Shabait.com (Asmara)
16 February 2008
editorial
Asmara — Next Monday, the people of Tigray will commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the beginning of their armed struggle. The people of Tigray had waged a bitter armed struggle against Emperor Haile Selassie and the tyrannical regime of Mengistu Hailemariam so as to secure their rights. However, Tigrayans everywhere will be unable to remember the day with joy because the TPLF regime that had seized power as a result of the martyrdom of thousands of Tigrayans has turned its back on the aspirations for the realization of which the people of Tigray had paid their lives, and forged alliance with the criminals of the Hawzen Massacre. The TPLF regime has developed into a far worse oppressor than its predecessors and gravely exacerbates the plight of the Tigrayans, in particular, and the Ethiopian people as a whole, in general. It is only natural then for the people of Tigray to grieve as they recall all the aspirations and dreams in Dedebit, on 18 February 1975, and compare them with all the broken promises they are left with now.
The people of Tigray had made precious sacrifices so as to witness a country in which peace, justice and the rule of law prevails and where all nationalities live in harmony with respect for one another. In reality, however, what the TPLF regime created in Ethiopia is exactly the opposite of what the people of Tigray had aspired for. It is now almost 17 years since the TPLF came into power, which is ample time for any government devoted to ensuring social justice to bring about significant changes. However, Ethiopia has been dragged back into worse poverty and backwardness under the TPLF regime's reign. In spite of making more than their share of sacrifice for peace and justice, the people of Tigray are today leading a life of constant instability and ever looming threats of war. Although they fought for equality, justice and the rule of law, they are now being compelled to live under the rule of the jungle. The people of Tigray have become victims of gross human rights violation and oppression despite having advocated for equal opportunities and well-organized administration. Their dreams of breaking free from the grips of poverty and the transformation into a better way of life all melted into thin air as they continue to suffer in further poverty, disease and starvation. The promises of "February" and Dedebit have all been broken!
However, history has time and again proven that governments that seek to prolong their stay in power while breaking their promise to the people, and then suppressing their voices through brute force, can never manage to hold power for long. The current political and economic crisis in Ethiopia is a clear indication that the time is near when the Ethiopian people will be able to break free form the oppression of the TPLF regime. The promises of "Febrary" and Dedebit will be restored again thanks to the struggle of the oppressed people of Tigray!
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