EPRDF ready to reform itself; public must colaborate!

Gemechu Tussa

Many scholars argue that EPRDF has to address the problems in a timely manner. The party also agreed in solving the problems through deep reform. In fact, the governance problems the public have been raising should get priority and appropriate responses should be given.

However, the public angers and grievances are being exploited by the Ethiopian external and internal their enemies.  It is obvious that the government has identified the problem of good governance and   corruption.

There are plans and efforts to meaningfully curb these problems with full participation of the public. However, the country’s enemies are making an unreserved effort to foment trouble and rebellion all over the country.

It is so annoying that those chauvinists have looted the properties of the Tigrayans living in Shifa town Metema Wereda were looted and destroyed and their life was endangered.  In fact, the people of Amhara were opposing what the chauvinists were doing. Some of them hide Tigryans so as to save their lives from these enemies of the Amhara and the Tigray people.

As there was no legal and timely measure taken on the perpetrators, targeting Tigrayans has continued in the towns of Gondar, Bahirdar, Debarik and in some other towns of the Amhara Region. 

Surprisingly, while Aljazeera reported on the situation that Tigrayans are being targeted during these demonstrations and riots; we have never heard of a crystal clear statements and condemnations of such barbaric acts from the relevant government bodies. The people and Regional Administration of Tigray believe that the Tigryans suffering in the Amhara Regional State is not by the people but by the groups who have been working to create enmity between the two deeply intertwined people.

There is now clear and consistent understanding on the root causes of the unrests in some parts of the Amhara and Oromiya Regional States.  In fact the very questions of the people are related with corruption and lack of good governance.  But it is diverted to another extreme by the chauvinists, narrowest and extremists.

The analysis given by the EPRDF mainly incorporates corruption, lack of good governance, high unemployment rate, economic gap between the haves and the non-haves and lack of strong institutions to foster democratization.

However, the enemies have been using these problems as an instrument to overthrow the government and abolish the constitution and diverted the general public to join the demonstrations the want to express their angers and grievances mainly related to corruption and mal-administration to another illegal practices. These internal factors are creating a fertile ground for our external enemies to achieve their long-term goal of disintegrating our country.

EPRDF has understood the current crisis and is ready to address the problems in good will, openness, objectivity and action.  The government has also a clear and consistent understanding at all levels of its organ on the root causes of the current questions posed by the people of Ethiopia. In the first place, the government has to ensure peace in the country.

It should be in a position to guarantee citizens peaceful movement because the government has the constitutional responsibility to ensure peace and stability through legal and proportionate force measures on illegal demonstrations and riots.  I think this has been undergoing. Recently, Prime Minister Hailmariam Dessalegn has announced the Ethiopian people that the government has ordered all security forces to maintain peace, law and order.   

Premier Hailemariam Dessaleg, in his exclusive interview with EBC emphasized that it is crucial to maintain the peace and guarantee stability of the country. As a result, the security forces have ordered to take any appropriate measures on illegal moves aimed to destabilize the nation and jeopardize its development. 

In the second place, the government has to find a mechanism to take appropriate measures upon those individuals or groups exerted unreserved efforts in destabilizing the country. The government has to effectively carry out its responsibility of maintaining law and order and it shouldn’t allow its responsibility of maintaining peace, law and order for negotiation.  

 Not only the government but also the Ethiopian people never want to see any illegal demonstrations or conflicts that have been distracting the peaceful situation of the country and claiming loses of lives and destruction of property. This is the first step that the people want to be carrying out and in fact, what the government has been doing.

Having pin pointed maintaining peace in the country and keeping and maintaining law and order is the only option of existence, PM Hailemariam emphasized that the government won’t tolerate those individuals or groups aiming to destabilize the country and jeopardize its development. 

He also said that the government is capable of controlling all illegal activities and conflicts in the country and guarantee the people peaceful environment and stable situation as it is the major part of its responsibility.

He also stressed that there are some extremists Diaspora members who had received a lot of money from countries aiming to destabilize Ethiopia and jeopardize its fast economic development. 

These extremist Diaspora members have used most of the money for themselves and used part of it to create chaos and havoc in Ethiopia.  He also urged the youth not to be an instrument for these extremist Diaspora members who have negotiated their country’s chaos for money. 

In the second place, the government should respond to public questions. Corruption and lack of good governance are the major contributory factors for the public anger and grievances. The government has to take concrete measures against corruption and mal-administration.

In this regard, the Council of EPRDF has decided to conduct a serious reform so as to enhance good governance and meaningfully tackle rent seeking activities. In fact, EPRDF had made a reform some fifteen years ago.

That reform had significantly enabled the country to make a long leap forward, the challenges emanated through the process of building development, peace and democracy brought challenges that demanded another deep reform.

“The people granted us the power to govern so as we have to deliver adequate service and bring tangible changes in the country. The government has evaluated the challenges of abuses of power for self interest both at party and government levels and shall make deep reform to address it,” Prime Minister Hailemariam Said. 

However, the most significant issues in curbing corruption and rent-seeking activities is ensuring public participation, the cooperation of  the think-tank task-force working in different sectors and the consolidated efforts of religion leaders, public figures and peace loving groups or individuals.

Following the reform conducted fifteen years ago, the country has registered various successes in development, peace and democracy.  On the one hand, the development that has made the society beneficiary at various levels has also developed the demands of the people for more schools, health institutions, roads and other basic services. 

On the other hand, the number of population has doubled from 53 million fifteen years ago to 100 million at present.  It has become a serious challenge to satisfy the demands of the growing population.

Therefore, the ruling party and the government need serious reforms so as to create match between the growing demand of the people for basic needs and fast service delivery as well as accountable and transparent leadership.  The growing population demands a lot of basic facilities beyond what the government attained so far.

The growing population and mismatched economic progress have brought dissatisfaction among the public especially the youth. The huge strains on working-age people who have to pay for pensions, healthcare and for a disproportionate number of non-working elderly citizens have raised their need for the improvement of life. This is an equally development distribution that benefited the forgotten remote rural areas in the past regimes.

As a result, the pastoralists are have got attention unlike in the previous times and got the access to social institutions. According to available documents, the Pastoralist Community Development Project (PCDP) has realized more than 5,000 social and economic institutions in four regions during the last 13 years. The socio-economic project has developed in Afar, Somali, Oromiya and SNNP regions where the larger overwhelming majority of Ethiopian pastoralist community resides. These projects have benefited more than.4 million pastoral communities. According to arguments by some scholars EPRDF has done its best level to bring faire development in the country with a serious attention to developing regions. It is also now ready to address public questions step by step.

The part has a consolidate experience in handling crises and solving them. The current crises on corruption and rent seeking will also be hopefully minimized following the planned extensive reform. However, the public has to cooperate with the ruling party and the government of Ethiopia in this regard. The public must be cooperate with the party and the government comprehending their significant roles in ensuring good governance and curbing corrupt and rent seeking activities.