BY FITSUM GETACHEW
Ethiopia is striving to have a democratic government so that people will have their say in their affairs. It has been exerting relentless efforts in this sense following the recent reformist movement. Ethiopians however realize that the struggle to come out of an authoritarian type of government is still not complete. A lot more is expected of them until a full fledged democratic system takes root reliably. Emerging out of the debacle that TPLF has sown during the past several years and now making some sense of the catastrophic destruction of lives and property will really test not only the capacity of Ethiopians to absorb all this but also their patience and perseverance in going ahead with their lives.
Ethiopians in the past have been forced to endure several predicaments including invasions by fierce alien forces. They have been made to live through massacres of various kinds. They have endured hard times of plagues and natural catastrophes such as drought and famine. But eventually they have survived it and in many instances came out more resilient and stronger. This time as well the circumstances are pretty dire and a lot of what is part of the nature of Ethiopians is needed to overcome it without leaving irreparably lasting damages.
TPLF has shown how hopeless an organisation it is and its dehumanizing moves in its behaviour have been there to see for all. Today the TPLF has deteriorated so much that it has come out openly to be the fiercest enemy of Ethiopia, exposing themselves with their true nature. When we try to look closely at what sort of government TPLF was for the last three decades, we discover that everything it did was prepared and designed to divide Ethiopians along ethnic, religious or linguistic lines, create as much animosity among communities on purpose, and in the meanwhile make itself the sole guarantor of peace and reconciliation.
When we look at its political blueprint closely, we discover that the ultimate objective of this group has always been the dismantling of the state of Ethiopia and prepare its own independent state on the debris of the country! That was why TPLF has been systematically plundering the resources of the country in open daylight for years and trying to amass them in its backyards in Tigray and abroad with the hope that one day they would form their own independent and powerful state!
Once TPLF was ousted unceremoniously from its federal powers we saw that it immediately retreated to its region and tried to build up its military preparedness to fulfill its dream. After the November 2020 attacks on the Ethiopian national defense forces, Ethiopians have discovered beyond any shadow of doubt the true nature and strategy of TPLF and their allies. Today, no one doubts that Ethiopia’s enemy number one is no one but TPLF and the only solution for Ethiopians to have peace is to neutralize it completely.
Today only those who do not want to see can have any doubts about the true nature of TPLF including those in the Western world who have been sympathizing with them or trying to help them. In a way TPLF could be the Trojan horse of certain imperialist minded countries who want to exert undue influence in the internal affairs of Ethiopia threatening its sovereignty.
The new government that was just sworn in days ago after a remarkable election is bound to herald a new epoch of hope and a trajectory of progress and prosperity to Ethiopians. However, it also knows that its first compelling homework should be the neutralization of TPLF and bringing its leaders to account for their atrocities. In this effort, no one external force could be allowed to intervene because this is an internal affair of Ethiopia.
Attempts to save the drowning boat of TPLF are all bound to sink because no laws in the international sphere can force Ethiopia to nurture and accept a terrorist group and sit down for negotiations. Terrorist groups all over the world are fought against because they are a threat to peace and humanity cannot live side by side with terrorists! They cannot be party to any healthy conversation or negotiations!
In the meantime, the rehabilitation of the displaced must be carried out as soon as possible and urgent humanitarian aid delivered. This daunting task is clearly beyond the capacity of a poor country such as Ethiopia. The new government realizes it will have to seek every assistance from friends and allies all over the world. The solidarity of all those who consider themselves ‘friends of Ethiopia’ must now show their good intentions with tangible action. Promises and words are now of little relevance.
In this respect the ideal move would be to prepare an all inclusive international conference that would assess and quantify all the losses and come up with concrete plans of rehabilitation and reconstruction. Such conference would then launch a campaign of fundraising that would serve to meet the financial needs of such a huge plan.
A preliminary assessment has shown that the damage has been tremendous because it was also deliberate. Every useful infrastructure has been subjected to destruction. The life of people in the regional states of Amhara and Afar has been destabilized permanently. There are still several undiscovered damages and quantifying them takes time.
Besides the losses in terms of infrastructure what is even more depressing is the kind of treatment people have been subjected to once these terrorists penetrated the two adjacent regions. Arbitrary killings of entire families have been recorded beside amputating youths so that they can never work; destroying the reserves of cereals and crops and taking away whatever was transportable was also another criminal act committed. Killing of the cattle indiscriminately besides slaughtering some for their consumption was also carried out.
