Taye Kebede
As stated in the FDRE constitution “nation,
nationalities and people’ is defined as a
group of people who have or share large
measure of a common culture or similar customs,
mutual intelligibility of language, belief in a common or related identities, a common psychological
make-up, and who inhabit an identifiable, predominantly
contiguous territory.”
Various countries and governments follow through
different policies in order to accommodate pluralism. The difference comes from
own comprehension and meaning pluralism has for them with regards to nation
building. On one side, there is a belief that diversity isn’t equipped to build
and develop a country, and put up policies that destroys diversity. On the
other hand, it’s possible to use diversity to nation building taking it as an
opportunity. Between these two polar points, there are grey areas that give
relative freedom. One is adhering to a policy that gives language and culture
rights to minority communities.
Many countries open schools that educates through
minority communities’ language; and also get government services through their
language. It also includes having a radio television programs that’s aired
through their language, providing an access to their own language during trial
and giving their language recognition on some regional administration where some minorities exists. The other is a procedure that
integrates representatives of various communities into a central government.
This type of procedure is known as integrating elites of identities into
central government institutions. It’s believed that the representatives
negotiate and guarantees issues of power, education and other opportunities on
the behalf of the community they represent.
The other way of handling multiethnic nation has to do with power devolution unto the lower adminstrative echelons. This type of
policy is done when a given ethnic
group is
concentrated on a given land that they call their own.
The central government gives them an autonomous power and freedom to administer
their own land. However, since the power is not vested in the constitution, the
central government has a lawful right to take any of the freedom it gave to these ethnic communities.One of the
reasons that force governments
to use federal system of
adminstration has to do with the difficulty that’s associated with
accommodating diverse ethnic
identities.
It’s believed that federal system is much better equiped to manage diversity
than those other designs
mentioned above. As the system combines
both self-rule
and shared-rule,
it gives constitutional guarantee to all the ethnic communities in a multiethnic country. Also, this type of system empowers them
by
giving them just representation in the federal government. However, as many
federations don’t follow the same framework, those federal systems that are not structured on ethno-linguistic line
are forced
to take additional measures on language and other related policies. Ethiopia
during its pre-federal system era, used to be a prison to its nation,
nationalities and people.
The Ethiopia federal system, the right it gives to various ethnic identities of the country
compared to many federations is not only profound, but it also can be a lesson
for countries are aspiring to
pursue multiethnic federalsim. The system’s accommodation of
diverse ethnics emanates
from a core belief of
‘diversity
is an opportunity’.
And this spirit can be found stipulated on different articles of the FDRE
constitution.
The preamble of
the constitution states that the Nations, Nationalities and
Peoples of Ethiopia have entered a covenant to
live together accepting and respecting their differences, and further promote
their shared interests to create one
economic community necessary
for for
the collective promotion of their interests. They’ve entered a covenant to
each other by agreeing that
their diversity is an opportunity for their unity and shared interest.
The
FDRE constitution stipulates that the emblem of the flag (shall) reflect the equality of Nations, Nationalities,
Peoples as well as religious communities of Ethiopia and also their hope to live together.
All languages of Ethiopia’s nation, nationalities
and people enjoy
equal recognition; and
each region may by law determine their respective working languages. The
fact that all
sovereign power resides in the nation, nationalities and people of Ethiopia and that they are the ultimate source
of the government’s is
clearly stipulated in the constitution. Also the constitution guarantees every citizens’ right to
choose and adhere to any religion of his/her wishes. Every Nation, Nationality
and People in Ethiopia has an
unconditional right to self-determination upto right to secession, the right to speak, to write and to develop its own language; to
express, to develop and to promote its culture; and
to preserve its history;
including the right to self-adminstration, as stipulated in the constituition.
In
addition, it has been stipulated that women have equal footings with their
male counterpart be in
political, social and economic
sphere
along with the fact that they are
entitled to affirmative measure in order to remedy the historical legacy of inequality and
discrimination suffered by women in Ethiopia. The federal Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia’s constitution stipulates that land is the common property of nation,
nationalities and people of Ethiopia.
The constitution
also specifies
that all these ethnic communities have the right to give
suggestion on government policies and strategies that concerns with the society they are member of.
Also it’s stipulated on the constitution
that minorities should have twenty chairs assigned to them on the House of Peoples’ Representatives
without any voting process, which enables them to have their say. The other
thing that’s unique to Ethiopia’s federal system is the fact it guarantees a
second federal house
that’s chaired by each nation, nationalities and peoples’ representative. The FDRE
constitution with relation to religion lay down that freedom to express or manifest one’s
religion or belief may be subject only to such
limitations necessary to protect public safety,
peace, health, education, public morality or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others, and to ensure the
separation of the state and religion.
Also education
should be free from the influences of religion, political persuasions and
customary influences. Although religions cannot be a danger to peace, health,
education or
other democratic rights, the reason why these ruling are important is because
activities that hamper freedom of religion under the guise of religion are seen being
displayed. In Addition to this, any activity that hampers religion freedom and
equality also directly contradicts other democratic rights. These
anti-democratic activities also contradict the supreme thinking that believes
human rights shouldn’t be curtailed. There are some underlined issues that we would understand
from these limitation (as
prescribed
by the law).
