Is Shabia a Bad Apple in Eritrea? A Response to Fithi Mehari

I have been reading Fithi Mehari's writings with interest because he sounds the most open-minded Eritrean. I would like to cast some of my critics on some of his ideas.

Yes, it is true, Eritreans are our people. I do not think any Ethiopian has to read books to understand that. They are our people 100 %. We Ethiopians love them equally with the rest of Ethiopians. Yes, they are related to us by blood, culture, history,.... I have never come cross an Ethiopian who says Eritreans are not Ethiopian or Habesha except themselves.

In your writing you put in hierarchy that you are related first to Tigreans then to Amharas,.... Once again it is true you are my brother by blood and all ways of life. However, I am critical of you that why you align yourself that way. Where I am living now, my tribe or my kinship, my ethnic, my religion, my nationality does not cross my mind because I am only treated as human being. I do not violate the right, the dignity and integrity of any human being based on ethnic, tribe, religion, nationality,.... The law in the country I reside protects all human equally. When I queue in the doctors office, in the bank,.... I am served according to my queue on the principle of first come first serve. If it was in Ethiopia or in Eritrea, I would be picked out from the queue either by the nurse, doctor or manager whom I know or whom I am related by blood or tribe or ethnic This is how people treat each other in both sides. This is unfair, unjust, and backward way of doing things. Ethiopians and Eritreans must stop this ways of treating each other. I suggest you should love all people. We are all humans who live on this planet very short life. There is no need to discriminate based on such bases. Our ways of doing things is not helping us to live together in peace. As you can witness our old ways of doing things is tearing us apart.

In your writing, you attempted to back track the roots of the hatred between Eritreans and Ethiopians. I do not agree that Ethiopians have any deep rooted irrational hatred against Eritreans. If there are Ethiopians who have deep rooted and irrational hatred against Eritreans, I say they must root it out. Leave alone to Eritreans who are our people in all perspectives, it is not good to keep record of grudges forward against any human. It is not worthwhile to any human being to do that. You have mentioned that Haileslassie stated that he wanted the Eritrean land, not

the people. Haileslassie has gone long ago, he is dead, not even buried very well and mourned according to our traditon. Todays king is tomorrow dead. We cannot live in the past. It is not good to keep record of past evils and to dwell on them. All Ethiopian leaders so far has been brutal one way or the other to all Ethiopians, not only to Eritreans. Every day is a new day and every new day is an opportunity for us to start a new brand history and course of action. The past is past. We cannot live in the past. We must live in the present and work for better future. It is pointless to dwell in the evil of the past. If Haileslassie foolishly says one bad word which demeans Eritrean, it was a mistake by one person, it was not a mistake by all Ethiopians. I have heard of many hate words of Haileslassie, but it is useless and pointless to live in Haileslassie's words since he was a human too with all his shortcomings like all of us.

The big problem with Eritreans is that they have created a non-existent imaginary identity and they have a deep rooted unjustifiable irrational hatred against Ethiopians. They do not want to associate themselves with Ethiopia. They also say Ethiopians are poor and destitute and probably that is why they hate us. We are poor, we Ethiopians are very very proud for who we are regardless the level of our poverty. We are poor, our poverty has been aggravated by the war with Shabia, now almost half a century. If Ethiopia could have invested all the resources it wasted to fight Shabia in development, by now Ethiopian could have 100 Universities, 100 hospitals,.... This is to say that Eritrea has been the major contributer to our poverty. Moreover, Ethiopia is not poor naturally, the poverty is due to bad leadership. There is no a rich country in Africa than Ethiopia in terms of all aspects. There are countries in Africa rich in mineral, oil,... but wealth is not only material. Wealth includes natural resources, cultural heritage, spiritual prosperity,....

Ethiopia has fresh water which is much precious than any precious metal, stone or oil. There are only Two countries in the world which has an infinite fresh water like Ethiopia in the world, DRC Congo, and Turkey. If Ethiopia could use its water resources it does not need rain. It can feed the whole world healthy organic food, it can be a bread basket. Ethiopia has a lot of things to offer even to the world. This is to say that Eritreans are wrong to portray us as we are poor naturally.

Besides Ethiopia's natural resources are still intact, who knows we may have oil reserves, mineral serves,... we have the highest geothermal

energy reserve in Denakil, a good prospect for future Ethiopia to harness geothermal energy which I ,myself, am very interested in. This is to say Eritreans lose nothing if they live in harmony with fellow Ethiopians in peace than to gain.

You did not give any alternatives for your concerns. It appears to me that you are asking the TPLF to go on serving the Eritreans at a loss. I think TPLF has done more than necessary to Eritreans. Eritreans were allowed to have double citizenship. Before the war, TPLF treated Eritreans not only as a first citizen, but more than a first citizen. Other Ethiopians were marginalized at that time. Actually Eritreans were mistreating other Ethiopians as a second citizen. I think all that was wrong. I think the issue of Eritrea must be handled legally and publicly again with all Ethiopians and Eritreans having unfettered freedom to have dialogue at all levels. This is not an issue between Eritrean and Tigrean. It is an issue between Ethiopians and Eritreans for mutual co-existence and prosperity. This is my opinion.

If TPLF goes on turning deaf ear to the concern of all Ethiopians to the further appeasement of Shabia, TPLF will disappear from the scene before it realize it. We are tired of TPLF's deaf ear and Shabias endless war game. TPLF has been serving Shabia so far, but the Eritreans never got yet. Ato Meles is the most hated man in Ethiopia because of his favoritism to Eritrea, but Eritreans never got yet. I am sure Meles himself we realize now it is pointless to follow that path. I wonder how Eritreans will cope if a nationalist person takes over from Meles. Now even if Meles keep quiet, it will boil over one day and go up to Asmara and TPLF will lose power in the process and either the war will go on or come to an end.

The United state is the union of many small states; Canada is the union of many states. All the states in the United states and Canada were colonized by different colonizers. They had borders between them unlike Eritrea. All the Europeans has become now one country with one currency and with one visa for all Europeans. Why are Eritreans obsessed with the creation of a non-existent border? In further, If Eritreans have no clear vision what they want and who they are, it will be hard to live with them either as a neighbor or as part of Ethiopia. Thus Eritrean need to

come to their sense and define themselves clearly.

What is going on now? Ethiopians are in the captivity of Issayas now, he has released the Europeans because he like to obey his slave masters, but he has kept the Ethiopians in his desert captivity. What is the option for TPLF? As far as myself, I do not support war, but at the same time I could not suggest any alternatives. Having seen all the terrorist activities of Shabia, I do not have any alternative to suggest which implies there may be an avoidable war sooner or later. Shabia never think it can co-exist with Ethiopia. It has the mindset that the only way to prosper Eritrea is by playing war game and terrorist game with Ethiopia and finally by destroying Ethiopia. Shabia thinks this is the only way which will guarantee Eritrean prosperity.

Are there any good Eritreans like Fithi? If so, why they do not denounce the terrorist activities of Shabia in addis which has shed many innocent lives? Why they do not denounce the abduction of innocent Ethiopians from their itinerary in the desert?

In conclusion, if Ethiopia has to go to war again, this war must be the last one forever, Ethiopia cannot keep on bleeding without end. Ethiopia has done more than enough thus far, Eritreans are not coming forward. If Eritreans does not help Meles, now Meles will leave them for good because they are abusing the opportunities he has given them at his disposal. Issayas is now like a spoiled old boy of Meles even though Issayas is much older than Meles.

Gezaee Hailemichael, March 18, 2007