[By Bereket Kiros]
“Maximum openness of the actions in power, public wisdom, instinct, and a sense of self-preservation can in due time warn leaders against careless steps that would be paid for by the whole country” (Essay on Leadership).
True leaders understand that undemocratic means must not be used to achieve democratic ends. Yitzhak Shamir, the former PM, affirmed, “Peace without security would be a disaster for Israel”. That also holds true for Tigray’s situation. Right from the start, TPLF did not see the importance of security, democracy, freedom, and good governance, which was a grave mistake. Peaceful negotiations with genocidaires should not be only on the TPLF’s agenda. The Tigray elites, opposition parties, academics, intellectuals, and political strategists should be included in the peace negotiations. A political party is generally supposed to provide leadership by giving new ideas and strategies in the public interest and acting in a timely manner to implement new ideas and strategies. Today, Tigray politics faces a bankruptcy of the mind as it has become a theatre of absurdity and aloofness.
The people of Tigray should continue marching for democracy, freedom, liberty, and justice until they realise good governance. The Tigray leadership has a major obligation to safeguard their citizens, with peace, stability, and security as its primary responsibilities. The political culture that served the TPLF exceedingly well in the past must learn from its repeated mistakes (failures) and make a radical change to its “Revolutionary Democracy” political system that has nevertheless failed to protect the people of Tigray from the genocidal war on Tigray.
We realise the majority of Tegaru in diaspora and at home are in pain and agony, more fearful than ever, about the fate of our Tigray. It is time for Tegaru in diaspora, with the rest of our people at home, to set a clear agenda and roadmap for our future Tigray. National unity, reconciliation, and understanding must be the priorities for Tegaru to defeat the genocidaires.
In the name of all those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of Tigray to bring peace and democracy, we should pledge to execute the heavy responsibility with absolute fairness, honesty, and responsibility. We need radical changes in how we should work together in unison without egoism and party allegiance. At the risk of being politically incorrect and making enemies, and at the risk of violating fundamental human rights, the right to protest at any time must not be prohibited using untruthful excuses by the interim government to silence the voice of people and undermine democracy. I want to express my sincere thoughts to our martyrs and TDF veteran heroes who have been mistreated and forgotten to be looked after with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Wise people learn from the mistakes of others, clever ones from their own, and fools continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again and live in abject ignorance. Given my interest in working with a few advocacy groups, which I have at heart, which I feel strongly about, and which has tormented me for a long time, I have been incapable of influencing the course of events to change the sad condition of my Tegrawot for almost two years. It is high time to reflect on our strategies that have worked and stalled the progress of our advocacy work to save our people from the genocidaires and the failed TPLF’s “Revolutionary Democracy” political system. A radical change is overdue in Tigrai to replace the rotten and failed political system that could not prevent the genocidal war.
I am trying to move us towards a better understanding of our checkered past. The approach will help us to remove all the woes so that we can cleanse our souls from deeply buried mistakes and a sense of guilt. We must seek the truth in the hope of helping every Tegaru achieve justice and democracy. Let me outline the core principles to uphold so that there will be no more misunderstandings about where we stand in our Tigray. I don’t need to overdramatize our illustrious history; just stating the facts is dramatic enough.
The TPLF leadership engaged in a power struggle behind closed doors in the first four months of the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA), while our people were suffering, staving, being killed, displaced, and raped by Amhara and Eritrean forces. The opposition parties call for law and order to be enforced was ignored, as criminals have been terrorising, mugging, raping, and killing people in broad daylight. The people of Tigray should no longer be held hostage, be in a quandary, or be cornered by the failed TPLF political system. The TPLF and Tigray government have been the source of disunity. Instead of trying to have a united front against the genocidaire regime of the Abiy government, libels are given to opposition parties who are struggling alongside the TDF as enemies of the people, banda, etc. As if Tigray belongs to a specific group of individuals or party, others who fight for our future Tigray are sidelined and given names. Old habits never die, as Tigray is the sole inspiration for our struggle to emancipate ourselves from the killers of the coalition forces of Abiy, Isaias, Farmajoo, the Amhara, the UAE, Iran, Turkey, China, Russia, etc. Seven million people are defending themselves from a bunch of genocidal forces. We paid a very huge price to dislodge the most heinous invaders and expansionists from our land.
