The Future is in our hands.

Blogger's Note: This guest blog entry is by former Ambassador Imru Zelleke. Ambassador Imru served as Ethiopia's Ambassador and Minister Plenipotentiary to France and Germany during Emperor Haile Selassie's government.  
THE FUTURE IS IN OUR HANDS [by] Imru Zelleke. December 2013
The high fever that has spread the all over the Diaspora seems to have simmered down to a tolerable level. Most of refugees in Saudi Arabia have been repatriated home and the few left will get back soon. Those still in jeopardy are the ones under care of the UNHCR in Yemen, for whom a permanent residence is to be found. Otherwise Ethiopians refugees are in dire and precarious conditions in Middle East and African countries where they are abused and often killed. The refugees that have returned seem to have fallen from the frying pan into the hot brazier. It is said that upon arrival home whatever processions (money, jewelry, valuable items) they have manage to save are confiscated by the regime, and they are forced to go back to their Kilil of origin; places where they run away from to begin with. The problem has evidently moved from Saudi Arabia back to Ethiopia their home land.

Without indulging into a lengthy and verbose discourse it should be obvious that the core of the problem is at Home in Ethiopia. People living in peace and freedom in their own country do not migrate unless they are subject to extremely unfavorable conditions at home. Ethiopians love their country and are not traditionally migrants, it is only in the last four decades of the post-revolutionary era that such mass migration has been occurring. Moreover, Ethiopia has presently the highest brain drain in the world. This trend will certainly continue as long as the coercive ethnic dictatorship at home is not removed and replaced by an all embracing national democratic system of governance. At the cost of many precious lives and resources, attempts to establish a government based on democracy and freedom have been many throughout the years. Alas, all have failed ignominiously leaving in their wake a people deprived of freedom, basic rights reduced to beggary and mendacity in their own land. We all know the degradation and humiliation that our society is subjected to, yet we don’t seem to react as we should against such perfidy; but for making long winded statements and pursuing a plethora of people and political groups who so far have led us to nowhere. We are ninety million man and women, the ruling gang count maybe a few thousand at the center, are they really invincible? No! their strength is our weakness and incoherent attitude towards our own existence. The ordinary people in Ethiopia have realized a long time ago that their fate is in their hands, they have risen and demonstrated more than once their patriotism and ultimate desire for freedom and justice. It is time to give them a helping hand, free of ulterior motifs. Actually they don’t even need us, all the resources required are available at home.

This said, we in the Diaspora that enjoy unlimited economic and political resources, could accelerate the process and bring about peace and a promising future to our brethren in Ethiopia. We have all the human and materiel means in our hands, let’s abandon all these squabbles and divisions amongst ourselves and make a common front to liberate the country from the scourge that is destroying it. Let’s make a real brotherly effort for an ETHIOPIAN RENAISSANCE. The high spirit of patriotism and indignation that has risen amongst the Diaspora, offers the opportunity to form a broad national political movement that will help install a genuine democracy in Ethiopia. For my part I am willing to assist and help a truly made effort to realize this goal. If we fail our people in this noble endeavor, it we will be a disavowal of our own humanity for which future generations will not forgive us. Respectfully