December 14, 2002

What you throw may hit you back

(A reply to D. Kebede’s article—more in disgust than in defense)

I don’t have any differing views with people who praise Dr. Taye for the good performance he did. An outstanding work must always be encouraged. However, I argue that no one should be exculpated from an intentional mistake he has made. When I write the article about him, the motto is not to castigate Dr. Taye for what he did; but to make an honest critique keeping his dignity and believing that such wrong views must be corrected sooner than later. It was not also a pre-meditated action intended to trap Dr. Taye as some biased people tried to speculate, I never met him before. I was one of his supporters at a bad time. On the other hand, my intention to write at such length about his remarks is to give the article the credence it needs and answer questions, which might be raised by readers. If I don’t have truth in my article, I couldn’t have gone this far.

For one who sets his mind into it, I believe that the message is clear and straightforward—it touches a national issue more than anything else. What I put out was what I heard from his words in front of 20-30 people in the open. I was able to see the other side of him, which lots of people didn’t. I want to tell everyone that it was his absolute disregard of the country’s high-profile national cause that puts him into the firing line. Among the mystifying points that I get from him, for example, includes the one he said we could have missed the boat during the Eritrean aggression, and his failure to show sympathy for the slaughtered school children of Mekele along with their parents, and other victims of the war. Therefore, it should not cast any doubt in everybody’s mind that the kind of message I wanted to convey mainly is related to the national cause along with my personal opinion. Those who said my article is designed for character assassination are totally wrong. The plot and mechanism of my article was not produced with the intention of hurting him badly—if it was words were not out of my reach. If you still don’t accept this reason, you might have seen things differently that I didn’t; for that I have to admit that I am a human being. I don’t engage myself in such a cheap way for propaganda purposes. And no one can use me as a tool either. Doing that would not promote anything for the principles I stand for. I am not the kind of person who wants a show up or doing things for some political motives—I leave that to those who rise to the bait. But on my part, I won’t let you down.

He instigated the action by bringing false allegations against those who contributed their time, money and resources—including myself. Given his condition at the time, his refusal to meet the delegates can be insignificant to talk about, and nobody blames him hard for that. But I believed that his false charge is not what he can get away with. I don’t think many of you out there would give your consent for the false allegations he came up with. It is wrong. In particular, his answers with regard to the national cause angered me more than anything else. I hope, you would not lean to his side because of his popularity disregarding the facts spelled out on my article. No matter how the issue seems controversial, I count on you to be fair judges.

Some of the commentators on my article, but who have declared themselves as advocators for democracy might be playing a double standard. While they accuse the writer of Dr. Tay’s article, they remain silent about his remarks. Such a one-sided stand would not address the principles and ideals we are fighting for. It undermines the right of Ethiopians in the eyes of the law that we are trying to put in place. I strongly believe that an honest person is one who criticizes someone on his side for a known mistake, but not covers him under his blanket—but the commentators, however, don’t seem guided by this basic principle.

On the other hand, some of you have said that the source of the article is questionable. I will be pleased to tell you about myself to clear that out. I proudly say that I have a clean background. I fought the Derg regime within the ranks of EPRP back in the late 70s—but now I don’t have any political affiliation to any organization. Perhaps no one from the commentators has the kind of dedication and sensitivity I showed in years for the cause of my people. This was also a continued position held long before Dr. Taye’s popularity came into being. I was not a Derg cadre whose hands are covered with blood stains and trying to play things out wearing a new coat, or an opportunist either. I believe in the freedom and equality of our people. I am not an advocator of extremism, but one who plays a fair game in promoting common causes—who knows the wrong players to be blamed from the general public that suffers along the rest of the Ethiopian masses.

Having said that, although I join you in supporting Dr. Taye for the good efforts he has made and have sympathy for his sufferings, nothing inspires me than the high-profile national cause, where the survival of the nation depends. In other words, no individual or celebrity stands taller in front of my beloved people and nation. I want you to know that if tens of thousands of our martyrs gave up their lives for that national cause, the unfair words and criticisms thrown against me is of no concern. I wrote the article on my own will, and I will defend it. I can not deceive myself and others at the expense of my people. If Dr. Taye showed us how to fight odds resolutely, nothing will scare me to follow his path—but unfortunately this time, bumping with him or his views.

