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Petty differences should be set aside in the long-term interests of Tigray and its people
On the twelfth anniversary of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s passing, it is more important than ever to learn the lessons of his leadership given that Tigray’s political elite are embroiled in a power struggle. They should learn from his legacy and rise to the occasion instead of contributing to worsening Tigray people’s strife.
Meles was a statesman and visionary leader who transformed Ethiopia and rekindled a new sense of Pan-Africanism that brought rays of renaissance. Despite any real or perceived shortcomings, there are lessons to learn from his approach that put Ethiopia on the path to peace and development.
Meles was born in May 1955 in Adwa Enda Selassie in Tigray, Ethiopia. He did his schooling in Adwa and in 1972 joined the medical faculty of Addis Ababa University, where he studied for two years.
After leading 17 years of fighting that toppled the Derg dictatorship, Meles received an MA in business administration from the U.K.’s Open University 1995 and an MS in economics from the Erasmus University in the Netherlands in 2004. That contributed to his world-class thinking on the concept of the “Democratic Developmental State”.
As many others did, I truly appreciated Meles’ work ethic, intellect, and personality. He was, among many other things a family man, reliable, and witty. Every year the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Excellence in African Leadership was announced, I nominated him for it. He was deserving as shown by the testimonies to his statesmanship, visionary leadership, and formidable intellect.
Meles’ Mind
There are many articles and tributes from the well-known academics, government leaders, and ordinary people about his accomplishments.
One of his celebrated achievements is his work to defend the interests the Global South in the face of pushback from gigantic institutions and government leaders. Nobel economics prize winner Joseph Stiglitz captured the essence of how formidable and dedicated Meles was in his fight to help Ethiopians and Africans extricate themselves from poverty and conflict through Zenawinomics:
“Events in Ethiopia offer a case study of the ways in which globalization can go awry, and they highlight the need for reform. In March of 1997, barely a month into my job at the World Bank, I went to Ethiopia to meet with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi…During our discussions he showed a deeper and more subtle understanding of economic principles (not to mention a greater knowledge of the circumstances in his country) than many if not most of the international economic bureaucrats I would deal with in the succeeding three years.”
His bold step in starting construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in 2011 despite Egypt’s opposition and his diplomatic prowess to bring together Nile riparian countries to sign the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) are some of his great achievements.
His efforts to improve the diplomatic influence of Africa, which weakened after his passing, are among his notable contributions. He was critical in establishing the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and led the continent in global climate change forums.
Meles died while working to make his country and continent better and greater on the world stage. Unfortunately, the light he ignited for his country to become the light of Africa has been dimmed by his successors, especially Abiy Ahmed—and now by those in Tigray itself.
Lost Opportunities
Still, Meles was not perfect.
Some of his limitations were his belief in “trickle down politics”, which expected good governance in Ethiopia to trickle down to Tigray and other peripheral regions; his magnanimity that made the Eritrean regime to get another chance for revenge; and his decision to pass the baton of leadership to Hailemariam Desalegn.
Hailemariam epitomized the type of person Meles referred to when a journalist asked “what keeps you up at night?” He responded that it was “his fear of someone making a mistake that dims the light of hope for the country”.
This became a reality with Hailemariam’s decision to cede power to Abiy; his failure to take action on some of the chameleons and incompetent stooges, like the Amhara and Oromo EPRDF leaders who worked with him but later became champions of the betrayal of the Tigray people through their participation in the genocidal war on Tigray.
It is wrong to put everything on Meles given the collective leadership of EPRDF and TPLF. However, since the buck stops with the leader, I question whether he nourished the right future leaders of Tigray and held failing ones to account.
I do not doubt that, as always, he tried his utmost, but our current parlous state—which can be attributed to a lack of strategic leadership and institutionalization—by no means absolves him.
Leadership Lessons
Tigray’s current political crisis doesn’t put the values and interests of the people of Tigray front and center. I understand politics involves fighting for power, but it should not be at the expense of the common interest.
