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When I look at what happens in elections in most western countries and I see that it is just a routine practice like any other event that they are able to carry out, without anxieties, without any particular risk of breach of security or the law and order, etc. May that day come here in Ethiopia, and in Africa in general. When Africans, and more specifically Ethiopians, can hold similar events peacefully and regularly, without the need to lift our heads to heaven and pray that things go smoothly, I say that we will have reached a certain standard or goal. . We will have achieved some success, per se.
This may seem like an exaggerated concern, but when you look around and ask what the general public are feeling, when you look at the general mood of the nation; is what boils in their heads these days. This is what worries many people because whenever some political problems have been brewing, the immediate unintended consequences have often been violence, outbursts of people, particularly young people on the streets, clearly vulnerable to manipulation by politicians of this or that branch. And the tangible results have been confusion, chaos, and most of the time loss of life and destruction of hard-earned property. Innocent victims often have little say in the sequence of events that create riots.
The sacrifice of peaceful people just because there are political controversies between extremist or bitterly divided politicians or activists, etc. it is disturbing and painful. Not only is it unfair, but it also defeats any purpose. Politics in Africa has often involved certain sacrifices, and it is often the innocent who bear the brunt of the consequences. Their livelihood is immediately negatively affected because these people generally live on a daily basis and earn their living. They cannot afford to miss a day’s work. When boycotts or strikes or even street protests are called, these people are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. And when there is some kind of discomfort, they are the ones who suffer the most losses. Those who light the fire never get caught in the crossfire because they have their safe skies ready!
These methods of political struggle seem very old and outdated to me; And yet that is what is planned and executed in almost every political arena in many African countries, including here. It is practically impossible to hold peaceful protests or rallies in many African countries because the authorities would not refrain from resorting to military force to disband them, if they did not find it agreeable. This is what we have been observing for years on several occasions and it has hardly changed to date. One only wonders when we can get out of that vicious circle!
It is no wonder that many people in Ethiopia believe that politics is “a dangerous game” and should be left to the few. But in the end, we can see that no one can afford to stay away from politics. It is political decisions that determine our day to day, such as how much taxes we must pay periodically, how we should behave on the streets or how much we pay for a service such as water. , electric power or telephone lines.
If we want to have a government that we believe can serve us better, the only way to do that is by having the opportunity to elect our representatives to help form a government. Ultimately, it is these representatives who decide who should lead our government. That is why free, fair, transparent and reliable elections become imperative.
Unfortunately, the experience we have had with many elections in Africa has often been full of unpleasant incidents. Just look at who will be running for office and what kinds of parties and candidates hope to fill our highest positions. One could hardly avoid harboring any form of discomfort when looking at the track record of many of these candidates.
Hear what kinds of campaigns they are trying to run and what ideas they present to the public. Hear what kind of rhetoric they are involved in, especially on social media. And you can’t stop worrying for a moment about the results that might occur and the reactions that lie ahead. Italians say that “a good day shows early in the morning!”
Furthermore, it is rare for defeated candidates to be willing to admit defeat and congratulate those who win. They seldom settle for reflecting on why they have been defeated and prepare to rectify mistakes. What we see in the West is that when a party loses an election, it generally accepts the results and agrees to change its leadership, its platform on which to contest the next round. They try to reconnect with the electorate with new ideas, learning from mistakes.
We hardly see this happening in Africa. And this also applies to us. Only a few countries have gone through this path of democratic processes without too many concerns of military takeover or coup d’état! When we lose the elections, we immediately scream that there must have been manipulation. We don’t care if the country falls down the drain! We adopt a nihilistic approach as the famous opinions of the past say: Après moi le deluge! L’etat, c’est moi! These are statements made during ancient imperial times! And yet we are still in practice struggling to get out of the forest.
Independence dawned in Africa decades ago, and yet many things remain unchanged. Rather, some things are worse than in those days. It is sad to see that the leadership of the nations is worse than those who came to dehumanize us! How long will this continue?
The political landscape seems to be the monopoly of a few. Even after four or five decades we see the same faces in the public arena! Where is the new generation that one wonders? Our political battles are framed in past and outdated ideologies, unable to adapt to the reality of today’s digital and globalized world. We continue to listen to our political elite romantically linked to old ideologies of dubious relevance today.
Despite so many changes over the years, the commitment to score points due to past history seems to be the main motivation of these politicians! Where is the voice of the young? Sad to see these zero-sum political calculations continue. What may be even more unsettling is the threat that the new generation will be embroiled in these futile ideological battles based on past narratives. The ‘poisonous style’ of conducting political speeches must end!
This is an issue that Ethiopians must also raise and try to address effectively. Why is it that since the monarchy was overthrown some five decades ago we still struggle to have a reliable political order based on some form of consensus? We have had our share of incidents and experiences, yet our mission has not been fulfilled. We have not yet been able to organize peaceful and credible elections whose results are welcomed and accepted by all. We have failed to prevent incidents such as burning tires in the streets, recklessly attacking public and private property, and injuring innocent people.
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Millions of people long for those days when elections shouldn’t be occasions to unleash the worst human instincts. It should be a peaceful celebration of democracy and harmony. Those who compete to manage us must not darken our hopes for a better future. Millions of people long for an election to generate the kind of government that most would like to see, while not generating animosity in partisan politics.
In democratic societies, even in the presence of marked differences in their political theories (and they are considered jewels of the system), there may be cases in which a government can change in a diametrically opposite direction. A government of the left can be exchanged for one of the right. But the bottom line is that things continue more or less as in previous years, with a smooth transition. Without violence, without animosities.
Victories are accepted as losses without drama. Those who lose today can still hope to be winners tomorrow. Nothing is expected to last forever. No elected official will believe that today’s success is eternal.
The rotation of powers is natural and the public decides on all occasions. Democracy needs fresh faces, fresh voices, and fresh ideas. That is what we have been longing for since time immemorial. We haven’t been lucky enough to realize this despite our best attempts.
When there are elections shortly, we will know if we have come out of the shell that has prevented us from seeing ‘beyond our noses’ and we may have a more receptive trajectory. This country certainly deserves a better future. Our children should not inherit the worst of our psyche, a prisoner of the past.
