Introduction:

This essay is devoted to showcase the decline of social justice in Ethiopia particularly surrounding the demolition of the shopping center of Gimb in the city of Nazareth, A.K.A Adama; a case characterized as one of horrendous miscarriage of justice, which followed widespread furor after citizens were subjected to forced eviction from their legitimate businesses where scores of people as well, lost their lives in the ensuing scuffle between shop-owners and the regime�s heavy-handed henchmen; and in the corresponding phase of this synopsis, I will also attempt to touch a number of issues related to the slow-death of freedom of expression and the overall condescending situation facing the people of Ethiopia who remain constantly besieged by the Marxist regime who continues to domineer their destiny despite the strong desire that they have demonstrated in ballot boxes to replace the incumbent regime by fresh faces whom the people thought would serve the Nation with allegiance to its sovereignty. In accordance, I would like to remind readers in the pro-EPRDF block, that my writing is chiefly focused on Sovereignty, justice, and freedom of expression, and has nothing to do with the economy.  

The shopping center of Gimb in status quo:

In bird�s-eye-view, the bustling City of Nazret sprawls over low terrain halfway cradled beneath arid hills where vegetation is sparsely visible. In a typical sunny day, the City of Nazret displays a transparent haze ascending in slow-motion emanating from the rushing pedestrian traffic along with queue of Carts and Wagons wheeled by Donkeys and Horses leading the way towards the center of the marketplace of Gimb, where eye-catching stalls and booths of merchandise are remunerated throughout the day by throng of shoppers who commute form nearby Villages and within the City itself, for shopping and selling purposes. Up until May 2006, business has always been brisk in the vibrant commercial district of Gimb, which is the lifeline of the City, up on which several thousand traders depend as their means of subsistence.

In the Marketplace of Gimb, majority of the long-established business ventures are traditionally run by the hardworking ethnic Gurag�; thus keeping the City of Nazret constantly on the move as an economic hub sustaining the lives of many generations of households; and albeit, one may not possess at hand official statistics of the ethnic demography of the City of Nazreth and its environs, it is however, of general consensus that the locality has always been predominantly inhabited by the Amhara and Gurag� ethnic groups which account for the vast majority amongst the diverse ethnic formation of the community, while the ethnic Oromos are categorized as the agrarian class of the community who settle in dispersed straw-hats in the outskirts of the City and further-off.

Acute level of injustice:

In the month of May 2006, the commercial district of Gimb was practically obliterated lock-stock-and-barrel during which business owners watched helplessly as their Shops were razed to the ground by State bulldozers; and the lame pretext given by the local municipal authorities at the time was that the site is being forfeited in order to make way for the construction of an �Oromo museum�; quiet unsettling story that jeopardized the lives of thousands of tax-paying and law-biding citizens and a callous infringement that deserve to be condemned in the strongest term possible. The fact that the particular site was singled out, from plenty of undeveloped landscapes around the City that can accommodate the construction of the desired building, was profoundly deplorable which, the traders knew it all too well as to reason why they were being targeted. At no time has it occurred to the business owners that their shops would some day be marked for demolition. We�re talking about an entire shopping center already occupied by vibrant businesses displacing thousands of people who had no where to go. As we are about to see, I am going to raise legitimate question that seeks straight answer.

First and foremost, the reader should note that the core intent of my argument in this regard is in no way to be perceived as though I were against the regime�s earnest developmental scheme all together; I wish they did it in good faith but, while I acknowledge the fact that demolition could mean giving way to fresh endeavor for modernization that can give cities across the Nation a metropolitan facelift, In light of what happened to the defenseless traders of Gimb however, I found it difficult to see why they were deprived of their right to develop the site at their own discretion since many of them were legitimate owners of the property who had the means and capacity of building a structure that can meet or exceed municipal expectation.  At that point, not a scant of doubt do I harbor that this was nothing but politically motivated for which the Nazret municipal authorities may not be able to explanation without evading their own conscience beyond the pretext �an attempt has been made to accommodate the evicted folks way in the outskirts of the City�. Talk about �good governance� the millennium has quiet a few jokes in store for our belly-laugh.

