Let’s focus on fundamental Issues that Concern All of Us! Yes, we belong to different ethnic identities by accident of birth; We are all Ethiopians by accident of birth and history; But we are all human beings by the willful act of God; endowed with reason and sympathy; Let’s use our faculty for benign things; for the good of humanity; Let’s focus on issues, not on individuals or groups (ethnic, political or religious or cultural groups); Let’s appreciate that our individual and national questions are constrained by enduring legacies of the past; we are nurtured to think and behave in a certain way towards one another (for good and bad), to conform ourselves to conventional or mainstream thinking. Let’s see the world by our own eyes, name it by our own language, and transform it for the best of humanity; let’s design a clear broad map together for this purpose. Let’s aware politics is a human agenda; our individual and collective fate is shaped by it, positively or negatively; Let’ stop the NIMBY culture in politics. Let’s demonstrate trust and love towards one another and strengthen our solidarity for the common cause of humanity. Our misunderstandings, conflicts, actual and potential threats arising from our misunderstandings could justify the enduring continuity of autocratic regimes under the guise of ‘first peace and order’ motto. Remember what Thomas Hobbes argued a long time ago – autocracy is better than anarchy. Both cannot be options for the 21st generation. Even Machiavelli advised to exploit human insecurity as an opportunity to sustain the stability of an autocratic regime. Hence, let’s strengthen our solidarity in a peaceful manner and give confidence and guarantee to one another that the future will be brightest to all of us. Let’s avoid the hatred language we inherited from oppressive regimes and cultures from our new vocabulary; by doing so we can deny political space to advocates of identity politics or essentialist thinking. Let’s mobilize our effort and ask big questions such as: Do we really need 76 or more political parties in Ethiopia? Couldn’t politicians consolidate their differences by focusing on major issues of national interest? What are the major political and socioeconomic issues at stake? Let’s jot down them, discuss them critically, understand them properly, and capitalize on them; Let’s organize for purpose; for a better future.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 13:02:15 +0000