Wednesday, October 11, 2006

just...

The past week brought us another crackdown and ofcourse the power of a trashy newspaper in our country. In one of its \"bere welede\" issues of Iftin’s last week issue, it came up with a news \"Fantu Supermarket is behind the recent calendar distribution\". It also mentioned of that \"a third party is looking into the case and sue the mentioned business place\" ofcourse the business place means the owner this time, Alemayehu Fantu. For all I know, Alemayehu was a descent businessman who has succeeded doing what he does. The Fantu Supermarket is a famous supermarket in Addis before even the idea of having a \"complete supermarket\" was in anyone’s mind. One would ask why or how would such a hardworking businessman interfere his business with his political interest, distributing a political calendar. I am not forgetting one’s right to do anything he/she wishes to do regarding the constitutional right of supporting any political party, that is, assuming the accusation of the newspaper and hence the government is right. But then again, what am I talking about?

We are in a country were the elected are prisoners and those who made a coup are governing the people who have not elected them.
We are in a country were writings of dozen fabricated news are published every week and those who were writing the truth are thrown in jail or live émigré.
We are in a country were a bare hand civilian is shot dead with a rifle and snipers just because he/she said \"I did not vote for you!\"
We are in a country were the \"state\" is terrorizing its own citizen.
……

Everytime I see news on Iftin’s paper, I see the illegal government. The only difference is the illegal government will go away soon forever and the newspaper (the already printed issues) remains as they are. History might not put exactly how this country passed this hard time as everyone of us feel right now but every news of that newspaper remains as is and wonder how it would feel like for those who wrote it when they have to read it back when this all \"honeymoon\" period for the paper is over (for that matter for the illegitimate government).

This tabloid also mentioned Dr. Berhanou’s wife and brother (Dr. Nardo Minase and Daniel Nega) asking for \"some legal measurement \" saying the two are involved with the distribution of Dr. Nega’s recent book and the famous calendar. Could that be government’s next plan? With this story the paper also added Semien Hotel’s \"involvement\" in the distribution. As a legal entity, the hotel wrote the paper a letter to write a disclaimer for what it reported the Hotel’s involvement in the distribution as the story was a total lie mentioning number of articles and warning the paper it would take legal measurements if it fails to do so. But hey, who are we dealing with? The paper never wrote the disclaimer but instead \"ordered\" them to write a \"nice descent\" letter to the paper which the paper posted the letter as is saying \"huletegnaw debdabe chewanetin yetelabese hono silagegnenew…\" (\"that we found the second letter descent\"), give me a break! Who are they to even mention the word \"chewanet\"? they are far far from it that I don’t think they would ever know what \"chewanet\" means.

I swear I cannot stand that paper! During its break (for whatever reason) I thought it was gone for good and was relieved. The very thought of somebody who says I am a journalist could do something like this really makes me sick, for that matter a human being would do such a thing for God knows why!

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Diaspora seems to be quite lately. I prefer it this way than the never ending painful arguments between \"brothers and sisters\" who all say are behind Kinijit. This way, atleast those in the circle would not confuse the public which is eager to do something but unable to do so due to the quarrel between two sides (or more of them there are?) let me see, the KIL supporters, those against KIL (mainly those in the KNASC), the AFD+KIL supporters, KIL supporters but against AFD, there could be others but for God’s sake look at we! These all were supposed to be against the TPLF regime and work hard for the release of the prisoners but they are all fighting and crippling eachother that they forgot what is at stake. Ofcourse there are some who know what they are doing (individually) from these groups in addition to those advocacy groups, many private websites.

Well, now that atleast the \"fight\" with eachother (I’m talking relatively – not that it’s gone once and for all) is not there, I wonder what those big bodies are doing. The big AFD meeting in London is one good sign and I am glad Kinijit’s representative mentioned the very first priority of AFD is the release of all political prisoners in Ethiopia which should be a good answer for those who say \"AFD is not Ethiopian, Kinijit is out of the picture in the AFD\" and the likes of negativities. May they have the \"senses\" to listen to this. I also was glad to hear OLF’s representative reply to the question how a rebel like OLF can work with Kinijit in AFD and that OLF is not in the AFD to \"take\" Oromiya away.

Everybody knows KNASC done a very good job during the election. But it proved to be capable of doing nothing without Kinijit Ethiopia. That we have seen nothing ever done during the first couple of months after the leaders in Ethiopia were jailed. Now that the leaders in Ethiopia are in prison, they seen the gap and tried to fill the gap. All the KNASC members were supposed to do was just accept this and do what they’re supposed to do like old days. Period!

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I heard Yamamato was here in Addis last week but returned back without talking to the jailed leaders but the government. Anyone got idea why he returned back without making a visit to Qaliti, \"unlike him\"?

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A quick question to whom it may concern, anyone doing anything on the translation and distribution of Dr. Nega’s book? My \"diplomat ears\" here can’t wait to read the book and I hope this be done sooner.

Speaking of the book, I could not help crying everytime I read \"Mewedis-We-Berhanou\" by Ato Yared Tibebu. After finishing Dr. Berhanou’s book I didn’t know what exactly I was feeling. My feelings were all mixed. Sadness, anger, heat, admiration, I didn’t know what to even think or find words to applaud Berhanou for this marvelous work. But Yared, you said it all, all what I wanted to feel and that is why I cannot help crying while reading your piece on the book. Thank you Ato Yared atleast for letting me cry as much as I wanted to.