Just about everyone except PP cadres and their greedy commercial agents is being impoverished at an alarming rate. Towns are shining bright, with the latest Toyota V-8, Nissan V-8, and Infiniti vehicles competing for parking space in front of super luxurious apartment complexes occupied by the cadres and their associates. In this respect, there is indeed significant growth, and it is pointless to deny the obvious. However, one does not need to be a Nobel Laureate to understand that inflation is partly driven by unchecked government spending on mega-projects and corruption.
To grasp how speculation in urban land and mega construction contracts has created Ethiopia’s multimillionaires—who enjoy substantial kickbacks—you certainly need to read an EPRDF or PP insider like Ato Bereket. It’s no wonder city officials are focused on raising lucrative “symbolic” city gate arches and domes at staggering costs—running into the hundreds of millions—in regions where civil servants have been going AWOL after salary payments were frozen. It’s no surprise that much of society is enraged. The leadership, isolated and indulging in excess, seems no longer capable of confronting the truth. It makes one wonder: how do they sleep at night?
What’s worse, in blatant disregard for public opinion, the incumbent continues to provoke the public. When citizens timidly protest that cronyism is rampant in most public enterprises, the government takes offense and rotates family members into ministerial positions. They prepare the usual brief in defense of the indefensible—“even America, the ultimate beacon of democracy, does it.” They reference President Kennedy appointing his younger brother as Federal Attorney General, conveniently neglecting to mention how JFK tarnished his legacy by making that choice at the behest of his manipulative father. Besides, the end of Camelot is hardly an enviable outcome.
We may have been systematically disenfranchised and relegated to second-class citizens, but we don’t want the entire justice administration system to collapse. Despite not feeling represented in the House, we dislike seeing it disrespected, as when a corrupt agency’s director dismissed it with contempt.
If you want to learn from American examples, consider what happened to Trump’s former Chief Strategist and Counsel, Steve Bannon, who publicly ignored a Congressional subpoena and failed to appear before a House Select Committee. He was sent to prison. In our case, the worst the Committee could do is plead with the culprit not to repeat such misconduct. Why? Because they are friends and have a long history in service to the TPLF; one cannot press too hard without risking counter-accusations.
Unlike the politicians, we are here to stay; we don’t have a foreign country to escape to. I would be surprised if they don’t have a backup plan for when they are forced to flee. The Premier seemed to recognize this at one point, attempting to suspend foreign travel, only to withdraw the executive decree. I would very much like to know why. It seems he isn’t calling all the shots.
The symptoms are all too familiar, aren’t they? Before it collapsed into dishonor and became a living symbol of a gutted Party, TPLF was already rotting from within. Any resident of Addis can attest to this; the stench was unbearable.In the company of EPRDFites, the public resembled Hugo Chavez at the UN General Assembly, lamenting the intolerable sulfur smell in the hall. Transitioning from a selfless Front of freedom fighters, dedicated almost religiously, to becoming the butt of jokes is truly pathetic. If you’re not aware, talented comedians in Mekelle are now making fun of the old guard TPLFites, performing unflattering impressions that are hilarious and have absolutely riveting punchlines.
A few years ago, the children of old guard party members were so unruly that they could shut down sections of the city and issue orders to anyone they disliked. Ill-gotten wealth consumes one alive. Those born with silver spoons in their mouths were beyond the reach of law enforcement, but their self-inflicted wounds ran deep. They were involved in all sorts of illicit activities, some of which were a disgrace to humanity. In all honesty, they heralded the downfall of TPLF’s empire. Unless PP takes heed, it is destined for the same dustbin of history.
I know populist political groups and activists have become anathema, leaving the public with little stamina to indulge in their hate-driven rhetoric.I understand that those fixated on shallow and narrow ethnic persuasions have run their course and have become unapologetically vocal. However, there is one populist agenda we haven’t yet attempted to advance: an Economic Freedom Organization inspired by Julius Malema’s South Africa.
Trust me, the realities on the ground warrant this. There is no room for sophistication, slickness, or slackers; we need to confront the deserving with raw, upfront accountability.
The Premier himself has admitted this. The challenges of corruption, nepotism, favoritism, and cronyism that PP faces stem largely from the ethnic foundation of the Party’s organizational structure. Ethnic politics is a thick den of thieves, protecting its members like a mafia boss. Consider the 15 million PPs; half of them were drafted into the ranks for ‘protection.’ The Chief himself has acknowledged this, yet he surrounds himself with weak-willed yes-men.
PP has failed to break free from the long-established network; it merely revised the personnel, replaced the actors, but maintained the same system. Toward the end of his tenure and life, Ato Meles grew increasingly disillusioned with EPRDFites and sought to reach out to honest, non-EPRDF Ethiopians. Bereket notes that Meles candidly remarked that they had assumed they were sweet nectar, but ultimately attracted horrible, nasty gutter flies.
That is why, despite its downsides, we need a bold and brash Economic Freedom Party to dismantle the network and hold both the foot soldiers and the higher echelons of the Dominant Party hierarchy accountable.
God Bless
The writer can be reached via estefanoussamuel@yahoo.com
