱ ዕረፍት ላይ ስለነበረኩኝ፣ በዓሉ ወደሚከበርበት ሥፍራ ወደ ኢትዮጵያ ኤንባሲ አመራሁ። እኔ እንኳን ከከተማ ራቅ ብዬ ስለነበር የምመጣው ትንሽ ዘግይቼ ነበር የደረስኩት። ሌሎች ተጋባዦችም ልምድ ሆነና ትንሽ ዘግየት (ብዙ ዘግየት!) ብለው ደረሱ። ይሄንን ዘግይቶ የመድረስ ጉዳይ አንድ ቀን ክነፉን ሰብረን መጣል ይኖርብናል። ለዛሬ ግን በዓሉ ላይ ላተኩር።
ታዲያ አዳራሹ እንደሞላ፣ እንግዶቹን በደመቀና በሚያኮራ ንግግር የከፈቱት ያንባሳደሩ ምክትል የሆኑት አቶ ወንድሙ አሳምነው ነበሩ። እውነትም እንኳን መጣሁ የሚያሰኝ፣ የበዓሉን ስብዕናና ተገቢ ትርጉም ያዘለ ንግግር ነበር ያደረጉት። የዕለቱን የክብር እንግዳ ክቡር አቶ ስብሃት ነጋን፣ "እያከበርን ያለውን ቀን እውን ለማድረግ በተኪያሄደው እልህ-አስጨራሽ የትጥቅ ትግል ከጀመሩትና ከመሩት ቁልፍ ሰዎች አንዱ" መሆናቸውን ካስገነዘቡን በሗላ ያደረጉት ንግግር፣ አንድም መሬት ጠብ የሚል አልነበረም።
"የግንቦት 20 በዓልን ስናከብር፣ ለዚች ቀን የተከፈለውን መስዋእትነት ማስታወሳችን አይቀርም። ይህችን ቀን ለማምጣት፣ ህይወትን ገና ያላጣጣሙ ለጋ ወጣቶች ተቀጥፈዋል። ወላጆች የሞቀ ቤታቸው ፈርሶ የወላድ መሃን ሆነዋል። በአሰርት ሺዎች የሚቆጠሩ ጀግኖች የድሎት ህይወትን ንቀው፣ የወጣትንት ዘመናቸውን በበረሀ አሳልፈዋል። በዚች ቀን እነዚህን ጀግኖች እናስታውሳቸዋልን። በዚች ቀን፣ በከባድ መስዋእትነትና ድካም የፈሰሰውን የጨለማ ዘመን በማንኛውም መልኩ እነዳያንሰራራ የበኩላችንን ለመስራት ቃላችንን እናድሳልን።"
የጀመርኩትን የዲር ፓረክ ውሃ ቁጭ አድርጌ የሞቀ ጭብጨባ የጀመርኩት ብቻዬን አልነበርም። አዳራሹ ውስጥ የተሰበሰቡት ከ250 በላይ የሚሆኑት እንግዶች በሙሉ ባነድነት አጀቡኝ።
አቶ ወንድሙ ቀጥለውም፤
"ግንቦት 20 ልዩ ትርጉም የሚሰጠን የደርገ ስርዓትን ማፍረሱ ተልዕኮ በድል የተጠናቀቀበት እለት በመሆኑ ብቻ አይደለም። ግንቦት 20 የምናከብረው ማንኛውም አይነት ያድልኦ ስርአት በአገራችን ዳግም እንዳይመለስ፣ ኢትዮጵያን በአዲስ የፖለቲካና የኢኮኖሚ ስርዓት ላይ መገንባት የጀመርንብት ቀን በመሆኑ ጭምር ነው።
በህብረተሰባዊ ስርዓት ለውጥ ሂደት የአዲስ ስርዓት ግንባታ ምዕራፍ አስቸጋሪው ምዕራፍ ነው። ብዙ አገሮች አሮጌውን ማፍረስ ቢችሉም፣ አዲሱን መገንባት ተስኗቸው፣ ወደ ሗላ ሲንሸራተቱ እያስተዋልን ነው።
በኤርትራ፣ በሶማሊያ፣ በኮነጎ፣ በኢራቅ፣ በአፍጋኒስታን፣ ወዘተ... የምናያቸው የድህረ-ስርዓት ማፍረስ ትርምሶች፣ የግንባታውን ሂደት አስቸጋሪነት የሚያሳዩ ናቸው። በድህረ ግንቦት 20 ቀን 1983 ዓ.ም. የኢትዮጵያ ሁኔታ ከዚሁ በመሰረቱ የተለየ ነው። ኢህአዴግ ማፍረስ ብቻ ሳይሆን መገንባትም ጭምር ችሎበታል። ለዚህም ነው አገራችን በተተረማመሰ አካባቢ የልማት፣ የዲሞከራሲና የሰላም ደሴት የሆነችው።"
እንዲህ ነው እንጂ ያገሬ ልጅ! አቶ ወንድሙ፣ ምናልባትም ወደ ሰላሳዎቹ መጨረሻ ወይንም ወደ አርባዎቹ መጀመሪያ ገደማ ዕድሜ ያላቸው ብሩህ ጎልማሳ ናቸው። ንግግራቸውን በሚያደርጉበት ጊዜ ፊታቸው ላይ የሚነበበው ገፅታ በስሜትና በወኔ የተሞላ ነበር። ከዛሬ ሃያ ዓመት በፊት የተሰዉትን ወጣቶች ሲጠቅሱ፣ በዛ ዕድሜ እሳቸው የት እንደነበሩ ሁሉ እያስታወሱ መሆኑ በግልጽ ይታይባቸው ነበር። ይህን እነባ-አነቅ ንግግራቸውንም በመቀጠል፤
"በአሁኑ ወቅት አገራችን በአጠቃላይ ለውጥ ላይ ነች። አንዳንድ ታዛቢዎች በ80ዎቹ መጀመሪያ የነበረችው ቻይና ትመስላለች ይላሉ። ለውጡ፣ በበርካታ ታዳጊ አገሮች እንደሚታየው የመቀባባት ለውጥ አይደለም። በተወሰኑ ከተሞች የሚታይ የብልጭልጭ ለውጥ አይደለም። በጠቅላላ የአገሪቱ 80 ሚሊዮን ህይወት ከመሰረቱ እየቀየረ ያለ ለውጥ ነው።
ሚሊዮኔር ገበሬዎች ማየት ጀምረናል። ለዘመናት በማያቋርጥ እንቅልፍ ውስጥ የነበሩት ገጠሮች ህይወት እየዘሩ ናቸው። መብራት፣ ስልክ፣ መንገድ በየዳር አገሩ እየገባ ነው። ከ95% በላይ የገጠር ልጆቻችን ት/ቤት ገብተዋል። እአንዳነዱ የገጠር ቀበሌ፣ በሚያዳርስ መልኩ ከ45,000 በላይ የእርሻ ባለሙያዎች ተሰማርተው፣ ዘመናዊ እርሻና ዘመናዊ ህይወት ገበሬአችንን እያስተማሩት ነው። በእያንዳነዱ የገጠር ቀበሌ የተሰራጩት፣ ከ30,000 በላይ የሚሆኑ የጤና ባለሙያዎች፣ ቁስሉን እያከሙለት ነው። በተወሰኑ የጤና ጥንቃቄና የመከላከያ ዘዴ፣ ለዘመናት የገጠሩን ህዝበ ሲፈጁ የነበሩ በሽታዎች እየጠፉ ናቸው።
ህዝባችን፣ በሰለጠነው ዓለም ከሚገኙ የፓልቶክ አርበኞች በተሻለ መልኩ፣ የዴሞከራሲ ባህሉን እየገነባ ይገኛል። በኢትዮጵያ በህዝበ-ይሁንታ ከተመረጠ መስተዳድር ውጭ ምንም አይነት በእናውቅልሃለን ሽፋን የሚመጣ የጭቆና ስርአት የማይታሰብባት ደረጃ ላይ ደርሰናል። በውስጥ ጥንካሬአችንም ምክንያት፣ በዓለም-አቀፍና በአህጉራዊ ፖለቲካ ያለን ቦታ፣ ከምንም ጊዜ በላይ እየደመቀ መጥቷል። በአጭሩ፣ የኢትዮጵያ ትንሳኤ ከመፈክር በላይ ሆኖአል። የኢትዮጵያ ትንሳኤ የሚጨበጥ እውነታ እየሆን መጥቷል።"
እነዲህ እያሉ ነበር እንግዲህ አኩሪአችን፣ አቶ ወንድሙ ንግግራቸውን ወደ መደምደሚያው ያሻገሩት። አዎን ከውሃውም ተጎንጭተናል፣ ከቁም-ነገሩም ትንሽ ቀስመናል። ታዲያ ፕሮገራሙ ገና መጀመሩ ነበር።
"እዚህ ልናስታውሰው የሚገባ ቁምነገር፣ የሂደታችን ስኬት በአጋጣሚ የመጣ አለመሆኑ ነው። ስኬቱ የመጣው ያገራችን ችግሮች ቀላሎች ስለሆኑ አይደልም። ለነገሩ፣ የተጀመረውን ለውጥ ለማጨናገፍ ከውስጥና ከውጭ የተወጠኑት ሴራዎች ብቻ ሳይሆኑ ፣ የወረስነው ውስብስብ የፖለቲካ ችግር፣ ለዴሞከራሲ ባዕድ የሆነው የፖለቲካ ባህላችንና የደቀቀውና የተራቆተው ኢኮኖሚ፣ ሂደቱን የበለጠ እንዲወሳሰብ ያደርጉ ነበሩ።
የስኬታችን ዋነኛ ሚስጥር፣ መንግስት የአገሪቱን ቁልፍ ችግር ለይቶ፣ እነዚህን ችግሮች በተስተካከለ ፖሊሲና ስትራቴጂ መፍታት በመቻሉና በየወቅትዩ እንደ እሸን የሚፈሉትን ችግሮች፣ ያስቀመጠውን የመጨረሻ ግብ፣ በማያዛባ መልኩ በማስተዋል መፍታት ስለቻለ ነው።
ይህ ሲባል፣ በዛሬዪቱ ኢትዮጵያ ችግር የለም ማለት አይደለም። ከጅምሩም የ3,000 ዘመን ችግር በሀያ ዓመት እንፈታልን ብልን አልጀመርንም። የክርክራችን ነጥብ፣ ችግሮች አሉ ወይስ የሉም የሚለው ሊሆን አይችልም። ውይይታችን ችግራችንን በሚፈለገውና በሚቻለው ፍጥነት እየፈታን ነው ወይ? እያንዳንዳችንስ ለመፍትሄው ምን አስተዋፅኦ አድርገናል? ወይስ እያደረግን ነው ወይ? የሚለው መሆን ይኖርበታል። ችግሮቻችንን በዚሁ መልኩ ከተጋፈጥናቸው፣ አለምንም ጥርጥር ወደ መፍትሄዎቻችን በቶሎ እንደርሳልን።
በኢትዮጵያ አሁን ያለው ለውጥ፣ እንደ ክረምት ጎረፍ መመሰል ይችላል። ማንም ሊያቆመው አይችልም። የዚህ ጎርፍ ፍጥነት እንዳይቀንስ፣ የየበኩላችንን እናድርግ።"
ሌሎች ተናጋሪዎችና ግብዣው ለሰዓታት ቀጠለ። የአቶ ወንድሙ ንግግር ግን፣ የነገዋ ኢትዮጵያ በጥሩ እጅ መሆኗን አስረግጦ አለፈ። እኔም ደስታ በተሞላው መንፈስ ወደ ቤቴ አመራሁ።
ግንቦት 22፣ 2001 ዓ.ም.