Anyways, I have since pondered as to the reason behind the demolition of Gimb and not too long ago, I was chatting over the issue with a knowledgeable elderly businessman who had come to the States for a brief period of tour. And in his perspective, the government begrudged the business community in connection with the 2005 election- particularly those who supported the opposition.

In the run-up to the 2005 election, the business community across the Nation overwhelmingly backed the opposition in a bid to counter the growing monopoly of the gigantic business firms which operate under the umbrella of EFFORET, the commercial arm of TPLF; which has long posed hardships on individually owned business ventures and thus, fellow entrepreneurs generally look at these lucrative firms and enterprises as an impediment for growth and therefore the business community including those in the Gimb of Nazreth sow the election as an opportunity to hem-in the flourishing trend of party-based business practices- which is otherwise, impossible to litigate any legal case against such a mammoth monopolistic conglomerate in the court of law as it is tightly shielded behind its conjoined legal apparatus that is closely chained to prominent power brokers within the incumbent regime; hence the traders threw their support behind the opposition in the hope of realizing a perpetual remedy to their plight. And had things played well in to the hands of the opposition at last long, the traders� idea was that the successor government would devise a conductive work environment by paving the way towards equitable free market that function transparently under a watchdog that serves as some of ethical-regulatory-mechanism that would eventually outlaw the engagement of any political entity in business activities as its protective-headrest; and most importantly, restore the long lost autonomy of the weakened and highly infiltrated chamber of commerce.

Allow me to insert the following analogy on Saddam Hussein�s final years in power, which I think suits my attempt to extract the rare commonality that exists in triple-threat politicians those in Ethiopia versus former Iraq and the ex. Leadership thereof.

In the days leading to Saddam Hussein�s deposition, a documentary show was premiered surrounding Saddam�s family affairs particularly, the assassination attempt on his eldest Son Udai by Shiaait dissidents in the early 90s, in which Udai survived a close-call on his life in which he sustained paralyzing injury. Saddam and family then went to visit Udai as he recuperated at one of his palaces in Baghdad. Saddam was then shown in the footage cracking jokes on Udai saying �I don�t understand my Son�s role, are you a politician, a businessman, or a military man?� and loud-laughter fills the room. That was then, back in the heydays of Saddam�s sturdy political career until one day his fate brought him full circle in to the very gallows where innumerable souls had perished at the hands of his notorious henchmen. Inevitably, before he knew it, the self glorifying-leader-for-life who lived cocooned amidst a swarm of bristly warriors like the queen of the honeybees, suddenly woke up being subject to the rule of law of which he was seemingly exempt; and in the twilight years of his life, Saddam Hussein, the peerless man from Tikrit who left one of the most atrocious legacies in human history, was once and for all paraded before gloating spectators, the Roman style. What goes around comes around!

Rumor has it: this was what the exiled ex. Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce told our triple-threat hulegeb politicians �are you politicians or traders?� but history is a reminder that time will also come that the high waves of popularity up on which they once surfed effortlessly may some day turn in to turbulent waters that does not offer a room to maneuver ashore unless they reform and start ruling with justice and fairness on behalf of the poor and the destitute. What good is a government if it fails to defend the defenseless? I strongly believe that an incident of such magnitude in which scores of citizens were injured with some losing their lives, could not have crossed the Prime Minister�s attention and if indeed he knew about it and failed to act promptly, he has proved himself that he is no better than the Zimbabwean President who tore down an entire settlement that sheltered more than half a million destitute people just because they didn�t vote for his Zanu Party. Nonetheless, should the PM. maintain the position �I have no recollection� in that case it�s easy to venture out to Nazreth and examine the damage for himself; obviously, by now, the property in question presumably stands fenced with corrugated-tin awaiting auction to the highest bidder.

Meanwhile, when the local authorities changed the story that they ostensibly picked the site �to build a three-story shopping center� the traders of Gimb yet again invoked their right to rebuild; but their offer was immediately turned down in what could be perceived that there was more sinister in to the scheme than the latter pretext which is far from �building a new shopping center�. In a normal circumstance, given the fact that the property was occupied by people who settled in it for generations, the just thing to do was, giving the traders the opportunity to rebuild; but again, it turned out �modernization� was not the case at all.

