By Dejene H.
(Source: Horn Affairs)
Editor's note:
We think the federal system is the best option for Ethiopia. However, the current federal system in Ethiopia needs some modifications. The aim of the federal system is to guarantee equality among the various ethnic groups, which in the end transforms Ethiopia to be more united. We cannot unite Ethiopia by preaching about unity without guarantying equality of it's ethnic groups. Ethiopia has competitive ethnic groups. Some are very advanced and would be impossible to promote the domination of one culture and language. We should use Tigrigna and Oromigna ( Oromo language)as working languages in par with Amharic. The national TV and other media should give equal coverage to events in the regional states in the above languages. The capital cities in the regional states should be equally developed as Addis Ababa or Fin Fine. etc. Otherwise the struggle for equality and social justice will continue which might lead to the fragmentation of Ethiopia into weak mini-states. The Amhara tribal domination of Ethiopia is driving the country to fragmentation. We should stop the amhara domination of Ethiopia by introducing more languages as working languages and forcing the amhara tribe to learn languages of other tribes. The Swiss model of federation might bring Ethiopia to more unity and peace.
In this incidence, the author prefers
the term plurality to diversity because the latter may conjure up poles
apart difference which does not define the Ethiopian reality. Harmony
and tolerance more explains the Ethiopian social fabrics and values. The
concerns, interests, needs, demands and problems of all Ethiopians are
same or similar though in different languages. They have similar
cultural values, tradition, psychology and history while plenty in
linguistics. In addressing the concerns, interests, needs, demands and
problems of all Ethiopians, the Grand National strategy should be
identical and stable while tactics may be flexible towards the success
of the defined grand strategy.
The grand strategy solution for plural
interests is pluralist approach. Single approach cannot serve all for no
one cape fits all. Social pluralism can positively contribute to build
effective and sustainable democratic governance with pervasive strength
in a civilized society. Nation building in its original version instead
describes the sense of trampling over the social, political and cultural
plurality that may have been previously existent within the national
territory in favor of the devastatingly leveling homogeneous force of
national unity which could not be a way out for everything. Chauvinist
nationalism does not work in today’s Ethiopia. Nation building concept
should be defined properly in the prevailing national context. Its
traditional definition cannot apply uniformly across the board. One
definition does not fit all because definitions and their interpretation
vary indifferent contexts. National unity cannot be built based on
false consciousness of populist sentiments exploiting emotional
resonance.
Pluralism is a broad concept thus
specified here to a system in which two or more states, groups, sources
of authority, etc., coexist. Pluralism is the theory that a multitude of
organizations, not the people as a whole, govern the country. These
organizations, which include among others political parties, trade
unions and professional associations, environmentalists, civil rights
activists, business and financial lobbies, and formal and informal
coalitions of like-minded citizens, influence the making and
administration of laws and policy. Pluralist system is defined as a
society where multiple peoples, groups or entities share political
power. An example of pluralism is a society where people with different
cultural backgrounds keep their own tradition, where professional
societies, labor unions and employers share in meeting their respective
needs. Since the participants in this process constitute only a tiny
fraction of the populace, the public acts mainly as bystanders.
Pluralism is the view that in formal
democracies, power should be dispersed among a variety of economic and
ideological pressure groups and should not be held by a single elite or
group of elites. Pluralism assumes that plurality is beneficial to
society and that autonomy should be enjoyed by disparate functional or
cultural groups within a society, including religious groups, trade
unions, professional organizations, and ethnic minorities. It is the
recognition and affirmation of plurality within a given political space,
which permits the peaceful coexistence of different interests,
convictions and lifestyles. While not all political pluralists advocate
for a pluralist democracy, it is most common as democracy is often
viewed as the most fair and effective way to moderate between the
discrete values. Pluralism tries to encourage members of society to
accommodate their differences by avoiding extremism and engaging in good
faith dialogue.
Pluralists also seek the construction or
reform of social institutions in order to reflect and balance competing
claim concerns and interests. Pluralism is connected with the hope that
the process of discourse will result in a consensus for common good.
This common good is not an abstract value or set in stone, but an
attempt at balancing competing social interests, and will thus
constantly shift given present social conditions. The global governance
system is based on free market economy and multiparty political system
on the conjecture that competition among massive alternatives is a
natural necessity for creativity and innovation in all aspects and a
vehicle to sustainable development. The global governance system
professes plural power structure. Power is loaded with implications that
must be fully grasped if one is to understand it correctly.
