Boycott TPLF !!!!

Tedla Asfaw

The boycott of TPLF affiliated businesses which started recently spearheaded by Ethiopiawinet Radio in D.C. has now become a rallying cry for our people  back in Ethiopia because the news of the boycott has got coverage by German and VOA Amharic which is widely heard in Ethiopia. The boycott that started on the "Injera" originated from Ethiopia sold fresh by the distributors here in USA is now spreading to liquors and the TPLF affiliated restaurants are going to be affected by this boycott.

The claim by the distributors that they are not making money and their goal is to explore the market potential of Ethiopian "Teff" has not convinced anyone. The claim also of creating jobs for some Ethiopians  is hardly convincing anyone too.

"Teff" has been introduced for outside world years ago and we have not seen so far its other potential except for food. However,at a time the international community is struggling to feed millions of Ethiopians, the idea of  selling "Injera" for the Diaspora Ethiopians who have plenty of food to eat is too immoral and extremely selfish.

The boycott on products like liquors coming from TPLF owned businesses will surely deny foreign currency for a regime. We all know TPLF has moved huge money in various investments out of the country and would like to profit more from the Diaspora buying power in the restaurant related businesses which is growing very fast.

This economic boycott of TPLF surely will grow through time and will spread throughout the Ethiopian Diaspora and will encourage all to participate and be part of this huge struggle to free our people from tyranny by drying its finance.

Ethiopians back home will be encouraged and stay away from all TPLF controlled businesses which are now strangling our people from small kiosks up to big businesses. Such common struggle will empower our people and  and united them by actions since our people have no other platforms to express their frustration and anger like so many of us do here.

The regime in Ethiopia has a long plan to stay in power as former high official of TPLF Ato Gebru Asrat disclosed last week here in USA This is a regime who decided to stay on power for the next forty years to bring "development" for Ethiopia . For that goal they have already recruited  four million members and controlled all areas of jobs in "private" and "government". Their strategy is total control of production and distribution so that Ethiopians are under the mercy of TPLF for their survival.

The majority of farmers in rural Ethiopia are also hostages to the fertilizer and loan given by the TPLF owned businesses and if he or she can not pay back the loan the only choice is to leave the land and go to cities for begging or being hired as laborers for the profiting farms of TPLF affiliated so called private farms.

Ethiopians in the long run will just be servants of TPLF and that is their forty years plan and we have to do our part to shatter this wicked endeavor and bring an Ethiopia which is free for all its citizens. We have started by saying no to all TPLF businesses in the Diaspora and we are already seeing the panic on the enemy camp.

United Nations Gatherings

Tedla Asfaw

The sixty third gatherings of nations which is underway in New York at a time of natural and man made disasters unfolding should have encouraged us to find deliberation which will guide us to safety and harmony. The fact of the matter is that there is no leadership because this body had become irrelevant long time ago.

The "superpowers" who have the right to veto will not allow anything to be done which will jeopardize their own interest and even humanitarian aid becomes victim to such big power influence. Darfur just becomes talk because of China and Ethiopia and Somalia are slowly burning thanks to the failed policy of so called "war on terror" and people are forced to choose death with bullet or hunger.

Known human right abusers and killers like Meles Zenawi are dining here in New York while others with similar record are cursed like evil forces and the country they lead are threatened by force, Iran is one of such cases. Russia publicly and China with its surrogates are playing hard ball like USA and the rest of the world is just watching.

UN is condemning the recent bombing in Pakistan while ignoring the daily killing going on in Afghanistan and Somalia in the name of fighting terrorism.

UN is an organization used by veto card members for their selfish interest and we do not expect good coming out of it as usual.

                                                                                                                        

USAID representative playing politics

Tedla Asfaw

Micheal Hess of U.S. Agency for International Development(USAID)'s Bureau of Democracy,Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance after five days tour in the Somali region of Ogaden declared that "there is no  famine in Ethiopia this year". How is he sure about that only  after traveling in a restricted area  escorted by government aid workers that he praised as one of the main reasons beside communication that prevented famine for this year ?

