Landinet

All Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia are encouraged to prepare articles on the many critical problems facing Ethiopia for publication on these pages and submit them to the Editorial Office via landinet@EthiopianNationalCongress.org. Articles signed by their respective authors may not necessarily reflect ENC's official positions or perspectives.

FOR THE SPECIAL ISSUE IN CELEBRATION OF THE 104TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF ADWA, PLEASE CLICK HERE

CONTENTS:

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• Problems and Prospects for a Horn of Africa Confederation/Federation
  by Dr. Daniel Kindie, December 10, 2002

  "....There is a symbiotic linkage between peace and security on one hand, and economic growth and social development on the other. If the sub-region is not to be a fertile ground for Islamic fundamentalism, ways and means will have to be found to speed up economic growth and social development.

  " ... the key to the peace and security of the countries of the Horn of Africa lies in their ability to carry out fundamental internal structural changes, and in their capacity to establish inclusive and participatory democratic systems, where there is accountability and transparency, and where the masses are no longer objects of manipulation and deceit, but active participants in building their future. "

  To read entire paper, click here

• THE ALTERNATIVE: IS THE OPPOSITION READY?
  By Kassa Hailu, February 17, 2001
  
  "In the last three years a golden opportunity was dropped on the opposition's lap, while the declared enemies of Ethiopia were at each other's throat. Yet again, the opposition was caught flat-footed. Political organizations who were supposed to sense and analyze the political atmosphere ahead of time were wondering or speculating what will unfold next just like any one of us ordinary citizens. The opposition was nowhere to make a significant impact in extracting concessions from the Woyane. What a fatal mistake it was for our nation to let the wild and unkempt consume this old and great country."

• LIVING IN A DANGEROUS TIGRAWI DILEMMA: The Eritrean Syndrome
  By Zeru Haialom, February 8, 2001

  "....The capitulationist Woyannes, having prostituted victory in battlefield at the diplomatic table in Algiers, took to the same arrogant route of the Eritreanist ideologues who have shaped and educated them. The Tigrian TPLF vanguard is well grounded in this founding doctrine and the problem is that it has never transcended its bush mentality. Its propagandist's leitmotif is as follows: privileged Killil Tigrai, increasingly transformed into the industrial and tourist Mecca is ours, whereas we can now share the rest of bantustanized Ethiopia, without animosity to any ethnic group, and democratically of course. If Ethiopians do not accept these illusions, the secession of Tigrai is (according to the still operative Issaias-Meles constitution) the only means of ensuring "Tigrai's survival" with the primitively accumulated loot and a predatory ideology. In other words, we need a firewall around Tigrai in an increasingly globalized and interdependent world. This is another dangerous illusion from which the upholders of the status quo suffer....

  "Frankly speaking, the Tigrean oligarchy and its cyber combatants will not have the time to carry their loot, leave alone to decide the fate of Ethiopia when the crunch arrives as it inevitably will. Their delusionary independence is ultimately self-limiting. When we reflect on their distorted arguments, they can proceed with this threat only by entering another hall of mirrors, where reality means going it alone and living with their cousins now in power in Asmara, as their neighbors and mentors."

• WASHINGTON SHOULD EXAMINE ITS CONSCIENCE TOWARDS ETHIOPIANS
  By Beyene Aregai, February 3, 2001
  
  "The treacherous dictators, on their part, have calculated that, with international forces looking after their most contested borders, they'll seize the opportunity to concentrate on salvaging the ruins of their "senseless war" and nihilistic political visions. Consequently, both Meles Zenawi and Isaiyas Afeworki, are being rehabilitated as wizened and democratic-minded leaders by the so-called "international community." By this very gesture, the world is asked to forget the 100,000 lives and limbs they had sacrificed to honor 19th century Italian colonial boundaries. Loans or debts, expertise, credits and grants have been resumed in the name of Ethiopians, while the vicious expropriation of the majority population south of Killil 1 is either ignored or justified as "development." To add insult to injury, new money is being pumped under the cover of various development and demobilization schemes, only to enrich the ethnocracy's accomplices and their interlocking private and NGO organizations. All this largesse, while the scope of human suffering and repression is intensifying throughout Ethiopia.... "...[T]he time is right for Washington to critically reexamine its policies and correct the Algiers blunder, since its prestige and officials were instrumental in the drafting of the document. The new Republican government not only has the opportunity to correct the blunders of its predecessor, but can also remedy its own past errors."

