What is to Be Done After Getachew Reda’s Departure?

[By Bereket Kiros]

The recent political drama to unseat TIA by the TPLF and army elites reflects a distorted mind that paralyzes the aspirations for change. It is a sad chapter for those who hoped for all-inclusive leadership. Despite the supporters’ inflammatory statements and press releases, it could not weaken the communal harmony in the diaspora nor advance the cause of the bruised psyche of the TPLF officials’ political comeback. The dishonesty, intrigues, and fraud are getting thinner daily, and their political base is shrinking; they are unseating a legitimate administration that surprised many of us. What went wrong?

The actions of TPLF leaders and disgruntled army officers have given rise to inferences with adverse outcomes, from which the Pretoria agreement legal framework has taken a backseat. A few diehard army officers and TPLF party leaders attempted to usurp state power through insurrection, overthrowing a legitimate Tigray Interim Administration (TIA). Two years have passed without tangible results due to their hunger for power. This hunger was driven by greed, corruption, stubbornness, and arrogance, leading to the collapse of the Pretoria Agreement and a self-destructive prophecy. I am unsure if Debretsion knows where the tragic situation will end. They started the fire without knowing where it would end. Tegrawot, it is about time that we wake up, reconsider our blind support, and face the truth that the fabric of our unity is being fractured. I aim to forward logical arguments so that readers can see the national issue at stake.

The deceptive approach of the Ethiopian PM to trap TPLF officials, in the eyes of the international diplomats, was an attempt to bury the Pretoria agreement with an eight-point proposal, which opens another crisis. This action also showed the PM’s ability to influence diplomats on the world stage and the inferior political skills of TPLF officials in signing their warrants. Their greedy politics and evil acts could lead to the worst scenario in Tigray, a harsh reality of absolute defeat. Without being obsessed with opposing everything, TPLF has repeatedly flabbergasted us with serious flaws regarding Tigray’s strategic interests and territorial integrity, contrary to reason or sense. The proposal could also ignore the Tigray territorial integrity. We thank the TDF forces, who lost their lives in the line of duty, for saving the state of Tigray. Tigray’s security and the territorial integrity should not be compromised at any cost.

The incompetence virus rapidly multiplied during General Tadesse Wedi Werede’s appointment to lead. It turned into a plague of deception, making it almost incurable as a permanent defect for those media outlets organized under their narrow Awrajawinet (ኣውራጃዊነት) and Kushat (ቑሸት) politics to attack Wedi Werede. It was not because of what he stood for but because of where he was from. It is too late to save them from the disastrous path back to their senses. The plague of deception has penetrated deep into the minds of the Aweraja (ኣውራጃ) promoter elites, and therefore, quarantining the infected minds seems warranted. First, they milked the diaspora by providing fabricated sensational news, which has proved to be a total fabrication. They do not have the decency or courage to reveal the truth to the public. This has distressed and angered the true sons and daughters of the Endertawot. The scars of division that these opportunists and Sebhat foot soldiers hatched up will dissipate soon, and the Tegrawot are more than ever ready and firm to expose their blatant deceptions. Those who are spreading their venom cannot violently continue to assault our people. We do not need Tigray to be ruled by forces trying to take us into yesterday’s dark age i.e., corruption and maladministration.

Debretsion and his cliques have never learnt from their past dreadful mistakes, and they will never learn now or in the future to reform and change their repressive political ideology. They will never put the interests of Tigray at the forefront, but they put their personal interests first at the expense of the Tigrayan people. Debretsion and his cliques are evidently showing their failures miserably. The only card they are playing is to control power and protect their wealth that they have stolen from the public resources.

We must uphold our identity, culture, and history intact with great nobility of spirit to resurrect Tigrayan moral principles damaged by the corrupt TPLF leadership and political system in the last three decades. We ought to re-establish our strength of character and survival against human-caused and natural disasters such as recurring famine, civil war, inept leaders, and maladministration. For now, we must focus on a single monumental threat to our self-determination and territorial sovereignty posed by the TPLF and Amhara elites.

The day of judgement is fast approaching; thus, all those serving Fetlework (Mengerino), military and civil service associates, and diaspora supporters have one last chance to vindicate and correct their mistakes by serving a group bent on destroying Tigray. However, this will not absolve Debretsion and associates of the treacherous act they committed against the people of Tigray. Debretsion, Sebhat Nega, and their close associates are criminals who violated the human and political rights of Tegaru. For the last three years, Tigray’s wealth had been looted, illegally transferred to private ownership of sham corporate structures, and fully controlled by TPLF leaders and senior generals, who are all tied to corruption.

Those dormant political groups have been trying to fish in troubled waters to get their way to grab power by fraudulent methods, mobilizing mobs, and trying to create a situation of tragedy. One way or another, TPLF suffered from a lack of prudent judgment. Particularly, with its diaspora mouthpieces, media such as Zara (Stalin), Dedebit (Haile), Tigray Press (Beserat), and Tigrai Online seem to suffer from the most severe form of malady by distorted facts and make-believe, deceptive political narratives. They have proven themselves incompetent in formulating sensible strategies and tactics in the eyes of the Tegrawot. In the diaspora, particularly in Washington DC, where the guru of Tigray political architecture resides, Sebhat Nega, after Getachew Reda’s departure, is a sign of confusion. This type of street politics is senseless and could spell disaster for any Tigray political future.

The Tigray new administration’s primary responsibility is to stop working with the Shaebia. Tegrawot needs food, clean water, hospitals, schools, roads, industries, medicine, etc. These necessities will be accomplished through the concerted efforts of our beloved people. The new administration can maintain its integrity through many scrupulous methods without fear and respect, as a wise and bold step towards advancing a democratic culture.