The Will to Ask the Hard Question: That is the Question

Kelemu Smeneh                       May 2, 2008

Few days ago I read an article written by Girma Kassa on the need to ask hard questions and to get involved in the affairs of our country. That is a noble idea and a timely call.

There is no doubt that a continuously occurring change is needed in Ethiopia for its people to once and for all to escape from poverty trap. Change is not a luxury for our country.  It is a necessity.  In the west democracy and elections are no more than periodically occurring games. Games that are with no great consequences and that do not greatly hamper the lives of citizens of the country in any fundamental way. If elections were true reflectors of what the population needs for a positive change, the Americans wouldn’t have chosen Bush for three consecutive terms (that includes the senior Bush). Unless of course one argues that Americans want to invade Iraq and control its oil and other riches.

Girma and other compatriots need to understand that elections and democratic exercises such as free press and the like are not a matter of luxury. These are exercises and concepts that must be consistent with the developmental stage of the country. One who practices journalism must be aware of some fundamental principles that govern the behaviour and knowledge of such a person.  At the minimum he/she should know that ‘shouting fire in a middle of a confined crowed is illegal’ for the consequences of that irresponsible behaviour could be catastrophic.

Before I am sidetracked to other issues, let me re-iterate the need for asking ourselves the hard questions. Let us also be honest when we answer them.

• Did Ethiopia have, in the main, a responsible media whose business is to disseminate news and views of the citizens in unbiased manner, or was it an instrument of the different parties, including the ruling party? Was what we saw on the eve of the 2005 election a free press at its best or destructive elements let loose and ready to rip the country apart by spitting venomous hate and spreading discord among the people of Ethiopia?  Only an independent and a person who commits himself to a united Ethiopia can tell the true story.

• Democratic principles, practices and exercises took root in the Western world over periods of centuries.  Hundreds of thousands, even millions of lives were lost to make this system of governance a reality.  While we do not have to spend centuries and expect thousands to die, do we have all the institutional instruments, social/political awareness, and essential mediums to make democracy look like what is practised in the West? Frankly, do we want to emulate the West or adapt it to suit our own norms, beliefs and traditions?

In my opinion, it is important that those who have the will and the desire to see their country, their Ethiopia to have a just governance system must answer these questions pragmatically.

For a starter, Ato Girma and others who like to see a prosperous Ethiopia must accept the fact that those people in the Ethiopian leadership have a desire that equals or exceeds Ato Girma’s wish for a stable and democratic Ethiopia. Again, in my opinion, it is this luck of recognition of the goodwill of the Ethiopian leadership that derails the opposition movement for and makes it irrelevant.  It is sad.  Sad because every time the opposition sidelines itself and becomes irrelevant, the democratization process that has a lot to gain from competition is hampered by that much.

Ethiopia became landlocked when Emperor Minilik was forced to relinquish Assab, Eritrea and Djibouti to the colonialists of the time.  Again, Ethiopia became landlocked for the second time when Eritreans decided to be on their own. Eritrea became practically free during the Derg era – by force of arms. Continuing the war was not an option. What EPRDF did was finalize that divorce in a legal manner.  Yes, some of us have an issue on the way it was conducted.  That issue will remain as a historical footnote, as a mistake done by the incumbent government.  But to conclude that EPRDF made Ethiopia landlocked by its own free will is not correct.  Honesty dictates that any rational person accepts this fact.

I know that Ato Girma, unlike the ONLF unofficial spokesperson Ato Tedla, (who incidentally was a guest on a radio broadcast on this website), believes that Ethiopia has the right to defend herself against the Somali Jihadists who threatened Ethiopia’s integrity.  I am a little bit baffled when he says the EPRDF leaders ‘send our armed forces to invade a country’.  It must be known that 1) Ethiopia entered Somalia at the invitation of the Transitional government there, 2) It has the right to protect its integrity by any means necessary when it is threatened in a broad day light by bunch of terrorists brandishing their guns for the world to see.

As Ato Girma said it is time, time indeed, to ask serious questions on the role we are playing.  To concentrate on the trivial, to mislead people by saying that our gold is being shipped out by the government, to state that businesses are getting bankrupt when for the first time in the history of the country business is booming and private enterprises are mushrooming, begs the question ‘where is our honesty and integrity’?