The slummy look of the market place does note necessarily define the wealth of the traders of Gimb as most of them are multi millionaires capable of building a daring Shopping Mall had they been given the chance to do so from the get-go; but they were deliberately deprived from pursuing their rightful aspiration as traders in a move that claimed a number lives. Up on realizing that the local authorities did not heed the traders� plea, in a futile attempt, they took their case further to Addis looking for justice; little did they know that injustice was ubiquitous and the case had already been predetermined. If you don�t vote, you loose your Plot! As the Amharic saying goes �the Sky cannot be cleaved nor could a Monarch be impeached. What happened thereafter was the hilarious part of the episode.

The Adama authorities� intention all along was to dislodge the legitimate tenants out of the property in question and transfer it in to the hands of their cronies despite the fact none of the intended beneficiaries had the kind of fund as such to be able to build a shopping center. But the case took a bizarre twist when the local authorities went ahead and assumed ownership of the site among themselves and their extended families. But this proved embarrassing for the authorities in Addis and soon after, some sort of action is allegedly to have been taken against those culprits; be that as it may, such was the end of Gimb once a thriving commercial district that supported many households as a sole means of livelihood.

To begin with purging the Citizens from their long established careers with out considering the economic ramification it might follow, is a crude nihilism. If the much hyped �good governance� is intended to gain momentum, rightful ownership of the estate must be reinstated back to the traders who owned it originally, as a gesture of good will in the new millennium; alas under such brutal circumstances, �good governance� at this stage has proved nothing but irrelevant. Ethiopia belongs to all Ethiopians equally and no particular ethnic group must be superseded in favor of those who are empowered to rule over the other just because one is the majority and the rest, minority. If that�s the case, one may come to draw a conclusion that a paradigm shift from the tenet of �ethnic diversity� is on the making; thereby creating a doctrinal conflict rather difficult to reconcile.

I think it�s easier to ask �what�s right with this regime� instead of the usual �what�s wrong�. I say this because this type of brazen injustice is a commonplace in today�s �democratic Ethiopia� yet the sanctimonious regime never runs out of mendacious excuses to brush-off the encumbering course of action attributed to its despotic rule; and when confronted by journalists, they quickly runs into the bulwark of fanciful democracy as the P.M. has put it �All democratic systems are works in progress, ours started rather late and therefore has a longer distance to cover� �that�s a likely story� because realities on the ground testify that no shred of democracy has in fact taken root so far and it never will as long as the regime is unwilling to venture out of its despotic enclave towards transparency and democratization.

How can this make sense assuming justice and democracy being two faces of the same Coin or in other words, justice being the rudimentary principle of democracy and yet law of the Jungle continues to mushroom exhibiting the absence of basic rule of law? Moreover, how long are the people to suffer before being �covered� with the so-called �democratic system� If in fact basic rule of law could not even be attained in the last 16 years, it�s no one�s guess as to how far distant we are in to completing the epic journey towards the utopia of Meles� �democratic system�.  Ironically, when pressed hard on justice and human rights, the most common statement we hear from the regime�s mouthpieces that of the Charge d�affieres in Washington D.C. for instance, is that �massive constructions of roads and highways are underway�, �so many high-rise buildings are being erected� and that �Ethiopia is a partner in the war on terror�, last but not least, �There is no constitution in Eritrea� which is all true but when used out of context in order to evade tough questions in the context of justice and human rights, it fits in to the Amharic proverb lam balwalechbet kubet lekema� �trying to harvest dump in a pasture where no Cow has grazed�. To my understanding, the presence of lame constitution in Ethiopia squarely outflanks the no-constitution regime that of Eritrea. What�s the difference?

