WE WANT CHANGE NOT VENGEANCE

·     ለአገራችን ለውጥ ጥሩ ሀሳብ፣ ምክር፣ ጊዜና መተባበር ወሳኝ ናቸው።

·       IT’S TIME TO STAND TOGETHER

Heroes can be defined in many ways that satisfies receiver’s views regardless of their differing, fields of endeavors, achievements and triumphs. It may sound like comparing apples with oranges to some who are still wallowing in the old beliefs and assumptions that heroes are only limited to warriors.

Our country has been through successive Imperial rules, the last standing and aging, King of Kings, Emperor Haile Selassie, who was an ardent motivator, Africa’s peace making statesman, as I grew up knowing him, doing his responsibilities far greater than the sitting successive Prime Ministers. Ethiopian Royals were unlike all other Royals of Europe, Asia and other countries that remained for vintage enterprises enjoy their lifestyles by visiting and socialising with foreign dignitaries while the real work is done by its Prime Ministers. The Emperor was a devoted and keen participant in all national and international missions.

Unfortunately, all the malpractices, the untimely leadership squabbles and all other grievances were provoked and forced by recurring global changes and due to uninformed and personal capacity to perform unequivocally, considering the time influence.

Our country has endured the iron-fisted and undignified military government (Derg) lead by Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam and his crony bureaucrats which exercised excessive power and ruled our country for 17 years.

And then created, by their own will, the minority group of TPLF/EPRDF regime, with their relentless policy to ethnically divide and rule, until the current most progressive leader of our time, Abiy Ahmed,  came to the rescue.

In addition, with all the scholars and skillful luminaries we have in recent years, we seem to lack the drive, personality and willpower.

Ethiopia desperately needs a renaissance, strong-willed leader, the right social development built on a firm foundation of human rights, inclusion and political pluralism. Human development that caters to the needs of all its citizens, not economic growth based on a prescribed outdated, unjust economic model, which inevitably benefits a few, strengthens inequality, fosters corruption and tribalism.

The time is now to promote “unity”, peace and national reconciliation; we now have an opportunity for all of us to be on Abiy’s journey of togetherness (Medemer) for a better Ethiopia.

First we plough, then we sow and finally we reap the good crop. I believe that’s exactly what Abiy is doing at the moment if we hold on to our virtues of tolerance and perseverance.

Can someone single out to me if there is someone who has a high spirited charisma, stature, fortitude and knowledge parallel to PM Dr. Abiy Ahmed?

Let’s give time and listening ears, with good intentions, to the Prime Minister elect, Dr. Abiy Ahmed at least until election 2020 where his fate will be decided by Ethiopian people. If he gets elected again for the people, by the people…we have no choice but indiscriminately accept his leadership.

He is this generation’s new breed, charismatic and formidable Ethiopian ‘Obama’. Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, who amid all the ethnic challenges, is on his journey of uniting the people with love and forgiveness not with an iron-fisted leadership.

Why is there so much intra-group conflict, characterized by personal feuds and infighting in our society? And when there is conflict, why is conflict resolution so difficult?

One explanation is that we have been brought up in an environment where certain dysfunctional cultural behaviors that hamper effective communication and cause conflict are the norm. We all need to learn new ways of doing things or businesses or interacting with others.

We can observe chronic feuding and infighting in families, extended families, friends, non-political civic organizations such as professional associations, churches, community organizations, charity organizations, and among others.

Indeed, the most infectious conflicts occur in apparently homogenous groups whose memberships have not only similar ideologies, but similar frames of reference, perspectives and interests.

Over the last 50 years of our political history, we have been let down by our politicians over and over again. Now we are saying to the so-called politicians, “Stop it! Enough is enough!” Fundamental changes are necessary to live together without dividing the country and the people. We must speak the truth and proclaim that these political groups do not possess even a basic understanding of our country and that they do not reflect Ethiopia in their conduct or decisions. Enough is enough, what’s happened in the past can’t be retrieved, let’s forgive and move forward by building bridges not restrictive boundaries.

The “unity” and connections we are going to create and the strong, transparent relationships and communication that we will establish with all people, groups and individuals are what we need to seize to build a stronger and more secure Ethiopia. In true “unity” we can achieve all our hopes and dreams.

Structural changes are needed to restore confidence and respect for the coming political orders, constitutions and government institutions, including the politicians, judges, army officers, and among others who will be entrusted with the stable, fair and honest governance of Ethiopia.

We might choose to go to war with our morality and reassure ourselves with our ego by saying… it was not my fault, I was born this way, it is genetic, my father or mother was this way, I was abused as a child, God made me to act this way…, it is a way of life – all men or women do this –everybody is doing it and so forth.

The list of excuses we might come up with abounds, every time we justify our sinful actions for self-glorification, it seems our ruthless ego (opinion of ourselves) has defeated our humane conscience to value somebody else’s good thoughts & intentions.

