Commemorating PM Melese’s Extraordinary Legacy

Zenebe Kassa

The late Prime Minister MelesZenawi,  who transformed Ethiopia, has been widely praised both in life and in death. Four years ago this month, Ethiopians from far and near paid their last respects to the “Man of the People” with rivers of tears. Ethiopians are  at the final stages to commemorate the fourth year of the death of the strong and dedicated PM Meles Zenawi. In addition, many countries of the world   had paid tribute to the late Strong  Ethiopia's PM.

President Barack Obama  said PM Meles deserves recognition for his lifelong contribution to Ethiopia’s development, particularly his unyielding commitment to Ethiopia’s poor and pro-poor policies. President Obama added  that he was also grateful for the late PM’s dedication to  peace and security in Africa, his contributions to the African Union, and his voice for Africa on the world stage.

David Cameron, British PM on his part had said that Prime Minister Meles was an inspirational spokesman and ardent advocate of Africa on global issues and manifested amazing leadership and vision on Somalia and Sudan. His personal contribution to Ethiopia's development, in particular by lifting millions of Ethiopians out of the mire of poverty, has set extra-ordinary  example for the region.

Similarly, the Ex-British PM Tony Blair had said PM MelesZenawi  was a hugely significant figure in Ethiopia's history, in particular helping guide his country from extreme poverty to an era of economic growth and development.  

Same Ex-PM Gordon Brown also said  that the poor of the world had lost one of their greatest champions with the death of Prime Minister Meles. Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, made more progress in education, health and economic development under his leadership  than at any time in its history and it is a tragedy for the Ethiopian people that they had lost a committed leader and a champion of children at such a young age.

Chinese President Hu Jintao on his part had said Meles was an outstanding leader of Ethiopia and a renowned African statesman who was dedicated to the great cause of national development and Africa's revival. ``Meles was an old aide of the Chinese people and paid high attention to advancing ties with China; we will never forget the great contributions that he made to the establishment and development of the China-Ethiopia comprehensive cooperative partnership," Hu said.

Indian PM Manmohan Singh spoke  about Zenawias a towering statesman who effectively articulated and advanced the continent's interest in the international form. The PM noted,"in his death, Ethiopia had lost a remarkable leader whose contribution towards peace, progress and development of his country will be long remembered."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Mr.Meles would be remembered for his exceptional leadership and advocacy on African issues within and outside the continent  and for overseeing his country's economic development.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barrosoalso said Prime Minister Meles was a respected African leader. He demonstrated strong personal commitment over many years to improving the lives of not just his own but all African peoples, through his work on African unity, climate change, development and in promoting peace and stability in Africa at large in the Horn in particular.

Secretary of State Department Hillary Rodham Clinton said that she admired the Prime Minister’s personal commitment to transforming Ethiopia’s economy and to expanding education and health services. He was an important and influential voice in Africa, and we especially valued his role in promoting peace and security in the region. I am confident that Ethiopia will peacefully navigate the political transition according to its constitution.

Ambassador Susan E. Rice U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations on her part  said that Meles was disarmingly regular, unpretentious, and direct. He was selfless, tireless and totally dedicated to his work and family. True, he never belied any lack of confidence in his judgments. He was tough, unsentimental and sometimes unyielding. For, among Prime Minister Meles’ many admirable qualities, above all was his world-class mind. A life-long student, he taught himself and many others so much.

The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, The Commission will remember the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for his exceptional contribution to the advancement of the objectives of the AU and the promotion of Africa’s interests in global fora. In particular, PM Meles played a critical role in furthering the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), whose Implementation Committee he was chairing. He also presided over with competence and utmost commitment the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC). 

The Commission also salutes Ethiopia’s contribution, under Prime Minister Meles’s leadership, to the promotion of peace and security in Africa, both within the framework of the AU and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Jacob Zuma, South African President, expressed about  Prime Minister Meles  Zenawi  as Meles as strong leader, not only for his country but on the African continent, acting as mediator on numerous talks, particularly in the Horn of Africa region.

Similarly, South Africa's Ex-President Thabo Mbeki sadly described the late Meles as a man of remarkable intelligence and a rare commitment to the African continent.

Kenyan Prime Minister,RailaOdinga also stated that Meles Zenawi was a great leader, an intellectual, someone who was very dedicated to Pan-Africanism. Everyone will remember him for the great effort he put in to transforming the Ethiopian economy.

President Rwanda Paul  Kagame attributed  for Premier Zenawi as  he was not a leader for Ethiopia alone, but an eminent leader for the entire African continent, “He was a man of dignity,”

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia saidMelesZenawi was an economic transformer, he was a strong intellectual leader for the continent. In our regional meetings he stood out because of his intellect and his ability to respond and to lead dialogue on matters relating to African development. He will be missed in all of our meetings and our entireendeavor.

Barnaba Benjamin, South Sudanese Information Minister, on his part said it's a very, very sad day for the people of the Republic of South Sudan and the people of the East African region as a whole. PM Meles had been a tremendous nationalist leader, a president who had always let peace come to his neighbors.

Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, President of the Republic of Zambia, also described Prime Minister MrMelesZenawi as an intelligent and humble person who demonstrated a passion and love for the development of Africa. MrZenawi will be greatly missed and remembered for his hard work and loyalty to the people of Ethiopia in general and Africa at large, the President added.

Former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo had said the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Menes Zenawi had robbed Africa of a ``committed, forthright, visionary and fearless leader.’’

Somali landers had also expressed wised condolence to the Ethiopian people  on the Death of PM Meles Zenawi. The Death of MelesZenawi had robbed the Horn of Africa a great and visionary leader. The president of Somaliland, H.E Ahmed Mahmoud Silanyo said "Meles was a charismatic leader who campaigned for and ensured that peace and security prevails in the Horn ."

Yemini President, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadialso connoted that the absence of this political leader could pose a great loss not only to the Ethiopian people, but also to the region and the entire African continent. Hadi indicated that the relations between the two countries and the peoples of Yemen and Ethiopian are strong, historical and developed; stressing the need to work together in order to activate the functions and meetings of the Sana'a Forum so as to serve the objectives and the stability of the region.

Tanzanian President, Jakaya Kikwete, described Meles as Africa losing one of its greatest leaders. There are few leaders like him and to lose such a leader at so young an age at this critical moment in Africa's development is really tragic.  Meles is credited with helping widespread economic development in Ethiopia, which has registered with almost double-digit growth for the last few years.

CNN has said about  Meles Zenawi is  key player in talks on the tensions between Sudan and its rival neighbor South Sudan, did not attend. Ethiopia, which is a key Western ally often lauded for effective use of aid money, is surrounded by unstable nations such as Somalia and Sudan. Meles has been credited with working toward peace and security in the region.

Jason Straziuso  also no Associated Press wrote that Meles brought Ethiopia out of a hugely difficult period following Mengistu's rule and made important economic progress; the U.S. has long viewed Meles as a strong security partner and has given hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over the years.

BBC said by Meles’s strong  diplomacy Ethiopia has been receiving large amount of donation from the western countries.  Meles forged close business ties with India and Turkey as well as Asian powerhouse China, which footed the $200 million bill for the sprawling, new headquarters of the African Union.

Reuters siad Ethiopian strongman Meles Zenawi is a towering figure in Africa's political landscape. Under his  leadership, Ethiopia is also embarked on a mass of energy and infrastructure projects, while hospitals and schools throughout the country have surged  more than ten-fold.

Jakkie Cilliers, executive director for the Institute for Security Studies, a think tank in Pretoria wrote on The CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR  “ that  Ethiopia's Prime Minister  Meles Zenawi had been  guiding his impoverished nation closer to prosperity through a steady economic progress. 

The looming question is whether Ethiopia will continue on the path set by the late prime minister, whose economic success had become widely admired in Africa even at the world.   He's managed to do what no other African strongman has done. He was the living embodiment of the development state. Almost 95% of children now enter primary school, and the child mortality rate has fallen, according to U.S. AID. Though Ethiopia remains one of the world's poorest countries, its economy is now growing at a double digit.

Prof. Nicholas Stern once wrote on the African Report Magazine about Meles Zenawi as  “ Personally I had the privilege of working with him for more than a decade, as Chief Economist of the World Bank: “Meles was an outstandingly gifted, an extraordinary and irreplaceable man; the most intelligent and committed man; that very rare person, a great mind and a great leader.

It is four year since the death of Meles Zenawi, one of the world's and Africa's most remarkable leader. He was also an outstanding figure for Africa as a whole. He led the African Union on many issues and his analytical force, wisdom and intelligence were greatly valued in the councils of the world, at the UN, G20, G7/8 and elsewhere. Meles was also a tough man, in a tough place, ready to take difficult decisions.

On climate and environment and their relationship with development, he was visionary, determined and practical. Africa, for all its progress, remained poor and vulnerable to the vagaries of weather and climate.  It was Meles who, in the run up to the Copenhagen UNFCCC conference of December 2009, insisted on and obtained the promise of $100 billion per annum from developed to developing countries. He saw the deep inequities in the facts that the rich countries had become rich on high-carbon growth and the poor countries were hit earliest and hardest on climate change.

It was  Meles who argued for Africa “Carbon Credit”.  He saw, as with so many other things, that Africa and the developing countries should take their future development, and their environment, in their own hands.

It was Meles who proposed Ethiopia's Climate-Resilient Green Economic Strategy (CRGE): he had a vision of Ethiopia being both a middle-income country and carbon-neutral by the second half of the next decade, and had concrete plans for getting there. He saw how to contain Ethiopia's double-digit growth rate and de-carbonize at the same time. He saw how degraded land could be restored to great productivity and how forests could be preserved and enhanced by the work of, and in the interests of, local communities. His ideas on environment and development are still embedded in Ethiopia's plans for the future.

Meles’s commitment lifted millions of Ethiopians out of abject poverty and devoted himself to finding workable development policies. During his two-decade rule,  Ethiopia went from being a byword for starvation to a substantial food exporter. We, Ethiopians, love our late PM; we never forget your legacy; Ethiopian Renaissance will be inevitable!