When faced with challenging issues, they dread it and their resentment kicks in to high gear resorting to threats and bassets not realizing the fact that cyber hectoring does not bear practical jurisdiction outside Ethiopia. Constructive criticism and talking about the need for reform is not of a good test to our statesmen; which is a clear signal that the regime is steadily drifting into a Sultanate style absolute monarchy, that of Brunei where opposing voices are considered taboo. The slightest remark against the Sultan of Brunei, who is the head of State, the Prime Minister, The Finance Minister, The Defense Minister, The Justice Minister and what not, can follow a swift condemnation that can claim someone�s Head. And realistically speaking, I would rather see a Sultanate of Ethiopia than the current regime, which is hardly democratic; that way, Newspaper editor like Wogahta for instance, would know better than printing some thing that does not sing to the pleasure of the �Sultan�s Ear�.

Ironically, the infamous Article 39 is sugarcoated with the symbolic charter # 2 that seemingly guarantees freedom of expression. �Every Nation, Nationality and People in Ethiopia has the right to speak, to write and to develop its own language; to express, to develop and to promote its culture; and to preserve its history�. But these �equal opportunity story tellers� need to realize the fact that here�s only one history; and that�s Ethiopian history. Tigrian history, Oromo history, kembata history (no offence) but what purpose does all this serve except for being catalyst in schism and inter-clan-hostilities? which is exactly what these �legislators� have been doing all along.

At a distant gaze, this particular line seems to guarantee �freedom of expression� in its conventional sense, at close-range investigation however, it contains highly calculated and intentionally misleading connotation; which is why the flipside of the coin is brutally swift, in which case people have landed in jail for merely speaking or writing their opinion; not to mention the likelihood of being indicted with �genocide�, in the worst case scenario. Accordingly, retributions can be �justified� due to the fact that the above-mentioned section of the �constitution� contains a considerable amount of ambiguity which purposely, as it seems, the wording does not explicitly imply to freedom of expression as it does to �nations/nationalities-rights� pertaining to oral and written communication to the extent of importing foreign scripts that of the Latin for instance, and who knows may be Arabic too �if deemed necessary�.

When you have a potential landmine tucked in the hart of the �constitution� declaring �self-determination-until-session� the sky is the limit. Nevertheless, this particular line seems to be more agreeable than the rest. What I abhor with passion is the contents spelled out in the first and the fourth line of this sacrilegious legislative code so-called Article 39. Amazingly, the demigods of Marxism who wrote the current �constitution� seem to presume what�s best for the Nation more than the rest of us, to the point of imposing their own nihilist opinion up on the people of Ethiopia in general; as if they are the superior beings ordained to make critical decisions, and the rest of us are the �lower-cast-Dalits� who are born of no merit to have a say on matters that dictate our destiny. On the other hand, their compassion and magnanimity towards Eritrea is as boundless as the Sunlight. And in the middle of such blunder, they are perfectly in accord with their own conscience assuming that their methodology is of �pragmatic sanction� even in the face of unanimous public resentment. What a denial!

Speaking of denial, the 4 B.C. humorist/Philosopher Lucius Seneca once said �I don�t consider my self bald, I am just a few inches taller than my own hair� That�s what reality testifies at this point in Ethiopia. It is quiet sardonic however to dress up in dazzling Ethiopian traditional attire and address the public �this Nation is great� which sounds like a soap-opera wherein a Muslim cleric preaches in Hebrew; moreover, the appellation �great� comes as a mockery for the new millennium. But the question is, what really constitutes �great Nation�? Isn�t great Nation a cultivation of great leadership? There are numerous Nations around the world that are as old as the Pyramids yet with no significance in the global political arena perhaps, as a result of shortsighted leadership or in the case of Ethiopia, due to a deliberate sinister harbored by a group of self-serving opportunists; either way, Ethiopia has not been endowed with great leadership. True, our forefathers had passed on to us a strong nation with prevailing historical grandeur along with its own sea outlet until the current leadership intentionally destroyed it; for this reason, Ethiopian history, is best articulated by genuine Ethiopians who lived it not those who rehearsed to act like one.

Conventional wisdom suggests that leaders are transitory while a Nation is abiding thus, history shall remember Meles Zenawi as one who intentionally left a black hole in the colorful history of our Nation- as a prime architect of a grievous scheme that led this Nation into permanent blockade; indeed, a painful reality one has found it extremely difficult to come to terms with.