On the other hand, Abiy supporters have successfully managed to find a propaganda machine and effective media outlets with utter innuendos and lies. The silence of Ethiopians, our many Tegaru scholars, though sensitive in the beginning of the armed struggle against the aggressors, has been very illusive. Have you ever heard them talking about the TPLF leadership failure? It is taboo! They are silent. By default, or by design, the TPLF has installed a giant patron-client network for the purpose of political consolidation. This kind of political patronage that is entrenched deep has eventually sidelined a significant number of Tegaru intellectuals and professionals who could have immensely contributed to the development of visionary ideas, strategies, and a road map to help us defend from such mass killings, sexual violence, destructions, and displacements.
I would like to address the significance and importance of political ideology and the theoretical framework that are presently scarce amongst our diaspora community. I don’t mean the old ideologies of liberal and/or radical schools; I mean rather a variety of types that could serve as alternative narratives that Tegaru needs to uphold in order to correctly analyse emergent contours and challenges. More specifically, I meant Tegaru must establish articulated roadmaps for an action plan for addressing outstanding issues.
Tegaru, therefore, must no longer be guided by the TPLF’s “Revolutionary Democracy” political ideology, which is alien, failed, corrupt, and irrelevant to the society in Tigrai, but rather formulate a new political framework of social constructivism that coincides with our values, culture, history, and language, ultimately leading to an independent Tigray. The social constructivist theory recognises the potential of individuals and groups as game changers in society, not only by receiving ideas from outside influences but also by methodically and creatively evolving their own distinct ideology that in turn sustains an independent national mode of thinking.
Noam Chomsky said, “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion but allow very lively debate within the spectrum.” What is to be expected, after feeding people all kinds of falsehoods about their history and thereby breeding unnecessary conflicts between groups, if such people simply followed the logic of such absurdities to their conclusions?
The time has come to recognise the TPLF leadership for what it is—an institution that, in varying degrees, has had and continues to have a huge negative impact on mishandling the military victory with a political and diplomatic failure. The state-bearing party considered to be a pariah after 27 years in power is a total failure. We have to look into what our main impediments are and find out the solutions and the way forward for Tigray with a very democratic approach. Being democratic essentially means our people need to be heard, needs are dire, stratifications within and between societies are alarming, and food and medicine should reach our needy.
Let’s say enough is enough with a united voice for the self-destructive “Revolutionary Democracy” ideology that failed the people of Tigray to defend by any measure. Let it be known that this generation of Tigraians will not remain complacent to all the injustices that have brought the catastrophe afflicting the enduring in a history never matched in the world to bring down a whole populace to catastrophe. Our survival will only depend on strong leadership that thinks about the interests of Tigrai and the future of Tigray. The TPLF leadership has had many opportunities to reform itself, but it has resisted changing its rigid political ideology. Many Tegaru have lost hope in the TPLF since it has caused irreparable damage to Tigray by engaging in humanitarian aid theft. The TPLF’s humanitarian theft was the most treacherous act ever committed against the hungry people in their darkest times.
The TPLF is still working to consolidate its power and interests as the main priority on its agenda by sidelining the needs of the people who are at the edge of famine. Tigray has paid heavily with its sons and daughters lives. Tigray is in more danger than ever. Let’s march forward to bring about a radical change to replace the failed TPLF “Revolutionary Democracy” political ideology with liberal democracy and good governance in Tigray so that the people of Tigrai can breathe freedom and liberty to heal the pains they have endured for so long. Freedom drives progress and prospority.
A united and democratic Tigray shall prevail!