There had not been a national consensus or common understanding among Ethiopian intellectuals, especially on national issues. The mistrust and skepticism between them were a challenge to democratic transition. Many have been consulted to resolve the accumulated political predicament through discussion and national dialogue.
According to some documents, the sources of conflicts observed throughout the country are historical narratives that are still there and polar political attitudes. However, as no immediate measures were taken to address these differences, local conflicts are still arising here and there.
In order to resolve extreme political attitudes and get sustainable solutions, much of the society agreed to participate in the national dialogue. These days, the people are awaiting the launch of the national dialogue platforms.
As the accumulated political quandary in Ethiopia could not be resolved by election alone, the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission was established and is doing various tasks. The commission is a legal entity and a politically independent institution. It is accountable to the House of People's Representatives. It is expected to establish a political system that everyone trusts.
The appointed commissioners have also started to be activated as of February 2022. They are also sorting out various problems that contributed to national dissonance.
The national dialogue process has its own principles. In order to have effective consultation, it is necessary to have a coalition of varying tasks. In this regard, taking lessons from other countries that have applied the same principles is of paramount importance. As some studies conducted at the national level depict, the national dialogue process conducted in any country should be governed by the following principles:
One of the clearly defined principles of the national dialogue process is inclusiveness. In the national dialogue process, inclusivity can be applied in two ways. The first is to enable community groups, whose voices have not been heard in decision-making for various reasons, to participate in the process. On the second level, inclusiveness is to ensure diversity of ideas and to enable new and perhaps previously unpublished ideas to be reflected in the national dialogue process.
Another principle is shared ownership. In the process of national dialogue, every stakeholder should feel a sense of ownership. The stakeholders should be part of the solution for the process to be successful, and when there are problems, they should be humane and allow one to understand the problems of others. This is one of the principles that deserve attention.
In the process of national dialogue, one should not only listen to the other to give a response but also understand the problem of the other side, put oneself in that person's place, and forward the idea that it is better to be a mediator.
The fourth principle is to ensure that solutions are sustainable. This means that the solutions proposed in the process of national dialogue should not only solve problems for a short time but also provide sustainable solutions. However, it should be a process in which citizens renew their social contracts by generating solutions suitable for the problems of their country.
The Commissioner of the National Consultation Commission, Ambassador Mohamed Dirir, believes that the commission's work can bring results when all sections of society work together in a sense of belongingness. The Ethiopian press agency made a short stay with Ambassador Mohamed Dirir to learn more about the activities and other points about national dialogue in Ethiopia. Have a nice read!
What is the status of the National Dialogue Commission's activities so far?
The public should know the way the National Consultative Commission works, the things it goes through, and the costs to be paid to do effective work. About 17 months have passed since the Ethiopian National Consultative Commission was established as a legal entity.
During these times, the commission traveled a long distance in order to implement the tasks expected, considering the present situation in the country. At present, it is on the verge of completing the preparation phase. It tried to answer questions such as what should be done throughout our country. Who should be involved in the national dialogue? how different sections of society will participate in the national dialogue process.
The commission will be inclusive and engaging for all parties. For example, the communities that have their own dialects--farmers, herdsmen, the business community, women, youth, teachers, private and public workers, elders, and prominent people--and marginalized segments of society, as well as all their voices being heard and their problems being addressed, will be part of the dialogue. Everyone should be included, as their opinions and ideas on a national issue should be heard.
Another is the work of facilitating all the platforms where people who have been displaced from their villages due to conflicts and sheltered in different areas of our country can present their ideas and agendas on basic and national issues as citizens.
As you know, the process of national consultation is healing in and of itself. It is where citizens meet face-to-face and talk about their basic problems, not to defeat them but to understand and find the truth and bring peace. The commission is carrying out this task.
Before the commission, when there were disputes between the people in our country, the process of resolving them peacefully was minimal, and we have tried all the ways to get rid of them. We have paid a heavy price in order to solve our problem with the armed struggle. As a result, many of our citizens have passed away.
People have been displaced from their villages. Infrastructure was destroyed. Human life is tragically lost. Therefore, we all have to go into the national dialogue process knowing that non-peaceful or turbulent means will not work.
On the other hand, the way we have come destroys the country. We realize that there is a lot of bankruptcy.
Interestingly, among the things that forced us to come to this national dialogue is that we have seen many African countries that were doing what we are doing now and then failed to continue as a country. There is no citizen who wants this fate to happen in Ethiopia.
Therefore, it is possible to get our country out of this problem, overcome it, and save the country only through national dialogue.
Now that the present status of the commission is in identifying the participants, efforts have been made to involve the community members we trust in the process. These bodies that help us are the Council of Civic Associations, the Alliance of Political Parties, the Assembly of Religious Institutions, teachers, and others who are working with us and closely monitoring the process." The process is inclusive and participatory. We say that by holding these facts.
How do you measure the participation of the community as you have gone so far?
The biggest thing we realized is that there is a lot of enthusiasm in society. Some say that this is the last chance for our country, and it is something that we should not lose.
As our country is ancient with a long history and culture, it is difficult to conclude that the national dialogue commission will solve all our grievances overnight. However, it works on the fundamental problems that cannot be addressed by the present policies and regulations of the country. On the other hand, there are many differences among the community on basic national issues. This has caused a huge gap between us. A national consultation is needed to get out of this.
