Should we allow Afeworki to liberate us from Zenawi?

By Elias Abebe | June 23, 2008

I decided to write this piece in support of Ephrem Madebo's recent comments posted on your website with regard to Ethiopian Review's most recent move to try and destruct the peaceful but bumpy ride to bring some semblance of democracy in our country.

Right from the outset , ER has been relentlessly sabotaging every effort that was being put to effect democratic changes by opposition groups in Ethiopia. From openly supporting and arguing in favour of the cold blooded massacre of innocent Ethiopian civilians by Shabia-backed Somali separatists in the eastern part of our country over year ago to instigating elementary school children to take on ruthless state security forces with stones, Ethiopian Review has caused incalculable damage to the eventual weakening of the Kinjit-led struggle.

ER's often uncorroborated and fictional accusations have spared almost no one in the opposition camp. Having followed reports on this rather unprofessionally run website over the past two years and a half, I can recall Professor Mesfin having been reported dead and Hailu Shawel losing his sight following beatings by Zenawi's henchmen. Only to shamelessly pay homage today, ER at one point viciously attacked Dr Berhanu Nega as a TPLF spy whose leadership was weakening the Kinjit movement. In one incredibly outrageous 'editorial' note , ER's 'editor' called on the Kinjit executive committee to grant Hailu Shawel emergency sweeping powers to make all decisions on behalf of the organisation. Of all the arrogant and almost always daft comments ER published, the one that clearly exposed the website as a mere Shabia appendage was the inclusion in a sham man of the year popularity poll of Ethiopia's worst enemy in the last half century. The pro-Shabia editor of ER unashamedly almost crowned Isayas Afeworki as a man who has done the most commendable job for Ethiopia in 2007. Now what Ethiopian would in their sane mind call Isayas a do-gooder to anything remotely Ethiopian !!

That wasn't the end of it, in an interview with EthiopiaFirst's Ben several months ago , ER's editor made this insulting attempt to educate the audience about how the Shabia fought 30 long years only to reaffirm its true place in one Ethiopia and how the TPLF sabotaged the Shabia's desire to remain Ethiopian. In fact, he went on to argue that the likes of Herman Cohen (the former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs) could give their testimonies about how it was under TPLF's influence and against the will of the then EPLF (Shabia) Eritrea was seceded. Further expounding his deeply flawed argument, ER's editor took the interview as an opportunity to outline the economic disadvantages of discontinuing the unfair (to Ethiopia) trade relations with the Shabia. Personally none of what he said during the interview upset me more than his utterly insane remark about how the two countries could mutually benefit if Ethiopia flung open its market for the cheap cottage industry products from Eritrea.

Knowing what I know about Ethiopian Review and its destructive political activism , I don't have much doubt that more harm will continue to be done to the painstaking endaevour and sacrifice many brave Ethiopians are paying to bring about democratic change in our country. Whatever the direction of the struggle, I don't think Ethiopians, with any political persuasions, will ever trust Afeworki to liberate them from Zenawi, despite the adage the enemy of my enemy is my friend. It is too obvious in this case that both are sworn enemies of Ethiopia. We Ethiopians are not that fool and don't suffer from short memory!!