Tedla Asfaw
Eng. Hailu Shawel on Civility Room, eighty seven minutes interview on Dec. 5 , came to my attention this week and I had a chance to follow it thanks to the link forwarded to us here on EEDN.
Last weekend moreover I heard on a pal-talk room that Eng. Hailu accepted Article 39 of the TPLF Constitution but no one wrote any piece about it and I understand now that the source of the "acceptance" of Article 39 was the interview I heard on the Civility Room.
A Somali friend asked what Eng. Hailu and his party's stand regarding Article 39 on the last minutes and there was a brief and pointed answer given by Eng. Hailu. He said, he views Article 39 as a combination of two parts and his answer is based on that distinction.
The part of the Article 39 which empowers nations and nationalities in all rights political,economical and cultural is the right he and his party fully support. However, the right for nations and nationalities to go and declare their own independence whenever they choose is not acceptable to his party.
He also said such right has negative repercussion for present nationalities relationship in building trust taken into account our diversified people. He also brought the cost of forming new boundaries by instigating unending conflicts and such right will bring only disaster for the whole people.
For those who accuse AEUP as force to bring the Mengistu days of Unity by all means or the recent Article 39 accusation all are wrong and I commend the Somali friend for bringing this question which is now trying to resolve itself on battle field and for which lot of blood is spilled as we speak by ONLF and TPLF in all out war to control Ogaden.
I am not surprised why this interview was not an issue here in the diaspora like the recent hand shake of Hailu with Meles on many of opposition websites because they could not find tabloid type news to slander Eng. Hailu. One plain truth I heard from Eng. Hailu is that there are many doubters in Addis Ababa for his position similar to the Diaspora opposition against him. He believes as things settle down and the hand shake circus ends people will see all for what it is. Here in diaspora too we are now calm and seeing all our alternatives beyond insulting each other.
However, the rural masses except Somalia and Gambella region are being mobilized by initiative from people and the march to repeat the May 2005 Kinijit victory is on way according to him.
The next months are not smooth and may be deadly too but there is no alternative to it. Let us organize our people and lead them by courage. As Derege Demissie told us on his recent book about his late hero dad, "Ye Meri Feri Enji Ye Hizeb Feri Yeleweme", Leaders can be coward but not the followers. We witnessed that five years ago in our own eye. We can repeat that if brave leaders come to the plate.