መታደል ሆነና በዕለቱ ዕረፍት ላይ ስለነበረኩኝ፣ በዓሉ ወደሚከበርበት ሥፍራ ወደ ኢትዮጵያ ኤንባሲ አመራሁ። እኔ እንኳን ከከተማ ራቅ ብዬ ስለነበር የምመጣው ትንሽ ዘግይቼ ነበር የደረስኩት። ሌሎች ተጋባዦችም ልምድ ሆነና ትንሽ ዘግየት (ብዙ ዘግየት!) ብለው ደረሱ። ይሄንን ዘግይቶ የመድረስ ጉዳይ አንድ ቀን ክነፉን ሰብረን መጣል ይኖርብናል። ለዛሬ ግን በዓሉ ላይ ላተኩር።
ታዲያ አዳራሹ እንደሞላ፣ እንግዶቹን በደመቀና በሚያኮራ ንግግር የከፈቱት ያንባሳደሩ ምክትል የሆኑት አቶ ወንድሙ አሳምነው ነበሩ። እውነትም እንኳን መጣሁ የሚያሰኝ፣ የበዓሉን ስብዕናና ተገቢ ትርጉም ያዘለ ንግግር ነበር ያደረጉት። የዕለቱን የክብር እንግዳ ክቡር አቶ ስብሃት ነጋን፣ "እያከበርን ያለውን ቀን እውን ለማድረግ በተኪያሄደው እልህ-አስጨራሽ የትጥቅ ትግል ከጀመሩትና ከመሩት ቁልፍ ሰዎች አንዱ" መሆናቸውን ካስገነዘቡን በሗላ ያደረጉት ንግግር፣ አንድም መሬት ጠብ የሚል አልነበረም።
"የግንቦት 20 በዓልን ስናከብር፣ ለዚች ቀን የተከፈለውን መስዋእትነት ማስታወሳችን አይቀርም። ይህችን ቀን ለማምጣት፣ ህይወትን ገና ያላጣጣሙ ለጋ ወጣቶች ተቀጥፈዋል። ወላጆች የሞቀ ቤታቸው ፈርሶ የወላድ መሃን ሆነዋል። በአሰርት ሺዎች የሚቆጠሩ ጀግኖች የድሎት ህይወትን ንቀው፣ የወጣትንት ዘመናቸውን በበረሀ አሳልፈዋል። በዚች ቀን እነዚህን ጀግኖች እናስታውሳቸዋልን። በዚች ቀን፣ በከባድ መስዋእትነትና ድካም የፈሰሰውን የጨለማ ዘመን በማንኛውም መልኩ እነዳያንሰራራ የበኩላችንን ለመስራት ቃላችንን እናድሳልን።"
የጀመርኩትን የዲር ፓረክ ውሃ ቁጭ አድርጌ የሞቀ ጭብጨባ የጀመርኩት ብቻዬን አልነበርም። አዳራሹ ውስጥ የተሰበሰቡት ከ250 በላይ የሚሆኑት እንግዶች በሙሉ ባነድነት አጀቡኝ።
አቶ ወንድሙ ቀጥለውም፤
"ግንቦት 20 ልዩ ትርጉም የሚሰጠን የደርገ ስርዓትን ማፍረሱ ተልዕኮ በድል የተጠናቀቀበት እለት በመሆኑ ብቻ አይደለም። ግንቦት 20 የምናከብረው ማንኛውም አይነት ያድልኦ ስርአት በአገራችን ዳግም እንዳይመለስ፣ ኢትዮጵያን በአዲስ የፖለቲካና የኢኮኖሚ ስርዓት ላይ መገንባት የጀመርንብት ቀን በመሆኑ ጭምር ነው።
በህብረተሰባዊ ስርዓት ለውጥ ሂደት የአዲስ ስርዓት ግንባታ ምዕራፍ አስቸጋሪው ምዕራፍ ነው። ብዙ አገሮች አሮጌውን ማፍረስ ቢችሉም፣ አዲሱን መገንባት ተስኗቸው፣ ወደ ሗላ ሲንሸራተቱ እያስተዋልን ነው።
በኤርትራ፣ በሶማሊያ፣ በኮነጎ፣ በኢራቅ፣ በአፍጋኒስታን፣ ወዘተ... የምናያቸው የድህረ-ስርዓት ማፍረስ ትርምሶች፣ የግንባታውን ሂደት አስቸጋሪነት የሚያሳዩ ናቸው። በድህረ ግንቦት 20 ቀን 1983 ዓ.ም. የኢትዮጵያ ሁኔታ ከዚሁ በመሰረቱ የተለየ ነው። ኢህአዴግ ማፍረስ ብቻ ሳይሆን መገንባትም ጭምር ችሎበታል። ለዚህም ነው አገራችን በተተረማመሰ አካባቢ የልማት፣ የዲሞከራሲና የሰላም ደሴት የሆነችው።"
እንዲህ ነው እንጂ ያገሬ ልጅ! አቶ ወንድሙ፣ ምናልባትም ወደ ሰላሳዎቹ መጨረሻ ወይንም ወደ አርባዎቹ መጀመሪያ ገደማ ዕድሜ ያላቸው ብሩህ ጎልማሳ ናቸው። ንግግራቸውን በሚያደርጉበት ጊዜ ፊታቸው ላይ የሚነበበው ገፅታ በስሜትና በወኔ የተሞላ ነበር። ከዛሬ ሃያ ዓመት በፊት የተሰዉትን ወጣቶች ሲጠቅሱ፣ በዛ ዕድሜ እሳቸው የት እንደነበሩ ሁሉ እያስታወሱ መሆኑ በግልጽ ይታይባቸው ነበር። ይህን እነባ-አነቅ ንግግራቸውንም በመቀጠል፤
"በአሁኑ ወቅት አገራችን በአጠቃላይ ለውጥ ላይ ነች። አንዳንድ ታዛቢዎች በ80ዎቹ መጀመሪያ የነበረችው ቻይና ትመስላለች ይላሉ። ለውጡ፣ በበርካታ ታዳጊ አገሮች እንደሚታየው የመቀባባት ለውጥ አይደለም። በተወሰኑ ከተሞች የሚታይ የብልጭልጭ ለውጥ አይደለም። በጠቅላላ የአገሪቱ 80 ሚሊዮን ህይወት ከመሰረቱ እየቀየረ ያለ ለውጥ ነው።
ሚሊዮኔር ገበሬዎች ማየት ጀምረናል። ለዘመናት በማያቋርጥ እንቅልፍ ውስጥ የነበሩት ገጠሮች ህይወት እየዘሩ ናቸው። መብራት፣ ስልክ፣ መንገድ በየዳር አገሩ እየገባ ነው። ከ95% በላይ የገጠር ልጆቻችን ት/ቤት ገብተዋል። እአንዳነዱ የገጠር ቀበሌ፣ በሚያዳርስ መልኩ ከ45,000 በላይ የእርሻ ባለሙያዎች ተሰማርተው፣ ዘመናዊ እርሻና ዘመናዊ ህይወት ገበሬአችንን እያስተማሩት ነው። በእያንዳነዱ የገጠር ቀበሌ የተሰራጩት፣ ከ30,000 በላይ የሚሆኑ የጤና ባለሙያዎች፣ ቁስሉን እያከሙለት ነው። በተወሰኑ የጤና ጥንቃቄና የመከላከያ ዘዴ፣ ለዘመናት የገጠሩን ህዝበ ሲፈጁ የነበሩ በሽታዎች እየጠፉ ናቸው።
ህዝባችን፣ በሰለጠነው ዓለም ከሚገኙ የፓልቶክ አርበኞች በተሻለ መልኩ፣ የዴሞከራሲ ባህሉን እየገነባ ይገኛል። በኢትዮጵያ በህዝበ-ይሁንታ ከተመረጠ መስተዳድር ውጭ ምንም አይነት በእናውቅልሃለን ሽፋን የሚመጣ የጭቆና ስርአት የማይታሰብባት ደረጃ ላይ ደርሰናል። በውስጥ ጥንካሬአችንም ምክንያት፣ በዓለም-አቀፍና በአህጉራዊ ፖለቲካ ያለን ቦታ፣ ከምንም ጊዜ በላይ እየደመቀ መጥቷል። በአጭሩ፣ የኢትዮጵያ ትንሳኤ ከመፈክር በላይ ሆኖአል። የኢትዮጵያ ትንሳኤ የሚጨበጥ እውነታ እየሆን መጥቷል።"
እነዲህ እያሉ ነበር እንግዲህ አኩሪአችን፣ አቶ ወንድሙ ንግግራቸውን ወደ መደምደሚያው ያሻገሩት። አዎን ከውሃውም ተጎንጭተናል፣ ከቁም-ነገሩም ትንሽ ቀስመናል። ታዲያ ፕሮገራሙ ገና መጀመሩ ነበር።
"እዚህ ልናስታውሰው የሚገባ ቁምነገር፣ የሂደታችን ስኬት በአጋጣሚ የመጣ አለመሆኑ ነው። ስኬቱ የመጣው ያገራችን ችግሮች ቀላሎች ስለሆኑ አይደልም። ለነገሩ፣ የተጀመረውን ለውጥ ለማጨናገፍ ከውስጥና ከውጭ የተወጠኑት ሴራዎች ብቻ ሳይሆኑ ፣ የወረስነው ውስብስብ የፖለቲካ ችግር፣ ለዴሞከራሲ ባዕድ የሆነው የፖለቲካ ባህላችንና የደቀቀውና የተራቆተው ኢኮኖሚ፣ ሂደቱን የበለጠ እንዲወሳሰብ ያደርጉ ነበሩ።
የስኬታችን ዋነኛ ሚስጥር፣ መንግስት የአገሪቱን ቁልፍ ችግር ለይቶ፣ እነዚህን ችግሮች በተስተካከለ ፖሊሲና ስትራቴጂ መፍታት በመቻሉና በየወቅትዩ እንደ እሸን የሚፈሉትን ችግሮች፣ ያስቀመጠውን የመጨረሻ ግብ፣ በማያዛባ መልኩ በማስተዋል መፍታት ስለቻለ ነው።
ይህ ሲባል፣ በዛሬዪቱ ኢትዮጵያ ችግር የለም ማለት አይደለም። ከጅምሩም የ3,000 ዘመን ችግር በሀያ ዓመት እንፈታልን ብልን አልጀመርንም። የክርክራችን ነጥብ፣ ችግሮች አሉ ወይስ የሉም የሚለው ሊሆን አይችልም። ውይይታችን ችግራችንን በሚፈለገውና በሚቻለው ፍጥነት እየፈታን ነው ወይ? እያንዳንዳችንስ ለመፍትሄው ምን አስተዋፅኦ አድርገናል? ወይስ እያደረግን ነው ወይ? የሚለው መሆን ይኖርበታል። ችግሮቻችንን በዚሁ መልኩ ከተጋፈጥናቸው፣ አለምንም ጥርጥር ወደ መፍትሄዎቻችን በቶሎ እንደርሳልን።
በኢትዮጵያ አሁን ያለው ለውጥ፣ እንደ ክረምት ጎረፍ መመሰል ይችላል። ማንም ሊያቆመው አይችልም። የዚህ ጎርፍ ፍጥነት እንዳይቀንስ፣ የየበኩላችንን እናድርግ።"
ሌሎች ተናጋሪዎችና ግብዣው ለሰዓታት ቀጠለ። የአቶ ወንድሙ ንግግር ግን፣ የነገዋ ኢትዮጵያ በጥሩ እጅ መሆኗን አስረግጦ አለፈ። እኔም ደስታ በተሞላው መንፈስ ወደ ቤቴ አመራሁ።
Thursday, May 14, 2009
THE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN SOMALIA
May 14, 2009
Washera_2
So, I was invited to a panel discussion held at George Mason University on the current state of affairs in Somalia. The discussion was chaired by Professor Wallace Warfield of ICAR (Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution). The participants were faculty members and invited guests: Professor James Price (research), Mr. Hussein Yusuf (PhD student), Professor Terrence Lyons (faculty) and Mr. Mahdi Abdi from East African Policy Institute.
Professor James Price expounded on the conflict between religion and politics and the sacrilization to overcome and the secularization to be resisted by religious fanatics. It took a long time to resolve these issues in the United States; he said and will take even longer in the case of Somalia. The example he used of Jean Piaget's description of the preoperational stage children go through, lead him to conclude that religious fanatics do not have the mental actions that obey logical rules. Instead, their thinking is rigid, limited to one aspect of a situation at a time and tied to their own religious beliefs, without regard to the feelings of others.