I have already tried to demonstrate my version of the Ethiopian Millennium at dekialula.com https://www.dekialula.com/articles/t_h_june_6_2007.pdf that Ethiopia deserves to celebrate its third Millennium to commemorate its past glorious days. It is interesting however to hear those who destroyed our prestige and historical identity talk about �how great this Nation is� as if they have not conspired in a grand scheme that rendered it landlocked. Talking about �greatness� at this stage whilst they have nothing to prove is nothing but megalomania at best. Quiet frankly, I don�t even share the notion that these individuals are shortsighted for they know exactly what they are doing. They are stealthy and meticulous in the way they handle their affairs; usually with precision accuracy whose outcome is obviously predetermined. Their only ignorance is that they have no regard for public opinion nor do they realize the fact that People are an asset to one�s dominion; and, Ethiopia without its people is as good as Antarctica. At least, the Whales of Antarctica have their freedom apart from being trapped in the winter Glaciers occasionally, they are free to do the flipping, the flinging the whizzing and the hissing; which is an oceanographic norm of freedom of expression. 

The fall of Alexander the great was a direct consequence of gluttonous war appetite exhibited by this young leader, which followed widespread insubordination among the ranks and files of his titanic Army. I am not sure if I can call him �great� other than warmonger, but again, I don�t expect every one to agree with me either; anyways, as a student of the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle, Alexander was greatly influenced into being passionate about spreading the Hellenic culture around the world; and simultaneously, he was mentored on the significance of power and supremacy by his father Philip, the king of Macedonia, who was ambitious in seeing Greece take a leadership role in the ancient world, and thus, he prepared his Son Alexander to realize this dream. Around 335-4 B.C. Alexander made several decisive battles, his first one being against the Thebans and proceeded across Asia where he defeated the forces of Darius in the two famous fronts of Granicus and Issus. In his rein of 12 years, Alexander attained phenomenal victories. But intoxicated by his successive victories, he continued his march toward India; apparently, his last siege. When he finally led his Army east words to the Punjab are of India, his Army practically rebelled against him. Evidently, without the approximately, a million entourage who followed him along his march to conquering kingdom after another, Alexander was great no more but an ordinary Greek. It was the people, who earned him the appellation �great� in the first place, and when his army, possibly seven of his top Generals refused to take his order, his power and prominence came in to an abrupt end and at that point, he resorted to excessive alcoholism from which he contracted fever, which subsequently led to his death in 323 B.C. The contrast here is- ignoring public opinion is a dangerous game that can bring about one�s downfall; a reality even Alexander the great was no exception.  Refuting every opinion and the know-it-all mentality will not get us anywhere. That�s a lesson from Alex. 

Take for example the case of Eritrea to which the TPLF leaders recently reiterated their allegiance with open disregard to the people�s feeling, most importantly their supporters, where they made a cunning statement via Woyin Radio in fact, twice, that they won�t seat back and watch in the event the trigger-happy Cousin of theirs gets in trouble even if it means that he was at fault as usual. I am not sure if this airy statement can materialize at all- simply because there�s some thing called �public opinion�. How are they going to convince the public to going to war on behalf of the unpredictable serial arsonist in the event that he ignites another cycle of armed confrontation with whoever the next is, in his list? At any rate, the recent vow of solidarity came as no surprise to those of us who�ve been following the chronology of events surrounding the time-tested fraternal tie between TPLF and EPLF in which the �twin silverbacks� attested in the worst case scenario that the Eritrean Leader gets overpowered, Sibhat�s assertion which was later reinforced by Meles, was uncompromisingly explicit; implying the fact that they will not hesitate to herd the children of Ethiopia in to a fresh cycle of violence if necessary, in order to rescue Eritrea. But do these folks even think that the ranks and files in the Ethiopian Army are some kind of remote-controlled Robots? Clearly, about time they started showing the people of Ethiopia some respect and humility.  

