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There are a few people, after reading this column,
that make it a point to write to me whether upset or
pleased with something that I had said. Most are
polite, because taking the time out to write someone
that you have never met but are familiar with is
something that requires tact. But, there are those
few imbeciles that do manage to somehow make
tangible their idiocy simply through one paragraph
of whatever fuming comment that they are trying to
make.
These sort of people infuriate me, and sadly enough,
most of them that write so upset are living in the
Ethiopian Diaspora and could not identify their
armpit from their forehead when it comes to
Ethiopian current events. This is partly due to the
tabloid style information or news that is available
about Ethiopia. There is a general distrust of local
papers, particularly the state media, so there is
nothing to change this ill-bred perspective.
For instance, one gentleman who wrote me was fuming
about a more politically oriented column that I
wrote and decided that it was best that he made his
feelings known. After a salutary insult he proceeded
to tell me about 'glorious personages' of the
opposition and the hateful and oppressive tyranny of
the incumbent.
As
much as I can respect him being upset, he, and many
Ethiopians living abroad, have an extremely tainted
view of exactly what is going on here. It has gotten
so bad and misinformation has been spread so far
that there is need to free the mistreated brethren
living in the country from God knows what.
I
will be the first to admit that there are a lot of
things that are possible to criticise about the
ruling party, their policies and political agenda,
but I can safely say that though life may be tough
right now, there really is not that 'oh my God we
are at the end of the rope' sort of chaos that those
in the Diaspora seem to be thinking right now.
Ethiopia is not going to stoop into chaos, there is
no martial law, there are no open wars that we in
the urban areas can see, the Millennium is not some
sort of political showcase for the ruling party and
it is not as bad as they are making it out to be.
It
is one thing to live on an entirely different
continent thousands of miles away and contribute to
a political party in the hopes that some sort of
change to your liking will be brought about, but it
is a completely different issue to pass judgement on
a place and system that you choose not to be a part
of.
This is not to put the entire blame on the people
that are still living abroad, it is not as though
the members of the Diaspora that have made the
choice to come back are perpetuating a positive
image, or straying far from the primitive forms of
thinking that seem to be prevalent among our kind. I
am sure that there have been plenty of times when I
too have done this.
Compare the West and this country, assume we know
better simply because we have moved to another
location, acting snooty and snobbish and assuming
that all things incumbent are bad.
I
hear that it is getting worse now, but even when I
was residing in the District of Columbia, there was
tribalism beyond measure, and all the issues that we
identify as unravelling modern urban Ethiopia have
reached their pinnacle abroad under the guise of
being improved simply for relocation and shopping
sprees. People choose their friends based on
ethnicity, one group is hated by another because of
political affiliation or non-affiliation.
Where is the dialogue and discourse or even working
together? I thought that people left this country in
order to get the things that they were not able to
here. Why go back to the thing you left behind, or
if you do, why pretend that you did not know great
things about it when you were here to begin with?
There was another factor that played a nasty role in
increasing the amount of negative propaganda that is
floating around in the Diaspora and that was the
move on the part of the opposition to approach
members in order to get funding for their campaigns.
Many who speak or solicit funds wound up painting a
more horrific picture of the incumbent than existed
and that simply went to justify and further the
resentment.
If
those very same people who spend so much time and
energy loathing the existing state of the country
really wanted something better, then they would come
here and put that energy into work, development and
investment. Many do not even have the means to do
that and yet they are the loudest ones to yell about
their poor brethren.
I
have my own set of doubts about the state of the
federation that is Ethiopia in general. There are
fundamental issues that are going to have to be
dealt with in a most couth manner so as not to
aggravate a potentially volatile situation. Take
ethnic federalism, the issue of land, the Muslim
question, the nationhood question, inflation and
looming recession question as well as the question
of just laws. These are issues that are tearing at
the very social fabric of the country and possibly
heading it for a disastrous situation; but we in all
fairness have to admit that these issues are being
managed as best as possible with the political
agenda, financial constraints and outside pressure
that this government has to deal with.
To
all of those that are outside yelling, take a break,
have a reality check and if change is wanted so
much, then come on over, enter the system and bring
it about.
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