Tedla Asfaw
I watched ten parts of video clips posted on ethiopiafirst.com about the billionaire, the worlds eighties according to the Forbes Magazine, Sheik AL-Amoudi who invested heavily in Ethiopia and hired more than 15,000 workers.
Sheik Al-Amoudi investments are not purely on profit basis in Ethiopia but to establish a ground work for future generations who will follow such experience and also attract foreign investments according to the director who manages most of his investments in Ethiopia.
Living in foreign country and following the news daily I know investment requires stability of a country to attract or keep its domestic educated power locally and our country failed to establish these basic requirements.
A big country like Ethiopia, its problems demand mobilisation of its brain power with the capital investment like Sheik AL-Amoudi and I have no doubt in my mind that Sheik Al-Amoudi could have achieved exponentially than the one we are seeing now in Ethiopia if we have a stable political atmosphere in Ethiopia.
News according to VOA Amharic this week, more than eighty percent of medical doctors left Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Airlines skilled technicians and high level managers are fleeing to the Arab countries for better payment and if we do not tackle these problems head on what ever investments the Sheik made for his country will not pull us from backwardness.
For every Ethiopian he financed to study abroad there are twice or more that number not going back to Ethiopia after the completion of their study and many running away from Ethiopia on every chance they got.
Sheik Al-Amoudi is a good and liked man by those who directly got assistance from him and for the thousands who got their paycheck from his company. I have no reason to hate him even if he supported the TPLF regime and not used his money power to convince the regime to respect the rule of law which is the corner stone of politics in many other countries the Sheik invested in billions of dollars.
I would like Sheik Al-Amoudi to be a bridge between the opposition parties and the regime and facilitate peaceful transition to the rule of law because the current situation in Ethiopia is not sustainable for much long and the unemployed thousands in our cities and the unbearable living condition for millions and the desire to live in a democratic country witnessed by the May 2005 election will all bring change peacefully or otherwise.
To be honest with you why not Sheik Al-Amoudi run for office himself or be neutral rather than give support for the bankrupt regime of Melese Zenaw who is hated by Ethiopians and on the way tarnish his image of a good hearted billionaire on par with Billionaire Bill Gate.
The highest medal Sheik Mohammad H.Al-Amoudi received from Melese Zenawi on our millennium/Esra Meete celebration last September will be nothing compared to the love he will get from millions of our people if he uses his investment power and stand with the people to establish a democratic system in Ethiopia.