Speaking of humility, some one who once worked in the government-based leather industry Awash Tannery in particular, had quiet �memorable� experience in one of the meetings held with the Premier in the 90s when Eritrean traders enjoyed the bonanza of buying the row Hide from Ethiopia, and after processing it in to different form of articles, they were dumping their commodities back in Ethiopian markets all, duty free and sacking Ethiopia�s resources both ways at the expense of law-abiding and tax-paying Ethiopian traders. Businessmen in the leather industry then felt the heat as sells continued to decline to all time low while �Eritrean competitors� were thriving with full incentive and decided to take their case to the Premier during which, says the person who attended the meeting, the Premier was mounting his feet atop his Desk and the session kicks in with the businessmen each pleading with the P.M. over the fact that they were about to run out of business. The PM. then went ballistic, telling the traders �ziga, ziga� shut down, �some one else will open up� after which the traders took a hike one by one.

The issue was especially sensitive because it involved Eritrean traders or the name �Eritrea� for that matter as any thing that has some thing to do with Eritrea gets him hysterical. Ironically, in the recent interview with Time Magazine, the Premier assessed his own disposition as being �a bit direct� which is very interesting. �As a person� he said, �I have never been discourteous or nasty to anybody� yet the above story clearly tells quiet a different parallel with the type of persona that he attempted to portray himself yet quintessentially, so was his bearing with which he dealt the �great people� over the course of 16 years. There�s this word that perfectly fits in place of the word �direct� if one were to evaluate him, but I should leave this for the reader�s wonder; having said that, this is not to say that the Premier cannot make a change of attitude as a human being; but after 16 years of rein, his tone and persona remains just about the same and the word apology is unthinkable to come out of his mouth; and yet he evaluates himself as being �a bit direct� while the lack of charisma and moral character is vividly conspicuous even to the casual observer. If we can pill the lair of time back to the early 90s, Meles Zenawi back then, was pretty much, what I have described above. These days, either he is being pressurized by glaring realities into becoming contrite or he�s simply saying what he doesn�t mean of the �great� people of Ethiopia. 

Lynne Holland said, Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. 

I am not sure as to what he meant by �the process kicks in� during the interview when he was asked about �stepping down� at the end of his term.

Time-frame was not spelled out in the constitution for all the obvious reasons; but if it ever happens, The Prime Minister may want to enshrine his legacy by cherry-picking some one who can carry on his shadows. What the people of Ethiopia really need however is not an endless cycle of partisan genealogy as such Meles begat Girma, Girma begat Seyoum, so on and so forth. Other citizens ought to be given the chance to demonstrate their fresh vision. What makes the leaders listed below so saintly; regardless of their flawed human rights record in the past is the fact that they stepped down at the end of their term acknowledging the need for a new vision of leadership by honoring their commitment to be governed by their constitution respectively.  

Here are some of African Leaders who willingly stepped down at the end of their tenure pursuant to their respective constitutional mandate and most importantly, they have successfully managed to ward-off the phobia of walking outside the red carpet. One of them even has been awarded with some �sugar� from this Sudanese Tycoon for good governance.

• Domitien Ndayizeye (Burundi)
• Maaouya Sid'Ahmed (Mauritania)
• Joaquim Chissano (Mozambique)
• Sam Nujoma (Namibia)
• Benjamin Mkapa (Tanzania)
• Daniel Arap Moi (Kenya)
• Kenneth Caunda (Zambia)
• Gnassingbe Eyadema (Togo)
• Bakili Muluzi (Malawi)
• France-Albert Rene (Seychelles)

By the time P.M. Meles steps down, he will be completing close to twenty years in Office; and if democracy could not even be conceived in the course of twenty years let alone to �take root�, I wonder as to how long would it take to develop in to a full-fledged method of governance? The idea of democracy is not that complicated. To put it in not-so-confusing-perspective democracy means when majority of the people believe in a certain candidate and agree upon putting him/her on the driving seat; but if some one continues to cling on to power by way of excessive force, that�s a different story and in that case his �fear� is legitimate; it is rather about his own safety if not the scenario �some thing terrible may happen to this great Nation�. The �great Nation� has been there for the last three thousand years and it will be there for generations to come through God�s magnanimity. Many economists have marveled on the fact that Ethiopia has held up thus far despite the self inflicted destruction and horror attributed to protracted war and stigmatizing famine usually referred as its epithetic identity. But God has been at our side and the fact that positive changes are taking place in Ethiopia today is not a work of someone�s �smart leadership�, rather, God has not forsaken this poor Nation and its better days lie in its future, through God�s supernatural impetration.

