Deaf Talk and who is for human right?

Desta Takele

12.02/07

 Since my age allowed me and I began following Ethiopian politics, almost every Ethiopian political organizations, groups and individuals especially PhDs speak and write their believes and ideas about the future of Ethiopia. I am not forgetting those who don’t want to be part of Ethiopia, like ONLF and OLF as if life is better if they join Somalia, or didn’t check with Eritrea. Every Ethiopian tells us how they are Angel and how the other side is bad. They tell us they are always right and the other side is always wrong. They programmed their followers like the motto four legs are good and two legs are bad as George Orwell’s timeless novel “Animal Farm” put it. They scream as loud as they can but no one listens.  As the result, the noise becomes two or more deaf persons’s talk, which is no one listens.

Because of the above culture, the general public is denied the right to be informed and become critical thinker, finding out the truth and have his or her own an independent judgment. In the mean time, almost every one gets away with its unsubstantiated claim, empty rhetoric, and out right lies without being challenged.

In my view, what is missing in our discourse is live debate. Face to face debate among various ideas and beliefs could help us to understand the issues, find common solutions for our common problems, and make a distinction who is right and who is wrong.

In absence of face to face debate, some (non) Ethiopian political organizations, groups and individuals telling us a nation that wiped out native Americans by committing genocide, sold human beings in open auction market because of the color of the skin, put over 2.2 million prisoners, 70% of them minorities because of racial injustice in their justice system, runs extraordinary rendition program with help of European nations, out source torture to Egypt, middle east and former communist countries, practices water board and massive wiretaps and surveillance on citizens is a beacon and champion   of human rights and democracy. 

They are telling us the omnipresent, omniscience, and omnipotent God created the nation to issue a recipe for other countries how they ought to live.

In absence of debate, some groups and individuals get away without being challenged when they disregarded reason, logic, fact, data and common sense. Not only, they defy reason, they become irrational haters in the age of advanced science and technology.

The question is how it is possible for irrational hater to be a human right campaigner though we know it is not about human right.  How it is possible   to be a human right defender when irrational haters hate someone for who he /she is or color of eyes?  How it is possible for irrational haters to be a defender of unity?  Why would they want to live together with the people they hate them so much? Does it make sense?

In my view, some spent their time in school to have academic title so that they can be invited at dinner in social gathering. In a society and country where few had privileges to go to school, our some learned people think they are chosen by divine or their DNA made up is different from the rest of us.

They don’t think it is the opportunity they were given but want to deny to others that made deference between them and Ethiopian farmers. They also think they should be respected just because they got title like our feudal forefathers. However, people should earn respect and judged by the role they played, the contribution they made to make the World more livable and making deference in their community. They think their opinion has absolute truth too.

Human moved from African Savannah (then, didn’t have color, or speak our or over 7,000 current languages) to preset level and made life easy because of knowledge but what is knowledge if we cannot use it for greater good? Nazi had scientists when it exterminated 6 millions Jewish people, Osma Biladen’s deputy, Iyman EL Zawahiri, an Egyptian is a medical doctor but he believes it is OK to kill innocent people who does’t share his faith which is over 5 billion people.

How about our PhDs when they called people not to visit sick, bury the dead if they are not with them, which is they want people to leave humanity and be a monster. Leaving aside whether this view can help Ethiopians to live together, didn’t they accuse the ruling party for not respecting individual freedom of thought?  What happened to Western (sophisticated) style democracy where every individual is entitled to have his or her opinion about his or her world?

Do you remember an Ethiopian scientist who called people to secede from Tigrigna speakers? He called the farmers he never meet a caner.  Do you remember when a PHD read (Belewe, Belelew) his poem to call Ethiopians to slaughtered like Rwanda, how about a medical doctor who chews chat to get high, how about a lawyer representing a case he doesn’t know? That is what Ethiopia is producing.

