Adi Shankara
31st August 2010, 20:43
“We (his regime) have been likened to Mussolini and Hitler and sullied,” says Mengistu of those who write of his legacy. “Repeat lies often enough and they will be mistaken for the truth. I have to set the record straight.” The book will have four parts. The first part is slated for a deliberation on history, which Mengistu feels is grossly misconstrued, but will also deal with the war against Somalia, in which he was one of the principal actors. “The second part will address the Eritrean issue and the war in the north in general,” says Mengistu. The third part will be an overview of his regime’s international relations. The last part, the fourth, will offer an insight into why and how his regime collapsed.
“If I had resigned on my own accord, to whom would I have transferred the reigns of power?” he inquires rhetorically at one point, musing over the reluctance of African leaders to give up power. “To Weyane?(Laughs!)” Even nineteen years later, his eloquent criticism of the diminished patriotism of EPRDF leaders remain forcefully (and disturbingly) biting as ever. And his contempt for his successor is more palpable. “We did not even know his (Meles’) name,” says Mengistu. He criticizes him personally for “petitioning the UN to dismember his own country.” No leader in history has ever done that, Mengistu insists; clearly implying that the judgment of history will be far harsher on Meles than it will be on him.
http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?blog=15&title=ethiopia_s_mengistu_haile_mariam_speaks
The full editorial is pretty biased against him, but one thing I find interesting is Haile Mariam's critique of Meles Zenawi--Zenawi has already been more of an autocratic dictator than Haile Mariam has ever been, and under his regime, thousands of people have disappeared, people have been pressed into slavery, into war against Eritrea, etc. etc.
“If I had resigned on my own accord, to whom would I have transferred the reigns of power?” he inquires rhetorically at one point, musing over the reluctance of African leaders to give up power. “To Weyane?(Laughs!)” Even nineteen years later, his eloquent criticism of the diminished patriotism of EPRDF leaders remain forcefully (and disturbingly) biting as ever. And his contempt for his successor is more palpable. “We did not even know his (Meles’) name,” says Mengistu. He criticizes him personally for “petitioning the UN to dismember his own country.” No leader in history has ever done that, Mengistu insists; clearly implying that the judgment of history will be far harsher on Meles than it will be on him.
http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?blog=15&title=ethiopia_s_mengistu_haile_mariam_speaks
The full editorial is pretty biased against him, but one thing I find interesting is Haile Mariam's critique of Meles Zenawi--Zenawi has already been more of an autocratic dictator than Haile Mariam has ever been, and under his regime, thousands of people have disappeared, people have been pressed into slavery, into war against Eritrea, etc. etc.