At
a time when patriotic Ethiopians like Eskinder Nega are languishing in
Gulag-style prisons for exercising their rights to express their
opinions, those of us living beyond Woyane’s reach are blessed with the
freedom to read
books that stimulate the mind, shed light on our rich heritage, expose
the treasonous policies of the Woyane regime in power, and, above all,
enlighten us on the triumphs of those luminous sons and daughters of
Ethiopia who built a country that was once Africa’s beacon of hope but
is now being torn asunder by the treacherous TPLF cadres.
One such
book is “Republicans on the Throne: A Personal Account of Ethiopia’s
Modernization and Painful Quest for Democracy” by Tekalign Gedamu
(Tsehai Publishers, 2011).
To read the book is to go on a journey
through time filled with traumatic events, dashed hopes, lost opportunities
and excessive greed on one side, and patriotism, optimism, Ethiopian
ingenuity and love of country on the other.
The memoir, which has the
mark of an unusual flare of literary brilliance and unmatched elegance,
is punctuated with ubiquitous gems of trivia only an essayist of the
author’s experience and intellect can muster and encapsulate in
mesmerizing prose. More importantly, it offers a pragmatic roadmap for a
democratic Ethiopia in which the philosophy of ethnocentrism will have
no place, individual rights will be respected, and lasting peace and
stability for the region will be secured.
As we read in this magnificently written book the gripping account
of the journey Ethiopia has undertaken over the past several decades,
we can’t help but wonder how from a land that had once produced such
great leaders as Aklilu Habte-Wold, Yilma Diressa, Ketema Yifru and
numerous others, including the author himself, could emerge tyrants and
traitors in the likes of Mengistu Haile-Mariam, Meles Zenawi and his
TPLF cadres, whose deviant policies have led the country to a path of
destruction. Today’s Ethiopia is a country where ethnic politics is the
official ruling party platform; corruption, nepotism and greed are
instruments of anti-Ethiopianism; reading pro-democracy Websites is
criminalized; and speaking truth to power is a certain ticket to the
country’s Gulag. Nothing captures the sense of totalitarianism and
hopelessness reigning in the country today better than the recent
posting by Eskinder Nega in The New York Times (July 24, 2013):
‘I was arrested in September 2011 and detained for nine months before I was found guilty in June 2012 under Ethiopia’s
overly broad Anti-Terrorism Proclamation, which ostensibly covers the
“planning, preparation, conspiracy, incitement and attempt” of terrorist
acts. In reality, the law has been used as a pretext to detain
journalists who criticize the government. Last July, I was sentenced to
18 years in prison. … all I did was report on the Arab Spring and
suggest that something similar might happen in Ethiopia if the
authoritarian regime didn’t reform. … I also dared to question the government’s ludicrous claim that jailed journalists were terrorists.’
It is in the backdrop of such a horrendous and uncertain condition in the country that we are presented with Republicans on the Throne.
This is a book that will put to shame our generation for ignorance of
our heritage, and enlighten current and future generations about the
heroic achievements of their forefathers and their obligation to fight
and die for their proud and precious legacy.
In the early chapters
of the memoir, the author reminiscences about his youth in Gore, one of
the remotest provincial cities during Emperor Haile Selassie’s reign,
and takes the reader back to an age of innocence when citizens were not
categorized by their ethnicity but by the social bond that tied them
closely together, and when leaders and followers revered the sanctity of
our tricolor and the inviolability of our sovereignty. In contrast, the
treasonous tyrants “on the throne” today denigrate the flag that
countless generations protected with blood and sweat, parcel out
precious land to foreigners at dirt cheap prices, aggressively promote
inter-ethnic strives, and loot the cherished wealth of the country.
The
subsequent chapters that depict Gedamu’s early life as a student in the
US and the ensuing decades of career in the United Nations, successive
governments in Ethiopia and eventually the African Development Bank,
paint the picture of a man who epitomizes all the qualities of that
unique Ethiopian we all grew up to venerate — one who values hard work
over leisure, esteems public service over personal wealth, relishes
integrity over treachery, and, above all, reveres love of country over
caustic ethnic politics. In due course, the memoir elucidates the
strengths and weaknesses of the Imperial system, the chaos that followed
the 1974 revolution, and the emergence of successive brutal
dictatorships.