• "You Shall Know Them by Their Fruits"
  by Kassa Hailu February 1, 2001 (Prepared for Landinet, ENC's Electronic Journal)
  
  "Fellow Ethiopians, the predicament we are in is very grave. The time to wait for the rulers to change of their accord is over. Do not delude yourself that one day these misguided banner carriers of colonialism will change and take the interests of all Ethiopians at heart. So, as it is written in the great book, "you shall know them by their fruits". The fruits we see under the woyane are very sour and poisonous. Evil design begets evil. If we have any conscience of Ethiopian fiber, it is not enough to talk about the misery of our people. Today is our day to dispense with our responsibility. If we are interested to see a better Ethiopia tomorrow, the time to start building is today. Our nation's prognosis is not bright. We rescue it today united in action, in the spirit of sharing and giving back to our people who through their taxes and defense of our country from every sort of enemies have given us a free country and the opportunity to make a better life for all without ethnic division, and with mutual respect and equality. The powerful will be delighted in our silence, inaction, division and self-damaging apathy. It is time to get organized and act harmoniously once and for all. It is time for us to unite in action and save our motherland!"

• PEDDLING ILLUSIONS
  by Beyene Aregawi January 23, 2001

  "Let us be clear that what we have in Ethiopia's Killil system is a condition of "nine nation-states warring in the bosom of a single state." The Killils (ethnic reserves) are designed to institutionalize the differences of the various ethnic identities over the common Ethiopianness of all. The long-term purpose (protected by the constitution) is to gradually scrap the national dimensions of the country's history and sovereign national existence in favor of mini-ethnic states. The secessionist agenda, albeit in a controlled manner, is well under way....

  "In short, all this new-found patriotism and cry against "foreign interference" may sound extremely patriotic and radical to the uninitiated. Upon closer examination it is merely a disinformation offensive, one designed to re-divert our focus from the regime's greatest anti-Ethiopian deeds in foreign policy, i.e., the consummation of the Algiers sellout between the Eritreanist cousins, or the unjustified division of the country by colonial boundaries and the occupation of the country's outlet to the sea by an international army."

• CONTEMPORARY ETHIOPIA IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BATTLE OF ADWA, 1896
  by Dr. Mesfin Araya, August 20, 2000

  The era initiated by Adwa has yet to be transcended, and the resolution is contained in Adwa itself. The people voted with their feet as they marched to fight at Adwa -- a noble act of supra-ethnic and supra-regional consciousness. Their desire to fight foreign domination at Adwa inherently contains a desire to fight any oppression. Indeed, it embodies a critique on their own condition of existence. That collective desire for freedom, therefore, can be activated against their own internal oppressors. To that effect, Ethiopian intellectuals committed to public causes can play a catalyst role by advancing an alternative social discourse anchored in the collective history of the people -- an alternative social discourse aimed at building a new and democratic Ethiopia where the various cultural groups can enrich their collective history in freedom and equality. That task must remain central as we enter the Twenty-first Century.
  

• PUBLIC ENTERPRISES AND ETHNICITY: Some Introductory Notes *
  By Minga Negash, August 2000
  
  The privatization program started some six years ago. Trusted functionaries that come from the preferred ethnic group(s) were assigned to run the privatization office. At the same time, the former "liberation" organizations started forming Plc companies. The Plcs are known as the long arms of the ruling regime. These companies became the new owners of the Ethiopian SOEs. Outside participation in the auctions has been limited and the only visible contestant has been Sheik Mohamed Al-hamudi's MIDROC Ethiopia. Thus, the politicians control both the privatized firms and those that remained parastatals. Regarding the revenue from the sale, there is virtually no news and there is a fear that the money is already spent on the war:- a war whose political objective is obscure.
  *Acrobat Reader REQUIRED

• THE TREASONOUS ENTERPRISE: BUT IT IS NOT A SURPRISE!
  By H. Baykedagn, August 3, 2000
  
  A lasting peace, however, may be brought about if and when the artificially divided people come to their senses and flush out the infested thoughts of ethnic politics, secession and all the huffs and puffs of colonial dreams. People should think of an evolving system that takes the concerns of all involved into the strategic calculation. People should see beyond the propaganda cloud and chart the way ahead to a fundamental and systemic change. The roads charted so far lead to more confrontation and dead ends. It is a disservice to the innocent people on both sides to dwell on real or imagined past misdeeds by half-baked and vindictive politicians. Think about a new system based on equality and respect. The solution to the endless misery may rest on a new bold and pragmatic approach. All alternatives that can benefit the people were never put on the table. The formula of secession was imposed by brute force. Why not try a federal arrangement! Think about it!

