BY STAFF REPORTER
Tibebe Tadese was born in Bishoftu, Oromia State. Currently he lives in the United States for the past seven years. He has been active for many years in various philanthropic works that aim to support compatriots at home. He has reaffirmed his love for his country and people by participating in all the financial support for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and other national projects. More recently, he has been working separately with other Diasporas to counter Ethiopia’s international pressure.
In connection with his support movement, he has recently returned home. Tibebe has also been participating in the Ethiopian Diaspora efforts of bring political change in the country through several movements like Ethiopian DC Task Force on Peace and Unity. In his recent interview with Ethiopian Press Agency, he has explained about his motivation for philanthropic works, his view of the ongoing reform in the country as well as the fight against the terrorist TPLF. Have a nice read!
Would you tell us a little bit about your charitable work first and what if we start our conversation?
Basically, charitable work is a pleasure for any sane person. Since I left my country, I will not forget the poor people who raised me. Every time I come home, I tried to help as much as I could. After all, every time I come, I was so frustrated and sad that I tried to solve my problems on my own. For example, six years after I left the country, I had the opportunity to visit the boxing federation. At the time, boxing players representing Ethiopia in the world were unfortunately using toothbrushes.
At that time, HIV/AIDS was on the rise. However, the boxers shared the tooth protector only just wiping it off with alcohol. When I saw this, it made me cry. These children are athletes who will represent Ethiopia on the world stage. The government did not allocate any budget at the time. It had the same problem with all sports. When I saw this problem, I did not keep silent; when I returned to Italy, I spoke to the famous Italian footballer Roberto Baggio and tried to support Ethiopian sports. But since the government at the time was not cooperative to support the country, I did what I could do personally.
To this end, I have received certificates from various institutions. As I told you, I raised money from myself and my friends; I contributed a lot of equipment and bicycles. But the response I received here from the TPLF government was so ugly that I became very discouraged.
How do you feel as a patriotic citizen when you think of the consequences of the political system that has divided the people of the country along ethnic and linguistic lines?
I believe that the divisive system is the cause of the suffering of the country and its people. That is why most of us welcomed the arrival of Dr. Abiy. Of course, when Dr. Abiy came, I did not go out to praise him. Because by nature I do not rush to praise and criticize later. And as I gradually came to understand the real stance of the person, I became more of a supporter and friend than they were before. I believe that he will take this country in the right direction. I am currently the number one supporter of the Prime Minister. I do not feel embarrassed in supporting him.
Can you tell me if there is a special reason why you believe in this?
I believe that the Prime Minister needs someone next to him to move forward. On the other hand, I need to support Dr. Abiy as he is younger than I am. For example, some say that he was the one who caused the massacre. But for me, the Prime Minister does not think he has more power than he does now, and I do not think anyone will force them to do so. If there was a better power, we would be better off if we said, “They killed people.” But this is not the case.
On the other hand, people are being killed every day in the United States and other European countries. In those countries, we do not see the government or the prime minister being held directly responsible for all those who are killed every day. It is the responsibility of all hierarchical powers. These people should realize that if they want the prime minister to leave the palace and engage in the fight, it is not possible and it is not expected of a leader. Instead, the TPLF is massacring all these people to reclaim the power it lost. So the TPLF is responsible for everything that happens everywhere. In general, I do not believe that Dr. Abiy is abusing the power in his hands and making people hate him.
Dr. Abiy has shown us so far that he is a leader who wants to change his country. I especially know that he is a strong man who strives to bring here the developments and technologies that he has seen in other countries. Like the Derg, they are not threatening us with weapons, they are telling us to plant seedlings themselves. The clean-up and renovation work they have done all over the country, starting with the palace, will go down in history.
Some, however, say that they are silent when a person is killed while planting seedlings. But I know that the person who says this can do nothing. I, personally, have seen how difficult it is to lead an association of 60 people. So it is not difficult to know how difficult it is to lead 110 million people.