Michael Hess himself said it is only 41 percent of the people in Ogaden that received the aid and it is amazing to come out with "No Famine This Year" believing his own figure that more than sixty percent of people have not received food aid.  Or maybe he subscribed to the plan of starving the Ogaen rebels and "their supporters" to death.

The Channel 4 News in UK video footage, however, tried to show us what Michael  Hess "missed" and the video footage clearly shows Ogaden is under famine for anyone who is not playing politics like that of Mr. Hess. Mothers with baby crying for food, a tall handsome man chest bone visibly seen, people travelling more than twenty miles to find water and  the carcasses of camels littered  the dry Ogaden desert that has not seen rain for the last three years.

Michel Hess is truly only worry about famine for "this year" because he is a politician to paint good pictures about his agency before he leaves for another job and do not want to have  stain on his resume for future maybe "Ambassadorial" position. His agency's failure is not only on hiding famine but also by working closely with unelected regime in Ethiopia that  declared war in Ogaden, invaded neighboring Somalia, killing thousands of innocent  people and drive millions as refugees surviving on his agency food assistance.

The more than one million tons of food delivered to Ethiopia so far has not stopped famine as Mr. Hess would like us to believe because other non political  agencies have come out to different conclusion. Meles Zenawi and his USA/UK partners  do not want our people to fight the root  cause of famine, unaccountable regime that rules our people by the barrel of gun supplemented by tons of wheat thrown on their faces to live for a day and do not worry about this year. For next year nobody knows including Mr. Hess..

Michel Hess' declaration that "there is no  famine this year in Ethiopia" is not different than that of George Bush who declared yesterday that "the USA economy is sound" amid the financial turmoil on wall street. 

The Rise of Power Sharing Government in Africa

Tedla Asfaw

Today on Straight Talk Africa TV program(Sept. 17) there will be a discussion on this week power share deal between Mugabe and his main opposition parties.  Similar such deal was possible at the beginning of this year between Kenyan warring parties and it is legitimate to debate if such mechanism can be a blueprint for other African countries.

Last week I called the program's host Shaqa and I commented that  the situation in Ethiopia is much different than the Zimbabwe's situation. In Zimbabwe similar to Kenya the quarreling parties accept one fact. Both accepted the existence of their country no matter who leads it. In current Ethiopia, the regime in power, only accepts the existence of a country called "Ethiopia" if it rules it and if not the country is designed to disintegrate into language driven so called states/Kilil.

The so called Article 39 of  the "Ethiopian Constitution" that was forced on our people gives  nationalities to go their  way and declare independence whenever they choose so. The ruling party TPLF in Ethiopia can  activate this mechanism whenever its hold to power is challenged or for that matter asked by its Western financiers to share power.  We have no such  wicked article in both Kenya or Zimbabwe for that matter in any other African countries.

The closest we have to Ethiopia's situation is the agreement signed by Sudan south rebels and Beshir which calls for referendum down on the road and arranged some kind of "power sharing" in the interim. Such deal in Sudan,however, is complicated because there is no agreement where the  boundary of future referendum in south to take place. The recent fight in Abeye in south is the sign of big trouble to come without even adding the Darfur problem.

The minority ethnic dictatorship in Ethiopia  will rule indefinitely and when its hold to power is threatened as it is now it will finally go to "north" to rule its own enclave if it can. The only thing on its way is Ethiopian nationalism that is still burning after seventeen years of anti-Ethiopia propaganda by the Meles apartheid rule.

 

The battle for the Mogadishu Airport

Tedla Asfaw

At the time Meles' militia are bogged down in Somalia and took many casualties, the power to settle who will take over from Meles is underway, for the "control" of  Mogadishu Airport. The battle started by the ultimatum given by Shabab fighters threatening to close down the airport effective today September 16 and the reason  is the alleged profiting by Meles and his stooges, the current rulers of Mogadishu, from the revenues of the airport.

However, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed wanted the airport to remain open because he believes that is the life line of Somalis and vowed to fight to keep it open and the war has already started though not directly. In the meantime the Ugandan 'peacekeepers' who have been controlling the airport since their arrival years ago  lost two of their men as reported by VOA's Alisha Ryu yesterday from Nairobi.