In the first place, power is not an
identifiable property that humans possess in fixed amounts. People are
powerful because they control various resources. Resources are assets
that can be used to benefit for the people and force others to do what
is required. Politicians become powerful because they command resources
that people want or fear or respect. The list of possible power sources
is virtually endless: legal authority, wealth, prestige, skill,
knowledge, charisma, legitimacy, free time, experience, celebrity, and
public support.
In a pragmatic interpretation of power,
the reason why there is such fierce competition to get into government
and stay in power is that once you are in the palace, you have a license
to virtually print money and it is conventional wisdom that money makes
the world go round. Motivation and commitment to serve people and
country does not require such a fierce competition more than announcing
election intent and proposal to the electorate. The tenacity for
national unity is not a naïve pursuit for a mere great empire. It is on
account of the whole is more robust than the sum of its parts metaphor.
The quest for unity is a pursuit for more and better common bread based
on mutual respect, liberty, magnanimity and decent citizen practices
answerable to law and order. National unity is most welcomed and thought
of with regards to core democratic values which are fundamental beliefs
and constitutional principles of the peoples, nations and nationalities
of Ethiopia. Building a single polity and economic community means
nothing but building Ethiopia as a unit.
For a country of social plurality and
ethnically spread society, pluralism in the political arena and
decentralized federal administrative structure is imperative and a
natural necessity. Ethnic plurality per se cannot be a fault line and
source of any problem. In fact, it can be a source of proud identity and
robust national power in all aspects when united, as the saying goes
‘united we stand; divided we failed’. Federalism is good for many
countries and not for others. Similarly, unitary system is good for many
countries and still not for some others. Ethiopia has come across both
unitary system and federalism with the latter being relevant and
important or useful. Ethiopians are cognizant of the demons of
federalism and unitary system.
Today above 25 countries accounting more
than 40% of the world population follow federal form of government
system. Federalism is successful in Ethiopia. Every nation, nationality
and people in Ethiopia promotes its own identity, culture and language
respecting each other with larynx of plurality. At the same time the
spirit of the people about national unity as a single country Ethiopia
is very strong. Ethiopians are living in unity through plurality because
the federal arrangement is a voluntary union of equal peoples,
attesting unity does not necessarily mean uniformity. In fact, the
challenges in the way are government failure, regulatory capture and the
impact of rent-seeking behavior as well as organized crimes within the
democratization process loom inimical stumbling block obstacles and
distraught to the genuine part of the state effort which are inevitable
particularly in early stages. With all these, we are experiencing the
federal system is going through its natural course and phases of
development process. The plural socio-economic structure of Ethiopia
deserves it equivalent plurality in the political arena.
Some people understand decentralization
or federalism as borders created to fracture races and smash
nationalism, creating multiple regional states to be hotbeds of ethnic
rivalry ultimately preventing ethnic groups from uniting against corrupt
and a dictator ruling of their own and other common problems. Because
it is usually observed unitary-federalism or pseudo federalism with
patrimonialism and the attendant wasteful duplication of bureaucracies
is in place all over a country. This is what we have confronted to
tackle patiently.
Democracy is a process not an event.
Building a well functioning, established legitimate democratic system is
a protracted usually non-linear process that experiences considerable
fluctuations and setbacks. Building democracy is not easy as damaging
it. The bloating democratic institutions may be hollow, weak and
ineffective in the outset conveying that to oust a dictator is easier
than to establish a functioning democracy- a process that is likely to
be rocky and far from linear. Active and sustained citizen participation
and engagement in public policy making and implementation process is
one of the core elements of democracy. If we are to keep democracy on
its feet and walking, not imposition or suppression, but dialogue,
negotiation, understanding, tolerance, magnanimity and consensus
building public discourse that should be the way of life.
Basic civil liberties guarantee the
democratic process is inclusive, free of repression and enables citizens
to participate in an informed and autonomous manner. Political and
civil liberty embraces freedom of speech and assembly/association, free
of suppression and the right to vote and to be eligible for public
office. Freedom of speech and the press embodies the right to hold any
view and to express it. In fact, economic freedom and political freedom
as well as property rights and civil liberties are the many in one
basket or two sides of the same coin.
