Those who were brutally killed by militants of the Islamic State in Iraq & the Levant (ISIL) or drowned at sea from capsized boats were supposed to make it for dear life, aspiring to escape from poverty. But they could not make it.
They were lost somewhere leaving behind their loved ones and their empty glimmer of hope. We could not and shall never again accord them even the least traditional ceremony of a dignified funeral ceremony. We could not prepare and read out their individual obituaries for we could not trace who is who. But all have shared the deep with some members of the identified dead.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tedros Adhanom (PhD) had made efforts, out of his line of office, to hold a consoling session with members of the bereaved families at the National Theatre. That gesture was not only very kind of him personally, but also a plausible step towards facing the problem jointly and squarely.
Other incumbents with much more relevance of duty have exposed their contempt of power and incompetence by making efforts to find scapegoats to brand and point fingers at a particular party as if lurking to find excuses that can serve some purpose for the upcoming debate. They seem to have no idea that their acts are coming at the wrong moment when the whole country is still under the cloud of deep sorrow.
At a time when every minute and every word counts, those who are assigned to serve as the spokesperson of the ruling party ought to watch their mouths and think twice before they utter once. Otherwise, they can aggravate discontent among the youth.
Ethiopia was once a power to be reckoned with in the Red Sea and at the Gulf of Aden. Our marine forces, tag boats and war ships were a source of pride and matching might.
Today we are nobody, not even able to rescue our citizens caught between the fighting forces. As if to rub some salt in the wound, we have officially taken sides thus making our citizens vulnerable for any kind of danger. We should have put our money where our mouth is, by at least keeping mute and neutral.
The foreign minister was lecturing to his listeners and probably partisans of the ruling party judging by his references. He was telling them about the dangers that could be faced by migrating folks.
I would not dare say that a minster of his calibre could be unaware of the two main global problems of drug and human trafficking that have surged into the world’s socio-economic problems in recent years. I also hope that the Honourable Minister knows about the roots of the ISIL, or the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman, would be too glad to brief him on the substance.
Trying to imply that the Ethiopian Christians slaughtered on the shores of Libya was a kickback or a decoy to provoke animosity between the followers of the two religions is either to go out of context seeking some favour from the West, or not knowing or seeing the issue in a holistic manner.
When I think of those burnt alive, tortured or looted in South Africa, I feel desperate, thinking that Nelson Mandela must be turning in his grave to know that all those years spent in prison were just for nothing. His people are so forgetful but I do not forget the 2012 CAF tournament and the Walya’s reception that painted colours of brotherhood in the streets of South Africa. I do not think Ethiopians, including scholars like of Mammo Muchie (Prof.), went there via human traffickers.
The human traffickers, whoever they may be, have a business network. European Union member countries are divided on the issue of migration. But they all agree on combatting the symptoms.
They discuss the issue in their respective parliaments. Some of them fear of the dangers of their declining population or their aging societies. They seem to welcome migration in more controlled and legal proportions.
The growing African countries like Ethiopia try to attract investors. But those countries are getting cheap labour at their doorsteps, irrespective of how the cheap labour reaches their land. Why should they come here when they can profit easily from their investment in their own land? What has to be done then?
The most important thing would be to have a clear idea and enough knowledge of the problem. That is not enough by itself. We have to set our priorities.
Is it youth unemployment? Is it population explosion? Is our capital investment capital intensive, or labour intensive?
Have we appointed the right persons to the right job?
Are we learning much from our own rhetoric?
Have we tried to implement the different policies we have drawn?
Are we opening more universities and higher learning institutions and spending much on exuberance just to chase away youngsters to the jungle, just to waste money on education that is no deeper or more effective than internet references or breaches of copyright?
When the African Heads of States signed the charter of the OAU in Addis Abeba over half a century ago, I had a dream and a glimmer of hope that one day their dreams would come to be realised. They did not.
Judging by what is taking place in South Sudan, Burundi and so on, the dreams of our forebears seem to have gone with the wind!
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