According to this writer, CUD’s profile in relation to many Ethiopians could be described in the following way: that it is a party supported by millions, misunderstood by certain groups, and, of course, unbelievably feared by TPLF. The focus of this short commentary is not on its supporters nor on those who are frightened by the CUD. My focus is on those who misunderstood the CUD, its vision and goals.
Although I firmly believe that a not negligible number of Ethiopians misunderstood the CUD, I have no mandate to provide authoritative explanation or clarification on what CUD really is.
Interestingly, those Ethiopians who I believe misunderstood the CUD are drawn from two broad groups, 1) from some opposition parties and supporters, and 2) from CUD’s own supporters. While some opposition groups gazed CUD with a suspicious eye that its objective is to turn the wheel back and reimpose the “past hegemonic regimes”, some of its own supporters, on the other hand, support the CUD for what it is not. I have the impression that these CUD supporters understand CUD exactly the way TPLF likes CUD to be viewed and understood. The danger is that these misunderstandings from two directions reinforce one an other .Some groups would focus on the misunderstood CUD as a material evidence to their suspicion and vice versa.
The exchange of views currently going on among Ethiopians in relation to the AFD is a good opportunity to revisit this point. True, I cannot provide any guarantee that there is no any misunderstanding of the vision of CUD on my part, except some degree of reliance on my reading and rereading of its program and election manifesto, and the experience I have had from closely following the national debate conducted last year before the election.
There is no doubt that the Alliance has opened debate between Ethiopians including between members of the same Parties. I had personally received more than a dozen e-mails by way of reaction to my comment posted on Ethiomedia last week. Out of these e-mails 13 are for and 3 against. One compatriot, who claims to be CUD supporter, after naming me names for supporting the idea of the Alliance, expressed his astonishment why CUD in the first place was in this kind of Alliance. While I can clearly see the concerns of this and other compatriots, I couldn’t help thinking that such an understanding of the CUD is exactly the same as Meles wishes CUD to be understood.
CUD won the love and support of millions of Ethiopians across ethnic and regional borders. CUD contested, and I am convinced it won last year’s election (with other opposition parties), on the most important platform of “national reconciliation.” I followed each and every pre-election debate very closely. I was convinced that CUD leaders both as a group and individually are Ethiopians committed to the unity and prosperity of their country. But at no time had I noticed that their objective was to establish a highly centralized monolithic government which is totally insensitive to the needs and aspirations of its regions and the various communities. Their dream is to establish a country where there would be no Ethiopian or group left out in the cold with a feeling of marginalization and alienation. In fact the very organizational blue-print established by the CUD is that of coalition, coordination and the avoidance of duplication of efforts, as much as possible. That was how and why the CUD won the heart of millions of Ethiopians.
Now, at the time when the elected leaders of the people still held hostage and a reign of terror prevailing in our country, the idea of the Alliance is critical as a potent tactic to reinforce the opposition camp and unseat the murderous regime. We have ample experience to realize how dear the cost of doing otherwise could be. Imagine the matrix of the battle to be fought without some kind of alliance. Woyane Vs. CUD; Woyane Vs. OLF; Woyane Vs. Hibret; OLF Vs. CUD; CUD Vs. ONLF; Hibret VS. {CUD +OLF+ ONLF}, ad infinitum. A democratic struggle characterized by such a war of all against all is ineffective, to say the least, and a bonanza for TPLF.
Moreover, it is also not difficult to figure out why 70 million people have been plagued and why the aspiration of the people of Tigray for their democratic rights have been hijacked by a handful of mercenaries, whose number has even greatly dwindled since then, who had been dispatched by Shaebia more than 30 years ago. It was, and still is, because they knew disorganization reigned and some measure of disagreement existed among Ethiopians. If we want to perpetuate that situation, 100s of young men and women should not have been sacrificed; precious sons and daughters of Ethiopia should not have been incarcerated in the hand of the mafia regime.
National reconciliation must also be a strategic goal by itself to establish a stable and prosperous country. This is achieved among other things through the gradual nurturing of mutual trust and confidence, dialogue and coordination of efforts. A courageous move such as this may appear controversial at the beginning. Indeed the initial format may not look and sound perfect for many, otherwise well-meaning, citizens and political groups and a call for a cautious approach from such groups is normal and expected. However, a very important issue like this must not be deferred indefinitely until we come up with one “perfect” formula that could satisfy all. Accordingly, the diaspora leadership of the CUD in fact is doing what the CUD as a Party had planned to do and would have by now accomplished had the people’s will not been hijacked by TPLF.
I extend my heartiest felicitations to the leaders of the groups that have taken this courageous move. My plea to compatriots and political groups who are still studding this step must for a minute throw away sectarian feelings and discourage their members from acting in a typically political passion. The Alliance, on its part has to continue its effort and go the extra mile to alleviate the concerns of these groups, without which the idea of “Alliance” and the ultimate goal of national reconciliation would be half full.
