THE DAUNTING DANGER OF DONALD M PAYNE’S TUMULTUOUS POLITICAL DISCOURSE

Adal Isaw

It’s high time again here in America, where the amalgamation of every imaginable issue of political resentment is being woven into a braid of chauvinistic chain-with the help of a mad Congressman from New Jersey. It’s high time again for all chauvinist ideologues to overtly and covertly resent the idea of being lead by an Ethiopian of a Tigrean origin-with the blessing of Donald M Payne. As a result, the maxim of beatifying the dead (King Haile Selassie) and glorifying the symbols of anathema (Mengistu & Hailu shawol) has come again full circle.Politics has become meaty, and most of the calculating vegans have ceased to eschew all forms
of meaty politics, especially, when it’s marinated with heavily sprinkled ‘spice’ of anti TigreanPeople Liberation Front (TPLF).Much like seventeen years ago, the dump bell has rung cacophonously for the start of a political discourse of hate and resentment at any cost. And in this over a decade old drama of political play, foes of the Ethiopian people are gathering to act out in the halls of a foreign
country, venting their hate toward an astute Ethiopian prime minister and his political party-the EPRDF-with the help of Donald M Payne.These hate monggering not-so-much-like-Ethiopian crowds (most of whom are legally foreigners who had willfully abrogated their allegiance to Ethiopia by raising their right hands and swear...) are not really being lead by Birhanu Nega (Tibebe of the EPRP/A), nor are they
lead by Hailu Shawol (Big Cat of Fascist Derg), but instead, by Congressman Donald M Paynean old brother who would have been tarnished by Malcolm X as what Malcolm likes to label his kind-not in kind words... for being cowardly and obsequiously compliant. A coward that failed to stand for his people voting right in his backyard while he’s in a position to do so, for one, because of an obsessive compulsive syndrome that propels his soul to become contentious toward Meles Zenawi- a valorous fighter who is also one of the founding fathers of the NEW ETHIOPIA.Donald’s obsession has another pathological extension that which allows him to twist that
which is real into an aberrant singular dimension. He sees peace and stability in the soul of ICU,despite ICU’s declaration of Jihad on Ethiopia at least on two veritable occasions. Donald still argues that Ethiopia has wronged ICU. He sees ICU’s plan of “Greater Somalia” as a benign political issue that Ethiopia should give no serious attention to. Donald reasons that Ethiopia can live with a threat to its territorial integrity so long as the EPRDF is amenable to his notion of
what democracy and security ought to be. Indeed, his obsession is mainly centered on “curbing” the EPRDF to his singular way of how things should be in Ethiopia-especially in matters of democratic endeavors and national security concerns. As a result, Donald is standing in sharp contrast relative to Ethiopia’s struggle to democratize itself in its own way, and on its pivotal interest to keep its territorial integrity as is. In a way, call it naively or inadvertently, Donald is
advocating for the attenuation of the unified power that a Democratic Republic of Ethiopia may have in the future, by adhering to the wishes of the few but vocal Ethiopian Diaspora, OLF,ONLF, “CUD,” and the Eritrean dictatorial state.
Donald is going to far- a little to far for comfort: to put it in a pedestrian way. On the September 18, 2007, issue of New York Times, the mad Congressman from New Jersey joined Ted Dagne in praising and appraising a megalomaniac from Eritrea. The Congressman in about two lines on a New York Time’s page is claiming that Eritrea is being cornered by the US policy makers for the wrong reason. Reading between the lines, it’s not that hard to deduce that there seems to be a co-ordinated effort by Ted and Donald to shift blame on Ethiopia for Eritrea’s predicament- paving a dangerous path for a tumultuous political discourse.The advent of this tumultuous political discourse didn’t happen by accident, but rather, as a result of a very active political role that the EPRDF is still playing. In the center is Meles
Zenawi- a genius Ethiopian of the TPLF, who is also the leader of the EPRDF. From its
inception on, the EPRDF has inundated itself with so many active and bold political roles, such as, the creation of KILIL as a political unit- time and time again by openly calling for a political discourse and constructive counter discourse.
