December 14, 2002
What you throw may hit you back
(A reply to D. Kebede’s article—more in disgust than in
defense)
I don’t have any differing views
with people who praise Dr. Taye for the good performance he did. An outstanding
work must always be encouraged. However, I argue that no one should be
exculpated from an intentional mistake he has made. When I write the article
about him, the motto is not to castigate
Dr. Taye for what he did; but to make an honest critique keeping his
dignity and believing that such wrong views must be corrected sooner than
later. It was not also a pre-meditated action intended to trap Dr. Taye as some
biased people tried to speculate, I never met him before. I was one of his
supporters at a bad time. On the other hand, my intention to write at such
length about his remarks is to give the article the credence it needs and
answer questions, which might be raised by readers. If I don’t have truth in my
article, I couldn’t have gone this far.
For one who sets
his mind into it, I believe that the message is clear and straightforward—it
touches a national issue more than anything else. What I put out was what I
heard from his words in front of 20-30 people in the open. I was able to see
the other side of him, which lots of people didn’t. I want to tell everyone
that it was his absolute disregard of the country’s high-profile national cause
that puts him into the firing line. Among the mystifying points that I get from
him, for example, includes the one he said we could have missed the boat during
the Eritrean aggression, and his failure to show sympathy for the slaughtered
school children of Mekele along with their parents, and other victims of the
war. Therefore, it should not cast any doubt in everybody’s mind that the kind
of message I wanted to convey mainly is related to the national cause along
with my personal opinion. Those who said my article is designed for character
assassination are totally wrong. The plot and mechanism of my article was not
produced with the intention of hurting him badly—if it was words were not out
of my reach. If you still don’t accept this reason, you might have seen things
differently that I didn’t; for that I have to admit that I am a human being. I
don’t engage myself in such a cheap way for propaganda purposes. And no one can
use me as a tool either. Doing that would not promote anything for the
principles I stand for. I am not the kind of person who wants a show up or
doing things for some political motives—I leave that to those who rise to the
bait. But on my part, I won’t let you down.
He instigated the
action by bringing false allegations against those who contributed their time,
money and resources—including myself. Given his condition at the time, his
refusal to meet the delegates can be insignificant to talk about, and nobody
blames him hard for that. But I believed that his false charge is not what he
can get away with. I don’t think many of you out there would give your consent
for the false allegations he came up with. It is wrong. In particular, his
answers with regard to the national cause angered me more than anything else. I
hope, you would not lean to his side because of his popularity disregarding the
facts spelled out on my article. No matter how the issue seems controversial, I
count on you to be fair judges.
Some of the commentators on my article, but
who have declared themselves as advocators for democracy might be playing a
double standard. While they accuse the writer of Dr. Tay’s article, they remain
silent about his remarks. Such a one-sided stand would not address the
principles and ideals we are fighting for. It undermines the right of
Ethiopians in the eyes of the law that we are trying to put in place. I
strongly believe that an honest person is one who criticizes someone on his
side for a known mistake, but not covers him under his blanket—but the
commentators, however, don’t seem guided by this basic principle.
On the other hand, some of you
have said that the source of the article is questionable. I will be pleased to
tell you about myself to clear that out. I proudly say that I have a clean
background. I fought the Derg regime within the ranks of EPRP back in the late
70s—but now I don’t have any political affiliation to any organization. Perhaps
no one from the commentators has the kind of dedication and sensitivity I
showed in years for the cause of my people. This was also a continued position
held long before Dr. Taye’s popularity came into being. I was not a Derg cadre
whose hands are covered with blood stains and trying to play things out wearing
a new coat, or an opportunist either. I believe in the freedom and equality of
our people. I am not an advocator of extremism, but one who plays a fair game
in promoting common causes—who knows the wrong players to be blamed from the
general public that suffers along the rest of the Ethiopian masses.
Having said that,
although I join you in supporting Dr. Taye for the good efforts he has made and
have sympathy for his sufferings, nothing inspires me than the high-profile
national cause, where the survival of the nation depends. In other words, no
individual or celebrity stands taller in front of my beloved people and nation.
