By Tesfaye Habisso, 28/06/2008
Many people retort that politics is a dirty game; others claim that politics is not a dirty game and that it is only "dirty" politicians who unashamedly fret to make it ugly. Those who argue against politics say that politics is a dirty game because it thrives on manipulations and exaggerations to succeed. Any politician, they argue, with great skills at manipulating facts and circumstances to suit his/her whims and caprices is likely to succeed over less cunning and less zealous opponents in any competition for public office, be it a race for membership in the legislative body or the post of premiership. So, for this category of people, politics is a dirty game that ought not to be pursued by upright men and women, because it has the potential of bending them.
In Ethiopia today, owing to our recent and nasty brush with multi-party democracy, politics has gone awry: it has gone from dirty to "muddy" and from a sometimes criminal to an all times "suicidal", confined not only to the art and science of political competition for public office as normally expected but pervading all walks of life, including community associations, churches, professional groups, independent scholars, NGOs, etc. There is much evidence for the suicidal nature of Ethiopian politics if we begin to reflect on the past decade or so, and the present political climate in Ethiopia. But no matter how bad and suicidal Ethiopian politics has become over the past several years, many politicians, whether members of the ruling party or the opposition, and supporters of both camps, are just not willing to forego the old habits of hostility, hatred, arrogance, intolerance for dissent and for differences of opinion, belligerence and trickery and cheatings in favour of fair dealings (a level-playing field), whether the political theatre is at home in Ethiopia or in foreign lands. The ongoing debates between supporters of the incumbent party and government and those in the opposition bloc do not reflect any respect for one another’s views and opinions. They are mostly negative and hateful. Despite 2000 years of Christian teaching that admonishes a Christian to turn the right cheek when someone smites his/her left cheek, this sort of meek behaviour is seldom appreciated or acceptable and thus unthinkable among human beings, whether Christians or not, most of all, amongst ‘worldly’ politicians. As Newton’s Third Law of Motion, “every action has an opposite and equal reaction,” social behaviour is also reciprocal; you reap what you sow, so to speak. By their very nature public debates are rancorous and conflictual. Reflecting on ancient Athens, the philosopher James Harrington, a contemporary and follower of Hobbes, remarked that he could think of “nothing more dangerous” than “debate in a crowd.” Once you provoke negative and hateful emotions in others, you have to expect similar negative and unpalatable reactions from the other side, sometimes double-fold and even more. But why? Why can’t we conduct public debates and criticisms with utmost civility and due respect for one another’s views and positions, however divergent our differences in ideology may be, and leave the verdict to the people, if our aims are indeed to serve the people and not ourselves—to seize political power as a means to an end, the end being not to snatch power for power’s sake but to deliver goods and services to our people. The ‘war of words’ and the tit-for-tat correspondence that we often observe on numerous websites and print/broadcasting media is reminiscent of the politics of the student days of the 1960s and 1970s at the then Haile Sellasie University of Addis Abeba. Nothing seems to have changed for the better after more than four decades or so; no meaningful social transformation seems to have occurred over such a long period of time amongst the elites of the country, whether they live at home or abroad. “Can an Ethiopian change the colour of his skin?” Can a leopard take away its spots?”, says the Bible, Old Testament (Jeremiah 13:23; I wish it also said the same thing about our rigid character and mentality as well, because this is the most persisting malaise that has become part and parcel of our character and way of life. Sadly, we seem doggedly resistant to change and to adopt democratic values and a political culture of tolerance. And this brings us to the leadership crises resulting from politics of confrontation and hatred spilling over to the circles of intellectuals, independent scholars, community associations, churches and other NGOs in general.
