WHO CAN WE TRUST?

ELECTION TIME BONANZA

Who can it be now? Who can it be...

I would like to start with the most pressing issues in election times locally & globally before listing a whole lots of other disappointing businesses around where we live. Election time is Prezzies time! Politicians are promising to spend so much money to compensate and buy voters for their shortcomings and obligations they’ve never bothered to do before the election. Where will that money come from? Impose more taxes and cut all the existing social service benefits time and again, year after year once they got elected to the office?

Like all world leader candidates, in the recent Australian election, the incumbent Prime Minister, Mr. Morrison, was telling voters, “If you vote for me, you get me. If you vote for Bill Shorten, opposition candidate, you get Bill Shorten.” I wrote the following remarks before the election: Really? How can the voters be sure, instead of you, they won’t get Barnaby Joyce or Clive Palmer, ha, ha, ha, and instead of Mr. Shorten, they won’t get Anthony Albanese? Anything can happen, mate and it did. Surprisingly, he got elected and in his adulation speech he said, “I believe in miracle”, whether his supporters voted for him or miracle happened, he has won the race and got elected to the highest office in the land. It’s a pity that another parliamentarian, Christopher Pyne, who resigned early on, won’t be there to sing one of his fav, ABBA’s classic song, Fernando, at his confirmation speech.

UNIVERSAL COMMUNICATIONS

Apart from election time choices, shenanigans and talking about trust, universally things have turned incredibly bittersweet in a global scale. I don’t want to sound pessimistic & whiner, make no mistake that this is not what I believe or think, but I’m only reflecting on the reality that the world we live in has changed powerfully.

Individuals, friends & families are becoming self-centered, hostile; concerned only for oneself, abusive, manipulating others and ignoring all the values which make relationships meaningful, since the advent of online social media emergence.

There was time where mobiles, emails and internet were not around, we were all connected and enjoyed each other’s company and yearning to have our first mobile of the time such as big Motorola’s and others so we can keep in touch even more whenever and wherever. Even with mobile phones, modern catchups have changed. 

Modern day catchups, no comment



Now we’ve them all in more convenient ways than one, but our contacts, activities and interactions are barely viewed, scrutinized, arbitrated, invalidated, disregarded and never appreciated. 
WEAPONRIES



Weapons of mass destruction

Developed countries who manufacture military arms and machineguns selling their firearms to the undeveloped and poor countries for profiteering, exploiting those unfortunate countries who end up killing each other and they continue to buy more weapons for self-destructions. Do we really need an arms race to spend so much money to kill each other when that money can be used to help livelihood of the impoverished?

ROYALTIES

The worth of splendid/ marvelous Royals

Do we really need the archaic Royal Monarchs and their remnants, from West to East and to the most economically impoverished isle nations, destined for expensive coronations, accessions, majestic & impressive protocols of the medieval periods to extravagantly showcasing their crown jewels that still exist and remain in confines?

I believe somebody needs to get a real job. I’m talking about all the royals who are living extraordinarily on poor people’s money. We must put the past behind us and abolish all the vintages/systems of monarchy absolutely/unconditionally, like few other countries did. Take a look at Ethiopia, where it got rid of the primogenital monarch in the world in 1974. Why do we want someone as a representative as they seem, just visiting all over the place as a diplomatic venture and having a good time, costing huge expenses while the real job is done by Prime Ministers and his elected officials? One good thing, at least, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia wasn’t just a symbolic figure; he was doing his real duties day-to-day and looked every bit a real transformer of that generation.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved our colourful, charismatic and engaging Royalty. But that’s thing of the past and like everything else, all things good or bad must come to an end. That’s our history but can’t be our destiny. Think about it! In this day and age, do we really need a namesake just because it is deeply rooted in our psych just like our old vintage hording stuffs that we can’t dispose or give away?

