9 June 2017

Hoping one day Ethiopia becomes a democracy

The election in the UK is a big lesson for many. In a democracy, political parties cannot take the electorate for granted. Yes, in politics there is no permanent friend or permanent enemy. Those who vote for you today may vote against you tomorrow. Those who work with you today may not work with you tomorrow. What we saw in Scotland was a proof. 2 years after a successful election, Scottish National Party lost 21 seats in yesterday's election. Nick Clegg in Sheffield and Alex Salmond in Scotland are among the big beasts that lost their seats. Zac Goldsmith’s come back in Richmond Park as a Member of parliament with only 45 votes majority is among the surprises.  They say, “every vote counts”.

Before the election, The Prime Minister was not satisfied with the majority she had. The election has not given her what she wanted; rather she lost seats and consequently diminished her authority. The PM is now forced to go into a confidence and supply deal with the Democratic Unionist Party. Will this deal last long or will we once again go to the polls? It is up to time until we know that.

This election has helped Jeremy Corbyn to prove many of his critics wrong. He was able to reach out to the grassroots, especially the youngsters. His politics of HOPE worked well. Lots of gains for the labour party under his leadership. The future looks very promising for the party. Jeremy has exceeded every expectation. Another exciting figure, at least for me, in this election process was Green's Caroline Lucas. Her interventions during the debates were fascinating. She is among the stars to watch closely. The return to parliament of the likes of Jo Swinson and Vince Cable must be exciting for the Liberal Democrats. 

Yemi Hailemariam meeting British Prime Minister Theresa May 

Another exciting moment for me, as a British citizen of Ethiopian origin, was to see Yemi Hailemariam, the wife of Andargachew Tsege, who made it all the way to Maidenhead from Islington, London, and contested the seat of the PM as an independent candidate and subsequently met the British Prime Minister to demand for the release of Andy who is abducted by the Ethiopian authorities. It was Non-violent activism at its best.  


The number of female Members of Parliament has increased to 208 according to the BBC. The increase in number is encouraging, but this is not enough in the 21st Britain. Britain is not short of talented women. Bring on the women and make the parliament more representative.

There is one important thing to remember. Democracy is not only about voting on the election day. It is also about what we do before and after election to hold our politicians to account; It is also about engaging in local democracy and contributing our bits to the betterment of our world; It is also about finding solutions to the challenges we are faced with. It is a process that doesn't stop once we have voted for our representatives.

Hoping one day, yes one day, my country Ethiopia becomes a democracy. Yes, hoping that nobody is thrown into jail for criticising the government on social media; hoping that my fellow Ethiopians some times in the not too distant future relish democracy and join the Brits and others that have democracy for granted; And of course, hoping that Ethiopians remain united and march together for a stronger and prosperous Ethiopia.

Of course, we all have our bits to contribute to see that happen. It is never late to identify, train and coach the next generation of Ethiopian leaders. At least we can start with the ones in the UK.



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