In Ethiopia when there is the wind of conflict blowing in the cracks of any political party or family, it is often extremely difficult to reverse it. A small problem becomes big and something that can be ignored gets exaggerated. It is very much like’ the butter-fly effect’ in complexity theory. Something that starts like a little problem multiplies and spreads like a contagion diseases across the world. And something that can be easily controlled gets out of hand. One wonders why? Perhaps it is to do with the cantankerous proclivities and knee-jerk responses that we are prone to, a tendency to respond to problems with empathy is often in short thrift, and a tendency to deal with others perceived easily as ’enemies’ when they are actually friends heightens contradictions among colleagues into antagonism amongst perceived enemies, and thus compounding rather than containing the perceived and real problems that may exist. How as a people and nation can we come out of this difficult situation is indeed something that we need to reflect and ponder over. We must learn to change antagonistic contradictions into nonantagonistic contradiction and not the opposite. That is a mark of a people with a will to live, to grow, to be free and to develop.
The Problems within CUDP are not Antagonistic and should not be!
All the delegates have pronounced the problem as a minor hitch or glitch and not something that is beyond their individual and collective capacity to deal with purposefully and effectively. Equally important, we see at least the delegates in the USA not coming together but going apart and busy to explain why they do what they are doing to each other to media outlets that seem to relish to fan this discord way beyond anything that one can recognise why they engage in fanning rumours.
We have been told that there is no ideological difference. There is no policy difference. There is no difference on the perspectives of how to bring democracy in Ethiopia. Then what is the difference? Whatever differences exist, do they merit to be fought with such divisive language and an assorted melange of pal talk gossip rumour mills fanning the flame of discord? Why change differences of form and style into antagonism, into differences of substance? We trust and believe Prof. Mesfin when he said he did not see any difference in substance. He saw some mistrust arising from personalities and the way they understand the opportunities that crystallised after the May 2005 democratic achievements. He thought loyalty to group took precedence to loyalty to CUDP and added also possible rivalries for power amongst the key leaders whose unity was critical for launching the achievements of the May 2005 election. He said he tried to encourage people to focus on the larger purposes and when he could not get them to listen he tried to make the point by even resigning from the leadership council and not from the democratic struggle. Whether his diagnosis is correct or not, the key point is that even if these differences or rivalries and group loyalties exist, they should, could and would not warrant such clashes where supporters turn into rigid camps forestalling conversation, civilised debate and willingness to reach out to each other’s concerns in order to evolve strategies to forge ahead together… continued on next page