Is Intellectual prostitution to blame for a dysfunctional regime in Ethiopia?

“Learning without thought is labor lost. Thought without learning is intellectual death.” Confucius

by Teshome Debalke

The recent revelation the ruling regime in Ethiopia prints more diplomas than it produce educated leaders shouldn’t surprise anyone that understand the working of a dysfunctional system like Woyane.

The expose couldn’t have been possible without free Media like ESAT. In fact it would have been another crime buried like piles of crimes of the regime and its associates for the past 23 years and beyond.

Naturally, if there was a functioning regime in place most if not all current regime’s officials and their associates would end up in jail than roaming the streets — holding positions in government and institutions.

Likewise, the barrage of articles and speeches by unverifiable PHD holders on Medias would have seized to exist. Pseudo intellectuals that contaminated the public space would be identified and purged out of society to be jailed for perjury or thrown in trash bin of history. Medias that conspire to accommodate their rubbish would be rejected as trash collectors to irrelevancy.

It’s clear the public discourse is wrecked by the concerted effort of pseudo-intellectual prostitutes’ corrupt practices and debased Ethiopians dialogue to the bottom. Dispensing diploma as candies and perjuring the works of others ‘are some of the many things the dysfunctional regime does to reduce the public into a collection of zombies that take order or congregate to pick the pockets of the public.

Nevertheless, most real intellectuals are as guilty for slagging it out with their inferior counterparts — refusing to setup the institutions to safeguard professional standard and accountability. Medias that paste anything with PHD tag are the worst offenders of all. Failing to do the basics of journalism verification they further muddied the water and dilute the public space to the lowest denominator—degrading the real intellectuals’ integrity and leaving Ethiopians to sort it out or develop a perception that is skewed to the bottom.

The question remains; what is the value of unorganized Intellectual fret besides arousing public emotions and diverting attention from the important issues that requires institutionalized solutions?

The subject was a heated debate with a good friend with implacable integrity and insight rare in our contemporaries. Our conclusions boiled down to one thing and one thing only– the failure of our contemporary intellectuals to walk the walk and talk the talk to institutionalize professional integrity and conduct to free our beloved Ethiopia from the current dysfunctional regime’s stranglehold and the bondage of its unethical behavior.

It is true, in functioning regime professionals set the standards of institutional integrity for government to regulate and reinforce the laws, for civil society to advocate the right policies, Media to investigate and report violations and so on. Therefore, we agreed the key for a functioning system is professionals to institute integrity and accountability in all public institutions. .

In contrast, dysfunctional system as ours in its current state, there are no professionals with integrity to set the standards but to cover up violation of standards. There is no ‘government’ to regulate and enforce the laws but to violate. There are no civil societies to advocate the right policies but fronts to cover up the crimes of corruptions and atrocities. There are no Media to investigate and report but fronts to cover up violations for dysfunctional regime on and on.

Therefore, we agreed the absence of instituting the standard of intellectual integrity is what keet the dysfunctional system going.

Given that reality, one would expect the intellectual debate in the diaspora ( the safe haven of the free world) would be not only what the dysfunctional regime does but how to institutionalize professional integrity to bring about a functioning system.

In that regard, we agreed political parties, professional institutions, civil society, Medias… led by intellectuals with integrity must lead to bring about a functioning system that ended our debate; leaving who should be the responsible party for the next debate.

A few weeks later we picked up the debate where we left off. The first question out of my friend’s mouth was where are our intellectuals with integrity? Having difficulty to answer his high pitched question I responded with a question; where do you find them in functioning systems?

Once again, we went through several functioning systems in search of finding an answer. This debate didn’t take long to identify the intellectual as a group and the institutions they run or ought to run. In short, we came to an agreement the entire woes of 90 million of our people depended on relatively few of our contemporary intellectual elites causing havoc in their actions and inactions. We even named several and cursed and praised one after the other and divided them in four camps.

In the first camp are intellectuals that champion the dysfunctional system and defend it tooth-and-nail for one reason or another. This group tagging along with the regime we thought to be the worst offenders. In the second camp are intellectuals that accept the dysfunctional system as is with little tweaking to their liking is good enough to join. We label the two camps as ‘intellectual prostitutes with no professional integrity whatsoever to bring about a functioning system.

