By Tesfay Atsbeha
Kahsay Berhe, E.mail: kahsay@gmx.de

The Meles-Sebhat clique and cohorts had effectively held the country in sway for a decade. They waged wars to destroy what makes Ethiopia. They systematically weakened all civic national institutions of the country such as trade unions. They destroyed or paralysed state institutions such as the defence establishment. They instigated conflicts between various linguistic groups. While Meles Zenawi is forecasting a doomsday and disintegration for Ethiopia unless the EPRDF continued to control Ethiopia, Ethiopians are rightly saying that Meles along with his followers is a liability to their existence and well-being.

Ethiopians have been resisting the tyranny under Meles. Journalists have been risking their freedom, livelihood and lives to inform the public. Human rights groups and other civic organisations have been tirelessly exposing human rights violations by the regime.

The majority of the TPLF leadership remained intact when it murdered and imprisoned defenceless people, squandered the wealth of the country and forced individuals to flee their land because of their concern for democracy. But the intactness came to an end when a great part of the leadership rejected the path of betrayal on sovereignty carried out by the Meles-Sebhat clique. Meles expelled several of his CC colleagues. This has in turn reduced the TPLF to the Meles-clan and led to the alienation of this clan from Tigrayans thus further narrowing down the power base of the front As Tigrayans who used to be the instruments of the regime against other Ethiopians are forming a common front with the latter, Ethiopians have together stepped up their struggle for their rights and existence as a people.

The crisis in the TPLF leadership is by no means confined to the relations between members of the CC of the organisation. It is the consequence of the decade long tyranny and destruction in Ethiopia under Meles Zenawi. This impostor is out to silence the entire people. The crackdown is expanding to engulf the entire political spectrum of the country. The member organisations of the EPRDF and other political and civic organisations are under fire. At this critical point the president of the country, Dr. Negaso Gidada raised his voice and called for dialogue and reconciliation.

Notwithstanding the President's appeal, Meles and his collaborators launched an intensive campaign to crackdown on the movement for freedom and national dignity. Dr. Negaso, true to his principle, stood on the side of justice and the people. He tried to defend the rule of law. On the contrary, Meles staged the so-called Bonapartism to prepare a verdict to put those who dare to oppose him behind bars. Dr. Negaso Gidada walked out from the meetings of conspiracy. He told the dictator in his face that he is like his predecessor Mengistu Hailemariam. Indeed, Negaso by making a straight talking in a few words has spoken a lot to portray Meles. If the latter had an ear to listen to the voice of those who do not beat around the bush, then this is the best piece of advice he can ever get, to see himself as others see him.

If we try to portray Meles by comparing and contrasting him with those who held the highest power in modern Ethiopian history, he has a striking similarity with Colonel Mengistu as a ruthless murderer. Both tyrants have also a common denominator in the use of Stalinist Centralism and puppet cadres.

But Meles has also his uniqueness. He, unlike Mengistu and all others except the Italian Fascists, is the first, and hopefully the last, who started with an anti Ethiopian program (see the TPLF Manifesto of 1976 or our Part One of our article) and yet holds the highest power in Ethiopia. He is the most unprincipled, wicked and undisciplined person at the level of his power. Imagine if there were two individuals with the character of Meles! Given his ruthlessness, how Meles who was for the independence of Tigray would have destroyed the new Ethiopian Meles who is preaching unity and condemning narrow nationalism or vice versa; how Meles who victimised TPLF members for not being like Albanian Stalinists would have dealt with the liberal/revolutionary democrat Meles or the other way round; how Meles, who used to preach a proletarian international military doctrine devoid of national and cultural elements (in May Day, internal magazine of the MLLT) would have treated Meles, who boasted about the heroic tradition of Ethiopians for independence or what the latter would have done to the former etc. etc...

The main problem with this person is not the fact that he takes diametrically opposite positions at different times. Nor only that his analysis lacks depth and foresight. The blunder of this person is rather the fact that he is unable or unwilling to draw the logical conclusion that he is fallible, that he does not know the absolute truth and therefore he has to tolerate the opinions of others, because such opinions, which are opposed to his own, have often proved to be right. This single person out of more than 60 Million people is, by denouncing and ridiculing all other ideas as rotten, reactionary, antidemocratic anti people etc., trying to shamelessly create the impression that he monopolises the knowledge of the absolute truth. If people reject one form of his indoctrination before he himself refutes it, he resorts to intrigues, incriminations administrative measures and naked force.

Dr. Negaso Gidada is a person of principle. He is an honest and decent person with personal integrity. He is a good listener and a man of conscience. We had a friendly relationship with him while he was in exile in Germany in the 1980s. Dr. Negaso believes that people need vision and the perseverance to realise it. That belief might have induced him to offer himself to work for the EPRDF. He might have hoped to make a difference. Now, he is conveying the message that enough is enough!

He became president in 1995, but he has no real power. Nevertheless he tried to represent the entire people. He provided the people with a symbol of unity. Unfortunately, the power mongers in the palace have an eye on the president. They denied him direct communication with his people. His office does not have a separate mailbox and fax. Mails and faxes are delivered to his office through the office of the prime minister. President Negaso opposed the conspiratorial crackdown launched by Meles against those who challenged him. Dr. Negaso put justice and the interest of the people above party privileges. He demonstrated without ambiguity to the Ethiopian people and the world that there is no rule of law in his country.

The President is under fire for his stand on the side of the Ethiopian people and his principle. Meles and his security men are harassing him and his family. We believe it is incumbent upon the entire Ethiopian people to applaud the president's extraordinary courage and defend his person and dignity.

By Tesfay Atsbeha
Kahsay Berhe, E.mail: kahsay@gmx.de