Do you also remember them when they wrapped up themselves with Ethiopian flag jumped up and down like they were informed family death and denounce Shabia as enemy of Ethiopia.  Where are they now?  Time proved for us it was not about Ethiopia. In my view they can sell their biological mother if they think she worth something.

Under derg, I lost my father, brother and uncles. All of them were farmers.

My uncle Gebru Wendmayehu was executed in Zerima town by Gebrehiwet Gebreegizihabiere to please his mistress. Unlike today, As some of you who joined EPRP at young age and marched to Semien mountain to fight Derg and for social justice remember Gebrehiwet, He was a member of derg committee, a governor of Semien, a notorious killer who dumped bodies in Limalimo cliff, killed many of our region people with Melaku Tafera. They killed Zewale Zegeye by mutilating his body, our governor for suspicions of being member of EPRP, and thousands. They forced mother to dance in the celebration of her child death, charged family the price of the bullet they used to execute, left body in front of the door to surprise family.

The farmers of Gondar and Gojjam were rounded up in middle of night, in market, in the field to be shipped to Humera to work in derg’s own farm like southern plantation and join war front while derg was busy sending their family to Europe and US.  The farmers didn’t get a chance to say good-bye to their family when they were separated and taken from their villages they will never return. 

 So the question is who is for human right?  The men and women who died in Ethiopian hills and valley to bring down the reign of terror, to salvage Ethiopian people from a jaw of killer, who lost their body part and sitting in disability center in Bahrdar OR the one who runs to West to get a title and become consumer in materialistic World?

Who is for human right, men and women who are sharing daily pain and suffering of Ethiopian peasants and struggle to open school and clinic so that Ethiopian mother can’t die from child birth OR the men who is lobbying and protesting to stop assistance to Ethiopian peasants?

Do ex-dergs have a moral ground to accuse any body about human rights on this earth? Do members of Melaku Tefera’s entertainment band, nowadays, the political guru of diasporas  (how laughable and embarrassing), who danced for and glorified their beloved leaders and regime when Ethiopian mothers were crying have a nerve to preach about human right?  There is no limit to our astonishment.  As I said they get away with it.

I blame Ethiopian Information ministry. It is a waste of resources in nation, which begs food every year and where thousands of its children live on the street.  Instead of encouraging debate, clash of views, flow of fresh ideas to inform the public, establish democratic society, and find the truth, it wastes its time and resources with tiresome propaganda. Since its inception, its sole task is one, propaganda. The problem with propaganda is it turns off people and crumbles easily. It doesn’t have credibility. It didn’t help the government.

We are not lucky to have a program like “meet the press” where guests questioned with tough and well-researched questions or “60 minute” investigative report.

Recently, some oppositions are accusing the government for closing their offices and harasses their followers. No reporter bother to question them where, when, why, who, and whom.  Thus, their claim is accepted as truth and they get away with their vague statement.

By the way, these oppositions don’t want to debate among themselves as they did in he last election. They don’t want us to know their differences and similarities. They do not want us to see them when they wash their dirty linen on public. This time, Ethiopian people deserve to know especially after we saw CUD fights. EPRDF should call out sick for some debates and insist to see them having meaningful debate among themselves not lip service. Last time EPRDF helped CUD to be a strong among weak by excluding other political organization from the debate. I hope it gets its lessons. Besides, it is undemocratic to exclude other voices.

A couples of months ago, I went to ETV office to ask questions about its operation and to figure out why only two cities have TV in entire Gondar, specifically why there is no TV in Debark.  After I passed security check, I told information Desk person my reason and asked him to let me talk to some one.  He said, the only way I can talk to someone here is if I am invited, to get invitation, I have to write a letter. Imagine, writing a letter for Ethiopian bureaucrat and expect reply. I told him, this is a government institution and I am already in the office.  He said, NO. I told him my disagreement and demanded to see reporter to tell this story. He said No.  Finally, I asked him what if there is breaking news and want to tell to reporter, he said I have write a letter for breaking news too.

Within a week, I watched the same institution talking about good governances, accountability, and transparency.

I want change but do not have better choice.