EPRDF After Meles: Looking Ahead

It is a little over two years since EPRDF lost its chairman and Ethiopia lost its eprdf-logopragmatic and astute politician PM Meles Zenawi. It is said PM Meles was working hard on finalizing on his long term vision for the country. His vision was to see the country as a middle income country in the near feature and to transform the country from an agriculture based economy to an industry based economy. The current Growth and Transformation Plan is part of this vision and its success and failure will be critical in the success of this vision. The question we have for all of you is, what is you impression of the EPRDF today a) as a governing party, b) as a political party. Do you see EPRDF capable to carry on PM Meles’s vision? Do you agree or disagree EPRDF is doing well in managing the economy? What are the greatest achievement of the EPRDF government since PM Meles died and what are its weakest? If you can vote in the next election will you vote for EPRDF candidates? Have Your Say!

120 thoughts on “EPRDF After Meles: Looking Ahead

  1. I think EPRDF is doing fine as a government but when it comes to the economy not sure. Export is not growing , manufacturing sector is not growing. Only the good rain this rainy season may help the economy. So I may vote for eprdf because the alternative is worst but if there was a better party I would vote at least non eprdf members to federal parliament!

    Thank you.

    • Aiga,
      Eprdf and HMD has done well since our great leader passed away.
      Yes, i will vote for epdrf in election but this is not because its perfect.

      Seyoum mesfin has failed us in sudan but our somalia policy is progressing. The death of OLF, ginbot7 and near death of onlf should also be mentioned.

      Hmd gave too much freedom in oromia leading to ambo riots. We have to prevent conflicts, not just react.
      Economy is doing well but we have to semi-open telecom. We need to replace telecom cash cow with power export cash and let telecom go private

      God bless ethiopia!

      • are you really in fantasy? who died? who mobilized millions daily and making nations on solid ground? do you know that the fake country you claim is on life-support on your help from west and selling land to east? Look what Bishooftu look like on October 5! your single fake flag is not seen. we are building our nation based on education not simple propaganda .

      • We need strong tie with South Sudan. Thus, we are duty bound to change Ambassador Seyoum Mesfin with another competent mediator because he upset South Sudan government in a way he handled negotiations with rebels. We have to rise above our feelings and political views and conduct it as a neutral party. The pressure should come from regional and international body, but not from Ethiopia alone.

        • Eprdf has done well so far this decade but we have to reward the loyal and peaceful oromo opposition groups like medrek and mr gudina because they share our views too.

          Secondly, manufacturing and corruption needs attention.

          Third, we MUST fix our relations with eritrea. Give them badme and other border land in exchange for assab. Also let us respect eritrean sovereignity and make eritrea our ally like USA made canada. We should be proud that habesha people have 2 country representation at the UN instead of hating eritrea.
          Let us think forward!

      • let me say first and foremost . any nationalist Ethiopian should static about the national pride dam abye, because no Ethiopian leader dear before, therefore kudos to Meles Zenawi.politician comes and gos but the dam is national asset, another thing is any Ethiopian who disrespects the Ethiopian flag is an enemy of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people, in regards worshiping Meles is wrong, instead should be the hole Tigrian People including the group who split, another thing is, there was no doubt that Meles was strong leader and brilliant when it comes to the western,but local politics he was very tight power grip leader especially in Tigray, his legacy is still present today in Tigray the most undemocratic state in the countiry, however all this being said, the leadership in Ethiopia has to stay in power in order the economical momentum to continue, those who denied the economical growth in Ethiopia, and those who appose the dam they are not Ethiopian, in my opinion they should be bared from entering Ethiopia,it’s just my opinion.

        • @ G.Wuneh
          How come Wuneh comment on Tigray’s democracy, development and justices. What a foolish Wuneh! who are you to blame Wedi Zenawi, in the first place? Do you have any knowledge about Tigray? Before two decade ago Tigray was the poorest region Ethiopia with no electricity, clean portable water, health facilities and school facilities because the former regimes were deliberately working to extinct the people of Tigray let alone to provide him basic needs. That why, the people of Tigray youths, women, men, peasants even adolescents all hand to hand defeated the blood sucker regime derg once for all through their bitter straggle that last 17 years. Then after the Tigray people didn’t stop straggle to defeat his number one enemy, poverty. Presently, thousands of school were built ranging from kindergartens to secondary schools, similarly hundreds of health facilities were built and Tigray people for first time in his three millennia old history begin to during pure portable water. All these successes came because of his indomitable straggle to uprooted all kinds of evils that were orchestrated upon him for centuries long. Therefore, people of Tigary has started a new chapter of democracy, development and justices. I believe the people will in this arena too, as TPLF is under taking metamorphosis from time to time and thousands of young and well educated individuals are beginning to take the straggle into another height after abrupt death of the beloved late wedi zenawi. Since that shocking time the people of Tigray started to recognized what to do and how to organize in order to win over poverty once for all. Thus, TPLF devised a greening program in the name of wedi zenawi to radically transform the agriculture and rural development into higher altitude where food security at household level will be secured. In summary, democracy and justices will only exist if there is economic development and therefore they are interrelated you can not separate them. They boost one another. And thus without democracy and justices there will not be any economic development if there is that will not being any transformation in the peoples way of life. Therefore, democracy, justice and development are not one time work rather they required generations effort, already the country is in right track and it has started the way. This is the high time to any citizen to contribute his part in the transformation process that will benefit all citizen equitably.

    • Congradulations to EPRDF you are doing great. But attention should be given to corruption and under the table deals. I appreciate you.

  2. In the eyes of a lame person, economic developments in the country might look unprecedented, but we should not forget to look into present historical scenarios of the country that created these results.
    If we compare the present economic activity in Ethiopia to any time its history, the scenario might look unprecedented. These are the results of new historical manifestations that have never occurred in Ethiopia at any time in its history. Presently, It seems that the stars are lined up in favor of Ethiopia. Due to the geopolitical scenario of the Horn of Africa, international political alignments with Ethiopia has changed, creating a symbiosis cooperation shift of the international community with Ethiopia. This positive attitude created vast opportunities to the country. Ethiopia’s economic and social progress now is propelled and augmented by powerfully western countries like the US, Briton and most European countries. The mighty China and India are helping Ethiopia to the hilt. Arab countries, Australia, and South American countries are getting in the game. In addition to that, most African countries have started to respect and support Ethiopia’s leadership roll in the continent. Thanks to the above mentioned positive factors, the security of the country is enhanced by increased military capabilities. Adding to the good luck of Ethiopia, old enemies who helped to create havoc and contributed to our poverty have evaporated from the scene. Their activity against Ethiopia has gone away due to the problems they face in their own home. Even the arch-enemy of Ethiopia, Egypt, seems to has come to a full circle conclusion that Ethiopia can not be pushed around very easily any more. With powerful forces on the Ethiopia’s side Egypt seems to be a dormant enemy for now. This and so many other internal and external factors have created a relative peace in Ethiopia for more than twenty years. This has never happened at any time of Ethiopia’s history. Considering these facts, many economists believe that the country should be growing at 25-30 percent annual rate. Countries who used to be like Ethiopia, three or four decades ago, have grown greater than 25% percent for more than fifteen consecutive years. If impartial and inclusive policies were implemented in Ethiopia, coupled with a firm democratic path, 20-25 percent rate growth would continue for many years, lifting the region and the African continent as a whole. What we see in Ethiopia now, is only half the economic cylinders running. A good portion of the society inside the country and in Diaspora is segregated and labeled as traitor. If this attitude continues, the country could loose what it gained in the past ten years. Before getting hyper excited with the present socioeconomic activity in Ethiopia, we should consider many scenarios and facts on the ground. One should never forget free people are motivated to achieve tremendous goals

