The ruling party has demonstrated its desire to plunge the country into anarchy if its power is compromised
(Revised after the election)
The election is over and the Ethiopian people, through an impressive show of civil power demonstrated to the world their burning desire for peaceful change. Nevertheless, their message has been misconstrued and the ruling party has blatantly ignored their voice. It is shamelessly creating preposterous excuses to undermine the overwhelming support garnered by opposition parties.
Announcement of the election results has been deliberately delayed and Demonstrations have been banned in Addis Ababa denying the population their right for free speech and free association. There is sufficient evidence supporting the fact that real danger is fermenting in the country. Under the ruling party’s leadership, poverty, hunger and diseases are expanding. Biased and misdirected policies have failed to address the people’s needs. Overall quality of life is rapidly deteriorating. Discontent and misery are breeding ethnic hate. As a result, tension is rising and it is reaching a critical stage. People are tired of the empty promises made by the government and they want change.
The responsibility of positively channeling this desire for change lies mostly in the hands of the current rulers who are in a position to guide the course of history. Although opposition groups are expected to play a significant role by asserting themselves as genuine proponents of a free and fair democratic exercise, their contribution to this process has been limited by the actions of the government. The results of the election, as well as the future direction of the country will, to a large extent, be determined by the willingness of the ruling party to accept the people’s choice.
The country has, through fourteen years of ethnocentric and debasing rule reached the right mixture of poverty, disenfranchisement, and hopelessness that could spark an all out ethnic conflict with catastrophic proportions. Thinking about what could happen if things go wrong scares me to death. It should scare you too. The disturbing news coming out of the different regions of the country should give all of us plenty of reason to be seriously concerned. This is not something that the world should take lightly as it has the potential to further destabilize this already divided nation and obliterate millions of lives.
The government’s inability to recognize the eminent danger and its persistent lack of goodwill offer no hope for a fair election result. Its dictatorial tendencies are becoming more apparent and it has clearly demonstrated its desire to plunge the country into anarchy if its power is compromised. Determined to cling to power, it will most likely make every effort to influence the results in its favor. At this critical juncture when it should adopt true democratic values such as national healing, reconciliation, and power sharing to ease the tension, it is still following the same destructive policy that has miserably failed to attract the people’s loyalty.
The political playing field is set-up in a way to ensure that no competitor could come close to winning. The government spent an exorbitant amount of money, manpower and energy to orchestrate an election that is designed to legitimize its claim to power. In an effort to portray itself as democratic to the outside world, it allowed those who play by its rules to participate, but it has created a system in which no opposition party could win. Ethnic-based organizational set-up, the main theme through which political parties are encouraged to participate, was used to create an illusion of fair competition. A ridiculously large number of small, and mostly, powerless ethnic-based political groups lined up to project a sense of competition in the mock election. The outcome, however, was predetermined and there is no doubt that the ruling party will be declared the winner. Clearly, the influence of ethnic-based political parties is localized and they are too weak to pose a threat. These parties have several reasons to bicker with one another. The government uses this difference to drive a wedge between them. Although most of them have the universal aim of improving the lives of their constituency, the condition through which they are organized does not lend itself to the common cause of unity.
By promoting ethnic-based organizational set-up, the government ensures that no opposition party is empowered to take the stage and effectively challenge its position. Even if opposition groups form a coalition and win the majority to beat the ruling party, they lack a viable ideological bond to unite them. They are easily manipulated, prone to sabotage, and quick to squabble with one another based on ethnic lines. This poses a grave danger to democracy making it impossible for well-organized, all encompassing political entities to take shape and become strong contenders. Because of this, the development of democratic traditions has been weakened giving way to dictatorship and one party rule. Ideology-based political parties with wider appeal and capacity to unite like-minded political organizations under one umbrella cannot be effectively put in place as ethnic division has been encouraged to take root.
Despite all the sabotage and divide-and-rule tactics of the government, all encompassing, non-ethnic based political parties forcefully emerged on the scene. But spreading the message of unity and reconciliation was an uphill battle as every aspect of life is deliberately focused on ethnic allegiance. The government’s attempt to discourage and disqualify these groups from the election has been received with widespread condemnation. Further attempt to rig the popular vote and discount the people’s support for such parties will definitely lead to disaster.
Power hungry governments with severe lack of foresight and vision usually end up devastating their countries. It is my hope that the current rulers will wake up and learn from their mistakes. They should understand that there is a limit to everything. The fact that they have been able to suppress the people’s desire for so long cannot be sustained. The people do not have any faith or confidence in the current administration. A large majority of the population is calling for change and they want it now. If the rulers have the wisdom to carefully discern this fact, they will create a condition that eases the tension. Otherwise, anarchy will make the decision for them resulting in severe consequences.
The country’s future direction could be guided to go either way. The obstinate denial of objective conditions will lead the country towards disaster. Recognizing the truth and making the necessary arrangements for a peaceful transition will be the honorable thing to do. And it will save the country from certain chaos. Seriously, listening to the people’s heartbeat and desire will be a true measure of the leadership’s ability to make an informed decision. Any attempt to muffle the people’s voice, no matter how long it could be delayed, will end up making matters worse.
