National Consensus: Priceless means to build a nation

BY MENGESHA AMARE

As Ethiopia has remained polarized still, political transition through a comprehensive consensus needs to be well injected into in the minds of vast population from corner to corner with a view to potentially addressing all sorts of country’s dilemmas. A number of scholars have been shouting and recommending such an appealing means to get sources of the grudges, retaliations, resentments and envy of one another dried for good.

Yes, they are right. If we are to come up with a stable, economically prodigious and politically role model nation, all aspects that have widened the disparities and disagreements between/among nations, nationalities and people have to be well bridged using the instrument of national consensus and heartily close talks.

Unquestionably, a lot has been done across the nation following the advent of the recent reform initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) though a lot remains to be done. Needless to state, transition needs to be regarded as a current Ethiopian phenomenon, and it is inevitable that the journey has to be accompanied by a range of hurdles as the country has been entangled with multi-layered and systematically helped problems for close to three decades.

The existing period of transition means and could be interpreted in different ways by different individuals or groups or some sort of factions. What matters here is every amicable aprotic, sense of fraternity or harmonious way of living as well as resentments, hostility and superiority or inferiority complexes can be confidently hosted in a country, no place to escape. True, a solution is there for any problem if citizens develop integrity and courage of listening to one another.

Understanding all these national aspects be they are trivial, crucial or a matter of life and death can be potentially well adjourned and confidently handled , citizens of all walks of life especially the elite ones have to develop spirit of giving priority for a nation—great Ethiopia. Reservations, grievances and distractions, if any, can be healed using national consensus as closely discussing difference is the priceless method of our era, even nothing would be beyond this viable approach.

What is merely needed along this line in the nation is being wholeheartedly willing to entertain others ideas and communal values instead of pushing to the direction where wild winds are blowing. Unequivocally, the recent reform has thus faced an uphill battle to stabilize and effectively govern the county emanating from highly orchestrated conducts from within and abroad combined.

As ethno-nationalist political narratives have increased ethnic polarization, intercommunal intolerance and violence, they are becoming antagonistic to the broadened hope for unity. It is well known that such a destructive narrative pitting one group of nation against another have been exploited by those who have loathed the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ethiopia. How evil minded they are!

It is really time these days that devising potential solutions to the problems of the country lies in building bridges between communities, societies and even population and narrowing the gulf between varied political visions so long as, in one way or another, they are attempting to come up with a well-to-do nation, a pride of all of course. Hence, national censuses born to inclusive national dialog is the best option of all though it could hardly necessarily resolve the long piled problems in the country.

As far as I am concerned, there is always a place for national dialogue as long as there in genuine commitment and firm determination to do so. Undeniably, the incumbent is the first in the history of Ethiopia in due course of establishing a national dialog commission with a view to addressing the multifarious challenges from which the nation has been ceaselessly suffering. We, as Ethiopians, have to talk about the prime common challenges and deliberately run undertakings exacerbating differences every Ethiopian has been facing ranging from individual rivalries to group-based grievances and reprisals.

In due process of national dialog, source of national consensus, everyone’s effort is badly needed as peace, tranquility, harmonious way of living, and national security knows no boundary. To make the national dialogue a success, the commission should d educate all citizenry about the dimensions of reconciliation, agreement and solving problems via employing close talks and constructive consultations employing credible conveners, inclusive nature and developing firm commitment to indiscriminately serving the general public.

Since the national consensus process and dialog could exclusively address the problems of the country, all concerned peculiarly the national dialogue commission has to make the implementation process workable and dependable. Here, there should be pre-dialog public consultation incorporating all walks of life, political parties, armed groups and unlimited interested segments of the society to bring about lasting peace in the nation.

There should be a pre-dialog to consult all stakeholders in a bid to solicit views regarding the central issues to be addressed. A sound communication strategy should also be well employed as it is quite vital to build and maintain trust, publicize progress, address dis-and misinformation where necessary as well as invalidate fabricated narratives thereby coming up with a stable and livable nation with radical societal behavior. This optimistic move would also help the nation level the gap between the government and citizens.

Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald

THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH 2023

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