“Yesterday is the foundation of today, and today is the foundation of tomorrow. And the heroes of the current generation are youths.” Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
It is now weeks since our country has had a new prime minister and in many ways the waves of change are permeating the entire society. Slowly but relentlessly we seem to experience some radical change in the way we perceive power and authority. The changes may not seem so radical as to completely make a fundamental shift from the old system to a new one. This may not be so and it could be impossible to make constitutional changes as some may have desired or hoped for with the advent of new leadership. And it would also be naïve to expect so, as it were.
Probably, the conditions for constitutional change are not there yet because the first prerequisite that would enable us to enact any kind of change should guarantee the continuation of the state, the country as one united entity. Otherwise, it would amount to be a zero sum game and worse than any period in recent history.
It is undeniable that after 27 years the system needs some sort of overhauling. As has been admitted by the very founders of the system, the very revolutionary democrats that decisively contributed to the creation of this system, this structure and this government, conditions of the society have undergone a radical transformation since May 1991. Today, we are in April 2018 and a new generation of youths who have little difficulty to deny sympathy I dare say to the previous regimes would like to experience a new and updated system of government as they conceive it having observed the experiences of other countries. Their exposure to those systems has created in them a sense of urgency for change. Millions were born less than three decades ago and have known no other system than this one.
Today’s information communications systems and technology have enabled them to observe what is happening in other societies in no time as it actually unfolds. Technology has completely empowered them and they are hence conscious about realities at any corner of the globe. Thus who would blame them if they find it difficult to settle for less when they can have more?
The premises that permitted the coming to power of this government are completely different from the conditions in which we find ourselves now. The socio-economic and political as well as cultural scenario has changed completely and the needs and aspirations of our peoples have changed too. The priorities of yesterday cannot be the priorities of today owing to changes in circumstances and conditions on the ground beyond recognition.
Three decades ago the priorities were one of peace, stability and creation of a society that would begin to work without anxiety and worries of calls for the defense of the country as there were threats and dangers of invasion or underground struggles from various corners etc. Once those conditions were settled or were done away with, and there were times to forget those anxieties, a new chapter was wide open and a new epoch heralded.
In three decades the country has undergone several layers of changes and new forces have emerged along with the creation of a new generation of youths. The size of the population has also changed. The emerging youth of this generation have new needs, new ideas, new aspirations that have come to be created along the years as they belong to a new era and may not be in the same wavelength as the founders of this system. These are facts on the ground perceivable by any reasonable person and difficult to deny or disregard.
That is why the new prime minister has been insisting to giving special attention to the conditions of the youth. He regretted that today’s youths have not been treated with due consideration by the government as they should have been and almost asked for forgiveness for subjecting them to discontent and grievances which have consequently forced them to be as he put it, unemployed or underemployed characterized by poor pay or precarious job security.
What is even worse was that they have also been forced to migration, exile to foreign and not necessarily always friendly beaches or worse still be shoved to criminality and be victims of various forms of addiction. He did not refrain from accepting responsibility of the system for the conditions that have been created that induced the youths to such predicament.
In his inaugural address to the members of parliament and the people of Ethiopia, among the subjects of focus of his remarks were the youths whom he addressed once again as they gathered to listen to him from all over the country at the Millennium Hall last Sunday.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that the youths should know that this country belongs to them and that it is their duty to prepare to administer and run it. He said they have the energy, the force and potential to take over the nation if given the necessary support. He said ‘youth is fire’ using an analogy that is often referred to, that they should use such volcanic energy to mold steel, build dams, construct roads and bridges and demolish mountains and above all use such powerful energy to save lives.
Dr Abiy did not hesitate to question the way youths were treated and used in this government and the society as a whole. The prime minister said that it was high time that we change our policies on youths and work with more focus and attention as well as commitment so that no one should be left aside just because they are inexperienced, not well trained and hence pushed and marginalized from mainstream society.
There is a natural inevitable process that the youths of today should take over the country tomorrow following changes in the generational cycle. What we need is hence more focus and attention on deciding the destiny of our youths and hence the destiny of our nation as a whole.
Addressing a crowd of 25,000 people at the Millennium Hall last Sunday and talking more specifically about the youths of the country, the Prime minister said more or less the following:
“As a French philosopher once said, we need to learn to develop the habit of picking the pieces of solid fire from the furnace of history and discard the ashes. If we want to create and appreciate new heroes today, we need to develop the habit and culture of respecting the heroes of yesterday. This is because yesterday is the foundation of today, and today is the foundation of tomorrow. And the heroes of the current generation are youths.
Above all, when we observe youths trying to challenge the current system, we should not deny them respect as we do not fail to respect our heroes of yesterday. Our youths are the agents of change. We failed to conserve and keep on our youths with love and fondness appreciating their value and the consequences have been their inducement to migration, exile and vulnerability to a quantity of sufferings. Many youths are unemployed or are struggling to make ends meet due to their underemployment or precarious employment. The issue of participation and benefits of youths from the economy is a prime issue to be taken as one bearing security risks and threats. This state of affairs has instigated our youths to criminality, addiction to various vices and migration. I would like to reassure you that the government will work with special focus to change this state of affairs.
The analogy and characterization of youth with fire is a reality. He said in youth there definitely resides fire and extreme heat. Use such fire to mold iron, to make dikes for dams, build bridges, and over and above all use this fire to save lives, to support life.
“As the renowned Greek national, Euripides once said: of all life’s stages, youth is the most suitable to accumulate wealth and be rich; similarly, it is during the age of youth that one can be poor and choose to remain so. Both choices are at your disposal. Please make the right choice. If you nurture hope, we too all nurture hope; our country as well will nurture hope. In order for our country to have hope, I would like to humbly urge you to work in unison as hard as you can without despising or demeaning any kind of work, with firm hands.”
Those were the remarks made by the new prime minster and his message was crystal clear not only to the youths who are the major point of focus but also to the elder generation, above all to those who are in power in any capacity and any field what so ever because the current state of affairs cannot be sustained anymore and the recent episodes of our history have shown us that radical changes in our approach of the youths are imperative to continue with the peaceful and rapid developmental trajectory of our country.
FITSUM GETACHEW