We need to move forward with a renewed sense of urgency building institutions of all-inclusive education system which can rationalize the minds of the people and the political elites that are suitable for creative and innovative changes to bring transparency and accountability into operational and the awareness to decimate the inkling of Royalty, protocols, nepotism, inequality and subjugation.
The incomparable English essayist, George Orwell, knew this sort of think well, making a scathing attack on upper-class British Royalists and socialists.
In societies that are well functioning, not in comparison to a hypothetical utopia, but contrasted with other existing or historical cultures, competence, not power, is a prime determiner of status for all leadership potentials. Competences, abilities & skills are the defining virtues both anecdotally and factually not a pedigree of ongoing aristocracies.
Don’t you agree that Global society need a profound transformation from within now not five or ten years from now?

JOBNETWORKS

Job Networks or Agencies, promising to give assistance to job seekers that are on New Start Allowances from Centrelink schemes are a waste of tax payer’s money as those income recipient individuals desperate for looking to work, they get nothing but become cash cows surrendering to the process of signing in and out every fortnight faced with disappointments and confusions doing the same process again and again with no promises fulfilled facing a bleak future and, unfortunately, some are inclined to commit all sorts of crimes.

MASS MEDIA



The world according to superpowers





Mass media, entertainment and acting industry that are accountable for the news, entertainment and acting don’t include diverse and multiracial population. We see no reports from Asia, Africa, Middle East, South America, Islanders and reports are very diminutive and similarly people from those countries no matter how talented and skilled, they are excluded from advancing their ambitions and benefitting from the mainstream media lifestyles with emphasis based on race, colour, sex, age, religion, political opinion, national or ethnic origin, language and so forth.

These actions are prohibited universally as it equates to racism–the belief in the superiority of one race over another, limiting opportunities which often results in discrimination, domination and prejudice towards people based on the above descriptions/emphasis.

INADEQUATE JUSTICE SYSTEMS
How many times we’ve heard our justice systems failing us in convicting people, who have committed crimes, neglected their family law probation periods and ignored restraining orders in our society creating horrendous anguishes and griefs for families and friends who have lost loved ones. Police forces whose job is to protect public safety, infested with corruptions, choose to indiscriminately harassing and racial profiling people living in “Struggle St Taboo” and from different ethnic backgrounds just because they’re different.

LIFE INSURANCES

Private Health (Life) insurance companies are dissecting our bodies in different parts to insure us, such as legs, teeth (dentistry), liver, heart, fingers, and so forth to rip-off patrons. Those parts are insured under basic product categories and cover policies ranked under Gold, Silver, Bronze, iron, plate, dish, cup, glass…classifications. Outside these agreements, we’re not entitled to be covered for our severed toes, lungs or any body parts. It’s been confirmed by law that health insurance is open to Australian residents from ages 18–64, depending, conditions apply, on the policies stated they are considering.

 FUNERAL INSURANCES

The cost of human lives

Similarly, funeral insurances and mortuaries are also charging astronomical costs to prepare the dead for burial or cremation that’s if one can afford to pay goodbye to loved ones with that kind of inescapable payout. How much does a funeral typically cost?

The study found that the average funeral cost in Melbourne, Australia to be nearly $20k for burial and over $7,449 for cremation. Can you imagine dead body costing that much. The actual cost of a funeral will also depend on lots of conditions like: If you are being buried or having cremated, if there are religious sacramental requirements which also increases the cost, if special public ceremonial is required extra costs apply and so forth, if special casket and flowers are preferred, more costs also incurred. The cost is also different from state to state.

Rest assured that you don’t have to worry about preparing yourselves for my burial as I’m an organ donor if any of my fibers can save someone and the rest to be supplanted back to mother earth where we all belong. How this is done is entirely my choice and unfortunately, I chose to be cremated, bottled and thrown in to the ocean to be found again when I reincarnate. I said unfortunately, because my families can’t burn me in their back yard rather than pay for the cremating people who are making money burning dead people.

