Historically speaking, Ethiopia is an internally fractured society. The landloard and feudalism concepts seem to weigh heavily on the thinking of many Ethiopians.Ethiopia is made up of various communities (language groups, nationalities, etc.)Each community wants to be left alone to run its own affairs.These communities unite in two circumstances:
a) to fight a common threat, and
b) when these different communities are united under a powerful force (domestic or foreign).
Each community has a name to identify itself with. If and when the elite of one community succeeds to forcefully combine some or all of the communities and establishes a state, that state is identified as Ethiopia. Power struggle has so far been violent, bloody, and deadly.
Peaceful transition of power has yet to be a norm.That constant and violent struggle for power makes the competitors seek for help from outside and that action invites foreign forces to interfere and influence who comes to power or stays in power.
Ethiopian elites, once in power, tend to stay in power for decades and in the process alienate other communities. They become obstacles to building a modern Ethiopian nation because they continue ethnic/nationality differences by seemingly serving the interests of a single ethnic group( and buy off individuals from other groups) rather than pursuing the interests of Ethiopia as a whole.
Territorially, modern Ethiopia took its current shape during the reign of Emperor Menilik II. Ethio-Eritrea federation was the primary reason for the introduction of parliamentary elections to Ethiopia. Ethiopian political development has been in constant influx eversince. All those who ruled Ethiopia since then depended heavily on the backing of foreign powers. Emperor Haile Selassie depended on USA and Israeli alliance.Israel has foiled six coups (including the one that was led by Mengistu Neway and Girmame Neway) and trained anti-Eritrea commandoes to protect the emperor's regime. Colonel Mengistu heavily depended on the USSR and its sattelites as well as the non-antagonistic attitudes of the USA and Israel. And now, Prime Minister Meles and the Tigrai People's Liberation Front almost totally rely on the assistance of the USA and Israel.This became obvious after the 2005 elections when the USA sided with Meles instead of the victims(i.e. the murdered peaceful demonstrators, detained elected officials, and the Constitution).
Without foreign help the current regime would be hard-pressed to stay in power any longer.
Therefore, building a united modern nation in Ethiopia is a right objective. The issue is nation-building, and needs to be done by the willful cooperation of the various Ethiopian communities. They have to want to build a nation. How is that going to be done? Generally, negotiations. Simple democratic elections are not going to be the answer. It is more than elections. But different options need to be considered. Another important factor is the role of opposition parties as change agents.
The most glaring weakness of the Ethiopian opposition parties is their feudal mentality. Their greatest common factor has so far been their failure to cooperate and form genuine working coalitions. Each wants others to work only according to its proposals. They renege on their agreements. Party leaders could not overcome the temptations of giving primacy to their immediate personal or group intersts, instead of the nation's interests. There is often lack of democracy inside each party in electing leaders or making important decisions. There is also no mechanism of resolving internal conflicts if they arise. The result is infighting, pitched power struggles, splits, divisions, and further disintegration.That is a big cause for setbacks.
Some solutions: have political study groups, train party members in areas of political education, mobilizing and organizing people, leadership, anger management, conflict resolution and negotiations to achieve common goals. These are not all natural qualities. They could be learned. And above all there must be a desire to solve the problems of your community.
Remember, democracy cannot be imposed from outside. Democracy is a means of organizing people make decisions and work separately or together for making their lives better. Keep you focus on making the lives of the Ethiopian people better.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Quotation of the month
"Noboby in this world
is rich enough to buy
his/her own PAST.
So enjoy each and every
moment before it
gets beyond reach.
Simle and be happy.
every day is a GOOD DAY"
is rich enough to buy
his/her own PAST.
So enjoy each and every
moment before it
gets beyond reach.
Simle and be happy.
every day is a GOOD DAY"
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Exporting and imposing western domocracy is keeping poor countries in hostage
Our planet earth is a mosaic of different nature, societies, poeple, languages, culturs and more. When we look back to history, most of the time the root cause and generation of wars could be directly linked to the intolerance of a man kind in diversity and differences.
Though the geographical and natural resumption of different poeple in different part of the world had always been different, all societies in the world had more or less shared a commen factor to solve thier differences. Ever since the ancient time soceities had raised againest each other, tribes had been engaged in a traditional wars. In every corner of the planet wars and battles had been fought to rule poeple under one kingdom. To spread one kingdom's political or religious idiologies over another one.
When we try to figur out what all these wars and distractions have in commen, we can clearly relate that the incapability of a man kind to see the differences within humans as a resource rather that as a threat. These kinds of divisive and narrow thinkings are based on fears and mistrust and it shows the very simple but big deficiency of pluralism a human being suffering from.
The impact of superior and selfish thinking of soceities have drawn our planet to the max age of its destruction. Yet we have not learned from those grave mistakes comitted by a man. We are still living in a world which is vertically polarized by race division, political interests but most importantly by establishing unfair totaly unbalanced partnership based on oppressive and bully politics of the west againest developing countries. Though the west can not be held acountable for all those problems and complications we see now in many poor countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the west had played a very rouge and dirty games during the colonial and post colonial period and comitted big crime over human beings.
