Ethiopian Delegates in Los Angeles

By: D. Amdemichael

Distinguished Ethiopian delegates led by H.E. Ato Addisu Legesse, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Agriculture and H.E. Ato Ayalew Gobeze, President of the Amhara State, arrived in Los Angeles on August 20, 2006. The group, possessing an incredible stamina, mirroring the country’s vibrancy, was buoyant. Meeting high level Orange County officials in Anaheim, addressing a packed Ethiopian audience in Los Angeles, they were unreserved in giving of their time and energy, even after twenty hours flight from Addis Ababa. Additionally, demonstrating their desire to communicate with the Ethiopian Diaspora in the United States, they listened attentively and answered unflinchingly. Reacquainting the country with those of us bogged down with pessimism and puzzlement, a hard task, they accomplished a remarkable achievement.

While it’s undeniable that Ethiopia has a daunting task ahead of her, the incisive and sagacious Ato Addisu brilliantly and confidently explained his government’s engagement in building in the various regions, bringing Ethiopia closer to the age of the modern world. He went on to say that the massive road construction, the installation of electric power in every part of Ethiopia, telephone access to millions even in remote places, added with capacity building to facilitate production, will redouble the effort to root out poverty from the nation.

Ato Addisu is cognizant of the security threats (just as Russia, India, Indonesia, America, Egypt or even Jordan is), but he elaborated that fear will not deter his nation from marching forward. He said confidently – and I will quote him verbatim – that Ethiopia will defend her territories, fight for her interests and annihilate her enemies decisively come hell or high water.

You can’t help but be enamored by him.

He added that efforts to ameliorate the economic poverty of the people, the drive to build more schools and higher institutions, the attempt to improve the quality of services in the health sector will not slow, now or in the future. He seemed driven, as if he had seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and was moving toward it at record speed.

Ato Addisu, in my eyes, is a man who represents a government whose heart is in the right place. I witnessed that in his eloquence, completely free of drama and undeterred by the naysayers’ loud protests, showing the courage of his convictions. Outlining the philosophy of his government for the future of Ethiopia, he concluded with verve – an exuberant enthusiasm and liveliness even after twenty hours of flight.

Then we heard the elaborate report of the progress in the Amhara region by Ato Ayalew Gobeze. Talk about confidence, oratory, statistical mind and commanding knowledge of his subject matter, this man has it.

The numbers, however, are staggering, and scintillating if I may add. Health clinics, for example, which were only 421 in 1991, in the Amhara region (that is including Gondar, Wollo, Shoa and Gojjam), are now 2025; hospitals now 16, an increase of seven for the same period.

Ato Ayalew’s figures are mind-boggling. Elementary schools that were 2175 in 1991 have jumped to 4650, more than double for a region that saw a lethargic improvement in the previous administrations. You can almost say that the Amharas that were pitifully neglected and forgotten by those who traded on their name in the past, are now euphoric with delight. Imagine that Ethiopia, which had only one university for 40 or 50 million people, is now boasting a few in the Amhara region alone, with a planned expansion of Bahir-Dar and Gondar universities in the near future to accommodate more faculties. Three more universities, one in Debre-Birhan, one in Debre-Marcos and one in Dessie, are scheduled to open in the next five years.

Ato Ayalew brought along with him a booklet, filled with information, graphically describing projects accomplished and projects in the works. In the areas of the health sector, the expansion of roads, the magnificent results in farming, the construction of bridges and the development in the mining industry, all is fascinating.

I came to hear these delegates’ views slightly tendentious, but came out completely convinced that Ethiopia is on the right track. The irony is it is the few extremists in the Diaspora, who are hell-on-wheels, driven by their own biases, who are unable to see the progress the country has made thus far.

I can see why. Some are afraid that if they learn about the incredible development the country has made, they will lose their base support. They will be out of commission. Their credibility will suffer, and as a result, the best way to protect their interests is to ask the skittish Diaspora to boycott the delegates’ forum.

Otherwise, what else is there to lose?

In conclusion, I’d like to say that the industrious and charismatic delegation led by Ato Addisu has buoyed up a lot of people, including some disbelievers, with the knowledge that Ethiopia is at last marching forward. Our Ambassador here in the Los Angeles area, H.E. Ato Taye A. Selassie, Consul-General of Los Angeles also must be applauded for his indefatigable energy to make this occasion a reality.

In my previous piece entitled “The Enemies of the Nation” posted on several websites, I referred to, in the first paragraph, that the enemies of the nation are truly obsessed in their drive to destroy the EPRDF and view any success by the government as immaterial. They would rather root for Ethiopia’s enemies than to celebrate her success. “The Derg adherents from the Diaspora are lately rooting for Somalia’s Sheik Aweys to be stronger and fight their battle, by removing the EPRDF and hand over the crown to them,” was what I stated in that piece and it’s prevalent in the demonstrations that occurred on the delegations visit to the Bay Area.

However, according to AIGA, the visit in Seattle was successful and we are proud of our guests. I believe there will be more successes in the future.

Again, welcome to America!