The 2020 election, Sidama zone issue, the June 22 coup and assassination of senior party and military figures grabbed the most attention during Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s latest press conference which also skimmed over economic issues.
Right off the bat, a question was raised about a divide between the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Amhara Democratic Party (ADP). He said that they are working together to benefit the country and that there have been strong statements before the recent statement between the parties but it just hasn’t been made public. Recently the two parties which created EPRDF attacked each other with statements following the coup attempt and assassination. However, Abiy said it is expected in the political game and that it was common in their previous trend. “All members of the coalition working with each other is in their own interest to do so,” he said. He went on to say that he did not have a specific date for when the four parties and affiliates would merge.
In a sign the Ethiopian politics may be democratizing one question dealt with his approval rating, which some say had gone down but he responded that it is impossible to know this as there is no data.
He argued that the support of the Diaspora for the trust fund, which is the initiative that the PM introduced a year ago to involve the Diaspora community in social development projects, should not be related with his political view and support. “They should not associate the support with me. It is their role to provide support for their country,” he said. “It should not be based on the support for me it is their duty to support their country,” he added.
The collection under the trust fund is less than the number of Diaspora abroad. The initiative targeted to build social facilities and improve the development process for different areas that lack the required facilities.
Concerning human rights, “there is no change on our stand regarding reform,” he said. “We did not change our reform plan, there is no harassment, we keep the legal process to improve human rights and the democratization process.”
To deal with people breaking the law and disturbing the peace in some parts of Ethiopia, he said that there are different actors that want to stop the reform and slow down the change. “We are working carefully and patiently to keep the rule of law that might seem that we are reluctant for the process but based on the reform it needs care,” he said.
The Prime Minister reiterated his government’s commitment for the election to take place as scheduled.
“Some are suggesting that the election should take place on schedule and others are saying it should be postponed,” he said.
According to the PM his party has talked about the election but doesn’t want to postpone it yet.
Rescheduling the election should be decided after consultations with all competing political parties and the public, he said adding that the budget allocation for the electoral board shows the government wants to hold the election in the time frame.
The PM also said that from the total hard currency earnings, the major share was transferred to the private sector for both local and foreign companies.
“Compared with the past we secured better hard currency but could not satisfy the demand,” he argued.
He stated that the demand for regional administration for Sidama, which is part of SNNP region, is their right but needs time. The board members of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia were recently assigned by the parliament. He said that besides that the board needs to analyze the administrative issues that include division of resources and other issues.
The Sidama referendum will take place as per the timetable announced by the National Electoral Board in mid November.
Regarding the June 22 coup and assassination, his government has shown a dynamic leadership to calm the case and control the situation that was targeted to damage the government structure.
“Within 24 hours of the incident the government apprehend a training manual used to recruit and train people drawn from various offices in connection with the incident. There were individuals that came from abroad to train besides providing finance,” the PM said.
Because of the incident a total of 350 people were detained from Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa and more than 120 of them have been released so far and others cases will be seen similarly. 
In connection with the killing Chief of Staff General Seare Mekonnen, the suspected bodyguard is currently undergoing medical treatment for injuries he sustained.
He said that blocking the Internet should be compared with different experiences than the trend in the modern world. He argued the problem in Ethiopia, which is diverse in ethnicity, religion and other cases, and said it is not similar with the case in the US, Germany or UK. “In our case the issue is different that is the reason to cut connection but it might affect the economic activity but the priority is to save the lives of citizens than talking about economy,” he said.
“The Internet is crucial for economic development, growth and a better life but when it becomes an instrument for destabilization and circulating fake information it might be shutdown forever,” he argued.
Regarding the use of ports in Eritrea several proposal are tabled by Eritrea, according to Abiy but he did not give details.
The PM also stated that his government is working to calm inflation. Inflationary behavior has been calm in the year until May that turned to the hike path again. The PM said that the government is working to supply basic needs to keep the inflationary trend stable.
He added that the government is working to suspend the import of wheat, oil and malt by replacing local production.
He also criticized the sensational and unprofessional media operating against their profession.
Prime Minister addresses vital issues
Illegal water bottlers still a major problem
Illegal water bottling is a serious challenge according to the general assembly of the recently formed the Ethiopian Bottled Water and Soft Drinks Manufacturing Industries Association (EBWSDMIA).
One of the participants, who attended the meeting at Harmony Hotel on August 1, stated that the illegal bottlers are creating a huge problem.
