|
|
On Sheik Al Maudi - Enough is EnoughBy: Ghelawdewos Araia & Daniel Gizaw Late in the 1980s, one valiant man who believed in the motherland and the ultimate greatness of his people brought all his capital to an impoverished nation at the risk of losing it all. When Sheik Al Moudi started venturing his ambitious investments in Ethiopia, what was prevalent at the time was the political and economic disintegration of the country and not its prosperity. The crisis was so steep and scary both in the social and economic stages that the doddering political condition was unable to fix the problem. Men and women, young and old alike fled the country, taking with them every precious possession they had. Ethiopia was an unlivable hell. Nearly one million people had left the country at the time abandoning every hope in the recovery and well being of their motherland. Not a single soul had an optimistic outlook; the disaster was then a bona fide catastrophe. Even the astute European investors stayed away from the Horn of Africa, deeming the region an outright disaster spot. One, who naively risked his money was met with cynicism and derided as a rake. Sheik Al Moudi was, of course, the beneficiary of such ridicule, but this unwavering scion of the Wollan nobility, didn't blink. Yes, he was severely scored by his business friends and associates to even flirt with the notion of moving his capital to Ethiopia, a land synonymous with famine and civil war. But Sheik Al Moudi was sangfroid. The sanctimonious clamor heard at the time didn't break him into pieces. He knew from the very start that his ventures were risky. He also knew that he could have moved his enormous capital to the United States where real estate business at the time was booming. Japanese entrepreneurs and real estate giants who came in droves to investor friendly cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles were having a great bonanza. America made millionaires overnight. Donald Trump and Donald Bren, real estate tycoons, were moving in to the billionaires club. Arab sheiks and sultans caught on quickly on the real estate rush and invested aggressively. They too made bundles. But Mr. Al Moudi moved to his birthplace, Ethiopia, knowing too well that he could be penniless overnight, or at best may never see a profit in his lifetime. It's a big gamble. And now ask: Was his motivation obfuscated? Was this man blind? Was he naively optimistic? One must really be obfuscated to advance into a nation where even the few entrepreneurs left behind grappled with excruciatingly painful red tapes to get started. For any investor, Africa was a nightmare then as it is today. A 2004 World Bank report on corruption noted that endemic bribery is a trillion-dollar industry, causing far more wealth to flow from poor countries to rich countries than the poor countries receive in foreign aid. One also must be blind to march into a politically volatile country where what you had yesterday may not be yours by tomorrow. And one, of course, must be self-destructively Pollyannaish to dream of opulence and profit in the midst of a pertinacious turmoil. However, Sheik Al Moudi, although exhausted by derision, however, didn't retreat from his goal. The moral and intellectual bankruptcy of the politicians of the time didn't deter him from dreaming high. Although, as investor his profit motive was justified, his altruistic commitment to Ethiopia outshined his pecuniary gain. When this man brought his immense wealth to his motherland to create jobs for the multitudes of Ethiopians, what he found was a disaster. But he wanted to bring hope. He wanted to infuse dreams. He wanted to cultivate inspiration. He was a beacon of hope that the country so desperately needed, actually becoming the only bright spot in the nations dim outlook. Faced with a broad array of threats: civil violence, terrorism, poverty and infectious diseases, Ethiopia, with its long history of corruption, was in its moribund state. Yet, the Sheik said: "I am going in!" Go in, he did. He didn't throttle. He didn't hesitate. He didn't yawn. His men went to work with full force, building manufacturing firms, housings, office buildings, etc. He ventured in hospitality business and hired thousands and thousands of Ethiopians in many of his enterprises. His hiring policies didn't exclude anyone because of ones tribal affiliation or religious background. He also generously donated large sums to worthy causes. Educational institutions, humanitarian groups and entertainment personalities were all the recipients of his largess. Where help was needed, he offered. Sheik Al Moudi's advent in the Ethiopian social and economic landscape in the 90s, created also an elixir to the slowly dying moral of the country as well. He came in with gusto. He mounted the lead horse and shouted: "Ethiopia Hagere!" That's a big statement and a propelling engine. Dubbed as a gusty adventurer, his close friends and his inner-circle associates were the only ones certain about his drive. Then, his Ethiopian ventures started to yield promise. Quickly he was able to transfer his Middle-Eastern experience and magic to an Ethiopian success story. His enterprises became vital in combating the stifling unemployment. Thousands of skilled and unskilled workers found jobs in his establishments, making him the single largest employer next to the government. His ideas of creating jobs to his countrymen proved the axiom that nothing has more vitality than an idea whose time has come. He's also a bit of a maverick. As a secular Muslim, he believed in the right of women (about 40% of his workforces are women), knowing to well that women are critical to the economic development in an active civil society. He defied the age-old fundamentalists' clamor to hire only Muslims and males. He went on to be different and challenged the execrable divisiveness of the country by being a virtuous paradigm. Christians, Muslims, Amharas, Tigriyans, Oromos, Gurages and all kinds of people from various ethnic groups found employment in his companies and got along royally. Not only in the areas of the economy, but the difference became evident in the morale of the Ethiopians, who at last believed, that there's the light at the end of the tunnel. And now the Big Question: As demonstrated recently by some individuals (and we underscore the word individuals), denigrating him as if he is the worst criminal and traitor because of his political standings – Is that fair? The true meaning of democracy is the liberty of every individual to exercise his/her right. It would be a major hypocrisy for any individual or for a political party to call for democracy and yet disapprove the right of those who didn't join their camps. If the first sign of discontent by political parties is on the voters' choice of party affiliation instead of calling for political reforms, then victory will be illusory.Let's be objective here. It's not unusual and uncommon for business people who have tremendous influence on society lending their support for political parties of their choice. Rockefeller, before he submerged into politics himself was an ardent supporter of the Republican Party. Ross Perot was a lifelong democrat before he formed the Reform Party. Sheik Al Moudi is therefore within his constitutional right to back any party he deemed right for him. Speaking from a political and moral standpoint it's a cardinal sin to lambaste this giant of a man for a crime uncommitted. This doesn't mean that Mr. Al Moudi is a demi-god and beyond reproach. If his action, as a public figure, is morally and legally reprehensible, yes, society has every right to question him. One of the most familiar marks of pseudo-intellectualism is to draw conclusions based on categorical assumptions. Sheik Al Moudi's support to the ruling party shouldn't draw categorical assumptions, especially one that lead to resentment and rancor. Name calling, slandering and malicious attacks are unnecessary and unwarranted. In the acid words of one naïve youth, who was perhaps coached repeatedly, the Sheik suddenly became an "agent of the Arabs." Professional politicians and men of dignity do not retreat to barbaric aspersion. They don't whine. They don't sulk and they don't blame. What they do is: return to the drawing table and chart, in this case, a new plan as to how to woo an important person like Sheik Al Moudi. This will save them being accused of malice, vanity and spite. The verbal lynching of Sheik Al Moudi, therefore, is downright abominable and must be stopped. At last, we like to make it clear that this article is written on behalf of political pluralism, on behalf of democracy and on behalf of the voice of the individual. Let it be clear that we have no personal relationship with the Sheik; we never met him – we are only defending him as a matter of principle. ------------------------ / ------------------------ About the authors
|