Mereja.Forum

I just read news that all political prisoners are released from jail today. This is now boom or bust for all stakeholders to take a deep breath and mull the only plausible way to take the country out of the conundrum ravaging that gem of the colored for decades. That only way is the peaceful way through civil exchange of opinions, a positive result producing national dialogue. Lasting solutions do not and never come out of the barrels of deadly guns or winner-takes-all stubbornness. They are only capable of finding temporary solution, patch up if you may, just to be followed by much deadlier and more complicated problems leading any country into traps a failed state. This is not the time to brag about much ado about nothing bravado and deafening oneself with gerersaas, laloyes and zerraafs over glasses of khamrs. Conciliatory gestures by any one should not be taken as entitlements of victors and the vanquished. I applaud the government for taking these bold steps and the other side should, must, respond, reciprocate in grace. The burden on these stakeholders is much lighter than the ones citizens of that country have endured since 1974. All these stakeholders were the ones who have been firing the guns but it was the civilians who were left with nightmares of murders, rapes, imprisonments and utter destruction. It is time to say enough is enough. Everyone’s eyes should be fixated on the ultimate prize where the rights of the individual are protected by and no one is allowed to be above the law of the land. There is the way if every stakeholder has the willl. Insha’Allah!!!

This is for those who have written articles solely loaded with raw emotions. Pardoning prisoners is engrained in our tradition. What they are missing the fact that these prisoners command a huge size of committed and loyal followers. After all what is wrong with releasing a harmless 86 years old elderly man? Mr. Sebhat whether we like it or not still has considerable followers. Both those young men Jawar and Eskinder have hundreds of thousands of fanatic followers who will stand at the gates of hell for them. They can mobilize tens of thousands of the youth for whatever idea they have in mind and they had done so. Let's hope that these freed men and women have learned from the mistakes that ended them in prison. That is my hope. We should also remember that the charges against them were not thrown out by the courts. It is a pardon. If they still go back to their old habit of flopping their lips and cause deaths and destruction their charges must be upgraded to murder of the first degree and should face the full weight of the law. There should never be bragging with a false bravado claiming to be the '2nd or shadowy' government. The ball is now in these former prisoners' court. You either shape up or get locked up with keys thrown away. Let’s not beat the drum of war from our comfy homes at safe distance thousands of miles away. We should also remember that these prisoners have sworn and lethal enemies from among their own ethnic groups. We should keep in mind that it was not that Amhara from Gondar who shot and killed Hachalu but rather a bigot from his own Oromo kin and kit. Let's not scratch where it does not itch. There must be a way out of this carnage and that way is through peaceful solution. I also want to remind them that Oromumma should never be presented as a badge of extremists. I wish we should stay away from using ethnic terms as pejoratives. When I first heard the term 'neftegna' being used as a rallying cry back in the 1970's I screamed foul because its deadly ramifications. I was told that I just worry too much. Then we all know what happened in 1991, 1992, 1993 and up to these days. Using ethnic terms as pejorative has proven to be deadly to innocent citizens. Whoever wrote this article should know better. Enough, enough, enough is enough!!!!