    • Bezabih,

      I think one should be brave enough to accept the obvious and give credit where it is due. Attributing the economic success to simple luck is being dishonest with oneself at best, and blind hate at worst. The peace you talk about came about not because of luck but because of the enormous sacrifice the brave people of Tigray and others paid. The
      attention Ethiopia is getting from that the west and others is not simple luck as you would have us believe, but brilliant leadership acumen by Meles and others in the EPRDF government. The military strength you allude to is again not luck but due to EPRDF’s capable leadership. Ethiopia is were it is today not because of luck but because of the brave people of Ethiopia working together to fulfill the vision of Meles and EPRDF. This is in spite of the negative role the so called opposition have been engaged in for the last four years. Let me tell you what would have accelerated the pace of the current economic growth. If the opposition was mature enough to understand what it takes to build a nation, and only had a fraction of love for their country that was evident in the gallant sons of Tigray during the armed struggle, that my friend, would have catapulted the country into a higher trajectory. Instead what we see by the opposition is their desire to grab power and bring the country down just like their masters. I will vote for EPRDF, as will millions of Ethiopians because under EPRDF Ethiopia will grow by leaps and bounds.

      • Almaz,
        As you alluded, If the ruling party really worked hard and got the socioeconomic successes to happen, there should not be any doubt, that EPRDF will get the required majority to govern the country for the next five years. Accordingly, EPRDF is going to be helped by its achievements, therefore, it should aim for an honest, free, fare, transparent, verifiable and believable election in 2015. These minimum election game rules must be the “holy sacrimony” for EPRDF and the party must be vigilant protecting them. On another note, Ethiopians of any ethnic shade have to shake off their fear, refrain from jumping to name calling every time people try to talk the subject of widening the political space. I’m not really sure where you got the idea of “hate” on my writing. Our mind should be set on the future of the country, with grand vision, and continuity of the achieved positive progresses.

        • Are you Almaz or bezabhe?
          I think his response was to bezabhe.
          But regardless Almaz you response above has a very valid argument and for sure free, fare and transparent elections are necessary but all these are in the eyes of the beholder like beauty.
          What I mean is where the opposition are total deniers, if they can deny what is visible for any one to see on the ground, how will they accept a result of a free election. These are the opposition that deny or demean the achievements claiming that the rail roads are not being built, the dams are not being constructed, the roads they drive their luxury cars on don’t exist and the many universities that have been opened are no good……I can go on and on.
          How can you verify anything to a nay sayer?
          They are mixing peaceful activity with bring change by force, which is illegal. How do you become fare and honest if the opposition is virulent and wants to bring a wanton destruction to the country?
          The opposition should try some untried tactic such as fully abiding by the constitution, become a loyal opposition and may be they can have what they want. Which means the governing party and the people will have confidence that they will not bring destruction to the country if they assume power and allow them unfettered access and free activity to run their business
          TRUST is EARNED not achieved by empty intimidiation.

          • Dederebew,
            When people vote for a party to run a government, it is supposed to do most of the things you mentioned. It is expected to build infrastructures, secure the peace in the country, fight ingestice etc. You don’t really give “credit” to a government for doing what it is supposed to do, but you evaluate its accomplishments based on its performance and conclude if it has done what it is supposed to do for its people. The performance has to be compared to historical situations and facts on the ground that has helped or impaired it to get the results. For example, just because rail roads are being built while EPRDF is in power doesn’t mean that a credit is given to the party. But on the other hand if it was true that the project was run in a transparent manor, performed and finished efiicientely, with out any corruption, where employment in the project was fair and inclusive, then you give credit with out hesitation. To give another example, If most economists believed that Ethiopia should have grown at more than 25% under a given circumstance, and EPRDF was able to deliver only 10%, then the voters will be disappointed by the party. The logic here is not to jump to a conclusion just because you see lot of developmental activities.

    • Wow !
      I tried to find a grain in a pile if straw, not to avail.Simply hotch potch.Too much of a garbage.Little is much if it carries grain in it.Otherwise a heap of straw !!!

  3. I agree that EPRDF has done well in terms of economy growth, education, health and general infrastructure, however the party needs to improve human rights issue, press freedom and sharing the national resources and international donation.

    • Every citizen including the press people and opposition members
      Must realize that there is no open-ended human right in the world. All the privileges come with corresponding responsibilities and maturity of the citizen. Our opposition politicians are immature and push babies to play with fire in the context of human rights. In other words, they want laize fare government instead of responsible democratic regime. We are not ready to implement western type of democracy yet. But, we are in the right track though there are some shortcomings. So let work peacefully to achieve more results and improve it continuously.

  4. I cant say much about the specifics of the economy but the country has maintained the trend of the economic growth, its been more than 5 years since I visited Ethiopia whatever I express here is solely from the media and conversations with individuals ,having said that,Meles has a vision that’s big and ambitious and has laid out the plan and blueprint to go forward, his death was a tremendous loss for the country and the people but one has to keep in mind that Meles too is an individual and will have his own pros and cons when it comes to his leadership, the collective leadership EPRDF is exhibiting shows the foundation of the party that it is not dependent on any individual, it is that principle and culture we have to embrace for the coming generation.
    the 5 year GTP is going as planned, EPRDF as political or governing party have not changed since Meles’s death thus it is capable of carrying on the vision and plan, it would be helpful if we have less noise coming from diaspora extremists, I hope to see a viable and strong opposition party in Ethiopia on whom the people will have trust to replace EPRDF and showcase us that it can do better than EPRDF on all sectors, I truly think it is possible .

    • Nardos,
      While I agree with most of your comment, I do not share the same view with you when it comes to the legacy of PM Meles. There can not be any denying that, compared to other leaders of developing countries, towards the end of his life, Meles has demonstrated competence in his leadership (except in areas of free speech, rule of law, and other democratic values). However, we also need to remember that he is probably the single most responsible person when it comes to making Ethiopia landlocked (please check my comment below as to why I think so). Thanks to Meles, Ethiopia is by far the largest country in the world (by population) that is landlocked; Ethiopia’s population is almost three times bigger than the next biggest landlocked country, which is Uganda. Therefore, while we can praise Meles for his leadership towards the end of his life, we should also not forget his original sin which will continue to handicap Ethiopia for the foreseeable future. By becoming landlocked, we have put our destiny in the hands of our coastal neighbors.

      • Alula,
        I believe it all depends on our understanding of effective leadership and how well informed we are regarding Ethiopia’s history and the dealings with EPLF during the takeover, but we cant deny Meles’s legacy as an exceptional leader who kept the country together which was on the verge of falling apart and be the next Yugoslavia. Above all Meles was a well intended man, a good man who felt the pain and sufferings of the poor, who vowed to fight poverty with all he got , a man who figured out the real enemy and how to tackle it ,a man who has got what it takes to be a leader . Now, Was Meles perfect? far from it , but I do believe that of all the leaders that country has seen in its history he was the most credible , ethical, hard working, well-read, exemplary, intelligent and competent .Is it possible to have a leader with those qualities and caliber ? absolutely, and there are.
        After all the leadership style EPRDF has been nurturing for a long time as far as I am aware is more collective than anything else. so if there is any thing to appreciate or blame,it is the party not the individual .

