[TLM Editorial Viewpoint]
There is little time remaining to debate and speculate about Tigray’s future. The events of the past year, since Getachew Redda’s departure, clearly demonstrate the severe political and social issues facing Tigray. Debretsion, Fetlwork, Alem and the Generals must be held accountable as the key architects of these harmful policies.
The TPLF’s inflexible approach fuels public anger. Holding onto power by any means within a system is damaging. These tactics are seen as irrational and politically unproductive, and they are damaging Tigray and its residents. It seems they cannot negotiate because they lack constructive proposals, vital political organization skills, or a defined ideological stance.
When the TPLF movement initially took up arms, its primary goal was to eliminate class and national oppression, safeguard all human rights, and create a prosperous, well-developed Tigray where good governance, justice, and the rule of law flourished. One of the objectives of the TPLF is to eliminate any political organization or group that has opposed it since its founding, including those formed in the Tigray Region. Politically motivated actions are creating unnecessary divisions both at home and abroad. It is our duty to expose conspirators, opportunists, chauvinists, and the personal ambitions of a few individuals eager for power.
To illustrate this, here is an example.
- For the Tigray Liberation Front, the ግግሓት created a unity and said that it would merge. They were destroyed by open fire two days ago.
- After 15 months of intense conflict, life was abruptly ended and destroyed by war for the Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU).
- EPRP destruction: a better war that could have been avoided.
Once again, TPLF’s hidden secrets have been exposed, this time by addressing various issues. When rewriting history fails, a key strategy is to silence and discredit witnesses, calling them Banda, traitors or terrorists, instead of admitting their own guilt. Now, it’s clear there are missing the links, stark examples of human rights abuses, and efforts to undermine Tigray and Tegrawot interests. Bob Marley’s lyric, “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time,” perfectly reflects the ongoing and past misconduct of the TPLF leadership.
Many patriots identified Meles and Sebhat Nega as the masterminds behind schemes that led their followers to commit heinous atrocities. The Meles-Sebhat leadership wielded unchecked authority by controlling the front lines without accountability. The use of unlawful detention, torture and killing was a consistent practice to suppress dissent. Unlawful detention, torture and killing were was seen as a tool to achieve specific goals. The aim was to intimidate through ongoing coercion and killings to force confessions, resulting in an organization lacking democratic traditions and practices.
It is rare for tyrants to rise to power in a democratic society or organization. TPLF is as much the creation of Meles as Meles is the creation of the TPLF. Meles retains total control because the TPLF’s members are susceptible to tyranny.
The leading cause of our country’s underdevelopment is the dominance of a single person who suppresses ideas, drives educated individuals out of the country (brain drain), and blocks efforts to correct harmful policies. Why do wicked individuals come to power in Tigray?
Why haven’t our moral standards been strong enough to prevent criminals from becoming leaders? Is our level of enlightenment too low or not widespread enough, making society vulnerable to manipulation by malicious and wicked individuals? Or maybe many Tegrawot support any victory, even if achieved through evil means, simply because it leads to success, similar to political prostitution to win.
The core principle of communism is party discipline. Since the TPLF is the only unified party, it emphasizes strict discipline, criticism, and self-criticism among its members, which are the basis of its democratic centralist system. The TPLF is a Communist Party that maintains and enforces strict discipline, requiring members to follow the party line and adhere to established rules and procedures. At this point, advocates of human rights need to question why the TPLF continues to stick to communism and keeps the people of Tigray trapped in an outdated repressive and authoritarian system.
The people in Tigray, particularly in Raya, Agame, and Enderta, have little influence over the selection of their representatives. Additionally, local populations are unable to vote for leaders who are receptive to their needs and ideas. To make matters worse, some nominal candidates have never even engaged with their constituents’ concerns.
We seem to have reached the peak of an ongoing social conflict that remains unresolved and divides one group from another, leaving bitterness and disillusionment in its wake following the Pretoria Peace Agreement. The Pretoria Peace Agreement has brought widespread hope and dignity, which were largely absent before. Now, the work of democracy is moving backward.
There is a clear distinction between an organization that advocates for societal interests and a political party seeking an absolute dictatorial power. Both the TPLF and the opposition parties have lost sight of their true objectives and are trapped in a vicious cycle. The opposition parties must engage in active dialogue to overcome the crisis and develop a coherent, meaningful and promising vision.
The TPLF will not succeed in uniting Tigray. Tigray may not be immune from another war as the TPLF leadership is drumming war. Currently, the opposition and the public are strongly resisting, and hope may be essential for helping Tigray move forward. Under the TPLF leadership, Tigray will carry on going from crisis to crisis. The TPLF is running out of ideas with no strategy and is unable to reform its political ideology. Tigray is being held hostage by the TPLF, which has no interest in the welfare of the people of Tigray. The TPLF power struggle is continuing with no end. The people of Tigray should reconsider their approach in ending the TPLF reign of political power and support the opposition parties.
The harsh truth is that the opposition parties’ supporters in the Diaspora have little influence over Tigray’s future from abroad. What we can do to help Tigray is to support processes that enable various political forces and the public to engage in dialogue to resolve the current deadlocks and establish a peaceful dialogue to bring about unity and strengthen democratic institutions. To solve Tigray’s political crisis, let’s gather for the burial of the TPLF. This call also includes those who claim to be advocates of democracy and champions of human rights.
Finally, a new start in forming political groups should be led by indigenous Tegrawot with their own leaders, not by the representatives of so-called scholars and the die-hard TPLF octogenarians in exile who defend the freedom and interest of Eritrea rather than defending the freedom and interest of Tigray.