TO HAVE BEEN BORN IN ETHIOPIA AND OR BE AN ETHIOPIAN IS 
THE GREATEST GIFT GOD CAN GIVE YOU AND TO BE PROUD OF THAT IS 
THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE TO GOD
By Dr. G. Bekele  ([email protected])

What is our vision of Ethiopia and what is Ethiopians place in that vision? How do we create an optimistic, self sufficient and prosperous country? This is the fundamental question that every Ethiopian, genuinely concerned about the future of their country, should be asking himself or herself, but which practically no one seem to be asking. Therein lies the tragedy of Ethiopia. These citizens, have shown little aptitude or willingness to define clearly, its true vision and its true destiny and to pledge itself to the realization of that vision and that destiny.

The great question that should have been faced by us was one, our civilization and cultural identity and its rejuvenation and regeneration so as to enable us to provide an inspirational and ideological base for building a strong and well-knit Ethiopia, with fundamental values and a design and life-style of its own. But we ignored this great question and acted like a blind man with a lantern in his hand, assuming that the outer light was a substitute for the inner one. No wonder, we now find ourselves in a snake-pit-a pit of frightening darkness and dimension, a pit that has exposed us to grave dangers not only in our territorial borders but also in other parts of the country. The fundamental challenge that confronts us today is how to extricate ourselves from this snake-pit and come out of the atmosphere of chaos, tribalism and confusion and move into one of stability, and orderliness with lights of true vision and motivation of true destiny guiding us.

What, we must ask ourselves in all earnestness, is Ethiopia. Is it a mere collection of Regions and Territories or something more than that? Is it a new political reality only or also an expression of a common heritage and history, a common culture, a common set of values that have nursed and nurtured the same way of life for ages in diverse circumstances and in different regions or provinces as it used to be, in those good old days? The answer to these questions is clear. The new Federal Republic of Ethiopia is a new constitutional entity. But it is not merely that. It is also a historical and cultural continuity-a continuity that could be unique, a continuity that mocks at the ravages of time and has remained unperturbed by the scars and stains left by the upheaval and uproars of history.

Ethiopia�s strength lay in its people and their good vision. Every one of us has a vision of what our nation should be. The older people remember days of peace and harmony, with enough to live comfortably. Each of us has a vision of a country where we can live in comfort and bring up our children so that they can step into adulthood with confidence. With the unparalleled energy, sheer flair, strong determination and good vision for which we Ethiopians are renowned the world over, we will survive and Ethiopia will be saved too. Otherwise, there is going to be no Land of Hope & Glory after or before 2005. Here are my visions.

� A vision of a United and Prosperous Nation at peace, where the Oromos, Guraghes, Sidamas, Tigrians, Amharas, Gambellas, Afars, the Somalis and others can live in peace, harmony and interact with each other. 

� A Nation with a strong economy that provides enough wealth to raise the living standards, not only of the super rich, but also of the poor, and by this means reduce the social gap between the rich and the poor.

� The fully accepted national freedom and human rights for any one and everyone to travel anywhere in the country without fear, to be able to enjoy our rich multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious heritage.

� A Nation devoid of ethnic, religious, cultural or political fundamentalism that are poisoning the rest of the world, where everyone respects another's ethnic, religious, cultural or political views without losing their heads over some point or other which, in the long term, is insignificant when compared against friendship, coexistence, peace and harmony.

� A Nation where political trivia is not permitted to supervene the rights of an individual, whatever his or her ethnic, religious or political views and beliefs may be. Where politics may be based on ideologies (however defunct they may be), but never on ethnic or religious principles, as this is the surest path to disharmony, inequality and corruption we have witnessed at present and in the past. Where politics must provide for the needs of the people through economic and infrastructure development. 

� A Nation where the present or future Federal governments and the Regional governments too provide modern and efficient service to the public with the least inconvenience and delay, where government servants (nowadays called administrators) exist solely to serve the general public, and not to hinder or inconvenience them. Where old fashioned and bribe-motivated bureaucratic delay (for reasons of documentary or financial accountability) have been removed from government procedures.

