Strengthening democracy through negotiation and dialogue

                                                                                                                   Dawit Miteku

Although our country’s democratic order building process is in its 25 years, it is not that old compared to other countries. Democracy doesn’t take matured shape quickly and all of sudden – but through long process and time. We can see from the fact that the democracy the US and western countries built is a result of a 200 years process how building democracy is a long course.

Democracy is an outcome of process that gets strengthened through time. It is a platform where the capacity of the voting public and meaning for election grows, and where the participation of competing parties in election process strengthens through time. And this situation shows how a growing or beginning democratic order building process cannot be in any way same as a democracy system that went through long years worth of process. This is why – democracy is not built once, but through a process that grow with the thinking level of the people through time.

When we look into our country’s democracy building process in this manner, we can say that the process doesn’t have any problems especially considering that the process has only taken 25 years. We can’t say that the level of thinking of the people has grown, or that the political space has widened. Thus, the government that is leading the country is expected to deepen and strengthen democracy in the country, which has been the age old demand of the people.

Recently, we have heard that the ruling party and local opposition parties that operate peacefully and in a legal way have agreed on preconditions to hold dialogue and debate. The fact this dialogue platform was called by the ruling party should be thanked considering what this can do in strengthening and deepening the country’s democracy building process.

Through such kind of platform, our country’s democracy can become even more inclusive, transparent and will engage every sect of the population. Therefore, the debate and negotiation that will take place between the ruling party and the opposition parties should be looked solely from this aspect of democracy. Therefore, it should be understood that the debate and dialogue that will take place has nothing to do with being afraid or with creating good publicity as mentioned by some extremist individuals. As it is known, one of the reasons for the bitter struggle the ruling party waged against the dictatorial Derg regime has to do with lack of democracy at the time. And after coming to power, the ruling party has tried to answer this public demand in a legal and peaceful way.

The ruling party is known for its culture of dialogue and peaceful talks since the beginning as it can be seen from the fact that the party held a dialogue platform with close to 17 political parties immediately after coming to power. And this shows that it is not a new thing for the ruling party to hold dialogue and debate in order to deepen and strengthen the democratic process of the country.

Thus, I believe we should understand the fact that the recent agreement to hold dialogue and debate with our country’s legal and peaceful opposition parties has nothing to do with the distorted remark made by some extremist opposition – which claimed that the ruling party is doing this because it is afraid.

Of course considering that this smear campaign and act of painting a distorted image on anything the ruling party does by some extremists and lackeys of foreign countries that don’t want to see our country developing or being more democratic is their usual antic, we should not be surprised by their comment.

As I have tried to mention earlier, any works that are undertaken in our country in order to strengthen democracy reflects the will and interest of the people and is not a distorted thinking as extremists and foreign force lackeys are making it appear. It should be known that anything that is done to facilitate either the country’s development or democracy are not done to make anyone happy but to put the rights our nation, nationalities and people fought for on a firm basis.

As I have mentioned it earlier, it was like this before and will continue to be so well into the future. It is to implicate this same spirit of dialogue that at his opening speech to the parliament and house of federation that President Dr. Mulatu Teshome said “… here will be an effort to strengthen our country’s democracy. In this regard, one and the main task is to improve the election law through a negotiation that will take place between the ruling party and the oppositions. Although the country’s election law is a working system in many countries, an amendment will take place because we have found that it is necessary to set a system that will enable to voice of all the people.”

I say that the effort made by some extremists and illegal groups to discredit the process (while knowing that it is a process in its beginning phase) is irrelevant. Especially their ‘the state of emergency should be lifted before the talks starts; the jailed people should be released; every opposition groups (including those branded as terrorist groups by the parliament) should be involved etc …’ talks should stop.

Of course I don’t think that it takes that much to see that all this is an effort by them to undertake their agenda which aims at disturbing the peace and stability of our country. These are irrelevant bickering that is aimed at giving recognition to criminals and terrorists.

The first thing the entity that organized the platform put forward is the involvement of local political parties that operate peacefully and legally. Thus, all the talks and blabber of the extremists and the lackeys is the same as crushing an event they are not invited to. Thus, in my belief, the ruling party and the parties involved should together condemn it as their acts encourages illegality and disregards/violates rule of law.

It was reported that the ruling party and the oppositions have talked on four issues. Those were: what the procedures of the meeting should be? How the leading of the meeting should be done? How the press release should be given? And the final issue they talked about relates to observers. As a result, every party has agreed they would bring their own plan. Other than this, not only the blabbers of the extremists and lackeys has nothing to do with the issue at hand, but also considering the fact that they are flaunting their own unrest agenda, they should be condemned by all the negotiating parties.

Of course the ruling party and legal and peaceful opposition parties alone cannot strengthen or deepen our country’s democracy alone. In addition to the involved, the feedbacks of various civic associations and people that work under them should be engaged as well in the process. Therefore, these issues should be considered at the time of the talks and negotiations. I say that the participants should understand that the inputs of the talks is to use it for the building and growth of the country and is not to look after the interest of forces that wants the downfall of our country. Therefore, understanding that the country’s democratic system will only strengthen through the desire and consent of our people is expected from the negotiating and debating parties.