Tuesday, July 10, 2007

KIL and KIC ( a personal commentary)

We had intense and lengthy discussions with my fellow contributors of this blog before I finally get a green light to write on this topic. They were concerned not to add a fuel on this already burning issue. I insisted that we aren’t one of those big blogs so we aren’t going to sway anyone to any side. Plus, I argued that what good is our blogging if we can’t use it to vent whatever is inside our chest? Back to my topic.
I believe that at the core of this entire Kinijit International Council (KIC) and Kinijit International Leadership (KIL) saga is the two mediators (Dr. Bezabeh and Shaleqa admassu). When they sign up to take on this responsibility, they should have known that it isn’t gonna be like other mediations they might have ever involved in. This is different because the problem is a combination of personal ego, generation gap and the political thinking difference it entails, the political culture in the diaspora, and all other stuff intertwined. To get through this requires a deep commitment and a dignified personality, which seems lacking here. As mediators, they should have been extra cautious not to be suspected of leaning to any one group. Apparently, they didn’t seem to do that and resulted in making some group to not trust their neutrality. It is true that they aren’t the first shimagles to be blamed for not being impartial. They, however, could have proved their good faith through their work. I instead believe that what they rather did shows they weren’t in for this grand mission in good faith or they weren’t able to contain themselves and got dragged into the argument. Do you think I am being harsh on them? No. It only seemed harsh because I had high expectations for both of them and they failed many others and me miserably. Listen to this
interview and tell me if they acted as a respectable shimagle.
Was it really necessary to go on a radio station and say all that stuff about the very people they are trying to mediate? One might think that they are just trying to save their image. But it would have been a lot better if they took their mission their number one priority and ignored whatever had been said on the medias. By responding to accusations, in an inflammatory way, they only complicated the already complicated situation. Plus, Dr. Bezabeh says the 11 people were recommended by kality while it later on was revealed that it was them who sent the list and sought approval. He, Dr Bezabeh, also says in that same interview that Ato kifle is willing to join KIL, which turned out to be untrue.
All in all, regardless of what they have done for the last six some odd months, I think that what they finally ended up doing is a big blow to the unity we all hoped for.
…………….
I had a whole lot to say on Ato Yared’s
nuzaze zeyared. But I will just say a couple of things for now and I might return to it some other time, if I need to.
I got to admit that nuzaze zeyared is a wonderfully written piece. I wish I had nothing to disagree with Ato Yared but, unfortunately, I have a lot. Here are just some of them:
-He says that he decided to get involved because he is a good friend of Ato Andargachew and if he is able to convince Andargachew, others will follow.
*What does this say about your opinion of others in KIL? Do you believe they are just blind followers of Andargachew? I believe that was a flawed assumption to begin with.
-He also says that Andargachew (and his group?) believed the leaders release but the other group (including Ato Yared) didn’t.
*How about going the extra mile and hold off the meeting for another week just to prove them wrong. What was special about that week? Andargachew was saying let us wait one more week for their release and most of them back here were saying let the meeting be postponed until the delegates in tour in Australia come back. But it was decided that it should happen that week anyway. What was the rush? It would have been a lot wiser if the meeting was postponed for another week to see the fate of prisoners and also for the delegates in Australia to come back.
-He says that he planned to attend the meeting as an observer but all that reversed in a matter of a day and he ended up attending the meeting as a participant.
*Don’t you think all that happened too quickly? Why was that the shimagles were so determined to form KIC before Ato Hailu goes back to kality (engineer Hailu was in hospital at the time)?
-He criticizes Ato birhane’s “mentoltol” to DC medias. Rather he suggests that Ato birhane and his group should obey the chairman’s decision and continue or leave.
*First, I don’t think using the word “mentoltol” was necessary. Second, they have every right to object a decision that they believed has a tremendous impact on their party being decided in a rush and with out proper discussion among leaders. I don’t know the basis of Ato Hailu’s decision, but trying to make his decision a word from the bible or Quraan on Ato Yared’s part doesn’t seem healthy.
* I feel sorry to say this but Ato Yared seems to have problems with specially Ato birhane. Ato Yared, you might not like what Ato Birhane is doing. But please take your personal differences out of this struggling party. Don’t let your (both groups) personal ego deter you from looking at the bigger picture of saving Ethiopia and its people from the mess we are in.
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May God save Ethiopia!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Ethiopianbloggers,

I like your analysis and your farsighted opinion about KIL&KIC. Infact we have a serious problem. We younger generation do have no opportunity to learn something constructive from our elder generation. Personally I did learn from them "Metelalef", communist style old-fashined politics (infact it is outdated & primitive) in substance. They do have no clue about politics of the moderen era. We are tired of them!!! God bless Ethiopia!!