The book is also a treasure trove of anecdotal
accounts of important events and personalities that shed further light
on the modus operandi of the time and the lives and moral fibers of some
of the extraordinary leaders that ran the day-to-day business of the
nation. As one flips through the pages one is frequently reminded of how
little did most of us know about those leaders, not to mention the
foibles of Aman Andom, the remarkable professionalism of Haddis
Alemayehu, the statesmanship of Aklilu Habte-Wold or the gumption of
Michael Imru.
As the writer transitions his focus to the post-Derg
era, he momentarily leaves the reader with a sense of puzzlement as to
why he would choose to return to Ethiopia and embark on major
entrepreneurial projects under the tyrannical rule of Zenawi. In light
of the stellar background of the author as an accomplished technocrat
who had served under or lived through disparate systems of government,
the reason for such seemingly foolhardy decision is hard to justify, and
even more difficult to attribute to a manifestation of plain naiveté.
However, a perceptive reader would soon be sympathetic on the knowledge
that the sinister and elusive propaganda Zenawi perfected has hoodwinked
many seasoned technocrats of Gedamu’s caliber and eventually landed
them in prison. Even today, it is with a sense of unfathomable
astonishment and compunction that we witness the tragic transfer of
hard-earned Diaspora money into Woyane’s coffers, in the name of
investing in the home country, by credulous Ethiopian émigrés in the
West, who have yet to fully appreciate the true nature of the regime and
the cancerous ethnic agenda it has espoused to irreparably harm the
long-term viability of the nation.
While the book by and large
abounds with a wealth of information about the recent past and present
history of the country, some of the most significant contributions come
in the last few chapters, in which breaking from tradition, the author
tackles head on Woyane’s totalitarianism and duplicity, and masterfully
analyzes the internal and external challenges that must be confronted to
build a “promising future”. Unlike most writers of the same genre whose
pens are woefully timid when it comes to underscoring the true nature
of Woyane, Gedamu boldly exposes the most dangerous aspect of the
regime, viz, its anti-Ethiopianism. “Closely wedded to ideology, perhaps
even its principal raison d’être, is TPLF’s commitment to the politics
of ethnic identity,” he affirms. He goes on to caution: “A
one-dimensional perception of identity puts greater emphasis on the
rights of groups and correspondingly less on the rights of the
individuals that make up these groups; and lesser still on those outside
the group.” He then reminds us of Amy Gutman’s wise words:
“Subordinating individual [rights] to group [rights] is another name for
tyranny.”
In debunking the anti-Ethiopia agenda that “extremist
TPLF members” espouse, Gedamu warns them of the “… tragic backlash that
is bound to ensue if they persist in their policy,” and notes:
“An
independent Tigrai built on assets plundered from Ethiopia is the
surest prescription for a potent reprisal that would be an unending
source of conflict for the new state. More menacingly, Tigreans living
in Ethiopia would be exposed to vengeful acts of violence too fearful to
contemplate. The silent majority of Tigreans is doubtless conscious of
this and will hopefully prevail upon the party fanatics to pursue a
policy of multiethnic collaboration and accommodation.”
To those
who try to find answers to the present predicament of Ethiopia, where
totalitarianism, corruption and anti-Ethiopianism define the Woyane
leadership, the author candidly expounds Woyane’s barricade against the
struggle for democracy, fundamental freedoms, national cohesion and the
fight against poverty. He authoritatively declares that “[N]either
Marxism nor identity politics is likely to respond to the challenges
facing Ethiopians today: autocracy, poverty, and communal antagonisms,”
and boldly charts a pragmatic roadmap that can inform genuine dialogue
to extricate the country from the current quagmire of ethnocentric rule,
naked tyranny and gloomy prospects of national collapse.
Admittedly,
Gedamu’s roadmap is only one of many admirable ideas put forth by many
genuine Ethiopians to accelerate the victory for democracy and national
salvation that has proved so elusive so far. Such a victory, however,
can only be possible through the discreet activities of a strong
organization that enjoys the participation of a well-informed membership
about their heritage and the true nature of the regime. While the works
of writers like Gedamu are a good start, it is the responsibility of
every legitimate Ethiopian to ensure the messages are spread far and
wide.
The enemy is well armed, superbly organized and lavishly
financed, and has controlled the population through a Soviet- style
security system and sinfully alluring entitlements that may make the
tasks of pro-democracy forces exceedingly onerous. However, as the
recent history of the Arab Spring has shown, no power can pent up the
rage of an oppressed people for much too long.
The writer may be reached at beyene50@gmail.com
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