DAWN OF DEMOCRACY IN ETHIOPIA: THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS ETHIOPIA! PROSPERITY/OPPOSITION PARTIES! NATIONAL ELECTION BOARD! PM ABIY AHMED!
Congratulations New Ethiopia!
I joined the struggle for democracy and human rights in Ethiopia in 2005 because I had a dream.
It was a native son’s dream his Motherland; a prodigal son who had then spent well over three decades in America living the American dream.
I had a dream that one day the TPLF criminals responsible for the 2005 elections massacres will be brought to justice in Ethiopia.
I had a dream that one day there will reign genuine multiparty democracy in Ethiopia.
I had a dream that one day the ethnic apartheid system built and maintained by the TPLF will be shattered and reduced to ashes.
I had a dream that one day Ethiopiawinet will be the spirit of the times (zeitgeist) and the foundation of the unity of the Ethiopian people.
On January 1, 2017, Western New Year’s Day, I wistfully wrote about my two fondest dreams:
I dream of two things today. I dream of seeing the T-TPLF swept into the dustbin of history. I dream of a New Ethiopia, a truly democratic society at peace with itself, rising on the ash heap of the T-TPLF.
On February 3, 2013, I told the TPLF exactly how their game was going to end with Scriptural certainty:
‘He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.’ Meles and his worshippers have profoundly troubled the Ethiopian house and they shall inherit the wind!
The bell tolls loudly for the TPLF and their Prince of Darkness beckons them.
I wrote the TPLF’s obituary and epitaph with prophetic precision in my December 2015 commentary, “The End of the Story for the T-TPLF in Ethiopia”.
As Ethiopia inaugurates its first democratically elected government on October 4, 2021, the TPLF is on the run, in jail, gurgling in death rattle or in the grave.
On the ash heap of the TPLF, Ethiopia is rising over the African horizon to become truly democratic society at peace with itself and its neighbors.
THANK YOU, PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA, for making my dream of dumping the TPLF on the trash heap of history.
The U.S. and the European Union tried to thwart, obstruct, frustrate and scandalize our election.
They commanded, “Stop the election! There will be violence.”
They pleaded, “Postpone the election until you have inclusive dialogue.”
They threatened, “If you have the election, we will slap you with sanctions.”
They derided, “Even if you have an election it will not be free and fair.”
They begged, “If you insist on having an election, you must let us be not just election observers but also election commissioners deciding whether the elections was free and fair. You must allow us to bring electronic technology that will bypass Ethiopia’s communication system.”
The European Union shamelessly invited itself to send observers to Ethiopia against its own rules and demanded they be guaranteed the right to make the first announcement after the polls close on election day.
They colluded, contrived and connived because they knew the election will UNITE THE PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA and position them to harness their energies to achieve prosperity with dignity and humanity.
Simply stated, they feared a free, fair and peaceful election because that means ETHIOPAINS UNITED AROUND THE BALLOT BOX CAN NEVER BE DEFEATED.
But YOU, THE PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA, told the meddling interlopers to go to hell where they belong.
YOU told them you don’t need no closet white supremacists carrying their banner of White Man’s Burden validating or invalidating YOUR election.
YOU held your ground and did not back down.
YOU told them African elections can only be validated or invalidated by Africans.
Indeed, YOU taught all of Africa and the world the true meaning of a free, fair and peaceful election.
You successfully transitioned Ethiopia from a disgraceful insurrection to a glorious election.
Those who boasted having democracy for over two centuries transitioned from a routine election to a disgraceful insurrection.
But YOUR election is a historic achievement in African history.
I know of no African election since the end of colonialism that did not experience violence on election day or in the post-election period,
In the 2005 parliamentary election, the TPLF masters of ethnic apartheid in Ethiopia massacred, jailed or tortured tens of thousands to remain in power.
In the June 23, 2021, election, no election related violence occurred thanks to the decency and civilized nature of Ethiopians and their patriotic defense and regional forces and militia.
THANK YOU, PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA, for making my dream of a truly free, fair and peaceful democratic election a reality in Ethiopia on June 23, 2021!
BEWARE PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA: As we begin a brand-new chapter in our glorious history, remember there are barbarians standing at our gates.
Like the proverbial wolf, the barbarians are huffing and puffing, “We will impose economic sanctions the likes of which the world has never seen and blow down the Ethiopia House.”