The protection of freedom of information
and human rights is identified as a means of bringing about improved
governance. Plural media landscape plays essential role in building
sturdy democratic system. Pluralistic media landscape in the electronic,
digital (online, broadcast) and print media empire is decisively
important for the promotion of freedom of expression and free flow of
information and exercise the right of the public to be properly informed
on matters of public interest. The media play a critical role in the
maintenance of democracy by providing a bridge between all of the
different elements in society. Social pluralism can positively
contribute to effective and sustainable democratic governance in a
civilized society.
Pluralistic media landscape in the
press, electronic, digital and print media empire that ensures access to
alternative sources of information that are not monopolized by either
the government or any other single group is decisively important for the
promotion of freedom of expression and free flow of information. The
public seek independent commentary on information sources and
controversial cases. There are provisions that guarantee the right of
the public to be properly informed on matters of public interest and
enable citizens to participate in an informed autonomous manner crowding
out to partially motivated mouthpiece media service. The role of the
journalism community is paramount importance in the media empire. For
their nobility role journalists are designated as credible truth tellers
and bestowed with great honor, however, those who abuse the profession
are no more in the domain of honor.
Freedom from arbitrary arrest and
seizure as defined by the concept of the rule of the law recognizes that
a person is accounted innocent until proved guilty. It includes freedom
of choice where to live, where to work or invest. There is an organic
link between political freedom and freedom from hunger, ignorance,
disease and much more as Amartya Sen defined freedom (freedom from the
three evils of want, ignorance and squalor). This concept is emerging as
human right and food sovereignty movement these days. Eventually,
freedom is nothing else but the chance to be better, and used for better
of the common good or for better of the greater public good. Promoting
democracy is basically a political process and it cannot afford to
ignore the central issue of state power. Yet discretionary power of the
state should be restrained.
Citizens should be able to identify
between genuine efforts and hoax commitment as well as empty promises
for maneuvers. The rules governing social and economic interactions
should be predictable and stable. The people and all actors must comply
with the governing rules. Any personality and identity status should not
be above the governing rules of the democratic game. Compliance
requires strong institutions of democracy and the rules of democratic
game ensure responsibility and accountability. Transparency in role
assignment and accountability is fundamental to alleviate problems of
elite capture and local capture. The absence of transparency guarantee,
transparent and predictable institutional frameworks allows
discretionary interpretations that could give rise to rent
mismanagement, rent seeking and corrupt practices which undermine
accountability, credibility and legitimacy of the governance system.
More worse, public confidence in the integrity of the policy and
regulatory frameworks is diminished and the operation of the market is
distorted.
The rule of law covers the principles
that laws should not require people to do the impossible, the
requirement that similar cases be treated similarly, the principle that
there is not an offence unless there is not a law dealing with the
matter, the demand that laws be known and expressly promulgated and
precepts involving the notion of natural justice. For example that
judges be fair and impartial, and that people may not be judges in their
own case. The other important thing in relation to the primacy of rule
of law is that justice of victor does guarantee rule of law because the
victors may distort justice either to revenge or pardon. In all cases,
honesty is the best policy on earth, because the truth is always fair.
Everybody should champion the truth. Cheats never prosper; In fact, old
tricks do not work these days. There are hidden tricks that you cannot
distinguish in this wicked world. If one believes in reason and the
supremacy of law and applies it consistently, all the rest follows. A
freer and more democratic world helps create a virtuous circle of
improved security, stronger economic growth, and durable alliances—all
of which better serve the long-term national interests.
(Source: Horn Affairs)
Editor's note:
We think the federal system is the best option for Ethiopia. However, the current federal system in Ethiopia needs some modifications. The aim of the federal system is to guarantee equality among the various ethnic groups, which in the end transforms Ethiopia to be more united. We cannot unite Ethiopia by preaching about unity without guarantying equality of it's ethnic groups. Ethiopia has competitive ethnic groups. Some are very advanced and would be impossible to promote the domination of one culture and language. We should use Tigrigna and Oromigna ( Oromo language)as working languages in par with Amharic. The national TV and other media should give equal coverage to events in the regional states in the above languages. The capital cities in the regional states should be equally developed as Addis Ababa or Fin Fine. etc. Otherwise the struggle for equality and social justice will continue which might lead to the fragmentation of Ethiopia into weak mini-states. The Amhara tribal domination of Ethiopia is driving the country to fragmentation. We should stop the amhara domination of Ethiopia by introducing more languages as working languages and forcing the amhara tribe to learn languages of other tribes. The Swiss model of federation might bring Ethiopia to more unity and peace.
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