You must see just few of the deplorable price lists that the Australian funeral companies charge: https://www.kingstonfunerals.com.au/arranging-a-funeral/  
GENERAL PRACTITIONERS

We also hear and see professional misconduct complaints about health professionals (personal GP’s) overcharging, false Medicare claims, misdiagnosis, unnecessary operations, unneeded prescriptions, making needless ongoing appointments as their main basis of earning, treating clients inefficiently with more waiting times and spending less time during consultations. How long did you have to wait to see your doctor, only to spend less than five minutes?

Is it a myth, reality, gobbledygook or misconduct of the wrong supply, why do people still die after they have been given the flu vaccinations? 
CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS

It's an ongoing business

How about the philanthropies and charity organizations collecting benefits to help the impoverished around the world only to donate 5 to 10 cents in a dollar? Also their work is appreciated; this is becoming an ongoing business by never trying to eliminate poverty off the face of the earth. If they do, they wouldn’t be able to sustain their businesses for long and likewise, imagine, if every cent donated goes to the needy, there wouldn’t be poor and inequality in the world we live in.

RETIREMENT INSTITUTIONS

The retirement organizations charging our aging loved ones who don’t have the choices but get decent accommodations, not having to eat despicable meals forcefully and respectable services for the last part of their lives and treated humanely. The weakening laws need to be reinforced and suitable care must be introduced by all aged care service providers institutions in order to put to rest the ongoing aged care debacle.

ENERGY SUPPLIERS

Utility supply companies such as gas, electric and water are growing in numbers like café venues and they pester consumers offering timely discounts at a low usage rate coaxing to join them only to increase the monthly charges after the 24 to six months cajoling deal term expires. Where is the integrity and honesty to treat those loyal long-term clienteles fairly?

Recently, the public has been persuaded by solar panel installations companies as a more affordable opportunities and they failed to do some research and determine whether this program lives up to its reputations. The solar credits subsidy is primarily based on renewable energy certificates, also known as small-scale technology certificates. Despite often being referred to as a “solar rebate”, the solar credits subsidy is structured differently than other financial incentives in the solar industry. This is the one simple truth the power company doesn’t want anyone to know. The subsidy may not also cover a lot of costs associated with installations and the monthly bills continue to soar.

THE BANK'S IMPASSE

Banks who are using our money to make billions and build their institutions by overcharging us for using ATM’s and tellers to withdraw our own money also dispossess our properties and our pride when we miss the home loan repayments incapable of withstanding their untimely hicks of interest rates.

HOME AND PROPERTY INSURANCES
Home and property insurances won’t cover the cost of some repairs. If our house is naturally losing its foundations or if fences or security doors are not properly fitted or dilapidated, they will come up with untenable reasons not to cover the expenses. How else can they insure/cover the house/property?
 
FLIGHT RESERVATIONS
Flight booking centres and passenger terminal counters at airports are charging extra costs for flight reservations if booked online and if passengers are late to board the flight even for five minutes and they are asked to fork out up to $50 or more extra for the next available flight. 
INTERNET BROADBAND BUNGLES

Free wireless home or mobile bundles providers load extra data usages intentionally in order to charge more than the monthly internet usage agreements and also either limit or cutoff all provided free calls, unnecessarily,  when we make calls, to save their agreed free usages during contracts.  
SUPERMARKETS, RESTAURANTS AND CAFÉS

As a result of my complaint to the company, the Lentil Salad product has been removed. No longer in Safeway! 

Supermarkets, restaurants and café businesses are altering the sizes of their products and facilities by swelling their prices whenever they want to. The sizes of supermarket prepackaged foods, soft drinks, juices and all consumable products alike infested with sugars, additives, preservatives and also containers are bigger while the contents appear smaller and ingredients look deceptively lesser for the same prices that we used to buying full ranges of big packets.