Then they huff and puff again, “We shall declare genocide in Ethiopia and blow down the Ethiopia House.”
Again and again, they huff and puff, “We will break your back and knees and make you beg until you cry out, ‘Please Uncle Sam. Please Uncle Joe.’”
Let the barbarian wolves huff and puff.
They will flee at when they hear the thunderous roar of the Ethiopian black lion.
The weapon of choice of the wicked barbarians is economic war on Ethiopia.
Economic war on land. On the Abay (Nile) River. In the multilateral banks. In the handout offices.
Their strategy is simple. They believe that if they can create great economic hardship and chaos in Ethiopia, the people will rise and overthrow the government they elected.
But the barbarians are masters of miscalculation. They don’t know us.
They think they can control our hearts and minds by controlling our stomachs.
They should know, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”
Man lives by dignity.
Man without dignity is Man without humanity, without security.
The barbarians will never be able to take our dignity, humanity or endanger our security.
YOUNG PEOPLE OF ETHIOPIA: Fear not. Fret not. Fight on. Till victory is won.
We are assured of victory is assured because we have the Almighty fighting on our side. Our enemies will be our footstools!
Congratulations Prosperity and Opposition Parties
I congratulate Prosperity Party for its victory in a free, fair and peaceful election. You played by the rules and won. Kudos!
I also congratulate all opposition parties that participated in the election and whose members won seats as well as those who did not.
In a democracy, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
A well-known politician once said, “Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.”
Now it is YOUR moral obligation to serve as the loyal opposition.
By that I mean an opposition to Prosperity Party that is constructive, responsible, and grounded in loyalty to the people’s commitment to multiparty democracy and the rule of law.
Never forget the time-honored principle “Vox populi, vex dei” (The voice of the people is the voice of God.)
I lack words to express my pride in the high quality of party politics and campaigning in the June 2021 election. It was exemplary for Africa and the world.
I am proud because I have seen the presumed standard bearers of democracy practice scorched-earth politics of personal destruction and campaign by mudslinging and character assassination.
The loser of their election became the leader of an insurrection!
NATIONAL ELECTION BOARD OF ETHIOPIA (NEBE)
Thank you and congratulations National Election Board of Ethiopia leadership and staff.
You proved the Western naysayers were full of ***t.
The Western naysayer told you could not do it. You don’t have the capacity, the will or leadership to conduct a free, fair and peaceful election.
But you showed them how to do an election. With professionalism, integrity, neutrality and independence. With class!
NEBE conducted the election by the book– the law, the constitution.
NEBE organized the election under the most challenging circumstances engendered by Covid. It had to reschedule the election, organize voter, candidate registration, training electoral staff, printing and distributing ballot papers and rescheduling elections in certain regions.
NEBE treated opposition parties without partiality to Prosperity Party. That is why few can offer any legitimate criticism of NEBE.
NEBE did not buckle under the pressure of the foreign donors who like Mephistopheles offered the world in exchange for the soul of our election.
NEBE resolved complaints administratively and judicially.
NEBE properly and transparently tabulated the results and reported them for public scrutiny.
NEBE worked with the security. police and defense forces to make sure the Forces of Darkness will not cast a shadow on the light of our election. Many thnaks to them!
NEBE shall be a template for all elections in Africa.
Birtukan Midekssa, Chairperson of NEBE, deserves special thanks for her extraordinary leadership in making it happen. She was not afraid to butt heads with anyone and did her job with professionalism, integrity and impartiality.
I hope Birtukan will share her knowledge and experience in conducting free, fair and peaceful election with the rest of Africa.
NEBE has made all Ethiopians proud and deserves a million thanks.
Congratulations and a million thanks PM Abiy Ahmed: YOU GOT IT DONE!
As I congratulate you on Prosperity Party’s victory in the June 2021 election and your extraordinary leadership of Prosperity on the eve of the inauguration of a new government on October 4, 2021, I hearken back to your inauguration on April 2, 2018.
On April 8, 2018, six days after you because Prime Minister, I wrote you an open letter for the world to read.
I told you though I wrote the words in that letter, “my words and thoughts speak for many millions of Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia.”
On June 23, 2021, I was proven right!
Over 40 million Ethiopians voted for Prosperity Party and for you to lead the nation for the next 5 years!
In my open letter, I also told you why I was giving you my full support even though I had no idea whatsoever who you were.