Professor Terrence Lyons described the horrific violence going on in Mogadishu that had appeared somewhat calmer after the Ethiopian intervention was over. He went on to describe the rise of Al Shabab and the significant assistance that it is receiving from Eritrea and other countries (Saudi Arabia?). He did not mince words to accurately point out that, if Al Shabab were to control Mogadishu, Ethiopia will be there the following morning!
The PhD student, Mr. Hussein Yusuf, gave us a clearer view of the situation in Somalia. He talked about the main militant and radical wing in Somalia, Al Itihad al Islami, a non-tribal Muslim organization, prying on the young to build its membership. As early as 2001, both the Washington Post and the Daily Telegraph had reported that between 3,000 and 5,000 members of the al Qa'eda and al-Itihad partnership were operating in Somalia, with 50,000 t0 60,000 supporters and reservist. At the time, there were clear indications that bin Laden was setting up a new base of operations in Somalia and hence, the reason for US military strikes at the time of Ethiopia's intervention in Somalia. It is not clear what the numbers are at this time, but this group is very prominent in the Kismayo area and they control the ports and have accumulated massive arms. During their fight with the Transitional Government of Somalia for control of Puntaland, they were known to have caused fathers and sons to fight on opposite sides. They lost and were chased out of Puntaland. Their harsh rules go beyond banning cigarettes and Chat. One young man had his hand cut off for allegedly stealing a fishing net worth $90 dollars. Al Itihad seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia that adheres to a strict reading of the Koran, similar to the Wahabi interpretation used by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Mr. Hussein Yusuf moved on to enlighten us about another group with an alien ideology, Al Shabab. It was not clear where the funding for this group comes from (? Saudi Arabia). But its ties to Eritrea are clear and it has remained on the terrorist list of the US government. They have been winning concessions from the Federal Government of Somalia, including the leaving of foreign forces and the adoption of Sharia law before any negotiations could begin. Although Islamic faith is one of the horizontal identities that cuts across clan lines in Somalia, it is not clear that this Wahabi version of Islam has wide spread support and acceptance. President Sheik Sherif Ahmed, in his attempt to resolve issues through dialogue, has signed a bill enacting Islamic Sharia law, even as Al Shabab insurgents refused his call for dialogue and continued an assault on government forces in Mogadishu. President Sharif's government enjoys international backing, but has little control on the ground, beyond a few streets and key buildings in the capital.
When the time came to hear Mr. Mahdi Abdi, the gloves were off! He is an American citizen of Somali origin who has been out of Somalia for over 30 years. He talked about the US collaboration in the 'invasion' of Somalia by Ethiopian forces and demanded the removal of all foreign forces before any meaningful peace could come to Somalia. He was sentimental about the Somalia he left decades ago and lamented about 'mandel', the female camel in Somalia which is a symbol of freedom and unity like the Eagle in the US. He lost my support when he criticized the legitimate government of Sheik Sherif and added that the 'dictator' in Ethiopia had to be removed before peace comes to Somalia. He told us that the last time he was in Somalia, Somali forces were 40km outside Addis Ababa!. The 'invasion' of Ethiopia, he alleged, has caused more than 100 years worth of hatred toward Ethiopia. When my turn came for questioning, I had to correct all the allegations made by the gentleman from the East African Policy Institute and that opened up a very hot debate in the room.
At the end, it was clear that there was a lack of leadership in Somalia, but no consensus on the best approach to resolve the conflict other than to support the efforts of Sheik Sherif, the legitimate leader of the Federal Government of Somalia. It was also clear that Ethiopia was not going to watch a terrorist group take control of Mogadishu.
Washera_2
So, I was invited to a panel discussion held at George Mason University on the current state of affairs in Somalia. The discussion was chaired by Professor Wallace Warfield of ICAR (Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution). The participants were faculty members and invited guests: Professor James Price (research), Mr. Hussein Yusuf (PhD student), Professor Terrence Lyons (faculty) and Mr. Mahdi Abdi from East African Policy Institute.