I want you to know that if tens of thousands of our martyrs gave up their lives
for that national cause, the unfair words and criticisms thrown against me is
of no concern. I wrote the article on my own will, and I will defend it. I can
not deceive myself and others at the expense of my people. If Dr. Taye showed
us how to fight odds resolutely, nothing will scare me to follow his path—but
unfortunately this time, bumping with him or his views.
To those of you who undermine what
national interest or national cause means all about, perhaps Dr. Taye is more
important than the nation and its people combined; but to me, don’t even think
of the comparison in the first place. If I am wrong, please write an article
and try to show me your arguments with facts, but not in a false and one-sided
rhetoric. I want you to know that it is such unquestionable stand towards my
people and nation, which was the driving force for my guts in the first place—I
am destined to protect the interests of my people and nation, but not to
promote personality knowing he had made a blunder. Particularly to D. Kebede, I
would be obliged to pay you with your coin—there always exist differences on
minor political issues, and I respect that; but to be on the wrong side a
high-profile national issue is an act of political adulteration or an
engagement in transvestism. I refuse
to be a coward. My message may not reach to people like you who stand still and
turned their face against the wall, but for others it will. Without the survival
of the nation, the fate of our people would have been as of Palestinians. Therefore, talking about a
much-vaulted heroism or efforts related to school or democracy without the
nation’s survival is talking nonsense—it remains illusive and unperceivable. The
countries existence must come first, then, we can talk about other issues.
Given this, Mr. Kebede, I am sensing a tendency of opportunism here; and you
scared to death to touch the subject that I value the most.
When you make an
opinion, you argue, chastise, praise and condemn—and that is what I did in a
fair way and lower tone. Yes, I consider Dr. Taye as a man of high stature
respected by people before I had a conversation with him; but he was caught
when trying to undermine the efforts made by the people during the war—with no
concern to his nation—particularly on its security matters. In light of this
and in my views, therefore, his move seemed one step forward but two steps
backwards. That is what I sensed. Some of you may disagree with me, but in my
opinion, dishonoring our gallant fighters and undermining the efforts of the
masses, or disregarding a national cause is the most series blunder a
politician can make. Our people are poor and desperate, and their exist lots of
political turmoil within the country. Even though, do not undermine the several
thousand of our brothers who volunteered and gave up their lives for the
cause—it does not mean they don’t know what was going on, or still is—but they
value the existence of the nation as the top priority. In spite of this, some
of you might let Dr. Taye get away with it, but unfortunately I didn’t. First
of all, it is highly sensitive; and second I want him to change such a wrong
path for the good of the nation—when considering his role as a player. I refuse
to dishonor the martyrs who can’t defend themselves at this moment. If Dr. Taye
is encouraged to preach such messages, however, it brings divisions within our
society.
It is not what he
has done earlier that I tried to show on my article, instead commenting on his
unfair remarks and his total misconception of the war—based on our
conversation. In regard to the kind of dedication he showed, however, I have
expressed my respect for Dr. Taye in a shortened form than the
commentators—including D. Kebede, did in their entire article. Let me show you
some excerpts from the earlier article:
Excerpts
from the previous article
I
voiced out my opinion for the release of Dr. Taye and other political prisoners
as tens of thousands of Ethiopians did, elsewhere in the world. Many people
believed that his unwillingness to act as a timeserver perhaps was the main
cause for his arrest. For that reason, he has gained a respect. I admire his
dedication and what he had gone through resolutely to face the punishment that
came with it. I also share his pain for being a prisoner of conscience for six
long years. Most Ethiopians including myself are happy to see him released.
Having said that, coming out as a victor does not entitled Dr.Taye to give everybody
a forged certificate with a false name printed on it. Instead of thanking people who showed concern at a time when he
was in jail, he traveled an extra mile in the opposite direction, to be on the
offensive.
The
root cause of his wrong move tends to be his total misconception of the war
that underlines the survival of our country. That aside, nothing stands above
the nation; the land where our family members are buried, and in which our
identity, values and beliefs is tangled. Therefore, make sure you understand
that it is this national cause —as a theme, that my article entails to reveal
and what Dr. Taye had refused to respect.
