Barraging the enemy camp

By Zenebe G. Tamirat
May 30, 2006

Sure, it has taken quite a number of years for such a dream to come true. But bridging disparity between factions is not an easy engineering as witnessed in the history of our world. In the case of the American Revolution for example ratification of the constitution had to endure ten years to mark the final stage of the revolutionary crises. The two factions (The Federalists and the Anti-Federalists) had to tug a war of words in expressing their ideas in thesis and various articles. Among them George Mason, Patrick Henry and Melancton Smith and others fought for independent unilateral states adapting Montesquieu’s convictions that “ a republic must be small in size to be effective.” On the contrary Federalists like Madison, for example, wrote a number of pages to disprove this conviction. Bridging their differences was not easy but finally one of the parties had to give way for the other to prevail even though it still carries the same conviction. And yet, history has witnessed to this day that the Anti-Federalists have not been killed or imprisoned or chased away but rather respected for their contribution. Monuments were erected in their memory, streets named after them. and universities were dedicated for some of them. “George Mason University” in Virginia and “Clinton Boulevard” here in Los Angeles are typical examples. It is this genius that is being repeated in Ethiopia today.

It is amazing to see that our modern history reflects the same old characteristics that occurred in the United States three hundred years ago. We have had a revolution that wiped out an old system of governance, the feudal system, but had to go through a number of rigid ways in the process to achieve a democratic and all-inclusive system of government. That is what happened on May 22, 2006 with the declaration of forming the Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AFD) among the various factions in our nation. It is a leap forward and a great achievement indeed, given the fact, that only a few years ago it was virtually impossible to talk to one another on the differences among the factions. Hate politics was the dominating factor especially during the first days of EPRDF’s control of power by the barrel of the gun. Radio and Television programs were deliberately allotted ample time to propagate hatred. Propaganda of defamation and accusation of the present generation of one ethnic group for the fault they (the perpetrators) believe was committed by a past generation of that same group has been intentionally encouraged by the ruling elite of the EPRDF. The Amhara ethnic group has been targeted for this purpose to be seen as an enemy of the vast numbers of ethnic groups that have been instigated to hate it. The largest ethnic group, the Oromo was made a scapegoat to disseminate hate propaganda followed by others such as those in the Southern States and in the Eastern States.

But why did the ruling party, the EPRDF, perpetrates such immense but concealed crime on us? This question is not hard to answer since it is simply clear that the Tigrai Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), the dominant party in the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) was and still is from the minority ethnic group in population demography and cannot exist without; creating differences among the other major ethnic groups, particularly between the Oromo and the Amhara. Incidentally, the tactic worked out and let the EPRDF rule us undemocratically for fifteen solid years. This is because we were not able to raise the questions “Who are these people to rule us? By what virtue do they rule us? Thus we failed to raise these and many other questions that we should have raised immediately after the seizure of power by EPRDF and subsequently in the past fifteen years of the EPRDF miserable years of governance. It looks like this was because we were set apart blinded and fooled by the poisoned propaganda of the EPRDF. Instead of challenging the enemy, we were fighting one another, we were accusing one another, we were calling names one another. It is this oblivion that is being eradicated to day. It is this blaspheming that is removed out of us today. It is this imprudence we are avoiding to day. They say, “Gonder is not your mama’s fool to fight,” but let me tell them one thing, ‘the Amhara, the Oromo, the Somali, the Hadia, the Wolaita, the Kambata are not their “mama’s fool” to stand apart and to bow to their propaganda any more! In fact woe to them, for, Gonder and Oromo and Somali and all others in the South are opening their mouth to swallow them if need be, to bring them to justice if need be and to punish them if necessary! But I can assure them that all these will not be necessary if they choose the civil way of settling things. The people of Ethiopia are merciful and will forgive them in spite of their unforgivable crimes as long as they choose the peaceful way.

What then, is expected of the rest of us? The most important expectation from each and every one of us is giving “SUPPORT,” to the daring parties who foiled the evils of EPRDF. Why? Because:

The unity of the Parties speeds up the demise of tyranny imposed by EPRDF if it declines peaceful means of resolving the issue of democracy. The unity of the Parties resolves the question of democracy in Ethiopia once and forever for, no party shall rule by force or impose tyranny on any of the nations and nationalities any more!

Their unity enables forming a system of government in which a party rules by the will of the people and not the power of the gun. Thus there will be no permanent ruler of any ethnic group whether Oromo, Amhara, Wolaita etc. Capability, qualifications and know-how shall be the measure of holding offices and not ethnic affiliation, blood relations or connections. Every one will be equal before the law. Rule of law shall prevail.

The May 2005 election has proved that the people of Ethiopia are capable of issuing their ballots as an instrument of punishment or reward. Thus, the union of the Parties will enable this capacity of the people to develop even more. Advocacy groups shall flourish, Human rights watchdogs shall multiply and Democratic institutions shall secure the rights of the individual. Thus, the voice of the people shall triumph.

Their unity accelerates economic development. There will be no more war between factions. The Oromo shall be free to work and prosper in any of the regions in Ethiopia; so shall be the Somali, the Amhara, the Kambata, and the Hadia. No war means “Peace.” Tanks shall be transformed into tractors, guns shall be changed into spades and shovels, bullets shall be deflected to make hammers and nails, militias shall be farmers, carpenters, electricians and factory workers, generals shall be engineers and managers of development institutions of public and private sectors.

The unity of the Parties shall secure the respect of nations and nationalities. Hence, languages, cultures, customs and religions of each and every nation and nationality shall develop. Ethiopia shall be for all and all shall be for Ethiopia.

Their unity shall secure International respect for our nation. Because of economic boost there will be no more famine. Poverty shall be a talk of the past. Ethiopia shall be the “bread basket of Africa” as it used to be. It will continue to be the venue of African Unity, the land of the brave, the wise, and the protectorate of independence and the homeland of mankind and a distant ancestor of Homo sapien.

Unity is power! United we stand, divided we fall. Certainly, Ethiopia shall remain united by the will of its children destined to make it the land of opportune nations and nationalities. Fortunately, at last we have started the long journey to freedom the right way and our movements shall barrage the enemy camp. Henceforth, we shall not go back but march forward until victory is ascertained. In the words of the great revolutionary American Writer, Thomas Paine, “The Mind Once Enlightened Cannot Again Become Dark.” Forward Never Backward!

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The writer can be reached for comments at ztamira@yahoo.com