Tedla Asfaw
Melese Zenaw's part one version of his seventeen years hold on power, May 28, was presented as always in contempt for his opponents. He presented his narration of the Ethiopian people struggle, TPLF's version, led by his group which stayed the course in the middle of doom and gloom while organizations like EPRP and MEISON he alleged wanted a short path to victory. However, he did not elaborate what it means by a short cut. Does that mean working with Derg?
EPRP was battling TPLF and Derg in Tigray, Gonder and that does not sound to me a short cut and of course the likes of Addisu Legesse, Tamerat Layne indeed chose the short way that takes them to power and the Ethiopian Revolution which Melese narrated on his interview posted on "Aiga" has not yet brought freedom,democracy and equality to its people except misery for millions and wealth for very few of current rulers..
The declaration that the call for days of rebellion in Ethiopia "Fano Tesemara" is gone is absurd. This day in all the corners of Ethiopia the struggle to remove TPLF is intensifying. What do you call the battle in the Oromo and Ogaden regions of Ethiopia? What do you call the "Miazia 30" May 2005 millions of Addis Ababeans demonstration which is much bigger than the February huge demonstration in Addis Ababa more than thirty years ago that was coined by Melese Zenawi as "Yegodana Newet" or street uprising?
The "power to the people" slogan of TPLF is a total lie and its answer for the question of power is not different than King Haile Selassie or Mengistu Hailemariam and in fact it is a combination of them. Mengistu after he accomplished in destroying the king and killing his opponents it never cross his mind that he will give power to the people and similarly after TPLF destroyed the Derg huge army and breaking the back bone of "Chauvinist Amharas" it believes power is back in the name of Tigrayans where it was snatched by "Amhara" feudals from Yohanesse the second.
The power intoxicated warlord spend one hour talking about his TPLF glorious victory and gave few minutes on the current economic hardship of the people. In fact he told the million starving Ethiopians to wait for the coming months or years to be rewarded by bounty of food,water add electricity which are now in very short supply . He alluded that such hardship are the sign of good days to come by comparing it to the last few years of TPLF hardship in battle which later propelled them to victory.
Our country is in bad shape economically and politically and the questions that were raised thirty five years ago were raised again three years ago and the people in power were and are denying the problem we have and there is no doubt that only armed rebellion will bring a new chapter to our country.
Ato Melese is not different than Haile Selassie or Mengistu when it comes to the question of power and what makes him different is that he wanted to end Ethiopia we know after his eventual demise and for that end he is giving Ethiopian land to Sudan and at the same time his adventure in Somalia and Ogaden is a recipe for unending conflict in Eastern Ethiopia.
Present and future armed conflict for poor Ethiopia is what Melese has achieved in his seventeen years in power and the longer he stayed in power the more damage to our country and people and the sooner he goes the better.