I supported you unconditionally from day 1 because I believed Ethiopia’s earthly salvation could come only from its youth and you were the leader of Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation. My words were:
I have always believed Ethiopia’s salvation and resurrection (Tinsae) can only come through her youth… Above all, I regard you as the leader of Ethiopia’s youth. That said, know that I am in your corner and got your back.
I cannot express with words my pride that today 118 million Ethiopians have your back!
In your inaugural speech on April 2, 2018, you mentioned “Ethiopia” and Ethiopiawinet” so many times, I stopped counting because I was filled with ecstasy.
I cannot express with words my pride that today 118 million Ethiopians are singing your song of Ethiopiawinet today.
During a quarter century of TPLF ethnic oppression and misrule, Ethiopiawinet was a badge of shame.
Today, Ethiopiawinet is a flame that burns in the hearts of patriotic Ethiopians and sears the TPLF to a crisp.
There is nothing the TPLF fears more than the creed of Ethiopiawinet.
As a diaspora Ethiopian, I smile as I recall your inaugural words, “You can take the Ethiopian out of Ethiopia, but you cannot take Ethiopia out of the heart of the Ethiopian.”
That is 100 percent true for me. Ethiopia today. Ethiopia tomorrow. Ethiopia forever!
You have fulfilled your promises in your inaugural speech and done many extraordinary and wonderful things over the past three years.
You promised to keep the political space open to embrace all who wish to participate peacefully. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to transition Ethiopia into genuine multiparty democracy by organizing an internationally monitored free and fair election and despite Covid you GOT IT DONE!
You promised opposition leaders from abroad will be free to return and engage peacefully in the political process. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to empty the prisons of the untold numbers of political prisoners held by the TPLF. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to restore civil liberties and democratic freedoms and today even the terrorist TPLF and its supporters are allowed to spread their lies, damned lies and disinformation without any censorship in print, electronic or social media. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to modernize, upgrade and professionalize Ethiopia’s defense, police and security forces. GOT IT DONE!
You promised systematic reform of the police, security and military forces. GOT IT DONE!
You promised peace with our neighbors and worked with H.E. President Isaias Afeworki and opened the borders between the two countries closed for two decades. GOT IT DONE!
Brokered peace in Sudan between the military and civilians. GOT IT DONE!
You brought South Sudan’s power contenders to the peace table got them to realize the power of love is more powerful than the love of power. GOT IT DONE!
You told the people of Somalia their peace and stability is Ethiopia’s peace and stability and promptly established international air service. GOT IT DONE!
Is it any wonder you won the Nobel Peace Prize and become the 100th person to receive this award in over 100 years?
You promised to elevate women in Ethiopians society and assigned one-half of ministerial positions to them. GOT IS DONE!
You promised to talk to the people in person and scoured the countryside, the hamlets and towns to talk to the people, to listen and answered their questions. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to return our brothers and sisters suffering in the Middle East, languishing and forgotten in the jails and prisons. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to reach out to the Ethiopians diaspora and travelled ten thousand miles to America to bring home the banished, the exiled, the defiant, the indefatigable and unconquerable. You even managed to bring home one native son who was presumed lost for 48 years. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to promote harmony and understanding among factions of the two great religions in Ethiopia. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to deal with environmental degradation and planted billions of trees. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to stabilize the economy and foreign exchange crisis after the TPLF plundered the country’s wealth. The TPLF declared war and tried to mess it up. GOT IT DONE!
You promised to transform the economy by increasing privatization of certain state-run institutions, promoting investments and liberalizing the economy with the aim of improving services through market competition. GOT IT DONE!
I can go on and on.
Of course, all of it is a work in progress, a labor of love for Ethiopia.
There is much to be done, a lot of heavy lifting remains.
As they say, “A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step.” Ethiopia is on an irreversible course on that journey.
I must also thank you for the many wonderful things you have taught us:
Ethiopia will rise as a nation only when the power of love overcomes the love of power of those in power and those hungry and thirsty for power.
We cannot make progress unless we learn and practice to forgive and reconcile.
The only lasting change is one that comes peacefully.
I can go on listing, but I will not belabor the obvious.
If I must select one thing for which I want to thank you profoundly is your offer of Medemer as an ideology for the New Ethiopia.
To me, Medemer is a many-splendored idea.
