[By Dr. Tesfai Gabre-Kidan, MD]
The world comprises those who want to rule and those who wish to follow. However, to quote a famous saying, leadership is not about dominance or power over people but dedication and sacrifices for a cause beyond oneself. In post-dehumanizing and destructive war, when most ponder about what ifs and answers are speculative at best, admission of errors on a path to reconciliation is the best reparative direction a community that had been victimized and defeated can follow. In times like these, those who led the community to this end can only resume business as usual with the community’s approval. To heal and repair, it is best to vacate positions of power and empower the community to reorganize and reestablish leadership and governance structures.
Ownership of rights of governance is paramount, and the primary expectation by the people and acquiescence of same by those who had led is greatly appreciated and considered as one of the initial steps towards reparation and reconciliation. Since war reflects the failure of leadership and since the community elects its leaders, it is also a reflection of the society’s failure. Recriminations are the expected first steps of deception for people to make themselves feel better, but they are not a solution for moving society forward. The greater the damage to pride modes of production and norms of life, the more difficult it is to find common grounds to understand and forgive so that the community continues collectively with a shared purpose.
To cut through unnecessary processes and justifications to make oneself feel better, everyone must admit mistakes and lay down accountability processes so that the people’s business and governance can resume with transparency, fairness, and equity. An approach like this should reassure everyone that it is not to seek vendetta but to allow the arms of justice to proceed to achieve a peaceful transition. A catalyst to this in practices of past reconciliations is for those who had committed criminal acts and misdemeanors to come forward and confess their guilt and seek forgiveness from the community. Admitting guilt and apologies creates an atmosphere of calm and peace and restore trust between neighbors, friends, and officials. It marks the beginning of normalcy.
To resume an honest and credible transition towards standard governance, reputable members of the society and scholars must be trusted and tasked to coordinate and oversee a transitional administration. It is the greatest gift expected of prior leaders and officials and would be the least they could contribute towards rapid reparation. It also demonstrates confidence, dedication, and goodwill to their people. Once the seat of power is vacated to be refilled by a cross-section of the consenting adult population and sector experts, the people’s business could resume with very little hitch. Anything else is viewed as biased or favoring a group or another, leading to endless contentions, ill will, and feelings. Supposedly, unity of purpose is sought as a significant factor in rapid progress and development. In that case, the region cannot afford to prolong unnecessary contentions that cannot be resolved without alienating some, if not most of the group.
What is needed for Tigrai to heal and resume the challenging task of self-examination and determination before reconstruction and rehabilitation begins is not the wants of the few but the needs and consensus of the majority. And it is relatively easy because we will not reinvent the wheels; it has already been said and established by prosperous developing countries. An informed society would desire good self-governance, i.e., transparency, accountability, the rule of law, responsiveness, equity, inclusiveness, and consensus-driven. Unfortunately, there is an ongoing conflict over who should have dominance and power over the people, which contradicts dedication and commitment to serve and sacrifice.
Directly related to that, the recommended Tigrai Interim Regional Administration (TIRA) was only partially constituted and achieved very little, if any. It ignored many of the constructive suggestions that were offered. Nonetheless, better late than never, the leadership that still latches to power should vacate and allow unbiased, reputable members of the society and scholars to assume the task of establishing the interim administration’s two arms.
- A Council composed of a cross-section of the consenting adult population of Tigrai will report to the people.
- A cabinet composed of sectoral experts responsible to the president, whom the council and cabinet members will elect.
The council includes diverse members of the society and the parties currently registered in Tigrai. The number of party members joining the Council is proportional to their current membership size. Because women sacrificed the most without sufficient representation in the previous government, it is recommended that fifty percent of the Council representatives be women. The criteria for the qualification of a cabinet member are purely knowledge and experience merits. Members are sector experts and would have had experience managing, directing, and leading an institution or sector.
The greatest challenge to establishing the governance structure will arise when forming local security. Given the existential threats to Tigrai, Short of a proper defence force (recruited, trained, and salaried), an organized militia is imperative because Tigrai remains surrounded by hostile elements that wish for its demise, and it will be a long while before the ethnic hatred sown by political entrepreneurs dies down. Until then, Tigrai needs its organized militia to liberate its occupied territories per the Pretoria Agreement, which took the constitution as a minimum and ensure 3600 Tigrai security. Whether this was the understanding when General Taddese negotiated the disarmament and demobilization of TDF should be clarified sooner rather than later. The survival of Tigrai hinges on it.
The rest of cabinet formation is otherwise straightforward. I urge my fellow Tegaru elites to expedite the complete formation of the TIRA, think globally, and act locally. Tigrai has been effectively isolated because of our doing and failures to do. The best way to pay back the families who gave all they had, their children, and our mothers and sisters who endured the most dehumanizing sexual violence and assault ever recorded in this century is by establishing an inclusive, nonpartisan administration that will start operations posthaste. Listen to the peasants’ voices and the songs of the shepherds and the Tigrai cultural artists. Status quo is self-centered and unthinkable.
Tigrai is at a crossroads, and whom and how we choose our allies and identify Tigrai’s enemies will determine its destiny. The elites and next-generation leaders of Tigrai must listen to their elders so they can lead selflessly and wisely. The mistakes of the last thirty years are enormous, tolerated by the decent people of Tigrai but eventually dearly paid for by them. It is not that they did not know but trusted their leaders unconditionally. They did not deserve this outcome. The payback is evident; let us restore trust by denouncing egos and self-empowerment; instead, let the people’s will prevail so they can determine their children’s future by committing to an inclusive, nonpartisan interim administration.