There has been a dramatic and swift shift in the political and diplomatic processes within and outside Ethiopia. These shifts are a consequence of the sustained and tireless efforts of the Ethiopian people for peace, national reconciliation, dialogue, multi-party democracy and the rule of law. They offer an unprecedented window of opportunity for democratic and Pan-Ethiopian forces to exploit in a strategic, artful, systematic, unified, inclusive and constructive ways. The time for this to happen is not tomorrow, but today.
Sustaining the democratization process within
Internally, the Ethiopian people, especially today’s young generation of Ethiopians that has a huge stake in the future of their country, have proven their determination and resiliency in supporting and sustaining the democratization process. They have done and continue to do this despite the massive and persistent repression and human rights violations characterizing the current regime in Ethiopia. They have done and continue to push the democratization process to a higher level despite the fact that the entire leadership of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (CUD/P), the most popular and representative Party has been jailed and silenced. By jailing the leadership, the regime believed that the thirst for unity and democracy will be squashed. Instead, the regime has energized the Ethiopian people more than ever in the country’s long history.
The leaders and others in jail and those killed, persecuted, forced to flee their home land for the causes of peace, national unity, social and economic development, dignity, democracy and the rule of law represent the best of Ethiopian society. They are heroes and heroines that future generations will cherish and remember with admiration and respect. They represent the best in each and every one of us. They represent future of hope, national reconciliation, peace, prosperity, good governance, inclusion and a new world that will unleash the creative potential of all of the Ethiopian people.
The Ethiopian people continue to push the democratization forward despite the deaths of many innocent women, children, men and youth, and despite the imprisonment and torture of thousands. The Ethiopian people continue to carryout the struggle for sustained democratic change by closing their ranks, and by demystifying the most callous, cynical, divisive and tragic political architecture of the current regime. Simply put, the regime’s political, social, cultural and economic architecture is based on theory of antagonism and irreconcilable differences among Ethiopia’s mosaic of nationalities. In a world that is increasingly interdependent, the regime pursues rather artfully a theory that resembles the old colonial design of “divide and rule” and the historically bankrupt system of “apartheid “that devastated South Africa for many generations.
The Ethiopian people have demonstrated this artificial and politically driven political architecture is a barrier to their social, economic, cultural and political development. . Since the May 15, 2005 Elections, the Ethiopian people have demonstrated their civil and well established culture of mutual tolerance, respect and acceptance of their neighbors, co-workers, class mates. In short, they place greater weight to the future rather than the immediate. The regime puts a premium on power and hegemony now. By doing this, it sacrifices the future needs and aspirations of all of the Ethiopian people.
The regime claimed that Ethiopia will that will fracture. It shamelessly claimed that the Ethiopian people will resort to civil violence and to “ethnic genocide” similar to Rwanda. The Ethiopian people have demonstrated their determination to live in peace with one another. Their struggle continues to be to create a political, economic, social, cultural and religious space for all Ethiopians.
In other words, the Ethiopian people have taken the democratic struggle to the next and higher level and those of us who believe in their cause have a moral obligation to work in unison. The Ethiopian people and their principled leaders have shown a determination to build an all inclusive, unified, prosperous and democratic Ethiopia that transcends ethnicity and ethnic dominance. This is the Ethiopia that the current regime fears more than any thing else. This is because of the fact that an all inclusive and democratic Ethiopia is anathema to the ideological and political principle of divide and rule, the pillar upon which the current regime is built.
In this internal struggle for sustaining democratic change and for establishing the foundation for future prosperity, Ethiopians of all walks of life throughout the world….those in the Diaspora—have become catalysts of constructive engagement and support. From New Zealand/Australia, to Europe, from Sub-Saharan Africa to Central Asia, from the Middle East to North America, Ethiopians have been galvanized and energized more than ever before in the country’s history. It will be hard to imagine that this energy and commitment will cease until the Ethiopian people transform the “spirit of the May 15, 2005 Elections into reality.
In summary, the May 15, 2005 Elections have become a rallying or motive force for unifying the Ethiopian people for the purpose of building a new, all inclusive, prosperous and democratic Ethiopia. This catalytic and unifying paradigm shift and force cannot and will not be reversed. Late, but for sure, the global community has begun to notice this irreversible trend and momentum to usher in a better Ethiopia for all.