• Meles´ Assab Policy Threatens Ethiopia's National Security
  By Belai Abbai and Zeru Kehishen, July 15, 2000

  Despite the fact that Ethiopian armed forces had defeated the Eritrea armed force decisively, the Meles administration capitulated hastily, under the pretext that Ethiopia had achieved its goals. By taking such a step, Meles effectively bailed out the belligerent Issaias, and his government. More importantly, Meles then proposed to negotiate on the basis of irrelevant colonial boarder agreements, a position that may effectively deprive Ethiopia of Assab as well as any independent access to the international waters. Such a move clearly turns Ethiopia's victory into a defeat, and sacrifices Ethiopia's vital long-term security and economic interests....

  Ethiopia's primary concern is to determine what may be the consequences, should Ethiopia lose the port of Assab and what may be the security, economic etc. costs that Ethiopia may have to pay if Eritrea should own it. As noted above, Assab is invaluable to our country's security and economic interests and vital to Ethiopia's long term survival as a nation....

  .... Any treaty or any internationally sanctioned border arrangement that makes the security of one country dependent on the whims of its neighbor can only bring conflict and instability in the region. The people on both sides of the border will wish to avoid such consequences.

To read the whole artilce, click here.

• REVISITING THE LAND ISSUE: OPTIONS FOR CHANGE (May 09, 2000)
  Dessalegn Rahmato General Manager, Forum for Social Studies, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The first principle that should be recognized is that land is the fundamental basis of the livelihood of the farming population. As an old Japanese saying puts it, a farmer without land is like a man without a soul. Land thus belongs, directly and without ifs and buts, to the people who use it. The state or any other authority has no right to a natural resource that it does not directly utilize. Public ownership of land merely perpetuates the paternalist "ideology" of the state, and extends its hegemony over the peasantry.

• ETHIOPIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL REPORT ON THE SHAM ELECTIONS (March 21, 2000)

  This March 10, 2000 report of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRC) documents the repression that the Woyane regime has unleashed in Southern Ethiopia and elsewhere. Those apologists and supporters of the Woyane regime have no where to hide. Those who have been unsure about the undemocratic and repressive nature of this regime need not stay on the fence any more.

• THE ENC CONDEMNS THE REPRESSION OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIANS
  A Press Release by the ENC Public Relations Office (March 4, 2000)

  The ENC notes with horror that TPLF/EPRDF government ministries and security forces are unleashing widespread terror and repression against the Ethiopian ideals of unity, peace and coexistence. Armed police are shooting and imprisoning people in Hadya, Kembata and Wolaita in the southern areas of the country. There are reports that these areas of the region have now been placed under the direct military control of the TPLF and its functionaries. The terror is spreading into the neighboring areas of Alaba, Kembata and Tembaro.

• ETHIOPIAN OPPOSITION UNDER WOYANNE MANIPULATION: What is to be Done (March 2, 2000)

  "A reality check now shows that no single political organization has the capacity to carry out the daunting task of freeing Ethiopia. Therefore, the opposition is better off getting its act together to deliver a unified leadership before it shares the fate of the salt that looses its taste! ....The opposition inside the country should not accept the position TPLF carves for them and continue in what some people call uninitiated or lazy form of peaceful struggle. They better galvanize the unified Ethiopian will for a proactive struggle without waiting for the TPLF's blessing for their actions. Occasional press releases are the kinds of opposition TPLF love to live with. Every one knows the tremendous sacrifice that has to be paid, instead.... Organizations who are denied legal status in Ethiopia and are therefore forced to live in exile need to create a strong link and focus in the country. Recognition of the danger our country faces should force them to shrug off their ego driven politicking, organizational survival, empty rhetoric and posturing. The "unless I lead the struggle" mania should be halted. We expect the realization of a unified struggle."

