Moving
Ahead for Development and Democracy
Editorial
Ethiopian Observer
Ethiopia,
after the horrible years of wars, conflicts, instability, mass
killings and starvations by the atrocious fascist rule of the
junta, has arisen like the mythical bird phoenix to step up the
developmental efforts and democratization processes. A country
that used to be devoid of any basic human rights has now enabled
the establishment of parties with vying programs and policies to
present to the electorate and win seats for the national
parliament. Therefore, a party
advocating violence as a means to seize state power has no support
from the Ethiopian populace.
Nobody,
except certain extremists,
accepts bloodletting, incendiarism, cataclysm or incitation to
sedition in order to change a government. The power of the people
has manifestly changed from armed insurgence against iniquitous
regimes to the use of the ballot box. This is a reality that we
are proud enough to affirm without being too obsequious towards
any person or any party. There are shortcomings in some aspects,
but they are to be and should be resolved through cogent arguments
and discussions. There are covertly and covertly actions taken by
the state bearing party. It is up to the other parties to show the
deficiency or efficacy of the policies and challenge or cooperate
for the benefit of the people. Changes in the Ethiopian context of
the complex socio-political or for that matter socio-economic
development are evolutionary.
To develop the above thesis, one only needs to compare the historical
background and nature of our society to those of developed
democracies. The democracy that all Ethiopians are striving to get
onboard and want transferred at once from those countries, has had
its history of many ups and downs. Not mentioning the racist and
inhuman acts these very same countries subjected the colonized
peoples of the world to, let us not forget the numerous
aberrations, reckless and shameful practices they went through
while exercising democracy. Even though the democratic institution
of the developed countries has been robust and unswerving, the
population is being engaged in the process (in some cases only
less than 40%) either by joining the parties or casting their
votes during the election intervals. Hot issues in regard to
legislations, economic policies, political orientations, etc, are
handled, argued, discussed, debated and presented on different
occasions. Democracy is not, has never been and never will be
static. It is based on the dynamic behavior of society to make use
of and promote changes for the common good of all.
In
Ethiopia, democracy is on its inchoative stage. All stakeholders
have the prime task of educating the ideals of democracy,
asserting the need for transparency, responsibility and
accountability, strengthening the rule of law and working together
to extricate the Ethiopian people from poverty, illiteracy,
diseases, etc. Although the majority of the opposition politicians
(ca 90%) have joined the national parliament, golden opportunities
were lost due to the intransigent behavior and nefarious acts of
some of the leaders of CUD and their mawkish followers in the
Diaspora. Their previous background, complacency, hubris and
contempt for the rule of law aside, these people have completely
misunderstood the ABC of democracy. First of all, a party without
the majority of seats in the Parliament, and a party that has not
joined the Parliament, cannot decide alone by declaring a set of
preconditions and points of discussions. Secondly, in any
democracy there are differing views and opinions of
supporters and opponents.
Ostracizing
people, dehumanizing them and creating hostilities that might have
resulted in genocide or civil wars, shows the vacuous and
senseless attempt of these ignoble men. Speeches filled with hate
and invectives against the ruling party, Ethiopian citizens with
defined nationalities, respected businessmen, Ethiopian
communities abroad, highly regarded artists and editors of private
newspapers with integrity, are not only preposterous but also
treasonous. The CUD party that was supposed to treat all
Ethiopians on the same footing suddenly started using coercive
extortive activities to make its will go through. In a democracy
tolerance and respect are the main lodestars for existence.
If
the prime motive was to kill two birds by one stone, then the
strategy of the chauvinists has failed and been completely
discredited. Those of our compatriots who died during the riots,
by heeding the calls from these irresponsible leaders to overthrow
the incumbent government by force, were the victims of such a
plan. Thanks to the concreted efforts of the Ethiopian people and
security forces, the mass killing á la interhamwe (Rwanda) was
averted. What these men of evil didn’t understand was that the
prime tenets of the Ethiopian people are hospitality and
tolerance. Their predecessor, the Derg had also tried once to
realize its pointless attempt of pogroms. Thirdly, while living in
opulence, some of them owning foreign accounts, bungalows and real
estates as well as paying huge sums in fees for their children to
attend the best schools in the West, are now and then urging and
lobbying donors to withhold aid money, humanitarian assistance and
debt cancellation to Ethiopia. Looking into the riches these
people and their followers in the Diaspora have, and comparing
them to what the deprived masses in the villages of Ethiopia have
got, it is very hard to see them as credible spokespersons for
those of our countrymen, who are in desperate need of urgent means
of survival. It is indeed an embarrassment to many of the citizens
of Western democracies to see these messengers of death in the
gates of many state departments volubly shouting and disrupting
the working activities in those democracies. They have really
become a menace and a nuisance to the authorities.
Lastly, the collaboration with Shaibya to destabilize Ethiopia shows how
these leaders; especially those residing abroad, are bent on
surrendering the territorial integrity of Ethiopia for power.
Think! Shaibya trying to liberate Ethiopia, exporting its
revolutionary system of governance and showing its complete
compassion for the Ethiopian people! Let the sapience of Shaibya
be kept within its territory of terrors and horrors. In order to
weaken Ethiopia, smuggled armaments and explosives from Eritrea
are sometimes used in the capital. We are often heartbroken by the
tragic outcomes of such atrocious maneuvers, and hope that the
perpetrators of such evil acts of terrorism are brought to justice
by the law enforcement bodies. Ethiopia needs peace and stability
in order to attract investors and tourists, and to spread faith
among its people.
Ethiopians have been talking and writing about the events after the May
2005 election. We think that it is high time for us to deviate
from such redundant issues without being entangled too much and
for too long. We cannot in eternity unless necessary pay due
attention to such issues. Let us instead move ahead, to dwell on
issues of paramount importance for the development of our country.
Ethiopia has
pressing needs of feeding, educating, supplying its people with medicine,
shelter, and all other amenities. Let us all pledge that our
Ethiopia will no longer be associated with famine and misery. We
clearly remember that during the May election, one newspaper from
a NIC (currently in revolt and chaos) was making fun of the fact
that destitute and illiterate people in one of the regions were to
elect their representatives. As if the voice of the poor does not
count. Ethiopia is and will remain on the path of democracy,
irrespective of whether the people are poor or rich, educated or
uneducated. Democracy is universal and lasting, existing not to
please some external force, but to fulfill the principal rights of
the people.
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