There is a threat to the very survival of the nation. It comes from the mismanaged economic, social and political resources -due to the directions that have been set in motion by those in power since 1991. Continuing disunity in managing these resources have become the sure way of deepening the chaos engineered by bad governance and divide and rule strategies. Ethiopians who opposed this process are by now fully aware of the critical need to tackle the root causes of the problem. It is this recognition that led to the formation of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF).

The leaders in the UEDF coalition know their special responsibilities. They have committed themselves to forge unifying policies and practices to reinvigorate the route to our national survival. They are aware that they face an uphill struggle to regain the country's unity, the dignity and pride of its people that have been challenged by corruption, and the working order of its national institutions.

Anxieties that are already being sharply felt by the public are part of the uphill struggle. Some feel that too little has been achieved during the five months since the creation of the UEDF. Others feel that the effort is being undermined by the inevitable teething problems of the promising start. Because of on-going dialogue over roles and implementation, the process of setting in motion the political practice of coalition politics has become confusing to many others. Many also believe that the unity is affected by rivalry and that it may not work. Endemic problems characterized by rumors, speculation, and above all resource shortages, may have even imparted a sense of its hopelessness. Clearly, there is a need to give credit to the magnitude of the achievement of different parties in arriving at joint working arrangements, having respected each other's perspectives. Putting the UEDF in place and applying the principles of coalition formation is being made to appear worse than it is by the very understandable public impatience to see results.

The civic movement, the Ethiopian National Congress (ENC), that worked to pave the way for the formation of the UEDF continues to support the process in all possible ways. We do not believe that the teething problems of the UEDF signal the failure of the leaders to sustain their political will to make it work. We suspect that there are underlying, and perhaps external, problems that are influencing their on-going dialogue and unity formation processes. We strongly suspect that some with financial resources may even be deflecting the political programs of their favorite parties to thwart the unity formation process.

We believe that the solution lies in identifying and resolving the contradictory principles in such influences. For that reason, the ENC is prepared to explore and see to it that the democratization process of coalition formation in Ethiopia comes to fruition. We hope to identify the problems and the influences at work on the UEDF and help seek their solutions.

Reversing chaos that has been put in place over a period of twelve years, and at the cost of the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent Ethiopians, and others killed by default by AIDS and instability, certainly requires more than the determined political leadership of those in the coalition. It requires a force beyond the policies and policy enforcement administrative tools that the UEDF can put in place now or when it comes to power. It requires the nation's commitment to restore unity in all walks of life. This needs underlining: political participation by the nation means resisting attempts to divide the coalition or to discredit its leaders

Meaningful commitment and participation of citizens in the political process ensures democracy. This goes without saying, and it is no mere fantasy. What civic and professional organizations in Ethiopia have achieved is a strong indication of its reality. The Ethiopian Teachers' Association (ETA), Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFPJA), the Ethiopian Women Lawyer's Association (EWLA) and so on have achieved star quality mitigation of chaos in Ethiopia. In their different ways, they have struggled to reverse the chaos by devising alternatives to the destructive activities targeted at each of them. At this stage, we cannot expect them to sort out the UEDF. However, we, the rest of the public, need to build on the civic momentum they have created and multiply its influence until we reach a critical mass.

We would like to underline this by saying that political leaders hold no monopoly or sole responsibility for reversing the chaos in Ethiopia. We call on those individuals with wealth and influence to promote the coalition as a whole. Civic movements also have to share this responsibility. The ENC will certainly do so. We call on all other civic bodies to do their level best to:

1. Refrain from approaching separate members of the UEDF with the purpose of influencing their favorite party's seniority over others;
2. Contribute towards strengthening the coalition, irrespective of the temporary problems coming out of influences external to their formation.

By now, Ethiopians are aware that every critical political event is being turned into a point of divide and rule. Looming large on the horizon now in that regard is the so-called "border crisis" that has already cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians. Those holding the reins of power are already reportedly divided over how to handle it, and if their past is anything to go by, they will make sure that their discord will spill over to our society for yet another round of unnecessary crisis. The astute judgment of every Ethiopian will be up for the test.

Of immediate significance in critical politics is also the election coming up in 2005. No one needs reminding that only a coalition political group would present a formidable opposition to the various acrobatics of the party in power. Before the chance is lost, civic movements and individuals should redirect their financial resources and energy towards enabling the coalition to chart the elections processes. Nobody else will enable it to ensure the existence of a neutral elections committee, effective public lobbying, or free and fair elections. Ethiopians are entitled, by right, to control these elements of the elections, and we must appropriate that right by enabling the most appropriate body, the UEDF.

Rights-based political, developmental, social and economic activities are the best tools at the disposal of all Ethiopians. A basic issue at stake is our unity in all fronts. Our unity is necessary not only for the political formation, but also for taking effective and practical measures for combating the epidemics, especially AIDS and malaria, the recurring famine, the unemployment, or the inadequate and misdirected public services to which our society is being subjected. Rights based civic activism is relevant for the necessary measures we need to consider in reducing the effects of these ills arising from bad governance and management.

The ENC intends to discuss rights based civic activism in a public forum soon. Meanwhile, let us all do our share!

Ethiopian Unity in all walks of life Must Survive!
Let Us Persist As a Nation!

Happy Holidays!
The Ethiopian National Congress