Language and Cultural Policy Debate

The party plans to elevate more than five languages to the status of working languages based on geographic location and public consultation. They argue that currently there is no "national language" in Ethiopia, only a working language, and they will establish a national language after studying public acceptance and speaker demographics (targeting languages with over 6 million speakers). They also advocate for primary education in mother tongues.

• Will make more than five languages working languages based on geographic location and public consultation.

  [25:04]

• Currently there is no national language in Ethiopia, only a working language.

  [25:29]

• Will establish a national language based on public acceptance, written utility, and having over 6 million speakers.

  [26:02]

• Primary education will be given in mother tongues so children can easily understand concepts and stories.

  [28:11]

The party rejects the phrase "Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples," arguing it is designed to divide and dismantle Ethiopia. They believe in one Ethiopian people with diverse languages and cultures. They refuse to grant ethnic recognition or tie ethnicity to land, instead prioritizing Ethiopian citizenship while respecting individual languages. They also plan to make Amharic the sole national language due to its wide usage, while allowing federal working languages and mother-tongue education.

• The phrase 'Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' is designed to divide and dismantle Ethiopia, so we will change it to 'We the People'.

  [35:12]

• We recognize Ethiopia's multinational unity and diverse languages, but believe there is only one Ethiopian people and identity.

  [36:21]

• We will not grant ethnic recognition or tie ethnicity to land; we prioritize Ethiopian citizenship while respecting languages.

  [37:27] [37:55]

• Amharic will be the national language of Ethiopia because it is widely spoken across the country.

  [39:06] [39:27]

• Citizens will be judged and educated in their own languages, and there can be multiple federal working languages.

  [39:39]

EZEMA argues that the current preamble has not protected ethnic rights in practice over the last 30 years. They advocate for a citizenship-based approach where individual rights guarantee cultural and linguistic rights, rather than group rights. They do not currently designate a specific "national language" but plan to add more federal working languages alongside Amharic based on study and public consensus. They also propose restructuring regions based on geography, administration, and economic ties rather than just language.

• The current preamble has not protected ethnic rights in practice; the country belongs to all citizens, so it should start with 'We Ethiopians'.

  [47:02]

• Cultural and linguistic rights will be protected through individual citizenship rights rather than group rights.

  [49:19]

• EZEMA does not currently have a designated national language, as this requires study and public consensus to avoid imposing a language.

  [50:55] [51:10]

• We will add other languages as federal working languages alongside Amharic.

  [53:28]

• Regions will be restructured based on geography, administrative convenience, economic ties, and public consent, rather than solely on language.

  [54:42] [57:39]

The Prosperity Party argues that historically, imposing a single national language ignored Ethiopia's linguistic diversity and caused conflict. They believe a national language should reflect the country's diverse identity and require public consultation and constitutional amendment, potentially through the National Dialogue Commission. They defend their record by highlighting the introduction of a new language policy, the use of five working languages within the party, and educational reforms that promote multilingualism and mother-tongue instruction across regions.

• Imposing a single national language in the past ignored Ethiopia's linguistic diversity and became a source of conflict.

  [59:06]

• Deciding on a national language requires public consultation and constitutional amendment, which we hope to address through the National Dialogue Commission.

  [1:01:55] [1:05:54]

• We introduced Ethiopia's first comprehensive language policy in 2012 EC, which proposes five working languages and further studies.

  [1:03:15]

• We have implemented educational reforms allowing children to learn in their mother tongue and encouraging the learning of additional local and international languages.

  [1:05:27] [1:08:39]

The Prosperity Party dismisses the accusation as confused and contradictory, noting that the opposition accuses them of being both unitary and ethno-nationalist. They assert that their language policy aims to build a multinational Ethiopia and heal past wounds.

• The opposition's accusations are contradictory, calling us both unitary and ethno-nationalist.

  [1:12:37]

• Our language policy is designed to build a multinational Ethiopia and heal the country's historical wounds.

  [1:13:54]

Prosperity defends its handling of the Adwa celebration, stating they built a massive, fitting memorial to honor the sacrifices made, which was previously lacking in Addis Ababa. They argue that the new memorial elevates the holiday and provides a proper place for citizens and foreign leaders to pay respects, rather than diminishing it.