A favorable international response
Today, the international community….especially the donor community— on which the current regime relies heavily for financial, material, diplomatic and logistics support has begun to appreciate and realize the determination of the Ethiopian people to build a democratic and prosperous Ethiopia. It has begun to appreciate and recognize the current regime’s “state of siege mentality” and intransigence. It has begun to recognize the futility of reasoning with a political leadership that has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo ante. It has begun to realize that peace, stability, poverty alleviation and sustained development in Ethiopia will be virtually impossible without good governance, accountability of public officials to the governed, fair and equitable distribution of development efforts so that all Ethiopians become participants of the process. The international community has begun to appreciate the fact that the Ethiopian people want to be engaged in making political, economic and financial decisions that affect them and their society. They have begun to appreciate and recognize the enormous potential that exists in the country; and the barriers the Ethiopian people face.
The European Union’s Final Report on the Elections pinpointed and highlighted the enthusiasm of the Ethiopian people for a fair, transparent and objective election process. The report identified the failures and the pitfalls emanating from the regime’s fear of accepting the verdict of 77 million Ethiopians. What is critical to note is the denial and refusal by the current regime to accept the voices and verdict of the Ethiopian people. In doing this, the regime demonstrated to the global community that democracy and the rule of law are to be feared and not honored.
A few months ago, one of the most important donor agencies invited members of the Diaspora for a dialogue concerning development efforts and constraints in Ethiopia. This unprecedented dialogue with Ethiopian intellectuals, business men and women unequivocally confirmed the marriage or linkage between political dominance and economic and financial dominance in Ethiopia. The forum identified lack of good governance, official accountability, civic engagement and the rule of law as fundamental constraints in tackling endemic poverty in Ethiopia.
The fact that such a forum even took place is by itself a tribute to the democratic struggle in our country. The fact that the assessments of independent Ethiopian intellectuals and political leaders were sought and favorably received suggests that there is a shift in international circles, especially among donors.
Most recently, the donor community appears to have arrived at a consensus that good governance, the rule of law, public official accountability for results, independent and civic oriented oversight etc, are fundamental for Ethiopia’s development. Accordingly, the donor community’s relations with the current regime have deteriorated to the point that meaningful dialogue on future support is severely strained
Despite these efforts, the donor community has not yet shown a consistent, firm and bold determination and public stand in its relations with the current Government. At play is national interest that ultimately drives the relations of donor countries with Ethiopia. .
On the diplomatic front, Ms. Vicky Huddleston, the top US Diplomat in Ethiopia, gave an accurate assessment when she said, “….We feel that, in the end, their release (meaning the leaders of the CUD/P and others) is absolutely necessary to a reconciliation process” in Ethiopia. Her statement would not have been made without a signal from top officials of the Government of the United States.
Congressman Smith’s heroic and bold move to legislate a legal provision to cease United States military, economic, technical and other assistance to the current regime is a major development on this side of the Atlantic. This initiative brings the position of the United States closer to that of the European Union. The possibility for strengthening the link among donor and diplomatic agencies on both sides of the Atlantic is greater now than ever before. The art of leadership from all of us is to exploit this window as an opportunity in support of the democratization process in our country.
The World Bank – the largest and most significant development institution and a key player in Ethiopia, has been reviewing its interim program to the country. According to major sources and statements from the Bank, it is no longer conducting “business as usual. For the first time, it has begun to apply more emphasis on governance, independent oversight, including civil society participation in such oversight, accountability, public engagement and scrutiny in all its activities in Ethiopia. These efforts are, however, questionable given the lead role of the current government in framing any instrument for oversight at any level. The contention of the Bank’s representative in Ethiopia that members of the Opposition have been or are being consulted on future lending is not credible. The most vigorous and independent political party and its leadership have been silenced, with the leaders still in jail.
Ethiopians in the diaspora must be vigilant and pressure the international community—especially the donor community on which the current regime depends—to take a bold and firm position with the current government. For this to happen, our collective efforts must focus on strengthening and sustaining the democratic movement in our country. At the end of the day, what would influence the international community is the strength and determination of the Ethiopian people. What would influence the international community and donors is our ability to work in unison; to speak with one voice and for one purpose.
To this end, the convergence of the discussed above offers a timely opportunity for all democratic forces, representatives of opposition parties, civic leaders, and others to discuss and exploit in support of the democratization process in our country.
The Convergence: Time to Exploit an Opportunity
The above brief synopsis illustrates fundamental and strategic areas of convergence between the democratization process within our country, and the international situation, especially, the donor community’s reassessment of its relations with the current Government of Ethiopia.
What are the implications of this fortunate convergence between internal conditions and external conditions? To this observer, it means some of the following:
The sustained struggle of the Ethiopian people to build a democratic and inclusive society has become irreversible and is now acknowledged by the international community. Anna Gomez, the Head of the European Union’s Observation Team put it squarely when she said that “Ethiopia will never be the same again.”