Our man is another person who wants to show off and highlight his good deeds. He is quick to take action when there is a shortage and trouble. Instead of helping, there are many who put stones in every step of the way. For the last three years, I have only heard him say “Ethiopia”. I have seen him pay a price for Ethiopia.
I have never seen him try to do something different for a nation. Instead, we can make a difference in our country if we support his ideas and help him. These critics have never done anything for their people. Even when we are asked to make a small contribution to the support we receive, the number of people who create it is not small.
So, I support the Prime Minister, if he wants me to, today or in the future. But I do this not for myself but for my children. This is the man who carried Ethiopia; So I believe we should all support them to the best of our ability. Let’s look at this for at least five years. It will not be surprising if we begin to protest then. So far, we have seen good results.
It should be admired what they have shown in a short period of time, from the demolition of the houses of the weak to the fact that our cities have become comfortable and tourist attractions. In general, my courage is not to denigrate what the Prime Minister has done on social media, but to show that he has done a good job for the people like him.
Do you believe that the TPLF terrorist group has a special reason to lead the country into chaos by not accepting the opportunity given to it by the people and the government?
Before this change came, I used to wish that the TPLF would rather be given amnesty with all the money they embezzled and let them live rather than removing them from power forcibly or taking action. I wanted to leave the past behind and have a country where everyone can work and grow. I wish I could; the lord has given us such a leader.
But I have a fight, These people did not want to take advantage of this opportunity. As you said, their choice is to terrorize the people and destabilize the country. Now it is our money that they are scattering as they please abroad. If they were smart, they would have invested their stolen money in their country and made progress.
Despite their refusal, the blessed man bowed down and apologized to the Ethiopian people. They just want to be in control of their lives. And that is not going to happen. Times have changed; No one believes in inferiority as before. Of course, the people forgave them; But they did not want to rest. Like them, other officials who have been abusing the public are acknowledging their guilt and living in peace. No one moved against them.
Dr. Abiy pleaded with the TPLF, “There is no need for war.” But they considered him a coward. ” He desperately went to war. As we all know, he went to war only because TPLF attacked our wonderful defense force. Earlier, they said, “No!” “It is not possible,” he said. After doing all this, they finally mistreated the army that was guarding the border. As I told you before, when the prime minister went to war, he was forced to do so.
By the way, the truth will probably be revealed in the future, No matter how strong our enemies are, the Creator will always protect Ethiopia. That is why you think Ethiopia would not be disintgerated. According to their plan, our country is now disintegrated; But she still exists today because the Creator does not break His promise to this country. I believe our defense is also very strong and invincible, so our country will not collapse in the future.
Therefore, we cannot all save our country because we are all talking hand in hand to face what is to come. I want to say again and again that the Ethiopian people must stand together and resist the invading forces. I say we should not allow room for gossip and rumors.
Some people say that this country needs national reconciliation. Is national reconciliation possible with the TPLF and OLF?
I don’t think the government will accept anything called national reconciliation. He spoke it over and over again. Secondly, this terrorist group has committed not only atrocities against humanity; it also spent the winter killing animals. To this day, I still wonder what the animals did. These people are doing something that has never been done before in the history of the world. So I don’t think these people are healthy. A person negotiates with a healthy body. These ones are crazy.
After all, the statements you make today will not be repeated tomorrow. It is not known whether they are intoxicated or taking hashish; everything they say is contradictory. When we sit down and talk today, we are talking about something that fits our age. We do not have to speak anything that does go along with our age.
If they still think we have a responsibility, they should think of the good of the Ethiopian people. We want to see them do a better job than Dr. Abiy, but they are coming in and robbing. No Ethiopian can accept killing people and cattle. After all, who is negotiating with them? I believe the Ethiopian government will not negotiate with terrorists, no matter how much pressure the world puts on them. Because we have to get rid of these people once and for all and create an environment where Ethiopia can continue to live in peace.
The terrorist group is engaging in mass warfare, even among children and pregnant women. Do you agree with this idea?
