I know more now than I did in the past about the process of democratization. I know more about the pitfalls.

I think I have more patience now than I did in the past.

We have our own script. We have our own calendar. We represent the greatness of Africa's past. We also represent the worst of Africa's present, in terms of poverty. It is the best and the worst of African reality.

I can't re-examine work I did in the past with pride.

Over the years, I've come to recognize that democratization in Ethiopia is not just a matter of choice. It's a matter of national survival. I am deeply convinced that we either democratize and have a good chance of surviving, or if we fail to do so, we disintegrate.

All the things that are in the past are in the past.