One of the trademarks of the Revolutionary Democrats is their apparent determination to filter most issues through a world-view tuned with a linguistic based cultural identity. Quite often this is known as "ethnic politics" while they call it affairs of nations and nationalities.

Look at the administrative structure they introduced in a form of federalism - ethnic federalism; and consider their educational policy, highly tied to the different ethnic groups of the country. Some of their strong critics use the term "segregation," to describe this educational policy. 

There is more meaning to their affection for the phrase "nations and nationalities". They also want agencies and enterprises run by the federal government to consider accommodating different ethnic groups in their staff composition. They have been pursuing this ideology for almost two decades since they have come to power following the demise of the Derg - a regime which ruled with a complete disregard for cultural diversity, but emphasized its passion for the custodianship of a unitary state.

The Revolutionary Democrats argue that their predecessors have marginalized and placed in a disadvantageous position nations and nationalities; they place their role as advocates for these deprived groups. Many of these groups, they argue, have historically experienced limited presence in the central government and its institutions. Thus, it becomes necessary to redress what they claim systematic misrepresentation by practising a sort of affirmative action; mandating quotas for underrepresented nations and nationalities to promote proportional representations in government run agencies.

There is no malice with the motive and justification of this policy. The desire to alleviate systemic injustice comes from the right historical background. However, the implementation has shown some misguided elements.

Affirmative action, requiring quotas for candidates from certain backgrounds in the selection process for government run institutions, is not the answer to this issue. 

What the incumbent considers a solution for past mistakes has serious negative impacts for the future.

Would another generation of leaders consider what the Revolutionary Democrats are pursuing now to be unjust and fodder for further atonement?

The current mistake is preventable. However, preventing it requires understanding the ramifications of the policy. Ethiopia can draw its lessons from another country not far but placed within the continent.

Half a century ago, a federal state similar to Ethiopia, Nigeria, attempted to use a quota system to create a more diverse ethnic composition in its military. Their institution had the longest history of federal character engineering in the Nigerian federation. In 1958, it introduced a regional recruitment quota for the enlisted ranks of army in hopes that it could reverse under representation of southerners in the ranks of non-commissioned officers and the infantry.

In 1961 they sought to enhance representation of the northerners in the officer corps.  They recruited 50pc of the army from the North and 25pc from Eastern and Western regions. The Mid-West was assigned four per cent from the Western Region's quota when the new region was created in 1963. By the end of the First Republic (Nigeria was governed by the first republican Constitution between 1963 and 1966) it had become clear that the military quota system was barely effective in removing the inherited disparities in the regional composition of the army.

The upper officer corps remained diverse but the Igbo dominated the middle officer corps and the northerns dominated enlisted ranks.

The introduction of the military quota system provoked enough institutional politicization, interpersonal suspicion, and interregional polarization to contribute to the bloody coups of January and July 1966 and the outbreak of civil war in 1967. Following the war and the dissolution of the four regional structures in 1967, the regional quota system fell into disuse.

A dispute followed largely on what form of quota system would be used for the army. However, it soon became clear the system had failed and it was withdrawn from consideration.

The quota or affirmative action recruitment model should not be pursued simply for the sake of filling a gap allocated to a given group as compensation to what happened to its members in the past. Recruitment should only be merit based regardless of association, affiliation or belongingness by candidates to any background.

Nevertheless, the Revolutionary Democrats continue to push affirmative action rather than seriously contemplating if this is the best solution to respond to these problems. They are pushing to inject the system into one of the most successful organizations in the country, a state-owned multibillion Birr company - the Ethiopian Airlines.

Girma Wake, chief executive officer (CEO) of the national carrier, made a compelling presentation on the performance of the Airlines to the Infrastructure Affairs Standing Committee of the Parliament, in June 2009. He warned that his company is to yield to pressure by the government to hire employees from different ethnic groups of the country to ensure composition, an interference that many fear may lead to failure. He tried to alarm the MPs that if the company is forced to hire individuals who are not competent enough, but simply belong to a certain underprivileged group, to fill the quota, Ethiopian would become one of the airlines that are dissolved due to bankruptcy.

It is difficult to brush Girma's concern off. Worryingly, this is not just about the Ethiopian Airlines; the policy of regulating federal government institutions in order to have balanced composition of nations and nationalities of the country among their staff needs a serious reconsideration. Competence and merit should not give way to political consideration with dire consequences.

Ironically, the quota system is just as discriminatory as its non-quota-based counterpart. Whoever is hired on the basis of a quota does not get the job because they are well fit for that job.

How is it this any different from someone not getting a job because they come from a certain group that is considered historically well privileged?

The problem does not end when recruitment is over. The subordinates and co-workers of the person, who may have obtained their position via quota, would not feel good if they become familiar with their co-workers background and learn they have a less qualified supervisor or co-worker. The persons who would acquire their position this way are not going to be excited about their job when they get to work and boss and discover sullen and standoffish co-workers. If the new person feels they are less qualified than their co-workers their confidence would wane and their effectiveness at their position would diminish. 

The only way the Revolutionary Democrats can ensure that every nation and nationality has equal opportunity in every federal government institution is to invest more on social services in the areas where under represented and disadvantaged social groups reside. There are less offensive and well justified policy instruments used by many countries meant to support underprivileged members of society. Providing better access to education and empowerment exercises make them competent in the long run.

Investment in these areas will ensure these groups would have infrastructure facilities and access to information so that their members learn of the announcements for federal jobs regardless of what region of the country they reside in.

Trying to make up for past misdeeds, as stated by the incumbent, would cost the nation a lot because it has the risk of compromising the present and future efficiency of state institutions.