OromoIndex.Com

By: OMFEU

During the preceding elections, fighting opposition groups from within had been the major approach. The fact that opposition forces tried to unite around a thoroughly discussed issues this time seems to have already dictated the change in that approach on the part of Woyanne. At present, a combination of appeasement and fanning what they thought would be divisive issues to opposition groups appear to be their last resort.

With respect to woyanne's policy of appeasement, the colorful manner in which this year's Irreecha celebration was organized at Bishoftu deserves a specific mention. As part of its preparation for this year's election, Woyanne gave a strict order to its regional lackeys about a year ago that they should organize Irreecha celebration for this year like it was never before. The reason being to boost the political image of its regional appendage -OPDO as a defender of Oromo culture and ultimately win the vote of Oromo people that it hoped will enable it to remain in power. However, despite its colorfulness, this particular ploy miserably failed to sway even those who are usually known to be susceptible to easily and blindly succumb into anything identity based trap.

While the scramble for plots of land in and around Bishoftu including the very venue of this cultural celebration had been at its peak, organizing stone throwers, car smashers, road blockers and profanity hurlers during this celebration had been in the order of the day. Now, Woyanne wants to secure our vote, it is staging a crude drama of organizing our cultural celebration on our behalf. It seems like Woyanne is trying to tell us "Enjoy the magnificent cultural celebration we organized for you on your behalf and give us your vote in return through our loyal messengers so that we continue to do our job of suppressing, robbing and humiliating you to the point that you no longer deserve to even be lured by such a celebration". At this point, we would say nothing more than reiterating that the day will surely come when our culture will no longer be used as a political commodity that any arriving tyrant would be tempted to trade it for vote.

The other main area of Woyanne's current vicious activities is its repeated attempt at throwing what it thought were divisive issues amidst the opposition groups. In this regard, aigaforum.com appears to be the vanguard entity that is specifically entrusted with this task. In its attempt to fan the legitimate difference that exists between UDJ and other members of MEDREK as a fundamental difference in principle, it posted its remark under the exaggerated title" UDJ disagrees with MEDREK Manifesto" and proceeded to conclude that "UDJ a key member of the coalition(MEDREK) is distancing from the core principle". From what we learnt from the statement issued by UDJ regarding certain areas of differences, what was claimed by aigaforum is simply a big exaggeration induced by wishful thinking. After all, it is a civilized approach to identify both areas of concurrences and differences and jointly determine the appropriate mechanism of addressing them accordingly. In fact, what makes the currently established coalition fundamentally different from the previously failed ones is this very approach.

The other attempt recently fired by aigaforum pertains to the issue of EFFORT. EFFORT is a conglomerate of Woyanne owned business enterprises. Aigaforum.com, in its posting of October 14, 2009 literally bragged by stating, "We want to know!!!". Such was a kind of bloated title given to the posted remark. For the benefit of record and accuracy we will quote the remark in its entirety as follows: "Vice chairman of MEDREK, Ato Gebru Asrat during an online discussion with Diaspora Ethiopians, mainly Tigreans, said EFFORT (t'em'et) a huge endowment belongs to the people of Tigray. Many oppositions including some of the current members of MEDREK, have used EFFORT as a source of contention and an excuse for extremists to attack people of Tigray. The question is did MEDREK members including UDJ change their stand on EFFORT or ARENA is ready to compromise on EFFORT and change its stand?"

At the outset, we want to make clear that the issue pertaining to EFFORT undoubtedly is one of the front and center issues that will be tackled during the forthcoming national election at a greater length and whatever we mention here should be taken just as a dint of it.

As anyone can see from the content of the above quoted remark, editors of the site and all they represent seem to be of the opinion that if someone is from Tigray by origin one should be supportive of the policies of the current government or if one opposes the policies of the current Government while being from Tigray should be regarded as a traitor. By extension, they seem to depart from the sickening premise that opposition forces are against the policies of the current Government because they are basically against the people of Tigray. One wouldn't be required to present any additional evidence than the above quoted statement to show how malignant the parochialism of Woyanne and its cohorts have become.

To start with, if ARENA believes "EFFORT" belongs to the people of Tigray", why should it be regarded as a problem for the rest of MEDREK members? The crux of the contention between opposition forces and Woyanne with respect to EFFORT is deliberately distorted to appear as "for and against the people of Tigray "while the real issue is far from that. Basically the contention is between those who took the people of Tigray as a hostage and try to advance their cliquish interests in its name by destroying the national economy and those who are opposed to this deceptive practice and strives to make the people of Tigray the real beneficiary of EFFORT while paying due attention to an overall healthy course of national economic development.