The battle for the airport will bring the Ugandan peacekeepers and the Sheik group on one side and on the opposites side Shabab armed groups and the battle will intensify on the coming days, weeks and months. Shabab knows that they can not evict the Ugandan forces and run the airport and what they would like to achieve is to make the airport risky for flight by planting roadside bombs and scare away the Ugandan troops..

Meles' militia will use all its forces similar to the "USA's surge" in Iraq  combined with USA warplanes  to inflict huge blow to the Shabab fighters using Sheik Ahmed as their men from within and secure the airport for future "peacekeeping" mission.

However, Shabab is unlikely to sacrifice their best fighters for this mission because they know time is on their side. Meles' militia will be forced out because it is hated by Somalis and it will be up to Shabab and the Sheik group to seat down and find solutions for their country.

Moreover, the Sheik agreement with the current unpopular regime will collapse after Meles' militia has pulled out of Somalia.  Somalia will be back to square one where many clans will align themselves to their clans or join Shabab or the Sheik group and start the war among themselves and to avoid that Sheik should be careful of siding with the current regime in Somalia and outsiders in the pretext  for the battle for the Mogadishu Airport.

Executive experience's lack or racism ?

Tedla Asfaw


American International Group(AIG), the insurance giant, Merill Lynch, today Lehman Brothers and  who knows what is next and one thing is sure, USA economy is on big meltdown and many working Americans are  going to lose big time. Wait a minute !!! I heard McCain's running mate, Sarah Paline,  calling for the Federal government to "get off from our back" and why she then is quite for the  "911" call from multimillionaires last night to the Federal Government? Is it as one put it recently on New York Times letters to the editor, socialize the pain and individualize the profit.

Is it not the same Federal Government that bailed out today  Lehman Brothers and other companies recently at a huge cost for tax payers ? McCain and his running mate want to lower tax and they are not telling us where they got the money to bail out the millionaires who have huge stocks and the large share of the investment of these failed companies.

If Americans vote for their pockets the elections should have been settled by now. Unfortunately the economy which should have been the focus of debate sidetracked for issues like "experience" which was not an issue back when George Bush took office eight years ago or Clinton in 1992.

Obama's "lack of executive experience" is a diversionary issue because Obama has equal if not more experience than George Bush when he took office. It is then very interesting to see why the race for White House is hard to tell this time when  the current economic meltdown indict the Bush/McCain failed economic policy without any doubt. Then how comes many suburban working whites prefer McCain to Obama according the recent polls? Is it not McCain part of the current problem than the solution.

The "experience question" might be the code for "race preference ". If Obama had been white the race for White House should have been over by now because all Americans including the suburban working suffered under the failed Bush economic policy which  McCain was part of.

Voting for McCain is tantamount to supporting failed Bush economic policy and we will pay dearly in the next four years. We should not also have double standard for the role of government in America. We can not hail when government bail out millionaires and condemn its role for helping working Americans.

Executive experience's lack or racism ?

Tedla Asfaw


American International Group(AIG), the insurance giant, Merill Lynch, today Lehman Brothers and  who knows what is next and one thing is sure, USA economy is on big meltdown and many working Americans are  going to lose big time. Wait a minute !!! I heard McCain's running mate, Sarah Paline,  calling for the Federal government to "get off from our back" and why she then is quite for the  "911" call from multimillionaires last night to the Federal Government? Is it as one put it recently on New York Times letters to the editor, socialize the pain and individualize the profit.

Is it not the same Federal Government that bailed out today  Lehman Brothers and other companies recently at a huge cost for tax payers ? McCain and his running mate want to lower tax and they are not telling us where they got the money to bail out the millionaires who have huge stocks and the large share of the investment of these failed companies.

If Americans vote for their pockets the elections should have been settled by now. Unfortunately the economy which should have been the focus of debate sidetracked for issues like "experience" which was not an issue back when George Bush took office eight years ago or Clinton in 1992.

