TPLF is a war machine. No doubt about that. Trouble is, however much it has perfected the art of war, it couldn’t learn the high art of good governance and compromise. I have quoted it before, and I will repeat it again: politics is the art of compromise, and TPLF has failed miserably on both scores.
It runs a government the way it fights a nemesis on the battlefield – go get him at all and any cost, kill and annihilate! But for how long could Tigray last, constantly footing TPLF’s bills in the blood of its children?
Remember the last war was primarily fought by kids who had come of age after Meles had passed on. At least they were SUPPOSED to reap the fruits of the struggle for which their grandparents and parents had sacrificed their precious lives – enjoying peace and prosperity, living among their fellow compatriots in eternal fraternity. But they were caught in the whirlpool of a never-ending vicious circle of war to win over an ‘eternal enemy’, which sadly happens to be the rest of the Commonwealth and the State of Eritrea.
Just try to call to mind any one party or political group TPLF is on good terms with. None! Even OPDO and ANDM proved that they were ‘sleeper agents’ for the opposition cause, biding their time to jump it the moment opportunity strikes. They kind of did, too, in a very despicable manner that made some of us ponder the ingenuity of their actions.
I think TPLF needs to quit looking at itself from inside-out for a change and weigh its worth from an outsider’s simple palpable perspectives.
1 – Fifty Years of Itching
Come February, TPLF turns fifty years old. Out of this, it has been in government for more than thirty solid years (without counting the three years it had independently governed the whole of Tigray before marching on Addis in 1991). What has it got to show for it, I would very much like to know? One thing is for sure, it has planted and sustained the high art of intrigue and feud in the national politics of the country, to which the incumbent and the opposition have become heirs apparent.
The war-fatigued overwhelming majority of the Ethiopian public had given TPLF an unprecedented opportunity to prove its mettle in the early years of the 1990s. Instead, TPLF chose to isolate and liquidate the elite of every other society, except that of Tigray. In all the past three decades, Tigray was represented by the crème de la crème of its society. On the contrary, it declared war on established institutions like reputed universities in the country and founded a college that trains an army of civil servants totally committed to serve the interests of the Front and none other. These folks will yet be the ruin of the country as they are liable to change course and faith depending on the given circumstances. Those weaknesses and opportunistic individuals were handpicked from every other region. However, TPLF failed to realize that these individuals they had nurtured and supported would eventually turn against them. These junior partners of the coalition were insulted and humiliated more than any other members of society. They nursed a wounded pride for years and eventually cannibalized EPRDF with such vengeance that the actual victims of the Front ended up playing second fiddle to them.
This makes me wonder, what kind of politicians are TPLFites if they didn’t see this coming? The only thing TPLF could showcase as its achievement was EPRDF and its exploits, but it was treated poorly by its own members.
Let this be a lesson to TPLF – don’t build a house on a shifting foundation as noted in the Biblical parable.
2- The Culture of Nepotism and Corruption.
If TPLF had inflicted a lasting wound on the rest of the country, it would be the legacy of nepotism and corruption in every aspect of governance at all levels. Sadly, it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. The Premier candidly admitted that a considerable number of PP members join the party hierarchy for personal business gain. They join the opposition and shamelessly declare that they have always known PP for what it really is and hated it. This culture of insincerity is another despicable trait passed down by TPLF.
By the government’s own account, a group of thugs is running political and economic business empires. People underestimate how strong and vicious this network is. Two weeks ago, major news outlets reported that a smooth-talking imposter, posing as the brother of Addis mayor, had defrauded several business people in the country. This gives you a clue – one cannot help but wonder what would have happened if he was indeed the mayor’s brother. In that scenario, those people would have readily given him a hefty sum without hesitation.
3- Alienating the Youth.
I have tried to find information about the breakaway faction led by Getachew and Prof Kindeya. They are relatively young and not members of the battle-hardened original ‘tegadalay core’ of the Front. Although they are pushing their fifties, by TPLF’s standards, they are still considered young.
Instead of considering the alternatives proposed by the opposing group, TPLF is busy coming up with fitting adjectives to denigrate them, calling them names like rotten cells, and so on. This makes me wonder how long TPLF will continue singing the party anthem of ‘my way or the highway’. Haven’t the days of escorting dissidents to the borders of Sudan ended yet?
4- Realistically speaking, what are TPLF’s alternatives? Okay, we have heard the brave declaration by D. Tsion that TPLF doesn’t take leave from any earthly power to call the General Assembly. But there is this little law called ‘the Ethiopian Electoral, Political Parties Registration and Election Code of Conduct Proclamation’ that bestows rather sweeping power on the Board to regulate political parties and ensure compliance. What are they going to do about it?
Remember, the last war was the result of discord between the Board and TPLF. TPLF flat out refused to submit to the requirements of the Board, just like any other party founded yesterday. In those days, I remember arguing TPLF could have a good chance of arguing its case legitimately if it had opted for judicial recourse.
Unless sober heads prevail, it looks like this ‘bravery’ of TPLF is going to be a disagreeable déjà vu.
God Bless.
The writer can be reached via estefanoussamuel@yahoo.com