� A Nation whose security, both internal and external is assured by highly professional Intelligence Services and Defense Forces that are unfettered by government bureaucracy, outmoded regulations and party politics.

� A Fully Democratic Nation in which the safety and security of its Citizens, their property and finances are protected by an efficient and benevolent police force and court of law that is incorruptible and apolitical. 

� A Nation where impartial justice is assured to every person -- citizens, foreigners alike, irrespective of race, creed, religion or personal financial situation. Where, in the event of miscarriage of justice, an ombudsman as in the western system exists, to provide redress beyond the Justice system. 

� A Nation where procedures exist to prevent corruption and unfairness, and to protect those who do not have the means to protect themselves.

� A Democratic Nation where any person can aspire to a higher social standing based on his natural character, personal merit, natural ability, intelligence, modern education gained and achievements without having to dehumanize and debase oneself through sycophancy and corruption.

� A Nation where good education and selection for employment is not only totally impartial, and are based on personal qualifications, abilities and achievements, but where systems and checks are in place to ensure these.

� A Nation where social justice is paramount, where no one starves & begs for leftovers and also begs monies on the streets or wants for shelters.

� A Nation where the education system provides an international education to enable our beloved and adored children and us to take our place in the international technical, industrial, economic, financial and social arena.

� A Democratic Nation that fully provides financial and health security to those unable to earn an income through old age, disability or inability. 

� A Passionate and Kind Nation where the poor are fully provided with the means to obtain basic essentials and the means to improve their social standing in their society, where, above all, the children of the poor people of Ethiopia are not at all, disadvantaged in education and employment.

� A Democratic Nation that is modern with an advanced system of taxation that ensures a redistribution of the entire wealth through economic development and social security to all tax payers and other citizens.

� A Nation, above all, that preserves and improves the environment, and ensures that economic and industrial development is never permitted to destroy Ethiopian environment or that of our neighbors and the world.

� Last but not least, a Nation where the Private and Government Media combined together, acting as the Public Watchdog, with oversight over every facet of public administration, serves as the primary instrument to curb corruption. A media that will never ever be subject to censorship.

Is All This Possible?

Some of you would say that this is a Utopian vision, a pipe dream of a lounge lizard, impracticality. But think again. All of this and much more are possible. Ethiopia, though wrongly considered to be poor in some resources, is very rich in everything. Our economy was getting better despite the recent war with Eritrea and lack of industrial and economic infrastructure set by the regime. All this has been done against all odds, by some optimistic and private sector enterprises. Imagine, if we had a stable economic environment, without the debilitating war, with an incorruptible public service and a government dedicated to economic and infrastructure development. There will be no holding back our Nation! It would have been said that Ethiopia is the food basket of Africa once again.

The Way To Achieve This Is As Follows:

� Incorporate measures to ensure all of the above, including rights and freedom of individuals in The Country�s Constitution. 
� Ensure that The Country�s Judiciary, The Intelligence Service and The Defense Forces are separated from political interference and charged with enforcing and protecting the Constitution.

Is this being really naive? It seems so simple isn�t it? Yes, it is as simple as that. But simple things work you know. You might say, that separating the Judiciary makes sense, but why separate the Intelligence Forces and the Defense Forces? The answer to this is that checks and supervision must be established to ensure that the National policies declared in the Constitution are enforced, and it is the Judiciary and the Intelligence Services that have the means to do it perfectly so.

If they remain under the government, they will never be able to enforce the Constitution, as the government will never allow them to do so. The Constitution will remain a paper tiger as already seen and witnessed in the past thirty years. As you are well aware, we have a Bill of Human Rights that has been observed in the breach, particularly by the security forces, the police and the ministers. But frankly speaking, have we really? But was it Bill of Right or Bill of Wrong? If so, what is there to prevent the same thing from happening? If the government does not control the Security Forces and respect the constitution, who does? 