To those of you who undermine what national interest or national cause means all about, perhaps Dr. Taye is more important than the nation and its people combined; but to me, don’t even think of the comparison in the first place. If I am wrong, please write an article and try to show me your arguments with facts, but not in a false and one-sided rhetoric. I want you to know that it is such unquestionable stand towards my people and nation, which was the driving force for my guts in the first place—I am destined to protect the interests of my people and nation, but not to promote personality knowing he had made a blunder. Particularly to D. Kebede, I would be obliged to pay you with your coin—there always exist differences on minor political issues, and I respect that; but to be on the wrong side a high-profile national issue is an act of political adulteration or an engagement in transvestism. I refuse to be a coward. My message may not reach to people like you who stand still and turned their face against the wall, but for others it will. Without the survival of the nation, the fate of our people would have been as of Palestinians. Therefore, talking about a much-vaulted heroism or efforts related to school or democracy without the nation’s survival is talking nonsense—it remains illusive and unperceivable. The countries existence must come first, then, we can talk about other issues. Given this, Mr. Kebede, I am sensing a tendency of opportunism here; and you scared to death to touch the subject that I value the most.

When you make an opinion, you argue, chastise, praise and condemn—and that is what I did in a fair way and lower tone. Yes, I consider Dr. Taye as a man of high stature respected by people before I had a conversation with him; but he was caught when trying to undermine the efforts made by the people during the war—with no concern to his nation—particularly on its security matters. In light of this and in my views, therefore, his move seemed one step forward but two steps backwards. That is what I sensed. Some of you may disagree with me, but in my opinion, dishonoring our gallant fighters and undermining the efforts of the masses, or disregarding a national cause is the most series blunder a politician can make. Our people are poor and desperate, and their exist lots of political turmoil within the country. Even though, do not undermine the several thousand of our brothers who volunteered and gave up their lives for the cause—it does not mean they don’t know what was going on, or still is—but they value the existence of the nation as the top priority. In spite of this, some of you might let Dr. Taye get away with it, but unfortunately I didn’t. First of all, it is highly sensitive; and second I want him to change such a wrong path for the good of the nation—when considering his role as a player. I refuse to dishonor the martyrs who can’t defend themselves at this moment. If Dr. Taye is encouraged to preach such messages, however, it brings divisions within our society.

It is not what he has done earlier that I tried to show on my article, instead commenting on his unfair remarks and his total misconception of the war—based on our conversation. In regard to the kind of dedication he showed, however, I have expressed my respect for Dr. Taye in a shortened form than the commentators—including D. Kebede, did in their entire article. Let me show you some excerpts from the earlier article:

Excerpts from the previous article

I voiced out my opinion for the release of Dr. Taye and other political prisoners as tens of thousands of Ethiopians did, elsewhere in the world. Many people believed that his unwillingness to act as a timeserver perhaps was the main cause for his arrest. For that reason, he has gained a respect. I admire his dedication and what he had gone through resolutely to face the punishment that came with it. I also share his pain for being a prisoner of conscience for six long years. Most Ethiopians including myself are happy to see him released. Having said that, coming out as a victor does not entitled Dr.Taye to give everybody a forged certificate with a false name printed on it. Instead of thanking people who showed concern at a time when he was in jail, he traveled an extra mile in the opposite direction, to be on the offensive.

The root cause of his wrong move tends to be his total misconception of the war that underlines the survival of our country. That aside, nothing stands above the nation; the land where our family members are buried, and in which our identity, values and beliefs is tangled. Therefore, make sure you understand that it is this national cause —as a theme, that my article entails to reveal and what Dr. Taye had refused to respect.

