Dawit Gebreegziabher raised valid points Ethiopian authorities should address urgently

Response to “Effects of Ethiopia’s economic success and its position on International arena” by Berhane Kahsay

By Abrhaley G.meskel
Tigrai Online, September 7, 2015

Because Ato Dawit speaks out about the existing problems the writer has unmercifully tried to associate him with the destroyers.

The article Effects of Ethiopia’s economic success and its position on International arena by Berhane Kahsay , focusses on the infamous individuals and outlawed groups standing outside the EPDRF umbrella. I would like to appreciate the writer for sharing his opinion. But I found it unfair to name Ato Dawit alongside the people described in the piece. The network the writer has portrayed, as the millionaire, is fictitious. 

I heard that, those dissent individuals during the Derg regime were accused of being connected with the then outlawed rebel groups in Ethiopia. And now, that dirty game which puts people in the state of fear comes into practice, by connecting Ato Dawit with outlawed groups, like what the writer has tried to do. The message is crystal clear; if you speak about any problem you will be flagged and subsequently penalized with made-up stories. The result of such a dirty game is accumulating voice in the sphere of silence, which once exploded is difficult to handle.  ኣያታትና ንምታይ ድዮም ህይወቶም ከፊሎም? ንሕና ውን ክንዕፈን?  

It is only imaginary craziness, to say the list, to assume that Ato Dawit is recruited by the chauvinists. I found the writer’s claim naive and devious conspiracy that has tried to connect distant dots. It is insane to think that Ato Dawit is Tigrigna speaking recruit who will damage the system. As the writer put it, the millionaire is unfairly benefited by the system. If so, why should he destroy the system? May be to destroy his fortune, as the writer claims? Remember, it is only very poor policy and fractious system that will allow individuals to take unfair advantage out of it. So why don’t the writer blame the policy that has failed to keep in check the investors and maximize the benefit for the large people?!

The most unfair thought that revolve in the mind of chauvinists is that, they are the only builders of the nation whereas others are destroyers. Because Ato Dawit speaks out about the existing problems the writer has unmercifully tried to associate him with, according him, the destroyers. I would say that the writer was setting up a maze, to stop by at the point which according him might connect Ato Dawit with anti-EPRDF camps. ካብ ካሊእ ትግራዋይ ንላዕሊ ትግራዋይ ንምኻን ኣይትሞክር። Ato Dawit cares about Tigray and its people as much as the writer does, as much as I do! Only destroyers do prejudge others as destroyers, and chauvinists think that they are the only one who cares for the people and the country.

The writer has admitted that there is a problem as he phrased it: If he (Ato Dawit) had solely focused on bad governance, corruption, nepotism and obstacles to  investments, he would have had much more support from within and outside. But the writer instead of focusing on the problems raised he had followed the path demarcated by the destroyers in the past; depict everyone who speaks about existing problems as networked with outlawed opposition. What a lame joke?

Had the writer ever said anything about the mal-administration and the ever expanding complex web of corruption in Tigrai region? Why do not he tell, the rulers for life, to stop the prevailing nepotism based on party membership? Why does not he dare to make an EFFORT to find out the obstacles to invest, erected by ill-advised regional state? The overall message of the piece regarding Ato Dawit within the article is that, anyone from Tigrai who speaks for the people and asks for better administration and life quality will be pushed like what the dead regime (Derg) was doing. ኣብ ትግራይ ሰናን አምበር ሰናይ ምምሕዳር የለን።  

With even malicious twists, there is no any way to draw a rebelling message from the interview by Ato Dawit. If someone does, he got a rebelling mentality. For peoples with such mentality, any combination of words spoken out or written constitutes a rebelling message! The writer has tried intentionally to divert the attention of the people away from the problems he even believed exists. እቲ ፀገም ብሓባር ይፍታሕ ፣ ጎምባሕባሕ ግን ኣይጥዑምን።

I personally agree with the writer’s statement that there have been investments, albeit not as huge as he put it out, on health, education, infrastructure and agriculture. But more could have been done had the problems stated over and over again, and pinpointed by Ato Dawit, were partially addressed. I do not expect the region to have the lowest unemployment rate in the world but, with better attitude and capacity to serve the people, I am sure it would have been less than what is right now. So, better we focus on addressing the problems than accusing each other with baseless stories and mean conspiracy.