Two plain reasons why Meles is not worth Premiership - Part I

By T, Staffer of De Birhan Media 
26-1-2012

Meles Zenawi                                        

Addis Fortune gossiped last week that the  current Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Hailemaraim Dessalegne could take over Meles Zenawi's position in 2015.

Of a more substantive issue, though, Meles appears to be determined to show people around him that Hailemariam is the man he has settled on to handover the custodianship of the great and all too powerful Ethiopian state, gossip claims.

A former College Dean of Arba Minch University, Hailemaraim Dessalegne has been  in the academic sphere for most of his life. The ascending leader originally from Wolyaeta, Southern Ethiopia, is one of the few top cabinet members who have not fought in the struggle against the military dictatorship of Mengestu. 

Meles Zenawi who quit his University studies as he just turned 20 spent most of his energetic years in the bush fighting against the deposed Derg. When he was 36 he became the President of Ethiopia and Prime Minister at 40 which he has assumed for 20 full years up until now. The dubiously megalomaniac dictator, Meles Zenawi, has some personal characters that his water carriers admire about him. These are people who post his old, agonised, black&white photos and want us to believe he is a superman. They say, at least he has been able to accomplish his missions, however malevolent they might be.  The likes of me, who are critical of him and his regime, would pick countless faults and deficiencies that do not make him eligible enough to lead that big nation. He is a self proclaimed Premier. 

Let me put two plain reasons  why he can't be Ethiopia's premier. More justifications of why he can't/ ought not be a PM will follow in future pieces.

1. He has not been a civil servant/Employee :

Meles Zenawi has never been in public, private or self employment in his life. He has never worked in an office, shop or business. He has never been on a payroll and doesn't know the bureaucracy.  He doesn't know CPA. He never had a boss. He has never been fired, sacked, redundant, promoted or demoted. He never applied for job, searched for job or wondered about surviving without job.  
He passed the buck of daily tasks to his juniors and rank and files while in Dedebit. Now even worse on the millions of Ethiopians.

Leadership, teamwork, communication, marketing, discipline, time management, project management, client management, meeting targets, etc are all basic skills that public ordinary employees like you and me would garner in our employment years, that Meles hugely lacks.  Hope you won't justify this saying he learnt it in his 4kilo Office. He has never been financially independent. He never paid bills or insurance.  

2. He has not been a Diaspora/emigrant :

I wouldn't argue that being an immigrant or a Diaspora is a prerequisite for being a Premier or President of any country but by Jove, I tell you it is important. A traveller is well experienced and matured than a centred one. Travel is a good school. They call it exposure. Effectively, exposure to democracy, freedom, justice and human rights on the ground. Living it through.

Meles has never been outside his country even for a short while as an emigrant. He never saw other's face (Ye Sew Fit Alayem). He never worked in another man's land. He has never worked as a janitor, kitchen porter or researcher like you and me. Meles has never seen the bullying, discrimination, racism and hate that we have gone through. He has never been able for one day to compare the lives of his employer in the West and his families or neighbours in Adewa, 'cause he's never been a Diaspora. Meles never had a first hand international exposure except via TV and Radio up-until he held the iron fist. He didn't feel sorry for his poor families and compatriots at home and sent them money for holiday and others. He has not learnt about other cultures, integrated and interculturalised himself like you and me pragmatically.

Meles' only employment and Diaspora experiences have been in Dedebit, Maleleit and the Greater Tigray bushes. 

Wind Up

Meles Zenawi at my age would have been inspired by the stories of Che Guevara and Lenin, as my generation would be inspired by the stories of Beyonce and Thierry Henry and crave day in day out to resettle in the West. Both of us struggle. His generation struggled in the bush to reach Emyee Menelik's palace and ours from the city to land in DC. From our cosmopolitan and fancy generation- I see few but glittering youth that would assume the ownership and leadership of the new Ethiopia. These youth have both worked as employees, employers, self employed and lived outside their country. They saw what discrimination means, they have been called names, shouted in the streets Nig**. These are my generation- these are my buddies who now learnt that they have to have a President from Gambella, a wife from Benishanguel and a business partner from Degehabur.  A generation that is ready to make a cultural revolution in Ethiopia saying no to Racism and ethnicity. 

Meles doesn't have those two qualities at least, therefore, he deserves to be our Prime minster NOT!