Tedla Asfaw
The man who has been in power for almost two decades, Meles Zenawi , seems to stay in power until he is forced out of power like his predecessor Mengistu Halilemariam. Meles Zenawi should thank Mengistu for handed him over millions of captive people who were terrorized and oppositions divided among themselves.
For the last eighteen years under Meles this equation hasn't changed. People have been terrorized and oppositions divided among themselves under Meles Zenawi. The only change maybe, Mengistu's name is still be exploited by Meles like we heard him yesterday on news conference. The so called "oppositions" to Meles' TPLF led by Seye and Gebru were accused of working under Mengistu's order to bring back the Workers Party of Ethiopia (WPE).
What a joke !! In fact Meles has been following on Mengistu's foot steps. Mengistu was liquidating his enemies as anti-Ethiopia secessionists while Meles is killing and terrorizing his opponents as anti-constitution and Dergists. Both wanted to stay in power by all means including making fake elections.
The fact of the matter is both believe Ethiopia will disappear if they are forced out of power. That is why Meles and his blind supporters spread their propaganda of keeping their prime minster to "finish" the job he started. They are pretty sure that Meles will win the coming fake election on landslide.
Mengistu Hailemariam's name which has been exploited very well in TPLF's jungle is now used once again to keep Meles in power for the coming years. Have we heard the Afghanistan leader Karazai using the coming back of Taliban to accuse his opponent in this week election ? Not at all, in fact the west is now accusing Karazi who came to power with their guns for fraud election.
Why is then Meles bringing the name of Mengsitu Haliemariam to accuse his "opponents" ? Is Mengistu worst than Taliban when it comes to the western interest ? The tactic of Hutu VS Hutu which came to the attention of western supporters of the regime in the 2005 election was very embarrassing and a new tactic has to be formulated. However, bringing back Mengistu is a sign of desperation.
The 2010 fake election according to Meles Zenawi is between the bogey man Mengistu Hailemariam supporters who are now organizing themselves under the banner of Mederek and TPLF a party of "development" and "stability". The terrorized masses will be told about the brutality of Mengistu Hailemariam more than two decades ago and the "freedom" and the stability of Ethiopia under Meles Zenawi.
The negative repercussion of the Kilil administration as a ticking time bomb for future conflicts according to the international group study brought also the anger of Meles Zenawi on his news conference yesterday and accused the international agency who prepared the report. The Mengistu followers are coming to take your right of living if you wish together under Ethiopia or go your own way, independent Kilil, that was guaranteed under the article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution will be the rallying cry for Meles' fake election this summer.
We all know Ethiopia under Mengistu's tyranny in the name of Ethiopian unity did much good to the ascending of Meles to his throne. If Ethiopians had succeeded in establishing a transitional popular government after the fall of King Haile Selasse following the Yekatit Yehizebe Ametse/revolution more than four decades ago there wouldn't have been Mengistu and Meles to come to power..
The political problem we had more than four decades ago still hunt us. There is no united opposition to challenge Meles and his gangs. No wonder then revoking Mengistu's name which has served Meles very well still is used to get sympathy from the western supporters of the regime to label the "opposition" as the hated Mengistu followers.
Forty years has passed but we are still here nothing has changed and the hope of peaceful transfer of power is not in vocabulary of the tyrants. For some Meles is on the path of the Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceaucescu, who was executed in 1989. However, most likely his fate might be like of his predecessor Mengistu Hailemariam who is sounding, acting and most likeley end the same way.