The first most confounding story in this regard is the destructive role played by some groups of our intellectuals/scholars in the Diaspora. As everyone may understand and appreciate, it is scholars who have deep knowledge in their respective areas of intellectual pursuit and specialization. It is indeed scholars who speak the truth in the cause of the downtrodden masses. It is scholars who often have the gut and courage to speak up the truth and who put their lives on the line for its cause. Yes, it is the scholars who give intellectual guidance in a society and for a society---intellectual guidance for all, foes and friends alike. After all, it is the scholars who have the foresight that transcends all borders--ethnic, racial, political, religious, etc. affiliations and numerous other parochial tendencies and leanings that characterize our human lives. The question that one may pose to these Ethiopian scholars at home and in the Diaspora is this: Why take sides and get embroiled in partisan politics when, in fact, most of them do not belong to any political party/parties as full-fledged members? Why don't they rebuke, admonish, and even encourage and support both the ruling party and the opposition parties when that is what they think is appropriate, and that is what they think the latter deserve? Why don't they try to offer their invaluable intellectual guidance to all---the ruling party, the opposition parties and the society at large? Why foment hate politics and whip up ethnic hatred amongst our multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-ethnic society? What benefits to reap, fellow compatriots? Just go back and reminisce the recent past, that is: The incarceration of more than 100 CUD leaders and supporters, the death of 199 people (including six policemen) and the injury of around 763 innocent citizens, and the destruction of public and private property worth many millions of birr in the riots that followed the third national elections, riots and disturbances mostly instigated and sponsored by our intellectuals in the Diaspora? This is the most unforgettable outcome of the relentless campaigns and efforts of our scholars who unashamedly fretted hard to make or break our national politics from far off foreign lands. What a tragedy! Why don't our scholars try to stand up for the cause of truth that serves our people and our country as a whole instead of hurling scathing attacks and condemnations against the ruling party only? Why don't they criticize the many follies and frailties of the opposition also? Further, why foment acrimony and hatred amongst the protagonists in the country's political arena instead of trying to offer guidance or advice that may assist to bridge the rift amongst the contending groups, with the aim of discouraging confrontations and encouraging a political culture of tolerance towards sustainable democratisation? Isn't this the utmost duty and obligation of our independent intellectuals/scholars at home and abroad? Why propagate ideas and advance political positions that may only add fuel to the already burning fire and thus hasten our own self-destruction? No one group (or groups) will benefit from such a hostile environment? It is the poor masses who suffer in the end, not the scholars/intellectuals who most often the time board a plane and flee to their safe havens in America or Europe when domestic politics goes awry. This is what worries most farsighted and patriotic Ethiopians at home and abroad.
The second most depressing story is that of community associations and splinter Coptic Orthodox Churches/congregations in foreign lands. Although a few of them have been performing spectacular activities for their members in particular and for their country in general, most of these institutions seem to be bent on pursuing destructive goals. As most of us are well aware, since the last decade or so, it has virtually become quite difficult for Ethiopians who work abroad at Ethiopian embassies, including their family members and, all supporters of the ruling party and government who work elsewhere as well, at times, to be wholeheartedly welcomed at community association meetings, congregations of splinter Coptic Orthodox churches and at other similar functions. Their rights of affiliation with the community associations and Christian congregations as Ethiopians have been of no consequence, as they have been perceived as stooges and spies of the incumbent government and party attempting to infiltrate these institutions to glean information on potential enemies of the government. The incumbent government and party, on the other hand, has time and again unambiguously declared that its enemies are no one and nothing else but the scourges of poverty, diseases, lack of good governance and the absence of a well-functioning democracy and deficiency in the rule of law. Whatever the case, one may wonder why social and religious organizations formed to cater to the material and spiritual welfare and needs of Ethiopians residing in foreign countries would be concerned with infiltration at all. What is there, in the first place, to be gleaned from such economic migrants and those who have left their country of birth in search of greener pastures in foreign lands, and not because of their irreconcilable political differences and hostility with the ruling party? What is there to be obtained from church leaders who have gone to those countries to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to convert the 'lost souls' to the Word of God? For God's sake, let us all speak up against this ludicrous and nonsensical mentality. Be this as it may, the crucial questions that must be asked