The participant said he has seen many illegal bottlers operating on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. Not only are they using below standard plastic packaging, they are also putting not-potable water into the bottles.
“There needs to be a way to ensure that people drinking bottled water are in fact getting pure water,” he said. Plastic product producers have to be asked about their activity, where they are getting their supply, and who is behind their products,” he added.
At the meeting other participants agreed that unscrupulous businesspeople are creating an unsafe environment.
Recently the association was able to stop the neck sleeve production in bottled waters.
The association argued that it is the major reason for illegal activity since users give attention to the neck sleeves to know if the product is genuine or not. If the package is sealed it is more likely to be authentic.
Getnet Belay, President of EBWSDMIA, recently said that it would be difficult for people making bottled water to produce the top packaging, while the neck sleeve can be easily sealed.
Neck sleeves have been banned as of July 23. Some are still using it though.
The association has also requested the central back to block the letter of credit for the import of neck sleeves.
At the meeting officials of EBWSDMIA advised bottlers to investigate their sales and marketing staff that might be working in cahoots with fake water bottlers. Recently Capital reported that the police are investigating illegal water bottlers.
Polio advocates take part in green initiative legacy
From kids to elders, workers to students, the Diaspora to foreigners, civil servants to non-governmental organizations, and people across Ethiopia came together last Monday to plant 353,633,660 trees in one day. Most government workers on the day traveled around the country to plant trees.
The initiative followed PM Abiy Ahmed’s call to the nation to take part in the green initiative he launched in May 2019 to reverse Ethiopia’s depleted forestry by planting 200 million trees in a day. The public responded by planting an extra 100.5 million seedlings consisting of a variety of species.
Oromia Region planted 211.9 million seedlings, Amhara and Tigray regions planted 70.5 million and 9.5 million trees respectively. Addis Ababa planted 3.5 million trees while Somali, Afar, Gambela and Hariri planted over 2 million trees. Benishangul and Dire Dawa planted 1.4 million and 258,993 trees respectively. The PM who went to Wolayita to plant on the historic day thanked the public who participated in the mass tree planting.
“From the bottom of my heart I really thank my people who planted over 350 million trees in a day, which is something the world has never seen. We must continue to do this; we must fight climate change which is destroying our planet,” the PM said in his address to the nation.
One group that took part in the green initiative legacy was the National PolioPlus Committee (NPPC) together with Rotary family in Ethiopia, WHO partners and allies in polio eradication initiatives. A team of over 350 people gathered Saturday 27th July morning and planted seedlings at Entoto Park under the theme: “All trees planted will grow! All children immunized will glow!” and raised awareness about Polio and immunizing children.
The PolioPlus Committee carried out this project in partnership with the Ethiopian Heritage Trust who availed part of the land under its care at its Entoto site and indigenous seedlings for the Rotary family to plant. The Trust will take care of the seedlings planted ensuring the survival of all trees.
Teguest Yilma, Chairperson of NPPC said the Rotary family, Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors present are very happy to participate in the nationwide green initiative launched by the PM and place its footprint. She further said that it’s also a great opportunity to advocate polio eradication initiatives and raise awareness to the community on polio emphasizing the importance of children immunization all around the country.
Mesobework Ketaw, Director of the Ethiopian Heritage Trust said the organization has covered more than 500 hectares in Entoto with trees which will create a favorable environment to live there.
“Nearly 1,300 hectares of land were given by the government some 27 years ago and we have done a good job in conserving the soil and planting different kind of trees and this will help animals like Antelopes, Deers, Wolf and Cheetahs to come back again. Planting trees helps people and saves animals from migrating from one place to another.”
Dr. Mumba Mutale from WHO Ethiopia office expressed his appreciation with the government’s initiative to build a green Ethiopia. “It is a good plan to plant trees and it is important to create a conducive environment for children to grow healthy. WHO will continue to support the government program, as well as NPPC and Rotarians who are working to end polio.
Rotarian Mohammed Idris, NPPC communication consultant, said like the trees, all children should get proper care. “Trees need proper care to grow and children need proper feeding and medical check-up to pass to the next stage of life; so administering polio vaccination to children is mandatory. We will make Polio Eradication Initiative historic by setting a landmark for polio eradication endeavors here at Entoto park,” he noted.
The goal of PolioPlus program is the global polio eradication. Rotary is the leading non-governmental voluntary organization contributor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Rotary worldwide has mobilized a legion of volunteers who are providing support during vaccination campaigns, mobilizing their communities for polio eradication activities, raising funds and awareness for polio eradication, and advocating for the cause with government officials. In Ethiopia there are 19 Rotary Clubs with over 400 members.
