Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Fingers crossed to see them out

Yesterday was really some day. I am not getting what Zenawi is up to and really did not know what to say or write but let me try…

What we witnessed yesterday at the Ethiopian court is beyond explanation.
It showed us how arrogant a dictator could be live in a court room… yet, in the 21st century. I don’t think a place with the name “court” ever witnessed such tragedy, from A to Z, in the history of judiciary system. It is not that I expected less but seeing it happen in the name of justice is what I called beyond explanation. By sentencing our leaders life in prison, elected MPs and ever elected Mayor of Addis are stripped off their right to elect or be elected. This is an insult to those of us who elected them. Zenawi is telling us “it is not you but me who knows what is good for you.”

History also marks yesterday how those who sworn in the name of justice to server justice failed justice itself. If a nation’s judiciary system fails a nation this way, how can one say we are in a civilized world?

Before we even stopped wondering about the court drama, there comes another surprise from Zenawi’s office, the negotiation he lied ever existed. I think Zenawi is suffering from a chronic multiple personality disorder. First he spun the news, the negotiation for what gain I really don’t know. When he indirectly broke the news, those who have been holding it for the sake of the negotiation came out with more detail. And then he said there is no negotiation with our leaders at all in front of the public. Yesterday he sentenced them for life in prison which in a way stripped of their right to elect or be elected (according to Ethiopian law, one who is sentenced to life imprisonment or death penalty shall not have the right to elect or be elected). His disorder came to climax that he could not keep quite any longer after sentencing them and late in the afternoon he came up with the negotiation news (again!), claiming our leaders have requested for pardon three weeks ago. His media also read a text which Zenawi claimed a “letter” addressed to him from our leaders requesting for pardon which is sent to the President’s office today, according to him. I am really amazed by the PM’s capability. It was him we saw in the court today, it was him we saw in the announcement of the “letter” today, and now we are going to see some of Zenawi in the President’s decision. What a creature!

By stripping off our leaders’ rights, Zenawi told us not even to think about democracy, peace and reconciliation in this country while he is on power.

Whatever game the psychopath is playing, we just want our leaders free. At the moment our priority should be their release. He could have saved all the trouble he is going through which may drive him insane sooner than later if he could just do what should be done. Whatever he does, good or bad, is never going to change what is inside us. The bad we know. The good, well, history has taught us we should know better the hardest way, anything he does that “looks” good is never good. But then again, what he is doing is not for the sake of us. We know it is for his feeders’ consumption, the so called international community. For us, Ethiopians, we have tried to give him a chance million times. A chance we probably might have taken him as our hero. He failed us (infact himself) to take him as one.
Releasing our leaders is not even an option he could take. It is a must if he ever thought of having a little peace of mind he lost long time ago. Zenawi had all the cards on his table but he played it bad that he ended the game lose-lose. He looses because he will release our leaders despite his wish to put them in forever. Our leaders loose because they have sacrificed all these for nothing. Zenawi arrogantly took off their right to serve the people who elected them. Ethiopia as a nation looses such great brains for not just being able to use it. Like I said before, what we want right now is to see those good sons and daughter of Ethiopia going out from Ethiopia’s “Robin Island”, qaliti.

Finally, whether what was read/displayed on the media is the only material in the negotiation is something we will find out soon. Knowing Meles, I even doubt its authenticity. We have reached to a stage never to believe him even if he ever tells the truth. Sorry, but that is what Zenawi made us. Infact, such release should have come out from mediators (shimnagiles) and not from either of the parties. But this is Zenawi we are talking about. To be frank with you, I really do not care whatever document that might be present now or in the future. I am positive the shimagiles will help us on this one some other time (for historical record) but kudos to Ephraim Isach and his colleagues for taking it this far. Now let us cross our fingers we see our leaders out within days if not today.