• We built a dedicated Adwa memorial to properly honor the sacrifices made, which was previously lacking in Addis Ababa.

  [1:16:30]

• The memorial elevates the holiday, providing a place where citizens and foreign leaders can lay wreaths and pay respects.

  [1:16:57]

Prosperity clarifies that the five languages are currently used as party working languages, not federal ones, and making them federal requires a constitutional amendment, which they have proposed to the National Dialogue Commission. Regarding holidays, they argue that the government has a duty to facilitate and protect public celebrations. They claim their involvement ensures citizens can celebrate freely and safely, transforming holidays like Irreecha and Fichee-Chambalaalla into shared national assets rather than political tools.

• We use the five languages as party working languages; making them federal working languages requires a constitutional amendment, which we submitted to the National Dialogue Commission.

  [1:20:27]

• The government has a constitutional duty to facilitate, protect, and provide security for citizens to celebrate their cultural holidays freely.

  [1:23:08]

• Our involvement has elevated holidays like Irreecha, Fichee-Chambalaalla, and Ashenda to be celebrated voluntarily by all Ethiopians as shared national assets.

  [1:24:04]

• We have secured UNESCO recognition for 12 Ethiopian heritages, demonstrating our commitment to protecting and promoting diverse cultures.

  [1:22:42]

Prosperity states they acknowledge the contributions of the 275 opposition parties they included in the government, noting that the Prime Minister has publicly thanked them in parliament. Regarding education, they argue that their policy promotes multilingualism nationwide, not just in Addis Ababa. They point out that Afaan Oromo is offered alongside international languages in Addis Ababa, and Amharic is now widely taught in Oromia, demonstrating a balanced approach to building a multilingual generation.

• We acknowledge the contributions of the 275 opposition parties included in the government, and the Prime Minister has publicly thanked them in parliament.

  [1:25:57]

• Our education policy promotes multilingualism nationwide to build a generation that can communicate and heal past political wounds.

  [1:26:43]

• In Addis Ababa, Afaan Oromo is offered alongside international languages, while in Oromia, 12,000 teachers are teaching Amharic to 250,000 students.

  [1:27:43]

Cooperation defends its stance by arguing that the past generation fought for public rights and shouldn't be shamed. They question why Renaissance Party doesn't merge with Prosperity if they share similar views, accusing them of confusing the public. They assert that their coalition was formed to save Ethiopia from danger and that they are committed to a unified struggle.

• The past generation fought for public rights and to prevent Ethiopia from falling into danger, which is a proud history.

  [1:29:43]

• Renaissance Party shares similar views with Prosperity and should merge with them instead of confusing the public.

  [1:29:57]

• Our coalition was formed to unite the struggle and save Ethiopia from the dangers it currently faces.

  [1:30:07]

Renaissance Party briefly interjects to state that their ideology is citizen-centered liberalism, which allows citizens to use their full potential individually and collectively, without categorizing people into groups based on language.

• Our ideology is citizen-centered liberalism, which empowers citizens individually and collectively without categorizing them by language groups.

  [1:32:18]

EZEMA clarifies that their citizenship-based politics starts with individual rights, and when individual rights are respected, collective and cultural rights naturally follow. They argue that the current system uses group rights to dominate and politicize culture, such as restricting the celebration of Adwa to a hall instead of public squares. They advocate for a federalism based on citizenship where cultures are returned to their owners and depoliticized.

• Our citizenship-based politics prioritizes individual rights, which inherently guarantees the protection of collective and cultural rights.

  [1:32:48]

• The current system uses group rights to dominate cultures for political purposes, like restricting the Adwa celebration to a hall instead of public squares.

  [1:33:26]

• Cultures and languages must be freed from political domination and returned to their rightful owners.

  [1:34:19]

Cooperation states that Prosperity lacks a clear policy and is destroying the country. They reiterate that individual rights secure group rights, and they aim to build a system where citizens are respected equally regardless of language or ethnicity, ending the current era of ethnic persecution.

• Prosperity Party lacks a clear policy and has proven to be unprincipled over the last seven years.

  [1:35:30]

• When individual rights are respected, group rights are also respected; we are creating a country where citizens live freely and equally.

  [1:36:07]

• The current system persecutes, displaces, and kills citizens based on their language and identity, which we will stop.

  [1:36:35]