TREE PLANTING
The Ethiopian government declared ‘Hamle 22’ as a tree-planting day and mobilized its numerous work force, along with the general multitude, to plant as many trees as possible all over the land, at least in places where it is raining. The planted seedlings, we are told, number about a third of a billion. The ambition is commendable. The major challenge in any reforestation scheme is making sure as many of the planted seedlings as possible survive the elements. This is no easy task, given the number of years it takes to have a mature tree. Even if three percent of the planted seedlings make it to tree-dom, one can regard the exercise as more or less successful. If the tree planting exercise continues at this rate, (say for a decade), the total number of additional trees would be about 100 million, not an insignificant number!
If we can attain a success rate of say 6%, instead of the above 3%, we would have 200 million trees. It is clear where the emphasis is. Real headway in afforestation can be made, if and only if, nurturing and up keeping become second nature to us all! Once this concept is internalized, planting trees would become an ongoing routine activity. To be fair, previous attempts, which were not as widely publicized, have also contributed to the challengingly protracted effort of countrywide afforestation. The forest coverage of the country has gone up somewhat significantly since the major drought of 1984 GC (Addis-Bahir Dar, etc.) As usual, estimates vary. Today, the countrywide coverage is estimated to be about 5% of the total landmass. Figures aside, we consider the following two points to be more important in the long run. The first is the attention/support the government is willing to avail for the tree-planting initiative. For this year campaign, all government offices were closed to mobilize needed manpower across the nation. The overall effort is bound to have lingering effect on the whole bureaucracy. The experience might even instill a more green oriented approach to the various government undertakings. The second crucial point is the awareness-raising aspect of the project. Unfortunately, the danger associated with environmental collapse has not yet entered the consciousness of our general populous. If truth be told, we have joined the rank of those who are ecosystem challenged! To us Africans, this is a shameful comportment, because we used to subscribe to a belief system that respects nature in toto! Or as the wise succinctly put it; ‘the environment is everything that isn’t me’ (Albert Einstein).
By any measure, we Africans live close to nature than any of the upright walking apes roaming the planet. Yet, we have exchanged our time proven ways for superficial existence that depend on highly unstable and unsustainable concoctions that are visibly destroying the life support systems of the planet! It is about time we interrogate what has been thrown at us by the dying modernity. Holding to our heritage that respects Mother Nature and Ancestry might help us confront the prevailing alienating modernity that is strangulating life on earth. For example, we consider, amongst other things, our childish infatuation with concrete jungles, especially after these monstrosities were thoroughly discredited in the countries of origin, to be an idiocy of the first order. Admittedly, for many a simpleton, ‘skyscrapers’ announce arrival, arrival at the station of modernity, stooped in unsustainable consumption. To those willing to learn, experience inform us, the urban rat race has already sucked the life out of the northern sheeple (human mass). It is now rapidly destroying the very fabric of our communal life here in Africa! Sadly, our learned elites or what we casually call our ‘Ivy Idiots’, are not in the habit of original reflections, hence, seem to be unable to thoroughly analyze our predicament. To start with, these ‘intellectuals yet idiots’ (IYI), to use Nassim Taleb’s recent phrasing, base their knowledge on mere copycatting and a very slanted one at that! The works of critical thinkers anywhere, past and present, are not in their reading repertoire. What they mostly concentrate on is trivialities, stuff that can make them ‘look good’ in front of their masters and idols, the dominant interests of the prevailing lopsided globalization. These groups are at the forefront, when it comes to destroying not only the planet’s natural habitat and resources, but also the organic social existence of Africa’s diverse population!
In conclusion, we recommend the following. The government can dedicate, say the third week of Hamle, as ‘environmental awareness raising week’, and culminate the campaign by tree planting weekend, not day. A single day might not always do it, for various reasons (rained out, etc.). One should also note tree planting exercise is challenging in the rural setup and might need more than a day to accomplish the task at hand. The awareness-raising week can take up different environmental themes each year, including sustainable agriculture! In addition, by doing the planting on weekends, we need not sacrifice a whole working day. This is our two cents worth. See the articles next column and on page 35.
As the late Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2004) and forest champion/environmental activist used to say: “The environment and the economy are really both two sides of the same coin. If we cannot sustain the environment, we cannot sustain ourselves.” Wangari Maathai. Good Day!
