Promoting Good Governance in the Horn

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Dear Sir:

Re: Promoting Ethiopia's image, security and prosperity in the 2st Century

I could not help to respond aggressively to yet another blasphemy on the noble Ethiopians! by misguided individuals and web sites impostering as Ethiopian Review!

It is critical to differentiate political parties from the governance institutions and the over all national image, security and prosperity agenda.

Giving diplomatic tools for Ethiopia means giving opportunities to its people including those few who want to rule it, be it from the current ruling party or contending parties.

Ethiopia has an institution of Good Governance that has lasted 7,502 years.

The Governance in Ethiopia has not always been good as the evidence of the past 40 years indicate a wave of red and white terror by uneducated high school drop out students and illitrate soldiers like Mengistu and his cohorts.

The current attempt to begin a new wave of Orange terror by uneducated and unrepentant former lieutenants of the Red and White Terror in 1977 and the more recent Orange Terror in 2005 should never be repeated again.

Governance is about stakeholder's transparency and accountability to their respective electorates and people they aspire to represent.

Ethiopia deserves the respect and support as one of the only Island of Good Governance in the Horn and for that matter in the whole Middle East.

Looking at the Horn, the Red Sea is surrounded by chaos, terror and prisons of ignorance as seen in Bahire Negash, Yemen, Djibouti, Somalia and the genocide in Sudan.

Ethiopia is the only country that has security, good governance and economic growth by any stretch of imagination that its immediate neighbors.

When was the last time we had election in Bahire Negash, Somalia and Saudi Arabia.

Ethiopia deserves the technical, diplomatic and development support its people need and no one is going to stop the growth and development efforts in Ethiopia.

As the Capital for international diplomacy, second to none and seat of African Union, Economic Commission for Africa and IGAD headquarters, Ethiopia leads the world with the highest diplomatic hub than any where in the world.

Washington does not have Cuban and North Korean representation, but Addis does.

So, Ethiopia will lead with its traditional hospitality and center of diversity of ideas, culture, and trade for future generation.

We have to have a pre-emptive strategy to defeat negative campaigns and a proactive promotion campaign for Ethiopian security, prosperity and sustainable development

Ethiopia is the new destination for investment and plural democracy. Are there challenges, yes but the Opportunities outweigh the challenges by any qualitative and quantitative measures.

Ethiopia should have an Exchange Program with Alqaeda and Red and White Terror and now Orange Terror lieutenants as part of its relationship with the west and east in making the Red Sea and the Gulf of Eden safe for international shipping.

It is time for Good Governance from every one, including the Donors, the recipients and advocates for terror. That means transparency, accountability and responsiveness for the changing needs of the fastest growing population and economy in the region.

It is time to make every one accountable to local and international communities.

I therefore support the notion that Ethiopia should be given the diplomatic and economic tools for its rapidly growing security, prosperity and sustainable development.

Ethiopia will choose its partners, be it the Arabs, Chinese, Japanese, Europeans and Americans to advance its interest in the 21st century as she has done for the past 7500 years.

No one can stop progress in Ethiopia as the people have adopted the African (Ethiopian) Renaissance as their vision and mission

If the West fails to appreciate Ethiopia's good will and interests, it would loose to the East and the South.

Surely, the 21st century is a time of global integration for peace, security and prosperity and Ethiopians deserve to have their day in the sky and no one can take away their opportunities!

It is time to change with the tide of history that is sustainable development and proactive free, fair and transparent good governance.

I look forward to learn about other's perspective and innovative ideas on this debate.

Belai Habte-Jesus, MD, MPH
Global Strategic Enterprises
Renaissance Ethiopia and African Millennial Renaissance.
AAEPAG Network (African-American-Ethiopia Political Action Group Network)
www.globalbelai4u.blogspot.com
GlobalBJesus@gmail.com


Ethiopia's dictatorship is not a bulwark of stability

April 15th, 2010 |

By Mike Peter

Open letter to Dr. Charles Tannock MEP, Member of European Parliament for London
Email: charles.tannock@europarl.europa.eu , charles@charlestannock.com

Dear Dr. Charles Tannock:

I am writing to express my disappointment and dejection vis-à-vis your article titled “It's time to give Ethiopia the diplomatic tools that it requires.” By any measure, your article is untimely, inappropriate, and unethical. Are you advising the current regime to hang on to power? Is it not undemocratic and high-handed for any elected official, to endorse the ruling clique before even the votes were cast and ballots have been tallied? Do you really have up-to-date information how our people inEthiopia are dealing presently with the régime?

