Last Saturday on the 15th of December, Ethiopia lost one of its longtime civil servant Girma Wolde-Giorgis, who, among his numerous civic services, served as President of the Federal Republic from the 8th of October 2001 to the 7th of October 2013. Girma, the second person to hold the office of the president since the establishment of the Federal Republic in 1995, died at the age of 94, after delivering lifelong civil service to his country, starting as a junior military officer.
In his long civic venture and government services, Girma’s career spanned multiple governments, and he lived through many momentous and significant periods of the country’s history. Seldom, in modern history of Ethiopia, would we be able to find such a decorated individual who relentlessly served his country. That is why, Ethiopia declared national day of mourning yesterday and gave farewell and state funeral to its long serving civil servant in remembrance of more than half a century of civil service.
Girma’s mission was nothing but serving this great country and its peoples. His CV and history tell how much he was committed to serving the country. Besides the Presidency, he was Director General of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Planning at its establishment and the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, Board member of the Ethiopian Airlines and member of Chamber of Deputies of the Imperial Ethiopian Parliament, to mention but a few.
If Girma was alive and in good physical shape, he would undoubtedly lend his voice for the growing outcry for strong national unity. He is the kind of spirit that Ethiopia needs right now, a spirit of national service, responsibility, and above all Ethiopianism. He was also known for his advocacy for environmental conservation. His role and ambition to reconcile Ethiopia and Eritrea was also something of valuable. President Grima also pledged his own corneas to the Eye Bank of Ethiopia to raise awareness to reverse corneal blindness through the collection and processing of donor corneas.
Once President Girma said: Thanks to the heroic sons and daughters of this country, who have paid sacrifices, we have been able to score a number of victories which are encouraging the nation-building process we are engaged in. In a similar fashion, at the time when he passed away, his longevity and strong commitment and dedication to national service will always be a model for Ethiopia’s posterity.
“Girma’s is a life knit by yarns of dreams, determination, diligence and self sacrifice. Hence, it is durable, too. This should be the shortest message that you get from ‘Under the shade of a Gaashe’.” Wrote Prof. Dr. Mami Yamada from Meiji Gakuin University, Japan, on the cover of the biographical Sketch of H.E. Dr. Girma Wolde Giorgis, President of Ethiopia (2001-2013) authored by indian Sivakumar K.P. May he Rest in Peace.
The Ethiopian Herald, December 20/2018