In the third camp are intellectuals with integrity that oppose the dysfunctional system in public and demand a complete transformation tobring about a functioning system. We agreed they are the only intellectuals that made their case in public with verifiable credential and transparency to bring about a functioning system and labeled them integrity champions.

And, in the fourth camp are the silent intellectuals– chitchatting behind closed doors. We agreed to label them intellectual cowards for failing to defend professional integrity from their vulture peers. We even munched them more than their prostitute peers for abandoning their peers and their indifference.

Though there are many distinction within each camp, the labeling was only for the purpose of identifying the obstacles to bring about a functioning system Therefore, we agreed the intellectuals in the two camps that champion for existing dysfunctional system as the primary problem — prostituting their professional integrity for cheap. At the meantime, we agreed the intellectual cowards have no use one way or another for the simple fact they know right from wrong but not willing to defend it for one reason or another.

Therefore, our debate zeroed-in on integrity champions as the only group that would bring about a functioning system and save us from our predicaments.

We talked about distinguished public intellectuals at home and in the Diaspora eloquently articulating the dysfunctional system. We talked about those that run institutions and others that operate alone. We argued over the pro and con of operating alone verses under institutions to bring about a function system. We argued the role the Media plays to identify who-is-who and introduce them to the public and provide them Forums. We even jumped into who-is-who in the Media and cursed or praised one after the other.

Among our public intellectuals that repeatedly came on our debate were Eskider Nega, Prof. Mesfin W. Mariam and Prof. Al Mariam. We concurred no one came close than Prof Al dissecting the dysfunctional system of Woyane and its short comings. In fact, we agreed he single handedly set the standard of what is wrong with the dysfunctional system of Woyane from every angle. We talked how he would have been more effective if he operated under an institution and encourage others to do the same.

We talk about other intellectuals that operate under institutions and a dozen came in mind. We agreed the most effective that earned recognition and respect from the public earned barrage of terrorism charges, assassination attempts, and imprisonment… from the dysfunctional regime. We praised some and cursed others why…they did…should have done…could do to bring about…

The ESAT Factor

We talked about the intellectuals that established Ethiopian Satellite Television-Radio setting the standard of public media institution towards the functioning system. We agreed it is a pioneering model for others to follow in many areas of Free Press advocacy, capacity building, research and general Media support that need attention.

For example, Free Media advocacy group like Global Voice or Media Institute of South Africa or Media Foundation for West Africa can benefit independent Medias, journalists and the free press in general by setting the standard of professionalism in the Media.

The Ginbot 7 Factor

We talked about the intellectuals that established Ginbot 7 Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy setting the standard of democratic movement towards a functioning system. We agreed it is a pioneering model for others to follow in other areas of democracy advocacy, capacity building, research and general democratic support that needs attention.

For Example, democracy advocacy institutions like Ghana Center for Democratic Development or African Democratic Institute that benefited democracy movements by setting the standards in their respective roles.

SMNE Factor

We talked about the intellectuals that established Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia (SMNE) setting the standard onhuman rights advocacy and accountability towards the functioning system. We agreed it is a pioneering model for others to follow in other areas that need attention.

For example, advocacy support institutions like CorpWatch or Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales of Argentina can benefit independent advocacy groups in their respective role by setting the standards.

The three institutions above along a dozen we talked about earned the respects of Ethiopians and rewarded by terrorism charges by the dysfunctional regime. We thought doing their job right that frightened the regime hell-bent to sustain its dysfunctional rule is what eared them the honor.

As our debate went on, we came to the understanding and agreed the role of intellectual integrity is the one thing that the struggle can’t afford to overlook in order to bring about a functioning system.

Therefore, we decided to lobby responsible individuals and institutions particularly independent Medias to consider intellectual and institutional integrity programs to clean up the dysfunctional regime brought about on our people and country.

Can Ethiopians afford to seat idle when intellectuals prostitute their professional integrity and undermine others at the expenses of our people?

The campaigns to rid of intellectual prostitutions in every public and private institutions must began.

This article is dedicated to the intellectuals in the prisons of Woyane. Ethiopian Students would better off if they spend their days in the prisons of Ethiopia than universities infested with pseudo-intellectual prostitutes.