Professor James Price expounded on the conflict between religion and politics and the sacrilization to overcome and the secularization to be resisted by religious fanatics. It took a long time to resolve these issues in the United States; he said and will take even longer in the case of Somalia. The example he used of Jean Piaget's description of the preoperational stage children go through, lead him to conclude that religious fanatics do not have the mental actions that obey logical rules. Instead, their thinking is rigid, limited to one aspect of a situation at a time and tied to their own religious beliefs, without regard to the feelings of others.
Professor Terrence Lyons described the horrific violence going on in Mogadishu that had appeared somewhat calmer after the Ethiopian intervention was over. He went on to describe the rise of Al Shabab and the significant assistance that it is receiving from Eritrea and other countries (Saudi Arabia?). He did not mince words to accurately point out that, if Al Shabab were to control Mogadishu, Ethiopia will be there the following morning!
The PhD student, Mr. Hussein Yusuf, gave us a clearer view of the situation in Somalia. He talked about the main militant and radical wing in Somalia, Al Itihad al Islami, a non-tribal Muslim organization, prying on the young to build its membership. As early as 2001, both the Washington Post and the Daily Telegraph had reported that between 3,000 and 5,000 members of the al Qa'eda and al-Itihad partnership were operating in Somalia, with 50,000 t0 60,000 supporters and reservist. At the time, there were clear indications that bin Laden was setting up a new base of operations in Somalia and hence, the reason for US military strikes at the time of Ethiopia's intervention in Somalia. It is not clear what the numbers are at this time, but this group is very prominent in the Kismayo area and they control the ports and have accumulated massive arms. During their fight with the Transitional Government of Somalia for control of Puntaland, they were known to have caused fathers and sons to fight on opposite sides. They lost and were chased out of Puntaland. Their harsh rules go beyond banning cigarettes and Chat. One young man had his hand cut off for allegedly stealing a fishing net worth $90 dollars. Al Itihad seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia that adheres to a strict reading of the Koran, similar to the Wahabi interpretation used by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Mr. Hussein Yusuf moved on to enlighten us about another group with an alien ideology, Al Shabab. It was not clear where the funding for this group comes from (? Saudi Arabia). But its ties to Eritrea are clear and it has remained on the terrorist list of the US government. They have been winning concessions from the Federal Government of Somalia, including the leaving of foreign forces and the adoption of Sharia law before any negotiations could begin. Although Islamic faith is one of the horizontal identities that cuts across clan lines in Somalia, it is not clear that this Wahabi version of Islam has wide spread support and acceptance. President Sheik Sherif Ahmed, in his attempt to resolve issues through dialogue, has signed a bill enacting Islamic Sharia law, even as Al Shabab insurgents refused his call for dialogue and continued an assault on government forces in Mogadishu. President Sharif's government enjoys international backing, but has little control on the ground, beyond a few streets and key buildings in the capital.
When the time came to hear Mr. Mahdi Abdi, the gloves were off! He is an American citizen of Somali origin who has been out of Somalia for over 30 years. He talked about the US collaboration in the 'invasion' of Somalia by Ethiopian forces and demanded the removal of all foreign forces before any meaningful peace could come to Somalia. He was sentimental about the Somalia he left decades ago and lamented about 'mandel', the female camel in Somalia which is a symbol of freedom and unity like the Eagle in the US. He lost my support when he criticized the legitimate government of Sheik Sherif and added that the 'dictator' in Ethiopia had to be removed before peace comes to Somalia. He told us that the last time he was in Somalia, Somali forces were 40km outside Addis Ababa!. The 'invasion' of Ethiopia, he alleged, has caused more than 100 years worth of hatred toward Ethiopia. When my turn came for questioning, I had to correct all the allegations made by the gentleman from the East African Policy Institute and that opened up a very hot debate in the room.
At the end, it was clear that there was a lack of leadership in Somalia, but no consensus on the best approach to resolve the conflict other than to support the efforts of Sheik Sherif, the legitimate leader of the Federal Government of Somalia. It was also clear that Ethiopia was not going to watch a terrorist group take control of Mogadishu.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
THE LEADER OF THE TOXIC DIASPORA SCRIBES, THE DARTH VADER OF OUR TIMES, PROF AL MARIAM STRIKES, AGAIN!
Washera_2
April 2, 2009
Professor (sic) Al Mariam, the most notorious anti-Ethiopian, has now directed his aspersion against the British Prime Minister and the African continent. He spares the Queen of England, but begins his diatribe by condemning the efforts of Prime Minister Gordon Brown "to help cash-strapped African countries manage their balance of payment as their incomes from foreign investments and aid, remittances and commodities prices vanish in with the collapsing global economy." He refers to the British Prime Minister spitefully as "Golden" Brown to set him up for an attack on the PM's management abilities as Chancellor of the Exchequer, over a decade ago. You would think that Prof Al is running for an office in England! The simple message he sends for PM Golden Brown and the G-20 members: “Give Africans a strong hand in establishing democracy and getting rid of dictatorships, and you will never have to worry about giving them handouts!”
The G20 meeting in the homeland of Prime Minister Gordon Brown is meant to be an informal forum that promotes open and constructive discussion between industrial and emerging-market countries on key issues related to global economic stability. The good professor translates it to mean a "meeting to accept cash, check, credit card or gold to bailout Africa." I fail to see the joke in such contemptible remarks when the whole world and especially Africa, is tittering on the brink of disaster as a result of the global crisis. Millions of African lives will be affected by the decisions of the G20 nations. These lives are of no concern to Prof Al who lives in a spacious villa in California and has never visited Ethiopia for over 30 years and who does not seem to hide his elation over Africa's demise as he directs his bloody pen towards that continent.
The African leaders are attacked in one scoop with no less zeal or hostility that has now become the style of this number one enemy of Africa. Their explanations for the fall out of this unprecedented global crisis are scoffed at and blamed on the lack of democracy on the entire continent. He ridicules their efforts to bring their case to the world leaders as "a chorus of African Chicken Littles clucking: "The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We must go and tell the king!" I wholeheartedly agree that if African governments want aid and loans from the G-20, they must agree to be held accountable for their acts and omissions in upholding the rule of law, protecting the human rights of their people, institutionalizing democratic practices and processes, releasing all political prisoners, allowing the free functioning of civic institutions and the independent media and ensuring judicial independence. For the most part, I believe IMF is trying to do just that. But wait!
Because, his next attack is the IMF. He accuses the IMF for conspiring to sell its gold stash worth 50 billion dollars to distribute to the poor nations of the world. Professor Al Mariam does not put it in those kind words. His version: "Now they are talking about “mid-sized banks”, selling billions of dollars worth of IMF gold and sharing the loot among African dictators". He goes on to attack the IMF and the World Bank for their lack of transparency and failed accounting practices. He finds their practice of praising African leaders in public for their successful economic policies. If you are in the business of lending money, what is wrong with acknowledging those that are doing a good job and paying back their debt? The good professor counters by accusing the IMF officials of documenting in their confidential reports, about corruptions and mismanagements by the same African leaders that they praised.
His final dirty arrow is directed, you guessed it, at our won Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. He starts with the sarcastic, but somewhat serious remarks of the Prime Minister regarding the regional administrations' "right to burn money." This out of context quotation was colored by alleged firing of the accountant and Ato Gebru Asrat, to add flavor to his corruption charges against the Prime Minister. This is the kind of corruption he was alluding to in the above paragraph. The IMF must have not known about this!
To be fair to the professor, he did mention about the gold bar fiasco in an Ethiopian bank while he was dreaming about the gold bars that the IMF is supposed to be selling to help Africa.
The other accusations against the Prime Minster were regarding his remarks as he was preparing to join the G20 meeting in London. He has quoted him verbatim and I would not do you justice if I did not include it all and live the judgment to you. Let me just warn you that the professor's conclusion is that the statements fall short of the Prime Minister's report about the double digit growth rate of the economy in the last several years.
“Africa was beginning to stand up and now it is being knocked down again by this crisis, which is not of Africa’s making. That is one of the biggest tragedies. They [G-20] should care about Africa because it is in their interests. Some African countries could go under and that would mean total chaos and violence. In the end the cost of violence is going to be much higher than the cost of supporting Africa… We are talking about the range of money that is being spent on the mid-sized banks [in the U.S.]. Consider Africa as one of those banks… Any stimulus money spent in developed countries is going to have less global impact than if the same amount of money were to be spent in Africa… One of the problems at the moment is that the situation is so volatile… It keeps changing every week. It destabilizes everything, including one’s thinking. If we knew where the bottom was we could start thinking as to how to get out of it….”
I am very proud of being an African and specially an Ethiopian. I am also proud that one of our own sons is chosen to be the voice of Africa and other developing nations. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has the knowledge, determination and support of all his African counterparts and the African people to represent them in this important economic summit. But I am ashamed of being related to such a hateful person who is running around, like a mad dog, on a smear campaign to undo the little good that was done for the poor people of Africa.
Professor Al Mariam's last remark may go against his faith so salivatingly expressed for the competency of President Barrack Obama. He puts his closing arguments as follows:
"The basic argument African dictators are making for a G-20 bailout package is a moral one: Unless G-20 taxpayers assume the responsibility for Africa’s economic problems by selling IMF gold and increasing aid, Africans will die by the millions and violence will consume African societies. This is a manifestly false and self-serving moral dilemma manufactured by African dictators to save their own skins. They know that economic problems often trigger social upheavals which result in the sweeping away of corrupt dictatorships.