        • Nardos,
          Again, I have no problem praising Meles for the positive things he did: kept the country relatively safe, the economy growing… My argument is that we should also highlight his mistakes; probably the issue of access to the sea is his biggest mistake. If you listen to interviews by Tamirat Layne and Gebru Asrat, both of them criticize him for being too kind to Eritrea, almost to the extent of being anti-Ethiopian. I know one has to take the opinions of former officials with a grain of salt. But these guys are not accusing Meles for embezzling money, for we all know he was a modest person materially. Therefore, their criticism seems to be fairly accurate. So my point is, yes Meles was strong when it comes to overseeing the economy, but he was terrible when it comes to other major issues like maintaining the country’s historic access to the sea.
          With regard to your assertion that he “kept the country together which was on the verge of falling apart and be the next Yugoslavia,” as far as I know, TPLF and EPLF were the main reason for that danger. So once Eritrea went its way and EPRDF took over the rest of the country, obviously the risk had to subside. So I am not sure why we should give Meles any credit for the current territorial status of the country. Yes when Derg fell Meles could have decided, as the leader of TPLF, to splinter Tigray and establish an independent country. But as an ambitious man, who would in their right mind decide to forgo ruling a big country like Ethiopia in exchange for a tiny landlocked province. Other than the risk posed by TPLF and EPLF, the country was never in any danger of disintegration. Yes there is always some kind of ethnic based group trying to secede from Ethiopia. But that has been the case then and it is also the case today.
          In conclusion, by all means let us give credit where it is due; but let us also criticize our leaders where they have failed us.

          • Our country was deep in hell of poverty though with unexploited reach resources including the red sea with all its water that couldn’t freeze the inferno we had been suffering. Red sea is a curse for our society, we paid untold sacrifices to keep the damn sea. So it is better to cut it off that bloody key bahr and march forward having other resources. Thats what they did & it is not his sole decision, his predecessors have the same stand too. It is the pillar of TPLF/EPRDF. Their stand is worth of praise and its fruits are sweet that we have started to taste.Ethiopia is in a better status than 2 decades ago with all seas. We are on the way out of hell while we are landlocked.

          • Alula,
            No EPRDF staunch supporter will ever admit EPRDF sold Ethiopia’s right to access to the sea for the convenience of climbing to power without being disturbed by the then more powerful “ally” Shabia….Things people do for power…..believe me if tomorrow comes with an ultimatum of EPRDF remarrying Shabia for a survival they will remarry Shabia and will settle for the same old unequal robbery that led to a deadly war..no shame in politics…

      • @Alula…. What would you have suggested Ethiopia should have done? Wipe out the people of Eritrea and keep their land so that Ethiopia is not landlocked? All Meles wanted was peace after so much blood of our youth was spelt for the past 30 years before Eritrea’s separation.

        • Abraham-
          I agree with you that Ethiopia was in deep trouble when we used to have access to the sea. But that doesn’t mean that having access to the sea was the reason for the trouble. As you can see in my earlier posts, I am not against the breaking away of Eritrea; I think if people choose to go their own way, that should be their choice. However, I believe that a sea access is a vital national security issue and Meles could have easily managed to secure Assab for Ethiopia had he been open to that idea (during the London mediation of 1991 – don’t take my word on this, listen to the interviews of Gebru Asrat and Tamrat Layne). I also believe that Ethiopia had all the legal grounds to claim Assab during the mediation talks. As you well remember, Meles used to tell us that the question of Eritrea was a colonial issue (i.e. Ethiopia was colonizing Eritrea). Think about it for a moment, even based on this assertion, both Italy and Ethiopia were colonizers. Then, why should Ethiopia agree to the map drawn by just another colonial power?
          In any case, what has happened in the early 1990s (during the short lived honeymoon of the EPLF and TPLF ruling elites), will have a long lasting consequence when it comes to the future of Ethiopia.

          • I know both accuse Meles for refusing to accept Asseb as per the negotiators as if they were opposing his stand. No they were supporters & enablers of that stand & you can guess why they are accusing him know. Meles and his party I think presume not only Asseb but the red sea stuff is a pain in the ass for Ethiopia. You should not accept something that will bring you a sever pain because it is on a silver plate. Therefore, I can conclude that anything painful which can not be cured should be exterminated was their decision.

            Thank you

        • Berhane-
          I would never suggest wiping out any people, let alone the people of Eritrea. All I am saying is, there was no need, on the part of Meles, to make Ethiopia landlocked while it could have easily been arranged by the mediators to convince EPLF to let Assab remain as part of Ethiopia. It seems that the ardent supporters of EPRDF think that being landlocked does not have any consequence. However, one need only to look at the disruptions that Ethiopia faced (in terms of import and export) when the Ethio-Eritrea conflict broke out in 1998. Do not also forget that currently the fate of Ethiopia is pretty much in the hands of Djibouti. That is what happens when a country is landlocked; it becomes totally dependent on its coastal neighbors.

          • No no man, in and around the coastal areas of Red sea you seldom would get a native who consider himself as an Ethiopian. If they do not want us what options do we have except leaving. we had been fighting for many decades to keep it without their consent then shall we accept it because someone from London tell us to do so? By the same token Nile, its in our hinter land. We have no other place to go, its ours. We do not believe in any citizenship other than Ethiopia & we will not give up keeping the Nile for the good. Egyptians or some one else with the same disease having the same claim will only bring them nothing but loss. In any way, unless the people around living there for millennia believe so no one should take their resources. Keeping the peoples’ will is better than keeping material resources that will provoke for uninterruptible chaos . Let the native people decide for their fate and I am witnessing on both scenarios its left for the people to decide.

        • Admas,
          I totally agree with you that politicians do all sorts of crazy stuff to consolidate their power. However, in my opinion (as I have learned from the interviews of Gebru Asrat and Tamrat Layne), Shabia would not have objected to the idea of letting Assab remain as part of Ethiopia. I believe that it was Meles’ then blind hatred to Ethiopia that stood in the way. I truly believe that in the early 1990s, Meles was so in love with Shabia and very much against Ethiopia’s interest that he was more than willing to go out of his way to render Ethiopia landlocked. By the time he started appreciating the influence that comes with being the leader of a big country like Ethiopia, it was already too late.

          • Abraham,
            So your argument is, since the red sea had always been a source of conflict for Ethiopia, it is a good thing that we gave up our access to it and became landlocked, right? Well if we use the same kind of reasoning, we know that the issue of Abay (Nile) has been a pain in the neck for Ethiopia for centuries. As it is happening currently, Egypt has always been keen to use everything in its power to destabilize Ethiopia so that we can never be able to utilize the Nile water. As you tried to argue in your comment, the solution for a territorial problem is to give it up. Therefore, shouldn’t we just get rid of the regional states of Amhara and Benishangul-Gumuz (these are the two regional states, for the most part, where Abay originates and flow through) to solve the Abay problem? By your own line of argument, this should once and for all solve the centuries old problem Ethiopia has been facing due to Abay.

          • Abraham-
            You may be right about the people who live in the coastal areas not considering themselves Ethiopian. But the same can be said about people living in Benshangul-Gumuz, Gambela, Ogaden… That is the case with pretty much everybody living in the peripheries. The farther you are from the center, especially in areas that are remote and underdeveloped, the less attached you are with the central government. But just because people in, let us say, Gambela do not strongly identify themselves with the central government, it does not mean that we should get rid of Gambela. By the way, I used to work in Assab and I can tell you that the majority of the natives there, which is the Afar, did not consider themselves as Eritreans either. As most ethnic groups in Africa, they simply considered themselves as Afar. The notion of being Ethiopian, Eritrean, or Djiboutian did not really matter to them. They were first and for most Afars.
            I know as a fervent supporter of EPRDF, that is what I understood from your posts, you instinctually try to counter every single criticism against EPRDF. However, no regime in the world can be mistake free. The only difference here is that one of the mistakes EPRDF made, the issue of access to the sea, just happened to be a very consequential one which will continue to negatively affect Ethiopia for the foreseeable future.

