BY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
The WEST believes in principles like EQUITY, ACCESS, and HUMAN RIGHTS. That could have been great if they were implemented fairly and squarely. WEST in this op-ed stands for the civilization that tries to lecture and dictate to others about these values at present. Equity is defined as “justice according to natural law or right,” according to Merriam-Webster.
While “access” is defined as “the right or opportunity to use or benefit from something” or “the right or opportunity to approach or see someone.” Webster further defines “human rights” as a right which is believed to belong to every person.” Coining these three words in the present Ethiopian context, every person in Ethiopia has the natural-given right or opportunity to use or to benefit from something as well as to approach or see someone.
That means when it comes to access to media, or to be heard at UN security council meetings, or exercising self-governance or any other human right elements, every individual has equal rights. The WEST preaches these things at the world pulpits everyday loud and clear, to everyone and every nation on the planet.
The preaching is not bad, but their deeds tell a different story and it is this discordance between words and actions from which the unfairness and impartiality [problems] emanate.
They claim to practice higher standards or more noble beliefs than the rest of the world does while their own practices and experiences tell a different story. This is the very definition of Hypocrisy.
A case in point.
On the 3rd of March 2021, CNN reported that “the UN Security Council will discuss the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region behind closed doors.” And they did. One may acclaim, yes that is a good step, to stand up for human rights.
But the question is why the WEST picks what it likes and ignores others? Why does the WEST interpret the Human Right values differently? Is it not Ethiopia, home to over 86 ethnicities of about 110 million people? Why did not the WEST give equal access at the UN Security Council hearing for violations of Human Rights in different regions of Ethiopia for the past three decades? Even why the UN Security Council chose silence when genocide was committed in Mai Kadra on 9-10 November 2020, and more than 200 people were massacred in Metekel on 22-23 December 2020? More than 170000 people are displaced from Metekel alone, and many of whom are still living in a dire situation.
Many more Human rights abuses, mass killings, and displacements at Somali, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Regions are vivid examples of the recent past. Why did not the WEST give attention to Human Rights violations, mass killings, and displacements for people in these regions of the country? Why does the WEST contradict itself, interpret Human Rights differently, and being selective? It would be utterly Naive to assume that the WEST and its media outlets would not have this information.
Many of these Human Rights abuses are reported by Amnesty international. The WEST would have to prove to itself if its “values” of Human Rights principles are not compromised and practiced impartially. If the WEST’s interest is to count dead bodies, why not think about the more than 70 innocent Sidamas killed in 2002, the more than 400 innocent Anuaks massacred in 2003, or the more than 500 Oromo victims in 2016.
We know that the “800” people claimed killed in Axum, in Tigray Regional State, triggered you to make up your case to the UN security council. The writers of this piece do not have the facts at hand to confirm or disqualify your claim. Nevertheless, we keep on wondering if it is the numbers that appeal to you.
Isn’t the life of even a single person so precious? Why now? Is it the number of people that appeal to you to take an agenda at the UN security council or do you have other standards? You have got more numbers dead in all the other atrocities.
Why now? Is the WEST not a hypocrite when it claims to preach and reinforce the principles like EQUITY, ACCESS, and HUMAN RIGHTS on the world stage and ignore the plight of more than 100 Million Ethiopians?
The Hypocrites & the hands of crafty manipulators Actually, if the expressed concern was about the majority of the good people of Tigray, that could have been taken as a GOOD moral deed whereby all Ethiopians stand by your side without hesitation. But we argue it is not. If one digs deeper into the context, one can find that the people of Tigray have been used for the malicious ambitions of few crafty manipulators and the hidden agenda of certain elements in the WEST.
The very people whom they claim stood for lived in distress under a totalitarian system for more than three decades. As if that is not enough our people in Tigray are exposed to protracted violence inflicted by multiple actors. It is understandable that our people are in agony and pain right now.