at this point are these: Did the associations, churches and the NGOs or their leadership have any objectives beyond a social, spiritual or welfare nature in the first place? What are the yardsticks for measuring potential infiltrators? Would only the embassy staff qualify as infiltrators, or would any persons who worked for a public agency in Ethiopia, regardless of the government in power, be qualified as infiltrators? Would persons affiliated with other Ethiopian political parties/dissident rebel groups such as CUD, UEDF, EPRP, AESM (MEISON), MEDHIN, AEUP, EDP, OLF, ONLF, EPPF, ANLF, etc., to name only a few, also qualify as infiltrators as well? Or, is it only members of the ruling party and government, its civil servants and other supporters who qualify to be infiltrators? Your answers to these questions may be as good as mine, but as a long time observer of the functioning of many community associations, splinter Coptic Orthodox congregations and similar civic groups operating in many cities in Africa, Asia, Europe and America and run by Ethiopians, I can tell you that these organizations have yet to graduate from this kind of utterly silly, ridiculous and weird ideas and approach or to egalitarian and accommodative mentality and spirit, and new and potential member reception for the good of these institutions, their members and, above all, for the image, unity and dignity of their compatriots in the Diaspora and their ancestral homeland. Why would we indulge in activities that split our own compatriots because of their association with a certain regime, political party, ethnic group or religion? Why tear apart Ethiopians along such misguided and parochial attitudes and outlooks of discord, animosity and belligerence? Why force people to seek protection and security in their narrowly defined family confines and 'ethnic/clan tents' and not in their common citizenship and legitimate state authority? Where are we heading, anyway? And with such attitude, it is no wonder the associations, churches and the other NGOs, including such welfare associations as Idir, Iqub, Mahber, etc. have continued, and still continue, to experience splits, brawls, and one leadership crisis after another crisis non-stop. For, technically, almost every adult Ethiopian in the Diaspora has affiliated at one time or another with the various past and present political parties and progressive groups in Ethiopia, and/ or worked directly for the past or present government or both. Now, which administration of the government of Ethiopia one works for, or worked for, may not matter much as each administration since the days of Emperor Haile Sellassie I to Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has got a paper trail of unsavoury records, even if they differ in intensity and degree. So, unless a potential member was convicted of a capital crime or other heinous offences for which he/she is likely to tint or tarnish the public image of the community association or NGO (keep such members in the background), every Ethiopian residing abroad should be welcomed to join the association and similar such groupings with open arms. Otherwise, the community associations and NGOs would continue to deprive themselves of quality leadership, cohesion and continuity, and a boost in membership and economic power by former Ethiopian government officials, professionals and scores of ordinary Ethiopians in the Diaspora who may be put off the constant infightings and bickering, or who may continue to shy away from these organizations and their activities for fear of being unfairly targeted by some self-righteous persons whose very social and political history leaves a lot to be desired. The associations and NGOs must refrain from prejudging people for their past or present social and political affiliations, and embrace each member or potential member with utmost respect as a way of restoring confidence in community leadership, and promoting peace and understanding among the rank and file membership of the associations and NGOs in order to advance the latter's growth and development. The infightings and ethnic, religious or class rivalries within these institutions ought to stop so that they can begin to undertake meaningful programmes for the welfare of their members.
The third most disturbing malady emanates from our inability to deal with the past leaders. We have been told and retold that the problem of our country lies in our past leaders. Emperor Haile Sellasie I, Mengistu Haile Mariam and their erstwhile supporters have often been demonised. Till now they and/or their children have never had the opportunity to extricate themselves and their forebears. Even if they could, we have already ‘crucified’ them. We have virtually distanced ourselves from them, denied a world renowned statesman and one of the founding fathers of the OAU Emperor Haile Sellasie a dignified public burial ceremony and even left his sons and daughters lead degrading life in exile abroad. The names of the previous leaders get dragged into every criminal affair and economic failure, the sole purpose of which is to humiliate and make them part of the problem. This has been done in such a way that whenever their names are brought into context it actually has the effect of reducing the burden of the current regime/leaders and their henchmen to account for their own questionable activities. As most of us who lived in Ethiopia during the Derg era were well aware, gross human rights violations took place with disturbing regularity in Ethiopia throughout the 17 years of that brutal regime. The Derg in collaboration with its cadres unleashed a reign of terror, mass murder, torture and