 With utmost certainty though, if one keeps on playing the same old card of injustice time and again, his latent �fear� may be foundational; fear that may be a prelude to an imminent and totally different type of justice; Justice that regulate the course of the entire universe and, justice that prevails overriding the myth of dialectical materialism correlative to the truth that there is a sovereign God who is transcendent over every thing human psyche can fathom; and when He says enough, no ruler can stand another day; not even Saddam Hussein; and of course, our own Mengistu,

• Jafaar Nemeri of Sudan                 
• Seseseko of Zaire
• Bokassa of Central Africa
• Duvalier of Haiti,
• Amin of Uganda
• Samuel Doe of Liberia
• Abacha of Nigeria
• Eric Honiker of fmr. G.D.R.
• Ceausescu of Romania
• Noriega of Panama
• Markos of the Philippines
• Shinawatra of Thailand
• Najibullah of Afghanistan, etcetera �etcetera

I must make it clear however, that this is in no way to prognosticate some sort of doom or premonition on the Ethiopian regime. It�s rather a matter of national interest, which concerns us all as Ethiopians, and a matter of right and wrong. Albeit I admit that I am a vocal critique of the Ethiopian regime, my discourse is perfectly in line with constitutional guarantees for freedom of expression as defined in Ooops, Article 39 as I have noted above. Unfortunately, the wholesale closure of the Diaspora-based websites, which are the conduit of uncensored information, exhibits the regime�s insincere attitude on freedom of expression contravening its own professed policies and principles. What�s the difference between the Eritrean regimes who shut down all private Newspapers? Can we say Ethiopia is more democratic than Eritrea just because it has incorporated the word �democracy� in to its nametag? Democracy is a holistic model of cosmopolitan unanimity. There�s no such thing called Ethiopian version or Russian version of democracy. If there is a loophole at one point, the whole institution suffers in chain reaction. While a priceless commodity, democracy is also fragile that needs a sensitive guardian/overseer who believes in the supremacy of the constitution. In the Ethiopian case, we are told that democracy is �taking root� but if you ask how come so many websites are blocked, that�s when explanation gets elusive.

But clearly, the two repellent forces of democracy and autocracy can never coexist at peace with each other unless the sky is spinning over some one�s head. Just because some one expressed honest opinion on matters of national interest, need not be declared �hostile entity� or viewed in the same footage with those who have taken up the Arm. As a matter of fact, in my recent writing, I mentioned the need for reconciliation with all factions of armed insurgencies; but while it is crucial to make a distinction between blind hatred and expressing sincere differences with the regime�s conflicting policies, I still question the Prime Minister�s integrity in maters of national interest given the double-dealing the Nation has witnessed over the last 16 years. If some one finds this offending, it was said �if you can�t take the heat, get out of the Kitchen�.

It seems like the constitution has been devised as a mannequin to cajole western donors instead of serving as a supreme-legislative-guideline by which both the government and all Citizens are expected to abide. If certain court order can easily be overruled by the Prime Minister whose ascendancy prevails over the supreme law of the land thereby compromising the judicial integrity, the idea of writing a constitution to begin with, makes it all irreverent. The events leading to Siye Abraha�s illegal detection while bearing legally tendered bail afforded by a seating judge for instance, can be sited as a classic example of constitutional duplicity. Interestingly, Judge Birtukan Mideksa, took the courage to go through the �Russian-roulette� in a bid to uphold the law regardless of its fatal consequence.

Needless to say, Minilic Palace should have set the precedence as a virtuous symbol of transparency and jurisprudence instead of the epic-center of injustice and draconian rule that it is today. 