  5. The only rallying cry for the opposition – that is the genuine opposition and hate mongers alike – is the human rights issue. Ideally I would also like to see better respect for human rights in Ethiopia. Having said this, we also need to put things in perspective. Ethiopia is a country that is surrounded by enemies that have been working very hard to do us harm. No one denies the fact that these enemies use the “weakest” in our midst to accomplish their goals. These come in the guise of journalists, NGO’s etc. There are also those who want to dismantle the country from within, I am referring to the likes of ONLF, OLF, and other LF’s who serve as willing messengers of our enemies. The Ethiopian government has the responsibility to protect its people and in the process some human rights violations are inevitable. But in the general scheme of things, these are minor issues that would find resolution in the near future. The opposition has nothing else to use as their rallying cry, and they have managed to push this issue to the fore. Human rights are violated everywhere, even in the USA that professes to be the beckon of democracy. In all other issues, Ethiopia is making tremendous changes for the better, and there is no end in sight to such growth under the current leadership. I sure would not want to change horse in midstream, and I will vote for EPRDF.

  6. In my opinion, all things considered, the economy (as measured just by the GDP growth rate) is doing ok and EPRDF is also doing an ok job. However, whether this is sustainable or not, it is another thing. When it comes to managing a country, economic growth is probably the easiest part of the equation. The hardest part is things like making sure that the rule of law is entrenched, civil society is flourishing, and citizens are free to express their opinion without fear of reprisal. In these areas Ethiopia is not making any progress at all. People are fearful to speak their mind; if you are a member of the ruling party, you are above the law; and civil society is non existent. Therefore, if EPRDF is really concerned about its legacy, it should create a conducive atmosphere for democracy to take hold in the country. Otherwise, EPRDF is just another dictatorial regime which is hanging on to power by brute force. As history teaches us, sooner or later, such regimes will disintegrate.
    With regards to the legacy of PM Meles, we should not forget that he is the one person who, single handedly, made Ethiopia landlocked, thereby creating the most populous landlocked country in the world. People seem to forget how distasteful Meles used to be towards Ethiopia. He blatantly used to tell us that we should not worry about being landlocked and that access to the sea is like any other commodity that can be bought. However, throughout history, countries have been going to great lengths to secure access to the sea which is a critical national security issue. I am not saying that we should now invade Eritrea to get access to the sea. What I am saying is, had it not been to Meles’ deliberate action, Ethiopia could have easily negotiate with EPLF and the U.S. mediator, during the London mediation in 1991, and make sure that Assab remains as part of Ethiopia. By deliberately denying Ethiopia this opportunity, Meles has ensured that Ethiopia’s wellbeing is in the hands of its costal neighbors. This will negatively affect everybody in Ethiopia, including people in Tigray, for the foreseeable future. Do not forget, had we kept Assab as part of Ethiopia, the billions of dollars we spend in Djibouti for import and export, could have been added to Ethiopia’s GDP. Therefore, if you are inviting us for an honest discussion, let us look at Meles’ legacy in its totality; not just the last few years of his life.

  7. If the current government does not wants to hear what others say about their country it is very hard to think what is going right now in the country or the future of the country it is not about what we feel but the reality on the ground. No one better loves Ethiopia than another ethiopian. It is just self bias to think “my idea is the only best, right, working”. We have seen in our past that those who wants to hear what only they want pushed the country to the cliff nothing more. EPRDF talk to self listen to self, does not allow itself for different ideas from any where. This is the inheritence from the previous ruling system and the experience while in the jungle and could never come out of break or make short tamperedness worink process. We all are human beings learn everyday do different things to get different result. EPRDF is doing the same thing for the last 23 years. To be honest let us see EPRDF by eliminating the variable “economic development” what else can we talk about this government. Peace between ethnic groups is just a time bomb. No justice and fairness to 90 million but for the few millioners may be. Corruption is sitting to of the roof. No one talk about the corruption as it is considered as the legal system of this big nation. Development can be achieved from colonialism if we do not care about the people’s freedom, good governance, freedom of speech, justice and fairness. To ask true question who is benefiting the foreign invester, the corrupted local invester, the office holder parties and their affiliates or the poor hopeless and help less millions. I know politicians can have theis “answer” but it is not the right answer. Anyways always things get right whether economic development, social transformation, nation building when done with the participation the people not in isolation and marginalizing the rest of the people for hidden motive.

  8. Dear Aiga;

    First I wanted to ask you one thing before everything, please do not delete my comment like Tigrai online, Awramba times,… by deleting and burying truth you will be making enemies whom you will not think of.

    I strongly believe given the world global political, economic, societal trend, Ethiopia now 24 years after EPRDF took power must been self sufficient. 24 years is almost one generation. So far nothing has been achieved in my believes. I know you like telling us only one side of the coin, but the truth is EPRDF has been an obstacle to development and ERPDF enemy one of Ethiopia driving out scholars out of the country and throwing into jail oppositions. AIGA there can not be one story only, any story has opposite version. If we could take what you post only, then all would have been good. But the truth is the opposite.
    EPRDF is the most corrupt political system ever Ethiopia had. There was ignorance and arrogance before which marginalized the entire population before. But EPRDF has brought nothing new in Ethiopia. The Ethnic federalism has nothing to do with Ethiopian people but a EPDF tactic to divided and manipulate Ethiopians only.
    The demerits of EPRDF to Ethiopia:
    1. The forced land-locking of Ethiopia by woyane which did cost Ethiopia so far 50 billion dollars.
    2. The ethnic apartheid system EPRDF has established and the ethnic cleansing of amhara from all regions in Ethiopia
    3. The removal of the Gambelans from their land and selling the land for foreigners from the middle east.
    4. The trafficking of Ethiopian women the middle east
    5. The suffering of Ethiopians in the middle east even now with no one caring about them.
    6. The no war no peace with Eritrea which is costing too much to Ethiopia and even to Eritreans because the people are suffering on both sides. The ports are sitting idle with no one using them and Ethiopia paying around 2 billion dollar each year which is total foreign currency exchange.
    7. The marginalization of other Ethiopians and almost everything controlled by Tigreans new class elites.
    8. The majority of Ethiopians have become second citizen with no right to have a say in their country’s affaires. Anyone who critise EPRDF or woyane is showed with all kind of insults. Woyane high class members has become the richest people in the world now and they have started insulting Ethiopians by saying poor? Imagine an Ethiopian calling other Ethiopian poor?
    9. In my opinion, change is a must that must come sooner or later. I do not care what story you write or how many people you bribe to write good articles. I have facts from the ground in Ethiopia; Ethiopia is now not for Ethiopian, but for EPRDF supporters and its investors who rub sholders and do illegal business together to make financial gains at the expense of national interest. This is not good aiga. you have to be EPRDF in today’s Ethiopia to live good life? Aiga development is not how much money people make money by air by air business. Development is measure how ordinary people are treated and live. The cost of living items like tomatoes, onion, beriberi, injera, meat, sugar, oil, clothing,…
    Development is not measured by roads or skyscrapers, or investors. Real development is change in the lives of ordinary people. Even from the photos you post on your one sided photos, the Ethiopians are still seen covered by dust, flies and dressing red muddy and dirty dress. I do not see any change in the way they are living. I know there is too much going in addis? But what made addis hot now does not reflect the entire Ethiopia. My friend went to addis to buy land and he said he could not find that he can afford. He is a foreigner, but he sees there is a good business in addis but the land is sold expensive because land is sold to everyone from everywhere. This is the sad story we here. I have never seen land sold to foreigners anywhere I have lived. You can rent facilities, but selling land to every foreigners just for temporary financial gain is a big mistake.

