EPRDF CHALLENGES FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM: ARTICLE 39, KILILS, LANGUAGE AND THE ISSUE OF OUR SEA PORTS.

In my last open letter to EPRDF, I opined about several topics that challenge the EPRDF government as we begin the new Millennium. In a series of short articles, I would like to articulate my sincere opinion on what I feel about these topics

ARTICLE 39 MINUS SECESSION = TIMELY FEDERATION!

Don't get me wrong. The Right of Nations, Nationalities and Peoples has been fixed in stone and there to stay for good. These Nations and Nationalities have finally realized the fruits of their struggle for self determination and self rule.

The last 17 years have seen the tremendous empowerment of these peoples, the continued growth of their language and culture and our deeper appreciation of our diversity and beauty as we work our way out of the massive poverty and economic inequality that has ravaged our country for decades. Through it all, we have learned to live together with love and respect for the rule of law. More than ever before, we have become a close knit society.

It is, therefore, time to question the merits of a part of article 39 that has remained a thorn in many circles of God-fearing, flag waving, nationalist Ethiopians. That section is the one about secession. It is time for these Nations and Nationalities and Peoples of these different Kilils to start a dialogue about this issue, introduce bills in their respective parliaments and bring it all the way up to the Federal government for a decision of unity and hence, propose to rescind the word secession from the constitution. It is time for the EPRDF government to feel that the fruits of its struggle for the freedom of these peoples have finally ripened and allow the passage of such a bill with full unanimous support.

THE ISSUE OF FEDERAL LANGUAGE/LANGUAGES

Introducing a child to school with the specific ethnic language of the Kilil or the one the child was introduced to at home should continue to be the preferred language of instruction. Communication in a language common to all the Kilils is also the key element that brings closeness and understanding between the different ethnics groups in the Ethiopian society. To that end, Amharic has become the Federal language of choice. Just having it on paper and not implementing it in a productive fashion will not fulfill the intended purpose. It is my feeling that such a language must be taught from first grade on as a compulsory subject, right on to high school and college.

It is a documented fact that children can learn two or three languages without difficulty when these languages are introduced between the ages of 3 and 5. In fact it has been shown that any language or languages introduced at such an age, will positively impact the mental development of a child. It is my contention that not only Amharic, but also English, as the international language of choice, should be introduced at the same time and continued on to the later grades.

Such language-based ethnic barriers will then be broken to bring better understanding between peoples of different cultures and languages and lead to the removal of the concept of Kilils. This could finally lead to the removal of boundaries based on ethnicity and give way to geographic divisions of states.

THE ARGUMENT FOR A SEA PORT

Ethiopia is a land-locked nation. The historical premise as to how we came about to loose our ports is still a controversial issue among many circles. To deny this would be to bury ones head in the sand and refuse to look at the realities around us. Just this past year, our Shipping Lines lost over 26 million Birr. Many people are not even aware that we do have ships. These ships are leased to companies that use them to import and export products to Ethiopia and other countries. Our loss is partly minimized because of a law that forces these companies to exclusively use Ethiopian ships only to export our products. It is one thing to try to negotiate a deal with Djibouti or other neighboring countries for docking rights for our ships. But to down play the historical significance of Assab and ignore the need for negotiations with Eritrea to return Assab to the mother land would be to commit an irresponsible act that is detrimental to our country's economy. Ethiopia is a major power house in the Horn of Africa and deserves to have its sea ports back.

These issues are raised in all sincerity and love for my country. They are raised to encourage more debate on these and other issues that I strongly believe will lead to a more open society eager to get along with each other as we forge ahead to fight poverty and disease. It will also, in more ways than one, foster the essence of democracy and good governance in our country.

So, let us all work with a sense of unity and equality among our peoples and continue to challenge the EPRDF government to continue its commitment for democracy and good governance