It is a philosophy grounded in the simple idea that the New Ethiopia can be built only by winning the battle for hearts and minds, not by attacking Ethiopia’s defense forces or brutalizing innocent civilians.
The people of Ethiopia elected Prosperity Party by practicing Medemer. That is by casting millions of ballots in a free, fair and peaceful election.
Medemer is our ultimate weapon: United we stand victorious against the TPLF Forces of Darkness and divided we stumble and fall back into the darkness that covered us pole to pole for over a quarter of a century.
Ethiopians have come as one in Medemer philosophy to fight against the TPLF terrorists.
Medemer has liberated our minds from the mental slavery of ethnic politics.
Medemer became the final antidote and vaccination for the ethnic apartheid virus coursing in the blood of the Ethiopian body politics.
But you were not just a doer and a teacher.
You melted our hearts with love, humility, gentleness, empathy, kindness and compassion.
You visited the sick in the hospital, donated blood and rebuilt the crumbling mud houses of the poorest of the poor.
You adopted an orphan and set an example to all to do the same.
You showed respect to the young and old, men and women, rich and poor alike.
You won our minds by speaking from the heart to our hearts.
You stunned us with your stunning eloquence, breadth of knowledge, impeccable logic and awesome strategic thinking.
You reminded us, “When we are alive, we are Ethiopians. When we die (and turn to dust) we become the land that is Ethiopia.”
You did not do it all alone. Millions upon millions joined you.
But I wish to single one out of the many millions for special recognition and appreciation.
Zinash Tayachew stood by you as you faced the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Zinash Tayachew helped you by building schools and proved being a first lady is just as demanding as being Prime Minster.
Zinash Tayachew proved the adage, “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman.”
Thank you Zinash Tayachew!
The heavy lifting left and weathering the storm
The next five years will present some challenges but offer boundless opportunities as well.
The wicked Western barbarians and their press-titutes will try to dehumanize, demonize, demoralize and ostracize us.
The dregs of the Western barbarians will try to destabilize, antagonize, communalize and balkanize us.
But we shall democratize, detribalize, organize and galvanize the people with Medemer philosophy and prosperity praxis.
We will tear down the mud walls of the kilil-istans and build steel bridges to connect our people wickedly separated and segregated by the TPLF for over a quarter of a century.
We will cleanse the poison of ethnic politics from the body politics of Ethiopia.
We will complete our Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
We will create inclusive institutions so that NO ETHIOPIAN IS LEFT BEHIND.
We will do much, much more.
Above all, we will make prosperity our ticket out of poverty.
What does prosperity mean to me?
Prosperity to me is the foundation for liberty.
Prosperity is the foundation of dignity.
Prosperity preserves our sovereignty and territoriality.
Prosperity is the antidote to the age-old disease of poverty.
Prosperity is the sinews that strengthens our unity.
Prosperity enables us to see our humanity is far more important than our ethnic identity.
Prosperity brings out the good side of our humanity by cultivating our generosity.
Prosperity enables us to have global connectivity and neighborly comity.
Prosperity is our ultimate security.
Without prosperity, we become objects of charity.
Without prosperity, all will look at us with objects of pity.
That is why we must cover Ethiopia pole to pole with prosperity!
There is an old saying about the devil who whispered in a man’s ear, “You are not strong enough to withstand the storm.”
The man whispered in the Devil’s ear, “I am the storm!”
There are those who preach fire and brimstone to us. They say, “If do not buckle and crackle to their commands, they will unleash their storm troopers upon us carrying the daggers of sanctions, shooting the arrows of lies, damned lies and disinformation and sharpening their long knives to chop up Ethiopia.
You have shown them you are the storm and if they believe you not 72 hours is all they get to get out of the storm.
The Devil should know Ethiopia is the calm in the eye of the storm in the Horn of Africa.
Mark Twain, the great American writer and humorist said, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
Ethiopians must fight with the courage and boldness that comes from Above.
That is how David defeated the mighty Goliath.
Ethiopia today faces the Western Goliaths with their sanctions, money and weapons and their media armies of deceit.
Ethiopia shall prevail because as David said facing Goliath, “For the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give [our enemies] into our hands”.
Our enemies will become our footstools!
They say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Let’s march on to victory and prosperity with Prosperity Party and Abiy Ahmed!
Onward and forward, my fellow Ethiopians…
