Coups d’etat engineered by crafty colonels with a self-righteous glow about them are rapidly going out of fashion. In Ethiopia Crown Prince Merid Azmach Asfa Wassen has given a new line to the old art of coup by rising up in the arms against his own father Emperor Haile Selassie, the Lion of Judah. The Crown Prince’s broadcast message to his people, however, contains many old fashioned sentiments. His declared aim is to rid the country of “3000 years of injustice.” The Crown Prince claims to have the support of “myself, the armed forces, educated youngsters and the whole people of Ethiopia.” In spite of all the revolutionary appeal the speech has, it would appear that the coup has not won the approval of the province of Eritrea and Harar, borne out by the confidence with which Emperor Haile Selassie is on his way home, presumably to take up the challenge to his authority. And one may fairly expect an outbreak of a war between the usurping son and his father. In the absence of any clue to the popular support the rivals can muster, the outcome of a possible manoeuvre for power is anybody’s guess. Understandably, therefore, foreign capitals responded to this coup somewhat cautiously when the Crown Prince sounded some of them for immediate recognition. Whatever the final outcome of the impending tussle for power, the Crown Prince’s coup serves to highlight some of the drawbacks in the relatively backward countries of Africa. From his speech it is obvious that Ethiopia is not exactly a democracy although as far back as 1931 Emperor Haile Selassie introduced the trappings of a democracy with a nominated parliament, a hand – picked judiciary and a constitution. The Emperor called himself a constitutional monarch; but for all practical purposes he ruled instead of reigning. Thus there was a genuine need for reform, if not for a coup. But it is an open question whether the Crown Prince has made this an excuse to succeed the father with whom he has not been on speaking terms for quite some time. Whatever it is, one only hopes that the father and son will not plunge Ethiopia in a civil war it can scarcely afford. It is too early to say whether the Crown Prince’s coup has been completely successful or not. Nor can one hazard any statement at this stage whether it is the crown prince who is behind the coup or the Palace Guard Chief. One thing is obvious: that this is one ‘upheaval’ which has been purely an internal process with no interference from outside. It should remain so.
17th December 1960.
