G/Kirstos Abbay
25th August 2019
I have carefully listened to Professor Hizkiel Gebissa’s rhetoric and the questions raised by the attendees and the explanation given by the presenter at Mekelle University. Professor Gebissa has tried to deliberately display uncountable loopholes to put the participants in limbo intentionally; so that he can capture the resilience of the house. I wouldn’t dare to deny the cleverness approach he used to captivate the audience, as if he is an expert in the field. But I am proud that many bright figures have extraordinary knowledge to pinpoint his cunning misquoted examples. At any scale, our country Ethiopia is far more different than the countries he mentioned. Our ancestors were very wise that they have inherited us with the most important threads that woven the Ethiopian society together, with traditional culture as a master key for coexistence.
There are so many human gatherings in every community such as Equb ዕቁብ (saving money), Idir እድር (condolence), Christening ክርስትና, Timket ጥምቀት (epiphany), Debo ደቦ, Wonfel ወንፈል (collaboration), Tertim ተርቲም (coffee ceremony), Mahiber ማኅበር (association), Zikir ዝክር (celebration), Tezkar ተዝካር (memorial invitation), Welid አራስ ጥየቃ (post-natal), Qebir ቀብር (funeral), Serg ሠርግ (wedding), Ertiban እርጥባን (fundraising), Visiting the sick በሽተኛ ጥየቃ, Bercha ጫት መቃም (having qat together),visiting the prisoner እሥረኛ ጥየቃ, Shimglina ሽምግልና (mediation), holidays ዓውደ ዓመት, etc. you name it. These types of socialization are considered to be the core values that have glued the Ethiopian society together without any differentiation or discrimination.
These cultural values were taken as backwardness by the so-called elites, who have been briefed by western education and ideology, and wilfully incarcerated to think as western culture is superior and theirs as inferior. That is what I have observed from Professor Gebissa. What a pity!
Ethiopians have their philosophy, culture, and belief that do not undermine others’. The central political problem we are facing at the moment is because of the emergence of foreign worshippers, especially youth of high schools and university colleges since in the 1970s.
Those Students have detached themselves from the real essence of Ethiopianism for they have undermined their identity, and preferred to pretend as if they were more civilized because they are reading foreign books, wear foreign cloth, as well as speaking foreign languages. Most of them come from mission schools because they lack civic education and moral teachings. The history of the Ethiopian patriots, who have dedicated their lives to protect their freedom, and sovereign territory. I believe Mr. Gebissa is the product of one of these schools.
Professor Gebissa has mentioned different countries’ experience to demonstrate his pragmatic message, but he lacked to access the main ingredients of their motives such as the pull factors, as well as the push factors. In my opinion, his presentation without considering these driving forces is incomplete, unless otherwise it is purposefully neglected to achieve a certain political goal. Whatsoever, our country Ethiopia is unique from the rest of the world, and we cannot find any remedy from outside rather than reinforcing our well-founded societal and multicultural harmony.
The late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was one of the 1970’s youth group, and he was mal-orientated by western type of education. Even though he didn’t travel abroad he had the chance of reading their literature while he was in General Wingate Secondary School in Addis Ababa. He was one of those who were not willing to know about the patriotic deeds of Ethiopian elders, instead, he worshipped the western civilization.
Maybe because he was marginalized by the Adwa people where he grew up, for his father and grandfather had betrayed their country and submitted for Fascist Graziani to achieve temporary personal gain. That may have influenced Meles Zenawi to think as if he is inferior to others, and conceived a time bomb of how to destroy this great nation.
Professor Gebissa discussed the disintegration of the USSR in 1991 and praised the roles of President Gorbachev’s actions, as if he had done a good thing for his country, but ignored to show the pull and push factors for his intentions. The reason was clear.
Before 1991 the world was divided into two, imperialism and Communism ideology, led by The USA and The USSR respectively. The main division goes back from the 4th Century AD when Christianity was divided into two. Erstwhile, there was only one Christianity religion known. During that time the Roman Empire was great like The USA now.
King Constantine the leader of the Roman Empire, perceived one thing and started building St. Peters Church in the Vatican, which is the largest church in the world. At the time, The Christian Church HQs was in Alexandria Egypt, and the king thought that it would be inferior to get directives from Africa while he was a great Empire in the world.
He invited world Christian Church leaders in 325 A.D. for an assembly to Constantinople to discuss how to move the Head Quarters from Alexandria to the Vatican. Those holy and wise church leaders told him they have no authority to move it, but they should request the will of The Lord through fasting and prayer so that they could get some clues from God. After a few days, they got the clue that was interpreted as ‘not to move the HQS from its original place Alexandria.’
The king was not pleased by the outcome, and he decided to conduct a vote. Then most European countries delegates favored the king, while the rest including Russia, Armenia, Greece, Syria, India, Serbia, Egypt as well as Ethiopia stood firm.
After this assembly, Catholicism started during the reign of King Constantine and the rest said we are Orthodox (straight forward) and Christianity was divided into two for the first time. This division evolved up to now giving different names but has the same meaning and connotation. Such as Occident Churches versus Oriental Churches, Western Churches versus Eastern Churches, Western Block versus Eastern Block, Global North versus Global South, Civilized countries verses third world countries, capitalism versus Communism respectively to indicate the difference.
