Come not to counsel, Uncalled

In response to the Open Letter by “Prominent Ethiopians” to Tony Blair

By: Tintag

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To those filled with joy at the sight of Ethiopia bouncing back into the international arena, after two decades in the diplomatic wilderness, the selection of Meles Zenawi to serve on Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa, must have provided them with a sense of national pride. On the other hand, however, to the usual chronic pessimists: the gloom-and-doom-mongers the chattering-class, arm-chair politicians and “attic intellectuals”, every trophy Meles wins for his country is a source of consternation, as well as cause for their misdirected anger.

One of the features that distinguishes the “wise” from the “otherwise” ought to be the wise’s readily available willingness to give credit where credit is due. Meles Zenawi is not an ex-officio member of Blair’s Commission for Africa. His selection was wholly meritorious: recognition of his vision of Africa and the virtue of “Zenawinomics” – food-security plus poverty reduction, equals Rapid Economic Growth.

In a vain attempt to cast doubt on the suitability of Meles in the conclave of the wise and the great, a motley crew of Ethiopian savants in exile, has offered Prime Minister Blair nothing more than waffle. The letter, apart from being couched in the Queen’s English, carries no weight to warrant the attention of Tony Blair for it is marinated in distortions of all kinds. It further exposes the fact that both the imagination and expectation of the signatories have been working over-time. Its salvo on Ethiopia’s hard-working, pragmatic, personality-cult-allergic, and yet, misunderstood Prime Minister, only serves to highlight the presence of a virus responsible for causing blindness amongst the signatories. Little do our wiseacres realise that envy shoots at others, but wounds herself.

The letter itself is replete with paradoxes. At a time when, so far alone, some 67 political parties have registered to take part in the 2005 elections, the letter brazenly affirms that Ethiopia is a “one-party dictatorship”. Oblivious to the fact that thirteen years on, Ethiopia’s adoption of ethnic federalism has cemented the union of free and equal peoples, our intellectuals can be seen indulging in the undignified act of breast-beating for the imaginary demise of Ethiopia. Forgetful of the fact that it was they and their like who had been lambasting Meles for having failed to secure the port of Assab during the last Ethio-Eritrean war, they now “wash their eyes with salt” and accuse him of dragging Ethiopia into a reckless war. As every keen observer of the Ethiopian scene would agree, the nit-picking consultation process of the EPRDF’s much vaunted ESDPRP [Ethiopian Sustainable Development Poverty Reduction Program] covered the length and breadth of the country, And, yet, the verdict of the consultation process by our phalanx of wiseacres was that it was “Perfunctory”. EPRDF’s long overdue draft Press Law which, among other things, is designed to rein in cowboy journalists without undermining the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of thought and of press, is, to our intellectuals, “draconian”.

No one, least of all this writer, disputes that Meles’ garden is without weeds. Meles himself has repeatedly admitted the fact that the road to free-market economy was and continues to be a tortuous route. Streamlining Ethiopia’s bureaucracy has brought pain and anguish to many, as well as contributing to the rise of unemployment in towns and cities. These, our economists tell us, are the symptoms of the transition from a state economy into a laisser-faire economy. Galloping HIV/Aids is, despite the government’s all-out campaign, leading, especially in the young, to an early grave. Nothing the government has thus far done or commits itself to doing to retain professionals in Ethiopia seems to stem the brain drain. The acclimatisation to the new-found right to govern ourselves in the regions, has had its isolated hiccups and blood-letting spurred by irresponsible forces.

The good news, however, is that, perhaps for the first time since the establishment of a modern system of government in Ethiopia, we have at the helm a government which would accept responsibility and put in motion a rectification process. These, indeed, are traits which distinguish a democratic government from a dictatorship. In Meles’ own words, he and his government “learn as much from its failures as from its successes”.

The people, and indeed, the government of Ethiopia never regard academic excellence as mumbo-jumbo. Both believe that formal education and academic excellence play a pivotal role in the country’s all-round success. Much is expected, therefore, from the intelligentsia by way of being appreciative of the fact that, despite political differences, it really is an act of virtue to celebrate together the honour Meles has scored for Ethiopia.

One very much hopes that the signatories will in future have the grace to pay heed to the Chinese proverb: “He has a good judgment that relies not wholly on his own”.