September 15, 2015
by T. Goshu
1. Carne Ross, in his book, The Leaderless Revolution: How Ordinary People Will Take Power and Change Politics in this 21st Century (2011) says,“When confronted by danger and unfathomable challenge, as we surely are, only then are we truly alive.”
Though the book is about the very indispensable role of the majority of people of the world in the struggle for bringing about fair and just political-economies, it strongly underscores that this highly desirable objective for genuine prevalence of the well-being of the people is not realizable without the roles to be played by genuinely concerned individuals, by all the people as citizens of each country, and by all truly concerned members of the larger community of the world. It is self-evidently true that this powerfully stated argument by Ross strongly reflects our own political and socio-economic reality of which we have gone through for the last quarter of a century and we still are going through.
Yes, in the faces of all the dangers and incredible challenges we continued to encounter, those truly heroic and patriotic Ethiopians are striving not only to make sure that they all are alive but most importantly they are alive as determined as ever to end the politics of ethnic division and hatred, state –terror, national disgrace, unprecedented moral degradation, the demise of justice, and the political culture of committing betrayal after betrayal motivated by very beast-like personal interests , in one way or another, like the case of Molla Asgedom.
When it comes to the case of Molla Asgedom, it is fair to say that in order to draw objectively convincing understanding and conclusion, there is a need to wait for detailed and well-organized information. But, I do not think it is neither wrong nor a matter of mere speculation to express how we look at these kinds of happenings which are of course parts of our political culture of pursuing for personal or group interest over the principles we claim we do stand for. The worst side of these kinds of political personalities is that whenever we feel that the obsession of getting our egos satisfied are challenged, we do not even question ourselves about the steps we need to consider, the direction we need to take, and any other political entity we may need to realign ourselves. We just run to any political force we believe it could help us to attack if not destroy those opposition forces and friends who we believe are to be challenges to exercise our hidden and voracious self-interest over the principles we did swear to stand for. And it is this extremely self-damaging or self-spoiling political personality that surrenders itself to the ethno-centric tyrannical ruling circle that has no any hesitation to use any brutal means including its killing machine whenever it feels that its power is challenged. I would say that the case of Molla Asgedom, in one way or another, would not be an exception to this very unfortunate political reality in our country.
As any genuinely concerned ordinary Ethiopian who closely follows the political reality in our country, I would say that the betrayal by Molla Asgedom of which I strongly believe that though we cannot disregard other grounds such as the work of TPLF, I would say (at this stage of the story) that it looks very likely that it was motivated by a very wildly inflated personal aspiration to be the “very top victorious king of this generation”. I wish it could be motivated by any other genuinely justifiable ground and I could be stupidly wrong. But I do not think that would be the way it happened. It is from this angle of understanding of mine that I strongly argue that this is the case that must be understood critically, rationally and wisely, and should be dealt with accordingly. I hate to say but I have to say that if we once again get ourselves trapped by this neither surprising nor uncommon fever of political unhealthiness instead of dealing with it critically, rationally and wisely in such a way that we could move the struggle forward in a much more refined and resilient manner, we must remind ourselves that we are moving to a self-defeating destiny, and subsequently allow the evil-driven political agenda and practice of ethno-centric ruling circle (TPLF) to perpetuate its power by employing any brutal means beyond we may expect.
I quite reasonably believe that although this type phenomenon is something that should not be taken as simple as anything, it is neither surprising nor exceptionally alarming nor something to cause panicking. Needless to say, this type of happening is one of the most notoriously ugly part of a political struggle for freedom and justice in general and that of ours in particular that cannot totally be avoided, but should be dealt with rationally, curiously and above all wisely. This is because we need to minimize harmful consequences significantly, if not to put under control.
Let me once again underscore that if we terribly fall into the very stupid/idiotic rhetoric of “it was better not to negotiate and agree to merge with this or that political entity” as some notoriously and senselessly nagging fellow Ethiopians do, we have to admit that we are not people of political animals let alone politicians in the real sense of the term. Put simply, if we allow ourselves to remain with this delusional political sentiment, it is we ourselves who are terribly wrong , not individuals such as Molla Asgedom who committed betrayal to his friends of freedom fighters and joined his ‘God-father’, TPLF.
2. It goes without saying that we as Ethiopians whose history of wars against fascism and other external invaders had never been free from individuals who had committed notorious crimes of betrayal and treason to their own country and their own fellow patriots , not only the case of Molla Asgedom but also many other similar cases , especially during the last two decades cannot be taken as if the sky is falling on us as some fellow Ethiopians who are stupidly driven by their own notoriously voracious ego-centrism want to tell ( better to say fool) us .
I wonder when some fellow Ethiopians including those who claim themselves belonging to a social group of “Intellectualism” and being knowledgeable enough about Ethiopian political history and the on-going political reality trying to use the challenges we face such as the case of Molla Agendum to justify their clumsy arguments against getting the struggle for freedom and justice organized in Eritrea and launching its operation from there. I do not know how the political mentality of “don’t try it with those who did wrong in the past as if politics is doing things whenever things are friendly fantastic” does make sense in the real world we deal with let alone our own political arena which is characterized by a very complex and extremely challenging human behavior. It is totally absurd if not idiotic not only not to recognize the dynamic nature of political behavior and practice but also standing against something without any other more credible and feasible alternative. Author Ross is realistically right when he says, “Even failure is better than acquiescence.” Yes, if we consider ourselves as politicians or as genuinely concerned individuals or groupings who believe that negotiations and agreements are without challenges that may go to the extent of what Molla Asgedom did, we should be terribly naïve, or else intentionally spoiling factors.