• ON THE TPLF-STYLE ELECTIONS 2000 (March 1, 2000)

  In Ethiopia, only one party, the TPLF, is in absolute control of the electoral process. It claims to represent the people of Tigray. Other parties who opt to take up other issues can only speak to their ethnic groups because the regime insists that parties have to be as ethnic as the TPLF itself. According to Article 39 of the constitution imposed by the TPLF, ethnic groups can secede from Ethiopia if they don't like such a regime. The entire electoral process is under its sole control and direction -- its cadres and supporters control and run the election commission. The entire government resources, its media, transportation, and personnel are at its disposal. Its repressive military freely and willfully harasses both the electorate and any opposition candidates. Through such monopoly of power and the electoral process, the TPLF has made it illegal, and even risky, for Ethiopians to take interest in national issues.

• FAMINE THREATENS EIGHT MILLION OF ETHIOPIA'S SONS AND DAUGHTERS (NEWS--UNITED NATIONS)
  
  At a time when the TPLF government is spending tens of millions of dollars building statutes in Mekele, at a time when it is committing hundreds of millions pursuing a senseless war in Northern Ethiopia, at a time when its leaders and cadres are amassing wealth becoming instant millionaires, and at a time when it has been boasting of miraculous successes in agricultural production that may allow Ethiopia to turn into a net grain-exporter nation, the world is once again learning of the stark reality, the stark reality that millions are about to die of starvation!!
• TPLF AND THE LOOMING DANGERS OF ETHNOCENTRISM TO ETHIOPIA'S FUTURE

  "The salvation of Ethiopia is in the hands of its children. As such, there is only one strategic imperative available for Ethiopians concerned about the dangers imposed by the Woyanne: Get involved in the liberation of our country from the yoke of Woyanne's ethnic hegemony! Get involved in every way possible. There is simply no other viable alternative."

• ETHIOPIA AND THE NEW MILLENNIUM by Tibebu Belete, Vancouver

  "Ethiopia is not a poor country in terms of natural and human resources. The irony is that in a country where natural and human resources are in abundance people are starving to a degree that has consistently attracted the attention of the international community. At the same time as the TPLF/EPRDF government boasts of harvest that may allow the country to "export grain", donor countries report that as many as 8 million people are affected by drought and would be starving. But why?"

• Participatory Politics: Towards an Ethiopian Magna Carta" by Workaferahu Haile (W/o)

  "When a nation is at its lowest political ebb, it shows in the demise of its human elements: its ruling elite wallow in their economic boom, self-praise, and false hopes, denying the nation's ideals, and even oppressing it, while its poor look in from the outside, longing for relief from hunger, disease and moral decrepitude. An unmistakable spectacle of divide occurs between rulers and subjects."

  Despite the fact that Ethiopian armed forces had defeated the Eritrea armed force decisively, the Meles administration capitulated hastily, under the pretext that Ethiopia had achieved its goals. By taking such a step, Meles effectively bailed out the belligerent Issaias, and his government. More importantly, Meles then proposed to negotiate on the basis of irrelevant colonial boarder agreements, a position that may effectively deprive Ethiopia of Assab as well as any independent access to the international waters. Such a move clearly turns Ethiopia's victory into a defeat, and sacrifices Ethiopia's vital long-term security and economic interests....

  Ethiopia's primary concern is to determine what may be the consequences, should Ethiopia lose the port of Assab and what may be the security, economic etc. costs that Ethiopia may have to pay if Eritrea should own it. As noted above, Assab is invaluable to our country's security and economic interests and vital to Ethiopia's long term survival as a nation....

  .... Any treaty or any internationally sanctioned border arrangement that makes the security of one country dependent on the whims of its neighbor can only bring conflict and instability in the region. The people on both sides of the border will wish to avoid such consequences.
  
  To read the whole artilce, click here.

• REVISITING THE LAND ISSUE: OPTIONS FOR CHANGE (May 09, 2000)
  Dessalegn Rahmato General Manager, Forum for Social Studies, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The first principle that should be recognized is that land is the fundamental basis of the livelihood of the farming population. As an old Japanese saying puts it, a farmer without land is like a man without a soul. Land thus belongs, directly and without ifs and buts, to the people who use it. The state or any other authority has no right to a natural resource that it does not directly utilize. Public ownership of land merely perpetuates the paternalist "ideology" of the state, and extends its hegemony over the peasantry.

• ETHIOPIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL REPORT ON THE SHAM ELECTIONS (March 21, 2000)

This March 10, 2000 report of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRC) documents the repression that the Woyane regime has unleashed in Southern Ethiopia and elsewhere. Those apologists and supporters of the Woyane regime have no where to hide. Those who have been unsure about the undemocratic and repressive nature of this regime need not stay on the fence any more.

