Ethiopiawinnet … comes of age in 2012!!

August 24, 2013

Ethiopiawinnet — pan-Ethiopian identity, nay
pan-African identity (Ethiopianism)—is, of course, rather age-old.  What is newsworthy is the birth in the fall of
2012 of a united, international and rights-based civic organization which seeks
to advance a vision of Ethiopiawinnet. 
This vision melds the collective identity of those who cherish their heritage
in greater Ethiopia with modern democratic values of equality, justice, and
freedom for all. 

            More specifically, what we have in
mind is the merger of four rights-based civil society organizations based in
the United States (Dejen Le Democracy, Ethiopian National Congress, Hidase
Kitet, and Ethiopian Forum for Peace Democracy and
Development) to form a united organization based primarily on individual
membership.  It is a fresh initiative which
moves away from the familiar coalition approach among disparate organizations (such
as our own ENPCP process) to the more promising unitary model whereby all rights
advocacy in the Diaspora will henceforth be centralized under a unified and unitary
organizational outfit.

Ethiopiawinnet:  Council for the Defense
of Citizen Rights, a non-profit charitable  organization, has four distinctive goals
that revolve around giving voice to the voiceless:

First, it upholds the principle that rights
and responsibilities reside in free and equal citizenship in a democratic
Ethiopia.  It also holds that freedom
comes with the obligation to defend it from tyranny, not just for oneself but
for all compatriots and beyond.  This
vision is outlined in the “Citizens Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia.”

Second, we believe that this pan-Ethiopian
vision and strategic thinking can be turned into concrete action only if
Ethiopians reject the totalitarian ideology of ‘revolutionary democracy’ and
the self-serving and toxic flirtations with political ethnicity and other forms
of sectarianism.  Ethiopians must now coalesce
around shared values and act collectively to eliminate the twin evils of abject
poverty and authoritarian rule. 

Third, it seeks to work with civic,
professional, and political organizations of similar mission to facilitate a viable
transition to a robust democratic order and an inclusive and pro-growth
development strategy.  More immediately,
we seek freedom for all political prisoners, the scrapping of draconian
anti-CSO legislation, and respect for the rule of law.

Fourth, we feel strongly that the Diaspora
has the capacity and the responsibility to provide material and moral support for
fledgling civil society organizations in Ethiopia in order to serve as the
watchdogs over power-holders.  The capability
of ordinary citizens, especially the youth and women, needs to be strengthened for
effective restraint against institutionalized abuse of power through a
tenacious and responsible engagement of all stakeholders in public affairs.   

You can join hands with us in one of
three ways:  as an individual member,
as a special organizational member, or as a non-member partner in
specific actions and initiatives.