Is the Professor an Advocate of Human Rights?

By Tesfaw Belete October 26, 2007

First of all, I would like to address him as professor as I suppose that is his official title. As he conjectures himself a scholar, I do not want to condescend to his banal level, very much unethiopian of calling an Ethiopian Prime Minister by his last name in all his writings. Whether one agrees with his policies or not, propriety demands that a head of government is addressed in the proper way. This is a civilized norm unless the title of professorship has infatuated and blown up his head.

He addresses himself as Al which is again very unethiopian. “Al” in Amharic is the word for the negation of verbs, such as “albelam, alseram, alasebem, alaseram etc...” Again another Amharic word close to this is “ak” and this means rejecting, spitting, etc. I don't think the professor desires the rejection of his thoughts by moderate people who have good intentions for their country and the ongoing development. Hoping that he has good intentions and does not want to go into oblivion espousing anarchy, I will delve into my topic.

Thousands of Ethiopians have moved out because the present government of Ethiopia respected their right of citizenship to go and live wherever they like with or without abrogating their Ethiopian citizenship. Those who have come here may be due to political reasons, for better opportunities or to join established families. Their mobility to and fro Ethiopia is unrestricted as it is clearly stated in the constitution and the government is executing it. Good evidence is the large Diaspora community all over the world.

For any reasonable person this is a marked improvement upholding the right of citizens compared to the system that prevailed in the Derg era where an individual was required to bribe Birr 5000 person to the immigration officials.

Professor Alemayehu, being a lawyer, is very much concerned about human rights in Ethiopia. I suppose this is a recent phenomena nurtured by the large Diaspora community formed with the demise of the Derg.

If the professor is a genuine advocate of human rights, why is he restricted to Ethiopia? Why not address the glaring injustices of the minorities here in the US where he may have lived longer than in Ethiopia? One can enumerate a long list of ongoing injustices to African-Americans in the area of education, health, employment, etc. Most kids of minorities don't make it to college. In fact, they drop out before completing high school.

More than 50% of African-Americans suffer from obesity and related health problems such as cardiac diseases and diabetes. The disparity between the haves and have-nots is ever widening.

Over two million are locked in prisons cells and the family unit is evermore disintegrating. At these rate one wonders what the situation will be like in a decade from now.

Take the war in Iraq and the damage it has done to this country in affording its citizens better education and health. A small country like Cuba is providing universal education and health care to its citizens but here in the richest country in the world more than forty million Americans are without a health insurance policy.

If one sees the situation in Iraq, it is even worse. So many thousands of people have died. About a million of these have become refugees in Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries. As human beings, shouldn't we be concerned about them or with a double standard be complacent because it is committed by our “democratic” government?

That is where I have my doubt about the genuineness when reading Professor Alemayehu's articles on the human rights, including his recent article on children's rights. Is he is genuinely an advocate of human rights?

I have no problem if he is an advocate of human rights. Human rights advocacy has no boundaries and limits. As the English say, charity begins at home. So, I request him to stand for the rights of so many citizens of his adopted country before talking about other places. He should not condemn a Senator who showed great sympathy and took concrete action to raise and educate a girl whose very existence may have been imperiled.

I have tried to read some of his articles, in particular the one on HR2003 where he was elaborating in very lengthy and tedious article in reference to the US constitution. A voracious reader as I am, I was not able to finish it because it did not relate to the history of my country and to its current realities. I found the article to be sort of a legal thesis written for academicians and not ordinary persons like myself. The trouble with academicians is that they are encapsulated in their academic world and believe that the world should move according to the many theories in their heads. As they have not proved their theories in the real world, they feel comfortable staying in the academic campus. Academic knowledge is one thing and leading a nation is another thing. To lead a nation requires that you live with the people and share their lives, hardship, desire and aspirations.

HR2003 is one, which attempts to trample on the sovereignty of our country and has no bearing whatsoever. Change can only come from within and not from outside. It is the objective reality in Ethiopia, which can bring about a change and not as the academician who is its main proponent wants us to believe by imposition by a foreign superpower.

The professor has not seen Ethiopia for decades, but he does not have to because he is loaded with a lot of hypotheses, theories and exaggerated rumors about Ethiopia. On account of this, he has the audacity to believe he is authoritative enough to write about the human rights situation in Ethiopia.

In reality, Ethiopia changed in the seventeen years of Derg rule from what the professor knew Ethiopia while living there early on. It has now even evolved more than ever before after it has been declared a federal republic. Ethiopia is now a nation where power has devolved from the center to the different nations and nationalities determining their own development and destiny. It is a nation mobilized under a federal democratic structure, which is growing, and being strengthened by its people. There is no more a governor and administrator assigned from the center to impose central rule and an official language. People are empowered to determine their respective social, economic, political and cultural issues with the ultimate objective of improving the livelihood of their people. They have all the right to develop their languages and be a part of a federal republic where diversity fully recognized. It is this system in place that is enabling the country to achieve a ten percent annual economic growth hitherto unheard of in Ethiopia's history.

Professor Alemayehu is not really an advocate of human rights as he tries to make us believe with his legal jargons. He is one of the Diaspora Kinijit members as we have observed from his reportage on the visit of another academician Dr. Berhanu Nega. I have nothing against that as it is his prerogative and I don't want to interfere in that.

However, for better clarity one would recommend the Kinijit Diaspora to read what Dr. Meamer Menasemay wrote in February/March 2005 before the election. The title of his article was “Beyond the 2005Election”.

In a very well thought article, Dr. Menasemay pointed out the weaknesses of the opposition parties. He stated that unlike the incumbent government which very well recognized the ills and injustices suffered by a large population of different nations and nationalities, the opposition did not acknowledge these and did not desire to face them squarely. This did not enable them to be a viable opposition. Instead of broadening their constituencies at home, they opted for endorsement by the Diaspora community. I wish Kinijit had heeded to Dr. Menasemay's farsighted advice.

What is so admirable about Dr. Menasemay is that his analysis and prophesy about two and half years ago is what we are witnessing about Kinijit today.

Professor Alemayehu and his Diaspora supporters are very radical in their concern about Ethiopia. This is not only characteristic of the Ethiopian Diaspora but all other Diaspora as well. You may have heard in the news recently of the Cuban Diaspora in Florida announcing the death of Fidel Castro and celebrating. Because the Diaspora will not be affected and because they are far away from the stage of operation, they are safe and prefer taking a radical position, which is contrary to the objective reality.

From the many noises that one hears, one understands that for the first time there is an interest from the Diaspora to be part of the ongoing development in Ethiopia. Seeing or hearing from the progress that is taking place, everyone of Ethiopian origin wants to be part of it and a stakeholder. That is a positive trend, as it has not been written off as a country incapable of development.

In conclusion, for those who are in the same standing as the Professor Alemayehu, one can give this piece of advice. With an opposition that attempts to bring change peacefully, there is ample room in Ethiopia. All Ethiopians can live harmoniously and harness all their talents to the benefit and betterment of the country. No need to advocate foreign intervention to bring change. In the words of General Macarthur, I say “My country, right or wrong”.