Kudos to You, Keep the Promise

By: Selam Dilnesa  11/11/09

The signing last week of an electoral code of conduct and its implementation modality has been given wide media coverage. Most of the local weeklies hailed it and congratulated the signatories. Front page pictures show the leaders of the parties that had spent two months negotiating the content of the code and modality shaking hands. Sheraton Addis the venue.

What a news! Because it is what citizens were looking forward to. Because it is of paramount significance to the nation. Because it involves the ruling EPRDF and three major opposition parties, namely AEUO of Engineer Hailu Shawl, EDP of Lidetu Ayalew and CUD of Ayele Chamiso. Because it came as the first major step in the run-up to the fast approaching 4^th-round of general parliamentary elections slated for sometime in May, 2010. Because much energy must’ve been spent by the negotiating parties during the two months. Most importantly because of the good will the parties have shown on the need for compromise, which in turn is a requisite for healthy and mature political dialogue in the context of the upcoming electoral event through the stages of canvassing, campaigning, debating and all.

While the reaction of most media organizations turned out to be one of commendation, a few newspapers and their columnists, however, seemed to find themselves unable to join in the joy. They came up with articles doubting if the signing deserved to be called historic as major newspapers such as Fortune dub it in their front-page headlines. Of these articles which tried to find more cons than pros in the news, one seemed to question whether – or is it for how long – the agreement would last without the involvement of the coalition chaired by one Dr. Merera Gudina.

This, I think, is potentially misleading. For it may smudge over what was to follow. The other parties that didn’t take part in the preparation of the said documents are expected to come on board and adopt them before they’re passed into law.

This is what exactly came about. The signatories didn’t take much time before they summoned all concerned to a meeting to convince those who missed out on the preparation of the electoral code of conduct and implementation modality to examine and adopt them. It’s hugely vital to the current electoral process that they do. And do it without any procrastination.

The coalition which brings together eight parties and two individuals however seemed taken to feet dragging, mostly bordering on the defiant. This coalition has been the black ship in the current electoral goings-on from the very start. In as far as the now successfully concluded roundtable electoral negotiation is concerned it is no secret that this same coalition had been among the parties invited to take part. It couldn’t bring itself to be part of it, though. It couldn’t budge, posing all sorts of conditions imaginable. According to informed sources, the conveners even tried to convince individual members of the coalition to join in the negotiation.

Look at the conditions the coalition posed and you will learn – or at least suspect – of something fishy in its tactics. First, it called for a ‘one-on-one’ face-off with the ruling EPRDF. As if itself [the coalition] was a harmonious political entity. As if the issue at hand didn’t concern the other contending parties. As if some of the points it would have had to pose were not the demands the others would put forth also. The intention, though covert, was to project its image as the only favorite from among the opposition spectrum. To make it as though it has a mass-base as large as the ruling party has. Failing on this, it came up with another condition calling for the negotiation to encompass the whole range of issues pertaining democracy. By Jove!

But, is the current political landscape in this country such as really requiring the kind of coalition as the likes of Forum for Democratic ….? I don’t pretend to have a plausible explanation that it is not. But, I strongly feel that it is a question worth pondering on. One thing is for sure, though: That the coalition is nothing but iffy in its formation. Brash has been its behavior.

I say this of the coalition at least for two reasons. It is incompatible in formation. Much as I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to see how in heavens the political goals of organized groupings can mesh with those of individual actors in politics. My other reason concerns the object at least of the party-status members may have on the need to join forces.

Make no mistake. It is to put up a much tougher challenge against the ruling EPRDF and the other relatively stronger ones within the opposition spectrum. In this regard it is nothing but an expedient formation, which takes much from the former CUD. But the memory of what happened with the former CUD leadership is still fresh in the minds of the electorate. This is to say one cannot be certain of what surprise the present coalition holds in store. Rarely did political expediency result in the kind of surprise the nation wanted or needed. I believe the coalition would do better to second the latest election code of conduct and implementation modality.

Evasions and prevarications couldn’t allow one to go forward. I for one am of the belief that the coalition would sooner or later would find situations compelling and adopt the code. But then it would only do so wily-nily. Because that would not warrant a credible change of political stance or attitude. Credible is the king of change the likes of EDP and AEUO have effected. And unlike the let’s-wait-and-see attitudes taken up by few newspapers, these parties are most likely to abide by the code along with the ruling EPRDF. If most of the media organizations called the Sheraton event historic, it is borne of a good sense of optimist. So, once again: KUDOS to them who successfully negotiated. Thanks to you, all ye nations and organizations, that supported the process the Ethiopian way.