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The Best and the Brightest
(A personal observation of the Amhara Region delegation meeting in Los Angeles)
By Daniel Gizaw
Part of the growing, and sometimes pointlessly annoying, cacophony among the hardcore
Diaspora elements here in the United States is the question of intelligence and the ability of
leadership of those Meles has surrounded himself with. I have heard it all: “They are a bunch of
goons, idiots, morons,” or anything else you will find in the English dictionary synonymous with
incompetence.
Rest assured, you gentle souls; Mr. Meles, being one of the smartest and profoundly sapient
leaders modern Africa has ever produced, isn’t confused about the people in his administration or
about their competence in general. Let me put it this way: Mr. Meles will not allow the company of
uninformed, obtuse directors either for their political support or for their loyalty; he will not make
appointments, period, unless he is confident that those chosen walk the walk and perform their
roles as expected.
This was obvious when we witnessed last week at the Wiltshire Plaza Hotel here in Los Angeles an Ethiopian
high-level delegation from the Amhara region as they laid it out on the table to a rather skeptical but
appreciative, and to a point, mesmerized crowd. Speakers from Ato Demeke Mekonen, Ato Helawi Yosef, Ato
Kass, Ato Birhanu and Ato Dereje made a remarkable presentation on the state of the nation, and about the
famine and the border issue with Sudan.
Let me first submit, however, a critical view we must take when watching and listening to a speaker that tells
us much beyond the spoken word. One diacritical aspect we must give attention to is body movement, and the
other is tone. This rudimentary method is instrumental to polygraph examiners, but all of us employ the
method in our daily lives while listening to our colleagues, friends, family members or even someone we meet
at the neighborhood coffee shops. We watch shifty eyes, hand gestures, voice decibels, and facial
contortions. Being a history buff of the previous generation, and growing up reading and listening to one of
our astute and eloquent Prime Minister (Aklilu Habtewold), from his days as the foreign minister to his post as
the premier, I remember very well, to this day, his articulate speech to the United Nations General Assembly
on the question of Eritrean unification with Ethiopia. I thought those were the days of Ethiopia’s greatness.
Now, sir, give yourself a chance to listen to Mr. Meles, Mr. Adissu, Mr. Seyoum and you will come out
mesmerized. And the remarkable thing is that Mr. Meles is not only surrounded by the best and the brightest,
as Kennedy was with Bobby, Rusk, McNamara, Shriver and Sorenson, but he is a hands-on leader, who knows
very well even the most inconspicuous activities not visible to the naked eye. I know that, because I have
talked to him, listened to him and believe that he is a man whose goals are country first over political
expediency.
Having said that, the delegation of the Amhara region led by Ato Demeke and Ato Helawi made it abundantly
clear that the task ahead for Ethiopia isn’t a primrose path, but as arduous as it is, there is a light at the end
of the tunnel.
In the farming sector, for example, they explained, compared to 1993 (EC), which used 2,913.5-hectare land,
in 1997/98 the land used for farming has reached 3,688.7 hectares, producing 59.6--million-koontal harvest.
The industry sector, according to the delegation, has created 52,435 jobs in 2000. Road constructions from
Addis Ababa to Goha-Tsion, and Marcos to Bahir-Dar, are completed while constructions from Goha-Tsion to
Marcos, from Gondar to Debark, from Azezo to Metema (Sudan), from Worta to Woldiya and from Kombolcha to
Bati are underway.
In the area of water development, according to the remarkable and graphic explanation submitted by Ato
Dereje, 45% of all Amhara regional inhabitants receive pure water for drinking. The number of diseases
emanating from lack of pure water has drastically gone down and the populace, including those in the rural
sectors, are being educated about using water wisely and economically. Ato Dereje elaborated also on the
advancement made in the areas of electricity and telecommunications. Today, 1645 villages are reachable
through regular phone services connecting 153973 households, with an additional 78922 mobile phones
penetrating even the most impenetrable areas. The easy availability of phone services has made not only
tęte-ŕ-tęte communication possible and affordable, but with much road accessibility, it has placed regional
commerce into a new gear with the tourism industry growing at a rapid pace.
