NO TO DOUBLE STANDARD!

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS TO

Mr. AMBASSODOR' S ARTICLE

BY ALO ABA NEGASHU

SEPTEMBER 29, 2007

Thank you Mr. Ambassador. Nothing but the truth. We have got to do, what we have got to do to expose the practice of double standard of the West against poor nations. One way to expose this unfair practice is to speak out. This is not the first time our country exposed to double standard of the West. We have seen worst. Our for fathers did their part not to succumb to double standard, and we will do any thing and every thing in our power to continue that legacy.

It is a well known fact and a grim reality that the West always has a double standard to poor nations. It is the extension of racist out- look and misguided believe that white life worth more value than black life. But we proud Ethiopian children, unlike some of shameless and pride less diaspora who are trying to confirm the Western supremacy in the name of HR 2003,will fight to death just like our fathers did to protect our country from any thereat in any shape or form, and we will come up on top again.

Efforts like promoting HR 2003 confirms to the west that double standard is right. In a way, it tells the Westerners that we blacks in Africa don't know how to act and live to the satisfaction of the West. It implies in unambiguous way that whites are superior and we Ethiopians, blacks, are inferior.

For example, read one of the CUD leaders Dr. Yakob's recent thank you speech in front of the European Parliament. While he knew very well that the Ethiopian government never flinched to any foreign pressure regarding their incarceration, he went ahead any way and thank the European parliament with special emphasis to Ana Gomez for their release with out mentioning the tireless effort of Ethiopian elderlies (Shimagiles ) that secured their freedom. In fact, not only he went as far as to say that Ana Gomez would have been elected should she run for office in Ethiopia but also he shamelessly implied that had it not been for Portuguese intervention,where Ana Gomez is from, during one part of our history, the survival of Ethiopia would had been in question. What a shame! Do you blame the West when as educated a person as Dr. Yakob practically telling them that you are better than us and I am a witness? I don't. That kind of remark coming out of an educated black man to Westerners will perpetuate this double standard in Westerners mind for a long time. His friends in US has never mentioned or has done any prayers before or after any meetings to the kids who needlessly perished following their misguided adventure. On the other hand , these pride less individuals who want to lead our country go out of their way to thank Westerners both in US and Europe.

Tewodrose chose to take his life than to see the injustice that follows his surrender to British ( Western country ) even if it meant leaving a young child behind-Alemayehu. Compare that to gutless Hailu Shawul who said that he signed the pardon letter because there were some among them who have young children. Remember also the excuse he gave in BBC's Hard Talk interview that he worked with Dergue because he has to raise his kids. He never takes responsibility for his action. To come back to the point I want to make, Minilik also refused Italians double standard in the form of The Wuchale Treaty and fought to death so to speak to protect the sovereignty of our country. The Great Balcha Aba Nefso died when he try to liberate his country against Fascist Italy even if he was under house arrest by Haile Silase until the the second Italian invasion. He did not allow his personal grudge with the King to deter him from protecting his country from western invasion. He chose to die than to see the blatant double standard that comes with colonialism So, Dr. Yakob's booth licking act in front of European parliament should not be mistaken as a vindictive measure for his imprisonment against EPRDF. His disgraceful action in front of the European Parliament is simply manifesting his slave mentality disguised as diplomacy. The same goes to his compatriots that work very hard to pass HR 2003 in Washington, DC.

But we proud Ethiopians will let the West know that in no time in our history, we surrender to any form of doubles standard and The Victory of Adwa and Maychew are clear testimony to that fact.

We know our history. White men were hanging on trees and were living in caves when we build palaces out of one rock. That didn't make our lives more worthwhile than the rest of humanity. Now, the westerners advances in technology than we do, and that shouldn't make their lives more worthwhile than the rest of humanity neither. Our country is poor. Our poverty, how ever, must not be a scale for us to be measured in different standard.

We were shocked when we witnessed the 9/11 attack on innocent civilians by terrorists in New York City, not because they were Americans ; but we felt that that mind less attack against defenseless civilians was an attack against humanity. We would have felt the same if that happens to any country. That is why Ethiopia is sending more than seven thousand soldiers to Darfur to protect the innocent civilians that are suffering needlessly while the West witnesses unquestionable genocide as we speak. The Western media coverage and intervention in former Yugoslavia during the Kosovo crisis indicates this long- lived and long-practiced double standard as compared to the inaction of the same Westerners when Rwandans kill each other in hundred thousands with out any intervention from Western nations. These clearly shows the double standard of the west against Africa and other poor nations.

We, Ethiopians, how ever, reject this double standard because we believe it is wrong and unfair practice. Ethiopia has been and still is our higher value. We will never surrender the higher value Ethiopia to a lower value whether that value is in the form of double standard – not considering the Ogaden massacre against defenseless innocent civilians as a terrorist act hence naming the perpetrator's organization as a terrorist organization – or money - aid that comes with some kind of attachment that jeopardize our sovereignty. We prefer our freedom with our poverty than to be rich and measured in double standard.

We have never been colonized because we Ethiopians refused to accept the fact that some body else dictates our internal affairs. We sincerely believe that every human being is equal. We declined to be indoctrinated with any implicit or explicit ideology that preaches any thing but equality. An enemy is an enemy and a friend is a friend regardless of color, national origin, race, religion, economical standard , or sex. Attacks against any defenseless civilians has to be condemned where ever it happens. We may not have wealth or certain skin color that will enable us to get this long-practice special treatment, nor would we accept that special treatment should we have one, but we have heart and sense of justice. We don't allow to be measured by any body differently but by our own standards. If there is a standard by which every body measured equally, let there be, but, NO! to double standard!

GOD BLESS ETHIOPIA!