It is true that Ethiopia embraces more than eighty ethnic groups and rich in traditions, cultures, and languages. Undeniably, while the existence of such a large number of ethnic groups in a given state presents its own challenges, it is also usually taken to present a great opportunity when all the cultural communities live in equality and with trust and mutual respect. At this age of civilization, it is abhorring, and unacceptable for one cultural community to impose itself on another or to present or equate the country to only one or two cultural communities. Ethiopians can no longer be defined only as Amharic speaking or orthodox. It is rather a country endowed with so many cultures, traditions, languages ,religions etc. and that should how it to be characterized. In other words, any tendency by political forces to go away from this fact would be a disaster, and is no less a move towards restoring the old political order of assimilation.
On the other hand, at this age of globalization where unity has become imperative and at a time when even many strong and independent states are trying to forge unity, as evidenced by the extraordinary move made by independent European states towards federation, it is counterproductive and indeed regressive to think of secession as a viable alternative for any of cultural communities in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is shamefully one of the most impoverished countries in the world and it indeed cannot afford the luxury of perusing a line of disintegration. If a democratic environment is created in Ethiopia where all cultural communities are equitably represented in the political and economic life of their country, if all can live in equality, and with mutual respect, if they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development, then there will be no good logical reason for secessionist interest to exist. Ethiopia is not alone in having many ethnic groups within its bound. In fact, there are a whole lot of countries in the world where its ethnic groups live in a relative peace, with mutual respect, and equality through such instrumentalities of multiculturalism, federalism, democracy etc. In a situation where one ethnic people is not under operation by another ethnic people, going the line of state disintegration appears to me a madness, and not in tune with what the time actually demands.
So opposition forces, and fellow Ethiopians who envision Ethiopia as a state that belongs to all cultural communities, where all of them can live in it with full force of equality, dignity, and mutual respect, have a common agenda which is to mobilize and unite themselves towards its realization. Today’s Ethiopia is a federation by name, where unity in diversity is supposed to be its basic tenet, and where these two fundamental values are supposed to be carefully kept on balance. However, federalism is far from being realized in Ethiopia; the principle of unity in diversity does not seem to be working in Ethiopia not because the principle is inherently unsuitability to Ethiopia; it is rather owing to unwillingness on the part of the TPLF regime to genuinely embrace it. TPLF’s undemocratic character, ambivalences, gross violations of human rights, corruption etc. have made it impossible to realize the project of unity in diversity in Ethiopia.
It is hardly possible to see in Ethiopia today a situation where one cultural community imposes itself on another or where one is dominated over by another. Clearly, we don’t have a situation where one ethnic group is oppressing another ethnic group. Though TPLF’s root is in Tigrai, it is difficult to say that TPLF represents the interest, and wish of the Tigrai people. It rather looks the contrary. TPLF, needless to say, is a club of few elites which represents its own egoistic interest, and non else. All Ethiopian people, regardless of their ethnic background, are suffering from lack of democracy, gross and consistent violations of human rights, freedom and justice, corruption etc. All Ethiopians are languishing under the TPLF tyrannical rule. There is clearly a platform for all us to unite against this tyranny and help democracy takes root in Ethiopia and our human rights respected, and prosperity comes our way.
For those of us who sincerely believe in the percepts of unity in diversity and see federalism as the best alternative for Ethiopia, it should be easier for us to unite, regardless of which variants of federalism we support, which political ideology be it liberalism, or social democracy we prefer or which ethnic group we belong to. The truth is, we may have differences on whole lots of issues, but those are issues that would be settled through peaceful negotiations once a democratic environment is created. We all know TPLF’s evil minds are preoccupied with fomenting divisions, and they have been successful as far as using ethnicity in particular as a political tactic.
The rallying cry and the organizing principle of TPLF from the very beginning has been ethnicity. As a liberation front they set out to liberate the Tigre ethnic groups, and form an independent state of that ethnic group, although in 1991 they had to change their initial plan opting for a politically and culturally autonomous Tigri within a united Ethiopia. TPLF wished the same for other cultural communities, and with the adoption of the constitution a federal Ethiopia was officially established. Despite the excessive strength the constitution attached to ethnicity, there was a hope that if interpreted properly could lead us to democratic Ethiopia where all cultural communities could live in equality, and with mutual respect. To a great dismay of many, TPLF however awfully utilized ethnicity as a political tool to promote its policy of divide and rule. Instead of promoting both unity and diversity among the people of the country, they have deliberately blown ethnicity out of proportion, and forced millions to align themselves to a specific ethnic group.
Their policy have been extremely divisive, and promoted polarization and disintegration, over united Ethiopia. They senselessly and carelessly tried to undermine national feelings, and national identity. Instead of preaching equality, tolerance and prosperity among all and for all, they bent on destructive policy of spreading animosity and disrespect among various cultural communities in Ethiopia leading them to distrust, and at times to violence and conflicts. They have deliberately used ethnicity to advance ethnocentrism, polarization, and prejudices among members of ethnic groups in the country. TPLF is clearly against unity, and it uses ethnicity to achieve that end. For instance, TPLF has been hostile to non-ethnic or multi-ethnic political parties than it is to ethnic-based political opposition parties. The tactic is not subtle, as ‘an ethnic party appeals to and speaks for one ethnic group while non-ethnic or a multi-ethnic party as the case may be appeals to no specific ethnic group’; they know that the latter offers unity. Having realized the danger it presents, many African countries have already banned, forming political parties on the basis of ethnicity. In Ethiopia rather sadly it is something TPLF is obsessed with, and it is something that it encourages. So, TPLF prefers to see ethnic-based political parties, as a lesser evil, to non-ethnic based political parties realizing very well that the latter would give it hard time, as of course CUD did in the 2005 national election. The message is clear; the united we are the most dreadful we will be to TPLF, and that is clearly something they would not like to see.
Another instance, TPLF uses group rights often out of context as an element of its ethnic policy to trample individual rights under its cover. In a country where the rights of individuals are not respected, it is hardly possible for rights of groups to be respected. Because certain rights like rights to self-determination can only be exercised by collectivities and such, it is important that group rights are given constitutional expression. Understood in their proper context, and put always on balance with individual rights, group rights could serve their true purpose. However, group rights have long served as sources of power for dictators, and oppressors particularly in Africa.
So then instead of falling captive of TPLF’s political strategy of ethnicity, and ethno- politics, and thereby help advance their policy, we should rather further strengthen our unity along common values of democracy, equality, justice, freedom and human rights from lack of which all Ethiopians are unfortunately suffering under TPLF regime.
