No wonder a lot is going on in this country since last year. A number of political parties have already completed their merger and have reported that they are getting ready for the upcoming national election to be staged in few months’ time.
A couple of days back, the EPRDF has officially announced that it is transforming itself from a front into a full-fledged national party in which the supporting parties are also to be duly included ushering a brand new chapter in the annals of the history of the political culture of this country.
In the midst of such developments however, a dark and in my view shameful regression in the history of the student movement in this country is developing in the public universities built and budgeted by the tax payer’s money. Precious academic calendar is being wasted due to ethnic based conflicts that are already resulting in the death and injury of education thirsty students whose parents and their country are waiting for their services. The country has also witnessed conflicts on football pitches, shamefully taking ethnicity into sports.
The government is grappling with unabated contraband trade and money laundering robbing the peoples of Ethiopia of its foreign exchange earnings while poor exports is still prevailing despite protracted efforts by the government.
Our media outlets are too far from at least accenting the positive in their own country. Some sound like online opposition parties, airing programs on the gloom and doom of their own country. Nobody seems to boldly come up with a concrete and workable solution for the problems of this country but the complaints and criticisms from our intellectuals and politicians is quite deafening if not alarming.
This generation has a historic responsibility to transfer peaceful, well developed, healthy, prosperous Ethiopia to the next generation. Our current situation is not up to the expectations of the future generation. The peoples of Ethiopia and the government seem to crave for democratic Ethiopia but we are standing on a quicksand which is pushing us away from democracy by our own home made conflicts not from a conflict with any country across the globe.
Our international partners are already supporting the efforts that are being made by the government but I would assure you that they can never replace our nationwide efforts.
Most of the problems that the country is facing comes from unmet promises, lack of patriotism, falling prey to the propaganda barrage of careless social media phantasmagoria and inability to balance between ethnic identity and democratic citizenship.
We have numerous problems from multiple sources but with all sincerity none of these problems can be externalized because they emanate from here and now.
The point is, the leaders and the citizens of this country need to realize the immense potentials that this nation possesses. I do not intend to list them here as the list would be too long for readers, but the truth is, this country is blessed with abundant resources to be managed by the current generation.
Again, peace is very critical even for those who disrupt it because with peace everyone is a winner but conflicts have never come up with winners but always end in material destruction and loss of human life.
The survival of any political party depends upon how it can conduct a win-win and constructive dialogue with other political organizations.
Unfortunately some of the country’s media outlets are being derailed from responsible and accountable professional media centers into forums for hate speeches and defamation centers. It is very important to reverse this and differentiate beans from apple butter.
The national election is nearing by weeks and days. As I have stated in my pervious opinions from pervious publications, the upcoming election is a litmus paper for the future of democracy in this country and the level of the development of the political system and culture.
Ethiopians of all walks of life need to realize that the future is bright for their country and the challenges that this country is facing is transitory and the peoples of Ethiopia have passed through various challenges from which they have always emerged victorious.
All told, Ethiopians have no other choice but to strive for democracy and unity, two factors highly important for the very survival of Ethiopia as a nation. As citizens of this country, Ethiopians need to practice extensive tolerance among themselves as all have the same fate and destiny as long as they are citizens of this country.
History is a good reminder of the past and lessons could be drawn from past events whether it is painful or joyous but obviously but as human beings we cannot live in the past but live at present in harmony and aspire for a better future.
The Ethiopian Herald November22, 2019
BY SOLOMON DIBABA