The G-20 have a superior moral counter-argument to make: The proposed quick sale of IMF gold as a magic elixir to fix Africa’s current economic troubles is snake oil gimmickry. Any such sale requires approval of 85 percent of the 185 IMF member countries. The U.S. alone has 17 percent of these voting rights (enough to veto any decision), and there is no realistic chance that President Obama or Congress will."
Well, I have news for you, Professor Al Mariam the sick and "toxic" Diaspora mouthpiece! As I was finishing the last paragraph of this note, an unprecedented and comprehensive collective actions decision of the G20 nations was being announced by none other than your nemesis, Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whom you referred to sarcastically as the "Golden" boy, has been true to that name. The rules and regulations that will reshape the global financial system that he has been fighting for 10 years have finally come to fruition. He announced that unlike 20 years ago, the G20 nations have come around a table and come to a unanimous agreement.
They have pledged to remain firmly committed to meeting their Millennium Development Goals. They will provide 50 billion more for the developing nations. He said they will triple the resources to IMF, 500 to 700 billion dollars into IMF reserves, and a total of five trillion dollars going for a worldwide stimulus program. They also agreed to boost the money available for financial markets worldwide with a sort of financial stability board to be established in Switzerland to oversee world financial situations.
We are truly in a new world order. We see the beginning of collective actions of people working together to manage globalization. We may see a shift away from the old Washington Consensus that puts everything on the market with a possible worldwide nationalization of banks.
Eat your heart out Al Mariam! The joke is on you. Gordon Brown and Barrack Obama are laughing at you. Meles Zenawi was rewarded for his hard work and will go home to even more challenges. Your toxic views will come to haunt you. As you contemplate another conspiracy theory, the world will move on as it should.
Thank you Meles Zenawi. Thank you G20.
April 2, 2009
Professor (sic) Al Mariam, the most notorious anti-Ethiopian, has now directed his aspersion against the British Prime Minister and the African continent. He spares the Queen of England, but begins his diatribe by condemning the efforts of Prime Minister Gordon Brown "to help cash-strapped African countries manage their balance of payment as their incomes from foreign investments and aid, remittances and commodities prices vanish in with the collapsing global economy." He refers to the British Prime Minister spitefully as "Golden" Brown to set him up for an attack on the PM's management abilities as Chancellor of the Exchequer, over a decade ago. You would think that Prof Al is running for an office in England! The simple message he sends for PM Golden Brown and the G-20 members: “Give Africans a strong hand in establishing democracy and getting rid of dictatorships, and you will never have to worry about giving them handouts!”
The G20 meeting in the homeland of Prime Minister Gordon Brown is meant to be an informal forum that promotes open and constructive discussion between industrial and emerging-market countries on key issues related to global economic stability. The good professor translates it to mean a "meeting to accept cash, check, credit card or gold to bailout Africa." I fail to see the joke in such contemptible remarks when the whole world and especially Africa, is tittering on the brink of disaster as a result of the global crisis. Millions of African lives will be affected by the decisions of the G20 nations. These lives are of no concern to Prof Al who lives in a spacious villa in California and has never visited Ethiopia for over 30 years and who does not seem to hide his elation over Africa's demise as he directs his bloody pen towards that continent.
The African leaders are attacked in one scoop with no less zeal or hostility that has now become the style of this number one enemy of Africa. Their explanations for the fall out of this unprecedented global crisis are scoffed at and blamed on the lack of democracy on the entire continent. He ridicules their efforts to bring their case to the world leaders as "a chorus of African Chicken Littles clucking: "The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We must go and tell the king!" I wholeheartedly agree that if African governments want aid and loans from the G-20, they must agree to be held accountable for their acts and omissions in upholding the rule of law, protecting the human rights of their people, institutionalizing democratic practices and processes, releasing all political prisoners, allowing the free functioning of civic institutions and the independent media and ensuring judicial independence. For the most part, I believe IMF is trying to do just that. But wait!
Because, his next attack is the IMF. He accuses the IMF for conspiring to sell its gold stash worth 50 billion dollars to distribute to the poor nations of the world. Professor Al Mariam does not put it in those kind words. His version: "Now they are talking about “mid-sized banks”, selling billions of dollars worth of IMF gold and sharing the loot among African dictators". He goes on to attack the IMF and the World Bank for their lack of transparency and failed accounting practices. He finds their practice of praising African leaders in public for their successful economic policies. If you are in the business of lending money, what is wrong with acknowledging those that are doing a good job and paying back their debt? The good professor counters by accusing the IMF officials of documenting in their confidential reports, about corruptions and mismanagements by the same African leaders that they praised.
His final dirty arrow is directed, you guessed it, at our won Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. He starts with the sarcastic, but somewhat serious remarks of the Prime Minister regarding the regional administrations' "right to burn money." This out of context quotation was colored by alleged firing of the accountant and Ato Gebru Asrat, to add flavor to his corruption charges against the Prime Minister. This is the kind of corruption he was alluding to in the above paragraph. The IMF must have not known about this!
To be fair to the professor, he did mention about the gold bar fiasco in an Ethiopian bank while he was dreaming about the gold bars that the IMF is supposed to be selling to help Africa.
The other accusations against the Prime Minster were regarding his remarks as he was preparing to join the G20 meeting in London. He has quoted him verbatim and I would not do you justice if I did not include it all and live the judgment to you. Let me just warn you that the professor's conclusion is that the statements fall short of the Prime Minister's report about the double digit growth rate of the economy in the last several years.
“Africa was beginning to stand up and now it is being knocked down again by this crisis, which is not of Africa’s making. That is one of the biggest tragedies. They [G-20] should care about Africa because it is in their interests. Some African countries could go under and that would mean total chaos and violence. In the end the cost of violence is going to be much higher than the cost of supporting Africa… We are talking about the range of money that is being spent on the mid-sized banks [in the U.S.]. Consider Africa as one of those banks… Any stimulus money spent in developed countries is going to have less global impact than if the same amount of money were to be spent in Africa… One of the problems at the moment is that the situation is so volatile… It keeps changing every week. It destabilizes everything, including one’s thinking. If we knew where the bottom was we could start thinking as to how to get out of it….”
I am very proud of being an African and specially an Ethiopian. I am also proud that one of our own sons is chosen to be the voice of Africa and other developing nations. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has the knowledge, determination and support of all his African counterparts and the African people to represent them in this important economic summit. But I am ashamed of being related to such a hateful person who is running around, like a mad dog, on a smear campaign to undo the little good that was done for the poor people of Africa.
Professor Al Mariam's last remark may go against his faith so salivatingly expressed for the competency of President Barrack Obama. He puts his closing arguments as follows:
"The basic argument African dictators are making for a G-20 bailout package is a moral one: Unless G-20 taxpayers assume the responsibility for Africa’s economic problems by selling IMF gold and increasing aid, Africans will die by the millions and violence will consume African societies. This is a manifestly false and self-serving moral dilemma manufactured by African dictators to save their own skins. They know that economic problems often trigger social upheavals which result in the sweeping away of corrupt dictatorships.
The G-20 have a superior moral counter-argument to make: The proposed quick sale of IMF gold as a magic elixir to fix Africa’s current economic troubles is snake oil gimmickry. Any such sale requires approval of 85 percent of the 185 IMF member countries. The U.S. alone has 17 percent of these voting rights (enough to veto any decision), and there is no realistic chance that President Obama or Congress will."
Well, I have news for you, Professor Al Mariam the sick and "toxic" Diaspora mouthpiece! As I was finishing the last paragraph of this note, an unprecedented and comprehensive collective actions decision of the G20 nations was being announced by none other than your nemesis, Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whom you referred to sarcastically as the "Golden" boy, has been true to that name. The rules and regulations that will reshape the global financial system that he has been fighting for 10 years have finally come to fruition. He announced that unlike 20 years ago, the G20 nations have come around a table and come to a unanimous agreement.
They have pledged to remain firmly committed to meeting their Millennium Development Goals. They will provide 50 billion more for the developing nations. He said they will triple the resources to IMF, 500 to 700 billion dollars into IMF reserves, and a total of five trillion dollars going for a worldwide stimulus program. They also agreed to boost the money available for financial markets worldwide with a sort of financial stability board to be established in Switzerland to oversee world financial situations.
We are truly in a new world order. We see the beginning of collective actions of people working together to manage globalization. We may see a shift away from the old Washington Consensus that puts everything on the market with a possible worldwide nationalization of banks.
Eat your heart out Al Mariam! The joke is on you. Gordon Brown and Barrack Obama are laughing at you. Meles Zenawi was rewarded for his hard work and will go home to even more challenges. Your toxic views will come to haunt you. As you contemplate another conspiracy theory, the world will move on as it should.
Thank you Meles Zenawi. Thank you G20.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Re: Seeking paths to Ethiopian Diaspora Dialogue and Consultations (wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker) by Prof Al Mariam
I just did a quick search for how many times the word Pro-democracy appears in this article and the result was nine. The magic word, Pro-democracy, also appears to be the nucleus of this article.
I will try to comment on the paragraph which contains the word, pro-democracy, according to my word search numbered 1 to 9.
1. “At the beginning of the year, we pledged to help initiate and sustain an Ethiopian Diaspora dialogue and consultation process with the aim of building broad consensus for collective action. We expressed our hope that with the proper groundwork it is possible to clearly identifying a set of issues over which pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians could take a unified position and speak in one thundering voice. We boldly proclaimed the inspirational theme, “Ethiopian united can never be defeated!”
