U.S Congress and Lawmakers should shelf for Good HR.2003, respect wishes of majority of Ethiopians

07/27/07
    

Disgruntled former elites of Ethiopia have in collaboration with American liberal groups, taken their opposition fight against the Ethiopian government to the streets, city halls and legislative branch of United States, the U.S Congress. Some U.S lawmakers are bent of punishing Ethiopia on the advice of Ethiopian opposition, whose majority consist of nothing less of former military officers, former elitist, and a majority of Amharas who can't let go of their lost elite status and the sole rulers of Ethiopia.

The U.S lawmakers are still obsessed on cutting U.S Aid to Ethiopia despite the significant political and economic milestone the country has achieved within a short time. These lawmakers are blind even to the most recent good will gesture and the government's effort to encourage and create an atmosphere of cooperation, good will, forgiveness and dialogue when President Girma Wolde-Giorgis pardoned 38 political leaders who were imprisoned during the violence that followed the May 2005 elections. This was an important step on Ethiopia’s path toward building a better country and stronger democracy. Most importantly, this act demonstrated that progress could be made when Ethiopia is able to address its own challenges without outside interference. Congressman Payne’s bill, while well intentioned, constitutes meddling in the internal affairs of Ethiopia and will have the unintended consequence of making democracy harder, not easier, to achieve.

The majority of Ethiopians are happy with both the economic and political progress Ethiopia has achieved the past 15 years. After years of military and monarchy rule, Ethiopia is now a constitutional democracy even though we still have miles to go. Ethiopia’s democracy isn’t perfect but we are like any other democracy including the United States. We will have our up and downs, but any changes needs to meet the country’s need rather than mandated by outside powers. I believe that the country is now closing in on a critical stage to nurture democracy and create an atmosphere of civilized dialogue and an environment of inclusiveness. The U.S lawmakers and the U.S Congress should continue to advocate dialogue and civilized debate on the countries future from both the sides instead of undermining the Ethiopian government’s recent good gesture and effort to encourage the opposition to conduct itself peacefully and within the country’s constitution.

U.S lawmakers and U.S Congress should be careful falling into opposition's claims of fighting and promoting democracy and the rule of law in Ethiopia, a claim which doesn't reach beyond the surface of their key objectives; grabbing power by all means and to bring back Ethnic domination. The U.S congress and U.S lawmakers, who are advancing H.R. 2003, must demand first that Ethiopia's opposition should embrace democratic ideals and shun violence before they can accuse the current administration of oppression. Any opposition group whether in the United States or in Ethiopia, that embraces and deploys violence as a means of achieving their goal, irrespective of their righteousness, will face the full machinery of the government, charged with the responsibility of preserving law and order, and the constitution of the country.
U.S Congress and lawmakers should know that Ethiopia’s opposition groups are engaged in the dangers of regional schism and linguistic-ethnic polarization highlighted by the inflammatory rhetoric of their leaders to stir ethnic tension and destabilize the country from its fragile democratic path. The marriage of millenarianism, nativist revivalism and politics is not new in Ethiopia. For a long time, it was the backbone of Amhara supremacy in this country. The emergence, now, of a self-claimed "democratic mob" led by self-appointed champions of the ethnic groups who claim to speak for the "common man" is itself the result of recent seismic shifts in the realm of the country’s political culture. If, historically, Amhara nativism has always been about racial supremacy and the defense of immoral privilege, Tigre and Somali nativism are a by-product of dispossession.

The U.S lawmakers need to pay attention to these groups rather than taking their lobby money and closing their eyes to what their real intentions are; the disintegration of the country into small pockets of ethnic nations. The opposition groups have also to understand that, because nativism is never attached to any concrete social or political programs of reform, it can never be a progressive force. In practice, it always tends to repeat the sorry history it pretends to redress. A real danger for all of us today is to allow these violent groups and their liberal sponsors to slide the country back into a situation where, once again, the language of racial destiny becomes so all encompassing as to render impossible other ways of connecting the various fragments of the nation.

Such is the context that has created these desperate groups who are eager to get back in their machine-gun trotting ways, at a time when other nations compete with their knowledge and technologies. The fact of the matter is Ethiopia is still a democracy. There is still time left to protest and stop this bad bill to ever be tabled in the United States Congress. Those who care the unity of Ethiopia, those who appreciate the current federal system, and the country’s constitutional democracy, have to stand up. They have to let their voices heard, get organized and lobby United States Congress. We should never allow few selfish statesals to speak on our behalf what is good for us and what is not.

The U.S Congress and lawmakers must respect the wishes of the majority of Ethiopians and shelf for good this bad bill which only undermines the recent gestures of good will and reconciliation by the government to the opposition groups. Ethiopia should be left to address its own challenges without outside interference. Congressman Payne’s bill, while well-intentioned, constitutes meddling in the internal affairs of Ethiopia and I'm afraid, will have the unintended consequence of making democracy harder, not easier, to achieve.

Therefore, please say no to the bill by writing, calling, E-mailing or faxing to Tom
Lantos who is Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs:

House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Tom Lantos, Chairman
2170 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Telephone:(202) 225-5021
FAX: 202-226-4183

Fatuma Dirir
Kilil5 Assistant Editor