After all, our experiences and memories help to shape our identity. Only by acknowledging our historical legacy, even when it might be painful, can we come to terms with our past as a way to better understand ourselves, identify our weaknesses and strengths and bridging the divide to a better future for all Ethiopians by challenging abusers, appreciating our diversity and bestowing our “unity”.

Marginalized political groups develop an ethno-nationalist discourse as opposed to democratic governance, arguing that their exclusion violates the principle of ethnic representation as outlined by TPLF’s own ethnic policy. The biggest challenge facing the future of democracy in our country is indeed this notion of ethnic entitlement. One can only hope this troubling form of identity politics has not yet become deeply entrenched to the point where a new order based on democratic norms will not be able to fill the crack created by ethnic division and the related deficit of trust among us.

We failed to understand the notion that a person's identity cannot be given to him/her instead a person must achieve a sense of identity through personal experience and self-search as a result of his/her cultural heritage and current surroundings. Above all one can bear allegiance to multiple identities at any one time.

It is said that those who do not learn from past mistakes are doomed to repeat it. Many mistakes and errors have been committed by successive “habits” in the past.

Like in our past, denying our (to one self and others) failures, personal accountability and scapegoating or blaming on someone will never help our progression.

We need to break free from negative emotions of the past, out-dated beliefs and opinions how we do things that passed on to us via generational setting, inherited collective mind-patterns that have kept our generations in captivity creating so much of their suffering for eternities manifesting in our despair these days.

As a result of ethnic federal system Ethiopia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the social, spiritual, economic and political bonds of the population were diminished severely.

How can we create a strong transitional plan, including an impartial justice system, to undergird the move from the current tribal model of the TPLF/EPRDF to a free, just and decentralized nation based on a representative democracy?

By politicising identities, the TPLF/ EPRDF have turned Ethiopians against each other, despite most of them being of mixed ethnic heritage.

A rapid transition from the ethnic-based authoritarian model of the TPLF/EPRDF government, where favoritism and cronyism is entrenched in all institutions of governments and civil society, to a model that ensures rights, dignity and opportunity for all the children of Ethiopia, is crucial.

The persistent creation of pseudo-organizations, in some cases without tangible focus, and the ethical questions that arise as people pledge to more than one political organization at the same time is not only counterproductive but also helps to accelerate divisions that prevents us from fulfilling our responsibilities.

The undisputed reality is that even the new generations of youth who were newborns at the advent of the post1991 Ethiopia have come to repudiate the divisiveness and false promises of ethnic federalism.

The diverse political groups, individual actors, intellectuals and political activists must realize that the future of the Ethiopian state would only be solved via continued negotiations, compromises and “unity”.

Unless our people (Ethiopians) can agree on the principles, values and structures that are essential to implement the key ingredients of inclusive values and principles, there will never be peaceful efforts to reform our country.

I hope the future of new Ethiopia will include robust participations and discussions by all political parties, stakeholders and civil societies that are organized based on conceptualized ideas, common interests and democratic values not based on ethnicity and its affiliations.  

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” –Nelson Mandela

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” –Nelson Mandela

“The problem is with the leaders in power who disregard their oath of office and are unable to lead without stealing, without stealing (double emphasis).” –Abiy Ahmed

“We waste too much time on our identity instead of our unity.” –Abiy Ahmed
“The only way to govern Ethiopia is through peace and democracy because Ethiopians are loving people but also stubborn. If they are abused and oppressed, they will resist. They don’t like those who abuse them and steal from them.”  –Abiy Ahmed

“Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.” –Mahatma Gandhi

History teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to submerge and overcome our differences in the quest for common goals, to strive, with all our combined strength, for the path to true African brotherhood and unity. –HIM
“እውነትን በጭብጨባ ማሸንፍ አንችልም።” ጠ/ሚ ዶ/ር አብይ አህመድ
”የሀብት እጦት ብቻ ሳይሆን የጭንቅላት ድርቀትም እያጋጠመን ነው።” ጠ/ሚ ዶ/ር አብይ አህመድ
Abiy Ahmed’s values of Ethiopiawinet, “unity”, peace, reconciliation, human rights, democracy, rule of law, equality and justice for all will become our providence.

Now, we have a chance to have young leaders in Ethiopia who can break the old mold and make a new one forged out of a simple principle:

“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.”

If you can’t help him, don’t incriminate him. Leave Abiy Ahmed alone! He will do what no one has done for Ethiopia before. He’s seen and learned numerous blunders and triumphs of heroes of the past. He waited for so long yearning to transform that course of history indefinitely. He may look like walking slowly, but surely and honestly fulfilling his promises carefully with no err.  