Therefore, despite this incident of an ethical foul, Dr. Taye is a man of some account in our society. Although I give him high marks for being diligent on other areas, I want to make it clear that I also reserve the right to tell other Ethiopians about the lack of concern he has to a highly sensitive national cause and its players — the people. I am hoping that he will learn not to make such a blunder again. Dr. Taye has the right not to be a patriotic, or to refuse his help for the cause; but accusing those who honors it, is seen as disrespect of the social norm. It undermines the public’s right —which is considered sacrosanct.

* * *

If you have the courage to challenge what my article uncovers, please do so, but don’t foul things up, or pretend to be a “smart person” by leaving out the theme of my article and focused your attention on the less important ones that I mentioned along with. Please tell other Ethiopians if insulting those who died in the battle field, those who participated in the media warfare, or those who contributed were supposed to be encouraged or ridiculed. I have said on my article also that Dr. Taye’s refusal to condemn Eritrea’s aggression is tantamount to praying Shabia’s whip against his fellows. Make a reasonable critique of that. If not, what was his motive? Mr. Kebede, tell us if you were the supporter of the people’s cause or a traitor? Please say also if his answers were what you would like to hear or not. What about his refusal to have sympathy for the slaughter of innocent school children and their parents in Mekele—along with other victims. Without evading and burbling, explain to us in plain English if these people are our people or not. If a professional doesn’t abide by the rule of ethics who do you think will honor that? If you say others but not celebrities, it will be the old song. I believe that someone should be defended for his principles, but not purely for his celebrity status. Which side are you? Am I scoring points or not? Mr. Kebede, It is not some blind supporters like you what our beloved nation wants to overcome the mess, but fair and unbiased sharp-shooters

I was quite mystified about his answers. Don’t you? Register your views correctly if the war was a fake one. I hope Ethiopians are listening, Tell the people at large if you think the tens of thousands of the volunteers or former soldiers were Woyanes—if you share your hero’s views. But don’t hide around the bush to fire a sniper blindly to hit a courageous person if you can—who is defending the voiceless martyrs, the country and his beloved people. Taking the weight of the national cause into account, show me—but don’t tell me-- how Dr. Taye’s accomplishments so far minus the areas he has failed to honor gives you the degree of heroism that you are trying to sell. Mention to our people if his stand of doing-nothing at the time the aggression is the holiest or the safest approach for defending our people. In general, while you belabored on his dedication, you have failed to touch the focal point of my article—the security of the nation and things related to his remarks that I differ from him. Please be grown up to defend truth and maintain a fair judgment. Mr. Kebede, you never give our Martyrs the respect they deserve. Are we talking about a kangaroo court here, or a place where you could get a fair judgment? If you believe on the cause of the nation, you could have done so, but I don’t think that matters to you, instead you are telling me that that you don’t care about his remarks. If that kind of partiality is what you stand for—you are blind. The following will be my last weapon of self-defense—which I reserved for you until the last minute:

On your article titled”More in disgust than in defense—the article about Dr. Taye”, December 4, 2002, posted on Deki—Alula web site, you have said the following: “the root cause of the authors grossly unfair comments relate to his trip to Ethiopia, leading a delegation during which he sought to visit Dr. Taye who was then languishing in prison. …….the author therefore had a chip on his shoulder and waited for the time where he could retaliate against Dr. Taye….”

What a nice open lie! In the eyes of the law, your case would have been totally thrown out for being caught in making up things. For your information, the author A. Ferede did not travel to Ethiopia with the delegates or was the leader of the group who went to the prison cell to visit Dr. Taye. You must be out of your mind, who told you that? I am not hiding my self like you, and everybody in San Jose knows that perfectly well—I was not a delegate. If you not sure about it, you could have put it as a rumor, but what you did is as if you are sure. Therefore, Mr. Kebede, what a better word can I find for you than to call you a liar? If so, then, how can a corrigible liar be a credible witness, or a fair judge? As Dr. Taye gets into trouble when he tried to use wrong remarks to discredit patriotic Ethiopians; his public defender, Mr. Kebede is caught in foul again—following the foot-steps of his hero without getting the facts first.

