A New Political Culture for Ethiopia

By Samuel M. Gebru
January 09, 2007

For many decades Ethiopians and the expatriates have found themselves in a highly volatile political issue. Now that democracy has arrived there is more freedom to talk, communicate, oppose, support and simply express your ideas. However, as we have seen, some of our fellow expatriates abroad have abused the current political arrangement in Ethiopia. Ethiopians, particularly expatriates, need to understand the purpose of democracy and how to evolve our mindsets. The current Ethiopian political culture is the “my way or no way” method, where there is no tolerance, consensus and proper discussion. The parents intoxicate their children with political hatred based not on opposing one’s political views but one’s ethnic affiliation. The so-called professors and Ethiopian academics demonstrate their maturity by dehumanizing ethnic groups not supportive of one political party or another. Our indifference to the political needs and future of Ethiopia causes only rifts; families and longtime friends split and name-calling turns into death threats. The youth, whom mostly don’t know anything about Ethiopia besides what their parents tell them, are stuck in the crossfire of the political hatred of “diasporians.”

With all these issues it sometimes can get depressing and confusing. Indeed, the complex history of Ethiopian political evolution in the past century came in an extraordinary fashion. Beginning with the great demands from Ethiopian students for a rapid change to a democratic structure in the 1960s, Ethiopia has experienced political evolution that has come from within. This, of course, is better than the other alternative of foreign imperialistic-styled “intervention” that we see today in Iraq.

When Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse came to the United States in August 2006, he faced a sharp-tongued Ethiopian opposition in many major cities including my Boston area. However, to be honest I had expected fierce opposition to his arrival in the US. One thing that had amazed me the most while Addisu was in Boston was that while we were at the venue in Brighton there was a father that brought his young daughter, which looked around 3-4 years of age. He gave her a picture of Addisu with red horns to symbolize the devil with a red “X” on top of his face and pointed at the Deputy Prime Minister saying, “You see him, he is the killer. He is a leba .” I was immediately shocked, covered my mouth in disbelief and was about to confront that father. What kind of education is that? The father should have been responsible, to not bring his daughter and not encourage her to be a hard head at such a young age. There were many Ethiopian teenagers present as well, mostly ones that I could recognize from Cambridge. The protesting Ethiopians had the right to protest but people who wanted to listen to the Deputy Prime Minister also had the right to listen. The protesters claimed “we have the right” to protest, however, the “rights” of the listeners were denied. I was also informed of a similar incident in Seattle, Washington where some Muslims from the Oromo and Somali ethnic nations of Ethiopia were turned away by protesters and were insulted, being called terrorists because of their Islamic belief. How mature is this? We have parents teaching their children to be as arrogant or even more than they are and we have Ethiopians calling fellow Ethiopians terrorists!

However, this is just a spit in the dam. A serious issue arises when there is usage of one’s ethnicity to dehumanize political opponents. I, myself, have also experienced ethnic insults and heckling. I was called an “Agazi leba” by several internet bloggers and was emailed a few times. I have also received death threats and well wishes via email. But, I simply consider it “part of the job” when it comes to trying to help change Ethiopian political thought. The arrogant culture of Ethiopians when it comes to political issues worsens when we already have high tensions ethnically and linguistically. If anyone recalls Professor Mesfin Woldemariam’s remarks about the Tigrayan ethnic nation from 2005 and previous insults, one would certainly see that these academics haven’t been taught well. I have been affected by his remarks on a personal level and while it probably won’t happen, an apology would be appropriate for his dehumanizing remarks of my ethnic nation. One would think that an academic, more a Professor, would be tolerant and plausible. Furthermore was one of the ethnically provoked slogans of 2005, Tigre wedi Mekelle, Nibret wedi Kebele. However, this issue ties back to the old aged Amhara chauvinistic methods. Indeed, not all people from the Amhara ethnic nation are chauvinists or xenophobes, to say so would be a dangerous hyperbole one should never think of promulgating.

Historically, Amhara-Tigray and Amhara-Oromo relations have not been pleasant. More recent, our two last emperors, Menelik II and Haile Selassie II constantly denied that Tigrayans and Oromo were Ethiopian. Menelik II was an extremist. After the Battle of Adwa in the late 1800s, Menelik permitted his Shewan army to stay in Tigray, occupy land, loot their wealth and commit serious human rights violations. Haile Selassie never stepped foot in Tigray; recalling only one incident when the “Lion of Judah” stepped foot in Tigray. It was the 1960s and the new Our Lady Mary of Zion Church in Axum (Aksum) was finally completed. The emperor came to inaugurate it with the Queen of the UK, Elizabeth II. Selassie constantly denied Tigray and Oromo the development they needed. That is why both regions are severely backwards and are in need of serious rehabilitation from the wars and the in denial behavior of the emperors. It was during these governments that the word “Galla,” which is a derogatory term used at identifying Oromo people somewhat like “Nigger” to African Americans, was institutionalized. At the last Bahar Dar Conference of the ANDM Addisu Legesse continuously apologized for the past behaviors of the Amhara chauvinists and their divide and rule tactics which left the country in turmoil for the latter portion of Selassie’s regime and throughout Mengistu’s government. It is the remnants of those same chauvinists that continuously dehumanize the rest of Ethiopia’s 200 ethnic groups, which dominate the “diaspora politics.” Their ideology was clear and simple: if you are Amhara, you are Ethiopian, if you aren’t Amhara, the hell with you!