After going through a genocide, partly because of the lack of astute leadership in Tigray, it is disappointing to see public resources wasted on holding extended party meetings that only bring more division.
It is sad to see the party that destroyed the fascist army of the Derg, the party that led the socio-economic transformation of Ethiopia, the party that kept the peace of the Horn of Africa, the party that brought together the people of Tigray from all walks of life to defend the community’s extermination, and the party that was led by Meles, wasting its time and resources squabbling over power.
Tigray is currently facing famine, millions of internally displaced people, and decimated civilian infrastructure while in a volatile region with almost all neighbors in a state of conflict or otherwise militarized. Despite all these challenges the leaders of Tigray are squabbling for power. They have spent almost two years without making much change to the dire living situation of the people because the leadership is weak to take quick and decisive action.
This would never have happened under Meles. For example, his decisive action during the 2001 TPLF split was instrumental in moving Ethiopia in the right direction.
Meles must have benefited from his voracious reading, which may have exposed him to wisdom from Emperor Haile Selassie (“Throughout history, it has been inaction of those who could have acted that have made it possible for evil to triumph”), Winston Churchill (“I never worry about action, but only inaction”) and Theodore Roosevelt (“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”)
My question to the leaders of Tigray is: what keeps you up at night? Who is going to take action to stop the squabbling and focus on saving lives and protecting livelihoods in Tigray?
Elite Role
Tigray’s elite including its media should avoid contributing to the division within the TPLF by taking sides. Tigray Diaspora influencers should stop categorizing the factions as progressive or conservative without providing supporting evidence.
It is also harmful to characterize the TPLF split as the result of localism. The evidence doesn’t support it since both factions have people from almost all the big towns of Tigray. The recent inflammatory statement on localism by interim administration spokesman, Redae Halefom, who wrote a Tigrigna book on ‘Tigrawaynet’ two years ago, is an example of politicization of localism that needs to be condemned.
To my understanding, the split is caused by politicians jostling for position, which is a normal thing in democracies. However, the infighting is beyond that. It is accompanied by divisive rhetoric and actions that are percolating to the bureaucracy and segments of the population, including the diaspora and its organizations.
Academic Neutrality
For example, the failure of Global Society of Tigray Scholars (GSTS) to rearrange [WD1] its annual meeting added to the division since it was perceived as taking sides. It brought together more than 1,000 people to discuss 28 presentations. However, some scholars from the TPLF were not able to participate due to the overlap of the conference with the party’s congress.
This led to perceptions of partisanship—especially given that some senior GSTS figures have publicly criticized the TPLF leadership. While it may not have intended to do so, GSTS added fuel to the fire. The Union of Tigrayans in North America (UTNA) took a position by sending a representative to the TPLF congress, but at least it was transparent, not hiding behind “unavoidable scheduling problems”, as GSTS did.
All media actors should try not to inflame a polarized situation. They should instead provide opportunities for all sides to appear on their media together to debate in a civil fashion. Media partisanship is common, but the current situation is very delicate and requires careful consideration by every Tigrayan and friend of Tigray, including YouTube channels publishing hearsay from those with an axe to grind.
Key to calming the situation is the Tigray Security Forces play their cards wisely, resisting siding with either faction and instead acting in the interest of the rule of law and long-term interests of Tigray.
Similarly, institutions like Tigray Development Association, the Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray, and the Relief Society of Tigray should be clear of political influence and their top officials should be barred by bylaws to assume party leadership positions.
Tigray and its people are more than any of us or our organizations. They have sacrificed blood, time, and resources to build their institutions over a long period of time. They need to be reformed and renewed to be ready for the next challenge—but, just like Tigray itself, they should never be destroyed.
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Main Image: Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia speaks during the session ‘Africa — From Transition to Transformation’ at the Annual Meeting 2012 of the World Economic Forum at the congress centre; Davos, Switzerland; January 26, 2012; Photo by Monika Flueckiger.
This is the author’s viewpoint. However, Ethiopia Insight will correct clear factual errors.
Published under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
