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Borkena News Desk
TORONTO, Canada — Mesfin Araya (Prof.), commissioner of Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission, announced on Sunday that the “National Dialogue Conference has moved to the next chapter of the discussion.”
The commission started the conference on July 15 to discuss eight agenda items announced after classifying and categorizing what it said were more than 2,000 collected agenda items.
The initial discussions took place at the 10-member group level. The process now transitions to a 50-member group discussion, with agenda items evaluated in the smaller units transferred to the 50-member group chairpersons and secretaries.
According to the commissioner, outcomes from these groups will subsequently be presented to 250-member groups for further deliberation.
“Participants are presenting their views with mutual respect and freely,” the commissioner added.
Furthermore, the commissioner stated that the process of building a shared perspective out of differing viewpoints remains crucial for achieving the ultimate goal of the dialogue: consensus.
He described the process so far as “encouraging.”
On the other hand, allegations persist that the ruling party has already “hijacked” the process. A member of the commission who spoke to a Borkena reporter in Addis Ababa on condition of anonymity claimed that the process has slipped out of their hands as the ruling party has taken over agenda setting.
Days before the anonymous commissioner’s claims, the commission released a statement urging Ethiopians not to be “misled” by information circulating on social media.
Opposition parties, including the Enat Party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP), and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) and ONLF, have consistently rejected the dialogue as lacking inclusiveness and serving the interests of the ruling Prosperity Party.
According to information leaked from participants, the ruling party holds an interest in changing the governmental structure from a prime-ministerial system to a presidential one.
The status of Addis Ababa is another key agenda item selected by the commission. Before the establishment of the Prosperity Party, the Oromo Democratic Party—led by Abiy Ahmed as chairman—made exclusive claims over the city, shifting away from the “special benefit” framework implemented for several years.
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Let’s hope and pray this unprecedented massive national dialogue will bear fruit to address the nagging issues that country faces. It should at the least become a starting part for similar dialogues to follow. The only other alternative is the violent armed struggle that has proven itself to be deadly and destructive leaving no room for a negotiated settlement. Such dialogues have the capacity to create an atmosphere of accommodate and compromise. I just read news on another website that the chairman of the council that arranged this gathering has assured the participants that they will not charged for what they say during the discourse and he will take the responsibility for it. I applaud Brother Mesfin Araya, PhD. for sticking his neck out for every participant. Godspeed!!!
I guarantee you, there is no in true sense national dialogue, there is no going back to non ethnic regions, there is no back to our flags. This is deception from pp to distract Ethiopians that they have off our natural resources including Nile, letting in wester corporations inside Ethiopia and preparing the people for slavery.