Currently, numerous competitive political parties are running in the country. Citizens from various walks of life comment on the need for a few but strong competitive parties. Reports indicate that plus to 70 national and regional parties, multinational and identity centered, are operating so far in the country.
Recently, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), who is also chairperson of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) announced that his coalition of four member parties will come up to a whole participatory one party in the near future. In a similar suit, some competitive political parties are unveiling plans to forge unison with other competitive parties instead of staying aloof on the ground of identity or otherwise.
Chairperson of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) Prof. Merera Gudina says that since the FDRE Constitution allows individuals to form any political party with own demand, it becomes easy to entertain diversified political parties in the country. He believes it is up to the political party to establish whether multi-national or identity-based party. In the current political scenario having governing idea and agenda are the sole criteria to win public interest, he remarks. In Ethiopia, ethnicity centered political struggle were common in the past and it is still practiced during this time, he adds.
He recommends that the two party structuring systems should go parallel and in balanced manner. As to him, OFC has been operating for twenty plus years struggling for the peoples it represents and for all Ethiopians at a time and it is the Party’s political program and strategy. Competitive political parties should also be governed with principles and responsible to play safely up on widening the country’s political space, he underlines.
For his part, Patriotic Ginbot 7 movement for Unity and Democracy Public Relations Head Ephrem Madebo says that political ideology [stance] is the only factor that should govern a single party member other than ethnicity. He believes a party that entertains different political ideologies, economic interest, ethnicity and other manifestations are worthy to be accepted and to benefit the country. But, ethnicity-centered party’s base is an ethnic group only and it will be complicated while it comes to the national party system, he adds.
As to him, multi-national party is inclusive as democracy upholds inclusiveness as its major principle. By nature, building democracy is not such a simplest task and it becomes push to the wall while trying to build democracy by being organized in the form of ethnicity, he remarks. “Up on Ethiopian context, being organized in multi-ethnicity platform eases the current problems. It only focuses on an individual’s ideology and enhances inclusiveness.
“Multi-ethnic based parties might differ in ideas which are proper. But, ethnic-based parties are highly exposed to conflicts of interest which might lead to other source of conflicts.” Ethiopian New Generation Party Head of Party’s Affairs Alemayehu Deneke also supports the structuring of multi-national political party system. Ethnicity-centered parties do not promote togetherness and encourage political, social, economic and any differences whatever among citizens, he adds.
For him, multi-national system promotes a sense of togetherness while; ethnicity-based parties restrict all citizens’ active participation in politics and promotes a sense of superiority and inferiority gaps among citizens. Thus, promoting such multi-party system is advisable during this time than ethnic-based party establishment which preaches differences among different groups, he opines. Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP) member of the Executive Committee and Head of Research Wasihun Tesfaye for his part says that participatory [multi-national] party system highly strengthens competitive party’s engagement in nation building.
The recent aspiration of EPRDF and other competitive political parties to set up a participatory political party is a proper approach to win the free will of peoples whether to choose or reject a single party in the current political situation. “It is a long awaited question of the public to see a whole participatory political party that never attracts citizens based on ethnicity. And we [competitive parties] appreciate such moves from EPRDF”.
“Regarding us , ( competitive parties ) we are already on a genuine arrangement to announce merger with parties run common very soon.” As to him, EDP will officially join with five to six competitive parties such as Semayawi, Patriotic Ginbot 7, Movement for Justice, Freedom and Democracy and others targeting integrated participation of citizens. And having 80 to 90 parties that based on ethnicity in one country is a failure to meet the public’s real demand and target in the country’s politics, he noted.
He says: “We [competitive parties] learn from our past limitations and come together for a robust discussion, adding that, parties’ unity and working together is not negotiable.” A united [multi-national] and strong party is better than that of a segmented numerous parties for the sake of nation building, he emphasizes. “This process will bring a positive outcome to see a tangible and active political participation in the country,” he reiterates.
The Ethiopian Herald, March 13/2019
BY TEWODROS KASSA