The purpose of this article is to expose the part contributed by crafty manipulators and hypocrites with their own agenda. How did all these happen to them? A long time ago, and as byproducts of the cold war, the WEST recruited a few disgruntled mercenaries who received the WEST’s agenda of fighting communism as proxies under the cover of a struggle to bringing democratic changes, fighting poverty and recurring cycles of hunger and so on.
Using these strategic terms, they aligned themselves to get favor from the west. Since then, they have been skilled in drafting winning documents, writing projects, and producing unscrutinized evidence that fits into the mindset of the WEST. Now they have evolved through time and claim to stand for WEST’s values like ACCESS, EQUITY, and HUMAN RIGHTS as far as it suits their own purpose.
They used to be few. The fact that they ruled the country with a strong grip on the economic and security muscles of a geopolitically important country for close to 3 decades gave them the opportunity to widen their presence and representation in the power corridors of the WEST. Now they have a huge presence in the UN organizations like UNESCO and WHO as well as in TOP UNIVERSITIES with wide access to influential MEDIA OUTLETS, HUMAN RIGHT ORGANIZATIONS like Amnesty International and HRW.
Their network comprises highly skilled people with top skills in crafting narratives in their favor to inform and impact policy. Whatever happens in the country, it will be converted right into their narratives. The WEST, with its hugely hypocritical system and unfettered access to its infrastructure of manipulation, promotes its agenda with utter disregard and putting at stake the lives of millions of innocent citizens who are struggling to see the next day.
They have unparalleled proficiency in the language of the WEST and its jargon: EQUITY, ACCESS, and HUMAN RIGHTS which makes it much easier for them to advance their evil agenda. The WEST gives deaf ears and blind eyes when these basic human rights and privileges are grossly violated by those manipulators and continues to harvest whatever calculated benefit it gets both in the short and the long-term.
It is well known that the Ethiopian people are passing through challenging times with recurrent cycles of inter-ethnic violence with huge tolls on human life and destruction of vital economic infrastructure. They have been crying for justice, true freedom, and the right to live in peace and harmony. The Hypocrite WEST, however, continues to give deaf ears to their genuine cries and aspirations.
Instead, it is doing its best to revive and resuscitate back to life the evil aspirations of those crafty manipulators. We make an earnest call for the WEST to wake up and adjust accordingly by learning from misguided policies.
The WEST should understand the mechanisms of violence in Ethiopia have been installed by design by those whom the WEST is trying to favor and provide a breathing lifeline.
Time to revise strategies and policies & to unmask yourself: When you choose the next machinery to keep the sphere of influence in the region, please consider the agent you choose carefully. Investing in the wrong messenger is costly unless it is by design.
Investing hugely through institutions like IMF, World Bank and others, for years and finally losing everything in a few months is a disaster. It is a waste of taxpayers’ money. More importantly, it is human life that the WEST is playing with. It would have been much better if the WEST lived what it preaches about EQUITY, ACCESS, and HUMAN RIGHTS. These are fundamental principles for all human beings including every individual in Ethiopia.
The double standard the WEST is practicing showing to the people of Ethiopia is exposing the WEST’s weakness and its impartiality to treat all human beings equally. Hypocrisy literally means “actor,” one who wears a mask” in Greek. The WEST is an actor and shall uncover its masks instead of disguising behind the respected principles of “Human Rights.”
As it stands now, the WEST has lost its moral compass and values before our eyes. We used to admire and respect the WEST and aspire that our Nation to catch up with the Human Rights values of the WEST. At this time, the WEST’s selectiveness, unfairness, and corrupted system are revealed. The WEST is expected to live up to its Values.
Ethiopia is home to millions of genuine and kind-hearted people with its own moral, religious, and social values. As Ethiopia respects the sovereignty of the WEST, it also deserves reciprocally the same from the WEST. Stop meddling in the internal affairs of Ethiopia with the disguise of your compromised “Human Rights” practices!
Ed.’s note: The authors preferred anonymity owing to the information protocol the international organizations they are affiliated with require to do so.
The Ethiopian Herald March 9/2021