Therefore,
despite this incident of an ethical foul, Dr. Taye is a man of some account in
our society. Although I give him high marks for being diligent on other areas,
I want to make it clear that I also reserve the right to tell other Ethiopians
about the lack of concern he has to a highly sensitive national cause and its
players — the people. I am hoping that he will learn not to make such a blunder
again. Dr. Taye has the right not to be a patriotic, or to refuse his help for
the cause; but accusing those who honors it, is seen as disrespect of the
social norm. It undermines the public’s right —which is considered sacrosanct.
* * *
If you have the courage to
challenge what my article uncovers, please do so, but don’t foul things up, or
pretend to be a “smart person” by leaving out the theme of my article and
focused your attention on the less important ones that I mentioned along with.
Please tell other Ethiopians if insulting those who died in the battle field,
those who participated in the media warfare, or those who contributed were
supposed to be encouraged or ridiculed. I have said on my article also that Dr.
Taye’s refusal to condemn Eritrea’s aggression is tantamount to praying
Shabia’s whip against his fellows. Make a reasonable critique of that. If not,
what was his motive? Mr. Kebede, tell us if you were the supporter of the
people’s cause or a traitor? Please say also if his answers were what you would
like to hear or not. What about his refusal to have sympathy for the slaughter
of innocent school children and their parents in Mekele—along with other
victims. Without evading and burbling, explain to us in plain English if these
people are our people or not. If a professional doesn’t abide by the rule of
ethics who do you think will honor that? If you say others but not celebrities,
it will be the old song. I believe that someone should be defended for his
principles, but not purely for his celebrity status. Which side are you? Am I scoring points or not? Mr. Kebede, It is
not some blind supporters like you what our beloved nation wants to overcome the
mess, but fair and unbiased sharp-shooters
I was quite mystified about his
answers. Don’t you? Register your views correctly if the war was a fake one. I
hope Ethiopians are listening, Tell the people at large if you think the tens
of thousands of the volunteers or former soldiers were Woyanes—if you share
your hero’s views. But don’t hide around the bush to fire a sniper blindly to
hit a courageous person if you can—who is defending the voiceless martyrs, the
country and his beloved people. Taking the
weight of the national cause into account, show me—but don’t tell me– how Dr.
Taye’s accomplishments so far minus the areas he has failed to honor gives you
the degree of heroism that you are trying to sell. Mention to our people if
his stand of doing-nothing at the time the aggression is the holiest or the
safest approach for defending our people. In general, while you belabored on
his dedication, you have failed to touch the focal point of my article—the
security of the nation and things related to his remarks that I differ from
him. Please be grown up to defend truth and maintain a fair judgment. Mr.
Kebede, you never give our Martyrs the respect they deserve. Are we talking
about a kangaroo court here, or a place where you could get a fair judgment? If
you believe on the cause of the nation, you could have done so, but I don’t
think that matters to you, instead you are telling me that that you don’t care
about his remarks. If that kind of partiality is what you stand for—you are
blind. The following will be my last weapon of self-defense—which I reserved
for you until the last minute:
On your article titled”More in
disgust than in defense—the article about Dr. Taye”, December 4, 2002, posted
on Deki—Alula web site, you have said the following: “the root cause of the authors
grossly unfair comments relate to his trip to Ethiopia, leading a delegation
during which he sought to visit Dr. Taye who was then languishing in prison.
…….the author therefore had a chip on his shoulder and waited for the time where
he could retaliate against Dr. Taye….”
What a nice open lie! In the eyes
of the law, your case would have been totally thrown out for being caught in
making up things. For your information, the author A. Ferede did not travel to
Ethiopia with the delegates or was the leader of the group who went to the
prison cell to visit Dr. Taye. You must be out of your mind, who told you that?
I am not hiding my self like you, and everybody in San Jose knows that
perfectly well—I was not a delegate. If you not sure about it, you could have
put it as a rumor, but what you did is as if you are sure. Therefore, Mr.
Kebede, what a better word can I find for you than to call you a liar? If so,
then, how can a corrigible liar be a credible witness, or a fair judge? As Dr.
Taye gets into trouble when he tried to use wrong remarks to discredit
patriotic Ethiopians; his public defender, Mr. Kebede is caught in foul
again—following the foot-steps of his hero without getting the facts first.
