By Yilma Bekele

You break into the Bank of England via computer,
then transfer the money electronically
just seconds before you set off the GoldenEye,
which erases any record of the transactions.

– Ingenious.
– Thank you, James.

But it still boils down to petty theft.

In the end, you’re just a bank robber.
Nothing more than a common thief.

This dialogue is from the James Bond movie ‘Golden Eye.’ It is based on a plot by the Russian mafia in collaboration with an ex British agent attempt to control a space based weapons system. The device named Goldeneye works by exploding a nuclear device in orbit. The electromagnetic pulse from the explosion will result in crippling ground based communication systems. It is a very powerful, theoretical but possible future weapon.

You would think anybody who gets hold of such weapon would have the world trembling at his feet. But lucky for us the criminal mind works in mysterious ways. What brought about this brooding is the report by Indian Ocean Newsletter titled ‘Dignitaries in Business.’

It is both an alarming and telling story. It is a story that requires us to question the meaning of sacrifice, commitment and certain amount of good faith. It forces us to examine the nature of the struggle against injustice and the role we all play to bring about change and progress.

Our country is one of the poorest in the world. Our economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. Our industrial output is so negligible that it does not even deserve any mention. Thus when we discuss or speak of wealth and accumulation of it, it is a very insignificant amount we are dealing with.

So when we read the Indian Ocean Newsletter report it brings so many questions to the forefront that beg a logical and rational response from each one of us. The first and mother of all questions is why exactly do we fight against injustice? Is it because we value the right of a fellow human being to live free or do we think of a payoff at the end of the struggle? Are we ready to sacrifice all including our life and the lives of our neighbors and friends because of a deep seated belief in freedom and dignity or is it a means for future reward be it money or fame? Is the reward to see a peaceful and prosperous life with equality for all or is the reward measured on personal level alone? Is the real question of a protracted struggle, what is in it for me or what is in it for us?

The Newsletter seems to give us the answer in a very vivid way. We can see it; we can feel it and some of us are victimized by it. First and foremost are those of our brothers and sisters that gave the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. They were left behind in unmarked graves in the fields, valleys and deserts of so many battlefields. There are those whose lives were disrupted, those who lost parts of their body and those that were scared for life with a never-ending nightmare and mental anguish.

On the other hand what the Newsletter does is bring out in plain view the lie that is told in the name of our eternal heroes. The pomp and ceremony waving the flag, the building of massive statues, the constant proclamations mentioning the dead is nothing but a smoke screen to hide the shame and dishonor. Now it is all clear that there is nothing there except good old human greed camouflaged as commitment.

Where exactly does it say that thousands died so a few can accumulate obscene amount of wealth? Where exactly is the connection between commitment to equality and freedom and fattening one’s bank account? Was that what the struggle was about? Was all this death and destruction so a handful can eat three times a day, wear Armani suit, drive a Range Rover, build a thirty two bedroom mansion, bully a whole nation and have secret bank account in all four corners of the world?

What is so depressing is that all of the above minus the bullying part can be accomplished with lesser effort and with no sacrifice to others. We Ethiopians have shown that it is possible and doable. Our success is told and written in all six continents. We have business people in all wake of life with more money than all of Woyane put together, we have industry heads with responsibility for millions of dollars, we have scientists in the fields of nuclear research, energy innovation, we have Doctors heading some of the most prestigious medical hospitals and research centers, we have leaders in the new technology of computers and World Wide Web and University professors in some of the most acclaimed schools on earth. We have thousands of our people leading a quiet productive life contributing positively and enriching their neighborhood. We are a very resourceful people that left our homeland with our clothes on our back but managed to survive and thrive. We accomplished all this the old fashioned way; we earned it!

It is also incomprehensible that some think that they could get away with murder and theft. In this day and age where individuals are held accountable for their actions by international conventions and treaties, it is the height of folly to think that one is above the law. It is good to look back and see the feeble attempts by such notorious criminals as Ferdinand Marcos, Shah of Iran, Mobutu Se Se Seko, Augesto Pinochet and a few others that tried to hide their ill-gotten wealth with disastrous results to their children and relatives. Forensic accounting is a highly developed field. What is gotten today using illegal means will be taken away tomorrow-using legal means.

Those of us that are victims of these ordinary criminals have a responsibility to expose them in the eyes of public opinion and use the resources of a free society to accomplish our goal. There is a world wide international protest to demand the unconditional release of Judge Bertukan Mideksa and our brother Teddy Afro. Find out the closet site and participate. There is a petition drive to present to the new Congress the deteriorating Human Right condition in our homeland. Please sign the petition. There is the campaign by Ginbot7 to raise funds for political work at home, please give what you can. We do all this not because there is a financial reward but because it is the right thing to do.

So we say to those who use State power to rob and steal, at the end of the day ‘you are nothing but a common thief”