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Ethiopia: Ethnic – Looking back to move forward

Ewnetu Sime

I have been motivated to write this article after reading Aklog Birara, PhD series of articles entitled “Why Ethiopians Must Unite” posted on several Ethiopian websites. I applaud his exceptional effort explaining the failure of the ethnic ideology and a call for civic groups and opposition parties to work collectively to strip TPLF power, to stop hostile propaganda among ourselves, and suggestions to move in the direction Ethiopia can be free of oppression. Yeap, this is my aspiration too, and let me share some of my disenchantment with current elite ethnic leaders of Ethiopia.

It is evident that Ethiopia with its several of ethnic and approximately eighty linguistic groups with its mixture of religions have lived and are living together for several years. It is understandable from time to time a regional difference seems to diminish the prospects of national unity. However, started from Kings Tewodors, Yohannes, Menlik and Hail Selassie slowly but surely led to the establishment of effective nation. This was achieved with combinations of force, intermarriage of the royal family to the ethnic nobility and overall changes of world political situation. In Ethiopia, the intermarriage between royal family and ethnic nobility helped nation building by ameliorating ethnic differences and by instituting power sharing arrangements. The process of intermarriage still continues to present time by ordinary citizens of Ethiopia. This will be further reinforced as more people move from country side to cities to seek jobs, education, medical care and other things. Unity and assimilation will go hand in hand as long the basic rights of life, freedom, liberty etc. respected. Intermarriage enhanced the peace prospect among ethnics and has become one of the unifying factors. Given these simple overall facts led me to ask the following obvious question:

What’s wrong with the current elite ethnic leaders?

What TPLF regime demonstrated for the past several years is an ethnic based leadership will not bring democratic rule for all. It is more exclusive and destructive and resulted to the most heinous crimes perpetrated on Ethiopian people. Ethiopia is one of the nations starving for democratic rules beyond ethnic line. All rights including ethnic rights shall be resolved under democratic rules. Those elite ethnic leaders who are not in power yet also defy this basic fact of nations building processes and all nations formed worldwide followed the same processes. These elite ethnic leaders are trying defunct old formula, dividing the country to ancient little ethnic kingdoms and contain the people within specific region. They deny the various Ethiopian ethnics are overlapped across the country in many ways and already evolved as one modern nation, and has established internationally recognized boundaries as sovereign state. During the war of Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ethiopians rose up together as one nation not as divided ethnic kingdoms. Meles knew this nationalist sentiment of Ethiopians existing in our society and used it to mobilize the people power to defeat Eritrea’s aggression.

I believe that elite ethnic leaders motives mostly driven by power, personals ego, arrogance, and greed not to the interest of the vast majority of their own ethnic society. This kind of backward values and motives makes our journey difficult to establish democratic government. Everyone knows that the political future of Ethiopia may well hinge upon each of us how we are united in fighting dictatorship rule in order to change for better Ethiopia. If the elite ethnic leaders continue to be deeply rooted in promoting ethnic rights, the political situation will go from bad to worse. On the other hand, if they promote a democratic process for all and have sought various solutions for the problems, they will make a great progress in peace and unity. I believe that most Ethiopians are quite frustrated, angry, and disappointed by ethnic leadership. I sometime ask people if there is anybody in elite ethnic leaders who they really feel comfortable with. So far no one told me they look up to or trust anyone in ethnic leaders. They feel that all the behaviors of the elite ethnic leaders are is heading to plunge Ethiopia in disastrous civil war.

Question of succession:

TPLF regime has not shown any sign sharing political power in order to maintain stability. On the contrary, politics of instability have become very visible. The question of succession of TPLF regime is a paramount importance for future of Ethiopia. The Opposition parties at home are intimidated, killed, etc., and Opposition parties aboard remained too weak and fragmented. The elite ethnic leaders are hanging on failure of past Stalin’s ideological solution to solve 21st century situation. On this type of political climate, it is clear a succession crisis might be inevitable. One way of avoiding the crisis is to advance Mr. Obang’s Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia motto “Humanity before ethnicity and one cannot be free unless all of us are free”
The other strategy to revive the suggested Transitional charter concept posted on website entitled “Let us save Ethiopia: A blueprint for political action” by Ethiopia Patriotic Movement see the link

At one point, it was widely appear to be accepted by most Diaspora Community, and it is time to demand in line of this concept to have a common ground to succeed. Ethiopia has no shortage of Political organizations, as grassroots level each of us need to apply public pressure on these leaders to be responsible for their actions. They should learn from past mistake without reservation, and shall be told to comprise any differences. If no one not talking to one another at minimum political common points our hopes and aspirations to freedom will go nowhere.