This gives me a higher moral
ground to laugh at you—Mr. Kebede. Think before you try to do anything, if not,
people will undermine your efforts. Spreading false propaganda and fabricated
lie is inviting humiliation to oneself. The term you used disgusting,
therefore, would better apply for your case, but not for someone like me who
put out a genuine criticism about wrong remarks—it is like what you have fired
is coming back and hit you—bingo! I
live for honesty, and defend Ethiopian’s national security, but not selling
unfounded allegations to protect a celebrity—shame on you for your cheap
propaganda. As you put this fact wrong, so does the content of your fancy and
complex long sentences. It simply is a pure speculation. Although it fails, it
was a bold and a risky trial!
Dear Mr. Kebede, you have also said
on your article that Dr. Taye has come out wiser. I may not refute this as it
is—but given what he said in our conversation—did you liked what he said, and
call him a wise man for doing it—I am puzzled. You have also mentioned the factor
of timing as a tool of evaluation for the article, which could be a point of
interest for me to comment with. However, because of the credibility problem
you have for reasons I mentioned above, it will be on my conception of
timing—not on yours. I was born in a country where personal cult is worshiped
as a way of life, and the seclusion of criticism against known individuals is
still considered as a custom. But age, knowledge and experience taught me to
fight against this barrier—and I am doing that. It is up to you to take it or
leave it. You know that delay is death, and waiting for the right time is
allowing much damage to take place. I am not governed with your mind but on
mine. On the other hand, if your intention is to say why now when he gets popular,
public scrutiny begins when someone becomes active in the political affairs—but
not when he stays as a private citizen. Because his influence affects many
people, depending on what good or bad he carries on his shoulders—this answers
your polemics. If you need an honest answer, however, the conditions where he
fouled up didn’t exist a few years a go, and he was not popular either. Moe
over, this was the only opportunity I get to talk Dr. Taye. Your assumption was
that I was one of the delegates, but I wasn’t—you failed.
Lastly, couple of the commentators
has troubled with the Amharic analogy I used to describe a situation, “Lesew
mot anesew .” It simply means a bad return for a good favor—nothing
more. Amharic is my first language, I know it very well, and writing is my
talent since childhood. I can write flawlessly in Amharic than English. This is
to say that the analogy I used is not an alluding to what it implies as D.
Kebede’s or others interpretations—it is crystal clear. If you remember the
story, promising to bring a gift to the Fox, the man was returned with
something that could kill the wild animal. Because of this, the Fox thinks that
humans are cruel, who don’t know what favor is all about. To make you see the
point, I will be pleased to go a little bit further and give you some clues.
The most common domestic animal and human’s best friend, a dog, for example,
will not abandon you in the middle of a desert—no matter how your condition
is—even if it starved to death. But when you talk about human beings, such
friendship is fragile. Often, you don’t find people where you expected them to
be. When you turn your face, they are gone. Many human beings also get stabbed
in the back by someone close to them than others around. Betrayal is a common
phenomenon. Given this background, that is exactly what Dr. Taye has done to
his devotees—calling them Woyanes as a reward. This Ethiopian saying describes
such situations in a short phrase.
After clarifying this, what everybody sees in his mind is not the
picture of the Fox, but the saying itself related to the unfortunate human
friendship as experienced in life. In other words, we don’t care whether a fox
or a tiger said this—it simply is a dummy representation and you have to ignore
it at all—Doing so, however, brings a complete misunderstanding of the message
that the phrase intended to describe. If so then, I expect you to apply the
same standard for other analogies I used on the previous article.
Turning your attention to the main
subject, when you cross a double solid line in a territory guarded by millions,
you should be responsible for the consequences that follow—but you should not
cry wolf. As a matter of fact, no
personal matter exists between me and Dr. Taye, and I wouldn’t think he might
consider it that way either—he is a respected man; but it is a clash of ideas
where both seeking different routes that created the situation. It doesn’t mean
also it is an insuperable difficulty—it can be handled through honesty and bold
moves. I want Dr. Taye to be a hero to all of us rising above expectations; but
not as a spokes person of some sectarian groups who are trying to give names
for others—simply for supporting their people and nation. If he does, he will
win my vote. I wish him all the good luck and we should try to leave this
behind us. It might be better to devote our tine on other areas than on this
incident. If you allow me to leave you
with a known saying—as a concluding remark: a bad workman always blames his
tools.
A. Ferede San Jose, California