Obama's "lack of executive experience" is a diversionary issue because Obama has equal if not more experience than George Bush when he took office. It is then very interesting to see why the race for White House is hard to tell this time when  the current economic meltdown indict the Bush/McCain failed economic policy without any doubt. Then how comes many suburban working whites prefer McCain to Obama according the recent polls? Is it not McCain part of the current problem than the solution.

The "experience question" might be the code for "race preference ". If Obama had been white the race for White House should have been over by now because all Americans including the suburban working suffered under the failed Bush economic policy which  McCain was part of.

Voting for McCain is tantamount to supporting failed Bush economic policy and we will pay dearly in the next four years. We should not also have double standard for the role of government in America. We can not hail when government bail out millionaires and condemn its role for helping working Americans.

Fwd: Fw: Re: Teddy Afro's cellmate

Teddy's cell not cellmate -: Addis Dimts Radio's yesterday statement quoting Seye Abraha was only confirming the cell where Teddy Afro is jailed. The  late Kinfe alleged killer, Major Tesheye was jailed in the same cell and executed by TPLF a year ago. I apologize for the error.                                                             Thanks,                                                      Tedla Asfaw -- .

Fwd: Teddy Afro's cellmate

Tedla Asfaw What a shocker for most of us but a wicked plan to finish Teddy Afro. Today Addis Dimts Radio(Sept. 14) reported that Seye Abraha on his New Year wish for Teddy Afro confirmed that Teddy's cellmate is the late Meles' Security Chief Kinfe Gebremedhin alleged killer. Here is my problem. Let this man be an scapegoat and do the bad job for TPLFand later to be eliminated as a perpetrator . This is what you call with one stone two birds. We have to expose this sinister plan before it materializes and held Meles responsible for the safety of the beloved son of Ethiopia. The late Emperor Haile Selasse death under Mengistu custody should not not be allowed to repeat here and by not rallying for Teddy's immediate removal from the danger cell surely his death cell we will indirectly helping the gathering danger to materialize. Let us come out and force TPLF to remove Teddy from his death cell immediately. We ask also the Amnesty International to intervene on behalf of Teddy Afro before a tragedy struck.

Fast food therapy in urban Ethiopia

Tedla Asfaw


A friend shared with me on this fist day of the Ethiopian new year of 2001 an event which is common in urban Ethiopia. It is eating time, and customers are going to the "back "of the restaurant and pay an Ethiopian one Birr or less for "food". Payment is done through a small opening and after the payment a small window is opened for service. No one is allowed in.

Do not expect any package if you are new you might lose your service. The food service in this business is all from leftover from the restaurants that used to be given in the past for the poor freely now is a life line for many residents who can not afford to buy simple "Injera and wote", Ethiopian flat bread with hot sauce.

Do not expect to fill your belly either. Here is the step you should follow. After you deposit your money through the hole move one step on side for the next door. Do not expect McDonald kind of package, what you have to do is open your mouth. The small door is open and you will be given one bowl of food on your mouth that we call it "Gursha".

There is no question to ask and even you do not know what is put in your mouth for that matter. This is our people "creativity" for survival. Of course someone is profiting from it and the health of thousands is compromised by unsanitary "Gursha" from person to person on what I called "food therapy" .

For people who are hungry those sanitary questions are a luxury questions and business is booming. These customers are  in fact the lucky ones and we should not forget about the thousands who can not afford to pay because they have nothing to pay for Gursha which is one Birr or less.

I have no doubt one or few Gurshas is not to satisfy you or give you calorie to be active in your daily life but might buy you few  weeks, months or years to live until your unhealthy body is defeated by disease.

Those who can afford this food therapy however are not sure if hey will afford it tomorrow but  business is booming because there are thousands on waiting line to join this food therapy. This is what we call TPLF's Ethiopia  "high tech" food service in opposite to its low tech war in Somalia.

Ethiopian millennium/Menem Yelem and the coming New Year/Addis Meaate

Tedla Asfaw


It was exactly a year ago here in the Diaspora we were debating to find Ethiopian word for the English word "millennium" while the TPLF media bombarded us with millennium  including those who are known TPLF supporters here. True to its Amharic equivalent I coined as "Minem Yelem"  of 2000 the coming Ethiopian 2001 new year of  September 11 will be not new year  "Addis Amete". We can say  from the experience of 2000EC it will be the coming of "another disaster" or "Addis Meaate" pronounced as Addis- Me- aate.