Once we understood these differences and how it was interpreted through time, it won’t be difficult to deduct the successive phenomena. Here it would be worth mentioning the leaders of Superpowers in the 1970s, at the time of the cold war between the Western Block and Eastern Block. It is obvious that the western Block was led by The USA and had developed NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in 1952 while the Eastern Block was led by USSR and had formed a counter organization Known as WARSAW in 1955. In the meantime, it should be noted that even though there was no direct war between the two superpowers, but they have provoked ideological conflicts all over the world, and millions of lives have been perished due to the proxy war supported by them. The Korean War 1950-1953, Second Indochina War (the Vietnam War) 1955-1975, the Congo War 1960-1965, the Afghanistan War 2001-2014, etc.
At the moment President Regan was the leader of the USA and President Brezhnev was the leader of USSR. 1970 was the climax for the division, there were fear and tension about the rapidly spreading of Marxism-Leninism Ideology all over the world that was mainly supported by the Soviet Union. Massive ideological books were published and distributed for free. Marxism Leninism Theory swept away the globe, especially the developing countries and radical government changes have been observed here and there.
The western block was shivering and was working hard to suppress its progress through the implementation of different tactics and strategies. The key measures used were supporting rebel groups, imposing an economic sanction, and laying a financial embargo on pro-socialist countries. More or less the major victims were African countries and among them was Ethiopia.
President Regan took power with the idea of neoliberal politics. I believe he was miss-led by his advisors because the system ‘neoliberal policy’ is a failure. To be frank, the world didn’t get the best policy system of governance up to now. At the time it seemed better, but it has been proved that it is not favorable. It gives more power to corporations than the government itself.
Corporations say “we can provide better services to the public than the government. Then ‘governments must concentrate on restoring law and order and defend the national sovereign territory only’. When it comes to services, no one can do it better than us” they boasted. In due course, they claim the ownership of key government organizations to be privatized. President Regan’s administration and economic policy was praised and was considered as a hero.
Then they gave a name to his economic policy as Reaganomics. Likewise, the leader of Great Britain was Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (The Iron Lady) and her economic policy was known as Thatcherism. This was simply to praise their boldness but it was a broad mistake.
Now let’s go back to the main issue, CIA outsmarted KGB and screwed President Michael Gorbachev as if he was a progressive leader in the Soviet Union’s History after the Tsar Kingdom. His book ‘Perestroika’ was also nominated as Nobel Prize winner as a bribe, but it was complete flattery. It was after that he committed treason not only on USSR but also on every socialist country around the world.
Due to the introduction of neoliberal policy, public assets have been robbed of meaninglessly by corporations in the name of privatization. Currently, main services such as media, electricity, gas, transportation, telecommunications, Airlines, Health Services, Banks and financial institutions, even Buildings are owned by corporations. To our surprise, government offices lease buildings from private organizations. Prisons are also operated by private organizations. There are also powerful security companies that take contracts from government offices and operate independently.
When we see it at a glance it seems good, but it has so many loop-holes, for corruption that transform public assets into the hands of private ownership. At last governments are becoming weaker than corporations. Due to this fact corporations have the power to implant and uproot government officials for they have everything either to defame or popularize them.
When we see the case of Yugoslavia it is a different story. The founder of Yugoslavia was President Marshall Broz Tito. Though he was a pro-socialist he was one of the members of the non-aligned movement leaders like Emperor Haile-Selassie. It is known that the friendship between Emperor Haile-Selassie and Marshall Broz Tito was because of their similar ideology.
Not only this but also, both of them were Orthodox Christians. Occident’s do not like Orthodox Christian countries, for they are taken as enemies. These countries include Armenia, Syria, Russia, Serbia, Ethiopia, etc. had been through similar challenges.
The Vatican church had blessed the Fascist Italian Benito Mussolini’s army, before departing to invade Ethiopia in 1928. When it comes to Yugoslavia again the Pope had offered money and other logistics to the Kosovo and Croatia Catholics to secede from Yugoslavia. Western countries had a collaborative campaign to destroy this country from the map of the world. At last, they have succeeded.
Likewise, they had tried to do the same thing to Ethiopia, and they have also succeeded to separate Eritrea. But they are not still satisfied with their hundred years’ project of eliminating the name Ethiopia, as of Yugoslavia which was divided into five different independent nations. That is what is going on in Ethiopia at the moment, to accomplish the unfinished long-lasting project to destroy the country by dividing the country further.
Currently, TPLF’s and OLF’s main agenda is deliberately drafted to separate from Ethiopia. Western countries have supported to destabilize this ancient nation for they envy the culture, religion and social values for it is far ahead from them. Especially because of its longest dynasty on earth and never been colonized.
Then the so-called Professor Hizkiel Gebissa is propagating the western agenda, he lacks knowledge of his history. He is manipulated even by his junior Jawar Mohammed who is so narrow-minded that instigates not only tribalism but also religious extremism. Here every one of us must understand that these persons including Bekele Gerba and Daud Ibssa, have no legitimate right unless they are officially elected, to decide the future of the Oromo people. In any way, Ethiopians have no problem, but cunning politicians like these shrewdly spray their poison to take advantage of the innocent civilians.
To conclude, Professor Hizkiel Gebissa went to Mekelle University to preach secession as the final alternative for the future Ethiopians. In the first place secession is not the question of the Ethiopians but fair constitution, democracy, human rights, and fair judiciary system. If these basic systems of governance are in place, the Ethiopians know how to deal with the rest of societal harmony. Professor Hizkiel knowingly or unknowingly, he tried to mislead the audience using the rhetoric of hypocritical political manipulation, which is merciless treason that invites capital punishment. I believe it is a very alarming example that other speakers should be aware of themselves from committing such type of grave mistakes.
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