''Those closer to the government have revealed that, had the May 2005 elections resulted in the defeat and ouster of PM Meles and the TPLF, the different ethnic groups would have been warned that the Amharas would make a comeback and reverse the ''gains'' achieved under the Meles regime. The EPRDF would then ask ethnic-based political parties under the EPRDF to evoke their right, as stipulated in the Constitutions Article 39, and seek the independence of their kilil. The Tigray region, which is highly militarized, would ensure the achievement of that goal by employing its full military force. It was unclear how the tigrayan people and others who consider themselves Ethiopian nationalists would have responded to this scenario. According to Tecola, the Ethiopian Military could have intervened to maintain the status quo. At the moment, ethnic politics have lost followers as it has not met the basic needs of Ethiopians. The TPLF-led government, however, has continued to play the ethnic card, its only means for staying in power. The ethnic-based conflicts that flare up in the different regions of the country are blamed on the TPLF. The colonial stratagem of divide and rule seems to be alive in Ethiopia's polity hindering the establishment of a strong, democratic, and united Ethiopia striving to improve the quality of life for its citizens and face the challenges of the 21st century.''
[Ethiopia and the United States: History, Diplomacy, and Analysis
By Getachew Metaferia, page 94]
