BY Dereje Amera
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
November 10,2017
The governing political system or ideology of any nation does not fully represent the nation since any given political system, according to the history and nature of Ethiopia, is time bound; they govern for certain period and time and they are gone, as they are gone, they do no more represent the nation since they are limited by time. Historically, Ethiopia has undergone three kinds of political system, the first one is monarch or kingship; the second one is military regime with no alternative political party system; the third one is a system that allows other political parties to carry forward their own political ideology within its own dictionary of life.
The current Ethiopia is undergoing significant shift in political thinking as matter of the political system and structure it entertains in today. This creates mixed feelings and thinking to citizens as there are people who claim that such current political trend is fine and healthy, whereas, there are also others who claim that the way this nation is undergoing is wrong and crisis based and there should be another alternative and approach such nation should undergo.
Meddling in these two quite contradictory and opposing perceptions of such life, people are observed going to the ways too far to be in harmony in terms of thinking and feeling especially within the political arena of such life—the love and hate relationship between people and society is getting to deeper level. One is sometimes confused as to why people become like the way they are now and live to the extremities of both positive and negative sides with each other.
In this case, they could forget common good and greater future since things could become personal and they could consider their own interest and benefits as prior agenda than the wellbeing of nation and society as well. When any given people get into such extremes, emotions dictate their power of reason and hence they should balance both before they ruin many things in their life and the future of society and nation too. People should be out and void of such ignorant emotions that do not help themselves and anyone too.
Ideology is created by people. Any given ideology could be correct from the point view of such people, but it could be wrong while other people perceive it. In this case, it is time and reality that proves anything wrong which can be detected by symptoms that are good indicator factors such ideology faces while interacting and communicating with people and society in due course of time. As there are indicators, people should make a pause and think further before they commit another and further mistake and failures whose consequences will be catastrophe as they do not correctly understand such symptoms. If a doctor does not understand symptoms of a patient, the doctor could prescribe wrong medicine and that patient could die too.
Though unity of a nation should come by will and choice of people and ethnic groups, it is in every aspect always better than fragmentation and disunity. When nations is united under ethnic centered ideology and mentality, a nation is disunited since unity of nation comes after ethnic feeling and thinking whereas the idea of unity always concern and concentrates on the common cause than self-oriented thinking and feeling in which one should sacrifice for the other in order to achieve better and greater good and unity within a nation. This drama should be reversed.
Politics and political ideology should focus on what matters and merits the mass and the common good than meriting the few in which it should create greater common space that accommodate the wish and dream of the mass. It should also promote unity and solidarity within a nation and its systems. To belong to a particular ethnicity or nationality is not a result of one’s excellence or effort, but rather it is a result of natural destiny. People should be united not only in terms of ethnicity or nationality, but also with ideology that promotes better brotherhood and fellowship.
When people are united in terms of idea or ideology, they have made certain efforts and choices before they particularly belong to any group and this is in fact better than a political ideology that bases ethnicity since people have exerted certain amount of energy and time to make a choice and a decision before they belong to the group. When various people from all walks of life and ethnic groups are united under any given political ideology, the unity and security of a nation is securely and firmly established.
Getting organized and united under idea based ideology than ethnic based ideology do solve many problems and challenges, even the issue of ethnicity, since such people of different ethnic groups are already working together and there is no point and reason that such matter can be raised as issue due to the fact such people are practically demonstrating their given thinking and ideas in that given circle they already join.
In ethnic political ideology, one plus one is two; but in idea or ideology centered political programs, one plus one is three since there is a great synergy and dynamism that comes out as result of combination and integration of different kinds of people that come from different backgrounds as they get sheltered under one common group in order to achieve a better and greater good to the future of a society.
In society where there are diverse nations and nationalities, the way forward is not about uniting people within ethnicity, but it should integrate people with different idea and ideologies so that every group should have its own justifications and arguments that augment its validity and appropriateness to the future of the nation. However, when people are united by ethnic political ideology, this opens the doors of manipulation and maneuvering to the few so that the few can keep dominating the mass in every domain on behalf of the claim any given ethnic people claim.
Ethnic political ideology causes disunity and defragmentation between different ethnic groups within any given nation since it is border oriented thinking and ideology. It paralyses the power of thinking within that given social framework and dynamics since it has already put physical margins. It might not also guarantee the unity and solidarity of ethnic groups since there are always conflict of interest that arises within that particular ethnic group due to the nature of few egoist and ambitious individuals who are driven to lead that given groups in their own fashion and style as well. It cannot accommodate other people who do not belong to that given ethnic group. It also causes feelings of estrangement that could eventually lead to hostility between and within any given nation.
The other danger of ethnic base ideology within a nation is most ethnic groups could be willing to live within an umbrella of a nation until they are economically free and independent, and the moment they become economically self-sufficient and independent, the probability of belonging to any given particular nations will be less and they demand for their own sovereignty in their own good time. This happens in everywhere since most people and societies are united and/or look united since one is economically dependent on the other.
In countries like Ethiopia, where contradictions and conflicts are the becoming nature and character of politics and politicians due to the fact they do not have common space and ground for interaction and communication as result of the narrow fields and common spaces such people have, there are many things unfinished especially in deriving common good and common future since the present and the past ones not capable enough to create better and greater unity within this nation. In past, nations and ethnic were united by force or by the process one leader inherits from the other; in today, there is claim that goes ethnicity is the basis of national unity, but there are still contradictions and conflicts that result with feelings of insecurity and uncertainty to citizens too.
Even the current trend that is going on between people of same a nation make few people to ponder and say, where are we heading, due to the fact that the idea and sense of respect for one people have for the other, one group has to the other, is getting removed from the dictionary of its life, which do eventually lead to the destruction of historic heritages and treasures that this nation has already possessed. This is quite scary!
The first reason why society enters such valley of such explosion is leaders ignore and undermine what the public demand—rights, freedom, justice; the second reason is quite economical, the question of economy, since the quality of life is getting lost and peoples power of obtaining money becomes limited and low; the third reason is public gets bored due to the fact that same leadership stays in power for decades, the demand or need for change; the fourth reason is that the mass is also easily tricked and manipulated by other forces who seek to take advantage and they want to take power by overthrowing leadership due to their manipulative capacity, they use the gap already created by the society and its leaders, which could be fixed by leaders. And many other reasons could be stated.
A grave danger and catastrophe is on stage which need quite contemplation before any act is done or word is uttered since it is these simple things are summed up and their given cumulative effect cause great danger to the future of society. In every word and thinking, there is water and fire; the fire burns everything, but the water makes things get calm down.
In order to have better and greater unity, safe and secure nation, past and present are not warranty, but the future is something that can be created. This can only be done not with egoistic and ambitious peoples thinking and understanding, but rather with detached and heroic thinking and acts that focus on the common good and greater future.
The key that unlocks the gates of brightest destiny of any nation is mainly on sacrifice. People should leave aside their own ego, ambition, interest and desire, in their homes and they should focus to the common and great good of society and citizens. This needs quite a mindset!!
The writer can be reached at : derejeamera@yahoo.com
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