There are checks to be implemented against the country�s Security Forces and the police as well as the government officials in particular, the Prime Minister, to ensure that the abuses of the past are never repeated, for whatever reason. Separating the security forces and the government will have an added bonus. Look at the performance of these two vital National assets over the past two decades. The intelligence service that had, at one time, a total superiority over the entire civil organization and our neighbor�s defense forces the like, was disbanded and re-organized many times over during the past years, purely to serve political interests, thereby destroying the continuity of the intelligence bases and the country�s constitution. 

As a result, the Ethiopian Defense Forces seemed to have been jumping to the political tune and has been hamstrung by medieval time promotion regulations for so long that they are no longer effective as fighting forces for the country but are like private servants of few political leaders. If these two vital elements of our security forces are permitted to organize themselves as apolitical & professional forces, the war among ourselves and with our natural enemies can be brought to a good conclusion within a short space of time. Hence our Utopian and Ethiopian Vision can be surely achievable. All we need is the National will to do it.

It is absolutely necessary to fashion and gain broad consensus across political and regional lines on what the way forward is for us as a nation. If we can gain such a broad consensus, it will be necessary only to review the adopted vision after any change of government to factor in the ideological perspective of the particular party in power. It is necessary to also promote a sense of nationalism and integration. We must de-emphasize our sense of belonging to small ethnic groupings and place first and foremost our sense of nationality as Ethiopians. Renewal of a sense of national belonging can precipitate a better work attitude, discipline and promote good consensus around a national development program. 

Therefore, a new national vision must factor in what realistic levels of external assistance we are capable of leveraging and must ensure a true commitment by development partners to provide such assistance in a timely manner. Above all, it is extremely necessary to explore internally what mechanisms can be put in place not only to increase productivity, but also to raise revenue domestically for investment. A new national vision must factor in what realistic levels of external assistance we are capable of leveraging and must ensure a true commitment by development partners to provide such assistance in a timely manner. Above all it is necessary to explore internally what mechanisms can be put in place not only to increase productivity, but also to raise revenue domestically for investment.

Unfortunately, a great number of politicians are surprisingly unimaginative and have stayed clear of fashioning a common vision for a prosperous Ethiopia. Hence our political debates must be shaped by what kind of society we want to live in and devise strategies to achieve it. This is what should be concentrated on the minds of our politicians and every citizen and not petty political squabbles that characterize our current failed, ugly and utterly divided political discourse. 

My fellow Ethiopians, I urge you that, we must develop a shared vision that will have the support of all to propel us to achieve our potential as a nation and to stop us from abandoning our country in meeting these challenges that requires strong visionary leadership. Leadership that is committed to safeguarding our National Pride, Freedom, Integrity, Sovereignty, respecting our Democracy and democratic institutions; uniting our people and building national consensus after adequate and full representation, open debate and democratic participation by all stakeholders including civic organizations and all political opposition parties.

Such leadership must be committed to pursuing a genuine and patriotic policy of inclusion of all Ethiopians in the process of nation building, regardless of political affiliation, any kind of religion, ethnicity and maintaining the highest standards of integrity while in public office. Such good leadership must be committed to pursuing the practice of transparency and full accountability in all areas of democratic governance, in all matters and at all times; pursuing the fullest development of the human and material resource capabilities of our beloved and oppressed country; and pursuing excellence and developing a fair system of reward based on merit rather than relationship and association. 

The new leaders of tomorrow are visionary. They are both learners and teachers. Not only do they foresee paradigm changes in society, but they also have a strong sense of ethics and work to build integrity in their society. This equation, which was based on a study of military leaders, is used today to determine the traits, which characterize an effective leader. The traits of an effective leader include the following. 

� Emotional stability. Good leaders must be able to tolerate frustration and stress. Overall, they must be strongly and wisely well adjusted and have the psychological maturity to deal with anything they are required to face. 

� Dominance. Leaders are often times competitive and decisive and usually enjoy overcoming obstacles. Overall, they are assertive in their thinking style as well as their attitude in dealing with others. 