We are reading and hearing from the writings and voices of some fellow Ethiopians that the sky is falling kind of declaration as if it was Molla Asgedom and those who accompanied him who were firmly holding the sky from falling. I hate to say but I have to say that those, not many fellow Ethiopians in the diaspora, and particularly in North America are those who terribly suffer from serious conflicts within their own personalities or state of minds. I am saying this not because I am intended to attack them personally. Absolutely not! What I am trying to reflect is that although I agree that they should not be given attention they do not deserve, their very idiotic political mentality should cannot be ignored, but should be dealt with appropriately. Because the very mentality of seeking for self- satisfaction by watching the on-going struggle for freedom and justice in which they could not be planners, strategists and captains falling apart cannot be taken as simple as anything. I do argue that as far as our political history or experience is concerned, those cynically conspiratorial fellow Ethiopians were and still are among the most damaging factors in the process of the struggles for bringing about genuine freedom and justice.
And at this critical moment in time, they must straight-forwardly but rationally be reminded that they cannot keep playing their stupid political game in the name of being concerned about what the renegade Molla Asgedom did. They must unequivocally be reminded to honestly ask themselves if their empty – noise making, no sensibly substantiated and alternative deliberation does really make sense. Here is what Author Ross once again has to say about the stupidity of putting ourselves in a ‘mental cage’, “Wall surrounds our imagination, we can see nothing beyond, and dare not even conceive it. We have been numbed into inaction.” Unless we want to be dishonest with ourselves, this is a powerful reflection of our own political mentalities and behaviors.
I am not bring up this kind of madness of those fellow Ethiopians with the intention of provoking unnecessary and unproductive argument or conversation that is bound to wasting time and energy while there are multiple of big, serious and extremely urgent issues to be dealt with. But to express my sincere concern that those fellowmen/women cannot totally be ignored as these types of notoriously damaging behaviors , in one way or another, do play their own destructive role as far the struggle to shorten the ethno-centric tyranny in our country is concerned. My concern? As I mentioned earlier, the voices we hear and the wringing we read from those few fellow Ethiopians about the betrayal by Molla Asgedom are devoid of rationally and critically constructive a swell as solution-oriented way of thinking. They instead are full of the same notoriously redundant rhetoric of, “it does not work through Eritrea, the reason being Prsident Isaias (Shsbia) is our historical enemy and it has done this and that to some members of Ethiopian opposition forces.” Leaving aside the very nagging rhetoric of anti- political dynamism, if something terrible has been or is being done to those said members of Ethiopian opposition forces deliberately by the government of Eritrea, let us know what happened, why it happened, how it happened, who actually did it, and etc. in concrete terms as much as possible and hold the Eritrean government responsible and accountable. One more thing to be noted is that even if the things we are talking would be cases to be taken seriously, I do not know how using Eritrea as an organizing and preparatory ground for the struggle to get rid of the ethno-centric tyranny in our country, and dealing with all other concerns we may have with the Eritrean government accordingly is something out rightly be rejected or condemned.
Now, the people of Ethiopia are in a situation and time where they are decisively against to remain being victims of those who are the direct or indirect carriers of the deadly political virus of the inner circle of TPLF/EPRDF. The people are sick and tired of those individuals who continued allowing themselves to suffer from the political mentality of “if I am not the Machiavelli of it, let any movement terribly fail regardless of the question of whether the very objective it stands for is just and legitimate or not.” They (the people of Ethiopia) have gone through more than enough experiences of this type of very ugly political behavior which of course emanates from notoriously distorted state of political sentiment. And now, it is time to break the cycle. No matter who defects and joins TPLF such as the case of Molla Asgedom, the very momentum and destiny of the struggle which is being led by remarkably heroic and patriotic Ethiopians and unprecedentedly being taken care of by the people themselves will never and never be significantly slow down let alone reversed. And this is not because we do like it or do not like it; but it is because the objective and subjective reality of the relationship between the ethno-centric tyrannical ruling circle and the unprecedentedly dehumanized people of Ethiopia has reached at a point where things cannot go beyond except making the victory of freedom over enslavement happen.
Needless to say, if we Ethiopians who are among those people of the world who are politically dehumanized and socio-economically devastated in this 21st century should not be willing and able to be parts of the struggle that is destined to the realization of freedom, justice and human dignity; it is extremely hard to comprehend who else could be. Ross says, “The choice will become clear; to cede our voice to those louder, to watch while governments, criminal networks, corruptions, joust control; or to join the battle for freedom over slavery.” True, the choice is ours as a people who desperately aspire for a political system in which we could live with freedom, peace and dignified life.
Ross further argues that, “No longer a life of mere silent acceptance, but instead the imagining and construction of a true and direct democracy of the people, a vibrant but just economy and, with these prizes, a better world.”
Let me conclude by saying that as among the people of the world who are politically dehumanized, economically impoverished ,and socially and morally disgraced by our own highly crooked/cynical, notoriously hypocritical and conspiratorial, and above all deadly ruthless ruling elites; the people of Ethiopia will never take any step back from the fight for freedom for the simple reason that individuals such as Molla Asgedom and ‘his guys’ did join the camp that is deadly parasitic and its life span is nearing its dead end. Should we expect the challenge we are facing right now and ahead of us not easy if not tough? Definitely we should. But, one thing should unquestionable be crystal clear ; and that is no matter how the ethno-centric tyrannical ruling circle try any remaining dirty and deadly means at its disposal, 2015/16 is not 2005 .
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