Ethiopia’s despot surrounds himself with more puppets

In a cabinet reshuffle that is announced today, Ethiopia’s khat-addicted dictator Meles Zenawi has replaced TPLF veterans Seyoum Mesfin and others with puppets like Hailemariam Desalegn (photo on the right). Dumber than a door knob, Hailemariam’s only qualification is the speed with which he wags his tail in front of Meles.

The new 21-member cabinet puppet galore looks as follows:

Abdulfeta Abdoulahi Hassen, Minister for Labor and Social Affairs
Abdurahman Sheik Ahmed, SPDP, Ministry of Trade
Alemayehu Tegenu, Ministry of Water and Energy
Amin Abdulkadir, Minister of Culture and Tourism
Bereket Simon, ANDM, Minister of Communications Affairs
DebreTsion GebreMariam, TPLF, Minister of Communications and Information Technology
Demeke Mekonen, ANDM, Minister of Education
Desse Dalke, Minister of Science and Technology
Diriba Kuma, Minister of Transport
Haile-Birhan, ANDM, Minister of Justice
Hailemariam Desalegn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Junedin Sado, OPDO, Minister of Civil Service
Melaku Fenta, Director of Revenue and Customs Authority
Mekuria Haile, Minister of Urban Development and Construction
Manyazewal Mekonnen, Minister of Industry (replacing Girma Biru)
Shiferaw TekleMariam, Minister of Federal Affairs
Sinknesh Ejigu, Minister of Mines
Siraj Fegeta, Minister of Defense
Suffian Ahmed, OPDO, Minister of Finance
Tewodros Adhanom, TPLF, Minister of Health
Zenebu Tadesse, Minister of Women, Youth and Children’s Affairs

The cabinet is a rubber-stamp body as is the parliament. The real power is in the hands of  the 9-member TPLF Meles politburo, that has instituted and is in charge of an ethnic apartheid system in Ethiopia.