• THE ENC CONDEMNS THE REPRESSION OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIANS
  A Press Release by the ENC Public Relations Office (March 4, 2000)

The ENC notes with horror that TPLF/EPRDF government ministries and security forces are unleashing widespread terror and repression against the Ethiopian ideals of unity, peace and coexistence. Armed police are shooting and imprisoning people in Hadya, Kembata and Wolaita in the southern areas of the country. There are reports that these areas of the region have now been placed under the direct military control of the TPLF and its functionaries. The terror is spreading into the neighboring areas of Alaba, Kembata and Tembaro.

• ETHIOPIAN OPPOSITION UNDER WOYANNE MANIPULATION: What is to be Done (March 2, 2000)

"A reality check now shows that no single political organization has the capacity to carry out the daunting task of freeing Ethiopia. Therefore, the opposition is better off getting its act together to deliver a unified leadership before it shares the fate of the salt that looses its taste! ....The opposition inside the country should not accept the position TPLF carves for them and continue in what some people call uninitiated or lazy form of peaceful struggle. They better galvanize the unified Ethiopian will for a proactive struggle without waiting for the TPLF's blessing for their actions. Occasional press releases are the kinds of opposition TPLF love to live with. Every one knows the tremendous sacrifice that has to be paid, instead.... Organizations who are denied legal status in Ethiopia and are therefore forced to live in exile need to create a strong link and focus in the country. Recognition of the danger our country faces should force them to shrug off their ego driven politicking, organizational survival, empty rhetoric and posturing. The "unless I lead the struggle" mania should be halted. We expect the realization of a unified struggle."

• ON THE TPLF-STYLE ELECTIONS 2000 (March 1, 2000)

In Ethiopia, only one party, the TPLF, is in absolute control of the electoral process. It claims to represent the people of Tigray. Other parties who opt to take up other issues can only speak to their ethnic groups because the regime insists that parties have to be as ethnic as the TPLF itself. According to Article 39 of the constitution imposed by the TPLF, ethnic groups can secede from Ethiopia if they don't like such a regime. The entire electoral process is under its sole control and direction -- its cadres and supporters control and run the election commission. The entire government resources, its media, transportation, and personnel are at its disposal. Its repressive military freely and willfully harasses both the electorate and any opposition candidates. Through such monopoly of power and the electoral process, the TPLF has made it illegal, and even risky, for Ethiopians to take interest in national issues.

• FAMINE THREATENS EIGHT MILLION OF ETHIOPIA'S SONS AND DAUGHTERS (NEWS--UNITED NATIONS)
  
  At a time when the TPLF government is spending tens of millions of dollars building statutes in Mekele, at a time when it is committing hundreds of millions pursuing a senseless war in Northern Ethiopia, at a time when its leaders and cadres are amassing wealth becoming instant millionaires, and at a time when it has been boasting of miraculous successes in agricultural production that may allow Ethiopia to turn into a net grain-exporter nation, the world is once again learning of the stark reality, the stark reality that millions are about to die of starvation!!

• TPLF AND THE LOOMING DANGERS OF ETHNOCENTRISM TO ETHIOPIA'S FUTURE

"The salvation of Ethiopia is in the hands of its children. As such, there is only one strategic imperative available for Ethiopians concerned about the dangers imposed by the Woyanne: Get involved in the liberation of our country from the yoke of Woyanne's ethnic hegemony! Get involved in every way possible. There is simply no other viable alternative."

• ETHIOPIA AND THE NEW MILLENNIUM by Tibebu Belete, Vancouver

"Ethiopia is not a poor country in terms of natural and human resources. The irony is that in a country where natural and human resources are in abundance people are starving to a degree that has consistently attracted the attention of the international community. At the same time as the TPLF/EPRDF government boasts of harvest that may allow the country to "export grain", donor countries report that as many as 8 million people are affected by drought and would be starving. But why?"

• Participatory Politics: Towards an Ethiopian Magna Carta" by Workaferahu Haile (W/o)

"When a nation is at its lowest political ebb, it shows in the demise of its human elements: its ruling elite wallow in their economic boom, self-praise, and false hopes, denying the nation's ideals, and even oppressing it, while its poor look in from the outside, longing for relief from hunger, disease and moral decrepitude. An unmistakable spectacle of divide occurs between rulers and subjects."