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ECADForum.com: The never-ending crises brought by Ethiopian elites: Is ‘Democracy Now’ or Never?

Posted by: Berhane.Habtemariam59@web.de

Date: Wednesday, 25 April 2018

By Teshome Debalke

April 24, 2018

In a compelling and timely article dated 12 April 2018 and titled “Twofold crises in Ethiopia: the elites and the street”, Rene Lefort of Democracy Now unraveled decades of political crisis instigated by contemporary Ethiopian political elites’ entitlement to override the people of Ethiopia’s rights  to be governed by their consent with all kinds of excuses.

Unfortunately, Lefort’s  ‘dominant assessment’ of what he referred as the elitist conception and practice of power” came from “Ethiopian policy and culture” defined by Ezekiel Gebissa, a self-described ethnic Oromo elite with his own ax to grind about other Ethiopian elites, particularly the ‘Amhara’ elites and the old Ethiopian Empire as his self-described ruling ‘Tigre elites did until they capture state power and employ ethnic apartheid oligarchy  –  defying Lefort thesis; the political crises can be assessed by the same elites with conflict of interest of their own that caused the crises to ask, is Democracy Now or Never?ECADF Ethiopian News, Opinions and Views

Moreover, to claim the one time secessionist Tigray elites as Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) masquerading as a governing political party of Ethiopia by imposing ethnic apartheid rule similar to the old white minority South African apartheid regime or better yet, govern like the old Fascist Italy occupying force  ‘conception and practice of power’ emanate from ‘Ethiopian policy and culture’  not only did injustice to Lefort’s rather persuasive argument about the relationship between contemporary ‘elites and the people on the ‘street’ but, gave legitimacy for the minority Tigray ethnic elite’s apartheid rule and racketeering – unprecedented for an experienced journalists on issues of democracy.  

Lefort’s article started with Ezekiel Gebissa’s commentary title “no power can suppress people’s power…”  published on Addis Standard, an online Media run by Oromo political elites presented as ‘dominant assessment’ of the Ethiopian crises as follows;

.”According to the dominant assessment, the crisis in Ethiopia reflects the absolute antagonism between two well-defined blocks. A fight between “Ethiopia’s political and business elites (that) have decided to make their last stand to protect their wealth and power by using a military” apparatus, and “a revolution from below based on the political activism of millions of people who are determined to deploy nonviolent methods to overthrow a tyrannical totalitarian regime.

In this view, the first block is clinging to the status quo. “Take their power away, they will become nobody overnight.” Its center of gravity is “the” Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), perceived as a homogeneous and unified force. While Tigrayans account for only 6% of the population, the Front maintains its pre-eminence in the leadership of the military and security forces answerable to federal authority. It is a very big player in the “modern” – i.e. non-agricultural – economy, through its control over public and para-public companies. It has long been the dominant component of the four ethnic parties in the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)”

Such half-baked political ‘assessment’ from a self-described Oromo partisan elite with no democratic credibility masquerading as impartial party may be acceptable for foreigners like Lefort to take it at face value but, it negate the fundamental conflict of interest of the assessor (Ezekiel Gebissa) and many other elites’ views sited on the article that believe; ethnic apartheid rule is a good thing for the people of Ethiopia, for that matter for any people than democratic governance.

But, there is even more to the source of the ‘Elitist conceptions and practice of power’ the article argue is encoded in the genes of Ethiopian policy and Ethiopian culture” as told by the same political hacks contrary to the reality as follows;

“Underpinning everything is the elitist conception and practice of power. It is encoded in the genes of Ethiopian policy and Ethiopian culture alike, at least in the country’s Abyssinian cradle.

Under the influence of the radical student movement, the revolution of 1974 that led to the fall of the Emperor simply modified its expression, but not its essence. Social organization, in which imperial absolutism and its successive hierarchized variants, right down to the individual level, ultimately derived from divine will, gave way to an organization dominated by a new elite whose legitimacy was rooted in knowledge.

Theocracy, the landed aristocracy and the clergy were succeeded by a sort of “aristocracy of the knowledgeable”, which could be described as an “intellocracy”. Hence “the normative union of knowledge with power”, whose role it is “to rescue the society from barbarism and ignorance”: “power must become tutorship.[1]

In this fundamentally undemocratic conception, “the people” is reified. Because of its “backwardness”, it is destined to be an object rather than a subject of history. “Due to poor education and illiteracy the Ethiopian public is too underdeveloped to make a well-reasoned, informed decision, and so Revolutionary Democracy [2] is the political bridge by which the ‘enlightened leaders’” can lead the people to democracy,” explained the recently resigned Prime Minister, Hailemariam Dessalegn.

