Millennium challenge two: Dialogue and Respect for alternatives Ideas

Dear Patriotic Ethiopians and Friends of Ethiopia


Millennium Series Two

Re: Appreciating alternative ideas and means of communication in the New Mellennium

This is yet another set of my communication with friends as to how to begin anew and charter a better future towards the 8th Millennium.

It has been now over twenty three years since Ethiopia moved away from the traditional system of over 7,000 years of Imperial Divine Governance as ruled by Fitha Negest, Kibre-Negest and most recently by a series of western modelled Imperial, Socialist and now Revolutionary Constitutions.

Even though there is a dirth of paper to coroborate the above transformatons, in reality Ethiopia is still ruled by the age old Traditional Social Governance that excels all the above constitutions and structure of governance. In short, the Ethiopian governance is still in transtion. Our social & cultural traditions and governance still rules the day.

The movement from Imperial Divine Governance to Revolutionary Socialist and at times Marxist Governance did not really take place as the protagonists spent too much time killing humans and destroying existing institutions and the ecology rather than building new ones to match or even excel the old ones.

Appreciating alternative ideas has always been Ethiopian culture and civilization. The folk lore, music, poetry and literature incuding "Semna Worq; Medina Zelesegna, etc" and modern dramas and Quine or rap, continue to be the alternative outlets of ideas and constructs.

The modern mushrooming of different ditial communication networks, especially the internet has given unprecedented opportunity for communication, inluding alternative media and think tank groups.

The Ethiopian community has not been second to any as they crowd the cyber space with yahoo.groups, blogspot and more recently the podcasts and websites are proving to be excellent means of communication.

More recently, the digital communication network has been utilized for political campaigns and discussions groups that is being actively utilized mainly among Diapora communities. As there are competing ideas of governance, the intolerance of certain groups to declare only one perspective, that too that has been tried and has failed has forced many to come out withy alternative ideas. Free Market liberating Democracies are still pie in the sky. The current series of Developmental States, new versions of the the same old socialist democracies and totalitarian systems are still evolving with new names and groups.

The habit of the protagonists are still the same, totalitarian and I know it all regid constructs. Unfortunately modern technology cannot allow do not challenge me rigid instituitins to flourish. The question is how do we adopt to the new challenges. Learn continously and modify behavior and apprach by seeking "win-win synergestic partnerships and enterprises, that seek compromise and synergy.

Unfortunately from time to time calls has been aired to make the common communication platforms only for party and specific purpose dialogue, making the specific group poorer interms of accessing alternative ideas, espcailly if those ideas are the only option for the current situtation and will not enhance quality and improve participation and progression with the option of acquiring the best alternatives.

Some misguided Ethipian foreign educated students (the old fanos) for a long time have been advocating changing Ethiopian society and social order by force calling it .."Challenge, Combat and Revolutionary Democracy, etc. " The result has been only death and destruction, taking society to over 1,000 years behind the expected modern civilization of the 21st centuries.

Some patriotic Ethiopians have been providing alternative media and communication channel to provide new direction to the ethos of discussion and communication, as we contemplate to celebrate the 8th Millnnium. They have been using radios as witnessed on their regular 3 hours show on Sundays that can be archived at www.hagerfikerradio.com, and web sites at www.SolomonicCrown.org. Although, some Patriotic Ethiopians and friends of ethiopians have taken on the suggestions and alternative views. The majority so called vocal left leaning Diaspora are still singing the old 1960 songs of "Fano Tesemara" Revolutionaries to the bush instead of the academic and technology institutes. Now, most of these early fanos are reaching their 60s and 70s, no families and no properties or any sort of social institutions to show for their fano-days.

Amazingly, they are still preeching the old" we know it all, not only for themselves but the for the rest of the community. This we know it all construct has not been beneficial except the loss of citizenship, loss of identity, loss of productive and gainful employment in the chosen field.

Now, as Ethiopians and Africans are beginning to review the past 8 Millnnnia and look forward to the new ones in September 2007, new ideas and new approaches are mushrooming from all over the globe.

Most importantly, the young, bright highly eucated youth are asking to show their perspective and their vision. It is critical to allow young leadership to evolve and the old ones to write their biographies for whatever it is worth and not crowd all the avenues of communication.

Surely, they should appreciate how the rest of the world left them behind and are marching now beyond the moon, to other planets and other stars, galaxies and looking for even another universe.

As global warming or as some of us call it global cooling is taking over the world, we cannot plough with the old oxen, and should try modern technology and modern approaches.

That begins with appreciating alternative ideas. So, let there be freedom of communication and let us seek alternative ideas and approaches to life.

With regard

Belai Habte-Jesus, MD, MPH
Global Strategic Enterprises, Inc and
Partnes for Peace and Prosperity
Globalbelai@yahoo.com
Belai Habte-Jesus, MD, MPH
Global Strategic Enterprises, Inc; e-mail:globalbelai@yahoo.com; Telephone: 703 933 8737
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This electronic message, including any attachment(s), is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. .