By Shashu Habtu – April 14, 2010
It is such an incredible win and an amazing era for us to witness
the open and fast gain of Ethiopia’s democracy these past eighteen years.
Never in the history of Ethiopia have we witnessed such an open
dialogue. A free expression of ideas among different parties is
what we are witnessing for the fourth democratic election. It is so
heartwarming and encouraging for those of us that live outside Ethiopia to have
the privilege of being eyewitnesses to the myriad developments that is going on
in the country. Thanks to humanity’s elevation of technology we are privy to
follow the events of the country on a daily basis.
On the flip side there is constant complaint by those who call
themselves opposition. Their complaint is like a hurricane, a
raging storm that will never stop its denial of progress in the country.
I would consider non-EPRDF parties to call themselves “alternative” rather than
opposition. What is there to oppose in a country that just gave birth to
a new way of governing and laid a foundation to a democratic form of
government? What is there to oppose when collaboration is required in
nation building?
Today Ethiopia doesn’t deserve opposition it actually deserves
collaboration. It is a collaborative action that is required in a country
that just eighteen years ago erected a democratic constitution. To ensure
long term gain it is imperative that the democratic culture be enriched,
democratic institutions and capacity building continue to be established.
What is there to oppose other than jointly strive to build and nurture what
already begun? Would it not be a time to calm the raging storm of
opposition and stir one’s energy in building a nation that is already showing
an incredible transformation in every sector of the country?
It sort of seems like those who have emulated the culture of other
societies are trapped in an epidemic state of being prisoners of the
past. It is time to break the chains of the past and accept reality and
move forward with the current empowering situation where each citizen’s
contribution is highly valuable in nation building. Fretting and
complaining without providing an alternative is a typical character of victim
oriented individuals that have a stagnant way of thinking.
It is an irony too that some opposition think
they could seek refugee outside of Ethiopia to conspire and bring down the
gains of the people and the country. To disagree with the ruling party is
one thing but to deny the undisputable development of the country is but mere
ignorance. It is expending futile energy to try and bring back the old
style of government or attempt to arrest the progress of the country.
Democracy as we know is a process. It is still a work in
progress even in nations that have the oldest democracies. Ethiopia at
such a young age has demonstrated an incredible progress in these short
years. In a new phenomenon there is always a process of development and
the scenario in Ethiopia is no different.
Ethiopia conceived and birthed democracy of its own free will by
its own homegrown people. It was with anticipation that majority of us
looked forward to see a country that would be the beneficiary of the great
values of democracy. Hence, with eagerness and enthusiasm we all laid
eyes on what was happening in Ethiopia. Ethiopians both in the country
and outside had some form of vision for the country and the people. The
majority anticipated an end to the era of poverty and looked forward to see a
transformed Ethiopia. The few diehards could not see past their old
orientation. Those of us that saw the change coming envisioned a country
that would sustain itself and follow the path towards development. Each
one of us that saw a bright future talked, discussed and dialogued.
It was a time of leaving the old and charting the new. The anxious
and the restless wanted to see the exercise of democracy without taking the
creation of democratic institutions into consideration. From day one they
called themselves opposition. It was interesting to see individuals from
Western nations that lived under a democratic system pushing an overnight
establishment of democracy. They failed to be cognizant of the fact that
building a democratic nation was not an overnight work but a process that
required laying the foundation and starting the process. The restless and
the anxious raised hell because they did not see a democratic nation
overnight.
Nature as well as life teaches us that there is conception, birth
and developmental process for anything to come to fruition. Why would
nations and countries that have reached a fairly comfortable stage of
development anticipate and pressure a country like Ethiopia to deliver a readymade
democracy? Why were we denied the natural progression of a process and
coerced and pressured to prematurely create something that is bound to
fail?
There are several reasons that come to mind. The first one
is that as Africans we are undermined and looked at as incapable of achieving
what other countries achieved. Thus we were relegated as ignorant.
It was assumed that none of the home grown groups or parties knew anything
about democracy.
The second is that the rich and powerful found a good
opportunity to exploit our resources. Therefore what better form of
discouraging us other than giving us a paternalistic attitude and evaluate
Ethiopia from their vantage point of view. It never occurred to them that
Ethiopia’s context deserved to create its own blue print that would first and
foremost address the interest of the great majority of the country.
The third is to make us only the recipients of aid and be
trampled on. It somewhat seemed like aid was their only solution to
countries like Ethiopia. Transfer of knowledge or equal trade never
crossed their mind because their lens prevented them from seeing a new
reality. Who anointed the West to be the judge and the jury to everything
that goes on in countries like Ethiopia? Couldn’t Ethiopia be one of the
pioneers to once and for all show that black Africans do have the capacity and
the knowhow to alleviate themselves from the ills of poverty? Who said
Ethiopia will not move an inch unless the West blesses every move it takes?
The fourth is to convince us that we are not born to be creators
of a workable system and thus should give up trying since we are doomed to fail
and doomed to live a life of dependency. Little did they know that there
is no one and nothing that will stop a people that are determined to free
themselves from the bondage of poverty?
The fifth is that of an attitude of complacency by the developed
nations totally blinded by their own success, arrogantly undermined
Ethiopia. They never could come to terms that Ethiopians are independent
minded.