Restaurants & cafés are not serving what we always read on their menus and when serving, they present small bites of meals on big plates to fill our eyes. No wonder why there are more cafés than retail shops, unlike the past. Those café places are serving coffees in tiny egg holder like cups that never equal to normal full cups just to be trendy and different, appallingly charging more than $4 and the cost increases if you prefer beetroot, turmeric, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach…latte with usual or regular or cow’s milk or other milks, skinny, almond, soy, rice, coconut, goat, breast…or any other milks you can think of with tiny drops of coffee. It’s funny that there is no mother’s milk! Ha, ha…Don’t be surprised, coming soon! If it does, “I’ll have what she’s having!”

No wonder the café business is taking off like today’s technology so fast. Is it worth drinking it though? It’s just the habit we’ve incessantly accustomed to going out to catching up with friends, family or someone new and obliviously becoming like cigarette, drugs and alcohol addictions that we can’t stop without divine intervention. Can you really STOP, change the HABIT, going to those places and not drink their cuppa? “YES YOU CAN”, unless you want to go to that place and be seen and have coffee with mother’s milk!

TRADIES TRAGEDIES

Tradies from car mechanics, panel bitters, painters, builders, plumbers, and electricians to a whole lot of service workers are being deceitful and overly charging vulnerable customers to fix the deal bogusly quoting their labor incomprehensibly.

Here is another dodgy dealing with our senior citizens that we’ve tried to expose in our commentaries about the tradies that make us angry. Current Affairs seem to listen to “our opinions do matter” concerns.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/a-current-affair-tradies-pay-up-front-warning-householders-latest-news-australia/d5580c8d-f996-4f48-a83f-bf16fae086d7 

CAR DEALERS

Car dealers are ripping off the honest and innocent customers such as the elderly, mothers, young people and the underprivileged individuals who are unable to slip into long term financial liability by borrowing money.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/a-current-affair-great-wall-ute-sold-to-great-grandmother-with-walking-frame-memory-issues-latest-news-australia/693a116c-df57-45e2-9f41-73a756c377bd

CAR INSURANCES

Car insurance companies won’t cover us if our cars are, they assert negligently, parked in an insecure areas or being driven improperly and if damaged outside originally arranged or covered areas on an agreement.

CONFRONTING PARKING FINES

How can we justify the alarming actions of council parking penalties issued illegally and pursuing payments vehemently by not accepting any reasons for the confusing & incorrect sign posts everywhere? They are using the law as a cover up for their heartless actions and decisions to collect fines.

All legal societies continue to invent terminologies that are very hard to interpret for trusting everyday people who are getting ripped millions of our earnings.

Knowledge isn’t generally the driver of their behavior. They often don’t do what they should do because of inattention, apathy, avoidance, fear, being too busy, confronting an unsupportive environment, a negative attitude or habit or heartless routine to collect revenues.  

FUEL STATIONS

Petrol stations are playing cat and mouse games changing cheapest petrol days in order to charge more daily and making it very hard for drivers to determine what days the prices will drop again. This is just like living in the Game of Thrones and Hide-and-seek Game period.

These are just tip of the iceberg; there are more to the baffling and mind mystifying excuses various insurance companies and service industries come up with their own rules from time to time with “Conditions Apply” thorny warning signs not to pay our own forked up monthly payments and avoid covering any damages even if proved and considered.

It’s time that governments at local and federal level reinforce or reinstate current laws for better transparency and integrity on every business that deals with general public in exchanging goods and services.

We plead our grievances to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) whose role is to enforce fair trading and regulating national infrastructure for the benefit of all Australians to stop all sorts of consumer rip-offs. I know it’s a very hard act to enforce and administer every single regulation and codes of practices alone, society must also play their part not to buy or accept anything out of the conventional way of life.

These observations may seem superficial, but don’t be alarmed or never underestimate these comments as overstated assumptions or negative reflections, rather take notice and be mindful that these are the real descriptions of our changing modern day lifestyles that we’ve to face without being alarmed but alerted. If we don’t change our thinking to deal with them now, what, how, when, where we buy and deal with every situation mindfully, we’ll continue to be disheartened and face the cat and mouse games forever.

LET'S DO OUR PART, SAY NO TO RIP-OFFS!

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!