Ethiopian Millennium: Thought beyond the unthinkable

By Gumaata Blisummaa

June 1, 2007 — I do not mind if one who missed the Gregorian millennium celebration in Europe or America, can come to do it in Ethiopia. But I would like to inform him/her that he/she comes to Ethiopia to well sense both the political and economic problems prevalent in Ethiopia.

People from inside or outside, if they think that there is democracy and good governance in Ethiopia that makes all Ethiopians enjoy the millennium celebration on equal footing, that is a grave mistake and in addition, it can be a crime committed against humanity. The reason is that the regime in Ethiopia by this time is taking a fascistic measure against all Ethiopians in general and particularly against Oromo nationals.

It is clear that Ethiopia is a country of many nationalities that have different backgrounds and divergent interests. From these nationalities the Oromos occupy the majority. The majority is not only in size. It occupies the majority in the overall walk of life in Ethiopia. But they are the population who are a denied human right and political participation since the invasion by Manlike ? at the end of the 20th century.

In a nutshell the present Oromo, both as an individual or as a nationality is suspected, brutalized, killed, imprisoned, harassed, made to flee his country of birth and the left behind are made prisoner of conscience etc, by the government of Meles Zenawi, specifically alleging as supporter or member of a clandestine Oromo political Organization, the Oromo Liberation Front-the OLF. Regrettably, other Oromo political organizations, claiming difference from the OLF and working in the country (Ethiopia) by being allegiance the constitution are also suffering from the harassments of the regime, its cadres and secret police, alleged as the aforementioned clandestine political organization. It is unthinkable to work in the country according to the constitution, which is just left on the paper. If one is not the a supporter or loyal to the party in power, by and large being an Oromo always makes one suspected even if she/he is member of the ruling party. It is in such shocking and irritating condition that we are approaching the “Ethiopian Millennium celebration,” which is thought beyond the unthinkable.

Obviously, every country on our world big or small, large or compacted, developed or backward, etc may have one or more of a peculiar value of its own that makes it different from others. That peculiar value can be described as cultural, psychological make up, historical phenomenon, etc. Interestingly, Ethiopia, so also has something that makes it peculiar to other states. That peculiar thing is a unique calendar, which is known as a “Julian.”

As the gist of this article is not to brief the historical origin, meaning and development of the Ethiopian calendar, I do not want to go in to it for it needs a knowledge and skill in the field. However it should be clear that the Ethiopian “Julian” calendar does not belong to all nationalities of Ethiopia, rather it belongs to Ethiopians who are so-called the Semitics or Abyssinians or locally known as the “Habeshas”. It is advisable to think in such a way that the millennium celebration will never equally belong to all Ethiopians on equal footings, because present day Ethiopians who are located at the southern part of the country joined the Empire during the invasions took place towards the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th centuries.

None Abyssinians share from celebration only the severe suffering that elongates from time to time. One thing that should be clear is that let the westerns come to Ethiopia to celebrate the millennium with Meles zenawi, understanding the money they gave is well used to suppress the people of Ethiopia. However, my comment is focusing on the celebration of “The Ethiopian Millennium” to be celebrated sometimes at the beginning of September 2007, which is locally September 1st 2000, somehow seven or eight years behind the Gregorian calendar.

Strangers to the Ethiopian situation and alien to the Ethiopian composition may think that all Ethiopians are getting prepared to celebrate or to entertain the nodal time with jubilation. They also may think that the celebration belongs to all Ethiopians, assuming that there is democracy, good governance, and smooth relationship in Ethiopia, among Ethiopians and between the peoples and the government in power. As the public is not enjoying many of its affairs in the country due to the dictatorial rule of the regime, I would like to assure you that the majority of Ethiopians, particularly the Oromos are not happy with the millennium celebration.

As the country and the government are approaching the millennium celebration the agony among the Oromos of Ethiopia is escalating. Beginning from 1991 many Oromos have been killed, imprisoned, fled their country of origin to nearby or far foreign countries and others still live as prisoners of conscience, allegedly accused as the supporters and members of the dissent Oromo political organization, the OLF and others active in the country.

The problems in Ethiopia can be summarized as follows.

1. There was/is no legal government.

2. There is no rule of Law.

3. There is no responsible government.

The issue of legal government is a paramount importance as everyone may agree in many parts of the world legal government originates from ballot box, not from barrel of a gun. Both Mengistu Hailmariam and Meles Zenawi claim that they were/are democrats respectively and their leadership originated from ballot box, truly speaking, the ballot boxes were the looted or rigged ballot boxes. So, until the 21st century, (today) there appeared no legal government who got the consent of the people. It is justice and fair if people with out legal government lost moral to celebrate such millennium. So, for governments in Ethiopia came to the power through gun and continued to remain in power by gun law. On the other hand if one transcendently looks at the Federal government of present day Ethiopia, the arrangement itself and political assignment is simply to ensure the hegemony of TPLF in Ethiopia, which is basically targeted to build a future republic of Tigrai at the expense of other nations and nationalities. Federalism had been it is pangenetically applied; it can be a panacea to solve the deep rooted problems of last and present day Ethiopian problem.