First, the author could have been better off not to mention the pupate PM Hailemariam Dessalegn as worthy ‘enlightened leader’ to rescue himself from intellectual prostitution let alone “to rescue the society from barbarism and ignorance” as stated. More importantly, the article could have been more persuasive by recognizing the simple fact; the ethnic apartheid regime Dessalegn and his Tigray master elites presided over emanated from European colonial policy and culture in what they use to refer to their criminal adventure to invade and occupy a nation as “civilizing mission” that manifested in contemporary African elites’ psychic for at least over a century not from indigenous Ethiopian ‘policy and culture’ as we were led to believe by ethnic apartheid proponents. Such unhinged behavior of contemporary elites is not only foreign to the people of Ethiopia but, got more traction since the Berlin Conference of 1884-85 where seven European nations officially agreed to invade, partition and occupy Africa through tribalism that failed miserably in Ethiopia.

Neglecting such underpinning historical Colonial policy blunder and the impact it had on contemporary political “elites conception and practice of power” as it is practiced now by the ruling Tigray elites won’t do justice to an independent people of Ethiopia that overcame Colonial tribalism and to democracy around the world. Nor it should excuse the elites’ intellectual prostitution for colonial tribalism in the name of Revolutionary Democracy.

But, regardless of the ‘Elitist conceptions of power’ is encoded in the genes of Ethiopian policy and Ethiopian culture” (rather a xenophobic statement for the most diverse  people of the world) or the old European colonial’ policy and culture, by no means the ruling minority Tigray elites’ and their puppet PM Hailemariam Dessalegn nor the assessors of the regime (including Ezekiel Gebissa) exhibit anything resembling Ethiopian culture nor they have the intellectual capacity or integrity to understand; ethnic apartheid is not indigenous to Ethiopians particularly to Oromo culture and should own it on behalf of their old colonial paymasters.

The fact the self-described Oromo contemporary political elites adapted Latin from all other alphabets including their own Ethiopian Geez alphabet as preferred script for writing indicates; colonial policy and culture than indigenous had deeper roots than they are willing to accept as they go through self-mutilation of who they are as Ethiopians.  In the absence of independent evidence, it is not unusual phenomena for contemporary elites to believe whatever is presented to them as evidence from the usual suspects.

Moreover, all Medias the article listed as credible source for references in the subject matter indicate, the author either doesn’t understand the elites’ political dynamics or is a willing participant with apartheid rule they propagate. In both cases, it is disheartening to see Democracy Now is being used by contemporary elites as ethnic Apartheid platform to advance their undisclosed agenda contrary to the people of Ethiopia’s rights to know the truth.

For instance, Addis Standard is self-described Oromo political elites’ affiliated Media and proponent of ethnic apartheid based in Europe. Capital Ethiopia is the ruling apartheid regime apologists’ run English Business weekly based in Addis Ababa.  The Reporter is Tigay elites’ run online and print Media based in Addis Ababa. Aiga Forum is the ruling TPLF party operatives’ run online Media based in the US. Ebs is the ruling TPLF party operatives’ run Satellite TV based in the US. Addis Fortune is the ruling regime affiliated English Business weekly based in Addis Ababa. OPride (Oromo Pride) is Oromo political elites’ affiliated online Media based in the US. All the Medias above not only are proponents of ethnic apartheid reflecting Oromo and Tigre ethnic elites view out of 70 plus ethnic groups of Ethiopians crammed in nine regions to the convince of the minority Tigray elites and enablers not to mention they are all English language ‘Medias’ catering for the respective elites and the foreign community in the capital as well as to Western audiences.

Apparently, the author also didn’t realize, ninety percent of the Ethiopian population don’t read English nor know these Medias exist — further reinforcing; the ‘elitist conceptions of power’ comes from foreign policy and culture than Ethiopian unlike the article alluded sourcing the wrong make-believe Medias.

About two years ago on a November 2016 article titled “Ethiopia’s Crises — “Things fall apart: will the center hold? Lefort also referenced the same Addis Standard and all the ruling Tigray elites’ run or controlled Media outlets like Walta Information Center, Tigray Online, Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, Ethiopian News Agency as a credible source and came pretty much with the same conclusion of what the ruling elites and their counterparts wanted the world to believe in favor of ethnic apartheid rule.

Incidentally, not a single proponent of national democratic rule Free Media like the most popular Ethiopian Satellite Television Network (ESAT), political party or civic organizations are found as source reference in both of Lefort’s articles about the Ethiopian crises, coincidence?

It appears Lefort is either a causality of the apartheid elites’ propaganda disguised as independent or scholarly in their quest to convince the Western world to support their ambition for power by their ethnicity or he is a willing participant. There is no other explanation why he diverges from the basic standard of scrutinizing sources for someone representing a democratic platform of Democracy Now.

