The Tyrant defying the Will of the People

The issue of an all-Ethiopia resistance forum

Part four

July 11, 2006

5. Political elite, multiethnic parties

Nationality problems and internal conflicts, violations of human and democratic rights, poverty, and famine had been rampant in Ethiopia before Meles Zenawi came to power. In fact, the impotence of the Ethiopian political system brought about the ethnic movements and Meles Zenawi's coming to power. To remove him from power will be a decisive step but the removal of one tyrant alone does not mean the ushering of liberty and prosperity in Ethiopia.

Dictators do not allow any form of opposition, let alone organized resistance. They kill, persecute and wipe out any potential political contenders. The methods of suppression may vary in time and space depending on the resources the dictators possess. Meles Zenawi manufactured several ethnic based surrogate organizations to hinder the people from developing national parties with national programs. He also tolerated some independent ethnic based movements as his reserve force in his divide-and-rule tactics to mobilize them against the growing threat from the opposition with national programs.

The fall of dictators is usually followed by succession problems because legitimate forces that could assume power had no chance to develop under dictators. The demise of Meles Zenawi is dead sure. The question is how to organize the political activities of the people to hasten his removal and ensure a smooth transition and shorten the agony of the people in the after math.

The question of the formation of a political party system in Ethiopia has been a burning issue since the 1970s. Attempts to develop national political parties during the 1970s and 1980s failed because the Ethiopian revolutionary forces kept harping on ideology. They attempted to find the solutions to the problems in Ethiopia in Socialism. Stalinist centralism and the program of the dictatorship of the proletariat were introduced in Ethiopia but did not work.

Each party's claim to state power emanates not from the mandate of the people but from the declared ideological correctness of the party. Each party considers itself as the only true representative of the people and its program to be the only correct one, leaving no space to the others at all. (Kahsay Berhe, 2005, p. 244)

The relations between the multiethnic parties and the ethnic based national movement had never been smooth. The socialist oriented multinational parties in their pursuit of establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat left no room for particular interests of the regions. The role of regional parties in a unitary state and one party system is insignificant. That was, among other things, the most important cause for the antagonism between the national and multinational parties. Centralism and diversity exclude each other. (Kahsay Berhe, 2005, p. 250)

During the second half of the 1980s, the Ethiopian Leftist political parties officially dropped socialism and opted for multi-party democracy. The multiethnic parties and many of the ethnic based national movements began to talk to each other and subsequently formed many transitional alliances. One of the most important alliances was the EUDF, which was formed in 2003. This alliance served the member organization to gain attention among the people and the international community. It also provided the member organizations with the opportunity of working together.

However, the UEDF and its predecessors were simply coalitions of political groups with no minimum common political programs for Ethiopia. The large and old multiethnic political parties such as the EPRP and MEISONE are banned from Ethiopia. By a large political opposition in the country had taken ethnic form in organization and program. The SEDO and ONC are the most important organizations of the UEDF. Dr. Beyene Petros of SEDO and Dr. Merara Gudena of ONC have been challenging the regime of Meles Zenawi at home and they have alternately led the alliance of the opposition political groups for several years. Despite their popularity among Ethiopians including outside their respective ethnic domain, they have not yet decided to abandon ethnic orientation in favor of national programs. The longer they delay to take steps towards national orientation and program, the more precarious their future may become.

The UEDF is composed of some ethnic based and multi-ethnic parties mainly in exile. The multi-ethnic parties such as the EPRP and the MEISONE have political programs for a unified Ethiopia. Both have been struggling for democratic changes for the last three decades. Many of their top leaders are languishing in jail. Their proven dedication for the unity of the people and country is a threat for Meles Zenawi. He is unlikely to be lenient with them. Political parties must always develop their tactics and strategies in order to realize their vision. One endeavor must be pursuing a policy of support for the expansion of national constituency in Ethiopia and intensify to make mergers with ethnic parties to consolidate a national forum.

The decision by some leading members of the AAPO to abandon ethnic politics and found the AEUP generated a process of split and realignment between parties. The formation of the CUD finally broke the icy wall that separated political parties from each other for many years. The programs of the CUD and the UEDF are becoming similar. The convergence of programs of CUD and UEDF may help the CUD to grow at the cost of the UEDF because of the fact that the former operates in the country. The expansion and consolidation of the multiethnic constituency of the CUD will eventually serve all multiethnic political parties including those in the EUDF.

It is indispensable that the multiethnic parties have to forward comprehensive political programs and models of state constitution that elaborate the rights of the ethnic groups and the way these rights could be guaranteed. Based on publicized programs and policies of guaranteeing the right to self-determination of the nationalities in Ethiopia, they could better open a dialogue with the people and the ethnic based movements. Merger usually involves changes of names of political organizations; sharing posts in the leadership however, could be a real handicap for the old parties.

Meles Zenawi is preparing a total ethnic strife on a national level in order to present himself as the redeemer of the threatened people and a guarantor of peace and stability to the international community. The multi-national parties are in a better position to counter the divisive propaganda of the hate and ethnic strife. Meles Zenawi knows that the national parties may eventually pose a serious threat to his power and he will continue to hinder that eventuality.

One important field of engagement for the multi-ethnic parties must be the facilitation of the cooperation between the political parties and the Ethiopian intelligentsia. It is a great idea that the UEDF in its Minimum Program (August 2003 Article 4.8) stated its intention to arrange for experts to make studies on the basic issues on Ethiopia for public discussion. Such a panel will have to be composed of competent experts from all regions of the country. It would be easier for non-party scientists than for political leaders to communicate with each other.

All-Ethiopia political parties with their roots all over the country seem to be the best instrument to tackle the problems in the country. However, if there are forces based on ethnic interests, unity could be achieved by integrating the concern of the ethnic groups into a national whole and recognizing the organized groups to operate in their respective regions. Therefore, the national parties must pursue diplomatic and political policies to unite the ethnic parties into a unified national entity by organizing a bilateral dialogue on the solutions for the common and particular grievances of all groups. The dialogue must be broadened to all sections and levels of society throughout the country and in the Diaspora. The process of transition to a democratic system and the struggle for it creates the unity of the people and strengthens their determination to defend their political achievements. It is the responsibility of every citizen to work towards prosperity, unity and freedom of the entire people.

The several Ethiopian ethnic and multiethnic civic organizations throughout the world neither cooperate with each other nor coordinate their efforts. It is high time to build bridges between them. Such bridges could include formal relations, dialogue on issues that may be important for them, creation of confederal or federal relations while the ethnic based groups may retain their ethnic organizations if they want. The all-Ethiopian parties ought to look into such issues in order to create a unified force to not only topple the group in power but also launch meaningful developmental and nation building processes.

6. Ethnic parties (Oromia and Tigray).

To be continued.

The Tyrant defying the Will of the People

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