Professor Asrat Woldeyes Memorial day Observed in Los Angeles

         A group observed the 17th anniversary of the Martyrdom of the renowned Physician and Political Leader Professor Asrat Woldeyes in Los Angeles California on Sunday, May 15, 2016.
         In a candle vigil ceremony held at Little Ethiopia Restaurant, attendants remembered the Martyr in a moment of silence. Ato Zenebe Tamirat former Central Committee Member of the All Amhara Peoples Organization read, the life history of the Professor. He also highlighted the Professor's works as a leader of Political Unity and Stability. AAPO that latter was converted to All Ethiopian Peoples’ Party is inactive now. Ato Zenebe declared that followers of the leadership of Professor Asrat observed the 17th anniversary of the martyr with deep sorrow and regret because they failed to follow up his direction. This failure to follow the wise man’s path to freedom ended up in allowing the TPLF defunct the party, divide the leaders and disperse its members. The transformation from AAPO to AEUP should have taken place in a safer way sustaining the existence of the former as a satellite to the latter. The Duo then could have performed miraculously.  “This idea had not come to my mind until the destruction took place and I regret to be a part of the obstruction supporting the transformation during the formation of AEUP.” He said.  The professor had instructed to keep the Candle burning throughout the struggle. Participants expressed their concern about the continuous suppression of the rights of the Amhara to live in any part of Ethiopia.  They stressed the need to reinforce AAPO as a voice to the people of Amhara, who are suffering a massive blow from the camps of pro-TPLF.
    Professor Asrat was born on June 20, 1928, in Addis Ababa. In 1935 when he was only seven, fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia hampering his schooling which had only started a few months ago merely to complete the traditional Ethiopian church school, identifying the Amharic alphabets and reading the Psalm.  He was ready to enter the Lingua Franco elementary school when the invasion took place.
    The invasion was a calamity to the rising nation in general but extremely terrible to the rising young Asrat in particular. Mess after mess tumbled upon his family following the disastrous invasion. His father was sacrificed in the Yekatit genocide, in which the Fascist forces, “Camicia Nero” massacred thousands at Addis Ababa burning houses and chopping heads with shovels. His grandfather was captured and taken as captive to Italy, and his mother died of the trauma that fell upon her family.
Young Asrat was left behind without parents and distant relatives in Diredawa had to take care of him discontinuing his lessons. After three years, victory was achieved. Asrat’s grandpa was released through WP exchange and came back home.  He immediately brought young Asrat to Addis Ababa and managed to register him as a student at Teferi Makonnen Elementary School, the second best in the nation. Brilliant Asrat was never second in completing his elementary school. He was then granted a scholarship to Alexandria, Egypt to continue a high school education. Upon successfully completing the secondary school education at Alexandria and passing the College Entrance Examination with distinction, he entered the University of Edinburg in Scotland, Great Britain with a full scholarship. He studied Medicine here for six years and graduated with an MD degree. Dr. Asrat couldn’t wait coming back home to serve but had one more year to work on his residency in a hospital.
Upon completion of his residency, youth Asrat, rushed back home to act as the first Medical Doctor trained with modern practices after the second World War. During that time, Ethiopia seriously needed medical professionals, and Asrat arrived to serve at a time of extreme need. Thus, a son in need is a son indeed. After serving for five years as a physician, Asrat again went back to England for specialization in surgery. He satisfactorily managed to become a surgeon completing the work at Edinburg and Royal Collages.  Returning to his beloved country immediately, Dr. Asrat continued serving as a surgeon for thirty years at Princesses Tsehay and Tiqur Anbessa Hospitals. He helped found the Addis Ababa University Medical School, which was formerly housed at the Tiqur Anbessa Hospital compound and later transferred to Sidist Killo Campus of the Addis Ababa University and became its first dean. Earlier, he was appointed a private physician to the Emperor and the royal family. At the University where lecturers were always in short Asrat had to shoulder both the administrative and teaching burdens. He was not bored nor tired rather he was fiercely working day and night as a bulldozer merely to delight at the graduation ceremony where he used to gather his products.  He was serious and with no smile at the operation theater, profound and genius in the classroom and cheerful at the result he scores at the end of the day, the week and the year.
In 1974, a disastrous Military Government took power in Ethiopia that killed the Emperor Haile Selassie and his Cabinet Ministers, including the Prime Minister Aklilu Habtewold, who diligently served his country, the royal family, and other public servants without the due process of law.  Eritrean Secessionists pushed forward threatening to secede. In the meantime, Somalia declared war on Ethiopia with a thought that this was the best time to invade a weakened and divided nation.  Asrat was in a desperate problem unable to decide on what to do. He did not like the Military Junta, but the nation had to survive from external invasion and internal aggression. Be it as it was, lives had to be saved as well. So, he had to go the war front and save lives. Treating equally all parties that fought, he gave his services diligently and with excellent performances. He was awarded medals for his services.
In 1992, the Military Government lost power to the Tigray Liberation Front (TPLF) that invited certain individuals and the Addis Ababa University Scholars to join it at a conference in June 1992, form a transitional Government and secede Eritrea.   Asrat participated representing the University Scholars merely and solely to object the secession of Eritrea arguing the conference has no constitutional power to decide on the national issue as no parliamentary representatives served the people of Ethiopia nor there existed a permanently functioning Ethiopian Government at that point.  The conference passed the resolution for Eritrean secession with all votes but Asrat’s.  Asrat then resigned in spite of the TPLF insistence for him to continue.
In 1993 along with a nationalist group, he formed the All Amhara Peoples’ Organization (AAPO) through which he gallantly fought for national unity and stability. He vehemently objected TPLF’s policy of secession, ethnic division and vandalism through an endowment to Tigray. He raised his voice for the protection of the people of Ethiopia in general and to stop the killings of the Amhara in particular. He exposed the danger of “State Land Tenure and "Lease” that the TPLF planned to impose to all parts of Ethiopia except Tigray. Mobilizing the Amhara all over the nation, he campaigned to settle those Amharas that were evacuated from Arsi and left homeless on the streets of Nazareth.
The TPLF did not like Asrat’s movement for national unity. It advocated ethnic based federalism favoring Tigray to benefit at the expenses of other groups. Asrat’s voice, on the contrary, agitated the people of Ethiopia to rise against the policies of the TPLF. Fearing that this will be a threat to the application of divisive ethnicity and economic blunder that it contained in its plan the TPLF arrested Asrat on counts of some untrue crimes. Asrat almost died to languish in the sanitary lacking cells of the Addis Ababa Jail, but officially allowed to seek medication in the United States at his death bed. He died at a Hospital in the United States as the physicians couldn’t help because it was too late. The TPLF was sure it was indeed too late but thinks that it won’t be responsible for making it too late. Time and God only know when the investigation will take place for the killing of the vast son of Ethiopia, Professor Asrat Woldeyes. Time and God also find out when the children of Amhara will rise their arms in search of justice to the killing of their beloved leader.