The clear objective of this savage force is to create such deep enmity and hatred among communities so that they can never reconcile and live together. But the people of the regions are more intelligent than the guess of TPLF renegades. They have come to realize the intentions of TPLF and would not subscribe to such venomous mentality. They have identified unequivocally who their enemy is. TPLF and its ideology have nothing to do with the larger masses of people who have been forced at gunpoint to join their mission.
TPLF is a force that was formed five decades ago; Ethiopians have been living together in peace for centuries. No imported ideology that preaches hatred and division would be validated by Ethiopians. It was attempted by the Fascists, it failed; it was attempted by other invaders it failed. Evidently, TPLF has not learned from history, and it is bound to wither away once it is made irrelevant and is left without followers. It is destined to be discarded in the garbage of history where similar forces belong.
Today, Ethiopians may be suffering from the evil deeds of TPLF and its allies but the fact that it won’t last too long any more could be a source of solace for them. Ethiopians now are more united than any time in the past. There is a kind of national mobilization to support the government in whatever measures it decides to take.
With the formation of the new government we have recorded many voices of a new beginning and a new tradition of acting as one including opposition political parties who have been given political representation in the new council of ministers. This is unheard of in the past and this new beginning heralds a new epoch because it had to begin somewhere. It is a kind of breaking the ice and the government will sound like a true representation of the entire population and not only for the members of a party that may have resulted triumphant in the elections.
Leadership may be given to a prime minister who happens to lead the winning party but this does not exclude others who can serve their country in their areas of excellence. That was the message that we read when three leaders of opposition political parties were appointed by the premier.
Meanwhile, this new government realizes it is awaited by several compelling tasks. It needs not only all of its citizens irrespective of their ideologies but also foreign countries that are considered friends of Ethiopia. The diplomatic row between Ethiopia and several of its former partners and allies need to be addressed soon before irreparable damages materialize. The continuous defamatory campaign launched by some international media outlets and even international NGOs need to be stopped.
They are indirectly subscribing to the venomous and fake narratives of TPLF. These forces do not need to be informed about the intentions of TPLF because they can see it themselves and the leaders of TPLF themselves tell them what their moves are and where they have been heading. The implications of these diplomatic rows not only tend to prolong the conflict in the north but also arrest the economic improvements the country needs to implement! Already the war has left irreparable damage to the budget of the federal government. Various projects had to be rolled back to support the war efforts. Thousands have thus been left without jobs and income. Inflation has become a major challenge because of scarcity of investment and lack of hard currency. Ethiopia is in dire straits and that why the concerted efforts of all Ethiopians are imperative. /*
It is clear that Ethiopia cannot afford to break all its diplomatic and trade ties with all those foreign powers who now seem to sympathize with TPLF. However, at the same time it cannot exchange its sovereignty for their friendship. We need to balance between safeguarding the economy of the country and hence the livelihood of millions and conserving our sovereignty.
In the past no member of an opposition political party was allowed to take part in any government made by the ruling party. Opposition was viewed as an enemy. This year however this ceiling has been shattered by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. A new beginning has been launched. The premier believes that the fact that they belong to opposition parties does not prevent them from serving their compatriots in their specialty.
Some people might take this move as only symbolic or a tactic to consolidate more power for the ruling party but the premier has made it clear that so was not the case. He urged all ministers to work together with integrity and diligence so that the country can benefit from their expertise.
We have seen in other democracies that opposition political parties are not considered enemies of the state. They just happen to have a different approach on how to administer the country. Once governments are formed through election results, these forces sit down together to seek solutions to the problems on the table.
The new government has come to realize that the problems the country now faces are beyond the capacity of one party alone. All well meaning Ethiopians should contribute their part in order to resolve issues. Deliberations and discussions are crucial to solve problems and adopt new strategies. That is why the previous government’s outlook that opposition politicians can never be party to the government has been dismissed.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly pointed out that Ethiopia belongs to all Ethiopians irrespective of their beliefs and ideologies. His philosophy of ‘Medemer’ or synergy is practically introduced to the new government. This trend of inclusion has been extended to other echelons of the system including regional councils.
The voices of all Ethiopians can thus be heard at all levels, even if decisions are bound to be taken using the rule of majority rule. But it should be underlined that this is more than mere symbolism but a major step towards an inclusive democratic system. At least it reduces animosities among parties and we have a chance of focusing on problems rather than underlining disagreements and fomenting more animosities among citizens. There can be no alternatives to discussions, tolerance and reconciliation for a multiethnic, multicultural society such as ours if we want to move ahead together.
The Ethiopian Herald October 21/2021