The first is the
fact that the government structure is based on ethnic identity. And every identity has
the right to establish its own self-administration, and every lingo-ethnic community has been given equal
status and recognition. The other peculiar
feature of Ethiopia’s federalism is the fact that it’s based on ethno-linguistic line and that it constitutionally empowers ethnic – based rights. Some federations, as a result of the abscense of these issues from the constitution,
they are forced to use legal and even police force to subdue ethnic-based demands. The fact
that the Ethiopian federal system remedied
this impasse from the start has put it in a
unique position compared to other federations.
In order to guarantee lack of representation of
minority ethnics in House of people’s representative, the constitution has
provided a way in which they’ll be represented on special condition. This shows
that in order for minority ethnic
community don’t get stifled by the majority it’s a right given minority to
enable them reflect their wishes. In other part, women equality with men have now
got constitutional guarantee, stopping gender bias they used to suffer in relation to the backward mentality and the
incorrect policies of the previous
regimes adhered with regards to the issue. The FDRE constitution has also
guaranteed the right of all ethnic
communities to live with regards to land
ownership.
The
fact that nation, nationalities and people are made owner of their land implies that their existance is
directly related to land.
According to the constitution, every ethnic community has its own
territorial settlement and region. Every nation, nationalities and people can
only guarantee and maintain
its cultural identity,
if it has a clear settlement and territory. Although it can’t be said that the
chance of any community guaranteeing its identity outside of its territory is
closed, but it’s obvious that it will be difficult to maintain the features of its identity. This
is why the constitution is stating that land is the common property of the nation,
nationalities and people of Ethiopia and it shall not be subject to sale or to other means
of exchange.
The FDRE constitution has also enshrined nation, nationalities
and people of Ethiopia the right to self-determination upto secession. This right will make the
country, a nation where diverse ethnic communities gave their consent to live together. Because of the guarantee of the right to secede (at any time), it has encouraged the diverse ethnic communities to strive for unity
seeing its benefit. This stipulation has also other meanings. Guarantee the right to secede means giving a fully disclosed
liberty which is free from
any psychological pressure or suspicion. After the new federal system was set
up 25 years ago, the country has recorded many successes. The first of the
federal system’s success is the long-lasting peace that has ensued all over
Ethiopia. The federal system stopped the civil war that was raging all over the country, because it
answered the basic democratic demands. So, the system has confirmed that it’s a
guarantee for peace. Seeing as how the
system has been
successful in
accommodating the Ethiopian public, it shows that shared identity and values
are strengthening.
Of course the new system has been established, there
were some conflicts that aroused between ethnic groups and neighboring ethnic communities. These conflicts were
not created by the federal system. Some of them were long standing conflicts,
while the rest were created as a result of inexperience, lack of good
governance and very few people’s personal agenda. Through time these conflicts
have decreased. The conflicts that were instigated since after the federal
system came into function are inherited problems from previous regimes.
Since the nation, nationalities and people of
Ethiopia demand with relation to ethnic
identity,
they are now working on development agenda as one society to change their
country. In brief,
it has been confirmed that the federal system has consolidated of peace. In addition,
the peace that’s ensuing in Ethiopia is having a spillover effect outside the
borders of Ethiopia in to Africa. So much that, Ethiopia is now called ‘the
peace beacon
of horn of Africa. The country has played a leading role in improving the
Somalia’s security and in stopping the Sudan and South Sudan civil war by bringing the warring sides together and mediating them, and also by sending in peace keepers to the
area.
Today Ethiopia’s nation, nationalities and peoples’
right is respected. So, their demands which they used to raise prior to the (new) federal
Ethiopia have been answered. Various
identities are able to be educated and stand trial using their own language.
They have been able to protect their history, conserve their heritages, and
strengthen their identifying
and customs. The other success story revolves around the fact that they’re been
afforded balanced representation and participation on every level of adminstration.
Every nation, nationalities and people have a
constitutional right to establish a self administration. More than 80 ethnics
with their own will and agreement have chosen to be classified under nine
regions;
and have been
exercising their rights
since.
As a result,
their benefit
from
education, health,
justice and other social services is increasing.
Today minority ethnics’ participation and
representation is growing. It has made every ethnic represented in House of
federation (without considering numbers). Ethiopia’s federal system has gone
many distance compared to other federation with regards to giving equal
opportunity to every ethnics through, the house of federation. In addition, in
order give an opportunity to minority ethnics that may end up being unrepresented in the house of
peoples’ representative, 20 chairs are reserved for them. And member of the
federation have made minority ethnics represented at every administrative
level.
Today diversity in Ethiopia is an opportunity to
development and togetherness. Nation, nationalities and people of Ethiopia are
strengthening in a
way in which they live together by respecting their differences. Those who used
to think
that the existence of many languages is a recipe to disagreement now are seeing
from Ethiopia that you can agree talking in many different languages. Not only
this, they have shown that it’s possible to live together with mutual respect, while adhering to
different religion – the nation, nationalities and people of Ethiopia. These fast few years has shown that the conviction of
building one economic community that has been stated in the preamble of the
FDRE constitution is being achieved.
No comments:
Post a Comment