- Hailemariam to advise on economic, sustainability and political issues,
- Hailemariam opens up in an astonishing interview
- Hailemarim accuses TPLF old guards of undermining reform, causing instability
Hailemariam Desalegn, who stepped down as Ethiopian Prime Minister on February this year, has been appointed to the advisory board of the Johannesburg-based economic development think-tank, Brenthurst Foundation.
Hailemariam will advise the Brenthurst senior management on the Horn of Africa’s economic, sustainability and political issues, it was said. In addition, Hailemarim will participate in events and conferences for the Foundation and will provide briefings on political trends to the foundation’s Board of Directors.
The board is chaired by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo. The Brenthurst Foundation was established in 2004 by South Africa’s Oppenheimer family, whose enterprises – notably the Anglo American Corporation and De Beers – dominated the country’s gold and diamond mining industry for much of the 20th century. The Brenthurst Foundation supports Initiative in seeking ways to fund African development and to organize conferences on African competitiveness.
On his appointment, Hailemariam Desalegn commented: “It is indeed an honour and a privilege serving African people through the work of this prestigious Foundation. Along with my fellow statesmen and women, and distinguished scholars and professionals selected, I will do my best to achieve the objectives of our Foundation.”
The foundation’s news release quoted Obasanjo as saying that Hailemariam “brings a wealth of economic and political wisdom to The Brenthurst Foundation’s Advisory Board. I very much look forward to working with him to develop dynamic and forward-thinking economic policy.” The Foundation’s founder, Jonathan Oppenheimer, said: “Prime Minister Hailemariam is our third appointment to the Advisory Board this year and we believe he will be a most valuable addition, bringing unparalleled understanding of both the Horn of Africa and sustainable economic policy.”
Two other members who just joined the Brenthurst advisory board are former Liberian president and Nobel laureate Eileen Johnson Sirleaf, and former Defence Minister of Colombia Juan Carlos Pinzón.
Haliemariam’s attack on TPLF old guards
In a related news, Hailemariam has opened up in an astonishing interview with Brenthurst Foundation head, Greg Mills, making a withering attack on Tigryan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)’s old guards for causing social and political unrest and the loss of his political career.
“Since Meles, there has been a fierce power struggle within the party which I was able to navigate through, as I was considered a neutral person – between those who considered the TPLF to be the dominant party and those in the other three parties which wanted to end this dominance,” Hailemarim told Greg Mills.
The former Prime Minister has told the Foundation head TPLF leaders behaved like “their experience gave them the exclusive right to rule” and undermined new reforms he brought before the ruling party, EPRDF, “who felt that they owned the existing order.”
“I considered how to proceed with such an interparty environment, without it hampering growth and our diplomacy. Yet to get the politics right was very difficult because of the internal power struggle. I had a weak constituency in the EPRDF, among the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement, SEPDM, as it was considered the youngest and the weakest, and most divided with 56 ethnic groups among its membership. Thus I did not have a high degree of internal support if I took strong action within the EPRDF.”
“So I took the message to the party,” he continues, “that there was a lack of good governance, and that people had to check the party and its leadership. The danger was otherwise to degenerate into corrupt practices, which was happening, which created internal divisions. Lots of things were not in our control. People, especially young people, who were unemployed, rose up to demand a fair and equitable share of resources, against the TPLF’s perceived disproportionate benefit from the system. This instigated violence across different parts of the country, especially in Oromia.”
“There was also the issue of Meles’ stated succession plan.” he says. “This had not been concluded. Younger leaders, including myself, interpreted this as being the need for older leaders to give over power. This created a clash with the older guys, who were communist-minded, in both ideological and generational terms. This caused instability in the party as we tried to reduce the influence of the old guard, who were particularly influential in the TPLF ANDM [Amhara National Democratic Movement],” tensions which were exacerbated “by corrupt practices”, he was quoted as saying.
Hailemariam’s decision to reveal his view of TPLF leaders for whom he showed loyalty in the past comes as surprise and seen as betrayal by some.
Image: Hailemariam Desalegn in Addis Ababa. 13 January 2014. EPA-EFE/DAI KUROKAWA
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He wants to go down in history as one who voluntarily stepped down to save the nation from anarchy. The problem with that argument is a/ he had no option; Tigray Front planned to replace him with DebreTsion who would then be using more violence to silence youth uprising in Oromiya and Amhara regions; b/ the British had advised this strategy due to the fact that Hailemariam was powerless to do anything significant. Meles handpicking him from his base constituency, the SPDM, diminished his status. Shiferaw Shigute, a SPDM leader, also turned out to be working for Tigray Front and of course for himself! Tigray Front then devised “collective leadership” robbing Hailemariam in broad daylight of his constitutional powers as premier and dividing the powers among its own members. Hence, Debretsion became head over Electric power, Telecom, the Hydro-dam, Security, Economy and Finance (not kidding at all). Abay Tsehaye over ‘political organization’ among others; Bereket over Banking, Research, Info; Berhane GKristos over everything Foreign Affairs and bank accounts abroad; Arkebe over everything Foreign Investment, and so on. It was a mad mad world where corruption run rampant and brutality reigned. Hailemariam became a symbol and a fall guy. If Hailemariam intends to salvage a bit of what is left of his career he should remove himself from under Meles Zenawi’s shadows and Tigray Front and carefully document his tenure as prime minister, deputy pm, and foreign minister in a memoir. That would one significant contribution to his beloved country’s history. I believe he could find several people who will be willing to advise him on this.
“He who sups with devil should have a long spoon” The former Prime Minister HD was a Wolyta political ghetto pimp for Weyane until the near recent past. One can almost say HD like Tamarat Lyanee before him, was a docile instrument in the hands of EPRDF after even he became PM. His psychologically ingratiating manner and curated phony religious ostentation had brought him closer, borrowing from Monica Lewinsky’s pet cryptic the “BIG-He during her intense passion refering Bill Clinton. His whole reflex was geared towards what ever the BIG-He said. And top EPDRF members have a definite views about this dim-witted college instructor. None knows with the exceptions of few non-Tigryans, his Mephistophelian and perfidious nature until about EPRDF loses power once and for good. But HD not only betrayed Meles, betrayed himself, and above everything else, betrayed Ethiopia on a large scale like uncle Mengestou Haile Mariam of Zimbabwe.
This is an honest and clear representation of Desalegn’s premiership. It is probably easier to judge from outside, but it was a tough place to be in. Credit to him for resigning and also fighting for justice, especially during the nail-biting, marathon EPRDF central committee meetings that led to the nomination of the reformist Abiy Ahmed.