I was pondering over two sets of political outlooks gaining currency in Ethiopia of late. The politics of citizenship and ethnic politics is one of the political divides that is dominating the current media polemics here. As a citizen of the country by birth and by choice, I also belong to a certain ethnic group in the country.
This was not by choice because as a human being I am a biological product of my parents. How could this affect my understanding of the political discourse in contemporary Ethiopia? I became a citizen of this country pursuant to the most complete laws of Ethiopia. I would therefore be compelled to think as a citizen of this country.
I do not need to be categorized in an artificial box of citizenship politics because I am already a political citizen both by virtue of training and social orientation. Therefore as an Ethiopian I am an embodiment of a united personality both as a unique individual who cannot be cloned and as an Ethiopian. By the way, this is not only about me but about all Ethiopians weather they are in a jet plane, commercial ship or living abroad or in Ethiopia. For every Ethiopian therefore, the concept and the mode of life is vested in being part of a united Ethiopia.
If you had followed my argument from the beginning, in accordance to logical syllogism an Ethiopian is a citizen and at the same time an ethnic entity united in one. The fallacy in ideological divide between ethencisim and Ethiopiansim is a gross philosophical error. As Ethiopians, we are concerned about each other not only as citizens but also as people belonging to a mosaic of ethnic groups.
This is true both in terms of citizenship and in the context of belonging to various ethnic groups. This is not given to an Ethiopian by the government or by those who claim to possess a political mandate (they have none in the real sense) from a certain ethnic group. This is a bit of philosophy but let us get down to real life.
If one recalls the deep grief that the honest and sincere sorrow that the residents of Gimbichu district have shown on their prayer day on the 12th day anniversary of the tragic accident on flight of EAL Boeing 737 Max 8, one would understand that the Oromos in the area and elsewhere are loving, honest, respectful Ethiopians.
Not the false image that elitist politicians have tried to paint. The bottom line and the common denominator of all Ethiopians, irrespective of their ethnicity is that they love their country and respect each other. They did not get this from any law or constitution. It is from their inherent and inherited wisdom they have acquired from their forefathers.
Trying to drive a wedge between this and that nation and nationality simply because the reform program has paused a threat to the vested interest of a group will never postpone or even derail the reform which is obviously based on the interests of nations and nationalities of this country. It is one thing to oppose the reform and yet another to stand against the survival of Ethiopia as a nation There are countless evidences that show the unity of the peoples of Ethiopia has been maintained even under the most repressive regimes that ruled this country. The peoples of Ethiopia paid unfathomable sacrifices to restore the territorial integrity of this country against the irredentist army of Siad Barre and all other aggressors that had tried to encroach into the country.
The very survival of Ethiopia rested on the irreversible unity of its people. Ethiopia’s reform program is usually taken as something that has to do only with Ethiopia. The program has also helped to further consolidate the cooperation and unity between Ethiopia and the rest of Africa. Almost all mega projects and infrastructural schemes that were commissioned by the government had provided due consideration to East African infrastructural integration and Agenda 2063.
The unity among all Ethiopians is basically regulated by the extent to which the rule of law has been respected in the country. Unity devoid of action is of course meaningless. This would eventually mean that all concerned should render practical and measurable action that would promote unity among the peoples of the land. Addressing the HPR and the peoples of Ethiopia on her inauguration as the president of Ethiopia, President Sahelework Zewede said ““the ongoing reform process, which embraces equal representation of women as well as people from different ethnic groups, will lead us to realize a prosperous, developed and united Ethiopia in the near future.”
Her speech implied gender sensitivity of the unity among all Ethiopians. Contrary to the toxic propaganda barrage that has targeted the political order and the peoples of this country, Ethiopians have always remained united in the fight against tyranny, brutality and protracted balkanization. Unity in the Ethiopian context implies equality and equity in the distribution of national resources. The political economy of unity in Ethiopia is strongly based on the ethnic diversity and never on the hegemony of one nation or nationality over the other.
One should also take into account that those who are opposed to the democratic unity of the peoples of this country would upturn every stone at their disposal to spread hate speeches both off line and online. Deliberate biases, categorizations, labeling, defamations and fake news are employed to disrupt the unity and therefore the ongoing reform process in Ethiopia. Although the social media is being employed to spread hatred, chauvinistic and narrow nationalist views, the mainstream media is tied down by formalism an red tape and is forced to tread after the social media has been active in disinformation.
Here it is worth noting that attempts towards the disruption of unity among Ethiopians have always been sponsored by petty bourgeoisie intellectuals who claim to represent and stand for the unity of their own people while they busied themselves in putting the unity of the peoples of Ethiopia into shreds. Speaking on the unity and sovereignty, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said “We do not negotiate with any entity over the sovereignty and unity of Ethiopia.”
He likened posing challenge to the unity of Ethiopia as an outright declaration of war on Ethiopia. While keeping their ideological framework, political parties in Ethiopia should reflect and in fact support the unity among the peoples of Ethiopia. It is very important to focus on the unity of this country particularly when the country needs to keep up to its development programs in providing its citizens with basic services and promotion of food security at household level. Besides, Ethiopia can discharge its regional and global responsibilities when the entire nation acts in unison. On the other hand, the constitutional rights of citizens and nations, nationalities and peoples when it is supported and cherished by the entire peoples of Ethiopia. This generation, particularly the youth, needs to grab the current opportunity in the country to create a united front against poverty and destitution, because “ we stand united and divided we fall”
The Ethiopian Herald April 6/2019 BY SOLOMON DIBABA
