If ethnic stratification is the cure for the inequality problem in the country, however, why, instead of promoting ethnic harmony, has it brought ethnic conflict and related problems as we see them today almost everywhere? The answer is not hard to discover. The unshakable fact is that one cannot cure what was perceived ethnocentrism with ethnocentrism. To accept the ethnic stratification premise itself means to think in ethnic terms (as a collective) rather than in terms of individual character and merit. This concept has some kind of similarity to the failed communist or fascist system in which the government, community, proletariat or the race, as an entity (ie., as opposed to the individual member) is accepted as the primary unit of reality and the ultimate standard of value. This view holds that a person’s identity is determined by the group he/she belongs to or interacts with. This way of thinking, by neglecting the person as an individual, promotes favoritism and, as such, does not promote justice and fairness in the society. It does not motivate the individual to produce maximum output. It results in the breeding of justified resentment and fuels the prejudices of real ethnocentric individuals. Therefore, it is counter-productive, which inevitably defeats the originally intended purpose, if at all it was formulated with good intentions. Many believe that the root cause of most of the problems that Ethiopians are suffering from presently is the undue emphasis given to ethnic attributes in the making of decisions. People are individuals and it is inappropriate to consider them as interchangeable ciphers in an amorphous collective for provision of a just treatment.

Therefore, in the opinion of this writer, the correct solution to the problem of inequality in Ethiopia is to promote equality through individuality awareness. Thus, the focus should be on the individual and to treat each individual according to his or her own merits. Focusing on the collective, as applied to ethnic groups as in the above case, should be abandoned. This does not mean to deny the existence of ethnic communities. Ethnic communities serve useful purposes only when they function under the sovereignty of the individual - i.e., playing only a secondary role.

Accordingly, every effort should be made by Ethiopian politicians to uphold the principles of individual freedom and individualism as a governing guide for the country. In contrast to collectivism, individualism holds that the individual is the primary unit of reality and the ultimate standard of value. This view considers groups as a collection of individuals, not something over or above them. This is accepted as the basis for democracy with universal application in the fairest possible way irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, age and so on. Eliminating the ongoing ethnic stratification and division in Ethiopia, and focusing on the commonalities by way of consolidation of ethnic-based political organizations is one means of fighting the impeding problems in the country. The formation of UEDF is very encouraging in this regard - besides consisting of different political organizations, its formation was voluntary and democratic. Such a move should be further encouraged to incorporate other political organizations in the pool. People should exercise their rights as well as responsibility to demand enhanced application of democratic principles in the organizations that are supposed to represent them in order to speed up the realization of the ultimate prize. In this case, “zimita work naw” may not be helpful. To provide valuable lessons for this, there are many examples of success stories particularly in the Western World based on the implementation of the principles of individual freedom and individuality.