We Shall Overcome!

We Shall Overcome!
I believe the time has come! It is time for a new look in Ethiopia, the time to make sure someone with the legitimate support of its people and expertise in governance is given the chance to govern. The argument that if EPRDF collapses, Ethiopia will become another Somali is not going to sell in the open market anymore. We used to think the EPRDF government could lead Ethiopia towards economic development with relative autonomy. But that approach has been on test for almost 20 years and the time has come to try a fully-fledged democracy. I believe Ethiopians are ready to embrace a real democracy where the rule of law is applied and where the people choose and remove their leaders in a democratic process.
We want an Ethiopia were every individual regardless of ethnic background, age, or gender can have equal rights under the law. No one person is above the constitution and the law of the land. Every civil servant that occupies the people’s office must leave it when the people decide it is time for a change. No more bickering about the ideology of ethnic-based tribalism – it is time for us to tackle the core challenges that face Ethiopia: poverty, hunger, illness, and population growth that is faster than economic growth.
Despite the current administration’s media campaign about its accomplishments and its rigged economic growth reports, everyday Ethiopians struggle to see the next day while the political cadres become creative in their corruption. While the majority of Ethiopians are swallowed by severe poverty, various cadres are selling the land that rightly belongs to poor Ethiopians and asking investors to deposit their bribe money in banks outside of Ethiopia. Countries like Abu Dhabi and Dubai have become their safe havens. The last 20 years have not improved Ethiopia; rather, Ethiopia’s challenges are now even more complicated. Ethiopians are still going hungry, many more are suffering from malnutrition, and the list of failures of the current administration gets ever longer.
All these social problems have accumulated over a long period. Hence, it will take time to address them. Let us start addressing these great challenges by framing the discussion, finding a direction and identifying a desirable and realistic outcome. Let us debate the vision we have for our country; let’s debate methods rather than tribal issues that are limiting and ethnocentric. Let us respect one another and let us respect views, discussions and debate based on science and knowledge, rather than fall into the same old endless cycle of emotional but pointless bickering.
I believe all Ethiopians – the Gambela, the Somali, the Oromos, Tigri, Amara and all the great ethnic groups – make our country one of the great countries on earth. Our diversity is our strength, not our weakness, and we should not let anyone use our strength as Ethiopians to exploit and destroy our great nation. In Ethiopia, every ethnic group contributed a great deal to the country we became and every ethnic group will contribute to the Ethiopia we want to make for the future. Our parents, grandparent and great-grandparents fought to protect and preserve our national identity and independence; now we want a country where our children and grandchildren can have economic, political and social freedom.
I believe the Ethiopian people are stronger and more united under the same flag and one country. Ethiopia will never be like Somalia or any other country that is going through civil unrest because most Ethiopians understand that a united and strong Ethiopia, governed by democratic principles and law, is a benefit to every Ethiopian. No one ethnic group will benefit by seceding from our union. On the other hand, every ethnic group in Ethiopia would benefit by staying united. Hence, there is no incentive for any ethnic group to secede from the union. But we know that dictators use patriotism as a scare tactic to shield themselves from social revolution and popular uprising. This is evident in recent social uprisings in North African and the Middle East. For God’s sake, even Gadafi is using the same tactic! And indeed EPRDF is a master of such tactics.
All Ethiopian parents, regardless of where they are on the map, want a roof over their heads, a good paying job, a good school for their kids, and security and protection from their government. These are not much to ask, but Ethiopians have not had a government that is accountable to their demands and needs. Every government that has come and gone wanted to stay in power as long as possible. Every injustice they have committed along the way is their means to their only real social and political goal – staying in power!
Since the spring of 2011, we have been witnessing history in the making in North Africa and the Middle East. The fever is spreading like a wildfire and unnerving every dictator in and around these regions, including our own government in Addis Ababa. The Meles administration decided early on that it is not going to wait until the wildfire gets to them. Instead, they have enacted measures to unite the nation against outside forces. By shifting the revolutionary energy towards external enemies, the administration thought it could avoid the fast-approaching wildfire. To this end, the Meles administration took two measures:
1. Reignite the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea by accusing the Eritrean government of aspiring to make Addis Ababa like Baghdad. I’m sure we all have seen the graphic pictures and videos of terrorist acts in Baghdad. By painting such horrific pictures, the administration is attempting to stir anger toward the Eritrean government and harvest the fruits of fear while it successfully diverts every frustration the Ethiopian people have away from the Meles government. I believe the Eritrean government is innocent, and the Meles administration’s actions are politically motivated to divert the anger and energy of the Ethiopian people towards Eritrea rather than the Meles administration.
2. The administration is also playing the patriotic card by creating media hype about the dam they are planning to build on the Red Sea. One could ask, what is wrong with the government creating media hype? But the main agenda is to steer nationalistic feeling across the country and to acquire the support of the people for the central government in its endeavor. Such a strategy successfully shifts the attention off the Meles administration and its wrongdoing and concentrates every attention and energy into building the dam – and potential war with Egypt. Needless to say, the administration has partially succeeded in shifting the attention of most Ethiopians from the revolution around them to the Red Sea Dam. The Administration even took a second step by sending an envoy to North America to discuss the dam and other economic development issues. The goal of the envoy is to divide Ethiopians who support the administration’s agenda and people who do not support it. Most people who support the agenda honestly believe the envoys are sincerely patriotic and concerned about the economic development of Ethiopia. They do not see the political manipulations. The fact is, every Ethiopian wants Ethiopia to prosper and be great again, but the people who oppose the Meles administration understand that the goal of the envoy is to divert the people’s attention from the revolution to economic issues and to divide Ethiopians. Finally, the envoy is a tool to measure the extent to which Ethiopians and opposition forces are organized and galvanized against the EPRDF.
Furthermore, the administration is very clever at creating and sustaining tensions between Ethiopia’s ethnic groups and their political organizations. If various ethnic groups in Ethiopia unite under the ideology of democratic principles that respect minorities and treat every individual equally, EPRDF knows its survival will be in great danger. Therefore, the administration uses scare tactics to stay alive. “If the Oromo people come to power, they will expel other ethnic groups in their region and secede.” “If the Amhara come to power, they will take us back to the feudal system and dominate other minority groups.” “If Meles loses power, people are going to go after Tigre.” We know all the arguments are far from reality. Oromos, Amaras, Tigre and all the other great ethnic groups in Ethiopia are not in conflict with each other; we are united to fight poverty, dictatorship, corruption, and ethnic tribalism. A man’s worth is measured by what he can do for his country, rather than what ethnic group he belongs to. We shall overcome divisive scare tactics, we shall overcome ethnocentric tribalism, and we shall respect every ethnic group’s language, culture, and identity as they make Ethiopian culture richer and diverse.
Despite the creative deception tactics and maneuvering, it seems everything that can go wrong with the Meles administration is going wrong. Who will be the scapegoats for the rapid inflation that is sweeping the economy? Is it the import-export traders? How about the 5.6 million who are hungry in Ethiopia? I guess they have not figured out who to blame yet, but I am sure they will find someone. The bottom line is: Ethiopians are united more than ever, and EPRDF is incompetent, unqualified, and corrupt. The time for change is approaching swiftly!