The Poison within a Video, “U.S Policy: Ethiopia A Failed State” By Tecola W. Hagos

February 26th, 2015

An incredibly inciting video “U.S Policy: Ethiopia A Failed State” has been making its rounds in the last two weeks in Ethiopian Websites. I suspect most of the Webmasters and Editors who posted that Video in their respective Websites did not seem to have considered the deeper mission of the video of poison rolled up in a benign looking exterior concern for all the Ethiopians harmed by the current Ethiopian Government of “Tigreans.” The video is deceptively composed to give it the appearance of an official United States Government pronouncement and presentation claiming that Ethiopia is a failed state. One must be in another Universe to think of Ethiopia as a Failed State. In reality it is the work of a certain Miller Hansen. Despite my prompt enquiry no one seems to know such a person. The name itself is Chimera made up of two surnames very unusual name for a person from this part of the World.

Because of the deception involved in such video, I am addressing my note to my Fellow Ethiopians at this distressing time and period of great turmoil and confusion in our Community. I did watch the Video twice very carefully. I did not see much of any constructive purpose in a video purely aimed to saw seeds of hate against an ethnic group in Ethiopia that is as much a victim of other ethnic groups of ethnic cleansing and brutal suppression by the current brutal Government of Ethiopia. The video with pirated official seals of the US Government that one can use in such deceptive manner, does not at all establish any degree of credence as an official act of the Government of the United States. The video has the appearance that it is some documentary that is an official US Government Production. This is no different than the type of ethnic cleansing propaganda used in Rwanda against the Tutsi.

I believe, this video is the work of the enemies of Ethiopia not just the regime in power. I am as concerned as the next Ethiopian when I hear about or see in videos Ethiopians being murdered, tortured, and abused. But I am also aware of the fact that Groups and individuals could use such horrible videos for their own destructive purpose campaigning against the very survival of the whole of Ethiopia. It is obvious to me that the video is meant to destabilize and further fracture Ethiopia and widen the fissures created by the ill-conceived ethnic based federalist state structure. Even if we are not wise enough or courageous enough to challenge the current tyrannical and treasonous leaders in power in Ethiopia, at the very least we should be wise enough to know our appalling limitations and allow nature to take its own toll, as was the case with Meles Zenawi’s death. We should not fall for such type of cheap and sensational piece that seeds hate and violence among ourselves. Mind you, the video piece was produced by a White foreigner obviously seeking fame and fortune as a hired gun and camouflaging his true identity. The political, religious, and economic problems of Ethiopia are far more complex than the graphic incidents of atrocities presented in the video.

Take note also of the type of solutions offered in the video, it is all aimed to hinder any form of economic help and progress of the Ethiopian people. For sure, we can see that a well-armed regime will not just collapse, but ordinary Ethiopians are the ones that will further suffer the most if economic sanctions and pressure is drastically put on Ethiopia. Do not listen to such trash and hired hands whose goals are not to save Ethiopia or Ethiopians but to destroy us through fracturing us. Meles and now his legacy and his group do not care one iota about Tigreans or any other people of Ethiopia, nor care about the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ethiopia. Their interest is simply power and money for themselves as any mercenary type group. Let us be wise and know our enemies for what they are, they come dressed in all forms of political and religious camouflage.

I am a patriotic man, a proud Ethiopian, descended from great heroes who bleed and died for Ethiopia throughout our long history including recent ones, such as the five-year patriotic resistance against the Italian occupiers, against the savagery of Mengistu’s terroristic regime et cetera. There is no way I will fall for such cheap propaganda piece like the video in question. I have no love for the current Ethiopian leaders in power, they are no different than mercenaries, but then in order to free Ethiopia and all of us from the clutches of such leaders, I will not throw away the baby with the bathwater. We must find our own solution without having to destroy our great nation in the process.

Thus, I advocated tact, wisdom, even sleaze in working from within to be able to create popular support within the citizens of Ethiopia right there in Ethiopia in handling a powerful and unscrupulous foe. My writings carry such messages of advocacy tact and strategy, for a long time now. This did not earn me friends from either the Diaspora politicians or the Officials of the Ethiopian Government. But being such a disagreeable person, I hold both groups to see in my writings their own distorted reflections in the reality of Ethiopia.

We must not lose sight of the big picture even when we are focusing on the many wrongs the current Ethiopian Government is committing against the individual rights of Ethiopians and against the unity and solidity of Ethiopia itself. We must never lose sight of the Sovereignty and independent survival of Ethiopia. Nothing is as important as our survival as a nation and a people. The wrongs and inequities of particular governments would be remedied and pass into history in time, but if a nation disintegrates, it might never be put together or would take centuries to put it back together. None of the individuals in power now would I trust to represent the interest of Ethiopians nor to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ethiopia. On the other hand, we can only live in our individual and communal reality. If we have poor leadership, we have to deal with that reality as best we can.

Some months back I wrote a lengthy article on the art of compromise in order to advance our political and economic vision for an Ethiopia of our future, I do not accept the idea that human beings are helpless in the face of what may be considered as inevitable or predetermined ends. I believe we can always change what might seem to be a horrible inevitable end. At any rate, the future is shielded from us, all we can do is take educated guess what the future might hold for us and do the best we could to live a virtuous life. Ultimately, we each live an individualized life and not a life to be lived by a committee. Thus the need to think individually and responsibly in the best interest of our singular country, Ethiopia.

Long Live Ethiopia.
Tecola W Hagos    sourse  abugida