Choosing “Person of the Year” at the end of every year has been Ethiopian Review’s tradition since 1995. This year other Ethiopian media have joined in the tradition and made their own choices. Ethiopian Review’s choice, however, remains the most anticipated.
The individual who is chosen as “Person of the Year” is believed to have contributed the most for the betterment of Ethiopia in the past 12 months. The choice is based not on popularity, sympathy, nostalgia, or past achievements. It is solely based on measurable accomplishments during the past 12 months.
This year’s choice was particularly difficult since many of those who made the short list have made significant contributions. What tipped the balance in favor of the final choice is the individual’s visionary outlook and capacity to do even more in 2010.
As we enter a new year, we remember those whom we are leaving behind. It was this past year that Ethiopian national icon Tilahun Gessesse left us. We remember those who are unjustly languishing in jail. It’s has been 12 months since our sister Birtukan Mideksa was thrown in jail, along with tens of thousands of other innocent Ethiopians who are suffering in disease-infested jails through out the country. Let’s not forget about those Ethiopian women who are being enslaved and abused in Arab counties; the desperate fellow citizens who are drowning in the Gulf of Eden as they flee the brutal dictatorship in Ethiopia; the 6 million starving Ethiopians while “the president” of Ethiopia eats 8 times per day; the people of Ogaden who are being systematically exterminated; Ethiopian freedom fighters who are shooting back at their Woyanne tormentors. Let’s resolve that in 2010 we will work harder than ever to bring an end to Ethiopia’s long nightmare.
We are not alone in the fight to bring change in Ethiopia. We have powerful allies who have stretched their hands to us in solidarity.
One of these great friends of Ethiopia, and our choice for the “2009 Person of the Year” is Ato Ali Abdu, Eritrea’s Minister of Information.
Ali Abdu is a person who is determined to help free not only Eritrea, but Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa, and the whole Africa from dependency on Western aid. There is one major obstacle: the narrow-minded Woyanne tribal junta in Ethiopia that is kept in power by the poverty-mongers at the U.S. State Department, the World Bank and IMF.
Ato Ali and the Eritrean leadership, including the president, Isaias Afwerki, believe that a united and strong Ethiopia will help Eritrea grow and prosper. Unlike the narrow-minded Woyannes, whose motto is “Tigray Esktilema Ethiopia Tidma” (Let Ethiopia bleed until Tigray develops), Ato Ali and comrades believe that the interests of Ethiopia and Eritrea are intertwined, and that as long as either is suffering, both cannot prosper or be free. It is this belief that is driving Ato Ali to work day and night to facilitate an improved relationship between Ethiopians and Eritreans. And it is this solidarity between the two people that the Woyanne junta fears the most.
One of Ato Ali’s measurable accomplishments in 2009 was facilitating the historic interview President Isaias gave to Ethiopian Review and EPPF’s Sileshi Tilahun last May. In that interview, President Isaias has articulated his government’s vision and policy toward Ethiopia and reached out to all Ethiopians to work together for change in Ethiopia and the whole region. As we all have witnessed, the interview had created a political tsunami in both the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities. As a result, currently all serious Ethiopian opposition political parties are building ties with the Eritrean government as they strive to bring about an end to the Woyanne era. It is a new day for relations between Ethiopians and Eritreans, due, in large part, to Ato Ali Abdu’s vision and hard work.
Ali Abdu
Facilitating President Isaias Afwerki’s interview was not the only thing Ato Ali has accomplished in 2009. Under his leadership, currently EriTv (Eritrean TV) Amharic program is the most popular TV channel in Ethiopia. The Eritrean Radio Amharic Service is listened by millions of Ethiopians through out the country. Also this year, Ato Ali has authorized the launching of a radio program for the Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPPF).
Through such information outlets, the people of Ethiopia are being informed about the activities of Ethiopian freedom fighters. These increasingly powerful radio and TV programs are giving Ethiopians hope that change is coming, and inform them how to coordinate their struggle. When the world media chose to ignore the crimes against the people of Ethiopia by the genocidal minority junta, the Eritrean media led by Ali Abdu have been giving voice to the voiceless Ethiopians.
For these reasons we choose Ato Ali Abdu as Ethiopian Review’s 2009 Person of the Year.
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