Evaluating the Roles of Regional Based Political Parties in Fostering Ethnic Unity in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia (Since 1991)

Muluneh Kassa

doi:10.7176/rhss/9-1-06

Abstract

In multi-ethnic federations which were particularly established to manage the existing diversity, the political parties should promote, preserve and protect the existing diversity and simultaneously endorse the sense of unity. Under multi-ethnic states political parties as one main actor should audaciously nurture sense of unity in diversity ideally and practically. Here, fostering ethnic unity means not only sharing identical political philosophy among individuals or groups, but it also remind as that individuals or groups may have differences in opinion and leaning. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to critically examining the practical role of regional based political parties in promotion of ethnic unity under contemporary Benishangul Gumuz Regional State (hereafter used as BGRS). In this regard, the author of this paper collected various empirical data through personal interviews, focus group discussions and administering survey questionnaire. Based on the information gained through various research instruments the author concluded that despite the fact that the government has recognized the creation of ethnic political parties as a positive political measure to promote every ethnic group in the country to have a sense of belonging, but in contrast, the existence of ethnic based political parties and hasty mushrooming of narrow ethno-nationalist politics has constituted one major impediment to promote unity and peaceful coexistence among various ethnic groups in BGRS. Moreover, the writer also argued that organizing political parties only through political lens of ethnicity would gradually create elevated ethnic fundamentalism, chauvinism and parochialism among politicians and individuals. And later it also opened the door for politicians and individuals to play lopsided proxy ethnic political game within the neighbouring regional states and consequently this situation tend to ethnic conflict. Thus, this kind of political party establishment road-map in the country has paved the way to series ethnic conflicts which resulted major predicaments and disunity among various ethnic groups in the country in general and regional states in particular. Keywords: Political Party; BGRS; Ethnicity; Ethnic Unity; Ethnic Conflict; Ethnic Diversity; Politicians DOI : 10.7176/RHSS/9-1-06

Highlights

In multi-ethnic federations which were established to manage the existing diversity, the political parties should promote, preserve and protect the existing diversity and simultaneously endorse the sense of unity
The writer clams that despite the fact that the government has recognized the creation of ethnic political parties as a positive political measure to promote every ethnic group in the country to have a sense of belonging, but in contrast, the existence of ethnic based political parties and hasty mushrooming of ethnic sub-nationalist politics has constituted one impediment to the development of one strong national identity and to political integration in present-day Ethiopia
An ethnically based party derives its support overwhelmingly from an identifiable ethnic group and serves the interests of that respective group. This kind of political road map utilized to organize political parties has not been helpful in any way to enhance sustainable unity and democratic effort of the country in general and BGRS and other regional states in particular, rather in contrast it has created elevated ethnic chauvinism or ethnic fundamentalism and it has confronted the unity of BGRS. Latter it opened the door for politicians and individuals to play lopsided proxy ethnic political game within the neighbouring regional states and this situation tend to boundary dispute and ethnic conflict

Summary

Introduction

In multi-ethnic federations which were established to manage the existing diversity, the political parties should promote, preserve and protect the existing diversity and simultaneously endorse the sense of unity. As indicated above, in addition to BGPDP, Gumuz People Democratic Movement (GPDM) is a legally organized and registered mono-ethnic based regional political party which has competed for various elections in BGRS. The writer clams that despite the fact that the government has recognized the creation of ethnic political parties as a positive political measure to promote every ethnic group in the country to have a sense of belonging, but in contrast, the existence of ethnic based political parties and hasty mushrooming of ethnic sub-nationalist politics has constituted one impediment to the development of one strong national identity and to political integration in present-day Ethiopia This kind of party establishment road map in the country has paved the way to a series of conflicts which resulted in major predicaments and disunity among various ethnic groups in the country in general and regional states in particular

Elevated Ethnic Fundamentalism and Its Effect on Unity

Findings

The Dynamics of Ethnic Unity in BGRS