Dubale
Tariku
Most
Ethiopians agree that a pragmatic solution to the existing political impasse is
important to prevent disintegration. Whether we choose to believe it or not
many Ethiopians seem to be so terrified of the floating indication that the
country will be disintegrated from statehood to tribal-hood, if the hovering
potential ethnic conflict is unabated. When the regime supporters exploit the
fear to justify for TPLF dictatorship indefinite rule, even well-wishers seem
to see a variant of dictatorship as an alternative for keeping Ethiopia’s
integrity. One can speculate both sides may have been forced to favor
dictatorship out of sense of hopelessness of the stifled democratic struggle in
Ethiopia. However, be it for pragmatic or other reasons dictatorship should by
no means be viewed as better alternative to democratic governance. For positive
traits of dictatorship a handful of Asian countries may be cited, but hundreds
of other countries can be cited for its negative traits.
The jobs
that dictators are championed to do better, the democratic governance had done
the same jobs best. The TPLF propagandist often championed dictatorship for
keeping territorial integrity and advancing economic development. The argument
to favor dictatorship is its ability for swift decision it can make because of
the military and security power Dictators control. Dictators are capable of
implementing practically any policy they initiated without seeking public
consent. However, the argument neglects to consider the policies dictators initiate
are sources of economic stagnation and risks territorial integrity. Most
importantly, they neglect the fact that dictatorship resulted long-term
societal decay of a nation. What we see in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa is
deep hopelessness among citizens and unprecedented brutality by dictators
towards fellow human being, which rarely had seen in any of democratic
countries. It is ironic to think that the same entity that caused the
instability and insignificant economic development are expected to give
solution for the same problems they caused.
Ethiopians
have experienced decades of oppression. Thus, the problem of dictatorships is
so wide in scope and lengthy in time. Unquestioning submission to authority
figures and rulers has been part and parcel of the culture. From the modern
history of Emperor Haile Selassie to the current Tigray People Liberation Front
(TPLF) tribal regime, all three consecutive governments created and used state
institutions to subordinate society. However ineffective, during the Emperor’s
time few independent civic and societal institutions initiated. The “derg”
junta destroyed the few. Other than those initiated to advance socialist
ideology, “derg” never attempted to create independent civic institutions or
allowed the public to create one. The TPLF tightened the noose more than ever
before, and weakened and subordinated primarily the judicial systems to
destroy, incarcerate and legally torture any opponent. The little independence
the judicial institutions enjoyed in the past withered away. Ethiopians
witnessed unprecedented mockery of legal system. Over the phone and
under-the-table directives, the ghost of security officials and brutal cadres
presided on the respected chambers and rendered unlawful judgments on defendants.
Most of
all, TPLF had set the condition for breakdown of Ethiopia by enforced ethnic
administrative systems and encouraged toxic ethnic relationship. For a moment,
let’s admit the truth what Ethiopia got out of current dictatorship. Forgetting
insidious racism that are driven by extreme hate, in the last 25-years, TPLF
produced ethnic administrative “killils” if a fellow Ethiopian citizen go to
these ethnic “killils” will be ethnically stereotyped and likely be
discriminated. In these ethnic “killils”, Ethiopians are discriminated in
various ways. One, the fellow Ethiopian citizen is discriminated for not
speaking their language and not knowing their culture. Two, they simply assume
that he/she has no right to come or live in their “killil” and forcefully
displaced. Three, the administrators including police force most likely stands
against the fellow citizen in official places. Four, the property the fellow
citizen owned do not actually belong to the fellow citizen and see his/her
success with resentment. To say the least, the university campuses are
challenging to ethnic groups that came from elsewhere. To tell the gravitas of
the problem in the simplest term possible, TPLF produced a lot of regressive
ethnic advocates and politicians who argues in straight-face that
discriminatory action against other ethnic groups is heroic, progressive, and
shows the love of their ethnic group. Among these crowds, a fair minded person
who welcome all Ethiopians as citizens and sees things in broader and inclusive
ways is often branded as an ethnic traitor. All such societal ills, including
ethnic discrimination, corruption, nepotism, brain drain, migration, eliciting
money, poverty, reached unprecedented level during TPLF dictatorship.
Ethiopians
became under control by merciless tribal dictatorship of Tigre brethren.
Currently, fear, not laws and regulations, controlled Ethiopians. What Ethiopia
produced out of the various dictatorships is a terrified society. Professionals
and commoners alike are too frightened to share their resentments to
dictatorship. Political parties are divided along ethnic lines and unable to
work together to achieve freedom. Even those political parties organized by
political philosophy are divided by security official manipulation or intimidation.
Trust among citizens eroded to not believe in each other even to not do
anything at individual’s own initiative. Notice the close down of organization
initiated by individuals such as commonly known EHRCO (Ethiopian Human Rights
Council).
What
Ethiopians need is freedom to revive societal spirit and morale integrity,
which are going down to the drain. Perhaps societal spirits soared temporarily
because of the short-lived resistance of the near past of “kinijit”. The
resistance turned out to be insufficient to overcome fear and change the
dictatorial regime. Sadly, those resistances may even have brought more fear
and suffering. Out of these gloomy mist, the wide spread protest broke in
Oromia killil. Obviously, with the suspicions and disdains inculcated in
citizens other Ethiopians are watching from sideline. The same way as kinijit
fall, the protest in Oromia killil might fall short to get the much-needed
freedom. In the mean time, Ethiopians continue suffering under TPLF
dictatorship without future hope and with widespread societal ills.
When
people propose dictatorship over democracy, clear thinking is needed because of
the dangers and negative societal traits described above involved. It should be
clear there is no real peace under dictatorship. No matter how much
well-intended submission of citizens to cruel oppression by ruthless dictators
who inflict atrocities on millions of people is no real peace. As has been seen
in Ethiopia for the past several decades, there is no freedom and justice or
development in dictatorship, but long-term societal moral decay.
e-mail
ethio_nation@yahoo.com
Source: Ethiopian Media Forum
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