If the proposed National Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is approved by the parliament, it will most likely to address the public grievances related to the economic and political misdeeds of over two and a half decades in the country, experts note.
Last Thursday, the House of Peoples’ Representatives discussed the draft bill to establish National Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) and referred the bill to Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs Standing Committee for further scrutiny. A couple of days ago, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed also told the parliament that the commission is expected to bring an end to the current national grudge like what Rwanda did after the genocide.
“Over the past seven years, peoples have been killed and experienced horrific human right violations apart from being internally displaced. These ill acts of some irresponsible individuals have made the incumbent to look like monster. In addition, the everwidening gap between the poor and rich has already created hatred among the people,” says Temesgen Tessema, a Law Lecturer at Wollo University.
Truth, Reconciliation Commission Will it address years of public discord, grievances? According to him, the current ethnic based system of governance has caused a wide range of quarrel among various bodies as the system downplays the passion of Ethiopian nationalism and discourages fellow citizens to work in unison.
“The sporadic ethnic based attacks that have been inflicting heavy human and property losses are definitely a result of the wrong propaganda which has disseminated by the incumbent”, therefore, he says establishing National Truth and Reconciliation Commission is so crucial to bring about lasting solutions to the so far committed injustices.
“In a similar vein, taking stiff legal measures against human right abusers and culprits of corruption are a must to teach a big lesson to the coming generations, Moreover, some individuals who have involved in pity crimes shall stand before the people and ask for forgiveness.”
He, thus, says forgiveness would allow the people of Ethiopia to bring about lasting peace as it is the major key to solve conflicts.
“The world has on various occasions witnessed different mechanisms of ensuring peace after some sorts of chaos, for instance, Rwanda solved its national grudge having established similar commission like us. After the criminals confessed their misdeeds in public, then the officials and the public at large forgave each other,” he adds.
However, Temesgen underlines that the offender and the victim have to forgive each other from the bottom of heart to give the reconciliation process a lasting effect. Responding to question whether establishing such commission is constitutional or not, he says; “ First of all the commission is necessitated because the constitution by itself has been the part of the problem as it has not have popular support in the country. Plus, all the aforesaid misdeeds were committed because the core principles of the constitution have not yet respected .”
For Social Work Assistant Prof. at Addis Ababa University Dr. Abebe Assefa, Ethiopians have had a long serving coexistence values as they have been unconditionally supporting one another during bitter times and wars. According to the Assistant Prof. who is also Head of College of Social Science Students Profession Development Center, though there is natural resource scarcity, the major problem may emanate from the way to solve this problem and make fair distribution.
The people have been looking for leaders with an aptitude for problemsolving, but the reality on the ground is not satisfactory to this end and so the leaders have influenced the public to adopt mob mentality to some extent, Dr. Abebe notes. Regarding to the major reason behind the public discord, he says some misbehaved individuals have manipulated the system to disregard others from national resource.
Thus, Dr. Abebe says in other words that the major cause is this defunct political ideology and it would be corrected only taking measures like establishing Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). “To establish effective TRC, it needs strong politicians’ commitment by nurturing the positive social values, supporting the public to live in coexistence and tolerance and enhancing country’s progress through unity.”
As to him, the establishment of TRC is significant to speed up the ongoing national unity efforts but, this by itself is not enough, the country needs to play its leading role in the continent properly, the government must refrain from intervening in religion and other civic associations.
He also says ethnic hatred that is being spread across the country needs to be stopped on the top of recruiting elders and other noble individuals as the members of the TRC. Both experts believe that apart from establishing TRC, the country must amend some basic administrational laws such as the ethnic based federalism to ensure lasting peace.
The Ethiopian Herald, December 4/2018
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