To me, it is an already tried strategy that has failed over and over again to get a unified position among Pro-democracy Ethiopian Diaspora. Ethiopian Diaspora, like everybody on this world view and see things differently. Here in Canada, there are Conservatives, Liberals, NDPs and to your surprise party Quebec with agenda of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada. All of them consider themselves as pro-democracy elements but differ in policy making that are vital to the country they want to lead.(I know I shouldn’t be the one lecturing you on this matter). Instead of trying to unify people, I think it is a better strategy to bring people closer by creating a workable atmosphere that could lead ideas to flow freely. People with different opinions should not be seen as enemy always, otherwise the wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker is doomed to fail from the start. Unless we clearly identify and understand this issue, there is no way we can move forward. This is the main stumbling block of our democracy.
2. “Our conception of civic dialogue and consultation (wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker) among pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians is based on four simple ideas.”
What are the criteria of selecting pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians from non pro-democracy Ethiopian Diaspora to begin with? I think our fundamental difference among Ethiopian Diaspora lies on this issue. Most of us consider ourselves as pro-democrats and label the other as an ENEMY.
3. “We believe most ordinary pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians have come to realize that they can play a direct role in helping to bring about major changes in Ethiopia.”
It would have been nice to see the word positive, inserted between direct and role. Since some of the Ethiopian Diaspora role have been negative toward Ethiopia so far. Among many, the decision to join, or not to join, parliament during the 2005 election was mainly made with the consultation of some hardliners in Washington dc with the then kinegit leader Engineer Hailu Shawel. The result as we remember is, damaging the infant democracy, seeing some great leaders being thrown into jail above all losing so many innocent lives…
4. “by working together with pro-democracy elements in Ethiopia to re-establish democratic rights and facilitate the free operation of the independent media and civic society institutions; by promoting free political competition and helping to ensure free and fair elections are held; and by exposing corruption and exploring legal mechanisms to bring to justice those who have violated international law. In the past, we believe, Diaspora Ethiopians have lacked the dialogic and consultative mechanisms to achieve these values through collective action. “
Good point. To review what was done in the past, could teach us not to repeat the same mistakes, again…
5. “Today, many in the pro-democracy sectors of the Ethiopian Diaspora have come to appreciate the futility of rancorous debate with each other, and have chosen the path of dialogue and consultation.”
This will be a dream come true, if the Ethiopian Diaspora, indeed chose the path of dialog rather than destruction… From the past experience we have a long way to go. Mind you, I am not a future teller…
6. “Polarized debates and personal attacks have rendered pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians weak, divided and ineffective; and we must grudgingly admit that we have made ourselves the laughing stock of dictators.”
“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” and by the same token one man’s dictator is another man’s Pro-democrat. This definitely will take us to a wide and open interpretation before we even start the wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker. Some people definitely will take it as an insult and start boycotting the good wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker. It also encourages some ugly labeling of people as woyane or Dergist…We need to overcome the mentality that believes in if you don’t see and understand things the way I do...
7. “From our preliminary efforts to date, we have ascertained two basic facts which we would like to share with all Ethiopian pro-democracy elements. First, we have detected an overwhelming sense of “fierce urgency” to undertake broad dialogue and consultations now”
Wow… I have read an article by Washera that calls for a debate and an invitation for a dialog from Ben. Can’t wait for the dialog to start among two good pro-democracy Ethiopian Diasporas… I hope you are going to accept the invitation and prove yourself right that change should come from self first.
8. “We believe pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians want “win-win” solutions not for themselves or their special groups or parties, but for the glory of Ethiopia and progress of all Ethiopians. For instance, we are inspired to hear representatives of groups who have long perceived themselves as competitors and rivals resonating agreement on core issues that are vital to the motherland.”
I think there are a lot of pro-democracy Ethiopian Diasporas but chose a different path than yours. I hope they will listen to the invitation that you offer and start the dialog soon as well. It is good to see the invitation being accepted by the other side.
9. “How can we neutralize and marginalize those elements that will spare no efforts to drive multiple wedges among pro-democracy Diaspora elements and work furiously to ensure our dialogue and consultations process will fail?”
Although, it is good to be cautious, be optimistic about those groups that you think are going to see your idea fail. Listen to them, may be they have a good point to offer. Thru dialog and only dialog, you might be able to win their heart. Although by doing so, be open for any eventuality that might take you to the other camp as well. The other scenario could be for both parties to stay in their respective camp but work on building a bridge that could help in exchanging ideas freely eventually narrowing the gap. This to me is a win-win situation for all. Unless we make a soul search as to why so many wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker failed so far (like the two H.R XXXX , I forgot the numbers), I see no end in our misery. At the end of the day we need to talk to our opponents. Even the Americans, with all their power, are hinting toward talking to the Taliban. So why not consider talking to your own fellow
country man. Otherwise, what is the use of having a dialog with the likes of you? It is like trying to clap in one hand. Change is possible if you talk to the other side.
I am forwarding this article to both of you and in no way I consider myself as a politician who can pen down my reasoning by quoting those intellectual wordings that I read from your articles rather, as an individual who thinks dialog is the best way to bring us closer. This will help us play a positive role in building democracy and fighting poverty which I believe is our quest.
Although I want to give the wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker the benefit of the doubt, it sounds bemare yetekeba not even bemar yetelewese (Honey painted not even honey mixed) unless professor Alemayhu explain himself the criteria of being considered as pro-democracy Ethiopian Diaspora is. I am afraid my own interpretation leads me to those who oppose the current government fiercely vs. those who think it is possible to work with the current government.
Abeba T.
I will try to comment on the paragraph which contains the word, pro-democracy, according to my word search numbered 1 to 9.
1. “At the beginning of the year, we pledged to help initiate and sustain an Ethiopian Diaspora dialogue and consultation process with the aim of building broad consensus for collective action. We expressed our hope that with the proper groundwork it is possible to clearly identifying a set of issues over which pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians could take a unified position and speak in one thundering voice. We boldly proclaimed the inspirational theme, “Ethiopian united can never be defeated!”
To me, it is an already tried strategy that has failed over and over again to get a unified position among Pro-democracy Ethiopian Diaspora. Ethiopian Diaspora, like everybody on this world view and see things differently. Here in Canada, there are Conservatives, Liberals, NDPs and to your surprise party Quebec with agenda of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada. All of them consider themselves as pro-democracy elements but differ in policy making that are vital to the country they want to lead.(I know I shouldn’t be the one lecturing you on this matter). Instead of trying to unify people, I think it is a better strategy to bring people closer by creating a workable atmosphere that could lead ideas to flow freely. People with different opinions should not be seen as enemy always, otherwise the wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker is doomed to fail from the start. Unless we clearly identify and understand this issue, there is no way we can move forward. This is the main stumbling block of our democracy.
2. “Our conception of civic dialogue and consultation (wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker) among pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians is based on four simple ideas.”
What are the criteria of selecting pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians from non pro-democracy Ethiopian Diaspora to begin with? I think our fundamental difference among Ethiopian Diaspora lies on this issue. Most of us consider ourselves as pro-democrats and label the other as an ENEMY.
3. “We believe most ordinary pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians have come to realize that they can play a direct role in helping to bring about major changes in Ethiopia.”
It would have been nice to see the word positive, inserted between direct and role. Since some of the Ethiopian Diaspora role have been negative toward Ethiopia so far. Among many, the decision to join, or not to join, parliament during the 2005 election was mainly made with the consultation of some hardliners in Washington dc with the then kinegit leader Engineer Hailu Shawel. The result as we remember is, damaging the infant democracy, seeing some great leaders being thrown into jail above all losing so many innocent lives…
4. “by working together with pro-democracy elements in Ethiopia to re-establish democratic rights and facilitate the free operation of the independent media and civic society institutions; by promoting free political competition and helping to ensure free and fair elections are held; and by exposing corruption and exploring legal mechanisms to bring to justice those who have violated international law. In the past, we believe, Diaspora Ethiopians have lacked the dialogic and consultative mechanisms to achieve these values through collective action. “
Good point. To review what was done in the past, could teach us not to repeat the same mistakes, again…
5. “Today, many in the pro-democracy sectors of the Ethiopian Diaspora have come to appreciate the futility of rancorous debate with each other, and have chosen the path of dialogue and consultation.”
This will be a dream come true, if the Ethiopian Diaspora, indeed chose the path of dialog rather than destruction… From the past experience we have a long way to go. Mind you, I am not a future teller…
6. “Polarized debates and personal attacks have rendered pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians weak, divided and ineffective; and we must grudgingly admit that we have made ourselves the laughing stock of dictators.”
“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” and by the same token one man’s dictator is another man’s Pro-democrat. This definitely will take us to a wide and open interpretation before we even start the wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker. Some people definitely will take it as an insult and start boycotting the good wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker. It also encourages some ugly labeling of people as woyane or Dergist…We need to overcome the mentality that believes in if you don’t see and understand things the way I do...
7. “From our preliminary efforts to date, we have ascertained two basic facts which we would like to share with all Ethiopian pro-democracy elements. First, we have detected an overwhelming sense of “fierce urgency” to undertake broad dialogue and consultations now”
Wow… I have read an article by Washera that calls for a debate and an invitation for a dialog from Ben. Can’t wait for the dialog to start among two good pro-democracy Ethiopian Diasporas… I hope you are going to accept the invitation and prove yourself right that change should come from self first.