killings. “ It was said that between 100 and 150 people were being killed every night in the capital Addis Abeba during the “Red Terror” purges of the late 1970s. Victims’ bodies were left lying on the streets and relatives were forced to pay for the bullets that caused the death of their loved ones. Mengistu’s security forces tortured political prisoners, dipping bodies in hot oil, raping and inserting bottles and heated metals in bodies of female prisoners.” Violations however have not, of course, been a monopoly of state officials and their functionaries. Widespread atrocities were also perpetrated as much by various political organizations and armed rebel groups fighting against the military regime (‘Derg’) as by the security forces, the police, the cadres and the so-called ‘revolutionary guards’ of the junta. While human rights violations due to factional skirmishes and killings amongst political organizations and rebel movements were rampant throughout the country. Today, everyone likes to say, “Mengistu did this”, and the “Derg did that.” But the truth is Mengistu and the Derg alone did very little. Mengistu was a world class tyrant and the Derg was a blood-thirsty brutal regime, yes, but the evil done and the atrocities perpetrated by the Derg regime, from the “Bermuda” secret detention and torture chambers to the “Red Terror” barbarous killings were all done by Ethiopian citizens who were afraid to question if what they were told by their government and their superiors inside political organizations was the truth or not, and who, because they did not want to admit to themselves that they were afraid to question the government and their masters, refused to see the truth behind that hollow and bankrupt slogan of “revolutionary Ethiopia or death!,” did not have the moral courage to stand up against the mass killings and tortures perpetrated upon their fellow Ethiopians—sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, etc.—now simple statistics and framed in black at every home, and followed Mengistu and his junta into absolute national disaster because of their subservience to tyranny. For instance, could the fascistic Hawzien massacre have taken place if those airforce pilots ordered to bomb those innocent citizens at the Hawzien marketplace have refused to obey their masters’ orders? No! But the vexed question that arises now is this: Are we the current rulers and their supporters answerable and accountable for our part in the human rights violations that are perpetrated upon our people today? Is the rule of law upheld and respected throughout our country? Do we admit our wrong-doings or misdeeds in public and apologize publicly for these follies? Do we bring to justice all those who perpetrate human rights violations and who compromise our constitutional rights and freedoms? Do we the ordinary citizens have the moral courage to criticise our government when it infringes our basic human rights and fundamental freedoms? Do we have the gut to stand up for our rights and say no to any superiors’ orders that undermine the human rights, political and civil liberties of our people? These questions have to be answered in the affirmative if we want to shape a better future for ourselves and our children, and stop blaming the ‘dead’.
Finally, the struggle for democracy, human rights and the rule of law and market economy is bound to take a long time before it takes root and bear fruits, as these ‘values’ are still the hardest thing to import and to modify. We can learn new techniques or acquire new knowledge, but it is notoriously difficult to adopt a behaviour that is based on values that are foreign to one’s society. Societies’ fundamental values evolve gradually, and the introduction of new values is always faced by traditional reflexive reactions. Furthermore, this struggle should not be conceived only in terms of a struggle over the distribution of wealth, power and private accumulation but also the creation of commonwealth by mobilizing all sections of the population beyond ethnic, religious, political, etc. divides in order to improve the living standards of the majority of the population, to enlarge the ‘national pie’ that we all must share equitably, so speak. Above all, the struggle for political power must not be taken as an end by itself but as a means to an end, the end being the welfare and betterment of the whole society by designing correct, feasible and people-centred political, economic and social policies and programmes, and implementing them efficiently and effectively. All in all, let us be cognizant of the stark reality in Ethiopia today: Our prime enemies are abject poverty, diseases, massive unemployment, lack of good governance, the absence of a robust rule of law and democracy, and currently hunger and famine among many millions of our people in many parts of the country. We have no other enemies than these and let us not fret to create more enemies for ourselves, real or imagined. Regimes and political parties come and go; they are transient. The Ethiopian state and its peoples, I hope, will always be there. Let us endeavour for a better future of our country and its peoples. Let us all struggle in unison to alleviate these perennial scourges of humanity in Ethiopia. And if we sincerely love our people and our country, can we prove our words with deeds by mobilizing funds and other humanitarian assistance for the hungry and famine-stricken citizens of our country? Can we prove our much-talked about Ethiopian patriotism in this time and hour of material need, irrespective of our political, ethnic, religious and other differences, and reach out to save our people? For God and Our Country!