The Hilarious Meles and the Disconcerted “Diaspora”

If over 2,500 members of the “Diaspora” were gathered last Thursday, September 20, 2007, at the Millennium Concert Hall hoping that the alleged promises by the government to hand out plots to them would be announced, it was simply proven to be illusory. None of the ministers attending the gathering have promised either free plots or keys to low-cost condominiums, nor the once highly abused privilege to import vehicles duty free, in spite of their repeated appeal so that the federal government would seriously consider them.
 

Nonetheless, their disappointment ought to have been relieved with the unscheduled appearance of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at 4:30pm, judging from how cheerfully they received him. Not only did he get a standing ovation when he suddenly entered into the hall, the crowd took advantage of a power interruption of approximately 20 minutes occurring immediately after his arrival; they were seen rushing to the front, shoving one another, in a bid to take a shot of him on their mobile cameras (photo, above).
 

The Prime Minister too was atypical in his response, if not at his comical best. Unusually, he was observed to be quite informal in his public farewell address as he was full of humour to a degree where he put the gathering into a state of hilarity.
 

“Even a meeting is a hassle,” Meles joked to members of the Diaspora that were bitterly complaining about almost anything in this country: from a court reinstated house a kebele administration refused to give up and a high duty tariff rate on imported vehicles to disturbing sounds generated from churches and mosques.
 

He was referring to an awkward moment when the light in the hall was dim and the microphone dysfunctional due to an electric power interruption for the second time that afternoon. SEE THE FULL STORY

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Cleaning the Chemical Past

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