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Dear Patriotic Global Citizens and Friends of African Union and Ethiopia
A Universal Tri-party National Election System- An Innovation and Results Oreiented Governance in Ethiopia;
A Universal Tri-Party National Election System: An Idea Whose Time has come!
Examining the May 2010 Election Readiness of Ethiopia
Promoting Proportional Representation of Win-win Synergistic Competitive Partnership as an alternative to the current Conflictual Opposition Party Politics construct.
As Ethiopia is preparing for the May 2010 election, it is becoming aparent that one has to examine the Election Readiness of the country at individual and collective civic life.
A series of discussions at town hall and civic community level need to be initiated to prepare the individual and the public for this great occassion.
Election Conduct 101 should be reviewed by all interested parties that includes all stakeholders in the country including those who aspire to represent the people and those
who plan to elect a representative.
Representative Democracy demands that the contending political parties bring forward agendas for discussion and deliberations. Most importantly, the so called opposioton partries which I choose to refer to competing parties need to publish their agenda and politcal party platforms that makes them competitive in the upcoming elections.
From past experience, it is apparent that there are over 120 parties with very similar party political platform, except they represent different language or ethnic groups or geographic localizations.
Some have organized themselves as localized fronts and others as movement. Very few have organized themsleves as National Parties, with Specific Party Platforms on the impending challenges and opportunities of 21st century Ethiopia.
No developing or developed country has mor than three viable National Political Parties. The example of the British, USA, Germany and France as well as Russica and Japan show that there are less than three viable National Political Parties competing to participate in national elections.
China, Cuba and North Korea have only one totalitarian national parties. The Ethiopian experience looks like there is only one National Front and None National Political parties that compete in every county, district and regio of the country.
I therefore recommend a Universal Three National Party organized under political ideology and platforms that address the key three areas of the Ethiopian Experience.
1. C onservative party- that is organized along linguistic, ethnic and regional interest affiliations. Here the EPRDF and all the linguistic and cultural parties that have mushroomed over the past 30 years under nation and nationalities parties can be included.
2. Progressive party- those who aspire to change the national character of Ethiopia, by adopting Arab, Chinese, European and Russian systems. Here all the EPRPs, MEOSONs and social and liberal parties that want to ape other nations experience could be categorized here.
3. Capitalist and Free Market Party. These will be those who truly believe the problem in Ethiopia is poverty of ideas, wealth and ability to live together under common shared values of prosperity.
I believe, all the 120 Ethiopian Parties should be encouraged to organzie themselves under the above three National Party organization of Weg tebaqi, Lewt Felagi and YeBiltsegina Parties.
It is easy to identify them for the electorates, as they will have competing opportunities in all parts of Ethiopia as they represent the three cardinal principles of party organization.
The second important proposal is Proportional Representation. All parties will have a presence in the Federal and Regional Parliaments and Executive bodies according to the proportion of votes they garner and not whether they won by three percent as in 51% to 49% of electoral votes.
This means those who lost elections with 49% percent will have 49% of Seats in Parliament and Executive Bodies. This is fair, and will represent all votes and voices of the electoral bodies.
The current winner takes it all attitude creates, disappointment, resentment and eventual conflict that has beseiged the Ethiopian Modern History for the past 40 years, where the Progressive or change oriented youths and junior army officers and cadres sacrificed the future of the country to the tune of 200 years backwards.
Proporational Representaton will be the only true democratic option where every vote counts regardless of being in the majority of minority.
The last suggestion is to get rid of the notion of opposition parties. Parties are competitors and not enemies as the current system has proven over and over.
Each party will be respected and honored for making itself available with competing ideas to charter the future of the country. No one is a special patriot and no one is a banda or traitor. They all represent different perspectives and are willing to put their ideas to the test of the electorate.
I trust the above three ideas of National TriParty System, Proportional Representation and the Win-win respectful relationship of all competing parties not opposition is a positive idea that needs to be discussed and applied as we prepare ourselves for the May 2010 elections.
Remember: To repeat the same idea and mistake over and over again and expect a different result is lunacy!
Ethiopia deserves new ideas and new opportunities.
A Tri Party Electoral System and Proportional Representation within the spirit of healthy and friendly competition is an idea whose time has come!
Belai Habte-Jesus, MD, MPH
Global Strategic Enterprises, Inc 4 Peace & Prosperity!
the writer can be contacted at Globalbelai7@gmail.com
Belai Habte-Jesus, MD, MPH
Global Strategic Enterprises, Inc. 4 Peace & Prosperity
Win-win synergestic Partnership 4P&P-focusing on
5Es: Education+Energy+Ecology+Economy+Enterprises
www.Globalbelai4u.blogspot.com; Globalbelai@yahoo.com
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