In the 21st century, peoples of the world, regardless of their geographical variations are aware of their rights although they are short of essential ingredients that potentially enable them to take these rights into their hands; simply because these are exclusively handled by the minorities-the rulers. Breaking into mysteriously concealed agendas of those minorities needs a great deal of technical ability and sophistication as a society driven by the unity of purpose. Apart from the above drawbacks, it doesn’t mean that the peoples of various countries don’t know what their rights are. Diametrically opposing to the above, in most authoritarian countries including that of the Abyssinian Empire, the rulers focus on dictating the obligations of citizens whilst tightly griping onto their rights, at time rationing them out to few groups of peoples whilst completely denying to others.
Defying the above scenario, in today’s world, an internet technology has revolutionised means of communication enabling wide ranges of interests groups, from across the globe to share information and mobilise their campaigns on specific interest areas. Therefore, its contribution towards the realisation of people’s rights never be underemphasised. The Arab spring revolution could be one of the best recent examples further showing the fact that political changes could be achieved via modern technology. An over 40 years’ dictators of some Arab countries were unwillingly crumbled from their iron feast grips by the power of internet revolutionised campaigns. If we revert back to our region’s recent online ‘Boycott Bedele Beer’ Campaign which has resulted in fantastic outcome within short span of time, we can clearly see the available opportunity to our new generation to freely grab with minimum cost.
Today, something which takes place in one part of the world can reach to the other angle within couple of minutes. Whether peoples of various regions are capable of asserting their rights within given country, regardless, the information can find its means of escape, even from the countries of authoritarian rulers’ to reach global audiences. For instances, despite the abundances of spies, the current Ethiopian regime uses, the north Korean’s secretive one deploys and the Iranian … regime and others adopt, information can slip through unintended narrow gaps using new technology. Boundary is proving to be irrelevant for the century of online revolution.
Where Media is fully, independently and freely being exercised, the knowledge of the wider society can be significantly enhanced albeit the enormity of its negative sides if left unregulated. This besides could be balanced if the society is being made conscience of it. Moreover, it could also be avoided by having an independent regulatory bodies, free of government involvement. For instance, if a given interest groups’ unlawfully and recklessly propagate their own ill-intentioned agendas, some groups of peoples could be affected in either ways. However, in a society where democracy is a norm, this can be still tackled by the presence of aforementioned independent institutions, which safeguard the interest of majority. In such scenario, no one has got right of influencing independent institutions under whatsoever situations. These institutions rather have got tremendous legally entrusted power upon them; thus are capable of indicting government officials if they commit any crimes against the rule of law and the interests of majority.
In spite of the above, however, in numerous countries whether they are democratic or authoritarian, government officials can recklessly commit crimes against their own peoples for variety of reasons -partly human greedy claiming the major shares. The only difference is that democratic nations have got three entirely independent institutions which the authoritarians don’t. The first and foremost is an independent judiciary system. No politician will have right to be involved in the judiciary systems of, for example my adopted country, the Great Britain. Judges and their clerks, lawyers and solicitors, police and others law enforcing bodies do their jobs freely. The second one is the aforementioned independent institutions, in another word, independent regulatory bodies whose appointees are accountable to the society, not to the authorities. These groups have got the roles of overseeing the practices of statutory or voluntary professionals, governmental and non-governmental bodies. They take the necessary corrective measures as it fits necessary for the purpose. The third one is an independent Media to scrutinise any inappropriate behaviours of politicians, personnel of regulatory bodies -involving judiciary systems. The roles of Media among others involve deigning into a hidden secrets of any officials’ deploying their independent, unbiased and impartial investigative journalism professionally. To maintain the rights of individuals’ to privacy, there is also another regulatory body which looks at the behaviours and practices of involved journalists whilst practicing their profession; if and whenever complaints arise.
In terms of independent institutions in a mature democracies, it is such intertwined system no one can escape from. Therefore, officials are always self-alarmed and self-warned to behave in an accepted manner and abide to the rule of law. Failing to do so results in publicly ‘Naming and Shaming’ of such groups of either morally, financially, politically or in all aspects corrupt officials in addition to an inevitable criminal persecutions they must be subjected to. This means, the peoples of various regions in democratic countries are fortunate enough to have aforementioned institutions.
From the perspectives of the traditional societies of original Africa, Latin America and the entire Asian countries, they had had formidable moral strength, written & unwritten laws, strong institutions & excellent models of egalitarian governances and social norms through which they used to distinguish right and wrong. These have been seriously threatened by the current global order. For instances, the current Universal Human Rights Conventions (Covenant) weren’t the new inventions of Western politicians who claim to be the providers of human rights to all peoples of the world. Rather, these have been practiced by the traditional egalitarian societies since time immemorial. The Oromo and Sidama nations of Ethiopia’s empire Gaada and Luuwa systems respectively are few of such egalitarian systems whose ways of administration were disrupted when they fell under the colonial rules of alien invaders. For the last 130 years, the said invaders clung onto power since they have occupied the lands of our nations and nationalities- the latest being a continuation of such brutal rules.
Controversially, the regime in power has got constitution which unequivocally grants rights to the nations and nationalities to the extent of cessation. In practice however blatantly denies them to the entire peoples of the Empire. Instead the regime paradoxically attempts to ration democracy and fundamental human rights out to nations and nationalities in its own contexts; expecting an absolute obedience of all to these. The obedience is mandatory. For the peoples of nations and nationalities; expecting democracy and human rights in a manner internationally plausible is considered by the regime in power treason requiring life sentences or even death penalty. Due to this precise reason, peoples of the Empire are targeted individually and collectively alleged for refusing to accept the rationed out democracies and human rights by the incumbent regime whose cadres inhumanely treat the citizens whilst impoverishing over 95% of them.
Do they have the right to do so or, it’s us, the citizens of the Empire allowing them to continually brutalise us in unacceptable manner? Do the peoples of nations and nationalities need to beg their God-given rights from the authorities to be rationed out for them? Can we all open our inner eyes and ears so that we can see the truth?
We, the oppressed nations and nationalities of the Empire are not begging the Regime to give us our rights as a present. As no one, on earth, has got the right of rationing rights out to peoples, we are unequivocally demanding for our fundamental rights to be unreservedly respected. We’re, all as a human beings entitled to our fundamental rights, and thus we strongly believe that no one has got rights to deprive us of these. We, the peoples of nation’s nationalities boldly declare our freedom & say that we can’t tolerate massacre of innocents, subjugations of peoples of nations and nationalities individually and collectively, uprooting of our peoples from their ancestral lands under various pretexts, economic exploitation, socio-cultural subjugation & political marginalisation any longer! We aren’t & shouldn’t be begging the current regime to ration out our rights. We are unambiguously demanding for our God-given ‘Individual and Collective rights’ to be urgently restored!! Our fundamental rights should & must be unconditionally respected at all levels!!
