Ethiopia’s real ambassador-at-large

Saturday, February 16, 2013 @ 11:02 PM ed

By Abebe Gellaw

Ethiopia has so many “ambassadors” and “diplomats” across the globe. Unfortunately, they neither represent our country nor can proudly stand in front of the oppressed people of Ethiopia. If at all they dare to do so, they know that they will be booed, condemned and pelted with rotten eggs, if not worse. The reason why they are held in great contempt is that they are emissaries of tyranny that constantly lie and degrade themselves to please their TPLF paymasters. The opportunists and sycophants that shamelessly call themselves Ethiopian diplomats and ambassadors are actually willing accomplices of TPLF’s untold crimes, oppression and plunder against the poor people of Ethiopia.

Tamagne Beyene was accorded a hero's welcome upon his arrival in Munich, Germany 

One of TPLF’s admirable skills is admittedly grooming and recruiting servile puppets and opportunists in different colors and stripes, such as Hailemariam Desalegn, Girma Woldegiorgis, Shimelis Kemal and Tesfaye Habiso, who will do and say anything as long their bellies are taken care of.  TPLF’s Trojan horses, disguised as ambassadors, like Girma Biru, Genet Zewidie, Dawit Yohannes, Kassahun Ayele, Fisseha Yimer, Berhanu Kebede, Suleiman Dedefo, Teshome Toga, Konjit Sinegiorgis, Tekeda Alemu, Degife Bula et al, not to mention TPLF’s first-class emissaries and missionaries all over the world, are unscrupulous messengers of the criminals in power. They are driven by greed, self-interest and TPLF’s privileged reps at every embassy. They loyally and slavishly serve their masters at Arat Kilo that have been committing all sorts of brutal repressions and atrocities against the people of Ethiopia. Quite obviously, their bellies are always full but, alas, their conscience is starkly empty.

The greater majority of “ambassadors” and “diplomats” shamelessly tell the world that Ethiopia is democratizing, human rights is constitutionally guaranteed, free press is flourishing, the economy is booming without saying whose economy it is…. They are willingly enslaved to constantly condemn the past and praise the prevailing apartheid system under the guise of ethnic federalism. After all, it they dare to tell just a gain of truth, they know they will be booted out by the TPLF. That is why they are just wagging their tails like hungry dogs to please their masters that throw them some bones to gnaw.

While the so-called ambassadors and diplomats work against the basic interests of Ethiopia and Ethiopians, there are unpaid missionaries of freedom that have been traveling far and wide to defend liberty, condemn tyranny and expose the daylight robberies in Ethiopia. One man stands tall above others. Our brother artiste and activist Tamagn Beyene, who has been the unwavering voice of truth and freedom for over two decades, is undoubtedly one of Ethiopia’s real ambassadors serving the nation tirelessly and selflessly. Unlike TPLF’s bogus ambassadors and diplomats, who represent no one but tyranny and brutality, Tamagn speaks the unvarnished truth loudly and clearly.

Had Tamagn just wanted to fill his belly at the expense of his conscience, he would have stayed closer to his former friend, billionaire tycoon Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi. In a video clip I had once the privy to watch, Al Amoudi praises Tamagn gushingly as his most beloved brother. He said Tamagn never asked him to do anything for himself but to be generous to others. But the most serious difference between them appears to be the Sheik’s blind support to the TPLF regime, the ethno-fascist oppressive front that has been dividing and misruling Ethiopia for over two decades. When Al Amoudi became one of the sponsors of TPLF’s tyranny, the once respected billionaire fell from grace and his immense fortune proved to be not worthy enough to buy back the genuine respect and love of the Ethiopian people. No matter how poor Ethiopians are, they know their true friends and allies irrespective of their wealth.

The tireless Tamagn never says no when it comes to promoting the interests of Ethiopia and Ethiopians across the world. I had the privilege to travel to a few cities with Tamagn for ESAT’s fundraising events. His unmatchable love for his country, his passion for freedom, unwavering voice for the truth, humor and eloquence has won him genuine admiration and respect among his fellow Ethiopians.