Regardless of nationality or ethnic affiliation, the Ethiopian people have begun to reach out to each other. They have begun to talk to each other about the future. They have demonstrated that the struggle is not about nationalities or religions, but about the rule of law, accountability, peace, reconciliation, inclusion, and democracy, social and economic development. They have demonstrated that the struggle is for a new vision of hope, new possibilities, future generations and dignity. The have demonstrated that the democratization process is about the future of all of the Ethiopian people, especially the millions of young men and women who aspire for a better tomorrow in their own homeland.
The Ethiopian people have demonstrated unequivocally that the cultural, social, economic, religious, political and other ties that bind them are far stronger than the artificial boundaries the current regime has engineered and planted to divide them. The Afar, Oromo, Amhara, Tigrai, Somali, Gurage, Harari, Annuak and other people that make our country a mosaic of nationalities is a cause for celebration rather than suspicion and mistrust.
Ethiopia’s mosaic makes our society a vital and potentially rich one, rather than a source of instability and fear as the regime pretends. The Ethiopian people have demonstrated—even under the worst conditions—that they do not condone a culture of revenge and redress as the regime claims. In June and November 2005, the regime’s state of emergency and fear did not result in massacres, but in mutual understanding and tolerance among our people. The Ethiopian people did not target this or that nationality. The oppressive and brutal regime has been proven wrong again and again. This reality is critical to recognize as we search for an all embracing alternative.
In all parts of the country, the Ethiopian people have shown a remarkable degree of unity of purpose in defense of a noble cause, and in support of their leaders who continue to suffer in jail. This unity of purpose is irreversible. As a resident of Addis Ababa put it succinctly during a phone conversation, the zigzag nature of the struggle is simply “YETEDAFENE ESAT”——-a “fire waiting to burn.” All of us have an obligation to the Ethiopian people and to those who sacrificed their lives by supporting their cause in every way we can.
The Ethiopian people expect all Ethiopian political leaders throughout the world and each one of us to be agents of constructive change. They want us to bury the divisive mind set of the past, and begin to harness the creative potential that comes from diversity of political views towards a political architecture that will serve a national purpose: reconciliation, mutual respect and trust, inclusion, the willingness and capacity to learn from each other, a political and economic space for all. Those of us in the Diaspora can help those who are struggling within the country by being catalysts of reason and constructive dialogue.
Such a unity of purpose or a vision for a better Ethiopia will enable political parties, civic organizations, opinion leaders and others to exploit the favorable international situation that have emerged in support of the causes for which Ethiopians at home have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice their spouses, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and other beloved ones. We need to recognize that “It takes a village” to build a new and democratic and all inclusive Ethiopia. It takes a community to pursue and sustain democratic change. It takes unity in diversity to make a mosaic meaningful and welcoming to all. In short, it takes all of us to exercise the moral high ground of conducting open and constructive dialogue to sustain the democratization process in our country.
Unity of purpose for a greater cause and for a better tomorrow cannot be achieved by blaming any one but by listening to every one. The Ethiopian people expect us to move from a blame culture to a dialogue culture so that we can exploit the converging opportunities that have emerged. This is another manifestation of the art of leadership in the 21st century.
Another manifestation in the art of leadership is to recognize the fact that no single individual or single group is indispensable in the struggle for peace, national reconciliation, new governance and democracy. Only the Ethiopian people can claim the moral authority to be indispensable. What matters now is our willingness and readiness to move the struggle of the Ethiopian people to the next and higher level, namely reaching out to and embracing all democratic forces in defense of the democratic momentum.
The convergence of the national and sustained democratic effort on the part of the Ethiopian people, and the recognition on the part of the international community— especially donors– that the Ethiopian democratization process is irreversible and should be supported, offer a unique and unprecedented chance for political leaders, parties and civic organizations to harness in unison and without delay.
The art of leadership that is required now is not to look backwards with a mindset of suspicion and mistrust, but to look forward and begin the necessary dialogue in order to design a meaningful framework so that future generations will be able to exploit the enormous possibilities and benefits that arise from good governance, the rule of law, inclusion, and unity in diversity, accountability and democracy.
It is time for political parties, leaders, opinion makers, civic organizations and others in the Diaspora to exploit this convergence through dialogue, strategic thinking and a mind set that builds and sustains mutual confidence, trust and respect. This observer is totally convinced that we cannot afford to use excuses in convening a forum for constructive dialogue. History will either absolve us for doing the right thing at a time when the Ethiopian people and those in jail needed us. Or history will judge that the mindset of the past arrested the possibilities of pursuing a better and brighter future.
As Thomas Friedman says in his best seller—the World is Flat—today, we live in an interdependent world in which the paradigm of thinking has changed radically. Those who embrace change have become beneficiaries; those who resist change have become victims. The art of leadership is to embrace change for the betterment of society.
Ewunetu Kefyalew, Ethiopian
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