IHMS COMMENTARY
Use your heart, not your mind to lead the country called Ethiopia!
Written by Friend of Harar
And
Narrated by Eman Jamie
A lot has been reported, especially on social media, on the current clashes in Ethiopia including Harar in the last 2 days or so. Some have fairly reported, while others narrated with lots of biasedness, misinformation and disinformation. Not matter how long it takes, the truth always prevails. However, today for me my take is on the quality of Ethiopia’s leadership that led to so many crises in the country.
Among all the cities not only in Ethiopia but also in Africa, UNESCO had recognized Harar as Laureate City of Peace, Solidarity, Unity and Tolerance in 2006. Above all, the city is also known as the Mecca of Africa for the last 1000 years for being the Center of Knowledge and Peace. The 2019 Nobel Prize for Peace for Abiy Ahmed Ali, an ethnocentric-camouflaged fanatic Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for being peace maker among neighboring countries. Viva for that achievement! I applaud him for saving his neighbors’ sinking political ships, but he has ignored his own sinking political boat! The country he is supposed to lead peacefully, and create harmony among its diverse people with diverse faiths are bleeding badly. This automatically translates to the failure of his ‘Synergy Philosophy” and its non-inclusivity of the majority of the minority social groups in the country. There is a lot at stake, the loss of diverse people of Ethiopia.
The political bleedings have manifested themselves across the country since he took over in the last 2 years. He also deserves to get the 2020 Nobel Prize for Destruction. You would not find a single region or university where there is no political turmoil. The current one, it is dramatic crisis, chaos at its best and destructions of both physical and psychological in the City of Peace, Harar. Harar is peace and how could peace being attacked and the country’s leadership remains silent again?
Harar has been victimized due to tribal, ethnic and religious conflicts in the last 2 years. Harari properties and farm lands were confiscated, schools and businesses were looted, Mosques were vandalized, the city was deprived of water and had become rubbish cite. All these happened in the last 2 years since Abiy’s administration. No social justice, and miscarriages of law and order have become the order of the day in the country.
The current social injustice happened just 2 days ago. During the Orthodox Christian Epiphany celebration on Monday, as reported by city police chief, there were illegal activities such as decorating streets and buildings with illegal flags (a sign of repression for most Ethiopians). The extreme Coptic Christian had clashed with authorities and created a spark among the citizens of that city. The argument immediately translated into clashes between various ethnic groups, especially between Oromos and Amahars. At this political boiling point, embedded Coptic young militants attacked various shops, buildings, businesses, cars and properties belong to Muslims Oromo properties. The graffiti signs, cross designs, anti-Muslim write-ups and slogans such as ‘We are children of Saint Mary’, written and drawn on Muslim properties were vivid testimonies and evidences that the attacks were carried by such Orthodox Christian extremists. This is not the first time happening in Ethiopia, the case of attacks and obliterations of Muslim properties and Mosques in Motta town in Gojam are recent flashes in every one’s memory. Other physical and psychological destructions within Ethiopia, since Prime Minister Abiy took over, are well reported and documented in all regions of the country. Fairly reporting, in various parts of the country, Christian churches were also attacked and businesses were vandalized, for example, the case in Somalia and Dabub regions. But, the Prime Minister and his entourage had taken immediate actions to resolve the problems in these regions since the victims were Christians and Oromos. Why not take similar actions when Muslims are attacked within their own regions or elsewhere in the country? The only answer is, the manifestations of his hypocritical administration and governance! I am 100 percent sure that his administration has so far shown double standard and hegemonic behavior and actions!
All in all, Ethiopia’s politics is sinking to its lowest level and the country is bleeding badly. People-to-people relationships are deteriorating. All these can be blamed squarely on the leadership, in particular, on the Prime Minister for not taking legal actions and not upholding social justice, rules of law and order since his leadership in 2018. He favors one ethnic group over the other ethnic groups, and equal favors Christians over the Muslims. His silence on all attacks related to non-Oromo and Muslims properties are well documented cases nationally and internationally. No wonder, why he is discriminating as he is surrounded by Christian fanatics, unfair, ignorant and hypocritical advisors, whose agenda is to destroy directly or indirectly Muslim Ethiopians.
This cannot happen! The Muslims are over half of the country’s population. It is an illusion and delusional to ignore their cases. It is advisable to observe that religious conflicts around the world have led countries to total destructions. It benefits no one. Mister Prime Minister, we urge you to come back to your senses, avoid to go to this destructive route by becoming the leader for all; because Ethiopia is defined through its 82+ social groups, and its major religions. Neither one ethnic group nor one religion defines Ethiopia. No such thing as one ethic, one religion and one flag dominance and governing the country. That era has long gone and Mister Prime Minister, your ‘Synergy Philosophy’ should avoid reviving that! Whether you like or not, the country belongs to all you love and you hate! Leadership is about relationship with all its people regardless of their faith and ethnic identity. No matter what, both Christians and Muslims, as well as all 82+ social groups make up Ethiopia; no one will go nowhere. All of us have to continue to live together since we make up what we call Ethiopia. Avoid bad politicians who are the recipe of chaos. Bad politics is greed. Bad Politics is a temporary game that benefit only the politicians and bound to perish at the end; but good politics is building harmony, upholding equality and equity, as well as, distribution of wealth to all its population so that visible development can take place across the country. To do this, good politicians must have humanity at their core, as their principle and steering wheel. Those leaders who use their hearts to lead the country will bring peace to Ethiopia. It is a positive leadership savvy.
Wish peace to all and Aselma Aleykum.