The Agony of Defeat and White lie for Al Mariam!

Zeru Hagos

Sep 2, 2007

While the white lies fly around unabated on the coming of convicted but pardoned kinijit leaders to the USA, the truth of the matter is Kinjit is divided and the US may have had it with the extremist supporters of Kinijit deep appetite for extremism by denying/delaying visa for Hailu Shawel. Engineer Hailu in his latest interview at Ethiopiawinet Radio, not at current Affair pal talk room or any Berhnau Nega affiliated media outlets in Washington DC or elsewhere, but Ethiopiawinet radio owned by Shaleqa Yoseph supporter, disclosed and exposed one of the white lie. Eng Hailu is not waiting for the new Ethiopian year to pass since he wants to remain with his people within the country during this momentous millennium occasion! Eng Hailu said the US is denying him a visa! A visa he desperately needs to come to the USA so that his supporters can parade him as hero during the millennium celebration in Washington DC. I want to say good job USA but Hailu shrewd he is probably came out public hoping his noisy Diaspora will make enough noise for him to get a visa!

The other lie is the Al Mariam group in its earliest press release told the world they are working hard to facilitate the leaders arrival, when in fact one of the leader Dr Berhanu Nega is already touring the west. While the Shaleqa group did not hide their displeasure with Berhnau Nega, by failing to recognize Dr Berhanu’s name in one of their press release telling the world he is out of the country and will appear in New York this coming week, the Al Mariam group has been trying to hide the fracture by lying to the public about the whereabouts of Dr Berhanu Nega when they failed to disclose Dr Berhanu’s arrival. I cannot wait what they will say when Dr Berhanu appears in New York this coming week and Hailu Shawel fly’s to Germany as he disclosed during the interview. The extremists have been in deep shock instead of deep happiness since the release of these leaders. Reality has sunk in and the agony of defeat for sure is taking its toll on them. Who would have thought yesterday an obscure person by the name of Al Mariam will be THE MAN in Diaspora town not Berhnau Mewa or Andargachew?

Why are kinijit leaders eager to travel abroad? Do they really have a voting constituent in the Diaspora? Can Ethiopian democracy be helped when the main constituents of an opposition party are in Diaspora? These and many other questions come to my mind always and one day I hope I will get an answer. The US if it is a friend of Ethiopia and a partner in the democratization process should seriously consider how to deal with Ethiopian opposition forces that are fond of extremists. It should not help forces that are hell bent to destroy the meticulously formed strategic partnership with Ethiopia!