Ato Birhanu, another erudite speaker, enlightened the audience with the progress made in the education
sector. Between 1995 and 1999, in the Amhara region alone, he went on to say, there was an increase of one
million in enrollment, covering 91% of potential students for elementary schools. There are now five
universities, five agricultural colleges, five teacher-training colleges and three technical colleges in the area,
and several other higher institutions on the way, with additional plans in the process.
The health sector, Mr. Birhanu explained, has made progress as well. Health clinics that were only 421 in 1985
(EC) have now reached 2283, health stations (39 in 1985), 168, and hospitals (9 in 1985), 17. There is also a
significant rise in the number of health professionals.
Ato Kassa, another brilliant member of the delegation, presented the audience with the bright possibilities for
investors. Except for a very few woredas (districts), he explained, most areas now have roads and are
accessible from all entry points. There is a favorable investment policy laid out by the federal government and
the region, he added, with an additional 12 cities having 939 hectares land and 138,641 hectares in the rural
area, available for investment projects, and ready to accommodate newcomer investors. This means the
Amhara region is not only conducting road construction, water and dam development (Koka, Gilgel-Abay,
Jemma, Erib, Gomorra, Megich and Tana Lake), but is trying to eliminate red-tape, graft and the frustrating
procrastination of mid-level authorities in the course of getting things done. The Business Process
Reengineering Study, which is in progress as we speak, is also believed to enhance the already rapid growth
in the civil service area by bringing in investors in droves. In 1985, as explained, there were only 14 projects in
the Amhara region compared to 2806 in 2000, with an aggregated capital of 39,067079.9 billion birr and nearly
500,000 new job opportunities.
On the issue of the Sudan-Ethiopia border, three speakers ranging from Ambassador Taye to Ato Demeke and
Ato Helawi made an impassioned speech, first stating the border history during the reign of Emperor Haile
Selassie, then followed by the Derg regime, with Colonel Mengistu setting his teeth on edge each time the
issue was raised. The Emperor was optimistic and sometimes misled, with his administration hoping that the
matter would somehow disappear.
However, today, the speakers, turn by turn, stated that other than the formation of a commission to study the
border issue, something that has been neglected for years, there is not a single parcel of real estate that has
been given or swapped with the Sudanese or taken by the Ethiopians. They explained, however, that the
inhabitants of the region still remain in the same area, hoping that their respective governments will solve the
border issue and stop the on and off skirmishes that occur between the two sides intermittently. Overall, as
they put it, the two sides for the most part live harmoniously, but on occasion, there comes a disagreement,
causing a ruthless dog-eat-dog atmosphere, escalating the tension. Governments in the past, both from the
Ethiopian and the Sudanese sides, instead of finding an amicable permanent solution, preferred the Fabian
tactics of wishing to wear out the other side by delay or evasion rather than face the facts. “However, our
Diaspora friends, cocooned in their Shangri-La, are once again speaking the most ludicrous, the most absurd
lie,” said, Ato Helawi, with his voice rising, his brows contorting, and his words shaking as if he were violated
personally. No one truly knows who generated this winter of discontent among the Diaspora, regarding this
border issue, but the mushrooming buildup of committees and other cabal organizations, all fired up to
condemn the Ethiopian government, is mind-boggling. “No sir, not even an inch of our land, not a centimeter
has been given away and you can take that to the bank,” added Ambassador Taye.
The delegation also courageously spoke about the looming famine, and the effort by the government to tackle
the problem. While the reasons for the advent of the famine are varied, including the global high demand for
food and the tail-spinning cost of foodthat resulted from such a demand, the Ethiopian government, however,
is arduously working to end this crisis immediately. By no means, at any time, did the delegation underscore
the problem, or dodge the issue, or try to play a numbers game as was suggested by some media outlets.
At last, the meeting that started around 6:00 pm ended at 10:00 pm after numerous questions to the
panelists were voiced by the audience. One professor approached me on the way out and he had this to say:
“Winning the debate tonight doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the game. EPRDF, if it desires to avoid future
doubters, must show a deliberate effort in reaching out to the Diaspora and win their trust. Tonight’s
eloquence is ephemeral and overplaying their accomplishment could be slippery unless they form a study
group to win the hearts and minds of the Ethiopians in the Diaspora.”
In conclusion, I would like to make, in the area of investment, the following recommendation. The search for
investors shouldn’t target the Ethiopians alone in the Diaspora. Today, particularly here in the United States,
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