Tamagn is currently touring Europe to garner support for ESAT, which has emerged as a powerful voice for Ethiopia. Wherever he goes, patriotic Ethiopians come out in full force to receive and honor him. While TPLF emissaries are held in contempt and spat at wherever they go, Tamagn Beyene gets accolades and flowers. While Ethiopia’s so called ambassadors and diplomats hide from the ordinary men and women that they were supposed to serve as servants, Tamagn enjoys acclamations and standing ovations. In contrast to that, when “Ethiopian” embassies hold meetings, the majority handpicked to attend are surely TPLF agents, members and their cronies. The rest of Ethiopians who are asking hard questions are excluded shamelessly.

There may indeed be a few junior diplomats, but certainly none at ambassadorial and high-ranking levels, that want to serve their country and people with integrity. But that is obviously mission impossible as long as they humbly serve their blood sucker paymasters at every embassy, which have been effectively converted into TPLF’s foreign offices at the expense of poor taxpayers. They all know full well that even the ministry of foreign affairs, the supposed command center of diplomacy, is one of the useless government agencies that have been crippled with discrimination, corruption and nepotism. In order to serve as a diplomat, the most important criterion is being slavish and servile to the TPLF. Never tell any inconvenient truths that can offend the TPLF. That is the unwritten rule that no one can break.

The famous journalist and scholar Isaac Goldberg (1887-1938) once said that diplomacy is the art of doing and saying the nastiest things in the nicest way. Unfortunately, our ambassadors and most of our diplomats do and say the nastiest things in the nastiest way. In the process, they have lost their conscience, honor and dignity for the sake of serving the TPLF, one of the worst terrorist organizations in the world. If there are any “diplomats” with a conscience, they should join the struggle for freedom and dignity, sooner rather than later. It is better to starve in dignity and earn a living by working hard rather than being paid for standing against the oppressed people of Ethiopia.

Let every “diplomat”, irrespective of their rank, answer one simple question honestly. Who are you serving? The people of Ethiopia, yourself or TPLF’s ethno-fascistic tyranny. We already know the answer but you also need to sleep over it.

As far as so many Ethiopians are concerned, Tamagn Beyene is the foremost but unpaid ambassador-at-large of Ethiopia, who is inspirational to millions of Ethiopians. On the contrary, the depressing agents and emissaries of tyranny, whose main mission is lying on behalf of the despicable TPLF-led regime, are condemned to live in hiding—not from criminals but from the ordinary men and women that they were supposed to serve with clear conscience and utmost humility.

Some people may wonder what an ambassador-at-large does. According to the Macmillan Dictionary of Diplomacy, an ambassador-at-large is a diplomat or a minister of the highest rank who possesses great experience and as a result appointed to handle major issues without being tied to a particular country. As per diplomatic protocol, an ambassador-at -large is addressed as His/Her Excellency.

I personally salute Tamagn for his patriotism, integrity and struggles for freedom. I see him as my older brother with admiration and veneration. As Tamagn said once, everyone one of us have a calling to stand for the dignity and liberty of our country no matter how high the cost is. If few individuals can make a difference, all the oppressed people of Ethiopia can do miracles when they rise up in unison against TPLF’s unjust war against Ethiopia and its people. Yes, we can undoubtedly reclaim our God-given liberties and the land we can proudly call Ethiopia.

His Excellency Tamagn Beyene, represents me and millions of freedom-loving and voiceless Ethiopians wherever his goes. He has the full authority to speak on behalf of ordinary Ethiopians like me that aspire to make tyranny history in our beloved country suffering under oppressors and occupiers. The unpaid ambassador-at-large serves us with utmost integrity unlike those who will be asked, sooner or later, to reimburse all the salaries and benefits that they are paid for working against the people of Ethiopia.

Your Excellency Tamagn Beyene, I take my hats off for your unflinching, unwavering, consistent and vocal stand against the ethno-fascistic enemies of freedom that have turned our country into one giant prison. We will march together until tyranny is defeated in Ethiopia once and for all.

In the end, we shall overcome!