Freedom of expression may be a criterion to gauge the level of maturity of a nation in terms of development of democracy. Ethiopia, one can say, has never had a democratic or democratically elected government in the strict sense of the word.
Apart its traditional values which may have helped it administer its communities based on long standing principles widely respected by all, there have never been an independent electoral commission, parties that have presented their platform freely, media that have discussed matters of common concern freely and responsibly.
Authoritarianism has been the chief characteristic of our political establishment for centuries and more. Democracy has always been strange to us in practical terms even if we take ages speaking about its positive sides etc.
Unless we prefer to hide behind a finger, we must admit that Ethiopia hence has never had a democratically elected government. And this emanates from the very fundamental issue that the country has never had strong democratic and independent institutions. Because it is the only that can guarantee credible and legitimate elections that lead to democratic rule.
And here comes one of the key deficiencies that would guide us to the crux of the matter. And that is the issue of freedom of expression and more specifically freedom of the press. First of all, Ethiopia again has never had free and diversified media in any acceptable sense of the word. And this contributes to another obstacle to hold the famous free and fair elections.
The role of a free media is crucial
In the past one year so, more than any time in the past the political space has been widely opened and every kind of political grouping has been allowed to militate peacefully in the country. But there are still some parties that would not limit themselves to only peaceful means of presenting their ideas and proposals. A few have even been surprised trying to seize power by force and be ‘a government’ in their own rights. This is rebellion over the incumbent and contrary to the agreements concluded between the government and any other party that is not included in the cabinet.
Ethiopia is in transition but the challenges are becoming more and more onerous than many would have anticipated or hoped. There is an urge to change things because the government that ruled the country for the past three decades and even before that, during the military regime, has inflicted on Ethiopians unspeakable wrongs. Repression albeit in various forms and degrees has been the chief characteristic of this sequence of governments and systems.
In a country composed of a plethora of ethnic groups, it would be difficult to administer the affairs of the country under one unitary government and the idea of federalism comes naturally. But the basic issue has been ‘what sort of federalism and in what form must it implemented’. This would need ample discussions among the population with all its chief representatives duly elected and it must be done openly and candidly.
The past government did promulgate a constitution that was federal in nature, but the premises for the federal arrangement have not been discussed among the people and it has been accused of dangerously fueling rivalry among ethnic groups by dividing them and at the same time denying the bigger picture of a united and big state from emerging and thriving. The EPRDF government has been accused by critics and even neutrals that it has tried to rule the country by controlling all the central authority and resources, capitalizing on division or rivalry among the various ethnic groups. Its unfair distribution of the resources has also created the revolts that gave birth to the current reformist government albeit initiated from the very party that has given birth to the system.
For some time to come, this issue will remain a subject of heated discussions. People will need enough access to all the information needed. Among the principal means to do that is of course the media. That is why there is strong insistence on a strong independent and neutral and above all responsible and professional media.
Among the tremendous progresses registered during the past year of reformist movement is the opening up of the freedom of expression and that has meant that several newspapers that were once banned have returned to business, with all journalists and bloggers freed from jail. Foreign based media channels as well have been welcome home. There is now ample freedom to speak out in support of this party or that one. Ideas seem to move from right to left etc.
However, the challenges have been equally dangerous. There has been a mushrooming of new TV and radio channels as well as new publications added to the already existent press but still the issue remains on the professionalism and qualifications of the editors and reporters; or in the case of TV and radio the quality of presenters. Most would simply call it ‘work in progress’, but until when can we qualify these people with these terms and justify the misdeeds that they either deliberately or unknowingly commit.
As much as a diversity of ideas will be presented to the audience, there is also the worry as to what extent certain extremist ideas will be entertained and allow to break the old tradition of Ethiopians to live together in peace and harmony. It is now becoming a huge challenge for the government and people that the media is being totally polarized not on policy issues or ideologies but on matters of origin and faith. This is clearly dangerous and only leads to fomenting hatred and division among normally intermarried communities. Certain narratives entertained and disseminated among certain political forces or media only try to convey venomous messages that are totally irresponsible and unethical besides of course being dangerous.
Many say the way the opening to the media and political parties has been introduced is equivalent to putting ‘the horse before the carts’. In a society where there is little awareness of various issues on the history of the country and several narratives are distributed just to satisfy the political goals of certain parties or interest groups, it is difficult to let all the channels of expression of ideas open and then try to extinguish any fire that breaks out here and there.
Owing to the scarce life in this country of freedom of expression, those who use such occasion seem to take advantage of it unscrupulously, to advance their own agenda only and not that of the people in general. These days we see TV channels and radio stations established to propagate certain ideas only; and such polarization can only fuel discord rather than build up a certain consciousness and lead to a consensus on how to run the country in the future.
A media outlet that is financed by a certain party cannot be expected to be neutral or objective with regards that party. The idea of political or human rights activism is often seen intermingled with the media professionals and they cannot be more diverse or more distant one from the other. If a political party or an organisation has a ‘mouth piece’ in terms of political philosophy or outlooks, it must state it clearly and not present itself as a neutral media outlet.
The professional ethics of journalism does not allow being partisan to any political force. It is the ears and eyes of the people and needs to be watchdog. Its main concern must be only the people and not advocate for this or that party or group. This is where our media has been failing totally and seems alarming.
Even the public media that is financed by the tax payers’ money has not been up to the standard of its required excellence. If we are legitimately happy that there are no more restrictions on our freedom of expression, we must however be also equally worried about the kinds of abuses we see every day in the profession. The dangers are even more blatant when we refer to the electronic media which are accessible to millions at a go unlike the newspapers or press that need to be read and reach very few people in comparative terms. There are reports that the number of press distributed in the country can be considered really minute as opposed to the large potential.
What has come to be more accessible than any other medium is the social media which is at the fingertips of millions. This means has been used to advance several political messages but there have also been scandalous lies and fabricated stories on account of this ethnic group or that one and several cases of hate speech and instigation to violence have been registered.
There is the alarm that these forces must be adequately controlled or checked before they engulf us in a cycle of violence and disputes with no end to the tunnel. There have been repeated warnings by the prime minister directed to these malicious forces that trade in hatred and destruction of the country for their political ends only. These may be mercenaries paid by who knows whom and are totally destructive. People want them jailed. That is why many are heard complaining that the abuse of the newly gained freedom of press and expression in general must not be tolerated because the stakes are too high to be disregarded.
The Ethiopian Herald May 04/ 2011
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
