Ever since the overthrow of the imperial regime nearly four decades ago, the ship of Ethiopia has been sailing through a turbulent tide. The struggle for democracy and a government of the people waged prior to the 1974 revolution was hijacked by the military due to the absence of an organized opposition group ready to take state power. That led to a regime that governed the people by a brute force.
During the 17-years of Derg’s vicious tyrannical rule, Ethiopians were denied their human and democratic rights and they were literally herded like cattle under a communist ideology in a manner that degraded their humanity. Those who were opposed to the system from all walks of life including students, teachers, office and factory workers, artists, farmers, doctors, journalists, businessmen, leaders of civil society organizations, etc. were massacred, jailed, and tortured by hundreds of thousands. The land of Ethiopia was literally awash with the blood of its citizens.
The country’s misrule under communist policies led to economic devastation leading up to making the word Ethiopia synonymous with famine in the eyes of the whole world. Our people in some parts of the countryside were displaced from their farmlands due to the misguided policies of the ‘all-knowledgeable’ dictator who often consulted with experts and academics, not before, but after the failure of settlement programs. Similarly, the majority of the urban population turned destitute under similar bad economic policies of the government. The wars that the government conducted against secessionist groups and others who were opposed to the dictatorial regime further wrecked the economy.
Unfortunately, the suffering of our people was not to end with so much blood and economic destruction, after nearly two decades’ of Derg’s despotic rule. The change of the world political order due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war, coupled with the political and military turmoil in our country, brought with it an even more frightening era, with the advent into power of the TPLF/EPRDF regime.
Since TPLF/EPRDF seized power nearly 20 years ago, our country has gone through very difficult times. The secession of the northern part of the country in a deceitful act resulting in making our country of 80 million people landlocked, the imposition of a constitution without any consultation whatsoever of the Ethiopian people that resulted in the balkanization of the country, an incessant campaign and propaganda that diminishes the nation Ethiopia and promotes ethnicity and tribalism, the denial of human and democratic rights of our people, the dealings to give away a large amount of land to a neighboring country secretly and the shameful argument of the prime minister to defend his action in public after it was revealed, the undue invasion of a neighboring country in the name of fighting terrorism with far-reaching consequences, the alleged genocide of the Anuak people, the alleged crimes against humanity in the Ogaden region, the killings and tortures of peaceful demonstrators who were opposed to the government in various parts of the country, the targeted killings and tortures of members of specific ethnic groups, the massacres and injuries in broad day light of hundreds of people as well as detention of tens of thousands following the 2005 election, the jailing of opposition and civil society leaders based on trumped-up charges following the same election, the assassination of civil society leaders, the silencing of the free press and monopolization of the media by the regime, the monopolization of the military and intelligence by the minority parochial group, the ethnic politicization of education and denial of freedom to the academia, the non-transparent leasing of public lands to foreigners in the name of investment without consulting with the Ethiopian people and without a regard to the eviction of citizens from their ancestral lands and environmental impacts, the monopolization of the economy by the ruling party and the Ethiopian born Saudi tycoon, the alleged deposits in foreign banks, particularly in Britain, United States, Malaysia, etc. of hundreds of millions of dollars by government officials who embezzled government coffers, the continued narrowing of political space leading up to a one-man dictatorial rule, are but to name a few.
As we all know, the TPLF/EPRDF government is oppressing our people and is working towards the disintegration of our country. Despite the lame argument of the sympathizers of the regime who claim that the country has developed since it came to power just by looking at some undeniable infrastructural works, whose funds came either through international donations or loans that future generations are bound to pay back, the writer fears that the country is rather headed to disintegration if it is left unchecked. Whereas some who associated themselves with the regime either politically or through corrupt practices have benefited economically and some even have turned millionaires overnight, the large majority of our people are going destitute by the day. Our people have been left with no choice but to pent up their anger and frustration and walk head down for fear of reprisal by the merciless brutal regime.
The question, therefore, is that do we simply watch what is going on in our country until the country falls apart and becomes an absolutely failed state, or is there some thing that we can do about it? The writer believes that all Ethiopians have national and moral obligation to take some action to avert the imminent danger that our country faces. All of us have an obligation as citizens and, therefore, should not sit idle as the time bomb for the collapse of our country is ticking. Otherwise, we will not have a country that we bequeath to our children, essentially ending the nation Ethiopia on our watches! Our children, grand children, and subsequent generations will be ashamed of us for killing a nation either by involving directly and actively, or taking no remedial action and watching passively. It is in light of this looming danger that the writer proposes for a call for a national conference to discuss Ethiopia ’s present and future as soon as possible. The writer believes that this discussion should be held by all Ethiopians who are concerned about their country, regardless of their affiliation to any political thought or group. The discussion should include all concerned citizens and various political and civil society organizations with men, women, young, old, students, teachers, businessmen and women, artists, professors, journalists, prominent citizens, human right activists, etc., taking part in this endeavor.
As mentioned above, the purpose of this article is to initiate a debate regarding the need to call for a national conference to discuss the problems and devise short- and long-term strategies on how we can tackle said problems that we face as a nation. The writer believes that such a conference will not only play a crucial role in averting the grave dangers that our country faces, but it will also pave the way and lay the foundation for the reconciliation that we will need to undertake as a nation ultimately. We must be united, stand together, and say no to this trajectory of our nation today, now, right away! Our ancient and great nation can weather its present problems, heal its past wounds, and rise to its prominence once again only when we stand together as Ethiopians and take immediate action!
The writer believes that the modality of the conference, i.e., how, when, and where the national conference should be held, specific agendas for the conference, etc. will be the result of pre-conference brainstorming discussions by all concerned citizens of our country. To the extent possible, such discussions could be held via Ethiopian websites, the media (e.g. ESAT, VOA, DW, other local radio and television programs in Europe, United States, Australia, Asia, and Africa), the press, as well as intra-organizational meetings within political parties, community associations, women’s organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, business associations, advocacy groups, etc.
The writer is under no illusion that this will be an easy task; however, given the palpable threat that our country faces, we have no choice but to come together and consult with each other immediately to deter the threat. We owe this venture to the hundreds and thousands of our fellow citizens who paid the ultimate sacrifice and suffered bodily injuries fighting for democracy, equality, and justice for our people and our country. We owe it to our forefathers who paid in their blood and life fighting all foreign aggressions for the sake of freedom and territorial integrity for our country.
The writer hopes that all concerned Ethiopians will provide due consideration to this call and express their views on the topic with the sense of urgency that it deserves. This is only an attempt to provoke thought among fellow citizens and this proposal could be modified, improved, enriched, or even replaced with another alternative proposal, as necessary, to suit the urgent needs of our nation. Our country has a multitude of citizens among the academia, political parties, various professional organizations, religious organizations, business organizations, advocacy groups, and other individual citizens who have the intellect, knowledge, foresight, and wisdom to do so.
May God clear the dark clouds that hover over our beloved country Ethiopia !