    Anyway, EPRDF achieved nothing so far; it is 24 years now AIGA? What did EPRDF do? EPRDF aka woyane held us hostage for 17 years bloody war and now it is selling everything for temporary financial gain and Ethiopians are not happy. I see no Ethiopian happy and you know that for sure unless you wanted to cheat yourself everything is good.

    I do not hate anyone or I am not cynical, but I am sorry I will work now underground to change Ethiopian regime as soon as possible. Expect the un expected. There is too much corruption and this is not Ethiopian and we will not allow this to continue. You can delete our comments from here, but you can not stop our vision for equality, fairness, and egalitarianism. EPRDF is another obstacle for Ethiopian development. We are capable of doing anything we aspire if there is freedom, peace and equality. But we can not allow a bunch of Tigrean from dedebit forcing their 40 year old policy on the poor people of Ethiopia. I personally used to think EPRD did many mistakes because of ignorance, now I do believe EPRDF is a cynical and antiEthiopia government that needs to be removed . We are tired of lies. Our people are leaving every day from Ethiopia, some are in prison in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, … what you tell us is only one sided story. The only two sites that emulate your bad work are Tigraionline and AIGA website. Why there are no many websites aiga who can emulate the good work? You can bribe IMF, BBC, … any media or any American including Obama can say good thing, but the truth about Ethiopia can be only told by Ethiopians. AIGA, onion, sugar, tomatoes, vegetable ,… is scarce in Ethiopia because everything is imported to Saudi Arabia? can you believe it ? The ordinary people in addis today can not find onion,tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, …. People are saying even derg time was better for logistics. Then there was no money to buy things, but you could find everything on the market. Today even buying a meal in addis is a luxury. I think you are measuring the development by observing how corrupt EPRDF members are living? AIGA, you can not hide wrong things forever. You may delete my comment but you can delete the truth. You must understand one day the truth prevail. You can delay it by hiding it and but you can not bury truth forever. Why only Tigrean websites emulate the current government in Ethiopia? why there are no other Ethiopians who are dying in love of EPRDF if EPRDF is good ?
    You must wake up aiga. I do not care about your ethnic aiga but Ethiopia needs a fair system. The stories you are telling us is the story of South Africa. South Africa has the best infrastructure in the world, but the majority of people do not enjoy that infrastructure. Infrastructure can not replace freedom, equality, responsibility, transparency and equality. The building the GERD is not the responsibility of all Ethiopia and the dream of all Ethiopian and there is nothing EPRDF can bluff about. Haileslassie planned to build the dams long ago but because of Egypt he did not succeed. He has done his contribution by divorcing the Ethiopian orthodox church and paved the way for religious independence. Do not deafen us about GERD. The money you have been wasting to buy ports could have been used to Arm Ethiopia with modern weapon and even divert the Nile for large agriculture farm schemes. 50 Billion dolars wasted could have been used to set up modern fighter jet manufacturing facilities and protect Ethiopia from aggressors. AIGA we do not believe you so. Meles was corrupt man who promoted nepotism and who loved power until his death and he never even took a single day off day. What vision did he has? Landlocking Ethiopia?w what was his vision? separating two families including his mother from himself? Tell me what was the vision of he had? Is it the vision of evicting Amhara from other regions based on ethnic a good vision for any country ? I do not understand why you deafen us with so called Meles vision? I see no vision of Meles except division of Meles. You better use your brain than to trying to resurrect the man. Let him rest wherever he is and do not bother us. A man who could not work with his own generals and who manipulated to stay on power until he died and a man who worked day and night to destroy Ethiopia by denying its natural coastal lines and by destroy its international known and effective Navy and Mariners. Please leave us about him. We have brain better than Meles’s.

    • Shabiya never learns, instead of dealing with your own problems back in Asmara, you are trying to be the crying wolf among us. Ethiopia is just fine, almost perfect to us Ethiopians. Myself, as a non Tigrean, do not feel what you try to convey. I love my freedom of religion, my security, my full rights to benefit from the system that our wonderful leadership help create. I can travel in and out of the country as I please, and I am making a lot of money and paying my share taxes. I wish the US was like that, I would have stayed in America forever. Learn from Ethiopia, development is possible while staying democratic. Transparency ultimately benefits oneself, and that is what the EPRDF brought to Ethiopia, where we never seen at the Kings days as well as Derg. In 24 years, what happened in the surrounding countries, no one seems to grow its economy and their stability. Eritrea is growing in cross border migration, where we support them and be brotherly hosts to our brothers and sisters running away from the ruthlessness there.
      Lighten up, join the growth, and you can be happy too.

  9. It’s a fact that the EPRDF has proved itself well above everyone’s expectation. EPRDF’s strength is the fact that decisions are made by many brains and once agreed upon they are strictlly adhered to. Thanks to the founders of the front, the party will continue with the same intelligent path for the coming decades, if not longer. Meles and his comrades did foresee the fallability of human beings, and laid strategy beyond themselves. Many from the outside couldn’t understand it, but the system is self refining and put for the long haul. Personalities won’t matter in the EPRDF’s system, so all smart people should vote for this people serving front of parties.

  10. Correction:The building the GERD is the responsibility of all Ethiopia and the dream of all Ethiopian and there is nothing EPRDF can bluff about.

    I will vote down EPRDF by all fingers and my toes down. You can not talk about democracy while you are on power for 5 terms by claiming you are elected while you are not elected. Please tell the story of election to some body else. Even Mengistu Hailemariam had election every two years and people going to Kebele and casting their ballots. We know it please aiga. If there is democracy you would not be on power for three decades like Gadaffi. EPRDF is Gadaffi party. You must be ashamed to talk of democracy.

    Please do not insult Ethiopian by saying there is democracy in Ethiopia because there is none. If there was democracy you would not be on power for almost three decades. Open your eyes, you hearts and open you ears and listen to other Ethiopians. Come out of your EPRDF or woyane world of me only mindset. If EPRDF could have the vision, Ethiopia could have done with food insecurity today, but Ethiopians are still on food aid. EPRDF leaders live on selling land and national interest.

  11. There are improvements in the economy, electrification, infracture etc. But EPRDF has a cancer…..corruption. officials are corrupt.It is common for civil servants to enroll their kids in the USA paying $ 60000+ per child. They have houses abroad.Every branch of government is held by EPRDF party affilates and members. Due process and good governance is absent. You have millions of young folks that are coming out of colleges with out jobs. This will rapture at some point unless it is managed wisely. It looks like the bath partys of Arab countries. And we know what happened to them.

    • “. . .civil servants to enroll their kids in the USA paying $ 60000+ per child.” kkkk. A couple of examples would be great , to support your claim/accusation. BTW,as it is the case in many democratic and developed countries, it is possible to be a civil servant and a well to do person, with hard work and legitimate source of income from additional business activities that goes along with their position as a civil servant.

  12. yes I well vote for Eprdf !!! but I can’t vote b/c I am Canadian.
    where I live in Canada, you won’t say a word if you don’t vote.
    as a concern Ethiopian origin, with some thump up and down, Eprdf is doing a good job,
    But as a government and as a party needs to chick his Owen back yard instead of foxing on other groups !
    have public trust, the public is watching. your hard work, your good and bad jobs tooooo !
    in my Owen opinion Eprdf and majority of the Ethiopian people are getting to know each other well, having say this the party (government) needs to listen to the people. specially at the Keble and woreda level !!!!!!!
    people are cringe ! they are shouting for justice,
    the farmers, low income citizens have yarning for justice free governance and equality, corruption, miss management and abuser behavior of power is beyond the control of the party (the government).
    as a party and as a government Eprdf have excellent polices and strategies thanks to the beloved pm Meles !!
    and the party is doing exactly what it needs to be done
    WELL DONE ! AND GOOD JOB !!
    but the problem is not on the police of the party, it is on the interpretation of the job on the individuals label….. as a party needs to control his party
    members !!!!!!!!!take harder control and punishment on corruption and embezzlement of public money and public power !
    so Eprdf needs to chick from west down !as pm meles say it we know they are her with as.
    I believe if Eprdf as a party opened its door for crisuthm it well be a political party, that well attract to many people to be member of !!
    having say this, there is no any political party from what I see well challenge Eprdf. for the coming years and years (I am honest) Eprdf parties foundation is grass root, from rural Ethiopia to urban Ethiopia !
    maybe EDPA well be a good challenger in the future. but for now it is not gona happen for years to come !!!
    so Eprdf good job !!!
    also watch out on the Arabs and westerns. her the hart beat of the Ethiopian people ! when you make deals spicaly the Arabs
    long live Ethiopia !!!