Let’s Live Together (አብረን እንኑር)

“Let’s Run Together”, Let’s Change Together, Let’s Die Together. (“አብረን እንሩጥ“፣አብረን እንለወጥ፣ አብረን እንሙት። )

ONE ETHIOPIA FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE ETHIOPIA!

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

CONCERNS: ESSENTIAL GUIDANCE FOR A SMOOTH ELECTION 2020

A significant component of the walls of suspicion and hatred among us is the baggage that we carry in the form of historical narrative and particularly a deterministic notion of identity.
We seem to throw stones at each other from far away physically hitting no one but emotionally bruising everyone, in doing so, with no clear evidences or offering solutions to criticisms to any comments being made by those contributing an alternative opinion to solve the ongoing problem.
We’ve tried everything to transform our country and nothing seemed to work. You know what, enough is enough and the only way is unity without name calling, shaming hatefully for mistakes of the past, complaining worthlessly, competing recklessly, comparing enviously, criticizing unreasonably and above all strive to transform ourselves.
Keep in mind that people have full right to exercise their cultural heritages including their languages and should not be pushed to the extent that shake their own and others survival. We should not run for dominance/ knockout games rather we should appreciate our uniqueness for the benefits of everyone in the game.

“If few people are benefiting while the majority are struggling, it would be a zero sum game, if not collapsing. If the majority of the people are leading a reasonable life, we will emerge as a formidable force with stronger stability, thereby the people choose to prioritize cooperation over brutal competition, unity over separation, and hope over fear.”

If there is one thing we must detest and reject in the Ethiopian culture, it’s a political bluffing, power mongering, egotism and self-promotion/centeredness and hypocrisy. Breaking up, narrow group think, personality worships, nepotism, arrogance, enviousness, hidden agendas, one group trying to undermine the other and so on will not advance the common cause and or respond to the unity of our people, especially, the new breed of future generations.

Playing the ethnic card game is also to fall victim to destructive identity politics that breeds division, hatred, conflict, and cynicism.

After all, our vast experiences and memories should help to shape our identity. Only by acknowledging our historical legacy, even when it might be painful, can we come to terms with our past as a way to better understand ourselves, identify our weaknesses and strengths and bridging the divide to a better future for all Ethiopians by challenging abusers, appreciating our diversity and bestowing our unity.

The fallacy of identity politics is its mishandling that created disunity and ethnocracy instead of democracy. Take for example someone who was born in Addis Ababa–a cosmopolitan city by all account–whose parents came from two distinct ethnic heritages–say Amharas and Oromos–and yet the only language s/he has spoken is Amharic. Which ethnic group this person ought to be “allocated”? What if by virtue of his/her upbringing and the multicultural environment of his/her surroundings s/he does not feel allegiance to any of his/her parent’s ethnic heritage?

The issue could be complicated even more if we add to the mix of the unavoidable dynamics of intermarriage with other group that constitute the Ethiopian cultural mosaic. I can go on with other complex scenarios, but there is no need to press the point further, for only in the context of democracy that the questions of choice arises.

Our identity cannot be given to us instead we must achieve a sense of identity through personal experience and self-search as a result of our cultural heritage and current surroundings. Above all, we can bear allegiance to multiple identities at any one time.

Given our past traditional track records, patterns of cultural behaviours and many aphorisms of the social characterization, absolute power, hating and abandoning people we don’t even know just because of our friends prejudices that they don’t like them and this unjustified favouritism tend to corrupt society, the cultural politics and both mind and spirit of those at the helm of their companions genuinely where other’s absolute influence has a tendency to encourage how we see situations and likely to be swayed effortlessly.

We continuously see some of our academics who incessantly condemn anything one does with no apparent justifications but for self-gratifications and self-promotions of their professions, trying to please the public, racing and scrambling to advance one-self, refuting their inferiority and hopelessness, feeling desperate and greedy, just to name a few inherent conflicts of interests.

We all have seen on the social media outlets some of the barrages of abusive commentary posts thrown, by our “educated” personalities from media and scholastic identities, at our leader and ethnic groups for no apparent reasons but the same old hatemongering and identity politics that ravaged us since the arrival of EPRDF/TPLF. Although they’re entitled to make their remarks or observations unreservedly and I also have so much respect for their contributions and criticisms alike, I can’t hide my disappointments and total shock for the words, arguments and abusive & unmannerly languages they use to influence uninformed people by demeaning and sneering others in these days in age. That’s totally “absurd”.

No matter how “educated” one is it will take some time to wash away all the stains of his past hierarchal rules and dictatorial leadership he’s been through and it will be unfathomable for him now to accept a changed approach in leadership and a leader who is a passionate servant and not a tyrannical, big-headed individual or leader with an iron fist.

 

  This was a commentary posted first by the Prof, as always, relentlessly character assassinating Ethiopian Oromos.

 

 

 

Next he followed up by not apologizing but by rephrasing his comments that would not make sense and wouldn’t change a thing.

