April 11, 2018
The BBC Hard Talk host Stephen Sackur recent interview with the Ethiopian Patriotic-Ginbot 7 Movement’s Public Relation Head Nemin Zeleke is a tragedy for the old good BBC brand that once pride itself as Free Press.
How it turned out to overlook Sackur interview like the ruling regime of Ethiopia controlled Media outlet EBC’s reporters to defend the rogue minority ethnic apartheid party armed and unleashed on the people of Ethiopia with the help of the same British government that fund it is a million-dollar question for an autonomous government agency. The Hard Talk host also disgraces the very profession of journalism — failing to follow the basic standard of inquiry opting for PR stunt on behalf of a rouge ethnic apartheid regime of Ethiopia.
Quite honestly, Stephen Sackur interview sounded more like a script from Abiy Berhane, the ruling ethnic minority party — the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) operatives that pose as the Government spokesperson out of the Ethiopian Embassy locate in London. Interestingly, Abiy Berhane in 2015 BBC Focus on Africa report referring the Human Right Watch findings on the Addis Ababa regime’s atrocities skillfully refuted sounding more like Stephen Sackur’ interview. A Coincidence?
Sackur background reviles, he is no fresh journalist out of school but, well-seasoned to know what he is doing. But, yet he pretended not to know much when it comes to the regime in Addis Ababa for undisclosed reasons. After all, who, let alone a prominent BBC journalist defends an minority ethnic apartheid regime anywhere in the 21st century let alone claim it is stable?
Strangely, in his own words he said; “a good interview starts with exhaustive research and ends with intense exchange that can be a revelation”. But, nowhere in the interview with Nemin Zelke he applied his ‘exhaustive research’ `regarding Patriotic-Ginbot 7 Movement nor what brought the appointment of the new Prime Minster by the ruling collusion EPRDF ethnic apartheid regime of Ethiopia dominated by the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), a minority ethnic party.
If he did ‘exhaustive research’ as he led the world to believe, he wouldn’t blurb TPLF’s talking point like – “Abay Ahimd is the first Oromo Prime Minster” or Patriotic-Ginbot 7 is a ‘terrorist organization’ or the nation under the second State of Emergency of a 27 years-old regime is ‘peaceful and stable’ so on, contrary to the reality. Nor, he fails to explain; how an ethnic apartheid regime dominated by a minority ethnic party will bring peace and stability in the country.
BBC Hard Talk host should have also known better, London is the Western Headquarter of the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) since the early 80s where most of the then armed secessionist insurgency leaders with their charity wings of Tigray Development Association and Tigray Relief Society (REST) based in London where they channel foreign aid to finance their then Marxist-Leninist League of Tigray armed struggle before they came to power in 1991 with the help of the British and US governments as well as Arabs led by Egypt.
The de facto minority ethnic ruling apartheid party (TPLF) Federal Ethiopia at present also runs most of the major economic activities in the nation through its corporate wing EFFORT that was established in 1995 and has a complete control of public institutions and resources, including, the Media establishments, the security and military apparatus as well as the nation’s public lands that remain under the Federal government.
To make matter worst, the UK government is the main supporter and supplier of intelligence and military as well as investment and economic aid during its arm struggle days as well as after it took power from the Military regime in 1991.
Yet, BBC Hard Talk host Stephen Sackur gone beyond the call of journalistic duty to ignore all the crimes of corruption an atrocities of the self-declared minority ethnic party led apartheid regime known to the world and blame Patriotic-Ginbot Seven, the most popular national political movement in Ethiopia since the Collation of Democratic Unity (CDU) that won the 2005 stolen Election.
Sackur went even further to accused Patriotic-Ginbot 7 Movement as ‘a terrorist organization’ — mimicking the ruling ethnic minority party TPLF as told by TPLF operatives out of the Embassy of Ethiopia in London led by Abiy Berhane that feeds Western journalists daily dose of propaganda posed as diplomats.
London is also known to be the money laundering center for the ruling TPLF party leaders where several of their business and investment holding as well as charities are conveniently located.
With all the facts easily accessible on his fingertips as a journalist, the BBC Hard Talk host choice to use his skills to be a mouthpiece for the ruling minority apartheid party of Ethiopia and lost his credibility in a few minutes into the interview with Nemin Zelke. Moreover, he also sounded to speak like the Former PM Tony Blair, a stanch supporter of the minority ethnic apartheid regime than a BBC reporter that should get his independent facts straight.
To larger point, Western journalists in general are increasingly abandoning the profession willing to sell their profession and integrity for the highest bidder as PR persons. The BBC Hard Talk host’s display of willful ignorance not only showed he is compromised beyond repair but, he is confident enough there would be no consequence for his sorry behavior in the higherups of the BBC organization nor independent Media watchdogs — a sign the Free Press is increasingly disappearing in the West joining the rest of nations under authoritarian goverments.
But, there is more than lack of journalism integrity and professional ethics in the Hard Talk host’s questions to the leader of the united and democratic Patriotic-Ginbot 7 movement most feared by the ruling minority apartheid ethnic regime. That is, his unquestioning endorsement of ethnic apartheid rule led by a minority ethnic party of Ethiopia – reminiscent of the old South Africa minority apartheid regime. Had the host is a British government official with official policy of endorsing the ethnic apartheid regime of Ethiopia it is one thing but, for a BBC reporter that claim to work for a Free Press is all together another alarming issue. Moreover, the host insisting; there is peace and stability in Ethiopia under an ethnic apartheid regime and blaming a national democratic Patriotic- Ginbot 7 Movement for the instability is unprecedented for any independent let alone BBC journalist
As the people of Ethiopia struggle to end minority ethnic apartheid rule continue, BBC Hard Talk host endorsing ethnic apartheid on the people of Ethiopia in the last hour over a national democratic movement says more about the impunity of British Media elites – a mindset that hasn’t evolve from the 19th century’s colonial thinking. After all, not long ago, the same elites were labeling the African National Congress terrorist organization and its leader Nelson Mandela as a terrorist mimicking the South African minority apartheid regime as Stephen Sackur of Hard Talk did to Patriotic-Ginbot 7 Movement mimicking the ethnic minority Ethiopian regime.
Is there any wonder why Ethiopians are under TPLF minority ethnic apartheid rule when the supposedly Free Press BBC reporter glamorize apartheid rule against the will of the people and the sensibility of people around the world in the 21st century?
The British Colonial Empire may be officially over but, its residue lives on throughout the world as reflected by Stephen Sackur’s rant — ethnic apartheid is a good thing at the expenses of the people of Ethiopia. Good riddance the world can do without him.
The article is dedicated for Patriotic-Ginbot 7 Movement PR Chairman Nemin Zelke for teaching Stephen Sackur of BBC Hard Talk Ethiopian’s humility to come down from his high horse to confess his lost-love for the old apartheid Africa he expressed through the minority ethnic apartheid regime of Ethiopia.