Here comes the Ethiopian "Mineme Yeleme Addis Meaate" translated, the "Ethiopian empty and hopeless coming year of 2001". You can accuse me of being pessimistic who always say "negative" about the "development" of Ethiopia. You are wright !! I forget the million Birr counting farmers of Ethiopia Tagaye Azeb Mesfin "disclosed" on her educational interview recently.

 Tagaye Azeb Mesfin's statement is partly true.There are less than half percent of the ruling TPLF who enjoy life in Ethiopia,counting in millions and want to celebrate the coming year hoping their wealth to double and triple. The "few millions" unfortunate urban and rural poor,however, will be fed for the new year with cheap "wheat" made available thanks to  our hard working prime minister.

However, fourteen millions of Ethiopians have to forget about new year what I call  "Addis Meaate" waiting for the unfolding of another disaster . It will be a year of starvation and many deaths both in rural and urban Ethiopia. This coming "Addis Meaate" surely will start as the past year  thinking on what to eat,drink and worry for survival.

Last week on "Nestanet Le Ethiopia Radio" there was a report of school children in Addis Ababa collapsing in school for  coming to school without food. It was also reported on the radio that humanitarian organization might be forced to set up feeding centres close to schools. This is the Ethiopia of Meles Zenawi which is boasting of  double digit economic growth and claim controlling the current "food shortage" in Ethiopia according to him  exaggerated as famine by his enemies to score a political point.

The year 2001EC is going to be a year of famine,war and hopelessness and to come out from this crisis Ethiopians have to say enough is enough and take matter on  their own hands. TPLF policy to  rule poor and destitute Ethiopians forever by staging make believe elections has to be challenged and defeated with coordinated "Enough is Enough" mass mobilization.

Ethiopians current problem of  famine and war is TPLF made and until our people are freed from this rule we will never celebrate New Year of hope but recycling the Old Disaster with New Disaster or what I call in Amharic "Addis Meaate".

Poor Ethiopians payment for survival !!

Tedla Asfaw



Addis dimts Radio on its September 7 broadcast disclosed the 2001 Ethiopian Calender EPRDF/TPLF's expected income from Ethiopian poor farmers and government employees which totals to  16,500,000  Ethiopian Birr. The farmers will pay about 7,000,000 Birr and  the government employees about 9,5000,000 Birr. Urban dwellers, students and the proletariat will shed half million Birr and EPRDF/TPLF's "officially "disclosed budget for the coming year will total to 17,000,000 Birr.

This is the money squeezed from our poor urban and rural people on top of what TPLF collects from its so called private companies by controlling all the economic sectors in the country. Most of the profit is invested also out of country and generates  millions of dollars for Meles and his cohorts. This is  TPLF's style of  "Development" and that is the reason why TPLF will not allow any freedom inside our country because such blatant corruption and exploitation of our people will not survive the public protest in a democracy.

TPLF will not leave power nor share with any "opponents" because it will lose its financial domination and most of its business empires which are acquired illegally will no doubt will be put back under the public control.

This official budget disclosure  for the year 2001 EC is also to show "transparency" for its financial donors that all is on the book but the fact of the matter is what is disclosed is just a tiny fraction of the TPLF's book. TPLF's book is not even disclosed for the so called its own ordinary members let alone for the Ethiopian people or foreign donors. Billions of dollars are stashed in foreign banks looted from Ethiopians while our country  is known around the world as a beggar nation.

TPLF's inner circles are now millionaires and within few years we will have billionaires par with the nearby oil reach countries. Whereas more than fourteen million people are currently starving among whom are millions of children. TPLF which started its business empire early in the 1980s by confiscating and selling donated food for famine is currently will make millions of dollar profit from current famine..

A business empire of TPLF which started from donated food for famine is now  similarly  profiting from selling donated food for urban and rural starved Ethiopians in open market. These poor Ethiopians are  forced also to shade 17,000,000 Birr to get favour on their daily life from their master, TPLF. This is payment from millions of  Ethiopian "slaves" for survival to "master" TPLF in the twenty first century.

