Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa)
Tamrat G. Giorgis
27 August 2007
Tamrat Layne, former defence minister and prime minister during the transitional period, may have been locked up in jail for 10 years now, appearing to have vanished in the debris of history, unlike others who seem to have vocal constituencies here and abroad. Nevertheless, members of the business community in Sekota, a small rural town 719Km north of Addis Abeba, still have him at heart. They would like to see him granted amnesty by the federal government before he finishes his 18-year term.
Members of the business community in Sekota, a small rural town 719Km north of Addis Abeba, would like to see former Defence Minister Tamrat Layne - who also served as prime minister during the transitional government in the early 1990s - granted amnesty and released before he finishes an 18-year jail sentence.
It was one of six requests the town's businesspeople would like to see resolved, according to Amare Mesele, chairman of the Sekota Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association, who read a two-page statement on Thursday, August 23, 2007, in front of the Amhara Regional State President, Ayalew Gobeze, and Misrak Mekonnen (Veterinarian), speaker of the region's Parliament.
"He is only making the request on our behalf," a businessman who owns a bar in the town told Fortune. "It is a collective desire articulated by him after we have conducted a meeting."
Businesspeople in Sekota, a town with a population of 29,000 people, are pleased with the progress the town has made over the past 10 years; contrary to its history of isolation and deprivation, it now has a hospital built at a cost of over 10 million Br, there is provision of mobile and landline telephone services, while three all-weather roads connect it to other towns such as Korem, Lalibela and Mekelle. What is seen as most remarkable by many of the residents is the provision of electricity to Sekota and some of the other weredas in its zone, Wag-Himra, since the late 1990s. Nevertheless, the hospital suffers from lack of skilled doctors and health officers, as the roads need regular maintenance.
Although they are pleased to see the federal government has granted amnesty and freed opposition leaders, they also would like to see similar opportunity extended to the man they largely credited for helping them get access to electricity right after the end of the armed struggle against the Derg.
The Wag-Himra Zone and the town of Sekota have a special place in the history of armed struggle against the military regime. A place approximately 25Km out of Sekota town, which now hosts the Misig Michael Church, the Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Movement (EPDM) - one of the four parties in the EPRDF under its current name of Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) - heralded the launch of the armed struggle against the Derg, in 1981. The people of Wag and Hirma were subjected to brutal attacks by forces of the Derg in the following 10 years; the town was bombed 11 times up until 1991.
Tamrat Layne was one of the 36 founders of the party and subsequently its chairman before he was jailed in 1997, after being convicted of involvement in grand corruption. He was charged with three counts of abuse of power and office, including his decision to borrow 16 million dollars from Sheik Al-Amoudi on the government's behalf and helping his associates benefit from illegitimate transaction of coffee made to repay the loans.
"We would like you [the president] to deliver our request to authorities at the federal government," said Amare, in an address he made inside a small hotel named Mamo.
It is not a view shared by few in this town, for many were seen nodding in agreement. Tamrat is highly regarded by people of Sekota for his history of bravery, simplicity and sense of justice as a guerrilla leader during the armed struggle. According to some accounts, party leaders have had a difficult time to convince people in this area when he was first arrested and convicted.
"Tamrat was not accused of undermining the constitution as is the case with opposition leaders," said a senior official of the regional administration. "I believe their request is fair and it needs to be given serious consideration."
The President and Speaker of the Parliament were there to attend an annual cultural festival known as "Ashenday"; the Wag-Himra Zone Administration has organised competition among girls and women from the seven weredas in the area. It was also a festival attended by prominent personalities such as Andrias Eshete (Prof.), president of Addis Abeba University (AAU).
The request to grant amnesty to Tamrat was also made a day before the President and Andrias jointly inaugurated a centre opened at a cost of 20 million Br to conduct research focusing on arid areas.
"I will certainly pass their desire to the officials at the federal government," Ayalew told Fortune.
There are those in the Regional Administration who are hoping that the federal government may include Tamrat in the much anticipated amnesty where close to 13,000 prisoners are reported to be granted in connection with the Millennium. Prison officials, both at the federal and regional levels, are currently reviewing cases of inmates that they believe deserve this amnesty.
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