ETHIOPIA-The court drama and other observations
By G. Nuredeen
The Kangaroo Court Drama
The Ethiopian government recently found our elected leaders and civil society members guilty of treason and genocide. Everyone, including some Western powers that support the regime, knows this ruling is purely political and has nothing to do with justice. But as Westerns usually do, they let dictators make mockery of justice as it is a good way of blackmailing the dictators when they try to get out of hand. If we remember, Sadam was financed by the same Western powers that are patronizing Meles, when he gassed the Kurds and others. The same Western powers used this same event as their primary reason to get rid of that dictator.
Of all the uncertainities regarding Ethiopia, I am absolutely sure of one thing: sooner or later Meles will be charged of the same crimes that he is now accusing the elected leaders, genocide and treason. Meles has made so many errors. His crimes, too many to list here, started long before he came to power. They include, the many comrades he has to get rid of to be the leader of the TPLF, the Hawzien massacre, the massacre of the Anuak people of Ethiopia and the June and November gross massacre of the Ethiopian people are among the well known. Currently, there is even talk of a Magadishu massacre. These are hardly small crimes to be ignored by the Ethiopian people and even by the international community. We have to remember that the Anuak massacre is already certified by some international human rights groups, including members of the UN agency that conducted the investigation. The June and November crimes are also certified by his own hand picked inquiry commission, even if he tried to falsify the findings in the end. Currently, there is even the talk of the Magadishu massacre. In desperation he going from bad to worse. As the good book says: an evil man accumulates sin for his own destruction.
Musings about the Country Director of USAID in Ethiopia
Here is what the director said regarding the 2005 election in Ethiopia: “I was not here in 2005 but I think we did have an observer group here during the election, including President Carter himself, and we felt that the opposition had lost the election. While there were a number of expressions of concern, and condemnation for the killings that occurred, we think some of our other donor partners had gone over board in encouraging the opposition and making them think that somehow they had won the election; we never believed that.”
What he said is not interesting as much as what he omitted to say. First of all, there were observers who were requested by the current government to leave the country as they seem to be more honest than Mr. former president. I recall at least two observer groups from America that were denied the opportunity. As far as Mr. former president’s group is concerned, even members of congress joke about the credibility of the formers president group as it always sides with ruling parties. Besides, that group was not the official observer. The EU delegation led by the hounorable Ms. Ana Gomez was the official observer. But that is beside the point. Let us examine the motivation of “the donor partners” who encouraged the opposition and “making them think that somehow they had won the election;”
I will use the age old adage of Western investigation tactic: follow the money. This means what is the economic or other advantage for the “donor partners” in falsely encouraging the opposition. Honest donors are interested in seeing their donated money spent as it is originally intended to and not to fatten dictator’s pockets or private armies. This is hardly an advantage. As far as I am concerned there is no advantage apart from encouraging good governance.
On the other hand, some NGO’s might have an advantage in having the status quo to continue. Ethiopia is one of the world’s largest donation recipient countries. As we all know, the NGO business is one of the fastest growing. Keeping a country in perpetual poverty and misery keeps NGO’s in perpetual employment. I have seen how expats lament when their contract ends and they have to go back home. I have also heard some expats who refer an assignment in poor countries as an opportunity that is hard to refuse; not because of their desire to help but the other advantages, which I am not willing to discuss here, it entails.
I rest my case and let readers judge who has an advantage here. But I want to conclude this by mentioning what the Bible refers to as the “error of Balaam”. The error of Balaam is that reasoning from natural morality and being blind to the higher morality of God. Balaam, seeing the wickedness of the ancient Israelites, supposed that a righteous God could only be happy to curse a wicked nation. But he was deeply mistaken. What I am trying to say here is that these NGO’s reason from natural morality and conclude what could possibly be wrong to give these poor people some help, while they also help themselves along the way. If any dictator wishes to help them to accomplish that, so be it.