The Constitution Guarantees the Rights of citizen’s

                                                                                                          Desta Hailu

The FDRE constitution has laid the basis to create the new Ethiopia, where its citizen’s lives freely with their human and democratic rights respected. Today, it has become usual to see the right to political association and freedom of expression. A system has been set where citizens can criticize the government and government procedures.

Our country has established multiparty system. Many political parties that are registered legally operate freely in the country. As freedom of expression is respected, anyone can express his views as long as they don’t interfere with the right of others.

Our federal democratic system is a result of our constitution. Our federal system that was enacted by our constitution became successful, because it brought respect and tolerance between various people. The federal system has enabled our people to be administered, learn and argue in courts through their own languages.

The constitution stipulates in the basic principle on the relation and common – that should be between various people in the federal system. It also stipulates key principles of power distribution that enables the federal system to administer in a fair manner.

The fact that our country implemented federal system has enabled it to have a fair redistribution of wealth. Currently, every city of our region is able to attract huge investments. Rural areas that used to not have any noteworthy roads are now beneficiaries of huge infrastructure developments in their area.

Our constitution has brought us religious freedom. Today there is no state religion or religious government in our country. By stopping influences that come because of religion, there is a mechanism setup that hosts every religion equally.

Thus, it was possible to establish a country where every religion lives in respect and tolerance. Every religion can teach their faith by respecting the freedom of the right of other. Our constitution has given everyone the right to generate wealth as much as they can. As it can be recalled, people were not allowed to generate more than 500 thousand birr in personal wealth during Derg regime's command economic system. 

However, by lifting this limitation, the FDRE government has given the right to generate any amount of wealth they can. Also by lifting up the limitation on right of property of citizens, citizens are no able to enjoy their right to create wealth and use it. As a result, today our country has been able to create many millionaires.

The economic development that is seen in our country is the result of our constitution. As per the first Growth and Transformation Plan, our country was able to build mega projects that are worth billion dollars. For issuance, the Africa's biggest hydro-power generating construction, railway installation, nine mega sugar factories and fertilizer factories construction, huge road construction, telecommunication installation etc …will have huge role in forwarding our country’s development forward. The basis of all these good things is our constitution. As our constitution was able to bring lasting peace, our development was able to be hastened.

The constitution stipulates that citizens are equal in front of the law. The constitution also clearly stipulates that there will be no difference made between people based on their ethnicity, nationalities, color, gender, language, religion, politics, social background, wealth, pace of birth or positions, and the fact that they have the right to get equal legal guarantee. And this has been seen practically for the past two decades.

The main provision the constitution put in regards to human rights relates to crimes that are committed on humanity. As stipulated on article 28 of the constitution, it states that there shall be no period of limitation on persons charged with crimes against humanity as provided by international conventions ratified by Ethiopia and other laws of Ethiopia. And also, the legislature or any other organ of state shall have no power to pardon or give amnesty with regard to such offenses. This stipulation indicates how strong our country’s position is on respecting citizens’ human right.

Also, citizen’s right to get information has gained recognition. The constitution states any media financed or controlled by the government shall be organized in a manner suitable for the accommodation of differences of opinion. And this has been implemented on mass medias. However, some newspapers and magazines established under free press are seen operating in a way that hurts the country’s and the peoples’ interest by abusing the rights the constitution has bestowed upon them.

The constitution has stipulated provisions that are divided in 16 articles with regards to democratic rights. In these articles, the democratic rights of our country’s nation, nationalities and people have found legal recognition. As a result, citizen’s right to hold opinion and freely express their view, along with freedom of the press and mass media as well as freedom of artistic creation is guaranteed.

Censorship that used to be run rampant during previous regime has been prohibited once and for all by the constitution. Thus, today, everyone has the right to express their views freely. This means, censorship have been lifted once and for all.

Citizen’s right to vote and to be elected has gained constitutional recognition. It was through this constitution that our country’s nation, nationalities and peoples’ right to an unrestricted right to self determination was recognized for the first time. It is stipulated our country’s nation, nationalities and people have the right to administer themselves, and to have fair representation in regional and federal administrations.

The constitution also clearly stipulates a legal procedure for nation, nationalities and people that want to get out of the federal system. Any entity that wants to follow this line and secede, the constitution has put a procedure with the steps needed to do so. Our constitution is a document that consists such a very modern and progressive thinking that protects the human and democratic rights of citizens. The constitution stipulates that citizens have the right to assemble, hold a mass demo and the right to association within the appropriate laws. It is also stipulated that citizens have freedom of movement, to travel abroad and return to his country.

The constitution protects civil rights, and builds rights relating to weddings, individual and family laws on a new foundation. The constitution not only guaranteed gender equality between men and women, it also states for the women to get affirmative action to mend past inequalities. After the implementation of this, the constitution is able to take women and men on equal footing in some sectors.

Regarding our constitution, it also enshrines provisions relating to children right. Children are afforded constitutional guarantee to utilize these rights and turn into capable citizen in the future. Our youth are the beneficiaries of all the rights that are enshrined in the constitution. The sacrifices made by the children of our people have bestowed human and Democratic rights upon us. Generally speaking, we can say that the FDRE constitution guarantees the rights of citizen’s equally.