  13. The Ethiopian government is relatively accomplished a lot and it is commendable. Some areas, I like to see improved is the retraining of civil servant to deliver a quality work to the customers. That is lacking. Second very important what is the future relationship with Eritrea and the access to sea? In a policy level, create a more Ethiopian-ism tendency than ethnic-ism with attention to keep the historical religions tolerance of our different believes we had in the country. The above three recommendation should be at forefront in the national security level policy similarly as currently the government is rallying the people to fight backwardness, and meet the Millennium development goals.
    In summary create efficient civil servant, access to sea need a legal solution, install Ethiopian-ism feelings than regionalism or ethnic-ism and keep the long-standing religious tolerance. On Egypt, trust but verify. Thank you.

  14. Overall if a have the right I wiil vote in fever for eprdf.that said land locking Ethiopia is a historical mistake done on perpse to give meaning to the meaningless which amounts to treason.in which this generation of Ethiopia must regain came hell high water.

  15. There is no question that eprdf will win for two reasons.
    1. Ethiopia has no relevant and faithfully opposition parties. They are weak and incompetent who have never been in the heart beat of the people. Non of them has a clear policy how the country should free itself from poverty. Their stand on federalism is questionable.
    2. The eprdf has for the last 20 years worked hard to ensure peace and development in the country. Ethiopia is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Ethiopians image has dramatically changed for the better. Ethiopia’s acceptance in the international community has increased many fold. Eighty percent of the population are farmers and they are pro eprdf. For these reasons the eprdf has the opportunity to win with landslide. I for one, even though I support a change of govrnment, for obvious reasons I will vote for the eprdf.

  16. MZ was an exceptionally talented leader and his contribution is remarkable. However, his legacy is mixed. I am afraid his blind obsession to Eritrea’s unjustified cause exceeds his remarkable leadership and commitment to his country,

    • Emba Seloda,
      I totally agree with you. In addition, Meles has never been willing to say “sorry I was wrong.” In the 21 years he stayed in power, I have never heard him say that he was wrong on anything. I think he must have equated admission of mistake to a sign of weakness. I commend him on a lot of things, but his stance on Eritrea and Ethiopia’s historical access to the sea was shameful.

      • Who is Meles? Melese contributed as a individual member of the so called leadership of the TPLF. Everything is the result of the collective leadership and the fruits of those who dedicated their life to bring the rule of law, democratic rights, human rights, socio0economice development in the land of the greater Ethiopia. Peace and stability for all citizens of the country. Collective leadership brings collective outcomes. when we see Meles’s contribution. What make him as a especial figure in the political platform of the country. What I knew about Melese is he was anti Ethiopian-ism, he disunite the country and its people. He used to be well recognized and well known person in the global politics. He was recognition seeker, lust of power and
        very greedy.

  17. Meles God bless him.he was neither Eritrean nor ethiopian he wanted to have it both ways.there is no compromise between the two.any body anything must choose one only one.still there are many in particular in the mind set of de dedbit nakfa anti amhra mentality today even to eprdf excutves including the minister of education.it is a noval to give nations within a nation to have their rights but to be anti amara people is dead wrong.i wonder who the master is?

    • Axumawit,

      PMZ was an exceptional talented leader, however the vision he set for Ethiopia/Africa as if it will be like European Union in his lifetime, and because of this reasons, he thought may be Eritrea situation eventually be solved that way as we will be back and united again voluntarily , but this was wrong. Now, ethiopia is facing with paying million dollars a day for port to Djibouti and as a country and people of Ethiopia lost confidence, Ethiopian government it has to be diplomatic often with Djibouti and Sudan because they can close the port.
      EPRDF must correct the port issue after they win the 2015 election based on Maritime international law access to sea or ….if not it will be a disaster for generations to come. More than 90 million people from having 2 ports to nil, it is just wrong. while I commended PMZ for his other visions he set for the country. He was wrong on his stand as a leader when it comes to Eritrea and access to sea. I am not still convinced on the issue of access to sea despite, I support EPRDF.

  18. First I want to commend Aigaforum for broaching a timely an important issue for debate. Is EPRDF doing well after the untimely death of it’s far-sighte Chairman? Of course it has. Much to the chagrin of its critics, and against all odds the Front has managed to close ranks and swiftly bounce back after Meles’ death. The Front had known all along that Meles’ vision are a sure-fire formula for rapid economic growth so there was no rhyme or reason to change course after the death of Meles.
    The result of strictly adhering to Zenawinomics has thus far been amazing. The economic growth rate continues unabated, inflation down to single digit, food self-sufficiency achieved and Ethiopia on course to meet most of MDGs.

    Though EPRDF has followed the momentum of domestic growth, and though it is also doing fine in the realm of foreign policy, much fine-tuning works need to be completed if Meles’ vision of catapulting Ethiopia into the league of middle-income countries is going to be realised. The maintainence of good governance, the enhancement of the capability of civil servants as well as respects of individual human rights are problem areas which EPRDF needs to address as a matter of urgency.
    Another area which needs attention is EPRDF’s public relations and public diplomacy. As the tract record of the Front amply testifies, it is a party which eschewed promoting its achievements. This avoidance of flagging its achievements, coupled with the undeniable fact that the Front’s communications’ preference is one of reacting, rather than pro-acting to allegations have more often than not caught the government wrong footed.

    We must also not lose sight of the fact that Election 2015 will be the first time that EPRDF will go to the polls without teflon Meles Zenawi as it’s leader. Unfortunately, the onus of proving to the Front, and indeed to the nation, that people will still vote for EPRDF without Meles Zenawi on sight, falls on the shoulders of the Front’s first born-again Christian Chairman, Haile Mariam Desalgn. Many in the Front including his critics still view HMD’s no-nonsense leadership quality as a carbon copy of Meles Zenawi. Election 2015 will therefore be a make or break time for HMD. If he maintains the current massive lead of EPRDF he will go down in the history books of EPRDF as a worthy successor of Neles Zenawi. If, on the other hand, EPRDF performs badly at the next Election it would be near impossible to see HMD continue to lead EPRDF.

    Will I be voting for EPRDF at the next Election? Yes I will. My reason is not because the opposition parties are fractured, but because of EPRDF’s track record of saying what it does, and because I genuinely believe tha it is EPRDF – and not the motley of Ethiopian opposition parties – which have the vision and dedication to maintain law and order in tandem with maintains the current momentum of growth and transformation.
    EPRDF works!

  19. I wonder what talent means?if it is for self interst and illusinoin and a virus is poiseness by it self ingeradisation in which meles was.in the future history will tell the true legacy but the wrongs must be corrected.his canot will not stand like Alula, yo hohans and trodeos but a sales man.

