Which way to build Democracy
through deceit or election?
Editors: of
Ethioobserver.
The
seed of change and hope is being challenged by fear and
fragmentation to give the world a negative image about our first
ever-democratic baby step. Nevertheless we are left with the
undisputed fact that our first ever election was not intended to
be the hotbed of instability, but a soul of Ethiopia's quest to
democracy. Various arguments have been advanced as to the May 15,
2005 Ethiopian election by friends and foes for the most ambitious
election in a century. While we realize there are flaws and
weaknesses in our political system, many countries are able to
contain damage and build a democracy. Are we able to pull forward
to the challenges that confront us or exacerbate the political
situation and add fuel to the still simmering conflict?
Were
the opposition and their supporters blind or was their intolerable
pursuit of their agenda going to keep them on course to the better
end? Whatever, their motive, there seems to be no end in sight.
Perhaps it could be that the ruling party had misguided the height
and breadth of the steps leading to this dais. Some opposition
clacked in the guise of Democracy (election etc.), selling
deceptively, with a concealed agenda hatched in North America and
Europe and financially backed by a few who have an axe to grand.
We must always guard against a distractive slide into national
arrogance, xenophobia or aggressiveness. Such a cancerous
polarization resulted in more wasted life. It can be argued that
the opposition network organized in Diaspora by handful exiles
intensified the growing paranoia.
Our
country is one of the poorest and less developed nations in the
region. Are we doing what we should in order to develop a
democratic institution and political development? Ethiopians in
Diaspora need to understand what a hectoring tone evokes in
dealing with a people that have managed hardship and endurance for
the last 100 years. In a bid to rekindle the old emotions, many
bashers are reverberating on the web and on the streets of Europe
and North America. Cynical, manipulative self-serving dishonest
opportunists and untrustworthy advisors spearheaded under the
cover of the opposition, combining efforts in and out of Ethiopia,
are trying hard to undermine the electoral process. We have seen
enough already how far they will march to grab power. This ill
advised campaign is part of an orchestrated assault as well as
being both misguided and misplaced and a detriment to democracy.
The Ethiopian community in Diaspora cannot be an observer of the
situation when ex-Derg officials are trying to revive the failed
politics of Mengistu and Negede Gobeze. Cheating and running
highly sophisticated political scams will not advance their case.
They
are widespread and legitimate concerns about the tactics of the
opposition and the flip-flop positions from the outset of the
election. We need an examination of the opposition members'
credibility. So far complaints lodged by the opposition about the
election were baseless except for a few irregularities that will
not change the outcome. In those areas the government expressed
its commitment for holding a recount and is full cooperating with
all legal proceedings. All top officials have repeatedly promised
to fully respect the result of any legal recount. What can we say
with certainty about the opposition's political behavior resolving
the election? With the EPRDF still whining as we enter July, it
appears that EPRDF is safely installed in office for another term.
It also weathered an attempt to blackmail the election. One of the
opposition's (Hailu Shawel) morbid charges is losing ground. An
abundance of deceitful political double talk is not strange to
Ethiopians. The coalition must recognize that democracy requires
more than just an election. Ethiopians must design a political and
legal structure to guide Ethiopia’s journey to democracy.
Politically
expedient maneuvering is resulting in the growth of an unnecessary
split at home and abroad. It is our duty to unmask conspirators,
opportunists, chauvinistic elements and the personal ambition of a
few hungry for power. We seem to have reached the pinnacle of an
unending, irresolvable social conflict pitting one group against
another and leaving enormous bitterness and disillusionment in the
wake of first ever May 15, election. The May 15, election has
brought hope and dignity on a vast scale, where previously none
existed. Now the work of democracy has began to march.
The
non-negotiability attitude on the part of the opposition provokes
an angry reaction from the public. Operating within a paradigm by
any means to cling to power is disastrous. It has been seen as
irrational and politically incompetent, with tactics that are
counterproductive to Ethiopia and to Ethiopians. It looks as if
they cannot negotiate because they don’t have anything to offer,
or they lack some of the properties of political organization, or
a coherent set of ideological principles. There is a sharp
contrast between an organization representing societal interests
and a political party concerned with winning votes for office.
Both the ruling party and the opposition have lost sight, and are
caught in a vicious cycle. Those who see change through a protest
vote rather than politically divine ideology favor the argument to
take power by any means necessary. The opposition party must make
efforts to establish an active dialogue in order to overcome the
crisis, and create a more promising vision for the future of
democratic participation. Lack of readiness for cooperation is a
threat to the realization of the democratic forces for building
peace and stability. Indeed, the outcome will determine what kind
of country future generations of Ethiopians will grow up in. All
those demonstrations and petitions have failed to change the final
outcome or draw a majority vote for the opposition. It did,
however, create a political order and perhaps could emerge
strengthened from the crisis. The democracy-based legitimacy has
survived a major challenge, and also played a role steering the
country to a better future, despite the cry of a few.
What
began as an open election to promote democracy has morphed into a
campaign of cries by the Diaspora in the streets of North American
and European cities petitioning against the interest of Ethiopia
to stop debt reduction and AIDs. This campaign against the
Ethiopian people by the “true Ethiopians” really horrifies and
hurts many of us bystanders, observers and neutral bodies knowing
the simple fact that the price to be paid for the debt is not by
the fat-man-hamburger-eater of the Diaspora but by the poor,
living in abject poverty. Hence, such an attitude could very well
provoke strong opposition in the near future. Moreover, the May
election needs the full support and flexibility from the
international community and perhaps, most importantly, the U.S
government. The continuing attack has generated the usual sort of
stories by claiming the May national election may not have
succeeded in weakening the EPRDF. Demonstrations by the opposition
supporters has caused lose of lives. Although those demonstration
are technically illegal, the government must adopt a tolerant
attitude and refrain themselves in order to prevent further
inflaming the situation.
Whatever
one thinks, the cost of failure will demonize the election process
and does nothing to resolve the situation, So far it has been a
disappointing performance of the opposition coalition. It has to
be seen whether their tactics will succeed in making the country
more united than their predecessors. So far the EPRDF is making a
big comeback and hope could go far in moving the country
collectively forward. Also the opposition must re examine its own
behavior and insensitivity to other nationalities.
The
sobering fact is that there is not much the supporters of the
opposition in Diaspora can do abroad to change Ethiopia’s
future. Begging and harassing foreign politicians to meddle into
the internal affairs of a sovereign nation might also have the
distasteful effect of aligning the freedom loving Ethiopians to
line up and condemn such bargains. What we can do to help our
country is to support the mechanisms that allow the various
political and social forces to dialogue with one another with the
aim of resolving the current impasses and establishing peaceful
and lasting democratic institutions. This call also includes those
who admit to be advocates of democracy and champions of human
rights.
Editors: of
Ethioobserver. 7/19/2005
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