Bereket Gebru
When I first heard of the dialogue and negotiation forum between the Ethiopian opposition parties and the ruling party, I foresaw a hard time filled with conflict. Everyone could have predicted that the parties were going to have a hard time before arriving at an agreement. Almost all of the people around me felt like the negotiation was going to take a long time before a valuable agreement was reached.
Now that the parties have come up with a list of issues to negotiate and deliberate on, we all can see light at the end of the tunnel. Although the strides taken by the parties have been so daunting, the fact that they have come up with a set of issue to delve into shows that there have been positive steps towards dealing with the pressing issues in the country.
We are just citizens concerned about the fate of a promising engagement between the political parties in our country. No matter how tough it might be, we understand that a persistent engagement could yield a new era in Ethiopian politics in which political parties would work together more closely.
The negotiators from every party, on the other hand, know much more than we do. They have a firsthand account of how hard it is to converse with one another. That gives them the chance to gauge their expectations more realistically on the length of time it would take before an amicable agreement could be reached. Their engagements over the past few months have also provided them with a clear image of the enormity of the challenge before them. Therefore, their decision to participate in the dialogue forum was an expression of willingness to take on this long and arduous task for them understands the true extent of the fruits it success bears.
Idea.int website states: “political competition alone does not always create a political climate in which parties can work together in a peaceful manner to deliver socially inclusive and sustainable development for the people they represent. Relying solely on the element of inter-party competition is like balancing on one leg: do it for too long and you will fall.” The website goes on to say:
The dynamics of cooperation in political competition are crucial to sustainable democratic reform and the promotion of common ground in democratic consolidation. Mechanisms for competition (such as elections) and mechanisms for cooperation (such as dialogues) can be thought of as ‘joints’ that allow both legs to move forward.
Dialogue is a reliable route to inclusiveness and active participation of a wide spectrum of the general public. Represented through various political parties, the views of the general public are debated in dialogue forums. The sustained engagement of political parties, therefore, helps assess various options and adopt the one that works in favor of everyone involved.
When the recent effort by the ruling and opposition parties started, almost everyone knew that they are in for one rough ride. It could have easily been foreseen that there would be hard fights to have interests accepted by the other parties in the process of negotiation. The platform to work together brought various political interests that are, at times, conflicting and thus hard to reconcile.
The mere fact that the dialogue and negotiation forum was created, however, shows that the participating parties cared more about the outcome than the means. They all knew beforehand that there were going to be challenging situations ahead. Despite that prior knowledge, they opted to proceed with it anyways.
The political, economic and social impacts of close working relations and consultation between these parties go a long way towards realizing the ever existent urge of Ethiopians to defeat poverty and march on the path to prosperity. It is this common understanding that motivated these parties to join the forum of negotiation and dialogue. For both the ruling party and opposition parties, the disengagement policy they followed towards each other was getting outdated and not beneficial to the groups they represent.
The unrest in some parts of Oromia and Amhara regions nearly a year ago necessitated the ongoing actions of deep renewal. The chronic lack of good governance that led to the loss of lives in different parts of the country needs to be addressed from its roots to do away with the threats it poses to social and political stability. This wider scoped change on the part of the ruling party entailed the continuity of severed relations with opposition parties as they represent some groups of Ethiopians.
Anywhole hearted approach to change the poor state of good governance in the country needs gutsy moves to confront the realities that exist outside of the EPRDF’s comfort zone. It is only through such bold and adventurous endeavors that help understand these groups better and in turn get the ruling party’s intentions across that the missing communication bridge in governance can be maintained.
Accordingly, the ruling party decided to set up the dialogue and negotiation forum with opposition parties. The move is an indication of the sincerity of the incumbent’s plans to renew it deeply. By forging working relations with the opposition parties, EPRDF intends to widen the political arena. Through their improved communication with the ruling party, opposition parties get the opportunity to influence government decisions and policies, granting themselves better participation in the political process. That widens the political playing field until national elections are held and they try their luck in assuming social credibility.
Although it is still expected that parties might try to advance their own interests out of dialogue and negotiation forums like this one, it is important to always have one eye on the trophy – promoting lasting peace and development for the Ethiopian people. It is also worth noting that any party can have whatever assumptions, it can come up with about other parties as long as it does not disrupt the dialogue forum in general.
The one thing to understand here is that after such long periods of disengagement, the most important thing is to keep the conversation going. After the rocky and bumpy beginnings, might come a time of understanding and mutual respect. Until that day, engagement is better than avoidance.