The “my way or no way” method of the chauvinists and Ethiopian centrists is what makes the situation highly tense and very consequential. As we saw in the Addis Ababa riots of June and November 2005, where 193 uniformed police officers and civilians died, the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy paraded their utopian idea of a Tigray-free Ethiopia by sparking the fire to an uprising of Ethiopian youth in Addis Ababa and other major cities. Indeed, the CUD is not the only opposition party in Ethiopia. To date there are 77 registered political parties in Ethiopia. Other prominent political opposition parties that actually are democratic exist: the United Ethiopia Democratic Forces (UEDF) led by Dr. Beyene Petros and the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) led by Ato Merera Gudina, and not for forget the open-minded opposition leader Ato Lidetu Ayalew. The CUD abused the Ethiopian democratic structure. All people throughout Ethiopia had the chance most other African nations do not see, a real choice in the 2005 democratic elections. Many people voted for the CUD, giving it the capital of Ethiopia and Africa – Addis Ababa – as well as many other city council and state parliament seats as well as many seats in the federal parliament’s House of Representatives. Instead of using their elected offices as means to advance their political opposition against the EPRDF government, the CUD cried fraud and took to the streets and violating the Parliament’s Code of Conduct by protesting the opening session in October. Legally, the CUD was caught red handed; they violated the MP Code, instigated ethnic hatred in urban centers and universities, called for mass riots which had a turn out of thousands of unemployed youth and students in Addis Ababa. The CUD simply betrayed the trust millions of Ethiopians put into the democratic system by literally walking away from their elected offices! Is this a democracy when the opposition is not willing to cooperate to form a true multi-party democratic tradition in Ethiopia? If this is the case, it seems more than understandable that the EPRDF seems like the dominant figure as the CUD has quickly withered away from in-Ethiopia politics to expatriate politics infested by the former officials of the military Marxist government in Addis Ababa. Certainly things of this nature would never happen in Washington, where Democrats and Republicans go neck to neck on many issues and oppose each other, in the legislature and not by rioting in the streets of Washington.

For a great deal after the elections, tensions were high in Ethiopia and abroad. Bloggers were at work, the-then H.R.4423 was in its infant stages and divisions within political oppositions were boiling. Now, there are many CUDs. I will list the ones I know, fearing that there are many more: CUD North America (Shaleqa Group), CUD North America (Berhane Mewa Group), CUD International, CUD Europe, CUD Ethiopia, CUD Eritrea, CUD Somalia, CUD Kaliti and CUD Africa (for those living in South Africa, Kenya and elsewhere). Each of these CUDs contradict each other, however, the CUD North America Shaleqa Group has been taking more of a democratic stance and cooperating with CUD Ethiopia while the CUD North America Berhane Mewa group is taking more of a radical approach and cooperating with both CUD Eritrea and CUD Somalia.

Citing the Voice of America Horn of Africa programme experience of my good friend and colleague, Annette C. Sheckler, some Ethiopians are simply out of it. Annette writes about a former coworker who was a member of the Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPRP), a useless outlawed political “group” with less than 300 members worldwide. He claimed that the current EPRDF-led government of Ethiopia should thank him because had it not been for him, Dictator Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam would never have been ousted. To say the least, I look about five minutes of laughter from that. How, in any way possible, would he be responsible for the ouster of one of Africa’s most brutal dictators while he was in Washington preaching anti-EPRDF propaganda through a US government radio network? It was through the bloodshed of thousands of EPRDF freedom fighters - women, men and youth - from 1974/5-1991 that led to the demise of a Marxist revolutionary communist government in Addis Ababa. Under the current system of Ethiopian politics, the delusional taxi drivers, parking attendants and coffee shop bloggers of North America continuously dominate the scene by spewing false, groundless anti-EPRDF propaganda into the ears of US lawmakers hoping to sanction Ethiopia’s government while countless institutions continuously award Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and his government with prestigious awards as many world bodies confirm government figures, i.e. World Bank, UN, EU, US, AU.