When in 1999 you were elected for European Parliament, I had a great appreciation for your decision to give up your highly-regarded psychiatry practice to take office in Brussels. I honestly believed at that time that you as a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists would be one of the elected officials, who will forever have a great respect for human rights of any society in our planet, including that of Ethiopians.

It is a candid statement that past policies of western governments were geared up around the idea that “strongmen” bring stability. Due to their misguided geopolitics, western countries have contributed in the past to instabilities around the world. But we are noticing at present the downside of such unwise and precarious strategy. This is due to the fact that the rulers, which were supported in the past by western governments, have become recurrently oppressive and totalitarian.



It is also our recent memory that removing dictators from such countries has required quiet significant human lives and enormous material resources. Despite some progress, several regions of the world are still volatile and above all instability is a looming threat in Western-allied dictatorships that are currently embraced as bulwarks of stability.

In case of Ethiopia, it is no more hush-hush that there are widespread violations of human-rights and annihilation of self-esteem of citizens by the régime. At this instant, Ethiopians are dying from hunger and starvation; this incessant suffering of our fellow Ethiopians is breaking our heart; and absolutely unbearable for any human being. The people ofEthiopia opposite to that you may believe, being in western democracy, are living daily in trepidation and under terror from the régime.

There is confrontation between the ruling party and the downhearted people in every corner of Ethiopia. Moreover, due to the discontent and harassment from the régime, there are skirmishes between the régime and several armed groups all over the country. Our unity and existence as a country is in jeopardy. I want to assure you that as noble, proud, and very tranquil people, we Ethiopians wish for ourselves a united, secured, democratic, and wealthy nation; as others do.

Don’t you believe that the innocent British geologist, who was lately shot dead in an ambush, had incorrect information about the security inEthiopia? Is he got killed by bandits as the Ethiopian regime claims?

IsEthiopia a stable country as you may think, to send your skilled countrymen (http://www.fco.gov.uk /en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/ethiopia)? Aren’t you accountable as a British diplomat for not informing your citizens about security issues in any part of the world? Besides, isn’t it appropriate and valuable for you and your colleagues to help Ethiopians to build a democratic and secured nation in the currently unstable Horn of Africa?

I indisputably believe that for a stability of any country it is crucial to have a leader that is intelligent, strong, caring, and devoted to his people. Ethiopians were assiduously looking-for such a leader for several decades. Nevertheless, we were unfortunate and our effort couldn’t bear fruit. That is why; it is deplorable for us at this time to tolerate a ruler, who drove us to more misery and insecurity for more than two decades.

Other issue that I want to bring to your attention is that the régime in power, to extend its survival, is seeding detestation and driving wedges among various ethnic groups in Ethiopia; which is by far the most precarious and dangerous action that is expected only from irresponsible and immature government.

As you know that, the circumstance that happened in Rwanda due to the administration in power at that time is not a distant memory. Therefore, I want you and your colleagues in the European Parliament to be aware of the state of affairs in Ethiopia. We do not need any apology in the future, either from you or your colleagues, similar to that of western diplomats’ for their silence in the face of the Rwanda genocide. We call for your support now!

Finally, I want to let you know that freedom is non-negotiable and a question of survival for Ethiopians. I have wished for myself and preferred that your article read “It's time for western countries to help Ethiopians to build a stable, democratic, and prosperous society.” I hope you as a member of the Europe for freedom and democracy Group will agree with me that Ethiopia as a nation deserves liberty.

(Dr. Mike Peter, PE, can be reached at pmike2010@gmail.com)