I have seen blogger after blogger (including myself) analyzing TPLF thugs’ behaviour after the 2010 “election” and exposing the desire of TPLF to continue to rule Ethiopia by force with one party dictatorship. Multitudes of calls for the unity of the opposition to save this country were also made within the last few days.
But all this rage of Ethiopians, at least by those in the Diaspora, who are totally free to express their anger and concerns, did not come to the fore to touch the hearts and minds of others who might come to our aid. I don’t think at this critical moment blogging is enough to get our message across the wider community. How many non-Ethiopians really read our blogs and understand the level of ordeal we here in the Diaspora, and our people back home are passing through? For example, there wasn’t a mention of the 2010 Ethiopian election on the major cable television channels here in the US. How do we expect the American people to hear and understand what is going on at this moment in Ethiopia and stand on our side?
We have heard that the EU Election Observation Mission and even the US Administration have expressed their concerns that the election in Ethiopia was short of meeting international election standards. This should have given us the courage to go out on the streets of Washington DC, London, Brussels, etc, to loudly express our anger against TPLF’s dictatorship and that we are running out of patience. If we can’t or are afraid to do it here, in the very peaceful and free environment, how can we expect our compatriots at home to go out and demonstrate or organize civil disobedience in the face of the brutal dictators in Addis Ababa.
If we have political or civic leaders in the Diaspora, the time is right now to come together and to organize and call Ethiopians to express their concerns. The web world should help us organize and act not just writing, philosophizing. Organize a public rally immediately! Now! Let the American people hear and see our anger. I remember how effective that expression of anger in the streets of Washington, DC. was in the aftermath of the 2005 election in getting the then opposition leaders out of jail and in temporary holding of aid from the dictators.
Dear Ethiopians, if there is any element of real love for our country left in ourselves, let us forget anything at this moment and at least come out to the fore to express that love of country to our hosts and fellow human beings in the free countries we are living in.
I am aware that street shout in Washington, DC, or else where is not enough to free our people from the complex problems they are in, but let us be wise in using momentum! As the saying goes, “hit the nail when it is hot”. Other wise it would be like the “dog that barked after the hyena left”.
