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Dr Berhanu’s call to boycott Yemeni biscuits

By Berhane Kahsay
Tigrai Onlne - July 15, 2014

Dr Berhanu Nega has been severely traumatised by the loss of his right hand man, and it appears that the entire episode has caused him to take leave of his senses. In retaliation, the leader of G7 has contrived a ludicrous first phase action plan that he foolishly believes would lead to the collapse of the ‘Woyane’ administration. A threat from a spineless organisation that is nearly on its way out is simply laughable. We heard this sort of tripe before and no one is going to lose sleep over the coward’s call for action. Let us examine what the good doctor is recommending as a reprisal for the deportation of his deputy.

The wise leader of G7 is calling for the Ethiopian people to burn the Yemeni flag among others for its role in the arrest and extradition of Andargachew to face terrorism changes in his country of origin. The Yemenis have done us a great favour and as a mark of respect and admiration, their flag will be held high for cooperating in handing over a man, who was in the business of training and dispatching impressionable individuals to kill and mutilate innocent people by planting bombs in carefully selected areas such as shopping centres and filling stations.

Only last week, a British citizen of Ethiopian extraction who was recruited by Andargachew received a lengthy sentence for attempting to plant bombs a year or so ago. Thanks to the Yemeni government, the streets of the metropolis are now safer and the people can carry on with their daily lives without being apprehensive as the menace has been taken out of circulation. It is very interesting to note that the British did very little to stop the deportation, yet, it is only the Yemeni flag that the good doctor is demanding to be torched.

Next on the firing line are supporters of the TPLF at home and in the Diaspora. Dr Berhanu doesn’t want to utter it publically but implicitly the leader of G7 has the Tigrians in his sights as he did in the fateful 2005 general election. Once more, he is calling for social alienation and humiliation of the gallant Tigrians who defeated a formidable enemy and laid the foundation for a strong, democratic and prosperous Ethiopia where its citizens have benefited from the economic renaissance of their nation. Amhara dominated challengers would pay dearly if they believe that they could achieve their objectives by isolating and ostracising the brave, fearless and resolute people. G7 and its cahoots may find hard to accept but it is the nations, nationalities and peoples’ of Ethiopia who are in charge of the country at this moment in time and not the Tigrians. As things stand right now, it is pretty obvious who would suffer the most if the country was to be derailed from its current path.   

It is no wonder that the entire opposition camp at home and abroad has become a no go area for the northerners and the implication of this is that many have been compelled to become sympathisers of the TPLF or  full-fledged members. EPRP was a successful organisation up to a certain point because it had a formidable and valiant Tigrians among its rank and file as well as its high echelon such as Berhane-Meskel Reda, Gebru Kehesean and Tesfaye Debessay. The lesson here that any political party that doesn’t reflect the ethnic composition of the nation is bound to fail. Many packed up before and the current opposition groups organised along a single ethnic group intent on reversing the achievements of the last 24 years are certain to encounter the same fate.      

Boycotting Ethiopian Airlines has once again become part of the agenda; but so far it has not been the slightest bit affected and it is continuing to make huge profits year in year out from its ever expanding global routes. The jewel in the crown which is owned by the Ethiopian people is the third largest carrier in Africa and is a member the elite Star Alliance network. Trying to destroy a well managed airline that is contributing billions of dollars to the economy and projecting a positive image of the country worldwide is beyond comprehension. In any case, it is to be expected from those that are serving foreign enemies who want to see Ethiopia on its knees. ‘Woyane’ will not remain in power for ever but the airline is a public treasure and ought to be protected irrespective of the party at the helm.

G7’s first phase action plan is unlikely to succeed as was the case in several previous calls. Not more than two hundred people turned out in the streets of Washington and London to protest against the extradition of Andargachew. The leader of the outlawed organisation is in a desperate state due to the incarceration of the man who was the brains behind G7. Dr Berhanu doesn’t have the capacity to lead his own family never mind a terror group, and he is unlikely to scuttle around the globe to solicit finance and to recruit vulnerable people from refugee camps.

To make matters worse, his deputy has exposed G7 members embedded within Semayawi party, Andinet and UDJ, and at present they are helping the security establishments with their enquiries. The overall effect of this is likely to be the dissolution of the terror entity which would displease Esayass Afeworki. As a consequence of the debacle, the timid doctor may be summoned to Asmara to face his master but he wouldn’t take any risks for fear of being locked up in a freight container. Only time will tell how long ESAT will survive without the financial support of the Eritrean dictator.

Why do the disloyal opposition want to change a democratically elected government by force when they can do it through constitutional means? Because the current party in power has won consecutive general elections doesn’t indicate lack of democracy. Sadly, what this unequivocally point is the absence of credible opponents with clear policies and strategies that would tempt the electorates. They should make an effort to approach the voters on the strength of their political programmes and not on the perceived weaknesses of the ruling party alone. The country is craving for loyal and responsible opposition as this is a paramount prerequisite necessary to maintain and improve the nascent democracy, and to elevate the socio-economic gains of the last few years to new heights.   

 It is not in the interest of the adversaries to use violence to dislodge a party by foul means as this would mean inheriting a country in a state of chaos. There is no need for this as a favourable environment has been created for legally registered parties to compete in transparent and open elections. However, Semayawi, Andinet and Medrek have repeatedly asserted that the political space is narrowing and that they have been harassed by the ruling party and its members. As far as we can observe, this is simply a ploy intended to cover their gross short comings.

Andinet joined Medrek a while back and from day one the leaders have done nothing except squabble on all sorts of issues. In any case, how was it possible that Andante chose to be a member of Medrek which is in favour of federalism, state ownership of land and Article 39? Was this intended to make it appear credible in the eyes of the electorates? This was surely a bad manoeuvre and after years of membership, it downed on Andinet that it was in the wrong place and is now in the process of amalgamating with All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP) which is financed and managed by Diaspora extremists. Medrek members including Bulcha Demeksa wouldn’t shed any tears as they believe Andinet to be entirely composed of Amhara elite although it audaciously claims to represent all Ethiopians. And this may be the reason why Dr Negasso and Syie Abraha decided to abandon the party and call it a day.

The truth is that a wide open political space is out there but the opposition seem to be unable to make use of it as they tend to spend a great deal of their time at each other’s throat. It is very difficult to see how this people can be entrusted with the management of a complex country when they tend to be incapable of resolving simple issues in a democratic and civilised manner. ‘Woyane’   took over a broken nation and made it prosperous in just two decades; and whoever replaces this fearsome organisation through legal avenues would be in charge of a state that has become the economic hub of the Horn region. In the long run Lidetu’s EDP and Medrek may be the parties to watch but there is no hope on earth for G7 and its trailers such as Semayawi, Andinet and All Ethiopian Unity Party.  Anyone for biscuits?