� Enthusiasm. Leaders are usually seen as active, expressive, and energetic. They are often very optimistic and open to change. Overall, they are generally quick and alert and tend to be uninhibited.

� Conscientiousness. Leaders are often dominated by a sense of duty and tend to be very exacting in their characters. They usually have a very high standard of excellence and an inward desire to do one�s best. They also have a need for order and tend to be very self-disciplined. 

� Social boldness. Leaders tend to be spontaneous risk-takers. They are usually socially aggressive and generally thick-skinned. Overall, they are responsive to others and tend to be high in emotional stamina. 

� Tough-mindedness. Good leaders are practical, logical, and humorous and also are to the point. They tend to be low in sentimental attachments and comfortable with any kind of criticism. They are usually insensitive to hardship and overall, are very poised.
 
� Self-assurance. Self-confidence and resiliency are most common traits among leaders. They tend to be free of guilt and have little or no need for approval. They are generally secure and free from guilt and are usually unaffected by prior mistakes or failures. 

� Compulsiveness. Leaders are found to be controlled and very precise in their social interactions with the general public. Overall, they are very protective of their integrity and reputation and consequently tended to be socially aware and careful, abundant in foresight, and very careful when making decisions or determining specific actions. 

Beyond these basic traits, leaders of today must also possess traits, which will help them motivate others and lead them in new directions. Leaders of the future must be able to envision the future and convince others that their vision is worth following. To do this, they must have the following personality traits. 

� High energy. Long hours and some travel are usually a prerequisite for leadership positions. Remaining alert and always staying focused is two of the greatest obstacles you will have to face as a leader. 

� Intuitiveness. Rapid changes in the world we live in today combined with information overload result in an inability to �know� everything. In other words, reasoning and logic will not get you through all situations. In fact, more and more leaders are learning to the value of using their intuition and trusting their �gut� when making difficult decisions. 

� Maturity. To be a good leader, personal power and recognition must be secondary to the development of your society and country. In other words, maturity is based on recognizing that more can be accomplished by empowering others than can be by ruling others. 

� Empathy. Being able to �put yourself in the other person's shoes� is a key trait of leaders today. Without empathy, you can�t build trust at all. And without trust, you will never be able to get the best effort from your employees and the people at large.
� 
� Team orientation. Business leaders today put a strong emphasis on teamwork. Instead of promoting an adult/child relationship with their employees, leaders create an adult/adult relationship, which fosters team cohesiveness.

� Charisma. People usually perceive leaders as larger than life. Charisma plays a large part in this perception. Leaders who have charisma are able to arouse strong emotions in their employees by defining a vision, which unites and captivates them. Using this vision, leaders motivate employees and society to reach toward a future goal by tying the goal to substantial personal rewards and values. 

Overall, leaders are larger than life in many ways. Personal traits play a major role in determining who will and who will not be comfortable leading others. However, it�s important to remember that people are forever learning and changing. Creating a powerful vision is vital.

Therefore, developing a clear vision is important in making a culture change a reality. With an inspiring vision, people can see the exciting possibilities of the future and can begin to act in accordance with them. Keeping the vision in the forefront of the nation and organization�s thinking will ensure that united energy and focus are sustained. 

Leaders are rarely (if ever) born. Circumstances and persistence are major components in the developmental process of any leader. So if your goal is to become a leader, work on developing those natural areas of your personality that you feel are not �up to par� and have a good and shared vision for Ethiopia�s survival in 21st century. For instance, if you have all of the basic traits but do not consider yourself very much of a �people� person, try taking classes or reading books on empathy. On the other end, if relating to others has always come naturally to you, but you have trouble making logical decisions, try learning about tough-mindedness and how to develop more psychological resistance. Just remember, anyone can do anything they set their mind to. And if we rise above petty politics and develop a shared vision for Ethiopia�s survival, we can do it. Hence le us all have vision, courage and conviction to build the foundation for successful change.

YICHALAL!!