Reflecting on My April 8, 2018 Personal Letter to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
Reflecting on My April 8, 2018 Personal Letter to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
To those who say you are not strong enough to weather the storm, I want you to tell them, ‘I am the storm. To those who do not believe you are the storm, tell them, ‘I am the calm in the eye of the storm’… Prime Minster Abiy: 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… You have made a rendezvous with history…
On April 2, 2018, citizen Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
On April 8, 2018, I wrote Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed a 7-thousand-word personal letter covering a wide range of issues.
On April 8, 2024, today, I reflect on some of the messages I sent to PM Abiy Ahmed in that letter.
Those interested in reading the full letter will find it at this link:
https://almariam.com/2018/04/08/my-personal-letter-to-prime-minister-abiy-ahmed-of-ethiopia/
*A special note to the reader. There may be some who may wonder why I penned a 7-thousand-word letter to a prime minister who has been in office barely 6 days. Others may wonder if I had prior knowledge of Abiy Ahmed in academic or other settings.
The fact is when I wrote my April 8, 2018 letter, I had absolutely no knowledge of Abiy Ahmed. I had seen him in two or three video clips speaking in public two or three weeks before he became prime minister. I wrote him that letter because his messages in those clips deeply moved me, resonated with me. He talked about Ethiopiawinet with eloquence and substance. I loved his message of nonviolent change. I was impressed by his message of inclusiveness, unity, and collective effort to put Ethiopia on the road to prosperity. My sixth sense me told me, “This is the man who will make Ethiopia great again.”
Beginning in 2012, I have been writing about Ethiopia’s Cheetah (Abo Shemane/Young generation) Generation saving Ethiopia from the path of perdition the regime at the time had set. I had prophesied the advent of a leader of the youth generation that will set Ethiopia on a path to peace and national reconciliation. Of course, I had no idea that leader would be Abiy Ahmed.
PM Abiy Ahmed is a man and leader of exceptional intellectual and human qualities. He is also a very simple and uncomplicated man. It is easy to understand him. He says what he means and means what he says. He promises ONLY what he can deliver and delivers on time or before delivery time. He hates corruption and abuse of power. He will not NEGOTIATE away Ethiopia’s sovereignty, unity or dignity.
I knew Abiy Ahmed was the right leader for Ethiopia before I knew who Abiy Ahmed was.
There is one undeniable fact about PM Abiy Ahmed. He has one and ONLY one mission: MAKE ETHIOPIA GREAT AGAIN!
I fully support PM Abiy Ahmed because like him I have one and ONLY one mission: MAKE ETHIOPIA GREAT AGAIN!
There is NO DOUBT Ethiopia will be great again. There are 120 million Ethiopians who believe in the credo, the guiding principle of MAKE ETHIOPIA GREAT AGAIN!
Robert Frost, a great American poet, penned:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
History shall tell with a sigh ages and ages hence that Abiy Ahmed took the road less traveled by — the road to peace, prosperity and progress – and that has made all the difference for Ethiopia!
MAKE ETHIOPIA GREAT AGAIN! BE A MEGA!
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Reflections…
In my April 8, 2018, personal letter to PM Abiy Ahmed, I covered a gamut of topics and offered suggestions, advice, and admonitions to him on a wide range of subject matters. As I reflect on that letter, I am pleased to say my support for PM Abiy is rock solid because he has performed as I expected and as he promised he would. I read the man right. He says what he means and means what he says.
PM Abiy talked about Ethiopiawinet when he became prime minister. Today, he practices Ethiopiawinet. He talked about nonviolent change and dialogue, now he practices the politics of inclusion and dialogue. He said he will change fake “revolutionary democracy” into multiparty democracy. The Ethiopian people made it happen for him by standing all night to vote for him and his party. He talked about ethical and moral leadership, accountability, and transparency when he became prime minister. Today he wages a relentless war against corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse in government. He talked about elevating political discourse from campaigns of character assassination and personal destruction to conversations and dialogue about national construction and socio-economic innovation. He embraced the Ethiopian diaspora when he became prime minster, today he still embraces the Ethiopian diaspora including the noisemakers, crybabies, YouTube click baiters, bellyachers, know-nothing, do-nothing, good-for-nothing crowd.
Over the past 6 years, Ethiopia has faced a virtual Armageddon – a Western-supported terrorist war that has claimed the lives of at least one million people, plague in the form of Covid 19, crippling sanctions by the Biden administration, demonization and disinformation by the Western fake and in-the-service-of Western-government media, drought, pestilence, death and destruction.
The trial sand tribulations of Ethiopia will continue for she has mighty and wicked enemies. They will leave no stone unturned, and will move mountains to destroy Ethiopia. But Ethiopians shall fight till kingdom come because they know, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that makes all the difference.”
The road to peace, prosperity, peace and progress is a long and arduous one. But the Ethiopia Ship of State will keep on sailing with Captain Abiy Ahmed at the helm.