Speaking of transparency, the Israeli Prime Minister is currently under serious investigation for allegedly purchasing a residential home for $300.000 apparently, below market value. Who dare to question our Prime Minister if he buys an entire City for a few hundred Dollars? Obviously, such a case wouldn�t even cross the spin-doctors let alone being a center of public scrutiny. We�re talking about real democracy here not that of the current-version of democracy which a simmering source of pollution whose asphyxiating fume of totalitarianism is progressing with great intensity so much so that we can smell it thousands of miles afar through the chimney of browbeats. But it is about time Minillic Palace is fumigated with the aroma of genuine democracy and social justice for a change, in the new Millennium.

A reflection on P.M. Meles� legacy 

True, the people of Ethiopia have been lured for a short-ride in the name of �democracy� in a scheme of publicity-stunt and equally, a gimmick intended to impress global power brokers. Meles Zenawi should rather face-and-embrace the fact that democracy is not a short-lived event but a lifestyle; nor is it a sermon that he preach once a year in a bid to project his �mega-success� which has no grain of credibility as far as past and present events can attest. Nevertheless, it is an absolute coxcombry to harbor the notion that the people of Ethiopia are �bunch of Chickens that are restrained with a long Rope� such cynicism dissipates the Nation�s historical prominence as the icon of freedom with distinct people who played a leading role among their African contemporaries with their phenomenal achievement that shattered the ideals of European expansionism and its seemingly formidable show of force, which, up until now, has proved a bitter pill that the white-human-race has found it difficult to swallow. This is what history testifies of the great people of Ethiopia and therefore, they ought to be treated with respect and humility. 

What we have seen in the last 16 years is, the exact revere of what I have described of the great people of Ethiopia; and, in light of this anachronistic heresy in which Wichallie has been repeated not once but twice both in London and Algiers under Meles Zenawi�s auspice, no question the fruit of his cunning legacy is going to pose a long-term threat that is going to be difficult to reverse.

The 18^th Century American Poet, Henry Longfellow noted:

How will men speak of me when I�m gone?

*When all this colorless, sad life is ended

And I am dust, they will remember only?

The wrinkled forehead, the marred countenance,

The rudeness of my speech, and my rough manners,

And never dream that underneath them all

They will not know the secret of my life,

Locked up in silence, or but vaguely hinted.

In uncouth rhymes, that may perchance survive

Some little space in memories of men

Each one performs his life work, and then leaves it

Those that come after him will estimate

His influence on the age in which he lived

*The second rhyme implies a lamentation over the departure of the Poet�s Wife, which led to the gloomy impression Longfellow portrayed life as �sad and colorless�

As the clock ticks marking the rap-up of his tenure, I wish him well regardless of what he has done, but I should also remind him of the mournful reality in which he is leaving the Nation. A Nation destined to suffer for generations to come due to the fraudulent choices he has made as a leader; a leader who has deliberately been oblivious to the critical aspect of the Nation�s basic necessity. He is leaving a Nation with a desperate need for its own Port yet permanently dependent on the mercy of its adversaries. History therefore, is going to hold him accountable as the architect of such a heinous conspiracy that laid a paralyzing siege against his own country, a siege that resulted in permanent impairment which, to some of us, has been a time-capsule full of paradox that the passage of time will never demystify unless [he] would like to shed some light as to why he did this, as to why he hates this Nation to the point of intentionally desecrating its sacred history and territorial integrity.

Truly, if there�s a leader who gets a good night sleep amidst such a nightmarish predicament, his cognitive function must be closely examined.

In what appeared to be virtual reenactment of the fall of the ancient City of Troy, he planned for this project years back and solicitously worked his way through- in total obscurity beneath unfortunate circumstances history has mercilessly predisposed this poor Nation; for which shall he be remembered as a person who played the exact same role of the famous Trojan horse, in the prowess Greek stratagem, hence delivering a debilitating blow on the fertile Womb of the very mother who brought him in to this world. This is what he has done for the �great Nation� that he claims to �represent� and, verily, Ethiopia, under his leadership today is in no better position than the then, besieged City of Troy. Paradoxically though, the mysterious men who plotted into getting aboard the hollow curved Horse in a bid to open the gates of Troy from within its walls, so that the Greek Army can blast-in and plunder the pillage, may have accomplished their mission within a day or so; what is perplexing is that this man is closing-in almost 20 years right in the helm of Minillic Palace. Oh! Cry my beloved Country!!

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