I have big respect for you Prof., but just showing how disappointed I’m with your remarks considering you’re a high caliber professional

Nevertheless, when we overcome and remove all those habits and obstacles that stand in the way of our infinite power and self, we’ll unconditionally be dispassionate, objective and demonstrate a noble deed, not only for ourselves but for human beings, thereby, for all humanity.

Nothing is misguided or mistaken, illogical or ill-founded about doing things differently, than we’ve been used to or someone taking the lead role that we’ve never been exposed to, with less domination, incarceration, control or power and use an ample, unreserved & generous compassion for everyone impartially.

We must discern & understand, there is nothing ecclesiastical about passionate and compassionate leader who wants to guide his people in a highly spirited manner than a leader who vulgarly, offensively, tastelessly…condescending and abusing uninformed and innocent people in order to control and stay in power, as our people have seen and been through the same old suffering time and again.

Remember, even if we don’t like someone or their leadership, commentaries and any contributions, we must not blame unless they committed ill-fated crime, we can condemn and give our side of alternative enlightenments in a courteous manner.

We must understand, this time, it’s going to be different than the abusive governance we’ve been used to. We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a better result that can fetch new changes. We need to change our thoughts if we have to change anything.  

It’s a cultural enigma that we tend to believe and be swayed by what others tell us more than what our eyes can see and fundamentally know.

In our society, we also tend to trust and revere someone who is educated as an intellect (IQ) with no emphasis on the person’s emotional intellect (EQ) as these two are entirely unrelated concepts and nothing to do with the person’s educational standard that determines how s/he executes any given tasks or responsibilities.

I hope I’m not offending anyone or our educated scholars but these are research facts as some of you already know the theories very well. We all are maybe educated in some way or another, but we are lacking an innate and distinctive fortress.

“Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to understand, manage, and express our emotions in healthy and constructive ways. It’s also about recognizing and responding appropriately to the emotions of others.”

“Research shows that intellectual intelligence (IQ) has less to do with success in life than emotional intelligence. Our IQ helps us understand and navigate the world on one level, but we also need emotional intelligence, or emotional smarts, in order to succeed. People who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept doomed to be unsuccessful because they are lacking emotional intelligence.”

On the other hand, the underlying problem was the lack of good governance and the absence of enabling factors: accountability, social justice, transparency and rule of law. Focusing on the transient issues of the past favouritism will only serve to provoke and divert attention from the real struggle and reform that are being waged, and to undermine our resolve to build a just society.

Let’s not repeat these vicious cycles. If we learn to eat together, we can learn to work together.

In 2008, making the first black presidential nominee of a major U. S. political party, Barack Obama appealed to the nation in words that reverberated around the world and millions now hope will never be forgotten by his administration: “America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend…Let us keep that promise–that American promise–and in the words of scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.”

Likewise, let’s keep our forefather’s patriotism alive and keep the spirit of “Ethiopiawinet” forever. Is there anyone out there from any existing or newly formed opposition parties or who can be handpicked amongst our people who will keep these promises and represent all Ethiopians, so we can start promoting his succession to the power by sharing his dreams and aspirations before the coming election? If there is one, who do you think that person is?         Let’s concentrate on that!

It is time to stand with our new breed of leaders and reformers who, rather than throwing barrages of unwarranted criticisms, cynicisms, bitterness, partialities or preferences at each other, honestly contribute & stand for all Ethiopians irrespective of one’s ethnic or racial backgrounds.

Remember, we may not have the prestige of celebrities, the power of divinity or all other academic luminaries, but our differences of opinion and stories are unique and equally valued, effective and say something no one has expressed before.

Thumbs up and hats off to those who are being resilient to share and sound their opinions to propagate what will be pivotal information for everyone and also send a hearty message to those coyly pals to absorb all as much as they can and put out their valued side of story as well.

More than ten years ago, I have proposed constructive suggestions for all political opposition groups, parties and activists to come to a table of agreement and reconciliation in order to form a strong and united political organization that will benefit all Ethiopians rather than form fragmented small groups out of hatreds and distrusts.

I’m so delighted that these small contributions did not go to waste and as we have witnessed recently with Patriotic G7 being reformed itself and all others either merged with existing groups or submerged unnoticed.

This article is strictly bound to enlighten the general public and political opposition aspirants/candidates and to lessen election time pandemonium, controversies, corruptions, disruptions and civil unrest.

With the election looming, we need to prepare ourselves in cooperation and create an atmosphere of love and oneness and set aside the emotional states of hate and divisions trying destructively challenging and resisting to put our own ethnic group in power.   

Please, read more essential commentaries and others on the blog here: 

https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2008/11/let-us-improvise.html http://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2009/07/proposition-for-all-ethiopian.html

ONE ETHIOPIA FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE ETHIOPIA!