The Mandela Syndrome

Looking at Dr. Yacob’s letter from Kaliti a lot of things come to one’s mind.  Why a letter, especially one that does not show any remorse about past activities.

It is clear to every one, EPRDF’s supporters or opposition that the CUD was clearly intent on taking political power by ANY MEANS.  While CUD officers in Ethiopia may have not volunteered to clearly spell this position,  their Diaspora supporters in Europe and North America have.  They clearly stated time and again that the Woyane as they call the current government is finished whether it wins loses the election .  Then CUD leaders on the ground clearly showed this intent through their clear support for whatever  physical and violent opposition took place . It did not matter to them how this was done.  If the only way it could be done was by mounting violence and hatred against an ethnic group it was acceptable to them.  The few statements they issued to “condemn” the ethnic components of opposition activities largely in response to international pressure were half hearted.  Then also many in the opposition leadership have a history of contempt against certain ethnic groups some beginning from school days. Diaspora elements, which follow opposition politicians, will clearly remember Dr. Yacob’s repeated statements that “Ethiopia wants to secede from Tigray.”

The theory that the sole motive for CUD leaders engagement in opposition politics was to change Ethiopia’s image as the least developed beggar state, does not wash. The history of the prime leaders of CUD including Dr. Yacob has been about ascendancy to power at any cost.  This has taken the form of struggles like red terror and white terror.  The few that had a chance to exercise state power even if for a brief period were responsible for thousands of killings.   In their last desperate attempt to come to power in 2005 Red Terrorists formed a coalition with White Terrorists.  On the other hand one would be hard pressed to find anything these leaders had contributed to Ethiopia’s economic development even at the level of their own villages of birth.  Even if one were to assume they are genuine about their desire to develop Ethiopia, history is not on their side.  Unfortunately for all of us there is very little empirical evidence in the world to suggest that democracy was a pre requisite for economic development.  On the contrary non-democrats led most of the current economic tigers during most of their substantive years of development. To its credit Ethiopia on the other hand is showing a lot of democratic and economic growth.

So then why the letter from Kalit?  Do people remember how supporters used to call the Honorable Lidetu Ayalew a Mandela?  Now of course the same people call him a traitor.   Some one volunteered to explain that to me.  To be associated with Mandela is to be associated with greatness and every one wants to be great.  None of the present prisoners have any element of Mandela’s greatness. But the other element of the association with Mandela is his struggle against apartheid designed by European colonizers.  The volunteer told me that the present Waoyane leaders are not Ethiopians and that their assumption of power befits the description   of the proponents of apartheid.  That may be a feasible explanation.

What ever the motives were for the prisoners’ letters, there is one important thing they have missed.  In a country where the vast majority of the people are in their 30’s these so called leaders have long passed their retirement age.  The very few of them who may not qualify for retirement have forfeited their right by either staying abroad far from reality for too long or by engaging themselves in irrelevant ideologies.  I do not wish them to rote in prison but I cannot think of many that I would wish to lead Ethiopia.

Ibrahim Abdella

Jan 31, 2007