This gives me a higher moral ground to laugh at you—Mr. Kebede. Think before you try to do anything, if not, people will undermine your efforts. Spreading false propaganda and fabricated lie is inviting humiliation to oneself. The term you used disgusting, therefore, would better apply for your case, but not for someone like me who put out a genuine criticism about wrong remarks—it is like what you have fired is coming back and hit you—bingo! I live for honesty, and defend Ethiopian’s national security, but not selling unfounded allegations to protect a celebrity—shame on you for your cheap propaganda. As you put this fact wrong, so does the content of your fancy and complex long sentences. It simply is a pure speculation. Although it fails, it was a bold and a risky trial!

Dear Mr. Kebede, you have also said on your article that Dr. Taye has come out wiser. I may not refute this as it is—but given what he said in our conversation—did you liked what he said, and call him a wise man for doing it—I am puzzled. You have also mentioned the factor of timing as a tool of evaluation for the article, which could be a point of interest for me to comment with. However, because of the credibility problem you have for reasons I mentioned above, it will be on my conception of timing—not on yours. I was born in a country where personal cult is worshiped as a way of life, and the seclusion of criticism against known individuals is still considered as a custom. But age, knowledge and experience taught me to fight against this barrier—and I am doing that. It is up to you to take it or leave it. You know that delay is death, and waiting for the right time is allowing much damage to take place. I am not governed with your mind but on mine. On the other hand, if your intention is to say why now when he gets popular, public scrutiny begins when someone becomes active in the political affairs—but not when he stays as a private citizen. Because his influence affects many people, depending on what good or bad he carries on his shoulders—this answers your polemics. If you need an honest answer, however, the conditions where he fouled up didn’t exist a few years a go, and he was not popular either. Moe over, this was the only opportunity I get to talk Dr. Taye. Your assumption was that I was one of the delegates, but I wasn’t—you failed.

Lastly, couple of the commentators has troubled with the Amharic analogy I used to describe a situation, “Lesew mot anesew .” It simply means a bad return for a good favor—nothing more. Amharic is my first language, I know it very well, and writing is my talent since childhood. I can write flawlessly in Amharic than English. This is to say that the analogy I used is not an alluding to what it implies as D. Kebede’s or others interpretations—it is crystal clear. If you remember the story, promising to bring a gift to the Fox, the man was returned with something that could kill the wild animal. Because of this, the Fox thinks that humans are cruel, who don’t know what favor is all about. To make you see the point, I will be pleased to go a little bit further and give you some clues. The most common domestic animal and human’s best friend, a dog, for example, will not abandon you in the middle of a desert—no matter how your condition is—even if it starved to death. But when you talk about human beings, such friendship is fragile. Often, you don’t find people where you expected them to be. When you turn your face, they are gone. Many human beings also get stabbed in the back by someone close to them than others around. Betrayal is a common phenomenon. Given this background, that is exactly what Dr. Taye has done to his devotees—calling them Woyanes as a reward. This Ethiopian saying describes such situations in a short phrase.

After clarifying this, what everybody sees in his mind is not the picture of the Fox, but the saying itself related to the unfortunate human friendship as experienced in life. In other words, we don’t care whether a fox or a tiger said this—it simply is a dummy representation and you have to ignore it at all—Doing so, however, brings a complete misunderstanding of the message that the phrase intended to describe. If so then, I expect you to apply the same standard for other analogies I used on the previous article.

Turning your attention to the main subject, when you cross a double solid line in a territory guarded by millions, you should be responsible for the consequences that follow—but you should not cry wolf. As a matter of fact, no personal matter exists between me and Dr. Taye, and I wouldn’t think he might consider it that way either—he is a respected man; but it is a clash of ideas where both seeking different routes that created the situation. It doesn’t mean also it is an insuperable difficulty—it can be handled through honesty and bold moves. I want Dr. Taye to be a hero to all of us rising above expectations; but not as a spokes person of some sectarian groups who are trying to give names for others—simply for supporting their people and nation. If he does, he will win my vote. I wish him all the good luck and we should try to leave this behind us. It might be better to devote our tine on other areas than on this incident. If you allow me to leave you with a known saying—as a concluding remark: a bad workman always blames his tools.

A. Ferede San Jose, California