As you look at the many different faces of Ethiopians shown above, you will see a reflection of the genuine unity of Ethiopia I envision for the future, where the beauty, uniqueness and inclusion of all Ethiopians are valued and acknowledged regardless of their ethnicities.
You may not know the name, the age, the language, the ethnicity, the religion or the background of those beautiful pictured, but we do know that each is a precious human being, worthy of love, respect, dignity and basic rights as equal citizens and members of Ethiopian society.
These Ethiopian people symbolize the many faces of Ethiopia that create a beautiful garden of humanity within our borders. This is what our movement of the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) and I’m human movement is about—putting the people first.
This is not a solidarity of a ethnicity or tribe, a class, a language, a religion or a region, but of all Ethiopians who believe that one’s own freedom, justice, peace and opportunity is best preserved and enhanced through the protection and advancement of the freedom, justice, peace and opportunity of their fellow citizens.
This is a movement of the people that calls Ethiopians to reach out to each other in reconciliation, forgiveness, compassion and acceptance.
The image of Ethiopia to the rest of the world is a negative one for we are known for our poverty, starvation, homelessness, ethnic conflicts, ethnic federalism, ethno-nationalism and endless suffering.
We bear some responsibility for our misery for we have failed to love, value humanity and respect others and to fear God and the moral law.
This failure is not ours alone, but has been greatly worsened in the last 40 years by the past and the present Ethiopian leaders who believe in tribalism and exploit the people for their own self-interest and their ethnic group interests.
These ethnocentric leaders and their elite colleagues, as well as the rich and powerful nations in the world who may ignore our call, may abandon Ethiopia, but Allah/God will never abandon Ethiopia and its precious people.
This is the foundational belief that undergirds the SMNE/I’m human movement and it is our duty to revive and transform our nation.
It is critical for us the people of Ethiopia to reviews the issues posed by our national unity question with particular reference to the defective ethnic federalism constitution, federal structure, federal character issue, revenue allocation dislocation and Ethiopian citizenship question. It should further explores how to strengthen our common ideals in order to foster genuine unity in diversity.
Unity in diversity is one major stepping stone towards the attainment of nationhood and the need to promote it by good adaptation or adoption as dictated by true federalism and genuine federal restructuring should never be compromised for ethnic loyalties.
Unity in diversity in Ethiopia’s nationhood is the only way forward to create harmonious society NOT ethnic based unity of the ethnic federalism.
Unity in diversity means being one or united in spite of the various differences in the social, political, economic, geographical and cultural spheres. Unity in diversity therefore is reflected when people have started learning how to build a strong, virile nation out of the different tribes and issues.
What we need in Ethiopia is federalism not ethnic federalism. Federalism is a form of government where the component units of a political organization participate in sharing powers and functions in a cooperative manner though the combined forces of ethnic pluralism and cultural diversity, among others, tend to pull their people apart.
The American mode of federalism which is greatly aided by a possession of common aspirations and common ideals is what I am recommended for Ethiopia.
May Allah/God free Ethiopians from the chains of ethnic federalism, tribalism, ethnic extremism, making Ethiopian bold and courageous and strengthening their minds and hands to do the great work of justice, freedom and peace for all!
Long live Ethiopia!
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