In my April 8, 2018 letter, I prophetically told PM Abiy, there will be a torrent of voices telling him he cannot do it, he will be overwhelmed and defeated by the complexity of Ethiopia’s problems. They will tell him he is too young, too inexperienced, too weak to weather the storm. They will tell him he is doomed to fail. I told to stand steadfast and tell them:
I AM THE STORM!
Ethiopia will face many more storms, lightning, and thunder. But the Ethiopian ship of state will sail on – battered by furious domestic political winds and gigantic geopolitical waves – but she will gloriously reach her destination of Peace, Prosperity, and Progress.
In the words written over a century ago by the great African American poet and novelist Paul Lawrence Dunbar:
Far out in the night,
On the wavering sight
I see a dark hull loom;
And its light on high,
Like a Cyclops’ eye,
Shines out through the mist and gloom.
I see Ethiopia in a light on high
Peering through the doom and gloom of the last 6 years
Shedding tears and overcoming fears
Filled with joy, I sigh
Let’s MAKE ETHIOPIA GREAT AGAIN (MEGA) our pride, dignity, honor to satisfy.
THANK YOU PM ABIY.
YOU HAVE DONE A HELLEVA JOB AS PRIME MINSTER OVER THE PAST 6 YEARS!
LIKE I SAID ON DAY 6 AFTER YOU BECAME PRIME MINISTER, I GOT YOUR BACK!
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A few snippets from my April 8, 2018 “Personal Letter to Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed.”
“Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your inauguration as prime minister. I am supremely pleased to see an illustrious member of Ethiopia’s New Generation take leadership of the highest office in Ethiopia.
“Prime Minster Abiy: 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 smiled with quiet wonderment when I heard you say in your inaugural speech addressing Diaspora Ethiopians, ‘You can take an Ethiopian out of Ethiopia but you cannot take Ethiopia out of the heart of an Ethiopian.’”
“I write this letter for several reasons. First, I wish to pledge my principled support for all your efforts… Second, I wish to respond positively to a number of issues raised or touched upon in your inaugural speech… Third, I wish to acknowledge your sincere gesture to Diaspora Ethiopians.
“Your mission is to fulfill Nelson Mandela’s pledge in his inaugural speech for South Africa in Ethiopia: “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.
“You must fight against Amhara, Tigray, Oromo… domination. That is what the young people rightly expect of you, demand of you and are counting on you to do. They want their beautiful land never again to experience the oppression of one by another.
On Ethiopiawinet
“You mentioned “Ethiopia” and Ethiopiawinet” so many times in your speech, I stopped counting, and not because I was tired but because I was filled with ecstasy. I have no recollection of such celebration of Ethiopia in a public speech of any person claiming national leadership in Ethiopia. For quite some time now, the word “Ethiopia” has meant shame; but you have made it a word of pride and fame.
I smiled with quiet wonderment when I heard you say in your inaugural speech addressing Diaspora Ethiopians, “You can take an Ethiopian out of Ethiopia, but you cannot take Ethiopia out of the heart of an Ethiopian.”
To me, Ethiopiawinet is simply the humanity of the people of Ethiopia. For me, EthiopiaWINet is a Weltanschauung, a world view, a philosophy, a way of life, a form of consciousness, a way of doing (and not) things and a methodology for understanding and transforming the Ethiopian reality and the world. It is a lens through which I see and perceive reality, the past, present and future and reflect critically upon the problems, issues and needs in Ethiopia to gain a deeper understanding and follow up with action to bring about change. EthiopiaWINet is “praxis” (“action-oriented towards changing society,” unity of theory and practice).
Ethiopia’s youth united can never be defeated
In 2013, I declared, “My slogan has always been and remains, ‘Ethiopia’s youth united can never be defeated. Power to Ethiopia’s youth!’” I declared 2013 “Year of Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation” and urged that Ethiopia’s youth to lead the national dialogue in search of a path to peaceful change and reconciliation.
On nonviolent change
I have always believed in the practice and theory of nonviolent struggle against tyranny and oppression. For 13 years, I waged my personal struggle to win the hearts and minds of Ethiopians and people of good will throughout the world in my weekly commentaries, which some affectionately call “sermons”. Those of us who have always promoted nonviolent change acknowledge the sacrifices of the Ethiopia’s youth who did all the heavy lifting, dying, and going to jail. Today we remain confident that we can change Ethiopia without bloodshed.
On Leadership:
There will be those who seek leadership because they wish you well and support you out of pride. You are an inspiration to them. There will also be the doubting Thomases, skeptics, critics and others watching from sidelines because they lack courage, conviction, and creativity to be real leaders. There will be many others who will workday and night to make sure you fail. They will smile to your face but cannot wait to stab you in the back. So, you will have a challenge constituting your leadership team.
Honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve others – qualities which are within easy reach of every soul – are the foundation of one’s spiritual life.