And so the question now becomes, what shall we do? But let me rephrase it and ask you, the reader, what shall you do to change Ethiopia’s political culture? Are you going to simply discard this analysis or will you take action to change our highly dangerous political system? As we are in the eve of the year 2000 AD in our calendar, it is a time that we should take advantage of. We need to hold discussion forums and have consensus building in order to work side-by-side to have a strong democratic tradition in our country. The EPRDF may be the government for now but it won’t last forever. Eventually we should strive for a political system where democracy is the norm, the constitution stays and leaders and political parties come and go peacefully. Since our good Prime Minister Mr. Meles Zenawi has promulgated his desire to “retire” in 2010 we must be ready to ensure that for the first time in history the safe transition of leadership of the Menelik Palace. Whether the EPRDF will stay for another term or will it be UEDF, OFDM or what have you, will be for the voters to decide, however what we abroad should take into account is that the transition should be simple and peaceful.

Just as Addis Ababa has stayed as our capital; as the colors green, yellow, red have flown for centuries; as the people of Ethiopia have protected their national sovereignty, so shall the next generation protect our future by evolving the political mindset. We need to be open-minded to other opinions while working to advance ours. We need to have a democracy where opposition will be conducted in the parliament and not on the backstreets of Addis Ababa. We need people like Dr. Beyene Petros and his UEDF, who voted against an Ethiopian war against the Somalia Islamic Courts Union. The reason why I say this is because that is what democracy is all about. Opposition parties can oppose and support the ruling party at any moment as long as it fits into their respective interests. The UEDF exercised their democratic power by voting in parliament. There are many competent people and parties in Ethiopia fit for the Prime Ministry and the position of ruling party and the only thing left is changing our arrogant, politically intoxicated minds in order to learn how to compromise and in order to actually tolerate the other view.

The task is not simple, it will be challenging and patience will be needed, however with our eyes set on the ideal Ethiopia and our foot set on the reality together we can accomplish everything. The Ethiopians have a long history of working together to realize a central goal. We did it with the Italians, with the British, with Eritrea, with the Mahdist forces from Sudan, the Islamic Courts Union, and will continue to safeguard our nation’s interests. However now the issue is internal and the diaspora needs to learn that they have immense influence of what goes on in Ethiopia. In acknowledgement of this we, the expatriates, should hold hands regardless of political or ethnic background and work to develop our young democracy. The youth will indeed need to step up, become educated without bias and learn how to move the country foreword. We will without a doubt take the heavy burden our past put on our shoulders but with many people working together it is easier to achieve. Let me give you an example. I was at my Godson’s Birthday on January 6, 2007 and as the party was ending there were many dishes, cups, etc., to wash and we said that when more people help out in washing compared to one person the burden is easier. While this may seem irrelevant to Ethiopian political affairs, in reality it isn’t. If all sides cooperate to accomplish one goal the burden is easier.

Samuel Gebru was born on November 20th, 1991 at the Palestine Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan and was raised in Khartoum until he was 3 and half years old. He came to the United States of America on June 7th, 1995 and has lived in the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts ever since.

Samuel Gebru current holds the following positions:
• Prospective Worldwide Youth Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (nominated to the position)
• Executive Director and Chairperson of The Gebru Foundation, Inc.
• Advisor to the Dean of Curriculum and Program for the Small Learning Community (SLC) "C" of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School
• Member of the Minority Student Achievement Network
• Member of the Youth Involvement Subcommittee of the City of Cambridge Coordinating Council for Children, Youth and Families (Cambridge Kids' Council)
• Voting Member of the City of Cambridge Coordinating Council for Children, Youth and Families (Cambridge Kids' Council) - Samuel is the first African and first Ethiopian on the council

Endnotes

The original intended venue. We later moved to the hotel where Addisu was staying after about 30 Ethiopians wouldn’t keep quite and police declared that everyone was now trespassing and kicked us off the property. For security purposes I will not name the hotel.

Leba is thief in Amharic, the working language of Ethiopia

The ANDM is a political party and a coalition member of the four-party coalition the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) – the current party in power.

CUD Eritrea and CUD Somalia should be merged since they both work with the enemy of Ethiopian sovereignty. CUD Eritrea is based in Asmara and CUD Somalia cooperates with the failed Islamic Courts Union (a terrorist group), Oromo Liberation Front (a terrorist group), and Ogaden National Liberation Front (a terrorist group).

Annette C. Sheckler is an American academic and expert on Ethiopian political science in lives in Washington, DC. She was the VOA Horn of Africa programme director from 1997-1998 until she was fired for trying to fix the biasness of the Amharic programme; read her experience here: http://www.ethioembassy.org.uk/articles/articles/may-99/Annette%20.C%20Sheckler.htm