Tigray Herald፡November 24,2024 (Mekele)
Written by Bereket Kiros
Power hungry maniacs
In a democratic society, citizens are guaranteed due process of law if a government acts against them. We could go on narrating the virtues of democracy, but my focus is on our Tigrai, where things stand upside down. Yet, a party ironically states that it is a revolutionary democracy. TPLF’s political drama has, despite its claims of Tehadeso/ renewal and its incessant admission of corruption has, continued to baffle concerned Tegaru, asking themselves how this injustice is happening rigorously and wondering what the future of Tigrai would be.
People seem to be focused on the fear that may result in a leadership vacuum. “The only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” (The first inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as the 32nd President of the United States). Our concern should not be driven by imagined/non-imagined fear but by the rule of law to be governed without intimidation by the authorities. What is going on in our community in the Diaspora and Tigrai is a fight for the soul of Tigrai. It is a fight for a choice between a treasonous political leadership on one side and a regime trying to recover the political power it lost. This political fight has been delayed for 30 years and now is catching up with us, for we failed to establish alternate democratic institutions.
Every society has its vocal minority. However, not every vocal minority has a legitimate cause or is for a common cause. Some are thoroughly misguided and do not represent the consensus view. Often, facts are purposely distorted to give a sectarian agenda the appearance of universality to sway and enlist the unsuspecting and the ill-informed. There is a potential danger in allowing a situation like this to fester. Our Tigrai needs an excellent core with characteristics of selfless deeds of personalities to benefit a traumatized and angry youth and not a third-rate political manipulation of ideologically purported innuendos. The recent actions demonstrate to us and other concerned Tigreans the degree of the political immaturity of the leaders of our Tigrai region.
The seeming power struggle between the leaders also demonstrates the deep-seated political fault- of the severe sickness that all Ethiopian politicians suffer—hunger for power as a shortcut to one’s material success, rent-seeking, corruption, and lack of governance as opposed to power to be used in the service of the people of Tigrai to improve the living conditions of the people. Despite all, TPLF is concerned with the situation in Eritrea, and we should fight all kinds of extremists who want to take the sovereign land. Still, we should not be silent about the problems existing in Tigray.
The sad reality of our political situation, whether we are dealing with TPLF, sectarian Awraja-based narrow-minded political leaders, or the politics of ideologically corrupt Diaspora supporters, is simply a short-lived passing phenomenon. The system of unity and our zeal for our identity will carry us forward and help us survive as a people and a nation.
Our people of Enderta and Raya, when they lost the first Weyane revolt, the punishment that followed with the help of insiders, the imperial regime of Haileselassie, was harsh by raping and plundering and by land grab so that our people remained oppressed, uneducated, and poor. What is happening in the Enderta region’s land grab policy is another extension of old wounds. INTRIM administration of Tigrai, with the help of TPLF cadres, is removing Indigenous farmers from their ancestral land for the third-round total of 143,920 ካሬ ሜትር (14.392 ሄክታር) to relocate 1028 residents in one day. This another ploy hatched to create division and resentment among Tegaru should be condemned. Enderta youth must fight to reclaim their ancestral land by any means necessary. Despite this hardship, with a conviction of fighting spirit, they could stand firm to reclaim their steadfastness against any ploy to subdue them again. However, we must be careful not to inadvertently dig our graves or resurrect old wounds. At this juncture, only a proactive stance could solve the problem and stop matters from spinning out of control. God Help us from our dilemma !!!
