|
|
Let us Be Tolerant – Response to ECAO’s Response By: Getachew Mequanent
But, let me start by sharing a
positive experience. Last week, I met three EPRDF parliamentarians
in Europe during an international seminar. We sat down around dinner
table and talked about many things. I ran into them at the airport
the following morning where the younger MP talked about folklore
jokes and kept us laughing. All of them gave me a hug before I
departed. Living in the Diaspora, wouldn’t you appreciate and value
an experience like this? Our
problem is that we live with people who have their own frustrations
and complex personalities, so that they quickly get into fact
twisting business and then go on personal attack. By now my views
are well known. I have written many times expressing a concern about
the divisions within our communities (you know that, when I say "our
communities", I mean all Diaspora communities). In my most recent
piece, I expressed my frustration with the general situation
prevailing in the
Diaspora, in that,
time after time, our communities are drawn apart, not closer. Am I
wrong? And why is the Ottawa group criticized me for raising this
issue? On
September 15, 2007, my family and I attended an event organized by
EACO to commemorate the millennium celebration. It appears that my
critic(s) have not realized that I was there. On the same day, there
was a separate event in Ottawa organized by another community group.
I had heard about it. And it was also on the news, such as the
Ethiopian News Agency (Sep. 27, 2007) stating that "a
union of nine Ethiopian communities in Canada" had organized
celebrations in Toronto and Ottawa. We can
debate what is and what is not
a community association, such as the legally registered EACO vs the
other group in Ottawa (don’t know if it is registered or not), but
we have a serious problem and we need to recognize it.
No? The fact of the matter is that the political environment within
our communities has forced many people to go into isolation and then
set about to create their own organizations. As can be seen from the
angry response from the Ottawa group, even people like us are not
tolerated.
Right now I am
involved in broader arenas
that address issues beyond our local communities, such as issues in
Ethiopia or the African continent in general. Otherwise, I had
previously worked with competent and professional people to support
the Ethiopian community in Ottawa. But I was never a community board
member. I was only involved in projects. This is an embarrassing
error and the Ottawa group of elites should have checked the
accuracy of their information before accusing Ben of failing to
validating facts – it is not even his job As I
was about to draft this short peace, I read my piece again and
actually it contains interesting stuff (save my usual rhetoric) on
civil education, inflation, politics, EPRP prisoners, military
operation in Ugaden, etc. I urge you to read it again and then
compare it with the response by the Ottawa group. Other than
advising Birhanu Nega’s group not to mistreat Hailu Shawel (we could
"smell" the current public mood), I did not even pay attention to
the political anarchy in the Diaspora. I wish I could figure out the
motive of the Ottawa group. Even then, Aiga Forum - we are talking
about the passionate promoter of "democracy" and whose Internet logo
proudly displays "unity and diversity" - got pissed off by what I
had said about Elias Kifle (and perhaps about EPRP) and declined to
post my piece. Could someone in Ottawa be feeling the same? By the
way, I have nothing in common with Elias; in fact, I call him a mad
man. Yet I also feel good about giving him a credit for his work in
the past. Folks, we have a long way to go to learn how to tolerate
each other. That is why we appreciate Ben (host of Ethiopian First)
for representing the interests and values of our generation. Than
you.
Getachew Mequanent Ottawa,
Canada October
12, 2007
|