TIGRAI Online

Pardons Backfire! What Next?

We all know the conditions of the release which Eng. Hailu Shawel et al signed. We also know that the same convicts have reneged on those promises and are running their mouths ever so loudly, from their hideouts overseas; claiming that they have prevailed by the power of Ana Gomes, rather than by the generosity of the Ethiopian people. We can all imagine the betrayal that must be felt by Prof. Ephrem Isaac and the rest of the Ethiopian Shemagles who secured their release.

Personally, I am not surprised one bit. As a matter of fact I expected the convicts to do exactly what they have been doing. It would have been naïve of me to think otherwise, considering their track record of lies and deceit. You can’t teach an old dog new trick. Not at the age of seventy five! One might claim that Eng. Hailu Shawel has nothing to do with the activities of the younger scum bags who have effectively dethroned him. I beg to differ. I haven’t heard Eng. Hailu Shawel disavowing his concurrence with the utterings of Dr. Berhanu Nega and Wzt Burtukan Medeksa. I rest my case.

So, what should happen to Eng. Hailu Shawel and his disciples next? That is, as they say, the one million dollar question. I have heard that PM Meles lobbied the EPRDF members of Parliament to go along with his recommendation to pardon the convicts. The vast majority of Parliamentarians were against such pardons, because they had the vision to predict what is happening now. PM Meles wanted the pardons to be doled out for political expediency; which has unfortunately backfired. I sincerely hope and pray that PM Meles was not hoodwinked by the Professor into playing along. Nah!! Now the Ethiopian people have to suffer the consequences, and are left with the task of picking up the pieces.

There is no point crying over spilt milk. However, the time has come for everyone, including EPRDF, to acknowledge the enemies of Ethiopia; and to publicly expose them and their deeds to the Ethiopian people. It will take tremendous effort in communicating to the Ethiopian people, that the wolves are on the prowl to devour their hard earned success in the war against poverty and ignorance. Explaining H.R. 2003 to the Ethiopian people will punctuate the gist of the intentions of the Diaspora CUD/DERG/Neftegna coalition. The Ethiopian people must be made aware of the agenda that these criminals have in store for our people. To state it bluntly, civil war in the scale of that seen in the former Yugoslavia and currently in Iraq will be unavoidable, if these criminals were to have their way.

The convicts are now technically “fugitives” who must be sought and apprehended. Ethiopia’s Chief Prosecutor must follow up on his initial plan to seek the imposition of death sentence on these criminals.