According to the ideas we have seen and heard in all the areas we have visited, we have been able to realize that it is the people's desire for this national dialogue to succeed. Of course, we went to Tigray region recently because of the unrest. Even so, when we left, we took part in the first dialogue with Tigray leaders. Next, we will involve all sections of society. In any case, it can be said that everyone believed in the work and process of the National Dialogue Commission and participated in it voluntarily.
You said that the national dialogue will be effective and exemplary in East Africa as well as in Africa as a whole, so what does this mean?
The National Dialogue Commission is traveling with a great vision. If we look at Ethiopia from the perspective of history, we have lost many opportunities. The main reason for this was our failure to consult one another. Problems have been repeatedly tried to be solved by conflict, force, and power. Despite some trials for process dialogue, they have failed.
This national consultation that is currently being held in our country is the first of its kind to involve all sections of society, which is credible and accepted by the people. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the biggest dialogue process in Africa. Ethiopia has a large population. When we look at the history of the country, it is self-explanatory.
The other thing is that some of the dialogue processes that have taken place in Africa have been conducted on substantive issues. For example, Kenya's Bnay Dre election was held to stabilize the situation and strengthen the rule of law. On the other hand, in the case of Ethiopia, there are no agendas left untouched by the dialogue in Ethiopia. By the way, we, as a National Dialogue Commission, have no right to say whether the agenda should be that or this. The law does not allow this to be done by the Commission.
In terms of conflict resolution, the Rwandan process is said to have been very successful. It is true because it has transformed the country into a democratic process. However, the conflict was between two clans. How many ethnic groups have problems in our country? Therefore, it means that there will be a process in which our fundamental differences will be resolved through advocacy and the participation of the people themselves.
It is good to take lessons from other countries national dialogue experiences; however, there are a number of conflict resolution processes; is there any effort to learn from those?
It is an issue mentioned in the proclamation of the establishment of the National Consultation Commission. Proclamation Number 1265/2014 states that indigenous knowledge should be used. Therefore, conflict resolution, consultation, and listening to one another are evident across our vast nation. However, we have only used them in very limited cases so far. So, how can we bring this knowledge to the national consultation? How do we use them? It is being considered, and I think we will implement it when we enter the context of the dialogue process.
Some parties say that the dialogue process is a political tool of the government, so what is your opinion on that?
National dialogue is not a political tool; it is the process we use to solve and overcome any political problems. But for those who say and believe that it is a political tool of the government, it is better to leave them, as it is their idea.
However, the owner of a national dialogue is the public. And when we say it is the public, the people will send individuals whom they believe will bring their agenda to the government. And those representatives bring agendas and are shaped.
This agenda is sent not only from Ethiopia but from all over the world, where there are citizens. After the agendas are collected, the council and the advisory council will prepare them and make them public. In this way, the people will announce that the consultation commission will conduct the process around these agendas.
It means there will be nothing hidden. The agenda originates with the people and is retransmitted to the public. In this process, the participation of the media is very important. After the dialogue takes place, the recommendations that come out after the dialogue are not just sitting there. They give the government the power to implement them. The National Dialogue Commission will not disband if the government simply asks them to implement them. How many were implemented? How were you treated? He asks, and I will follow. Therefore, the national consultation will succeed. It is for these reasons that we declare that it will be the first from Africa.
How is the participation of political parties in the dialogue commission defined?
So far, many efforts have been made, and results have been recorded. But this effort will be strengthened in the future. When we say it should be inclusive, it is not only the political thinking that the government wants to hear but also the thoughts that the government does not want to hear, as long as they are in our country. There will never be a process where these parties are not part of the dialogue. Until now, we have been working closely with various political parties. There are those who are skeptical of the process. As this is their position, nothing can be done about it. But constant efforts will be made on our part to get them out of this doubt. However, the Ethiopian National Consultative Commission does not want to exclude these people because of their position.
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What is the main challenge in your work as a dialogue commission?
The breach of peace in the country is our biggest challenge. Of course, national dialogue is not only conducted in a peaceful and calm situation. There is an incidence where the dialogue is conducted in conflict zones. Moreover, the actors in the conflict are also required to put down their weapons and be part of the dialogue. There are situations in other countries that have gone this way. Through combining countries' experiences, the efforts will continue to bring those who are undergoing armed struggle to the national dialogue.
There are political parties that have polar or extreme ideas; will it not be a challenge for the commission to bring them together? How do you manage it?
The biggest task of the national dialogue process is to create a national consensus. In order to bring about this national consensus, it is necessary to have a discussion openly and not focus on individual groups, but focus on the problems and be positive and enthusiastic about solving them. Therefore, the result of the national consultation is to start a new political phase, build a sustainable government system, and establish national consensus. However, we do not believe that all problems will be solved by the national dialogue. But if the basic problems are solved, there is no reason why others cannot be solved.
What is expected of this national dialogue process to be effective?
Participation from all sections of society is expected. The people are required to get out of the old mindset that has been leading us to conflict and anger for centuries, enter into a calm and stable context, join the dialogue, and choose the participants who claim to represent them properly.
On the other hand, participants should be independent of internal and external pressure. They should be the ones who think about and put their country before their personal interests. They are expected to be citizens who work day and night to free their country from its tribulations. We believe that if we are seen in this way, we will be able to identify the problems of our country and solve our disputes.
If you want to convey any message or express the wish you had, please take this chance.
Ethiopians inside and outside should use this opportunity to free our country from its troubles, and the legacy of peace has moved us to develop and build a country. May God help us not to be blamed by history!
Thank you very much for our stay.
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER 2023
