Ethiopian Diaspora Should Support the Constitution of Modern Ethiopia

By N. Tedla
Tigrai Online, Ethiopian News, Sept. Oct. 8, 2016

The government of Ethiopia implemented Ethnic based federal system which has been a perfect solution to the people who suffered from unequal treatment for so long. Most Ethiopians used to be treated as secondary citizens in their own country during the previous governments. They couldn’t practice their basic human rights such as to use their own language, religion, culture and values as a whole. The governors of many nations and nationalities were not their own people but assigned by the then central governments as if the people had no legitimacy to self-govern. Or as if only one ethnic group has the God given skills to govern. Every history made at that time in different directions of the country was only used to glorify a specific ethnic group while the existence and significance of others was of no value to the country.

At the time, for over a century, when only a few members of the single ethnic rulers were determining the fate of the Ethiopian people, Ethiopia was known for its utmost backwardness, poverty and ignorance. During Haileslassie regime, the king was cumulating a huge personal wealth in foreign countries while his people in the north were starving to death in 1972 and 1974. It was well documented that over a million people died in the period of 1983 – 1985 not only due to drought but mostly from lack of good and responsible governance. The then Derg government never showed interest to help the drought victims as it occurred in the northern part of the country, and it was considered a punishment to the people who then started showing resistance against its brutality. It actually did more to aggravate the problem, displacing the local people by force in to an extremely harsh places where they can’t survive. Those who stayed in their native villages were bombarded by the government killing them in thousands at times. Had it not been for current government, Ethiopia was in the virtue of collapse about twenty five years ago.

As we are following through many media outlets, the enemies of the Ethiopian people such as Egypt and the EPLF (Eritrean government) are working their utmost effort to stop, destroy or delay the completion of the Abay Hydro Electric Dam by using very few wicked and selfish power monger Ethiopian mercenaries. The EPLF has repeatedly expressed its view that the weakness of Ethiopia is its progress. If Ethiopia’s nations and nationalities are in conflict to each other and Ethiopia gets weaker due to lack of peace, EPLF leaders have made it clear that they will be controlling the resources of Ethiopia and as a result they will swing the economic and political decisions of the East African region as a whole. A strategy based on getting better by letting another down, unlike the one to progress in unison with peace, agreement and negotiation. Truly speaking, the disturbances in Ethiopia will affect the peace and stability of the neighboring countries and so the EPLF should have worked otherwise. Can you imagine Ethiopians going through what Syrians and Libyans are going through? It was a recent memory what our brothers and sisters in Somalia have gone through.

Those who lost their special benefits merely because they were parts of the previous rulers, those who are jealous of the happiness enjoyed by members of Ethiopian nations and nationalities, those who get upset when they see Ethiopians talking a different language other than theirs, those who are so angry when they see hard working Somalis, Tigrians, Ormos, Afars and others improving their lives while they are just wasting their time spreading ethnically motivated hate politics, those who wanted to bring back the brutal political system we had twenty five years and back which left us the poorest in the world, those who brag and act as if they are more concerned Ethiopians than others when the fact is that they are the ones who are tirelessly plotting chaos in the country, those who are the true hurdles of development who join hands with foreign enemies of Ethiopia, those who get sick on their stomach when they remember the new Ethiopian constitution, those who cry so hard but know it very well that the old Ethiopia is never to come back again, are to mention some of the challengers and enemies of the newly born Ethiopia created by the bitter and long struggle at the cost of the huge sacrifice its sons and daughters have paid.

It is very unfortunate to see that those who distribute the ethnically based genocidal hate politics through social media are somewhat succeeding in their evil objectives of blaming the people of Tigrai for all the problems of Ethiopia. The people of Tigrai are targeted within and outside of Ethiopia without any reasonable cause.The Tigreans like the Somalis, Afars, Hararis, people of Benishangul, Gambela, southern region, the Oromos, Amharas and others are enjoying the right of self-administration. In today’s Ethiopia, no person from other region determines the decisions of other region’s affairs. That is what self-determination is about. The government of Ethiopia should be applauded for making this happen. It has a track record of fairly working hard to develop the country which had been at the bottom of the world’s developed nations list. It has achieved significant success in uplifting the country from the extreme poverty imposed on to the people by the irresponsible, corrupt and oppressive predecessors.

It is incredible to see Tigrean civilians, regardless of their political affiliation,trekking to the Sudan as if they are not allowed to live in the parts of Gonder and some cities in Ethiopia. Some of them were brutally murdered for being Tigreans. Their properties were deliberately targeted, looted, burned and destroyed. This was all orchestrated by the selfish anti Ethiopian, old governments’ beneficiaries in the diaspora using social media as the movement which originally started from the Tigrai region was the one responsible to kick them out of power. They are actively and irresponsibly distributing hate politics towards the people of Tigrai ethnic group in Ethiopia. This can easily be proved by collecting posts on the internet (facebook) and see how they are bragging to brutally massacre and threaten to eliminate Tigreans from the face of the world in the twenty first century. What recently happened in Gonder and other cities against the people of Tigrai will be recorded in history, and our children and grandchildren will feel ashamed of those who committed the atrocities. The Tigrai people should be appreciated for their patience and love towards their country. They never were driven into the ethnic conflicts as their enemies have planned it. Even after all today's adversities in Gonder and other cities, they think that the greater Amhara people are still their friends.

We all should monitor this seriously and keep an eye to those who are not willing to change through discussion but made their minds forever in a mission to disintegrate our country and destroy its people by taking orders from foreign enemies of Ethiopia. We should support the Ethiopian constitution and if the people don’t want the existing ruling party then they can replace it peacefully using voting cards during government election time. The Ethiopian people need peace to sort things out and fight corruption. They have paid more than enough sacrifice to get the peace they deserve.

For the first time in a few centuries, Ethiopians had a chance of peace to progress and think about their economic future. And you can measure how much they have accomplished in this very short period of time. It was a recent history that Ethiopians never had an opportunity to improve their lives and enjoy peaceful life due to the incessant war and conflict among themselves and foreign enemies. That is why many think that the federal system has brought fundamental peace among peoples in Ethiopia. People respect themselves and others and so there is no fundamental cause of conflict. There is a mechanism, based on the constitutional guidelines, should any conflict arise.

Those of us who are reasonably happy about the progress of our country’s development and peace should show solidarity and join hands to demonstrate the support of the Ethiopian constitution where ever we are. We should show the world that we are many and can help shape the decision of our country’s future. Whether you like it or not, those anti modern Ethiopia elements who are crying against the constitution will get leverage to make their point and disintegrate our country if we keep quiet further. We have to show support to the federal government and constitution just like the Somali Ethiopian brothers and sisters. We can learn a lot from their true judgment on the recent unfair treatment of Tigrai people in the Gondar area. Unless we express a strong message that we will protect the Ethiopian constitution, such attacks against specific ethnic will spread to others. Who knows which nationality is the hate politicians’ next target?

It is an honor to have brothers and sisters of the Ethiopian Somali and Afar regions who not only feel the pain and unfair treatment of the displaced Tigrai people but also lend hands in these horrible and shocking times. As usual, the truth will prevail and the people of Tigrai once again will be victorious for their patience and love of their country, Ethiopia.