by T.Goshu
1) As an introduction
Let me start by saying that as numerous researches conducted by many psychologists, sociologists, and other social
scientist have shown , there is no any human or social interaction that
is absolutely free from paradoxical attitudes and behaviors . Hearing
and watching people making contradiction between what they say and what
they actually do is not uncommon.
And I do not have any illusion to
make the case of the people of Ethiopia an exception to this very
general fact of human attitude and behavior.
There is no doubt that with all unfortunately ugly sides of history,
the people of Ethiopia have a very great place in the history of
mankind. The kings/emperors, empresses, princes, great patriotic
forefathers and mothers again with all challenges they had and mistakes
they made, they had made a great history in the passing over of the
country as we know it from generation to generation.
They had to pay
ultimate sacrifices which emanated from a deeply powerful conviction of
selflessness. They had paid priceless sacrifices because they truly
believed that preserving a homeland that is independent and sovereign
could be unthinkable let alone possible without making aspirations and
actions the two inseparable and indispensable factors of living with
freedom and dignity as well as being the beneficiaries of all natural
resources. Needless to say that our forefathers and mothers had
selflessly paid huge sacrifices with a great belief that preserving
the homeland was their glorious mission not only for few generations but
for all generations to come.
When it comes to the role of religious institutions
and their leaders, with all the problems they had, they not only
preached/and taught about the values of national pride and human dignity
but they also had paid their sacred and ultimate sacrifices. Although
the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church by virtue of being the exercised
earlier and being favored by most of the rulers, Muslim Ethiopians and
all Ethiopians who belong to other domains of Christianity had a great
role as far as preserving our homeland we call it Ethiopia is
concerned. I am not here disregarding some terrible events that took
place in the course of our political history. One way or another or
gravely serious or less serious, it has to be admitted that mistakes had
been made and those mistakes have to be put in the right perspective of
history and taken as teachable lessons.
Let me add one more perspective of our recent political discourse.
Yes, with all the ugly faces of our engagement in the struggle for
better political life and socio-economic justice, hundreds of thousands
of Ethiopians particularly the youth have paid another ultimate
sacrifice. This part of our political chapter is characterized by the
coming into being of opposition political parties in a real sense of
modern politics. I am talking specifically about political activities
since the 1960s.
2) Some encouraging moves despite being in the midst of a serious paradox
- Before I proceed to the next and main points of view of mine, I want to say that there is a need to recognize and encourage those genuinely citizens or Ethiopian –origin who are trying the best they can for the struggle to succeed.
- Moreover, the very movements by our Muslim compatriots, opposition political parties such as the walking of Medrek to move a step forward (front) and efforts of coming and acting together by the 33 opposition groups are remarkably encouraging.
- Another front of the struggle is the efforts being made by media outlets such as radio shows, publications, web sites, and above all ESAT /Radio is remarkably encouraging. Although they cannot substitute /replace the necessity of freedom of expression back home, they are doing their best to be the voices of the voiceless.
3) Should we be still concerned about our serious paradox?
Needless to say that bringing the very question of why, we as a people of proud country are still suffering from an endless and incomprehensible paradox is a
very legitimate question that has to be encountered and dealt with.
Instead of making my points of view with long and detail argument, I
want to just jot down in the form of question and answer style as
follows:
a) Is it not terribly paradoxical to recite (empty rhetoric) the
great works of our patriotic forefathers/mothers and pretend that we are
still proud people while we (as a people) are in a state of incredible
state of fear, moral degradation, selfishness, dysfunctional or severe
shortcomings of unity of purpose, and serious lack of thinking and
acting in a real sense of farsightedness, and etc.? Is that the way we
nurture and teach our children? I do not know how a parent who claims
to be patriotic Ethiopian can convince his or her children leave alone
his or her fellow Ethiopians while he or she stays away from showing by
doing.
I do not know how we really convince ourselves let alone others
simply by talking and reciting the glorious victory of Adwa and other
great chapters of history just by paying attributes to the symbols of
great works (statues) every year? And how about just simply telling
others that we are proud of the historical objects ( obelisks ) and all
other historical and sacred places ,not showing practically that we
are the real products of our patriotic forefathers/mothers ? And above
all, we decry about the anti- national history and pride agenda and
behavior of the incumbent tyrannical regime and vehemently condemn it,
but we are not working on the question of how to change the danger we
are talking about. Is not a very worrisome paradox?
b) Yes, there is no doubt that so many attempts to make opposition
forces to be the allied forces of the struggle for genuine democratic
change have repeatedly and terribly failed . We had come across so
many naming of togetherness such as Congress of Alternative Forces,
Union of Ethiopian Democratic Forces, Fronts, Coalitions, Alliances ,
and so on and so forth which most of them either ineffective or in total
failure. But, on the other hand, we (as people) need to admit that any
leading force is doomed to fail without active participation and
engagement by the followers and ultimate beneficiaries of the genuine
change. It is here that another gravely serious political paradox comes
into the picture. What is really becoming much more paradoxical is the
culture of forming/breeding “new” small and ineffective circles and
calling for the formation of coalition or council or alliance and going
back to square one and talking the same thing but not doing the
something thing practical. And this is terribly non-sense especially for
countries such as Ethiopia which cannot afford to maintain this kind of
an endless trend of breeding groups after groups which talk about the
same /similar issues but are not interested in doing things together.
c) Another frustrating paradox is in the area of making media outlets
effective that should be serving the people of Ethiopia whose voices
are being silenced by the tyrannical ruling circle as relatively
alternative instruments of making their voices heard. Yes, it is
terribly paradoxical to complain the total absence of freedom of
expression back home on the one hand, and not to support and make those
alternative media outlets powerful fronts for the change we desperately
aspire. I have to recognize and admire the genuinely concerned
Ethiopians in the diaspora, especially in Europe, Australia and even in
South Africa for their remarkable efforts they have shown! I believe
that is the way we have to break the very harmful attitude and behavior
of being paradoxical.
d) I do not want sum up my comment without expressing my concern
about the continuation of another terrifying paradox within our
religious creeds and values of the Orthodox Christian Church. Well, the
leaders back home have already fell under the dirty mix of politics and
religion, and they are not either courageous enough to challenge that
ugly game or sacrifice their earthly voracious self-interests for the
sake of their heavenly mission. And the leaders in exile do not seem in a
position to discourage those who seem not interested to operate under
their supervision with a positive and influential persuasion.
Consequently, this has a very adverse impact not only on the teachings
of religious principles and values but also on the very need of paying
as coordinating centers of the struggle for the realization of freedom
and human dignity in our country.
I hope we will be honest enough with ourselves and deal with the very deep –rooted paradox we are suffering from.
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