
ADDIS ABABA- Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia Public Diplomacy Advisory Council has called on the concerted efforts of the people of Ethiopia in supporting the reformist government’s efforts towards the building of a peaceful and prosperous nation and its engagement for democratic transition. The council issued a statement to express solidarity to the government of Ethiopia and to call the people to discharge their responsibility in fighting the destructive activities of anti-peace groups that are engaged in disrupting the age-old peace of the country.
The Council further expressed its acknowledgment of local agents, who foresee the reform as threat to their uncontested power and privileges, have been engaged with foreign enemies in disrupting the peaceful religious and ethnic balance of the country thereby instigating conflicts and unrest. Though the government has been leading the reform in the right direction, a failure to conduct general elections pose a serious challenge to the country and the council fully understands the incumbent’s desire to conduct a democratic and credible election.
The council vehemently rejects any attempt to seize political leadership and strongly believes that public office should be held in the manner stated in the constitution. Accordingly, some political agents demand to transitional or trustee government is null. The press statement highlighted that the people of Ethiopia understand the destructive activities Egypt and Sudan’s have made to block Ethiopia from utilizing its natural resources in equitable manner and disrupt the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Hence, the Council has called on the people of Ethiopia to exercise the much-cherished culture of peaceful coexistence and embrace differences to successfully foil the intensified attempts of inciting ethnic and religious strife. “Cognizant of the forthcoming General Elections is an opportunity to lay the foundation to democratic culture in Ethiopia, the council avails its full support to the peaceful conduct of polls and urged all actors to make a constructive involvement in the decision-making.”
Civility of contesting political parties is the major factor to enable Ethiopia to hold a peaceful and credible elections and they need to accompany complaints in both the pre- and post-election processes by evidences. The government should sustain its efforts to create a plain field for all political parties in terms of budget and air time allocation which enabled the electorates to make rational decisions. The public is expected to support the second filling of the GERD reservoir financially, professionally and in other ways and make active social media engagement to aware global actors Ethiopia’s sovereign right to prosper thereby countering attempts to hithe filling, the statement concluded.
BY BILAL DERSO
The Ethiopian Herald May 19/2021