By Bethel Shiferaw
Ethiopia has been mourning the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi since he passed away in 20, August 2012. Ethiopians, in all walks of life, were shocked and saddened by the breaking news of the death of the late Premier.
As it is Ethiopian culture to go to someone’s, families of the deceased, house and pay tributes when their loved one is departed, residents of Addis and other people from different parts of the country as well as from abroad have been doing the same by going to the Grand Palace for, nearly, the past two weeks. People were paying tributes at the Grand Palace where the late Prime Minister Meles’ body was found and families reside.
Yeka Sub-city Women Forum Chairperson and Secretary of Sub-city’s Women Federation Tsedale Gebreyes was among Addis residents who payed their respect to the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at the Grand Palace. She said, “I was a woman who used to be dependent on my husband’s income. I did not have my own earnings. However, thanks to Meles Zenawi, I am now out of my husband’s shadow. I started working and able to generate own income. I am now supporting my family.”
She said that she has drawn a lesson on how one could be a deciding leader from Prime Minister Meles. “I am chairing 13 districts, meaning I am a leader of 8,169 women. I was not born with leadership skills. I learnt it from Prime Minister Meles,” she said.
According to Tsedale, Meles had established different forum because he believed that it could be used as a tool to connect the government and the public. Indeed, it is serving as a bridge. “The main reason why all these people are gathered here is that they have been benefited so much from the leadership of late Premier. Now, he is gone. People who gathered here feel as if they have lost a father,” she added.
Tsedale said, “I remember what Mengistu Haile-Mariam said in one occasion. He said, ‘we fight until a single firearm and one person are left’. However, Prime Minister Meles, on the other hand, said, ‘I fight poverty until my last day on earth’. And, he did that,” Tsedale said, adding, “My brother was jailed in the previous regime. My mom was beaten because she cried over a corpse on the roadside guessing that he was my brother. Now, things are changed. We do not hear gunfire, there is peace.”
Among the mourners around the Grand Palace, Genet Tefera is one of them. Genet came from Woreda 6 women and children affairs office. She said she came to the Grand Palace for the fourth time now. “When I first heard the death of the Prime Minister I was very shocked. I couldn’t believe what I heard. Like all other Ethiopians I was very sad when I heard the news on the radio.”
Genet said that she will always remember Meles by his hardworking behaviour, by his motivation to create a better Ethiopia and also by his effort to encourage women and children by giving them special attention. Genet added, “It was because of the Prime Minister that women had the chance to get out of the darkness and brought us to light.”
She further said “I remember an occasion where the Prime Minister gathered us at millennium hall and told us that we have to be strong for the betterment of our country. The speech he made that day gave me stamina to make changes in my life, I won’t forget that moment.”
Genet further said “The reason I support the EPRDF and particularly Meles is because they strive to see a developed country but if we take the Derg regime for example, all it did was killing its citizens without mercy. Anyone who opposed their ideas was sent to jail then murdered later on. I personally lost my brother during the brutal and incompetent regime of the Derg. Other than its brutality there was no developmental activity witnessed in the country, in fact the country’s development was at its lowest point but when we come to the current government the opposite is true.”
Genet expects the coming leader to follow the footsteps of Prime Minister Meles and make Meles’ dream of creating a better Ethiopia come true. She said she will also help in the process.
Fasika Megersa,18, is a resident around Asco. She said it’s her second time to come to the Grand Palace. “He did a lot for his country without any rest. Instead of living for himself, he lived for us and for his country and that saddened me deeply,” she said.
Fasika said “I will remember the heroic leader by many things but most of all I will remember him by his courage to build the Grand Renaissance Dam because it was through his leadership that this huge attempt was made and that makes me very proud.” Fasika added it was because of him that Ethiopians are respected all over the world. “In short I can say that Meles Zenawi brought respect to the country. Eventhough he is dead his legacy will continue beyond his grave.”
“It is common in our culture not to be grateful for a good deed that a person did while he was alive but we seem to appreciate their work after they are dead and that is what is happening now. We never valued his commitment for this country while he was alive but we should have done that, we should have encouraged him for the things he has done for us”, she added.
Fasika further said, Meles opened the door to development for us, all we need to do is follow his footsteps and assure Ethiopia’s renaissance. “I myself will do all my best in my field of experience to achieve what the Prime Minister has started for us.”
The other person that the reporter approached is Meskerem Teklu. Meskerem came from Addis Ketema Sub-city to express her sorrow like her fellow Ethiopian brothers and sisters. She said “From the day that his death was announced I have been in deep grief. I will always remember the Prime Minister with his excellent leadership skills, his love and respect for the public at large and also for the commitment he had for our country.”
His dedication towards women was beyond explanation. He should always be praised for what he has done for women and for the entire country as well, Meskerem said.
Meskerem explained “The participation of women in education and health sector came alive during his period in the office. The political participation of women has also shown a huge increase in his reign. I personally got political knowledge because of him.”
When compared with the previous rulers of the country, Meskerem thinks the late Prime Minister has achieved a lot in his time, plenty of changes have been witnessed during Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s 21 years prudent leadership, she added.
“I am very sad because of his early death but there is also a voice in my head that tells me to keep on going on the road he paved for me and for all of us. All Ethiopians should follow his lead and take our country to prosperity,” she added.
Munaja Abdu from Arada Sub-city said crying over his death will not benefit anyone. “It is true we have lost a great leader; he is gone and will never come back. But, we should now stop our grief and unite in order to continue what has been started and work as hard as possible so that we can realize Ethiopian Renaissance. Moreover, we should pray for a better leader.”
Munaja said, “I will always remember him by many things but most of all he took me out from a house that was threatened by flood and gave me a shelter. If he had not done that, I would have been on the streets along with my children. May his soul rest in peace!”