Ethiopians must continue the peaceful struggle to throw EPRDF´s rooted-out democracy
Zekarias Ezra
April 17, 2008
We may claim to be apolitical, to be unaware or indifferent, but the problems in Ethiopia today still are huge, and our resolve to respond puny by comparison. Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said: "You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you." I humbly suggest we cannot afford to be indifferent any longer.
There is a strong link between EPRDF and the rotted-out democracy it is practicing. We all need to note that the Ethiopian soul was poisoned by petty tribalism, war and a culture of rampant corruption.
During my recent trip to and stay in Ethiopia and the interactions I have had with the educated and with the not-so-educated, it has become plenty clear to me that the people never any more believe in EPRDF talk of democracy. They seem, sadly enough, to have lost any interest in politics. Whatever interest was exhibited in the run up to the 2005 historical election has been crushed by what has happened in the aftermath.
Without the active participation of the people of Ethiopia inside Ethiopia noting of lasting change will be achieved. Ethiopians in the Diaspora have, I believe, a larger role to play in re igniting and supporting the participation of the people to free the country from undemocratic rule.
For this to happen there is no substitute than to activating a country wide peaceful struggle on all fronts. We need to keep the struggle despite the set backs. We need to re-think, connect issues, seek new allies, go deeper and fight harder. We have to dare to choose justice over tribalism or petty self-interest. We need to organize and mobilize against the injustice that is being visited upon the Ethiopian people. We need to organize the people yet again to participate in the effort to build a powerful movement for peace and social justice.
This new form of struggle must emanate from one and only one abiding principle. That is, the firm belief in the pedagogical possibilities of dialogue. This include: listening with the possibility of being changed, and speaking with the possibility of being heard; rendering no room for violent struggle.
We have no choice but to believe in revitalizing the public plaza, resisting the eclipse of the public and expanding the public space, with a view to planting and growing a more robust and participatory democracy. We need to bring our imaginations together and form an unbreakable alliance believing in the immense power of people to challenge fate and accomplish the unthinkable, holding on to a profound sense of personal responsibility.
What is the operational aspect of this new form of struggle?
I would submit that we all contribute to this discussion. For a starter, here is my suggestion.
Establish a Diaspora organizing committees across continents with a clear mission to help energize the Ethiopian people yet again to a peaceful struggle. The guiding philosophy of these committees, I suggest, must be limited to fight unearned suffering and undeserved pain, and to affirm every gesture toward social justice and liberty, everything that honored each human being as irreplaceably worthwhile.
I will discuss the modalities of the struggle in action in the next piece. In the meantime, keep discussing.
There is a strong link between EPRDF and the rotted-out democracy it is practicing. We all need to note that the Ethiopian soul was poisoned by petty tribalism, war and a culture of rampant corruption.
During my recent trip to and stay in Ethiopia and the interactions I have had with the educated and with the not-so-educated, it has become plenty clear to me that the people never any more believe in EPRDF talk of democracy. They seem, sadly enough, to have lost any interest in politics. Whatever interest was exhibited in the run up to the 2005 historical election has been crushed by what has happened in the aftermath.
Without the active participation of the people of Ethiopia inside Ethiopia noting of lasting change will be achieved. Ethiopians in the Diaspora have, I believe, a larger role to play in re igniting and supporting the participation of the people to free the country from undemocratic rule.
For this to happen there is no substitute than to activating a country wide peaceful struggle on all fronts. We need to keep the struggle despite the set backs. We need to re-think, connect issues, seek new allies, go deeper and fight harder. We have to dare to choose justice over tribalism or petty self-interest. We need to organize and mobilize against the injustice that is being visited upon the Ethiopian people. We need to organize the people yet again to participate in the effort to build a powerful movement for peace and social justice.
This new form of struggle must emanate from one and only one abiding principle. That is, the firm belief in the pedagogical possibilities of dialogue. This include: listening with the possibility of being changed, and speaking with the possibility of being heard; rendering no room for violent struggle.
We have no choice but to believe in revitalizing the public plaza, resisting the eclipse of the public and expanding the public space, with a view to planting and growing a more robust and participatory democracy. We need to bring our imaginations together and form an unbreakable alliance believing in the immense power of people to challenge fate and accomplish the unthinkable, holding on to a profound sense of personal responsibility.
What is the operational aspect of this new form of struggle?
I would submit that we all contribute to this discussion. For a starter, here is my suggestion.
Establish a Diaspora organizing committees across continents with a clear mission to help energize the Ethiopian people yet again to a peaceful struggle. The guiding philosophy of these committees, I suggest, must be limited to fight unearned suffering and undeserved pain, and to affirm every gesture toward social justice and liberty, everything that honored each human being as irreplaceably worthwhile.
I will discuss the modalities of the struggle in action in the next piece. In the meantime, keep discussing.
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