The beauty of Federalism can never be fruitful by putting key TPLF cadres on the supervisory positions of the so called Regional Federal States to intervene in their affairs, to ensure the interest of the ruling party-the TPLF. Some thing to be borne in mind is that the millennium celebration cannot practically attract the unequal federal states. It is because of this and other that this article informs you that the millennium celebration thought beyond the unthinkable. By and large, it can only be as instrument to divert the attention of the international community, to buy more time to elongate the sufferings of Ethiopians in general and that of the Oromos in particular.

2. There is no rule of Law in Ethiopia. The rule of Law means that the government is required to act in accordance with the established laws. In a formal sense the rule of law means no more than organized public power as opposed to a rule by one man or decision at the description of political leaders. That organized public power can be the adjudicating body, and the contrary is the rule by one man, which certainly indicating the position of some officials and police authorities who exercise wide arbitrary or discretionary power to imprison and punish citizens outside the ordinary and established legal system.

In the present day Ethiopia, where we are going to celebrate the millennium, we can conclude that there is no rule of law even if there are rudimentary established laws. In short, the law is what the government, by and large, what the ruling party decides. Whether it is legal or illegal, the governments in Ethiopia used to have the unfettered “right” to take the life of the citizens any time. It is in such a life in which we going to celebrate the millennium. OH! Time comes and goes, but the so called the new millennium cannot be perceived as new for the Oromos as long as they are victims among their fellow citizens.

Undoubtedly the government in Ethiopia by this time is not subordinate to the laws it makes. Such a government does not have the moral to depict itself as democratic and mouthpiece of the people. At the absence of good governance there can be no one to feel free to celebrate the new millennium except Meles Zenaawi and his fugitive and the foreigners who invest lot of dollars and Euros to enjoy the sufferings of the Ethiopian peoples under the pretext of fighting against terrorism.

3. There is no responsible government: The responsiveness of a government emanates from nothing except the public from where that government originated. Any time and anywhere in history, it is the public or the public need and interest that gave shape to present day ‘almighty’ governments. Same is true in Ethiopia. The public interest has brought many and different governments in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, the public remained servitude to the governments who took power by gunpowder and continued to rule by gun law.

Emperor Haile Selassie took power from queen Zawditu by making palace coup. In turn his power was taken by military coup that destroyed the whole walk of life in Ethiopia. The military government ruled by gun law for seventeen years until it was relinquished by a guerrilla fighters from the northern mountains of Ethiopia escorted by western powerful governments. As has happened in the previous governments the freedom fighter that fought for the independence of Ethiopia stayed in power betraying its promises that it would establish a responsible government in Ethiopia, the first of its type. Leave alone establishing a responsible government, they are not allowing the people to open their eyes to demand their rights. Sadly the Ethiopians are left behind the international community yawning for democracy, rule of law, good governance and responsible government.

It was not more than decades when the Ethiopians were calling themselves as the people of “prison yard of nations and nationalities” persistently continuing to live in the prison yard of nations and nationalities, we are going to celebrate the Ethiopian millennium. If one alleged me as if I have exaggerated, the imprisonment for Oromos is double of the others, because being on Oromo can be concluded as a curse for the reasons mentioned.

The political landscape in Ethiopia has two images for foreigners. For foreigners, especially for the westerns who brought up the present regime to power, and additionally, who give any required support to assist the war against terrorism, the undemocratic feature of the regime is not sounding.

Again, for African counterparts, they have got Meles Zenawi who shadows the true image of their undemocratic. On the other side for Ethiopians from the inside, being a citizen, if one is desired to see the true political landscape; the consequence is obvious she/he can end up as a victim of torture, imprisonment and in the most cases disappearance and death follows. For Ethiopians who are not loyal to the ruler of the ruling party, the TPLF, the mere presence in the country dose not mean the celebration millennium, and celebrating the millennium does not alter the true image of the political landscape, which is dark for citizens like Oromos.

To conclude with this short article, regarding the Ethiopian millennium celebration, let the foreigners and Ethiopians from the Diaspora come and enjoy both the sufferings and jubilation of Ethiopian to their satisfaction. But one thing that should be clearly known is that Ethiopians are living beyond the dead and below the living. I do not mind it anybody can come and enjoy with a leader who brutalizes his people. However, history would judge the whole thing. Anyhow the Ethiopian millennium celebration is being thought beyond the unthinkable.

* The author is based in Ethiopia.