As it is a multi-billion Birr business operation run and owned by a party in power, EFFORT has seriously undermined the flourishing of market economy that is based on free competition. It is a business that initially came into existence through forceful means and still continues to thrive with the help of political muscle. Hundreds of business firms that are organized under EFFORT usually receive partial treatment in accessing huge public funds but are not accountable to anyone as "it is the property of a Tigray people" is used as a cover to shun accountability. The fact that it is not audited for the last eighteen years speaks volumes about how it is actually being managed.

It is becoming a breeding ground for corruption and nepotism thus undermining the gradual evolving of good governance in the country. It is becoming a means of institutionalizing discriminative employment practices by creating an enclave of labor market within the larger market. Employment opportunities that are basically generated from financing secured from public sources are restricted to few favored ones while the bulk of citizens are left with no option but flee the country in despair oftentimes with no destination in mind. It is a covert arm of urban demographic restructuring. Due to its autarchic nature covering all sectors of the economy, the usually closed intra-agency transactions have become a main source of tax evasions thus posing the most formidable challenge to revenue generating capacity of the government. Woyanne adamantly refused to constitute an Independent Investigation Commission that probes into the real cause of an abrupt money overflow in the economy that many blame it on this entity. It is becoming a subtle mechanism of robbing the farmers economically and coercing politically.

Let us cite a single case just to illustrate how EFFORT has become disruptive to the normal functioning of the national economy and an impediment to the democratization of the political system. All private enterprises that were engaged in fertilizer business including the pioneer private company by the name Amalgamated were forcefully and illegally thrown out of their legal businesses just to make way for EFFORT to impose a monopolistic control over the fertilizer trade. As a result of this, farmers are being robbed by unilaterally fixed exorbitant prices and could be denied fertilizer supply if they are suspected of supporting other opposition groups. Like adding an insult to injury, Oromia regional government is forced by Woyanne to serve as collateral to fertilizer credit extended by EFFORT thus effectively shifting the cost of distribution and repayment collection onto Oromo people while EFFORT is reaping easy profit. Practically, there is nothing one can mention about EFFORT without at the same time degrading oneself as it is in the above cited case.

Though we can say that the ultimate decision regarding the future of these business entities rests with the would be owners, the Ethiopian people taken in entirety has also a right to protect its national economy from such corrosive intrusions. If we are to reflect our position In view of the latter assertion, the lasting solution we see in matters pertaining to EFFORT, DINSHO and AMBASEL is to sale them off to private investors and use the proceeds to finance infrastructural developments like schools, hospitals, roads, electricity and the likes in their respective regions.

This solution, we believe, will make the people of Tigray the owner of EFFORT not only in words but also in deeds. Besides, apart from getting the national economy back on the right track, the rest of Ethiopian people can also benefit from this measure as it partially frees federal resources destined for Tigray region to be redirected to other regions for some time to come. This will be possible, If not for any other reasons, merely due to the limited absorptive capacity of the region. As a prelude to this lasting solution, we are of the opinion that Government should ban EFFORT, DINSHO and AMBASEL from accessing public resources, be it in the form of sub-contracting, service provisions, purchase and sales of goods, extension of loans, tax reliefs and so on and so forth just as a disincentive to their continued existence in their present form. Should the regulatory role of the government requires direct government intervention in the economy, then it should be done in the form of public ownership and not in any way that resembles mafia run cartels. Trying to co-mingle the issue of EFFORT with an entirely different set of other private investments like Midroc would be nothing short of being a brazen attempt at blackmailing the Ethiopian people.

Therefore, the issue of EFFORT is rather a uniting factor for opposition politicians and not at all a divisive issue as we all gladly sings together "Tigray people should own EFFORT not only in words but also in deeds!" It is high time for all of us to join our hands in the fight against poverty that is so rampant in our country. The poverty of all poverties is to focus on how smartly some of us can get the bigger share from the little we have instead of aiming big at increasing the very thing that we may be sharing.

October 2009

OROMO MOVEMENT FOR FEDERALISM AND ETHIOPIAN UNITY
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Email Name Website		Title Comment smaller | bigger
		Subscribe via email (registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters Add Comment