Mekelle, December 9 (WIC) – Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the FDRE Constitution has fostered peaceful coexistence and harmony, cooperation and respect.
In his key note address on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of nations, nationalities and peoples’ day celebration in Mekelle, the premier said the country is in a new political system that resolved decades of political crisis and rolling back.
The Prime Minister said years of political struggles for pluralism, justice and respect of fundamental democratic and human rights were culminated by the unity of the Ethiopian people in 1991.
Nations, nationalities and peoples’ day began to be observed six years ago on December 9, the day the constitution was adopted.
“Fears of destabilization and disintegration due to the federal structure and the constitutional order have remained an illusion,” Meles declared to a cheering crowd that included over 600 representatives of nations and nationalities of the country. “This is evident from the fact that our country is internally stable and plays a tremendous role in regional stability.”
The celebration in Mekelle began during the early hours of windy Friday, December 9, 2011 with colorful groups of cultural representatives and city residents marching to the under construction Mekelle Stadium.
The program was officially opened with a welcoming speech from city mayor Negusse Gebremedhen which was followed by Abay Woldu, Chief Administrator of Tigray Regional State.
“With the strong unity and continuous economic development, there is no doubt that our people will be able to eliminate poverty and realize Ethiopia’s renaissance,” chief of the host region expressed.
Then representatives of the country’s nations and nationalities took the center stage with cultural displays in front of high level government officials which included Hailemariam Desalegn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“We are here because of the federal structure that enabled us promote our language and culture,” Bora, who was among the Arbora, one of the 56 ethnic groups of the SNNP region, told WIC. “We are now pledging to peruse on a mission to realize our country’s renaissance with a new sense of ownership on national issues.”
Accompanied by a march band music from the defense force and mass sport displays by school children, the celebration also saw a unique traditional coffee ceremony.
Heads of the nine regional states attended the coffee ceremony from a custom built 4.8 meters high coffee pot with a capacity to hold 12,000 liters, enough for 100,000 people to have a taste of the various Ethiopian coffee aromas.
The celebration continued throughout the morning with successive speeches from Kassa Teklebirhan, speaker of House of Federation (HoF), and representatives of neighboring Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.
“Commemorating this great day in Mekelle among the people of Tigray who have paid unparalleled sacrifices in the arduous struggle against the Derg regime, is extraordinarily exciting,” Kassa said to the roar of the crowd.
“While marking this historic day of the constitution, nations and nationalities renewed their commitment to creating one political economy where democracy and prosperity prevail.”
The Prime Minister, who handed certificates of participation to the nine regional heads and mayors of the city councils of Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, finally called upon citizens to intensify the fight for Ethiopian renaissance.
He also pledged his government’s commitment to strengthen its effort to create more job opportunities and curb the ‘temporary’ inflationary pressures.