DIRE DAWA- The only path to the building of strong and prosperous nation-state in Ethiopia is cultivating the culture of informed discussion among the elite part of the society and the public in general, forum stressed.
Addis Weg, a discussion platform of the Office of the Prime Minister (PMO), was held yesterday in Dire Dawa in cooperation with the City’s Administration Council. The platform happened for the first time outside of th capital, Addis Ababa.
Opening the forum, PMO Press Secretariat Head Nigussu Tilahun said Ethiopia and Ethiopians should resort to genuine democracy discarding the old-fashioned politics of intrigue, and discussions the Office organize is meant to usher in a new era of building a nation-state that favors the interests of its citizens.
Though the discussions held so far on various topics have started to bear fruits, ideas and practical actions that collide head-on with the new path are not uncommon in some parts of the country, he added.
It is noticeable to every observer that the on-going reform demands time, finance and knowledge but adverse ideas and actions have unfolded additional challenges of ensuring rule of law, he said, adding discussion on grand national issues must be taken as an only path to settle disputes.
Also, Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia Director Obang Metto said the reform has opened a window of opportunity for the cross-fertilization of ideas on contentious topics.
To him, such opportunities were rare, if not absent; thus, everybody has the responsibility and should refrain from using force to achieve his/her interests. “Let’s just throw ideas and words to one another in a responsible way.”
“Humanity should get priority. Every individual is responsible to his/her brother, neighbor, and country, if not to the entire universe.”
On the occasion, panelists presented their works on topics relating to Nation-State building in Ethiopia and National Consensus.
Dr. Semir Yusuf, from the Institute for Peace and Security Studies, has also said that the effort of nation-building has faced challenges over the past decades. He said mutually exclusive effort of the nation building has ended up being a zero-sum game.
According to him, sub-nationalism movements from grassroots had presented challenges to government-led nationalism of the Imperial era and Derg regime.
The exploitative systems of the past time were among the reasons for the rise of sub-nationalism, according to him.
Unless both sides find common ground that accommodates one another, their unilateral aspirations of nation-state building will end up being futile, he argued, adding that compressive discussions and negotiations are the means to get out of a cycle of violence.
For his part, Dr. Dagnachew Assefa, a philosophy scholar from Addis Ababa University, has underlined that politicians and political system are inseparable and the political system should be placed above the politicians.
He said the challenge ahead of the country is the formidable elements that pursue ethics of responsibility and ethics of absolute value.
Elaborating the concept, he said the former regards discussion and negotiation as part and parcel of political process while the later give deaf ears to these issues. The latter’s political analysis in itself prevents criticism and they desire to achieve their goals by any means possible including war.
Besides, Afar People’s Party Chairperson Dr. Konte Musa indicated that the building of institutions is a major task to ensure a sustainable nation-state.
“Fair distribution of power and resource as well as the reign of justice is the basic ingredients to a strong nation-state.”
To him, the political system must be inclusive and all states and people osught to receive equal value. Current political system of the ruling represents some people as parties while the others as affiliates, he argued.
More and more discussion must take center stage particularly to enable the citizenry at large participate in the national affairs, he added.
The Ethiopian Herald July 21/2019
BY WORKU BELACHEW
