Ephrem Endale Contributer
The other day a few of us close chums (except one ‘outsider’) were chatting about what happened in New York. Sorry, what was that? Oh, you didn’t hear what happened? Well, I’ll be more than happy to be of help. Well, the guys at the UNSC threw out the GERD agenda saying the AU should handle it. Yes sir, I can see it in your face. You’re delighted; some of you are might even euphoric. You’re taking it for a massive victory against these who more and more symbolize greed, and more greed. The social media was abuzz with compatriots who didn’t shy away from expressing their sense of victory. That dear readers, was the feeling among my friends.
Look. When you’re in this business of writing for the media people think that you know everything. Well, no wonder we make sure people think that way! Ha! Anyways, I was asked what thought of decision. I had to play it safe not to spoil the day for my chums. Before they even uttered a single word I. as they say, could read them like an open book. I said I wanted to hear their side. They said this was a massive victory for our country. It is like your favorite boxer turns into a total mess another boxer you hate like you never hated anything.
“They should be wailing in Cairo and Khartoum.”
Names were tossed around; a few jokes were thrown at the expense of names which have been equated with Lucifer himself.
They took it as some knockout blow: Good for them! In times of so many tensions, so many pressures and when almost every Tom, Dick and Harry dipping their noises in our internal affairs such positive news is welcome.
“The UNSC stood by the side of Ethiopia.”
Did they? Really? As far as I know some of the members in recent times didn’t stand of justice! They have been turning their backs on the truth! They turned a blind eye to the events unfolding under their very eyes and dealt justice and humility a heavy blow. Some in fact repeatedly jumped over the red line.
But I’m not sure I fully share that enthusiasm this time around. You know why? The question wasn’t how they will vote but how the hell that agenda ended up in that place! It’s an agenda that should have never crossed the ocean! It is funny. The Arab League which must have a thousand and one problems of its own, telling us what to do with our own river, our own dam!
Look at what some of them are doing to our compatriots. They’re sending them back home barefooted. How inconsiderate can people be? How callous can people be? They have been serving them for years and that’s their way of saying, “Thank you!” What is the message that they are trying to send by trying to humiliate all those young people!
When self-appointed ‘stakeholders ‘dip their fingers in the wrong bowls what happens is pure chaos. So why I wouldn’t help myself to a bottle or tow of cold beer over the decision if there is nothing to celebrate.
What in the world were those who gave the thumbs-up for the agenda to be on the table were thinking? I mean shouldn’t they have said, “We must have very pressing issues than wasting time over something which could be better handled by other bodies.”
Look, if the agenda has gone any further than it did, you can as well bid “Adios!” to decency. I think over the past months a trend has been in the making. Some politicians, journalists and other so-called something, probably not known even in their own backyards, seems to be enjoying their fifteen seconds of fame at the expense of our country. Just surf through international TV stations and you’d end up breathless at the number of ‘experts on Ethiopia.” every other guy seems to know more about the place more than we do!
Maybe we should organize some ‘Mother of all Conferences’ of Ethiopian experts. The only thing is do we have the infrastructure to accommodate all of them. Yes, it can be an open conference at Meskal Square. Wouldn’t that be nice?
And coming to that small group of us, it was my turn to voice what I thought. As I said I didn’t want to spoil their day. I took so much care not to offend them, you could say I was talking in slow motion. I said it’s not much of any victory as the UNSC has no business pocking its nose in the dam issue. The ‘outsider’ didn’t take it well at first and I had to go a long way to make my point. At last he got it!
If I tell you the terms he used for some of them, I’d be ‘guilty by association’ or something like that. And then the real show started. He started telling us of all kinds of conspiracy theories and got our full attention. You know why? They were new versions we never heard of and sounded so plausible, we enjoyed them. At least he has provided us with story we’ll be tossing around the next few days. Isn’t that the name of the game these days? Tossing around any and every bit of story we hear?
While we are at it, can you people who have given yourself the ‘green card’ to dip your hands into our internal affairs, mind your own business and stay on your side of the fence?
The Ethiopian Herald July 11/2021