On the politics of personal destruction
Barely two weeks into the job, there are those who have unsheathed their long knives and are coordinating a campaign to wage a scorched earth, take no prisoners, mean-spirited campaign of personal destruction. They heap blame on you. They say you for being too young for the office. They criticize you for your political inexperience. They demonize you for your military service. They proclaim you are just another puppet. They diminish your extraordinary eloquence as “just talk, no action.” Some even said you got the job because they did not want it. They can take it away from you any time they wish. They have set a lengthy list of things you should have done today, yesterday, last week, last month, last year… They say you can neither walk on water nor soar like an eagle. They do not want to give you a chance to prove yourself. They want you to fix the festering decay of 27 years in 7 days.
Who are “they”?
They are the “nattering nabobs of negativism, the members of the 4-H club—the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history”.
Their aim is to distract, to demoralize, to denigrate, to demonize, to dehumanize, to spread rumors, and to deprive the Ethiopian people, that is Ethiopia’s youth, of any sense of optimism and hope and keep them languishing in the politics of despair.
Do not lose sleep over the chatter of the nattering nabobs of negativism. They want you to drive forward looking into the rear-view mirror so that you can crash and burn.
I have two simple pieces of unsolicited advice for you.
First, raise the bar for public discourse, which you did wonderfully in your speech. Respond to those waging a war of negativity with an all-out campaign of civility. Drive out despair with messages of hope; plant optimism in the arid landscape of pessimism; chase out bad ideas with good ones and let good triumph over evil.
Second, believe it is all about mind over matter. If you do not mind, they don’t matter. In the words of that old African proverb, “When the dogs bark, the camels just keep walking.” Keep walking the long road to freedom and lead from behind.
Why I do what I do…
I have declared on numerous occasions that I have no political ambition whatsoever. I have also said many times that I have nothing but contempt for those who crave power, for those hungry and thirsty for power. Love of power without the power of love for those who are oppressed, without deep concern for the pain and suffering of the powerless, voiceless, and defenseless is the height of hypocrisy. It would be the height of absurdity and irony for a man who stumbled into a career of speaking truth to power to aspire power.
The theologian Martin Luther, the father of Protestanism, said, “If you want to change the world, pick up a pen and write.” I am not a Protestant, but I picked up a pen 13 years ago and am still going strong.
Paraphrasing the late music artist Tu Pac Shakur, “I never said I was gonna change Ethiopia, but I guaranteed from the beginning that I will spark the minds that will change Ethiopia.” I think I have done a little bit of that.
My opposition has never been against the personalities of the TPLF but their odious and atrocious acts. I have never said or done anything that shows ethnic bias. I have always aspired to the highest standards of humanity (human-unity) and ethical conduct and never pandered to the politics of ethnicity.
There is a time for everything…
The Good Book says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” There is a “time to kill and a time to heal.” No more killing, it is time to heal Ethiopia. There is a “time to tear down and a time to build.” It is time to build up Ethiopia and tear down the kilils. There is a “time to weep and mourn and a time to laugh and dance.” It is our time to embrace and laugh at ourselves and dance the night away. There is a “time to tear and a time to mend.” We have been torn up by ethnicity, religion, language. It is time to mend and heal our wounds with the balm of Ethiopiawinet. There is a “time to love and a time to hate.” The time to hate is over. It is high time for love.
My message as we go forward shall be of inclusion, brotherhood and sisterhood. No more rancor and acrimony. No more finger wagging, teeth gnashing and belly aching.
When others talk war, we shall talk peace. We owe it to Ethiopia’s Abo Shemanes. They need a message of healing, unity, and assurances that Ethiopia’s best days are yet to come.
Gandhi taught, “Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.”
It is time to change beliefs and thoughts and help Ethiopia’s youth change their country and take charge of their destiny.
Opening your arms to Diaspora Ethiopians
In your inaugural speech, you reached out to Ethiopians in the Diaspora “with open arms” and invited them to bring their knowledge, resources and experiences and help develop the country. That is an important gesture of peace and reconciliation with the Diaspora Ethiopian community. There are many of us in the Diaspora who have reached points in our personal and professional lives that we find it more blessed to give than to receive. There are many among us to whom much is given, and much should be expected. We will give back much in return for the simple satisfaction that our young people will have a better future.
Failure is not an option for you
The prophets of doom and gloom have declared that you are destined to fail. They vow to put you on a short leash and will not let you do anything more than cosmetic changes. That is why failure is not an option for you. That is why failure is not an option for all of us. All of us are invested heavily in your success because if you lose, we will be the biggest losers – of life, liberty, and property. We must get it right this time!
Weathering the storm
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.” That is how David defeated Goliath. You too can prevail.
There is an old saying about the devil and the storm which I shall paraphrase. To those who say you are not strong enough to weather the storm, I want you to tell them, “I am the storm.” To those who do not believe you are the storm, tell them, “I am the calm in the eye of the storm.” To those who do not believe that, tell them, “Just wait and see Cheetahs raining down on you.”
Until next time, wishing you the very best,
Al
Ethiopia today, Ethiopia tomorrow, Ethiopia forever…