I was born in Bishoftu and grew up close to the military. It is difficult for me to give an in-depth military analysis of this. However, over the past two weeks, we have traveled to Gondar and Gojjam to hand over the money we raised in the name of truth and family. And we saw the atmosphere in that area, and the young man got up in the morning without any motivation and was undergoing military training. The young man is highly prepared. The psychology of some of them is amazing.
Many responded, “Even if there are no more weapons, we will not be able to defeat our army by doubling down on them, just as they did with the mob.” We saw them determined to fight with sticks, knives, and scissors. They are showing their determination by going to Wollo. On the other hand, warfare is not good, but it can be done by soldiers alone. Therefore, it has been said that the invading power of a large number of people can only be defeated by the resistance of the people. If this is possible, the surviving soldiers will be able to enter.
By the way, this does not weaken the military. After all, strategic retreat is normal in the law of war. Seeing the potential and balance of the power that comes with it is a chance to win. It is also sometimes preferred because it helps to cut off some enemy forces.
Do you take this opportunity to send a message to the people who are terrified by the TPLF propaganda?
In the past, it was the soldier who led and carried out the war. What is happening now is that before the military, Facebook rumors are circulating and people are panicking. So we have to leave the war to the soldiers and be ready to throw our own pebbles. We must support the army and the victims, both back and front. Many people still want to line up. Ethiopia has no shortage of people. But we also need to mobilize this people. We all need financial support to get jobs done.
We, the Diaspora, do not want the government to be afraid of sanctions. If our government needs foreign exchange, we, the Diaspora, must come together and support some of our salaries. We need to stop dressing up and try to help our government for a while. On this occasion, the message I want to convey to Dr. Abiy is that all of us Ethiopians abroad have agreed that we should continue to support Dr. Abiy on a regular basis.
Because helping Dr. Abiy means helping Ethiopia. Dr. Abiy is not a robber like the TPLF. He has demonstrated that to us in the past three years. He even got his own money for the schools; we have seen him build houses for the weak. Therefore, we want Dr. Abiy to open an account that he is the only one who does not touch other people money. If there is an account, we will send the money we earn from here. I know that others also want to support more than I do. So I would like to take this opportunity to ask him to open an account.
What do you believe should be done to counter the pressures of the United States and the West?
We have been working for a while to prevent Western influences. We are using a lot of Ethiopian media in the United States to carry out many campaigns. For example, in Ustaz Jamal, the kings of the Nile, “Abe Tokchaw,” “” Mahal Meda.” Core David’s “Fresh Information”. They are making their own efforts to engage the public in the step-by-step resource program. We are participating in it. Of course, the struggle is not easy. We do not go in with them and listen to them. But they are trying their best to upset the Ethiopians who are joining us.
In this regard, we are strengthening these media people. Furthermore, through these media, we are supporting the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and other national issues. In addition, the DC Task Force is doing a great job. I will be involved in that too. These actions are helping us to thwart the plots of the TPLF and to counteract the influence of the West. We do all this because we know that change is coming. The TPLF emissaries have been roaming the streets, but our Diaspora has already thwarted the conspiracy. However, we must work together to thwart the conspiracies of the TPLF and the West.
What is expected of Ethiopians and Ethiopian descendants in terms of influencing the current US elections?
I cannot participate in the election because I have not changed my citizenship. But I know that many Ethiopians are working to make an impact in the current election for the benefit of their country. In the past, Bidens Party, the Democrats have won by a narrow margin.
Ethiopians everywhere are prepared for this election. He is ready to overthrow the Democrats, even if he has never voted. There are those who are doing a great job in this election campaign. It is known that the role of the Ethiopians in the victory of the Democrats was significant, but they forgot our favor and sided with the terrorist group. So I can assure you that Ethiopians are working hard to cast their votes. So I believe that our former acceptance will be restored. Therefore, we Ethiopians must stand hand in hand and work together to reach this high point.
Thank you very much!
You’re most welcome!
The Ethiopian Herald November 6/2021
