Give Good Lesson to Anyone Dreaming

Dear Editor,

I am both puzzled and dismayed by columnist Nicolas Moyer’s argument about the connection between the recent barbaric attack of civilians by the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and the war with the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in Somalia in his column headlined, “Reaping what was Sown’  [Volume 8, Number 365, April 29, 2007].

Nicolas is using this incident to support his previous opposition to the war, even though the war does not - by any means - justify the barbaric act.

True, war may flame war, but not all wars. If one can not find a peaceful solution through negotiations as the Ethiopian government had tried several times then what can be done except to go to war Maybe the Ethiopian government should have surrendered to the UIC and accomplices? Is that his argument?

For me, the recent attack shows how desperately some countries are looking to undermine the efforts of Ethiopia to triumph in the region. A robust solution to me is that the government should do its level best to minimise, if not eliminate, such atrocities by hunting these terrorists wherever they are. I do not think this will require it to cross any borders. It can be done within the territory of Ethiopia with a full scale campaign. The government should give a good lesson to others who might be dreaming of imitating this.

I am also baffled by the writer’s reaction to Bereket Simon’s, pubic relations advisor to the Prime Minister, statement even though action, not slogan, is what I want.

What did he expect, maybe an olive branch?

The government should not leave any stone unturned to hunt these terrorists down. It is unfair and outrageous for Nicolas to accuse the government for tempering flare and more bloodshed. Ethiopians in and out are asking for action (actually more than the statements) on all parties involved in this horrendous act.

Mulu GS

Creeping Feeling for Environment

Dear Editor,

I am senior researcher at the Centre for Development Research in Bonn, Germany. For three years now, I have been coming and going to Ethiopia and following the news. Like columnist Lulit Amdemariam expressed in Life Matters headlined, “Scent of War” [Volume 8, Number 365, April 29, 2007]: “I have this gnawing feeling and particular creeping under my skin”, and have for all those years and I am sure we are not the only ones.

As it is “creeping”, it is always somewhere in our subconscious, making us (and maybe a majority of people) never feel really safe. Instead it makes us feel as if we never have reached a secure foundation from where good and positive ideas can contribute to innovation and development. That policy of fear, which the Americans are very good at, keeps people in a state of dependence on authority and political immaturity.

Why should the shepherd allow only one sheep to make noise, while he is protecting the flock from the wolves?

Only once the patriarchal and powerful men up there stop flexing their muscles, can people advance to a wiser way of governance.

I would like to contribute to that discussion by a seemingly quite different topic: the governance of the natural environment. Reading the newspapers these days gives the impression that nature and environment play a very minor role, if any in Ethiopia. Like human and cultural capital of a nation, the environment requires protection as well. Just like some country leaders try to make their people believe that they need to be protected against evil forces.

That is what we are currently aiming to achieve - but in a quite different manner. With a small Ethiopian NGO, university and other partners in Ethiopia, we aim at seeking ways to conserve and sustainably use the forests of southwest Ethiopia. The stone-age approach, like the “flexing muscles” one mentioned above, is to keep people away from the forest, protect and guard the forest with guns, build fences and shut violators behind bars.

In contrast, we believe and invest in an approach which builds on the abilities of people, which gives people not only duties but also rights and responsibilities, thereby building an identity of people in relation to their environment. Trusting one’s own people and investing in their own creative abilities by creating a peaceful enabling environment instead of an environment of fear and restrictions is the approach taken these days by scientists and practitioners around the world.

Should not we apply as innovative approaches to the governance of our nations and people, like we do to our natural environment?

Dr Franz Gatzweiler

Centre for Development Research

ZEF, Bonn, Germany

Stunning Facts on Ground

Dear Editor,

The My Opinion columns in the past few weeks has been stunning. The piece on the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) headlined, “ETC Has to Go” [Volume 7, Number 364, April 22, 2007] was full of points that are difficult to discredit, for all is evidence on the ground. Afghanistan has been torn into pieces thanks to the Cold War and what has followed since then. The fact that it has now larger mobile coverage than Ethiopia is really amazing. Nicolas Moyer, has made his point clear that competition in the area of communications is the key for growth in the field.

The My Opinion headlined, “Reaping what was Sown”, [Volume 8, Number 365, April 29, 2007], also made a clear point. It was seen some time ago that it is very difficult to interfere in Somalia, even for the United States (US). And I am sure that this war - which is a blow for all Ethiopians in that our brothers are dying for no reason in Somalia - will not end soon. Moreover, the country is spending an undisclosed amount of money for the war, which, sooner or later, will affect the poor most in this country.

The attack in Ogaden, as Mr Moyer said, shows that the war has crossed the border and that the rebels are taking advantage of the fact that the government is at war at the other end. I am sure other rebels in other parts of the country will take this advantage as well.

The effect of the attack is not only on oil exploration but also on other development plans in the area because no professional is willing to go there to do something at a cost of his or her life.

As the columnist said, the solution is to listen to the rebels and try to negotiate. But what the government is doing right now is what it used to do before; naming all its opponents ‘terrorists’ and using the state television and radio for its propaganda.

Thank you for your nice articles and keep it up.

A Reader