THE SILENT MAJORITY!NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT TO AVERT AN IMPENDING DOOM!!

By Dr. Haymanot Assefa Nadew, Maryland, USA

What the heck is the great silent majority? Is there a silent majority in Ethiopia? Does the political upper-class care about what the great silent majority thinks? In modern political speak, the silent majority is an unspecified large group of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_majority). The vocal minority that controls the levers of government and the political dialogue dictate what the silent majority hears and learns. The screams of the vocal minority are chocking the discourse out of our social media platforms and airwaves. In my opinion, modern day Ethiopian politics and government levers are monopolized by the select few that are not real representatives of the people.

The silent majority’s unwillingness and inability to engage in the social, political, and economic discourse of the country has been costing us as for a long time. Out of necessity or by brute force, the vocal minority fills the vacuum in all aspects of Ethiopian’s life. When the best minds abdicate their civic duty, the mediocre vocal minority fills the void and keeps our people bogged in perpetual wars, rampant killings, objectionable atrocities, debilitating poverty, glaring mismanagements and everlasting loss of opportunities.

Many in the international community believe that disagreements among the political elite are the principal causes of the fall out and subsequent wars in Ethiopia. The ruling vocal minorities did not consult their constituencies when they started these atrocious wars. The elite’s inability to get along is costing Ethiopian’s life and limb. When the going gets tough, the vocal minority reverts to the masses for support. The elite mobilizes the masses in hundreds of thousands to die for their folly and ego. So far, thousands of lives have been lost; unimaginable atrocities have been committed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Economically, Ethiopia is hemorrhaging from the million cuts inflicted by the crisis.

Both sides have recruited enough supporters to die for their respective causes. Both the TPLF and the current Ethiopian government have zealous adherents that incessantly feed the propaganda machine. The ever-escalating rhetoric from both sides diminishes the chances of negotiated settlement. The elite and their family, far removed from danger zone, persistently instigate the masses to die and suffer. If left unchecked, there would only be more devastations, more killings, more displacements, more hunger, and more animosity.

The great silent majority of Ethiopia (both in country and in the diaspora) has an irreplaceable role in ending the war in Ethiopia. The silent majority must step up and take active role in matters concerning Ethiopia and Ethiopians. The great silent majority must not allow the vocal minority to rule and destroy the country with impunity. It is their country that the vocal minority are racking. The great silent majority must mobilize(organize) and demand that both parties to the conflict listen to the voice of reason. This is time to wake up from our collective slumber and work together to save Ethiopia and Ethiopians from eternal misery. Relegating the work of a nation to the vocal minority is unsustainable. Ethiopia belongs to all of us. We must do our part to save our country before it is too late. We must demand that the vocal minorities in charge must give peace a meaningful chance!

NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT NOW! STRONGER TOGETHER!