  20. PMZ talente is that after the EPRDF took the country, under his leadership he managed to steer it to the right direction, if he was just an average leader like the previous the king or Mengistu the country could have been disintegrated. Therefore, he must be credited for that achievement kept the country in tack and economically much better than his predecessors, his shortsighted on the access to sea history will not forgive him for made the country dependent on Arab country. This generation or next must correct this mistake by any means Ethiopia needs port or free sea access.

  21. EPRDF is doing really, really good! When we talk about an alternative party, no one comes close to this amazingly great organization. I’ll vote EPRDF not only because of its great performance, but also it scares me to death when I think of the alternative we have at this point and time.

  22. I think the ruling party is doing good his job as long as following Meles´s Blueprint,but what about the issuing of the first government bond??? Where does it lead us… was it also the idea of Meles Zenawi who was the designer of that Blueprint.
    Alarm! Volks, Alarm! Aiga, do you know that 70% of government bond of Greece belong to Germany (before the so-called Euro financial crises). Now the state of Greece has to fulfil the wishes of Germany private Companies.Two years ago,the people of Greece has tried to expose the trick of Germany,but they hav been penalized for not obeying Germany´s order.Now life is so hard in Greece.

    • Meles has given a chance for Ethiopians to a bond and that opportunity is still open for citizens. But, our government has to raise more money to cover the cost of its projects and implement it in a timely fashion. Sale of an international bond is universal. It did not start with Ethiopia alone. Even USA sales it bonds to China, Canada, Japan and other European countries who helped them to bail out their economy which was in shambles 2008. So please don’t suggest that this is a breach of Meles doctrine. If he was alive, he would have done it based on sovereign credit rating our economy by international agencies such as Moody, Fitch, Standard and Poor. So we have to globalize the scope of our economy in order to draw investors, foreign currency and speed up implentation of our projects.

  23. Aigaforum, thankyou again for this very important topic !!!
    Eprdf After PM MELLES : I THINK THE SECOND GENERATION OF THE EPRDF IS DOING FINE. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE CONTINUED PLANS AND PLUE PRINTS OF THE PARTY, IT IS WORKING REMARKABLY.
    THE TRANSITION OF POWER FROM ONE GENERATION OF EPRDF TO THE NEXT GENERATION IS EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL. THERE IS A WONDERFUL INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION .THE GTP THE BRAIN CHILD OF PM MELLES IS KICKING .FDI IS BOOMING , THE GENERAL ELECTRIC , KKR ARE INVESTING AND MORE THAN THREE HUNDRED COMPANIES ARE INVESTING, INVESTING AND INVESTING.
    INFLATION, THE BIG BEAST IS DOWN TO FIVEAND HALF PERCENT .WE HAVE ACHIEVED FOOD SECURITY IN THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF OUR HISTORY.
    COME ON GUYS WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT ???????

  24. I guess there is a confusion of democracy within EPRDF. Democracy is not a faultless system per se. Important is the check & balance in it is working. Even the honerable Meles had a lot of faults, yet he was a able to manage it. Now a days, however, the ruling party is harassing and intimidating the private press whenever they pop up with clear blunders. This is a dangerous development with unpredictable outcome. Instead the party should be bold enough to let government officials be exposed, whenever a reasonable suspect is raised against them, they should resign and fight it out like any one else. Case in point, imagin for a second Ermias had raised his issues on credible press like The Fortune for that matter on your web site, the issue would have not ended without a significant shuffel among the ranks of the rulling party. Only if this is garantied and no one is above the low the country has a bright future. If a high government official holds a meeting between privat sector, parlament, police and judges, for even a noble idea let alone for ones own advantage, it remains a highly constitutional blunder! To cover it and put it under the rag with a foolish reasoning will not solve the problem; instead increase the no of induviduals who doubt on the entire system slowely but surely. High calliber officials should be sacked not only due to internal squabble but should also resign when the public has doubt on them!

    In a long run this will help to mitigate a lot of injustice and to adjust the unbalanced distribution of high positions prevails everywhere at the moment.

    • Yes, nobody is above the law. That includes EPRDF officials as well as Journalists, bloggers, commentators, and opposition party leaders. Responsible journalism is unbiased and checks its sources very well before it airs the news or puts it on a print media. Officials also cannot abuse and misuse their authority. Opposition parties also cannot misrepresent the facts by breaching the constitution. They have to abide by it until they get a chance to amend it when they are in power through peaceful election. Everyone is expected to play by the rules.

      • what, b/c there are wrong doing from the oppostion, the government is legitimate to abuse the constitution? in the first place each case must be considered independent of the other. There are enough proof the other side is harrased and hindered, what bemused and wondered is how easily some officials stays above the low in the presence of obvious evidences. Pretainding my dear is not wise, in a long run it may definetely have a bad conseqence for all of us.

  25. Ethiopia and its present capable leadership are moving forward in peace building; in economic progress and in Ethiopia’s democratic aspiration. They are smoothly and efficiently executing Melese’s and the people’s vision. I am extremely content about the overall situation of Ethiopia.
    I ask the leadership Ethiopia:-
    – To humbly, consistently, tenaciously continue ALD to rally the people of Ethiopia to defeat poverty and build peaceful, prospers Ethiopia.
    -To never compromise in present golden principle of Ethiopia but engage constructively with any force.
    -To find a ways slowly but surely in building a both public and private powerful indigenous enterprise for huge enterprises is the back bone of the world economy.

  26. Thank you Aigaforum for raising an important issue on the eve of an election. But the assumption is huge, the assumption is that there is a free and fair election, which is a dream.
    True between 2004 and 2012 the EPRDF has got about 11% growth rate, largely funded by donor funds, but that growth has not benefitted the population. Just last week the World Bank lent to Ethiopia some 600 million for social safety net where about 8.5 million people need support. The growth is declining in recent years and the debt is accummulating. Corruption is rampant and the country is divided todate along ethnic and religious lines than it ever had seen it in its history. Thanks to TPLF/EPRDF Ethiopia has become a country of 90 million people who are landlocked. Inflation is double digit, migration and unemployment is massive, and devaluation is highly probable. The Amharas, Oromos, Southerns (other than some Wolaitas) are unhappy. Even Tigrai itself is not happy as the recent fact finding tour of the elders has indicated. HMD does not have a vision nor the street smartness of Meles. He needs to go. The TPLF must look for a new leadership with a reformist agenda. If Ethiopian’s have the chance to elect their government freely, certainly it cannot be EPRDF.

    • We saw that Obama took over an economy which was in recession when replace Bush junior. However, he turned around the economy into growth, created jobs and reduced unemployment from 9% to 6%. Why Ethiopian leadership does not try to create massive jobs to our young graduates in partnering with private companies by giving them some tax incentives and by coming up with conducing policies for those who hire them. Many young graduates are very frustrated of unemployment and they are become victims of propaganda of opposition party or they are migrating to unknown destinations overseas and risking their lives. EPRDF must take unemployment issue very seriously. The only reason EPRDF can win this election comfortably is because there are no viable, tested and well-organized opposition parties. We should be watching how we deal and work with China. They are very shrewd people who dump cheap and inferior quality products. So we have to be careful to evaluate every step in the projects that are run by Chinese. We need well trained Ethiopians who can catch their mistakes. They can send sand instead of precious material or imitation material as opposed to the proper one. That costs our tax payers and devastates our young entrepreneurs. So strong quality assurance and testing mechanisms must be in place during, importing, exporting and in all activities carried out by Chinese. We have to intensify our fight against corruption as it is waged already by EPRDF. But, someone are released and their cases are dismissed due to lack of evidence. Evidences must be protected and secured in archives and records before they are destroyed by the crooks who compromise our integrity. But, your assumption that only Wolaitas are happy simply because HMD is a premier does not make sense at all. This man cannot even do special favors to his own immediate family let alone all Wolaitas by virtue of his ethnicity. When someone is entrusted an authority, he/ she is chosen by competency and prior experience to do the best he/ she can for Ethiopia as a country, but not for his/ her ethnic group. If that is your mindset, it is very wrong. When meles was on power he did not make any special favors to Tigrai people, but he accomplished his vision and goals for the whole country. Besides, everyone is unique and different. Therefore, HMD cannot be Melese as Meles cannot be HMD. I think EPRDF is working very successfully as a team and it knows how to put its house in order. When you advise EPRDF to remove HMD from premiership, you are trying to create some type animosity among EPRDF members, in which case only the opposition parties will benefit in the division and chaos created within EPRDF. There are so many competent and experienced members within EPRDF, and what is important is for the party to win the election in tandem without any bickering and then discuss about individual persons at a later stage.

