A fake national dialogue of, by, for and framed to the liking of the ruling party and does not involve major stakeholders in its design, process, and not led by a genuine arbiter misses the essence of a national dialogue.
Ethiopia has long been in a war with itself. A war between the ruling party and major opposition groups who are forced to take up arms due to the stifling of the political space. This conflict encompasses politics, economics, culture, and societal life. It is a contest between the quest for freedom and equality on one hand and the desire to dominate and suppress on the other. It is a fight between those who want to dismantle century old margination based on the identity of the nations within the empire once for all and those who want to reverse the gains of the last 50 years to bring back one group’s hegemony over many. Ethiopia’s failure to respect these nations’ quest for group and individual rights, the rule of law, and its ineptness to respond to these crises has created complex challenges and problems including political instability and humanitarian crises.
A national dialogue does not guarantee a comprehensive solution to a complex problem. If a national dialogue is to be fruitful it demands a serious and genuine commitment. It must be undertaken systematically with sincerity to solve the stalemate in transparent processes where all stakeholders are included. Consultations leading to national dialogue, framing of the agenda, selection of a neutral arbiter, and safe meeting venue should be agreed to by all stakeholders. Furthermore, safe passage for groups that are resisting the regimes aggression by raising arms by a trusted third party, trust building measures that must be taken by the ruling party, and the way forward if the dialogue fails should be agreed to before the dialogue takes place. Only such genuine moves give national dialogue a chance of being a platform to comprehensively address Ethiopia’s complex and multifaceted problems.
The Prosperity Party has commenced what it calls a “national dialogue” orchestrated by a commission that is formed by and reports to it. Political parties such as the Oromo Federalist Congress have refrained from participating, stating that the commission is not independent. This is not solemn effort to seek a comprehensive solution to the empire’s complex problems. Certainly, it is a farce undertaking that aims to hoodwink the international community to provide the ruling party with bilateral and multilateral aid to finance its wars against innocent civilians.
The Ethiopian empire has collapsed state and governance is non-existence since a long while. A government that does not respect the will of its population, cannot protect the public and keep peace, that spreads discord among its peoples, unwilling and unable to solve conflicts in a peaceful manner, and that makes peaceful life impossible cannot and should not stand. Certainly, a sham and by-name only “national dialogue” cannot solve deep-rooted political disputes.
The Ethiopian empire has been plagued with deep seated and potent problems since its very inception. To solve these problems, the regime and the ruling party are prescribing a temporary painkiller acting as both the patient and the doctor. The solutions offered by the regime are worsening the problems and might accelerate its demise.
The Ethiopian regime who has no regard for public welfare and promotes its own interest over that of the public is engaged in a dramatic enactment only to deceive the public with empty rhetoric while garnering international support in the name of national dialogue.
The National Consultative Commission was established at the end of 2021 by Abiy Ahmed in the no-good rubber stamp parliament. At that time, Abiy vowed that only what his government desires will be done and that opposition parties demand for national dialogue emanates from their desire to share position with the ruling party.
The National Assembly Commission that acts on the orders of the Prosperity Party government cannot be an independent commission since the ruling party fashioned the national dialogue to do its bidding. Professor Masfin Arraya told participants at the forum on Wednesday May 29, 2024, that it is necessary to take new paths to achieve new results.
The question that begs everyone’s attention is “what is the new path he is promising?” People are being rounded, beaten, starved, arrested, killed, and properties are looted and burned with impunity suspending the rule of law while many areas are un the Marshall order military rule. Perpetrators of heinous crimes go free avoiding any responsibility.
The Prosperity Party stalled the peace talks with the Oromo Liberation Front – Oromo Liberation Army to avoid accountability. The success of a national dialogue requires acceptance by the many stakeholders. The opening of the political space, freeing all political prisoners, unshackling the elite, intellectuals, and professionals to freely partake in the rebuilding of institutions could serve as trust building measures. The current drama being undertaken by the Prosperity Party with tagline of “national dialogue” but is void of any genuine effort and thus has no chance of success.
The national consultation that was opened with fanfare was not attended by parties including the OFC. The Opposition Caucus, the umbrella party of the opposition parties, said in a statement that the opposition parties are not participating in the talks.
According to reports, the chairperson of the National Dialogue Commission, Ms. Hirut Gebreselassie, told the media that the national dialogue will involve religious leaders, community representatives, political parties, civil society organizations, government bodies and various institutions.
Representatives of the community and various institutions present at the discussion will provide input for the discussion. The community representatives are elected by the national consultative commission at the district and district levels, he said.
However, opposition parties, intellectuals and critics say things are not as the commission says. He said the National Dialogue Commission itself is a tool designed by the government to be used for political and diplomatic purposes.
Those who genuinely want a meaningful outcome argue that the commission is not independent, and that national dialogue will be useless and will not solve the country’s problems without the participation of opposition parties and other stakeholders.
The regime-controlled media present South Africa and Tunisia as the success story of national dialogue. What they fail to highlight is that in South Africa the struggle against apartheid succeeded because the apartheid leaders correct reading of the movement of history and world opinion to offer a genuine partnership by FW de Klerk in the effort to end apartheid. Can Abiy Ahmed be a genuine partner willing to end the state hegemony in Ethiopia? Is he willing to release political prisoners as did de Klerk who freed Nelson Mandela? Is the Prosperity Party ready to open the political space in Ethiopia, the prison house of nations and nationalities?
Under a regime that controls the tanks, courts, human rights commissions, and all the levers of government and willing to sacrifice all and any to protect its agents, free expression of ideas to solve the stalemate is impossible. The Ethiopian regime does not heed the will of the people. No one can persuade the Prosperity Party to follow the path the people want. The ruling Prosperity party acts with impunity to do whatever it wants including extrajudicial killings and political assassinations.
Thus, it is evident that the so-called national dialogue is a dramatic enactment for the consumption of the international audience where the ruling part operatives play dramatic roles, but not meant to address the complex problems that the nations and peoples of the Ethiopian empire undergo. Expecting a different outcome that may end up ushering in a democratic order is a waste of one’s imagination.
It is impossible to expect a hopeful outcome from the same madness that has gone on in Ethiopia for a century and haft. Thus, the Oromo should intensify its struggle for freedom and equality by standing with the OLA and strengthen self-defense and usher in a new reality not only for the Oromo but to other people in the region.
Good luck and come back.
May 31, 2024.
