Thursday, 10 January 2019

The need for organized resistance in Ethiopia, By Dr. Yohannes Aberra Ayele

“Organized and experienced people are more potent than artillery” Dr. Debretsion

At this time of political insanity it is the cool-headed leaders who are critically needed. When a mad man comes running towards you and you also run towards him with equal fury the logical result is you both clash and die or be injured. What the sane person should do is to keep calm, use his brain, and think of a method to subdue the mad man without hurting himself.
I really admire the patience and wisdom by which Dr. Debretsion is handling the political "hot-potato". What he needs most to succeed in this is the full cooperation of the people of Tigray including opposition politicians. Tigray is in a situation it has never experienced before. The litmus test for being a Tigrean in any walk of life and in any part of the world is to help Tigray pass through the bad days with dignity.

As Dr. Debretsion rightly put it the most critical possession any nation can have is its people. Why did Germany and Japan rise so soon from the ashes of bombardment by so many superpowers? Everything was in ruins except their most important resource their people! Then within a few years both became economic and technological superpowers.

While adequately but quietly preparing for any eventuality the people of Tigray must noisily engage in economic development which is insurance for future security. Being politically strong without being economically strong is like being a balloon; single prick of a pin can blow it into tiny pieces. Being economically strong will make you politically strong without working hard for it. It does not matter how many you are. Many of the most prosperous, as a result, feared and respected nations of the world have small population sizes. In hindsight, it was really unwise to think that the political power of TPLF would endure long enough by the enrichment of a few while millions of Tigreans still remained poor. I don't mean Tigreans have to be economically strong so that they can rule Ethiopia. NO! This is not the intention that 60,000 Tigreans perished for. The intension was to help Ethiopian nations and nationalities to rule themselves. What I am trying to say is if Tigray has had economic strength every political charlatan wouldn't have salivated on the face of its people. Why do we think the entire Spain is very busy preventing Catalonia-Barcelona from separating while many are expressing their happiness to see Tigray go? Catalonia though small in size is an economic powerhouse of Spain. The latter cannot afford to lose it. In Ethiopia, added to the senseless hatred, Tigray's minimal economic contribution to the National GDP seems to have become a convenient soft weapon to torment the people Tigray. Many take the pleasure to say "We don't need to invade them; continue to harass them in every direction and by every means, and then they will separate. If they do they will perish on their own". 

Putin the Great did not start challenging the economically and militarily superior west as soon as he came to power. He had to provide enough bread for the disgraced Russians. He knew that it was the West that tricked Soviet leaders into disintegration and poverty. He also knew that he will have ample time in the future to shame the West by bringing up Russia into economic and technological prominence. That is what he accomplished already. Now Russia has become a formidable superpower under Vladimir Putin. How did Putin achieve this? By building strong fortresses to defend Russia; at the same time building mammoth economic and technological capacity behind the fortresses. I am full of hope that Dr. Debretsion will be the "Putin of Tigray".

አ ፖ (AP) notes:

We should be very careful to find the right tactic and method to deal with the situation in Ethiopia. We should appoint the right persons to hold responsibility. Abiy Ahmed or Lemma Mergessa are the least suitable to lead Ethiopia. The Dergists are unifiers but they lack the basic principles of democracy. Woyane is too much immersed in Ethnic Federalism, which is no federalism at all. Besides EPRDF, its radical wing, TPLF has facilitated the secession of Eritrea from Tigray-Ethiopia. Eritrea was forced to secede from Ethiopia to fulfill the ambitions of Egypt and Arabs to control the Red Sea and by extension the Nile. We should look to what happened to our people in the last 50 years. Ethiopia was backstabbed by Arabs, Europeans and USA. We should regain our Red Sea ports. The Hewit Treaty garauntees the Red Sea port of Massawa to Tigray Ethiopia. Menelik's Mereb Melash (መረብ ምላሽ) garauntees Assab to Raya Azebo or Wollo Ethiopia. As to the people of Eritrea, they can decide to federate with Ethiopia or continue to have their own country. Ethiopia without the Red Sea is impossible. Aksumite Kingdom is Ethiopian proper. Christianity and Islam came to Ethiopia through the Red Sea. Ethiopia should at least control the South Mereb Region. Ethiopia would shape and model the politics of the Red Sea by having a strong and modern navy.

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