Those who had a counter argument to make have so far failed to cogently rebuke the idea of KILIL-the superstructure that have created nine autonomous political units. Ethiopia is now in a very strong foundation of unity than it was in it’s recent history, since most of the people that make Ethiopia have come to realize that they are on equal footing-worthy enough of protecting.The megalomania in Eritrea is threatened by this newly found strength and sees his ambition of having a fragmented Ethiopia next door disappearing. Both OLF and ONLF are uneasy watching in a slow but steady motion-the creation of a stronger Democratic Republic of Ethiopia- a Republic that will inevitably make the question of cessation an obsolete and counter productive political agenda.Nevertheless, an active political role always begets criticism. Normally, criticism comes either in constructive or destructive form. The nature of any particular criticism may change in tone and accentuation with time-tittering on the verge of treason at times. It’s for this apparent reason then, that the destructive criticism of the Diaspora in America and some of the so-called delegates from back home, has morphed into TREASONOUS one. The path for the treasonous act of the opposition is being paved by the tumultuous political discourse of Donald M Payne. For example, Dr. Birhanu is tittering and dancing around a treasonous circle,every time he opens his mouth repeating what a sectarian “journalist” and Donald M Payne are claiming is happening in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia.Birhanu is aware of the very fact that our Defense Forces are in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia on a mission to safeguard the territorial integrity of our country. He is also aware of the fact that our Defense Forces are very disciplined and top of the line professionals in what they do. Donald M Payne has tried to depict our Defense Forces in a very different light. He has openly compared Somalia to Darfur to create a template to depict our gallant and disciplined Defense Forces as though they are the JenJewit militia from Ethiopia. With this futile attempt of Donald M Payne in his mind, Birhanu nevertheless is giving lectures in America, alluding that our gallant forces are ransacking the Ethiopian people at will in the Ogaden region. If Birhanu is trying to win a favor from ONLF, he should come out and say it loud as he indirectly did in the creation of AFD. A political venture by any Ethiopian opposition entity with an inclination to undermine the territorial integrity of Ethiopia, by collaborating with the sworn enemies and foreign entities of Ethiopia (including Donald M Payne) for political expediency is tantamount to only one thing: treason. Treason is a willful act that transcends the scope of what we may dab as egregiously wrong headed political strategy- born from the paradigm of “the end always justifies the means” doctrine of self-important people.
Ethiopia is in a state of war with Eritrea, OLF, ONLF, and hence, any explicit and
implicit co-operation with the state of Eritrea, OLF, and ONLF, for any apparent reason should be a treasonous offense. Any Ethiopian, or an entity of Ethiopian origin, should not be in a position to create a relationship with any foreign entity, especially, for the purpose of impeding the economic and national security interest of Ethiopia.
The definition of Ethiopia’s economic and national security interest at this juncture in time, should solely be given by the democratically elected and internationally recognized government of Ethiopia-the EPRDF. Neither Donald M Payne nor the US cannot and should not let to assert any compelling interest otherwise. And for this reason, Ethiopia should vehemently and continuously make it obvious that it will never accept HR2003. HR2003 is the weapon that Eritrea, OLF, ONLF, “CUD” of the many colors, and all other enemies of Ethiopia are eager to
seize.
After all, HR2003 is spearheaded by a mad Congressman from New Jersey who tacitly
and at times overtly appraises ICU, the megalomania in Eritrea, OLF, and ONLF- as peaceful entities-worthy enough for consideration to a democratic front. Furthermore, Donald seems to have developed an obsession of marring our Defense Forces and our premier any time he gets a chance-making himself a sectarian instrument of conflict rather than a disinterested broker of understanding. Donald is merely on a path of a tumultuous political discourse giving life to
treasonous opposition elements-brazen enough to swap Ethiopia’s integrity for political expediency. At this juncture in time, and for at least a decade or so, it’s only the EPRDF which is crafty and resolute enough to prevail over Ethiopia’s sworn enemies- the evidence for this preceding presupposition resides within the actions and inactions of the many colors of “CUD.”