To the minimum, Lefort should have required the biography and credential of his sources for its audience and make it public before he entertain their assertion; not to mention invite at least one other public Medias that proponent national democratic governance as ESAT that is open for all Ethiopians as oppose only to proponents of ethnic apartheid governance listed as a reference of his article.

The absence of Free Press and independent institutions in Ethiopia to find reliable information or verify the elites’ credential and claim doesn’t help either. As a result, the political discourse is skewed in favor of the ruling minority Tigray elites that control the public institutions, the airwaves and the cyberspace as well as the  platforms to deliver manufactured apartheid propaganda or the fragmented oppositions (due to ethnic apartheid rule of TPLF) that are empowered to propagate ethnic apartheid against the people of Ethiopia’s rights to know the truth and governed by their consent.

But, closer look to the mindset of contemporary political elites in general reviles, the brief experimentation with Marxism central control (17 years) led by what the author referred by ‘radical student movement’ of the 70s that overthrow the last Monarch in the long history of Ethiopia  followed by the ‘radical’ movement of tribalism of Colonial extraction that brought the minority Tigray elites to power (27 years and counting) explain better the elites’ felling of entitlement as ‘knowledgeable autocrats’ in Marxist Ethiopia then and/or as ethnic autocrats in apartheid Ethiopia now – all foreign concept the elites latched on that brought the crises in Ethiopia.

How the Lefort accepted, Marxism and ethnic Apartheid as indigenous Ethiopian policy and culture as oppose colonial Europe policy and culture is not clear to ask; how Democracy Now evaluates the elites without independent verification of what they claim? After all, isn’t the responsibility the author’s and Democracy Now to evaluate sources and to disclose their credentials?

Unfortunately, the question of government by the consent of the governed Verses by the consent of the elites as the author elaborated kept coming over-and-over again. But, the people of Ethiopia remained under tyranny for centuries, this time under self-proclaimed minority ethnic Tigre oligarchs instigated apartheid government. Therefore, until the youth grassroot movement ends the elites’ entitlement to rule by fiat, the people of Ethiopia will remain under one form of tyranny or another for the foreseeable future.

Naturally, individual liberty, democratic representation, freedom of speech or association, Free Press, equal protection under the law and the peruse of happiness many people of the democratic world enjoy is proven to be the last thing in the minds of most contemporary political elites that overwhelmed the airwave and the cyberspace with misinformation. Fortunately, little scrutiny applied will revile; how little knowledge or interest they exhibit to the consent of the governed and why and, who may be behind them.

But, no contemporary Ethiopian elites came even close to use-and-abuse the new and improved Marxism disguised as Federal Nations and Nationalities Revolutionary Democracy tribalism and crony capitalism disguise as Developmental State and Free Market to deprive not only the rights and liberty of the people of Ethiopia like any tyranny would but, their livelihoods and nationhood than the minority Tigray elites’  club known as  the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) disguise as a governing political party in apartheid Ethiopia regime they instigated with their junior ethnic partners.

The irony minority elites’ experimentation with tribalism to occupy state power invented a new ideology of Tribal Fascism is a double edge sword that not only deprived political and economic rights of the majority but, to set the motion for endless confrontation that necessitates them to commit endless crimes against majority of the people of Ethiopia to sustain minority oliguric rule as we are witnessing unfold. Whether it is designed by foreign actors or purely by accident is becoming clearer as they refuse to surrender illegitimate power relying on their foreign enablers to hang on. But, it is undoubtedly clear their behavior as foreign to Ethiopians as it can be unlike we are led to believe by the article.

There are only two possible motives minority ethnic elites prefer ethnic apartheid rule than democratic rule against their own interest. Either it is to occupy the nation by ethnic divide-and-conquer as any occupying force would or/and to destroy the nation of Ethiopia by divide-and-dismantle policy on behalf of third non-Ethiopian party.  The jury is still out as they scramble to hold on to the illegitimate power or occupation—whichever one turns to be true.

But, what made the crises more complicated to contain the minority Tigray elites adventure in apartheid rule or occupation are the vocal ethnic adversaries that embrace tribalism as a legitimate method of governance and entitlement for power by playing numbers games as defined by other than Ethiopians. Not only they are identical with their Tigray elite counterparts as far as apartheid and the no consent of the governed are concerned but, they are setting the people they claim to represent for more conflicts to get the power they feel they disserve by their ethnic affiliation as we are witnessing unfold.

Regardless of the ‘aristocracy of the knowledgeable’ by divine intervention, ethnic affiliation or ideology of one kind or another as Ethiopians experience in history, the article not only nailed the fundamental problem facing the people of Ethiopia long-ignored by reinforcing; only the elites with democratic credential that submit to the will of the people will set the people of Ethiopia free from all forms of tyranny as they did around the world – rejecting opportunistic elites for undermining the democratic struggle of the people on the ‘street’ that are paying the ultimate price for the arrogance and ignorance of the elites to believe; they are entitled power by any means other than the consent of the governed.