Axum Obelisk erection should be a national holiday !!!

Tedla Asfaw


Axum Obelisk erected back in Axum, Ethiopia  yesterday after seventy years of "exile" in Rome, Italy in front of the office of Food Agricultural Organization (FAO). Tourists who traveled to Italy including many Ethiopians had a chance to see it. However, the young Zeraye Deresse was no ordinary "tourist" who appreciates the obelisk to go back  home and sleep.

Zeraye Deresse was angered by seeing the treasure of his beloved country erected on foreign soil and lashed out. We  learned this patriot story in school and we heard also different "story" from the TPLF's boss Meles that downgrade the importance of Axum Obelisk  for Ethiopia and Ethiopians eigtheen years ago.

Meles said, "What has Axum to do for non-Tigrayans ?" and we heard also from his short speech yesterday on the ceremony of erecting the obelisk in Axum that did not equate the glory of Axumite Kingdom with one ethnic group rather as a history of Ethiopia. However, by not celebrating  this holiday as a national historical day for all Ethiopians he did not come clean for his past crime, declaring what Axum Obelisk  has to do for non-Tigrayans.

This is Ethiopia's history and we the children of Ethiopia and the whole Africa  should be proud of it for coming home. Adults should  teach and educate the importance of this monument for their children. Had Zeraye Deresse the power it should not have taken us seventy years to bring it home.

We should also honor Zeraye Deresse by  portraying him and his sword  in the vicinity of the obelisk to educate future generations that someone paid his dear life  to bring it back home.

I have no doubt that the day of the return of the obelisk and its erection after three years of hard work was possible by  historians  like that of  of Richard Pankhurst who loved Ethiopia, the Italian government to come clean for its past crime and the hard work of our engineers and they are all our Zeraye Deresses.

Name change with the same foundation !!!

Tedla Asfaw

Engineer Hailu Shawel after trying all avenues to reclaim the "kinijit" name which was sold on a flea market at a retail level not wholesale by TPLF forced to take another avenue according to his yesterday interview with VOA Amharic and reclaim the name "Melaw Ethiopia Andenet Dereget"/ All Ethiopia Unity Party/AEUP rather than as he said "seat and cry". Make no mistake, AEUP is more than ninety percent of Kinijit/CUDP that voted "Kinijit" in the stolen election of May 2005 and had wide support in the cities and rural Ethiopia. This action is a survival action and it is not and will not guarantee AEUP to function freely in today's Ethiopia. AEUP had a record of mobilizing millions of Ethiopians before the May 2005 election and was and is the root and stem of  CUD/Kinijit party that was formed including  some new comers like "Rainbow", TPLF's planted Lidetu's party and Beyene's party. Engineer Hailu is on a new mission, he is taking huge risk for himself and his supporters on challenging TPLF once more and as he said he will not be part of any election to give legitimacy for the ruling mafia in 2010 unless  the right to organize and assemble is respected for our people. If the recent so called "local election" is a clue, TPLF is ready to rule for more years to come by buying votes and fielding millions of candidates and AEUP will not be part of such a joke and such willing collaborators are plenty in the name of "opposition", the likes of Lidetu and other new comers.

Politicized famine in Ethiopia !!!

Tedla Asfaw

I do not understand why the international organization failed to hold the Ethiopian regime responsible for its denial of famine in South and Eastern Ethiopia. The Meles regime even went further and is downgrading the famine to shortage of food and  declaring that there is plenty and what is in "his Ethiopia" is lack of money to buy food.

Southern Ethiopia is devastated, many children are perishing and the on going visit by the high official will find this reality. I am sure he or she could have been informed very well on the devastation on Southern and Eastern Ethiopia from similar visits by previous visitors.  The problem we have in Ethiopia is international committee that failed to declare Ethiopia is under famine for political reason  pressured by West.

Let us all agree Ethiopians are dying from famine and the current regime and its financiers are accountable for it.

Moreover, the only difference between this famine and  the previous famine in Ethiopia is this famine is going on under the  watchful eye of rich Western democracy.