political opportunism in Addis Abeba University:an ethic or principle
ze...@my-dejanews.com
I had the greatest respect for the two Ethiopian intellectuals, Andreas
Eshete and Bahiru Tafla, till I read Bahiru's interview and Andreas' article
in the internet. My heart sank in sorrow to see such intellectuals surrender
to opprtunism like many of the lecturers before them. University lecturers
who were supposed to win our confidence through the strength of their logic
and the respect of their colleagues in the academic world through the depth
of their thought and the quality of their research failed to set a standard
which many yound intellectuals need to follow.
Unfortunately AAU is not blessed with strong personalities whose integrity
is unquestionable. Most of them tended and still tend to use the university
as a stepping stone not for the promotion of wisdom, but their own career. Dr
Negussie Ayele was a hypocrite who drove his Peugot to the palace and his
volkswagen to the university. His sole aspiration was to become a foreign
minister reagrdless of who he served. One thing he followed with
perserverance was his ambition, with no merit to his name in the academic
circle.
The "renown" historian Dr Taddese Tamirat and his colleague Dr Merid
Woldearegay were two puppets who actively participated in the Red Star
campaign prognosticating the invincibility of the Derg and the demise of
EPLF. Immediately after the fall of the military government and the coming of
EPDRF to power, Taddese was the first to take the platform to shed his tears
on how the heros who fought Italian fascism were unjustly killed by the
military government. His merit "Church and state", a dissertation he
published. I wonder if Merid would find any publisher.
The star politician of the Amhara, professor Asrat, is one of the few
professionals whose integrity as a surgeon is uncontestable. Ethiopians
regardless of their ethnic background owe their lives to professor Asrat. He
worked extra hours feeding on sandwitches expecting no material gain. My
compliment, but as a politician he was a failure. He prefered to keep his
eyes closed and his mouth shut as the Oromos of Bale were bombared. Most of
all, he was silent when many youngsters were executed and thrown on the
streets of Addis. I do not think he would say I have never heard or seen one
of such incidents. Why now? Why Amhara? I find it disguesting when
respectable professionals like proffessor Asrat entertain the same ethnic
politics like TPLF? Why did he not organise a democratic or a patriotic party
that looks like Ethiopia? I appreciate his gut to speak his mind and risk his
life, but I abhor his political shortsightedness.
There were some like Gebru Tarekegn and Eshetu Chole who loved the medium
of instruction to enlighten students and bold enough to make public speeches
on USUAA inaugurations. On the day of the truth when the worst came to worst,
Gebru ran out of the country never to come again and Eshetu ran to Djibouti
to give himself up after a couple of months. Bless his soul, poor Eshetu paid
some five years in the 4th Kifle Tor for his cowardice.
Most university lecturers share the same thing: Political opprtunism and
neglect of their profession. Most of them have nothing to be proud of. No
articles in popular journals, no written books no nothing. The older ones
make use of their sabbathan leave to look for dollars in black market so that
they could buy some lousy second hand cars and household articles. When Dr
Endeshaw Bekele of the Biology department returned from Sweden with a pile of
books, some of his friends laughed and some of them thought he was mentally
deranged. The department sent him to Asmara University for exile. There, he
refused to join the Weyeyet Kibeb under the pretext that he is a scientist
and not a politician. He did a fine job. My compliment and congratuation for
your new title Proffessor Endeshaw.
Two other interesting but contrasting personalities are Mesfin Wodemariam
and Dr Hailu Araya. Mesfin followed his own instincts whereas Hailu was one
of the finest opportunists who was ready to sell himself and step on anyone
solong it takes him to where he wants. Once Some Oromo and Adere students who
were forced to major in Amharic complained to Hailu so that they could major
in English. The reply to their complaint was "When Ethiopian soldiers are
fighting in different fronts, you refuse to major in Amharic. As if their
majoring in English would change the nature of the war, he refused to listen
to their complaints. Myth has it that Mesfin returned from abroad without
completing his studies under the pretext that nobody could teach him
Ethiopian Geography. I thing he later gave himself the title professor which
the others followed. Mesfin did some stupid things like joining the
investigation committee of the Derg;but then who is perfect.
I would fill pages after pages if I continue writing about lecturers in AAU
who prefered the opportunist instead of the intellectual way of making a
carrier, but it will be incomplete without including Dr Aleme Eshete. Aleme
whose sole dream was to put his lineage in the Royal family tree when he was
in France, landed in Ethiopia when the word royal meant danger. He reversed
his goal and became one of the best dressed revolutionaries who wanted to
compensate the intellectual deficit of Marxist theory by employing "capable"
political cadres to teach in the history department. Dr Aleme's academic
merit apart from whatever the French gave him was "the collection
revolutionary songs" of the Derg Era.
Inspite of this despicable past, I always thought there will be a break
through where the university will be a place worth its name: a place of
higher studies with the promotion of science and research as one of its ten
commandements. Instead we have the Taflas and the Andreas who make use of the
press to show their loyalty to EPDRF and their new found enemy is Eritrea. It
is their god given right to criticise the government in Asmara or put history
in perspective but that should reflect their caliber as intellectuals.
Before you give soul to EPDRF/TPLF I would like you to talk to Assefa of
the English department, Ato Tesfaye of the Amharic department who once was a
minister, Fisseha Zewdie of the history department,Reta Alemayehu of the
Amharic department,Haile Woldemichael of the Education department.... Etc.
They have a story to tell.
My personal advise "Ethiopian politicians from Derg down that you are
spineless intellectuals, but useful servants. They will use use like lighters,
but to be thrown away when your gas is out" Watch out boys!!!
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kara...@hotmail.com
were you yourself and what are your credentials???
-Kara
In article <78hqmm$gvj$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
Tedd12158
From: ze...@my-dejanews.com
Date: 1/25/99 5:14 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: <78hqmm$gvj$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>
>Unfortunately AAU is not blessed with strong personalities whose integrity
>is unquestionable.
resume and a clean record?
Tell us about yourself and your role in the struggle of the Eritrean people and
the Ethiopian people. Tells about your contribution to science and academia.
Tell us about what you are doing to defuse the destructive war that is looming
over our people to drag them in to another blood bath. Tell us how you manage
to do all this under the most brutal governments of the past and present. Tell
us how many years of your life was spent in prison because you stood up to
those perverts. The people should know about a man of your caliber and
integrity.