In short, whether tribalism (minority-majority Federalism or not) or Marxism (National or regional central command or not), the consent of the governed is nowhere to be found in most contemporary elites’ political discourse. In fact, it is unwritten rule not to raise the question of their democratic credential — unprecedented for a democratic struggled of the 21st century. Thus, Freedom by the consent of tribal or national elites never by the consent of the governed has been the rule not the exception since monarchy rule ended over four decade ago until Kinjit broke the stalemate in 2005 election for the first time in history of Ethiopia that sent a shockwave to the ruling minority ethnic Tigray elites as well as all political elites that took their entitlement for power for grant.

Naturally, tribalism is the farthest away to consent for the governed and for individual liberty as documented throughout the world history and as practiced by nonother than the ruling minority Tigray elites that degenerate further from tribalism to global organize criminal enterprise – a natural progression of tribalism. And, there is a good reason why tribalism often degenerates into local, national and global criminal enterprise beyond the scope of this write up.

Thus, the People of Ethiopia are given only two choices by self-serving contemporary political elites with no whatsoever mandate to govern and with the help of the international community.  Tribalism of the minority-majority elites led by the minority ruling Tigray elites at present or National central command by half-a dozen national political elites with undisclosed ideology until Patriotic-Ginbot 7 Movement for freedom, justice and democracy showed up and submitted to the consent of the governed to end tyranny by all means necessary since Kinjit attempted and failed in 2005 by popular vote.

Seven years passed with no political party (tribal or national) to match the Movement’s official stand to submit for the consent of the people of Ethiopia. Instead, reinventing democracy and ethnic apartheid rule led by the same minority ruling Tigray elites is underway by the [s]election of a new self-described ethnic “Oromo” Prime Minster Dr. Abay Ahmid to run around in four ethnic apartheid Regions instigated by the same minority Tigray elites to undermine the popular grassroot democratic youth movement to end ethnic oligarchy rule. His message to the grassroot demand for democratic rule so far produce unstainable words of peace and love under the State of Emergency Command Post of one party ethnic apartheid rule that is rejected over-and-and over again.

Therefore, though the article rightly opened the Pandora’s box of why contemporary elites feel entitled for power and the privilege without the consent of the people on the ‘street’, it fail short of identifying the source of their behavior because of his top down approach where the judge, the jury and prosecutors of the people of Ethiopia’s rights and liberty are the same ethnic elites with political agenda and conflict of interest that brought the crises in the first place. Where is the justice for the people on the street that demand Democracy Now?

Lefort’s article could have been more effective to get to the root cause of the Ethiopian crises if he properly identified the sources of crises independently. After all, without splitting hair, calling on pseudo intellectual elites or political hakes with conflicts of interest of their own, democracy is all about transparency nothing-more-or-less.  Therefore, if Lefort of Democracy Now missed the fundamentals of Democracy who would capture the real story of the crises?

Quite frankly, Lefort would do a favor for democracy around the world and the people of Ethiopia on ‘the street’ (a rather unnecessary description of young democracy revolutionaries that came out on the street not by choice) if he scrutinizes the elites’ credential that feed him and their undisclosed conflicts of interests that is instrumental for the crises in Ethiopia. The concept of ‘trust but, verify’ seems to be lost in his article with an assumption; the elites’ credibility can be taken at face value contrary to the conventional wisdom of journalism.

That said, Democracy Now and Lefort’s contribution for democracy around the world is unquestionably priceless.   But, underestimating the elites’ incentive to remain or climb to power and privilege for themselves and their enablers without the consent of the governed under autocratic regimes is too lucrative to ignore for a professional journalist representing Democracy Now as reflected by his ‘Media’ sources.  The sooner they are scrutinized to highest level of transparency possible, the sooner the people on the ‘street’ will be free to enjoy the fruits of representative democracy.

Until then, government by the consent of the elites of one kind or another not by the governed will go on contrary to the stated mission of “Democracy Now” and the authors assertion.


The article is dedicated for Ethiopian elites that submitted for the consent of the governed against all odds. Ignored and chastised by the rogue regime, their opportunistic counterparts, the international community for obvious reasons, the grassroot youth movement to end tyranny should search no further but, the elites that submit for the consent of the governed by their deeds and sacrifice not by their words. Ethnic apartheid proponents we are led to believe are not the solution but, part of the problem that brought the crises as Ethiopians found out the hard way.


6ይ ክፋል: ማዕበል ስርሒት ፈንቅል - የካቲት 1990 - ሰነዳዊት ፊልም| sirihit fenkil 1990 - part 6 - ERi-TV Documentary

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