BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
A country, one way or the other, has enemies that it has to defend itself against for the sake of national security and territorial integrity. Yet, a local enemy that defies the law of the country is worse than the external one. Such subversive group is rather so elusive that it takes quite a long time to identify it as the enemy. Under the guise of citizenship, it escapes capture for nobody can expect it would do harm to its own country.
Such poisonous and inexplicable treason causes severe damage to the wellbeing of the citizens and the property of the land until it is brought to light. Exposing the malicious acts takes a gut of peace and justice-loving children of the nation to lead in taking up arms against it.
The smoldering courage and determination, even though not well organized, bursts out like wildfire until it appeared a miracle to the group which it had never dreamed of or expected it to happen.
The TPLF junta ascended the throne only to inflict misery upon the people for about decades. The rule of iron fomented bad governance to subdue the people and deny them their natural and legal rights.
During this era, it manifested itself in the form that encompasses governance in government and corporate settings. Corruption was at its climax being centralized around the idea of governance within a system whereas it lacked transparency and accountability, arbitrary policymaking and the cheating of those who are governed – all in the name of democracy.
It totally violated the way of good governance which measures how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in a preferred way. In actual sense, public affairs were least regarded and it was in fact irrelevant. Public resources were absolutely misappropriated to satisfy their egoistic interest and that of their accomplices.
The concepts of corruption and good governance actually have a two-way causal relationship with each other and feed off each other in a vicious circle. But in case good governance is not exercised, this provides greater opportunity for corruption and, in turn, can prevent good governance principles and structures from being put in place, or enforced.
They made it their bounden duty to uphold corruption, which is in violation of the principles of transparency, accountability and rule of law which are most closely associated with it.
In the end, corruption and poor governance are security challenges which undermine democracy, the rule of law and economic development. All these principles meant nothing to this group as long as they are maneuverable to satisfy their egoistic interests.
Total human rights violation was what the tyrannical government was exceptionally known for. Numerous special prisons were built to smolder the cry for justice all over the country. Incarceration, torture and even death was a day-to-day experience of those who were suspected of refusing to bow down to the system without any evidence; yet, no one was accountable for such human rights violation.
The international community seemed to have turned deaf ears to the agony of the innocent citizens. In some situation big international money lending or donor organizations, whether deliberately or unaware of the circumstance, were convinced by the propaganda of the so-called fast development; two-digit economic growth.
In the face of the stark truth, these organizations keep releasing funds in the name of development which the group whisks it for its selfish advantages; still, nobody was blamed for the corruption even though the citizens suffer beyond the limit of human endurance.
The awkward economic structure that propagated privatization was the kind that stripped the country of its capital. The money gathered from privatization ended up in the coffers of the group. Banks were robbed in the name of loan, which was never paid back. Industries were refashioned in the way they benefitted the tyrannical group.
Numerous dollar-minting systems were designed in the name of charity and so forth. Yet, in spite of this mumbo-jumbo, nothing trickled down to the needy masses. All those tears were never dried, the open hands of the poor remained empty because nothing landed in them, and their stomach still churning.
Regarding political administration, they preached federalism that combines the central or federal government with regional governments in a single political system which was not exercised though. Whereas federalism is the sharing of power between national and state governments, the group violated the political principle it claimed to uphold; no regional state had the independence to exercise its mandated power for the good of its region.
On top of every regional state administration, the representatives of TPLF were assigned to steer the wheel in the direction that would enhance the advantages of the tyrannical group.
Heads of the regional states were nothing other than facilitators of the interest of the group. Evidently, in a federal system, power is shared by the national and state governments. Neither should be dominant particularly in issues that concern them both. In the system, there should be a compromise meant to eliminate the disadvantages of both systems.
Each of them strives for the advantage of the other for both the mutual interest of developing the larger picture – the country. Of course, there are certain powers to be the domain of a central government while the rest are specifically reserved to the state governments.
Their clandestine action eventually led them to form a unitary government where top-down principle gained momentum at last.
After being toppled, they publicly exhibited open disobedience to the federal government: they organized military force showing their readiness to resist any attack directed to them by the federal government.
They declined to accept the peace and reconciliation initiatives by the federal government; in fact, they considered it a sign of fear on the part of the initiator and they humiliated the commission only to send them away disrespectfully.
Furthermore, when the federal government postponed the national election due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, the group held its own election in defiance of the directives placed by the National Electoral Board in spite of repeated warnings by the Federal Government.
Based on this circumstance, the Ethiopian House of Representatives voted to terminate any kind of relationship only with TPLF party, but not with the people of Tigray.
Series of provocative activities were underway to which the federal government patiently reacted. This seemingly formidable power was fully engaged in military training by drafting the unwilling civilians, even teenagers in preparation for war.
Armed to the teeth, the group held military parade as a show of force and to intimidate the federal government and the people of Ethiopia at large.
The worst move made by the group was attacking the national army regiment stationed in north Ethiopia. The soldiers never suspected their fellow soldiers would gun them down, slaughter like a sheep, dragging their bodies into the forest to be devoured by beasts and so forth.
It was at this intensive and decisive point that the Ethiopian defense forces, special force and the militia stepped in to put the situation under control and reorganized the attacked division for a hit-back whereas the tyrannical group stayed in Mekelle town, its stronghold.
The heroes: special force, the army and the militia, to restore the law battled with special force of the TPLF and liberated the cities in surrounding and proceeded to Mekele and freed that too in a short time without causing any harm to the civilians.
Having realized the imminent defeat, the group took to its heels to the nearby forest and caves destroying everything on its way including hundreds of people which the heroes found in several mass graves.
Many hidden ammunition, numerous oil depots and vehicles were discovered by these vigilant warriors, the pride of the nation. Some of these messengers of the devil are still in a hideout and the vigilant soldiers together with the peoples of Tigray are relentlessly chasing them.
The military maneuvers that have taken the big powers many years, like in Syria, were successfully accomplished only in a couple of weeks by our heroes. They are now busy restoring the law and the resumption of the usual business activities and public offices and others.
They, through their wise and tactful move, have brought back peace normal life in the region. Hurray for our heroes! Please, hurry to us with your booty. We can’t wait for your triumphant arrival!
The Ethiopian herald December 27/2020