Instead of recognising the wrongs in the past and the very negative impacts it had generated on the poeple and countries which were exposed for those political unjusties and human right abuses, up to these days the countries in west are distancing themselves from the responsibility they should carry through different new colonialism tactics.
Among those new and trendy but well calculated nioliberal tacticies are exporting and imposing western orchesterated democratcy to poor countries. Countries which can barely feed thier population.
From the outside, it may gives us the impression that the west is acting to protect poeple's right for democracy but the agenda is far beyond that and we have seen the west exercising these dangerouse and egoistic politicies based on we and them mentality in Irak, Congo, Bolivia, Chile, Rwanda, Haiti, South Africa... the list can be done very long. While the west is protecting the very rouge and undemocratic states like Saudi Arabia and many other oil rich countries.
Exporting and imposing its democracy which is well defined for the west but may not have any ground pillar due to the norms and structure of the sociaty in those poor countries. As a result we see a great destruction and big turmoil in these countries while the west continue to explore the the tremendous rich natural resource unendagered in the name of democracy.
The time for unilateral and egoistic thinking based and oppressing politicies have come to end. We should respect the differnce and diversity in society and let poeple to take thier faith in thier own hand. The time for mutual understanding based on mutual interest and co-existence has entered the era.
Though the geographical and natural resumption of different poeple in different part of the world had always been different, all societies in the world had more or less shared a commen factor to solve thier differences. Ever since the ancient time soceities had raised againest each other, tribes had been engaged in a traditional wars. In every corner of the planet wars and battles had been fought to rule poeple under one kingdom. To spread one kingdom's political or religious idiologies over another one.
When we try to figur out what all these wars and distractions have in commen, we can clearly relate that the incapability of a man kind to see the differences within humans as a resource rather that as a threat. These kinds of divisive and narrow thinkings are based on fears and mistrust and it shows the very simple but big deficiency of pluralism a human being suffering from.
The impact of superior and selfish thinking of soceities have drawn our planet to the max age of its destruction. Yet we have not learned from those grave mistakes comitted by a man. We are still living in a world which is vertically polarized by race division, political interests but most importantly by establishing unfair totaly unbalanced partnership based on oppressive and bully politics of the west againest developing countries. Though the west can not be held acountable for all those problems and complications we see now in many poor countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the west had played a very rouge and dirty games during the colonial and post colonial period and comitted big crime over human beings.
Instead of recognising the wrongs in the past and the very negative impacts it had generated on the poeple and countries which were exposed for those political unjusties and human right abuses, up to these days the countries in west are distancing themselves from the responsibility they should carry through different new colonialism tactics.
Among those new and trendy but well calculated nioliberal tacticies are exporting and imposing western orchesterated democratcy to poor countries. Countries which can barely feed thier population.
From the outside, it may gives us the impression that the west is acting to protect poeple's right for democracy but the agenda is far beyond that and we have seen the west exercising these dangerouse and egoistic politicies based on we and them mentality in Irak, Congo, Bolivia, Chile, Rwanda, Haiti, South Africa... the list can be done very long. While the west is protecting the very rouge and undemocratic states like Saudi Arabia and many other oil rich countries.
Exporting and imposing its democracy which is well defined for the west but may not have any ground pillar due to the norms and structure of the sociaty in those poor countries. As a result we see a great destruction and big turmoil in these countries while the west continue to explore the the tremendous rich natural resource unendagered in the name of democracy.
The time for unilateral and egoistic thinking based and oppressing politicies have come to end. We should respect the differnce and diversity in society and let poeple to take thier faith in thier own hand. The time for mutual understanding based on mutual interest and co-existence has entered the era.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Back In Business
Why should I get hurry
Slowly, I'll take the ferry
You will see me on board
After I left my load
I've payed the bill
Here I am now to deal
Slowly, I'll take the ferry
You will see me on board
After I left my load
I've payed the bill
Here I am now to deal
ደቅ አዳም
ደቅ አዳም ኮይና ኪንነቢር አብ ዓለም
ሓጺር'ዩ ዕድመና አይኮነን ዘልዓለም
ሚዛናዊ ናብራ ቢሒወት ከለና
የድል'ዩ ጻዕሪ ዓቅሊ ምስ ልቦና
ኩሉ ከይርሕቐና ከም ሰማይ ደመና
ፍቕሪ ይሃልወና አብ መንጎ ኩልና
ተፋቒርና ንንበር ሓጺር'ዩ ዕድመ
To see the above script please click on this link and download the software
http://www.tavultesoft.com/keyman/downloads/keyboards/details.php?KeyboardID=459
ሓጺር'ዩ ዕድመና አይኮነን ዘልዓለም
ሚዛናዊ ናብራ ቢሒወት ከለና
የድል'ዩ ጻዕሪ ዓቅሊ ምስ ልቦና
ኩሉ ከይርሕቐና ከም ሰማይ ደመና
ፍቕሪ ይሃልወና አብ መንጎ ኩልና
ተፋቒርና ንንበር ሓጺር'ዩ ዕድመ
To see the above script please click on this link and download the software
http://www.tavultesoft.com/keyman/downloads/keyboards/details.php?KeyboardID=459
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