And last but not least the developed nations feel it is their
place to dictate a country like us which is categorized as a ‘developing
nation’. Therefore they feel entitled to always be critical and want to
rub on the negative. They cannot fathom anyone else from being capable of
coming up with an original process of development unless it accepts their
dictation. So, they groom one of our kinds and have their agendas
expressed by those that have sold their souls.
There are also individuals of Ethiopian origin that are citizens
of developed countries that want to prescribe the path of the West. They
refer to the histories of the West with complete disregard to the contextual
difference of our time, place and history.
From day one after the Derg was ousted
there has been undermining of the government of Ethiopia and its people by the
very few. Past history of poverty has somehow made the shallow minded
conclude that Ethiopians as a people don’t have the right attributes to bring
about fundamental change.
Nonetheless, courageous Ethiopians have vowed to bring a new
chapter to the country. They designed a way and objectively defined the
route that Ethiopia should follow. They accepted the aid and loan but
never surrendered to the bully and the intimidation of the developed
nations. The Ethiopian government and people are venturing out into new
territories that past regimes never had the stamina or the guts to
address. Congratulations Ethiopia!
For the first time in the history of Ethiopia a new paradigm came
into being. To open minded and progressive Ethiopians it was quite
visible what was happening in the country. Although it seemed like chaos
to the eye, actually an invisible wave of a new order was emerging. In
the past five years the wave became visible. Just recently Ethiopia
was named the fifth fastest growing nation in the world.
It is still interpreted as if the transformation was an overnight
thing. However, the seed that was planted eighteen years ago is now bearing
fruit. Those blinded by their old lens could not see because they negated
the fact that for a tree to be visible the seed had to be planted. They
expected to see an overnight growth of the tree but the law of nature dictates
there is an incubation period before the tree becomes visible.
Those with their old paradigms project the old to the dynamics of
the new. For the first time in our history an all inclusive form of
government came into being where nations and nationalities collectively came
together. Again those with the old paradigm only expressed their fear and
only saw disintegration but the result has been to the contrary. We are
seeing a people that have their rights respected collaborating and collectively
spending their time and energy to be free from the bondage of poverty.
A new idea has been born, emerged, got conceived, was disseminated
and has now gained the support of the critical mass. This new idea that
is based on the actual context of the country is in motion to achieve numerous
developmental successes. Without the support of the majority of the people
nothing can materialize. The roads, schools, health centers,
transportation, the dams etc are extraordinary examples that visibly show a
shift has indeed taken place in our country. The seed of making poverty
history has been planted in the minds and hearts of the majority of Ethiopians.
Great people and great nations always rise against all odds.
What is the fabric of their tenacity and vigilance one may ask? The
answer is simple. One is true to one’s self, leaving one’s ego behind,
building a character to primarily stand for the common good. This is the
litmus test for unwavering commitment of responsible citizens. The common
good in Ethiopia is to first and foremost follow a course to meet the needs of
its citizens that live in every sector of the country. It is to develop
the human capacity and align itself to the principles and ideas of the new
diverse Ethiopia.
To achieve success it requires having a nation of people that make
nation building the primary focus. In nation building the major priority
is to have communication, health, infrastructure, transportation, schools and
higher education, capacity building etc. The immature and
inexperienced are restless since they don’t have an understanding of what it
takes to conceive, give birth, nurture and develop anything. Thus they
skip the process and only want to see unrealistic results without being part of
the process. They equate nation building with fast food processing and as
you know fast food is not healthy but detrimental to ones well being.
This kind of attitude emanates from being detached from the day to
day life of the people. And when one sees the world from the wrong
premises then one fails to even acknowledge the gains made in the past eighteen
years. The negative and ill wishers, instead of being exhilarated at the
fast pace of development are actually busy denouncing and propagating against
the most favorable progress the country has ever made and is still making.
If one is really motivated to make a difference in nation building
then one would examine the shortcomings and take the initiative to change them.
Only dependent individuals and those with lack of vision beg developed nations
to bail them out. It has been quite a scene to see a handful Ethiopians
plead to the American government to decide on the future of Ethiopia. No
nation has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of a country.
For those who think the US or any other developed nation could do that have
their priorities mixed up.
What Ethiopia is seeking today are authentic individuals that have
the common good of its people and country at heart. It is change agents
that are willing to commit themselves to be part of the nation building.
No amount of demonstrating in front of the White House or any other developed
nation is going to make an iota of a difference. Ethiopia as a sovereign
country is busy building a nation to make itself self sufficient. It will accept
equal partnership but will in no way tolerate to be bullied or intimidated by
anyone. History has proven and will continue to prove that there are
staunch citizens of Ethiopia that will not allow an iota of sabotage or
derailment.
What is expected of Ethiopians outside and inside is to point out
the deficiencies and be part of the resolution.
The country has caring citizens who are genuinely concerned to
take part and help in the nation building. What the nation and people
need to see is progress. It is a time for all Ethiopians both at home and
abroad to stand vigilant and contribute towards filling the gap. Nothing
gets created overnight. For those who are denying the positive change
that is taking place in Ethiopia are only going to be frustrated since there is
no turning back. It is time that Ethiopians abroad take the knowhow and
share it with their people. Today is the time to really show
solidarity to one’s country or one’s place of birth. Let us be pioneers
to stand with our people and be innovative and resourceful to contribute in the
grandest way towards the development of our country. It is time for
action and enough of the bickering.
shashuhabtu@gmail.com