HR 2003, CUD and its Diaspora supporters and the anxiety of the Ethiopian government
Zekarias Ezra
November 16, 2007
The US congress House of Representatives HR 2003 has passed. Its passage has caused uproar on the government camp and a joyful celebration on the opposition camps aka CUD and its supporters. This distinction is very important because not all who opposed the government do support the passage of the bill.
I do object the Bill but on the basis of a fundamental principle. HR 2003 will not advance democracy in Ethiopia in its current form if that indeed was the intent and purpose of it. US Congress has every right to withhold assistance for any reason whatsoever leave alone for a reason of human rights violations. It is their money. By the same token, however, the US Congress or its government has absolutely zero right to dictate its wishes or impose its will on the Ethiopian government or its people. This much should be clear and common sense to all of us.
Why do we say the Bill does not help advance democracy in Ethiopia? The simple answer is genuine democracy must be developed within from the bottom up, and cannot be imposed from outside. Even if imposed it cannot not succeed. History teaches us that democracy and its practice are learnt slowly. More importantly, they need to be learnt from the bottom up. Again, Democracy is about the people and it is about building a society from the bottom up. The top down structure falls when it does not have a firm foundation, whether the source is a foreign power or local aristocrats.
A close scrutiny of the text of the bill shows that the provisions of the bill are by and large consistent with ensuring the rights elaborated in the Ethiopian Constitution. To a degree it is consistent with the spirit of the Ethiopian Constitution; the Ethiopian government that claims it does respect human rights has absolutely nothing to fear from the bill.
Having said that though the bill has crossed a fine line by outlining detailed actions the Ethiopian government has to take and by holding the same to account for the implementations of those actions. Look at the eleven specific areas the Ethiopian government has in essence to report on to the US government. In so doing, the bill is unquestionably treating Ethiopia as the 51st State of the US, which as well know is unacceptable. It is unacceptable neither by the Ethiopian government nor by the people of Ethiopia.
Instead of advancing this line of argument, the Ethiopian government is pleading to the powers in the US that the Bill is unfair on the ground that Ethiopia – read EPRDF- is their staunch ally on the war on terror. This is a lame and inappropriate rebuttal. It does not address the fundamental weakness of the bill, namely, the bill in and of itself does not help advance democracy in Ethiopia. The flip side of the government’s argument against the bill is in fact laughable. According to the governments plea then the bill would have been appropriate if Ethiopia – read EPRDF- has not been a staunch ally on the war on terror.
CUD and its Diaspora supporters are completely wrong to support this bill in its current form for the same reason outlined above. It is simply wrong.
The US Congress House of Representatives would have achieved a lot if they had crafted a bilateral agreement with the Ethiopian government the intent of which is to provide funds and technical assistance to help establish grassroots democratic activities in Ethiopia. Examples: Help schools teach civic classes to elementary and high school students, and establish neighborhood civic societies whose sole purpose is to disseminate and teach citizens participation.
I do object the Bill but on the basis of a fundamental principle. HR 2003 will not advance democracy in Ethiopia in its current form if that indeed was the intent and purpose of it. US Congress has every right to withhold assistance for any reason whatsoever leave alone for a reason of human rights violations. It is their money. By the same token, however, the US Congress or its government has absolutely zero right to dictate its wishes or impose its will on the Ethiopian government or its people. This much should be clear and common sense to all of us.
Why do we say the Bill does not help advance democracy in Ethiopia? The simple answer is genuine democracy must be developed within from the bottom up, and cannot be imposed from outside. Even if imposed it cannot not succeed. History teaches us that democracy and its practice are learnt slowly. More importantly, they need to be learnt from the bottom up. Again, Democracy is about the people and it is about building a society from the bottom up. The top down structure falls when it does not have a firm foundation, whether the source is a foreign power or local aristocrats.
A close scrutiny of the text of the bill shows that the provisions of the bill are by and large consistent with ensuring the rights elaborated in the Ethiopian Constitution. To a degree it is consistent with the spirit of the Ethiopian Constitution; the Ethiopian government that claims it does respect human rights has absolutely nothing to fear from the bill.
Having said that though the bill has crossed a fine line by outlining detailed actions the Ethiopian government has to take and by holding the same to account for the implementations of those actions. Look at the eleven specific areas the Ethiopian government has in essence to report on to the US government. In so doing, the bill is unquestionably treating Ethiopia as the 51st State of the US, which as well know is unacceptable. It is unacceptable neither by the Ethiopian government nor by the people of Ethiopia.
Instead of advancing this line of argument, the Ethiopian government is pleading to the powers in the US that the Bill is unfair on the ground that Ethiopia – read EPRDF- is their staunch ally on the war on terror. This is a lame and inappropriate rebuttal. It does not address the fundamental weakness of the bill, namely, the bill in and of itself does not help advance democracy in Ethiopia. The flip side of the government’s argument against the bill is in fact laughable. According to the governments plea then the bill would have been appropriate if Ethiopia – read EPRDF- has not been a staunch ally on the war on terror.
CUD and its Diaspora supporters are completely wrong to support this bill in its current form for the same reason outlined above. It is simply wrong.
The US Congress House of Representatives would have achieved a lot if they had crafted a bilateral agreement with the Ethiopian government the intent of which is to provide funds and technical assistance to help establish grassroots democratic activities in Ethiopia. Examples: Help schools teach civic classes to elementary and high school students, and establish neighborhood civic societies whose sole purpose is to disseminate and teach citizens participation.