Hagerfiker Open Letter to Hailu Shawel.et al

7/20/2007

Dear Engineer Hailu,

First and foremost congratulations on your release from Kaliti today. We are sure you are very happy to regain your freedom and to breath the free air once again. We write to you today to plead with you to take advantage of this historic moment to play a constructive role in Ethiopian Politics. You have the power to influence whether you and your followers will be a partner in peace or war. We know, probably more than you, that your members and supporters have been engaged in fratricidal war ever since you went to prison. They have been at war with each other splitting into so many factions that we can not keep track of how many sub CUD groups there are throughout the world. Having said that, we also know that the Kaliti leaders who left that prison today, are not of the same mind or reason as the ones who entered it almost two years ago. In other words the facts on the ground are not the same as they were two years ago when your party deceived itself into believing it had the means and power to take power by force.

Today your party is partners with secessionist and terrorist groups such as OLF and ONLF. Furthermore some of your delegated leaders have aligned themselves with Islamic terrorists in Somalia and the mad man from Eritrea. Some of your so called delegates such as Andeargachew Tsigie last week implied you were a dictator. Some of your supporters in the diaspora opened up Paltalk rooms and used it as a forum to insult the Tigrayan people in your name. In other words your supporters for the most part were not true to the spirit of your party platform. For all intent and purpose they have betrayed you and your colleagues by their actions and deeds. They have damaged your party beyond repair.

Therefore, we are pleading with you not to make the same mistake you made the last time you were about to play a a historic role in Ethiopian politics but chose to travel the road of precipices politics. You need to realize that your constitute is not in the Diaspora but in Ethiopia. The Diaspora has no stake in Ethiopia. They can not vote nor free you from prison. You should not let their green backs compromise you from your important mission to reconcile our nation and help push her forward. As you are well aware EPRDF is not going anywhere anytime soon. You know more than anyone that they are a well entrenched machine which can not be easily budged.

Therefore, we plead with you to play a historic role and reject the politics of hate and bravado. Your supporters say you are a Nelson Mandela. Well that is good because we need a Mandela now. Help our nation heal rather than divide and we your detractors will also call you Mandela. Work with PM Meles and not against him and we will call you Mandela. We hope you and your colleagues will not use your freedom to portray yourselves as heroes who stared down Woyane. If you do that, we fear that you will once again find your self on the short end of the stick.