WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?

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By: Getahun Gebre Amlak
March 24, 2006

While the diatribe of Alem G. was sickening here comes another one that poses as a scholar who knows it all or was he there all the time? Fessehaye Woldu pretends to be well read and versed on matters of Africa. This he does by naming names and stating what they presumably have said or written. He can go on doing this because no one is going to check the veracity of his assertions. Yet all it shows is his ignorance.

What is sad about the work of people like Fessehaye is that fear of the brutal dictator in Asmara seems to be their guiding principle. Their motto seems “ you can have a critical stand on Eritrea as long as you have nothing good or positive to say about Ethiopia in general and Tigrai in particular. Fessehaye is one such person. If that is not the case how can he make so many feeble assertions and lies to his countrymen? People like Fessehaye seem to have a low esteem or opinion of their countrymen. They do not seem to think that there are Eritreans who know the reality in Ethiopia to day, nor do they believe that people should be told the truth. Like the dictator in Asmara, people like Fessehaye Woldu seem to think that they can tell the people anything and that the people will believe what they are told. Surely the Eritrean people are not that ignorant! I am sure that it is not true. Many Eritreans do know the reality on the ground even though they choose to keep their silence.

Now read what Fessehaye has to say about the great African leader Kuame Nkrumah. There could be no better proof that he has no inkling about recent African History. If he had read his history books as he pretends to have done he wouldn't have written what he has. Ghana under Nkrumah was under going total transformation. I recommend that he reads and re-read what the great Swedish Economist Dr.Gunnar Myrdal wrote about Kuwame Nkrumah. According to Myrdal had Kuwame Nkrumah not been overthrown by the Americans, the way Ghana was going it would have out stripped Southern Europe Economically. The building of the great Akosombo dam and the massive hydroelectric station and the rapid transformation of basic infrastructures that was going on under Nkrumah, Ghana was definitely changing. I am sure Fessehaye Woldu had not even heard of the Ghana National Construction Company (GNCC) and its hundreds of projects across the breadth and length of Ghana. I did visit Ghana at the time of the great Kuwame Nkrumah. Everywhere you go you saw development work going on. You read the sign GNCC project no. X,Y,Z … hundreds of them. As an African you felt pride by what was going on in Ghana then. In Nkrumah's Ghana one saw hope, indeed great promise that change and development was after all possible in Africa. But then Fessahaye Woldu will have no idea of the reality in Ghana at the time of Nkrumah. Here is one example Ghana had the raw material for aluminium, and the huge electric supply from the Akosombo dam. Nkrumah had an idea of making Ghana number one aluminium producer in the world. But, he did not have the money to acquire the capital goods needed. He made one cardinal mistake. Ghana entred into agreement with an American aluminium producing company. But, what the great Nkrumah did not foresee was that producing aluminum in Ghana was contrary to American interest. The Americans had a huge investment in aluminum in Latin America; Development in Ghana could have undermined their interest. Thus they staged or rather orchestrated a coup and had Nkrumah overthrown while he was in a state visit in Asia. Thus they extinguished one of the bright sun of Africa, and doused all hope for change. Ghana has not been well ever since. The subsequent failure in Ghana has nothing to do with the Great Nkrumah.

Why do people like Fessehaye tell lies? There has not been constitutional amendment in Ethiopia. In any case had Fessehaye read the Ethiopian constitution there is no need to amend because there is no limit to the terms of office of the PM. PM Meles Zenawi could continue to be the PM forever. The only conditions are: (a) that his party has the majority of seats in parliament and (b) that he is elected as the Head of his Party and has a seat in parliament. Ethiopian democracy is a constitutional democracy and not a Presidential like the USA. Please read and learn about the differences between the two systems. I also suggest that you read about the system in Britain and other constitutional democracies. PM Tony Blair of Britain could lead his country as long as he is the Head of his party and as long as his party commands the majority seats in Parliament. However, the President in Ethiopia could serve two terms only.

Ethiopia is a democratic country, and democracy in Ethiopia is irreversible. One only hopes that responsible opposition parties will emerge and flourish that is parties that are not surrogates of dictators like Knijit is of the Sha'ebia. Ethiopian economy is booming. I wish you were here Fessehaye this week. Every government official is facing the press and stating what his ministry has and has not achieved. Please read what the Washington Post in one of its editions this week had to say about the Ethiopia economy.

The Ethiopian farmer is changing. He is speaking in terms of cash. His income is in thousands of Birr. Many a farming family has to day passed the minimum income of 18,500 Birr a year income needed for a family of five. They are to day talking in terms of tens of thousands of Birr income. Household food self-sufficiency will be realized in the coming four to five years.

Industries are mushrooming at a fast rate all over Ethiopia. Ethiopian export is being diversified and growing at a very fast rate. Last years growth was over 30% and there is no doubt that this year the country will do even better. May be if you visit one of the department stores you could buy things made in Ethiopia. Go buy a shirt, a truck-suit or a leather jacket made in Ethiopia and enjoy.

I am not going to go down to your level. From your name I can see that you are from Kebessa Eritrea. This makes you a Tigraian. There is no parochialism in Tigrai. All Tigraians are proud to be Ethiopians, indeed the very root of Ethiopia. They have joined hands with their brother and sisters from all over Ethiopia and are doing their share in building a democratic Ethiopia, an Ethiopia whose people will soon be self-sufficient. This is happening. Again read the many International Reports. Ethiopia is going to achieve the MDG on time. Do you by any chance know what the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) is? Read and learn. You should campaign, work hard and fight dictatorship in you beloved Eritrea and see that it becomes a free country. Let us hope that the sacrifice paid by Eritreans during their thirty years of their bitter struggle was not in vein and that one day soon, the dictator in Asmara will vanish from the scene and your people, our brothers will realize their dream.

Adieu, ciao, goodbye for now.

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