Ethiopia, in the Western eye may seem to be making stride in the right direction. The seemingly elevated but unsustainable exploitation of resources; the unbelievably high consumption of foreign luxury products; the rapid proliferation of a destructive self-indulgent culture; and the pervasiveness of the blind pursuit of an obscene lifestyle by the elite in Addis Ababa may give a false impression to the superficial observer. But from the realistic perspective of most Ethiopians, poverty is deepening and a large majority of the population is still deprived of the basic necessities of life. The gap between the poor and the rich is continuously widening. Government is out of touch with the people. There is no sign of hope for millions of the nation’s youth who buy into the propaganda of hate-mongers bent on causing bloodshed at any expense. The benefits of democracy and freedom are as illusive as they were before the current government took power and people are extremely dissatisfied with the way the country has been managed for the past fourteen years. With the exception of the rich and those associated with the government, there is a general disapproval of the administration’s overall performance. The resultant discontent and deprivation has become the reason for the intensification of ethnic hate, which has manifested itself in the form of genocidal tendencies in many areas of the country.
Much has changed since the ruling party took power. The nation has been cheated out of its access to sea and subsists at the mercy of its neighbors as a landlocked country. An ethnic based regional administrative system has been put in place carving the country along ethnic lines exacerbating ethnic division. A high-tech war has been waged in the name of territorial integrity to save a tiny swab of land claiming more lives than the preceding effort to save the entire northern territory and eating up much needed resources. Once stable ecosystems have collapsed at an alarming rate as environmental degradation progresses as a result of a misdirected agrarian policy laying waste a large expanse of land and causing chronic famine. Moreover, a parasitic elite has emerged with an insatiable appetite for decadence and is greedily devouring the nation’s soul and its resources further complicating problems. One thing that hasn’t changed and will not likely change is the regime’s contempt and ill will for the Ethiopian people. Emboldened by the unrelenting support afforded to it by powerful foreign governments and international organizations, it has stubbornly maintained its push to drive the country towards a devastating end.
Minor ethnic incidences are spreading like wildfire. The seed of hate has been incessantly fertilized with tribalism and it is silently multiplying in people’s hearts. Clashes between different tribes have increased as a direct result of the government’s ethnic-based policies. Many innocent people, mostly children and women have lost their lives. Wanton destruction and summary executions have been reported in many areas. And incidences are becoming more and more frequent. Horrifying actions including the maiming and mutilation of innocent lives have shown us the destructive powers of hate.
Today there is a large group of people who have become internal refugees as a result of the ethnic turmoil in different regions of the country. Many people have been displaced and are in desperate need of assistance as victims of the sporadic ethnic conflicts raging silently in all parts of the country. Discrimination of certain types of people because of their ethnic origin or the language they speak is on the rise. Ethnic cleansing is taking place hidden behind the veil of self-rule and regionalism. Such behavior has been tolerated and even encouraged by the government. Current policies are largely responsible for magnifying differences instead of nurturing the common elements that bring people together.
I would especially plead with those intellectuals who in the name of democracy and self determination fan ethnic differences. Our differences should make us strong and we should celebrate our diversity instead of making them the reasons for our demise. What we Ethiopians should know and bear in mind is that nobody cares if we mutilate each other and destroy our lives and our future. We have already wasted much time and it will be too hard to catch up with the rest of the world. Unless we stop this madness, the lives of millions of Ethiopians will be destroyed. It will be to our advantage to learn to tolerate one another and live together as equal partners in a nation that honors human dignity. It is my hope that the government, ethnic leaders and opposition parties start realizing the effect of their actions and make responsible decisions that respect the rights of every individual. It should be clear to them that they can only honor themselves when they have the capacity to honor others.
In this election, the government needs to respect the people’s choices and help find a quick solution, in collaboration with opposition political parties, to reverse the deteriorating living conditions of the masses through rapid economic transformation. The only means of removing despair and hatred from people’s hearts is through tangible economic development, which makes a difference in every individual’s life.
Unless it desires to destroy the country and itself through its stubborn policy of non-reconciliation, this government should immediately start putting in place a level playing field for all. It should abandon the ethnic wagon and come to the 21st century. For the sake of peace, it should set out to establish fair and genuine democratic traditions where checks and balances exist. It should embrace our diversity and help build a system, which judges people based on their accomplishment rather than their ethnic lineage. The current state of fanning ethnic differences and the unabashed hegemony of a single ethnic group will only result in a protracted devastation whose flame will continue to singe generations to come.
What the nation desperately needs is a motivating, all encompassing, fair, convincing, and practical leadership to take us towards sustainable development. An entrenched, jealous, fearful, uninterested, selfish, shortsighted, and corrupt leadership can only lead us towards disaster. It should be understood to all that the nation is slowly inching close to a catastrophic end coaxing the fruits of abhorrence to fully ripen. And a devious attempt to retain power has the potential to unleash its full fury.
It is only a miracle that a devastating civil mayhem didn’t happen in Ethiopia thus far. But it is a matter of time before something horrible happens. All the conditions for widespread chaos have been primed and are ready to explode. The only thing that is missing is the spark to ignite the flame. That spark might possibly be triggered by the outcome of the election. Without further delay, the government has to demonstrate in this election that it is willing to abide by the rules of democracy. The slightest evidence of election tampering may lead to the inevitable anarchy that most of us dread. If this government fails to steer the nation in the right direction, submit to the people’s wish, and cooperate in the creation of a strong democratic culture, the subsequent genocide will be the worst the world has ever seen and the grimness of this tragedy will make most of us wish that we were never born.