Yes, we need a change in our country. A change is indeed happening.  The infrastructure of the country is advancing in a fast track mode.  The private sector is building homes, contracting out infrastructure development schemes.

But more is still needed.  Here is a role that I and Ato Girma can play constructively.  First we appreciate or recognize the development that is taking place, the small democratic venues that are opening, and the relative freedom of our people to use their own resources, languages and culture. Then we request or even fight for more to be done.  For the government to open up more, to facilitate the development of opposition parties – to give them the opportunity to meaningfully express their opposition and promote their vision of how the county should be administered. We have to fight that every section and department of the government is accountable. We have to perform our ‘citizenry’ duty by exposing rogue elements, the corrupt officials in the country, in the government and demand that they are dealt with a manner that is consistent with the laws of the country.

Ato Girma wrote the following: “From Dembidollo to Chenakson, from Afabet to Yabello, from the highlands in Northern Shewa to the lowlands in Assaita, from the forest in Bale to the desert in Ogaden we can put an end to the era of bloodshed, division, hate, petit tribalism, lawlessness, dictatorship, corruption and war-mongering and start a new chapter of love, brotherhood, compassion, unity, democracy, good governance and the rule of law. Together we can do it”.

This is indeed a noble wish.  I wish to tell my understanding of the current realities in Ethiopia, that is, I see that that era Girma talks about has already started.  The country is fighting corruption with zeal.  An article that I read about Meles Zenawi by an African fellow is a testimony.  Of course the likes of Tedla will dread the moment that gas is pumped out of Ogaden and become an engine of progress for Ethiopia. Hence his letter writing barrage for anything and everything that tells something positive about Ethiopia.

A long road awaits us ahead, but we have already begun the long road to traverse. Ethiopians of all hues together and separately are now beginning to be at peace with themselves.  With their rights as a group and individually guaranteed by the constitution, they seem to march forward with a common vision, a respect to each other and a mutual future and build a strong, united and prosperous Ethiopia. Albeit, there are some obstacles here and there.  We have groups masquerading as liberation fronts with nothing to liberate. We have elements of the past who wish ‘the good old days’ to come back and endlessly lament wherever they meet, at home, abroad, in the coffee houses, in the bars and everywhere they can happen to be.  Their destructive nature may seem less than the bloody killers, but they are equally damaging in a sense that they teach their children to hate certain groups.  The biased, but otherwise eloquent and beautiful child of Professor Getachew Haile, who wrote a book recently, is a case in point.

All to say that the elements of unity, democracy and prosperity are there. What are needed are a good will, a serious soul-searching, and a constructive involvement of people like me and Ato Girma.

I will end up with an advice that I heard from an unlikely source at Ben’s website yesterday: Ato Seyoum Mesfin.  Seyoum, in his interview with Ben called on all Ethiopians – the Diaspora to engage the government of Ethiopia in any venue and challenge it openly. Serious Ethiopians working for the betterment of their country have to take up with this challenge and call the officials including Seyoum and ask him to be true to his words. The only requirement is that people be civil and act responsibly, peacefully and constructively.

He also told us that we can only be good to our country if we are good to ourselves. He advised us to look after ourselves, be united, strong and economically as well as socially strong so that we are heard; that politicians of our respective states give us the deserved attention when we ask. He warned us not to fight amongst ourselves in the name of opposing political views and be weak and divided community.

In short, he said get along!

Ethiopia is “OK” now.  She is at peace with herself.  There are those outside forces who hate to see her go forward.  Unfortunately there are some local elements that are being used as a tool by these foreign elements. But more seriously, it is those who some how collude, not through their words but through their actions, with these tools in the name of opposing the government, that are doing more harm than the so called armed groups.  It is time to be honest and reflect upon our actions.

We do not want just to be ‘OK’.  We want to be good.  We want to show the world that we are more than a country that is the origin of mankind.  We want people to know that we are more than the historical people with artefacts to boast about.  We want to show people that we are hard working and with the proper governance and mutual effort we will be able to lift our country out of poverty. That we can indeed do.  For that to happen we  have got  to know, people like me and Ato Girma need to understand, that politicking is not always the best method to achieve that. In fact petty politicking is an obstacle to progress. We must find out what is common to all of us and work towards that common goal.