8. “We believe pro-democracy Diaspora Ethiopians want “win-win” solutions not for themselves or their special groups or parties, but for the glory of Ethiopia and progress of all Ethiopians. For instance, we are inspired to hear representatives of groups who have long perceived themselves as competitors and rivals resonating agreement on core issues that are vital to the motherland.”
I think there are a lot of pro-democracy Ethiopian Diasporas but chose a different path than yours. I hope they will listen to the invitation that you offer and start the dialog soon as well. It is good to see the invitation being accepted by the other side.
9. “How can we neutralize and marginalize those elements that will spare no efforts to drive multiple wedges among pro-democracy Diaspora elements and work furiously to ensure our dialogue and consultations process will fail?”
Although, it is good to be cautious, be optimistic about those groups that you think are going to see your idea fail. Listen to them, may be they have a good point to offer. Thru dialog and only dialog, you might be able to win their heart. Although by doing so, be open for any eventuality that might take you to the other camp as well. The other scenario could be for both parties to stay in their respective camp but work on building a bridge that could help in exchanging ideas freely eventually narrowing the gap. This to me is a win-win situation for all. Unless we make a soul search as to why so many wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker failed so far (like the two H.R XXXX , I forgot the numbers), I see no end in our misery. At the end of the day we need to talk to our opponents. Even the Americans, with all their power, are hinting toward talking to the Taliban. So why not consider talking to your own fellow
country man. Otherwise, what is the use of having a dialog with the likes of you? It is like trying to clap in one hand. Change is possible if you talk to the other side.
I am forwarding this article to both of you and in no way I consider myself as a politician who can pen down my reasoning by quoting those intellectual wordings that I read from your articles rather, as an individual who thinks dialog is the best way to bring us closer. This will help us play a positive role in building democracy and fighting poverty which I believe is our quest.
Although I want to give the wu-yi-yit and me me-ka-ker the benefit of the doubt, it sounds bemare yetekeba not even bemar yetelewese (Honey painted not even honey mixed) unless professor Alemayhu explain himself the criteria of being considered as pro-democracy Ethiopian Diaspora is. I am afraid my own interpretation leads me to those who oppose the current government fiercely vs. those who think it is possible to work with the current government.
Abeba T.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
LETTER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON
ETHIO-AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS ALLIANCE
(EACAA)
12108 Benjamin Street, Beltsville, MD 20705
Telephone No.:(301) 256-8152,
Voice of the Patriots Somali Ethiopian Prof Assn
Ethiopian American Forum Union of Tigrean in N. A.
FDRE Discussion Forum EPRDF Support Group, Inc.
SEECDA Amhara Dev Assn, Inc NA
Somali Ethiopia Peace & Dev Agency Prof Assn For Network & Dev
Ethio-Somali Inc. Tigrai Women’s Assn
Oromo Econ & Cultural Dev Assn Oromo Consensus Forum
Harari’s Econ & Dev. Org Somali Ethiopian Community
Ethiopian Civility Form Gambela Development Assn
All Ethiopian Nationalities Cultural Resource Ctr Gambela Com Assn in Minnesota
Gambela Ethiopian Community
February 20, 2009.
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
55 West 125th Street
New York, N.Y. 10027
Dear Mr. President,
We recently came across a letter addressed to you about a donation made to your Foundation by Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi. The authors of the letter, supposedly a lawyer group called Ethiopian Americans for Justice, seem to want to pass justice at random.
It is no secret that the Sheik has been involved in many business ventures and humanitarian activities in Ethiopia for decades. Among his various humanitarian activities in Ethiopia we would like to mention the recently inaugurated world class Children's Heart Center, which was the result of years of dreaming and hard work by a dedicated Ethiopian physician and the boundless generosity of the Sheik.
At the time of the donation, we all applauded the generosity of this great individual who has done a lot more to our own people in Ethiopia. We are also aware of the huge resources that the Clinton Foundation has put toward fighting HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. We would like to believe that your visit to that country was not only an affirmation of the good that your Foundation was doing, but was also an opportunity for you to see first hand, the efforts of the Ethiopian government to bring peace, prosperity and democratic rule to its citizens. In a way, we felt that the Sheik's donation is indirectly helping our own people. That was part of the reason for our applause at that time.
What was puzzling about the letter addressed to you by these’’ justice’’ seekers was how blinded they are to the benefits of such a donation, but also how presumptive they are that your foundation would accept donations without scrutinizing its origin and its potential for conflict of interest. They were quick to pass judgment on the workings of your Foundation and blame the Ethiopian government.
What is even more appalling is how fragmented their evidences are that were used to incriminate Sheik Mohammed Al-Amoudi. One such evidence, We quote (sic) " Mr. Al-Amoudi’s name has been mentioned in connection with the 9/11 tragedies." We are not aware of the "mentioning", but are they telling us that the American government ignored such an allegation or would they rather make a guilty verdict by an allegation?
This group would like us to believe that the donation made to the Clinton Foundation came directly from the Ethiopian government, actually directly from the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. They go on to allude that the Ethiopian government is so rich that it is buying US influence for the "continuation of the Bush administration’s policy of unquestioning US support for their controversial rule." While they are at it, it would be prudent to tell us the names of the US administration officials bought by such largesse.
At times, they seem to be pointing fingers at your foundation when they try to find fault by alleging that the Sheik, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gates Foundation are among the five donors to your foundation. When Mrs. Clinton passed the congressional hearings with flying colors before taking charge of the Department of State, we all believed that any conflict of interest issues with the Clinton Foundation were cleared once and for all. We also believed that with a 40 billion budget and over 50,000 employees, she is working hard to create a more democratic and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community.
The entire letter would have been dismissed as preposterous and contemptible if it were not for the identity of the individuals hiding behind "Ethiopian Americans for Justice" name. These few individuals continue to demonize the Ethiopian government and attempt to fracture the support of the international community for the emerging democracy and developmental endeavours in Ethiopia.
Mr. President,
We are more than aware of the work your Foundation is doing in Ethiopia. You have seen it first hand. You have built the largest pediatric HIV/AIDS clinic in the country, which has quickly become a Center for Excellence for treating children. That is not all. With a staff of over a 100, the Foundation has a gamut of projects which concentrates on HIV/AIDS, health systems, drug and medical equipment procurements, and more recently the establishment of the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI). To allege that this work and those dedicated employees of the Foundation are "closely intertwined with government operations" is nothing short of a slap on the face of the Foundation.
We will not tolerate such fringe elements besmearing generous friends of our country and people. Neither should you. Your presidency was a historic moment in American history. We have no doubt that the work of your Foundation will continue with the same energy and good will that it has shown all these years. We plead with you to repudiate such atrocious allegations and continue your support for our people.
Sincerely,
__________________________
Negussie Birratu
Chairman Executive Council
cc: Honorable Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Department of State
Honorable Ambassador Donald Yamamoto, US Embassy in Ethiopia
(EACAA)
12108 Benjamin Street, Beltsville, MD 20705
Telephone No.:(301) 256-8152,
Voice of the Patriots Somali Ethiopian Prof Assn
Ethiopian American Forum Union of Tigrean in N. A.
FDRE Discussion Forum EPRDF Support Group, Inc.
SEECDA Amhara Dev Assn, Inc NA
Somali Ethiopia Peace & Dev Agency Prof Assn For Network & Dev
Ethio-Somali Inc. Tigrai Women’s Assn
Oromo Econ & Cultural Dev Assn Oromo Consensus Forum
Harari’s Econ & Dev. Org Somali Ethiopian Community
Ethiopian Civility Form Gambela Development Assn
All Ethiopian Nationalities Cultural Resource Ctr Gambela Com Assn in Minnesota
Gambela Ethiopian Community
February 20, 2009.
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
55 West 125th Street
New York, N.Y. 10027
Dear Mr. President,
We recently came across a letter addressed to you about a donation made to your Foundation by Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi. The authors of the letter, supposedly a lawyer group called Ethiopian Americans for Justice, seem to want to pass justice at random.
It is no secret that the Sheik has been involved in many business ventures and humanitarian activities in Ethiopia for decades. Among his various humanitarian activities in Ethiopia we would like to mention the recently inaugurated world class Children's Heart Center, which was the result of years of dreaming and hard work by a dedicated Ethiopian physician and the boundless generosity of the Sheik.
At the time of the donation, we all applauded the generosity of this great individual who has done a lot more to our own people in Ethiopia. We are also aware of the huge resources that the Clinton Foundation has put toward fighting HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. We would like to believe that your visit to that country was not only an affirmation of the good that your Foundation was doing, but was also an opportunity for you to see first hand, the efforts of the Ethiopian government to bring peace, prosperity and democratic rule to its citizens. In a way, we felt that the Sheik's donation is indirectly helping our own people. That was part of the reason for our applause at that time.
What was puzzling about the letter addressed to you by these’’ justice’’ seekers was how blinded they are to the benefits of such a donation, but also how presumptive they are that your foundation would accept donations without scrutinizing its origin and its potential for conflict of interest. They were quick to pass judgment on the workings of your Foundation and blame the Ethiopian government.
