HR 2003 the Modern version of ‘Wuchale’ Agreement

I am not historian. But I have learned Ethiopian history at my high school and first year at the university and made me to know a little bit about what things have had happened in the past. But, in case, if I am talking something erroneously out of our history, beg your pardon and ask you to excuse me for that. In this small commentary I want to talk about the so called HR 2003, which I say it ‘the modern version of ‘Wuchale’ Agreement’. I read HR2003 and I have also been reading articles and commentaries since its inception time.

As I am now living out of Ethiopia, I am very close to what most of the Diasporas are feeling and saying about it. I have a very firm stand that only few Diasporas, would rather say uncountable of them, want to see their country’s integrity is being sold in the name of democracy and social justice. I have been as well watching video clips came out from the meeting of US sub-committee for Africa and Global health held on HR 2003 in last times. I have watched various clips and read testimony texts written and read by so called CUD ‘leaders’.

But, unfortunately, it all dragged me to a deeper depression.  It adds on me a chilling factor over my feeling of proud citizenship. It poured hell ice cold feeling over my proudness of being black African, more over Ethiopian. The very logic behind all this fuss seems to fail to see that I am a person, should rather say we are the people, who can stand independently, have never ever lean to ask any outsiders for an administrative correction to be done at home as a nation. The whole thing for me is a shame, sorry to say that!

Simply, it is giving rooms to the others to flatter at us later after we get finished what we come up to tell them. It is admitting us as a weak nation that has already given up for problems prevailing inside our beloved motherland.

It is a fact that we are materially poor, but not spiritually, but not intellectually and culturally. It well known that we are not rich with artifacts, but we are very confident to say that we are more than wealthy with spirit of love for humanity and diversity. We are proud and one the few oldest nations in the world. We have been administering ourselves for years with graspable successes, and of course have lived with our national problems by working on them quiet independently in an Ethiopian way. At present, we are proudly shining again with great successes of prosperity and are reconfirming that we are still an African icon, Ethiopia.

There is a simple logic here that most of the so called opposition party leaders, particularly the CUD ones, always failing to understand and transgress: i.e. if you want to be respected, first give respect to yourself. It is very simple, very plain saying, but hard to pragmatically stick on it especially in political struggles. The leaders of CUD are watched in the US congress hall while they were prostrating before the present so called ‘democracy extenders’. If you ask me to ask Americans or any other country nations to solve our internal political problems, let alone I would do that, I wouldn't even think for a second. Pushing political interests in this kind of way has actually streamed from ill-psychology which doesn’t give proper respect for ourselves. NEVER EVER!!

I am not in full agreement with all EPRDF's political ideologies. But I believe that EPRDF leaders are more like me than US congressman Donald Payne, with all due respect, to appeal for wrong things to be corrected whatsoever. I will never give up or tired to ‘ethiopianically’ condemning and criticizing EPRDF until things get on their right track.  Nonetheless, the outcomes of my struggle are kept on turning out to be negatives, I shall not ever go to the other country’s congress and make prostrations until they come to my sovereign and independent country and correct the so called human right and democracy problems. Shame on me, curse on me, if I ever externalize my internal weakness to outsiders. May political saying or position could probably be a bit wired to some of you who know politics. I am not politician. But I would say here one thing. I would prefer to die in whatever form of destitution rather than be jeweled after I am morally and ethically not myself anymore. Let GOD put a glowing metal piece on my tongue, if I condemn myself in front of others seeking solutions from them for my own problems. AMEEEEEN!!! 

What I am talking is very simple thought. I see HR 2003 this way. I am a properly proud African, who believes in democracy and equality. I strongly believe that human, economic and social rights of the people of any nation, let alone to my country fellows’ basic rights, should be cherished. The realization of ensuring these basics of democratic governance outputs would not sleep that much on time, if those properly proud African leaders take the lead of the march for a change in governance all over Africa. However the preachment of all those humanitarianly, socially, economically and politically  desired goals would be only just talk, if g ‘leaders’, who are suffering from consistent self-rejection and self-intimidation take the position of leadership of march for democracy and social change. This time around, I am not getting worried only to the fate of Ethiopia as a country. But I am very afraid this illness of ‘self-intimidation’ would consequently get contagious to all of vulnerable Africans. Then our black heroes, such as Malcom-X, Martin Lutter King, the pieties; and Nelson Mandela, our living legend before he leaves this world for good with his great proud of being an African and an ever shining icon for freedom struggle shall see soon when we are going to be voluntarily  re-colonized  again. The very shame part of it is it all starts from Ethiopia by few greedy, ‘political position-starving’ party leaders, from the country which has never been colonized. I think I should stop here now. My head is getting hot and hot. The more I think and write about this issue the more I suffer from sort of aches. I can not finish writing what my entire mind is telling me about this specific issue anyway.

Peace and Love to you all, and we pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering from self-intimidation syndrome, until they get their head up and feel that they are very human and equal to others, though they are from materially poor country, but rich in diversity and love.

I came to understand what had been going on in Tayitu’s mind during ‘Wuchale’ agreement only now. Thanks to HR 2003 formulators and its advocates who made me to get Etege Tayitu’s mind correctly. She didn’t do Phd or masters in international relations, economics or politics like us to sneak in and grasp firmly the main theme of the plot of the then, but she had neck full of courage, proud beautiful strongest an African first lady, not to give hands for others. This is the history of my ‘poor’ great nation, Ethiopia!!

Stay with your mind!

Regards,

Kelebet Adem

10/23/07