What is even more appalling is how fragmented their evidences are that were used to incriminate Sheik Mohammed Al-Amoudi. One such evidence, We quote (sic) " Mr. Al-Amoudi’s name has been mentioned in connection with the 9/11 tragedies." We are not aware of the "mentioning", but are they telling us that the American government ignored such an allegation or would they rather make a guilty verdict by an allegation?
This group would like us to believe that the donation made to the Clinton Foundation came directly from the Ethiopian government, actually directly from the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. They go on to allude that the Ethiopian government is so rich that it is buying US influence for the "continuation of the Bush administration’s policy of unquestioning US support for their controversial rule." While they are at it, it would be prudent to tell us the names of the US administration officials bought by such largesse.
At times, they seem to be pointing fingers at your foundation when they try to find fault by alleging that the Sheik, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gates Foundation are among the five donors to your foundation. When Mrs. Clinton passed the congressional hearings with flying colors before taking charge of the Department of State, we all believed that any conflict of interest issues with the Clinton Foundation were cleared once and for all. We also believed that with a 40 billion budget and over 50,000 employees, she is working hard to create a more democratic and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community.
The entire letter would have been dismissed as preposterous and contemptible if it were not for the identity of the individuals hiding behind "Ethiopian Americans for Justice" name. These few individuals continue to demonize the Ethiopian government and attempt to fracture the support of the international community for the emerging democracy and developmental endeavours in Ethiopia.
Mr. President,
We are more than aware of the work your Foundation is doing in Ethiopia. You have seen it first hand. You have built the largest pediatric HIV/AIDS clinic in the country, which has quickly become a Center for Excellence for treating children. That is not all. With a staff of over a 100, the Foundation has a gamut of projects which concentrates on HIV/AIDS, health systems, drug and medical equipment procurements, and more recently the establishment of the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI). To allege that this work and those dedicated employees of the Foundation are "closely intertwined with government operations" is nothing short of a slap on the face of the Foundation.
We will not tolerate such fringe elements besmearing generous friends of our country and people. Neither should you. Your presidency was a historic moment in American history. We have no doubt that the work of your Foundation will continue with the same energy and good will that it has shown all these years. We plead with you to repudiate such atrocious allegations and continue your support for our people.
Sincerely,
__________________________
Negussie Birratu
Chairman Executive Council
cc: Honorable Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Department of State
Honorable Ambassador Donald Yamamoto, US Embassy in Ethiopia
Sunday, March 8, 2009
HOW THE GUARDIAN CHEATS AFRICA: MARTIN KETTLE ANALYSES GORDON BROWN’S SPEECH TO THE US CONGRESS ON 3/4/09.
March 5, 2009
WASHERA_2
I know Gordon Brown makes good speeches and it was no different when he addressed the US congress on Thursday. Martin Kettle of the Guardian tried to give it his own spin, most of which I had no problem with. All politicians do try to appease their audience in one form or other.
The speech covered the strong ties between America and Britain/Europe, in the process bestowing accolades on President Barack Obama and paying tribute to an old guard, Senator Edward Kennedy, with an honorary knighthood from the Queen.
Gordon Brown covered the Iran-Iraq issue, his belief for a viable Palestinian state and most importantly concentrated on what he called “new priorities for our new times.” He talked about the lesson he learned from his minister father:
“ ..That wealth must help more than the wealthy, good fortune must serve more than the fortunate and riches must enrich not just some of us, but all of us.”
With this, he delves into the politically important part of his speech, that the US political leaders have to exercise global responsibility, not just look after their own voters. He goes on to explain how economic crisis does not stop at the water’s edge, but ripples across the world, hence the need for global solutions for the crisis.
His plea for US leadership to achieve tougher new targets on climate change and investing on environmental technology to end the dictatorship of oil got a standing ovation. He was also appealing for President Obama to give global leadership at the London G20 Summit next month. He believed trade to be the engine of prosperity and educating our children throughout the world as a major priority.
I was following Mr. Martin Kettle’s analyses until I came to the speech Mr. Brown makes regarding Africa, which starts off by saying, “And let us not forget the poorest.”
Except, Mr. Martin Kettle, the distinguished commentator, the mighty mouth piece of the Guardian, decides to remove the entire speech and replace it with a half-sentence created only to precede the next sentence in Mr. Brown’s eloquent speech. I kid you not! He added (sic) “As we strive to spread the values of peace, political liberty, and the hope of better lives across the world, perhaps...” and here he marries it with the actual speech, “the greatest gift our generation could give to the future, …” and continues without missing a beat. Did he receive a different version of the speech or is he at liberty to treat Africa just like his old colonial days? I was flabbergasted at his audacity to leave out the entire speech made by Mr. Brown on Africa. I am forced to bring that part of the speech, left out by Mr. Kettle, in its entirety and will leave the judgment to the reader.
“In the Rwandan Museum of genocide, there is a memorial to the countless children who were among those murdered in the massacres in Rwanda.
And there is a portrait of a child, David. The words beneath him are brief yet they weigh on me heavily.
It says name David, age 10, favourite sport football, enjoyed making people laugh, dream to become a doctor, cause of death tortured to death, last words - the UN will come for us.
But we never did. That David believed the best of us, that he was wrong is to our eternal discredit.
We tend to think of a day of judgment as a moment to come. But our faith tells us, as a writer says, that judgment is more than that.
It is a summary court in perpetual session and when I visit those bare, rundown yet teeming classrooms across Africa, they are full of children, like our children, desperate to learn.
But because we have been unable as a world to keep our promises to help, more and more children are being lured to expensively funded madrassas teaching innocent children to hate us.
So for our security and our children’s' security and their children’s' future, (and here the above paragraph comes to a conclusion) the greatest gift our generation could give to the future, the gift of America and Britain to the world could be, for every child in every country of the world, the chance millions do not have today; the chance to go to school.”
I thought the British Prime Minister made an impassioned speech to ask the world leaders to think globally in their deliberations. We applaud him for that and we will continue our struggle to become equal partners in educating all people to retool and reskill to invest and invent our way out of the downturn. We refuse to be deleted or excluded by the likes of the Guardian’s Martin Kettle.
WASHERA_2
I know Gordon Brown makes good speeches and it was no different when he addressed the US congress on Thursday. Martin Kettle of the Guardian tried to give it his own spin, most of which I had no problem with. All politicians do try to appease their audience in one form or other.
The speech covered the strong ties between America and Britain/Europe, in the process bestowing accolades on President Barack Obama and paying tribute to an old guard, Senator Edward Kennedy, with an honorary knighthood from the Queen.
Gordon Brown covered the Iran-Iraq issue, his belief for a viable Palestinian state and most importantly concentrated on what he called “new priorities for our new times.” He talked about the lesson he learned from his minister father:
“ ..That wealth must help more than the wealthy, good fortune must serve more than the fortunate and riches must enrich not just some of us, but all of us.”
With this, he delves into the politically important part of his speech, that the US political leaders have to exercise global responsibility, not just look after their own voters. He goes on to explain how economic crisis does not stop at the water’s edge, but ripples across the world, hence the need for global solutions for the crisis.
His plea for US leadership to achieve tougher new targets on climate change and investing on environmental technology to end the dictatorship of oil got a standing ovation. He was also appealing for President Obama to give global leadership at the London G20 Summit next month. He believed trade to be the engine of prosperity and educating our children throughout the world as a major priority.
I was following Mr. Martin Kettle’s analyses until I came to the speech Mr. Brown makes regarding Africa, which starts off by saying, “And let us not forget the poorest.”
Except, Mr. Martin Kettle, the distinguished commentator, the mighty mouth piece of the Guardian, decides to remove the entire speech and replace it with a half-sentence created only to precede the next sentence in Mr. Brown’s eloquent speech. I kid you not! He added (sic) “As we strive to spread the values of peace, political liberty, and the hope of better lives across the world, perhaps...” and here he marries it with the actual speech, “the greatest gift our generation could give to the future, …” and continues without missing a beat. Did he receive a different version of the speech or is he at liberty to treat Africa just like his old colonial days? I was flabbergasted at his audacity to leave out the entire speech made by Mr. Brown on Africa. I am forced to bring that part of the speech, left out by Mr. Kettle, in its entirety and will leave the judgment to the reader.
“In the Rwandan Museum of genocide, there is a memorial to the countless children who were among those murdered in the massacres in Rwanda.
And there is a portrait of a child, David. The words beneath him are brief yet they weigh on me heavily.
It says name David, age 10, favourite sport football, enjoyed making people laugh, dream to become a doctor, cause of death tortured to death, last words - the UN will come for us.
But we never did. That David believed the best of us, that he was wrong is to our eternal discredit.
We tend to think of a day of judgment as a moment to come. But our faith tells us, as a writer says, that judgment is more than that.
It is a summary court in perpetual session and when I visit those bare, rundown yet teeming classrooms across Africa, they are full of children, like our children, desperate to learn.
But because we have been unable as a world to keep our promises to help, more and more children are being lured to expensively funded madrassas teaching innocent children to hate us.
So for our security and our children’s' security and their children’s' future, (and here the above paragraph comes to a conclusion) the greatest gift our generation could give to the future, the gift of America and Britain to the world could be, for every child in every country of the world, the chance millions do not have today; the chance to go to school.”
I thought the British Prime Minister made an impassioned speech to ask the world leaders to think globally in their deliberations. We applaud him for that and we will continue our struggle to become equal partners in educating all people to retool and reskill to invest and invent our way out of the downturn. We refuse to be deleted or excluded by the likes of the Guardian’s Martin Kettle.
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