  27. Yes I will vote for EPRDF, because I didn’t see any good political oposition grubs other than EPRDF government all of them have narrow political view and heat rated .

  28. Life after Meles still kicking, yes we can do it is the attitude of Ethiopians. The backward old thinking, is gone for good.

  29. Meles’ vision is still ongoing and it is a living document. Millennium Development Goal is still on track whether it takes longer that anticipated due to certain internal and external factors. EPRDF is right on the bull’s eyes in carrying out the vision successfully. It is fighting tooth and nail against corruption and brought to book the culprits regardless of their status in the society. It is working hard to increase foreign direct investment and economic growth. It is fighting against internal and external terrorists who operate clandestinely in the name of opposition party and it maintained stability and peace of our country which is the corner stone of our progress, development, and growth. As of now, EPRDF is highly competent party to govern and lead our country into a green pasture, peace, democracy, and development by protecting the rights of all peoples, nations and nationalities of Ethiopia without any discrimination of one group against another. Therefore, I will vote for EPRDF party and leadership without any reservation.

  30. Dear Aiga,
    Thank you for this opportunity.
    Meles was an exceptional leader. He is one of those energetic and charismatic international figures that come ones in a lifetime and when they pass away they leave a huge legacy behind them, Although it is near impossible to replace Meles like for like, The EPRDF under PM HMD is doing just as well to fulfill the party’scommitment to develop Ethiopia.
    Great things have taken place in Ethiopia in the last 20 years that previous regimes couldn’t achieve in over 100 years,
    20 years is still not a long time for a full fledged democracy to operate in Ethiopia given the fact that we were under feudal and military dictatorship for many decades.
    Some commentators above either seem to think democracy is something you buy and install from the US or Europe or they are advocates of enemy countries masquerading here as Ethiopians. However since most of the messengers of doom and gloom do not have the right to vote as they have foreign passports what they say can be taken with a pinch of salt or ignored altogether.
    The people of Ethiopia know who is working for them and who is working against them.
    On the question of the Red Sea

    So far the loss of the ports although regrettable, in my opinion, their impact on Ethiopia’s development has been negligible. In the future, when the time is ripe for faster growth the economy might benefit from a cheaper outlet. If that happens to be Assab then future governments of both countries will deal with it, hopefully with out any armed conflict. For my part I will not urge the Ethiopian government to go to war and sacrifice lives for something that has an alternative. None of those who are shouting ‘Port”will not do the fighting themselves. They are just talking from a position of safety.
    Meles was a mere 9 or 10 years old when the struggle to separate Eritrea began. Eritrea was actually lost during the Imperial and the military dictatorship, who failed to meet the demand for fairness and equity. They demands as in the rest of Ethiopia was responded by bombardment,death and destitution, I can’t see how separation helped the Eritrean people. but it didn’t harm Ethiopia at present.
    Crying for split milk year in year out and blaming Meles doesn’t solve the problem.
    In the absence of credible well organized opposition that has a mass base in Ethiopia, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the ERPDF wins in the next election,Even if the opposition were well organized. their reliance of the diaspora makes it luck accountability. So far it has proved to be a well oiled machine that could sail rough waters through its collective leadership.

  31. The Ethiopian people are enjoying the fruits/Legacy of Great Late Meles, Federalism where every Ethiopian ethnic group/Nationalities is self-governed.

    Unfortunatley the Ethiopain Somali Region is governed and hijacked by the remnent of Siad Barre military and returned ONLF tribal militia.

    We need the Ethiopian Fedral government to intervene and help the mutli Somali Ethiopian clans have an inclusive Regional Government, instead of current Ogden clan dominated Government, of Mohamed Abdi Omar.

    May God Bless Meles’s soul and the Ethiopian People.
    .

  32. what is the propaganda about an individual Ethiopia is not will not be defined by one person.every leader will be judged in future history of the nation.meles God bless him was a very complex man he has done good for Ethiopia at the same time he was an excellent ambassador of eritrea.to give all credit to him amounts to undermine the eprdf current leadership in which they are doing an extraordinary work.it is called collective leadership.like it or not mele’s legacy will be associated with so called eritrea from the time he was in dedbit till his death including most Tplf leadership except those who are telling the truth today.Ethiopia’s progress to greatness will continue no matter what.

  33. Dearest Aiga,
    Many thanks for the opportunity. I consider the late charismatic Prime minister, Meles Zenawi, as one of the last generation progressive thinkers of the country. Unlike many selfless Ethiopians, he was fortunate enough not only to have survived the political quagmire of that epoch, the era or the blood drenched Derg led Ethiopia, but also to team up with his comrades, win the battle and transform the country into a new path. Although all people contribute and PM Meles Zenawi’s contributions would NOT have been realized without his political organization, it is important to note all political institutions are the making of persons, and due to the learned or innate qualities, individual contributions differ. PM Meles had distinctive desirable attributes, and those unique qualities have roles in shaping the making of prosperous and democratic republic. Those human qualities are inseparable to that of the political organization, and it becomes imperative when assessing the political behavior of EPRDF.
    Inarguably Prime Minister was visionary, workaholic, goal and priority focused with unflinching dedication and ironclad discipline. He lived for the realization of the mission objective of the organization and the evidence is sufficed in the country’s overall political, social and economic realities. As nothing is more difficult than taking the right action at a very challenging time, PM Meles’ political discourse was not a choice but a necessary to avert the grimy situation of the time. Of course humans, including political leaders are not infallible.
    He formed thorough and comprehensive understanding of the underlying cause/s to the state of Ethiopia. He (individually or as a team) identified, convinced and devised fitting venues to remediate the socio-political and economic woes of the country. He argued and persuaded critical mind by presenting compelling arguments and soon after that he stayed on course. While using force in the name of national zeal to solve emerging problems was a shared political mantra for Ethiopian leaders, presenting such farsighted vision and disseminate it among the society shows wise leadership. We must add the multidimensional demands of many stakeholders at the time and the all-inclusive, painstaking approaches EPRDF followed to soothe, tame and earn the trust of the people and prevent the unthinkable was the work of capable leader.
    EPRDF should continue overcoming poverty because a poor society is prone to all social maladies, including to the influence of foreigners. Yet, if new challenges arise, the party should not hesitate from taking appropriate actions to defend the interest of the republic. Political approaches are always continues by nature, and the government ought to develop preventive measures to deal with emerging national, regional and global possibilities. During its next meeting, EPRDF should make authentic organizational self-assessment on the rubrics it had prepared and look at its performance both from its behavioral objective and strategic points and take adequate actions for the goodness of the country. Even though PM Meles was a capable leader the efficacy of a political institution should not be contingent to one person; I believe EPRDF has capable leaders within.
    Since the untimely death of PM Meles, I do not see any policy shift except difference in style. I believe PM Hailemariam Dessalegn has resumed the good work, including on the economy of the country and the recent acknowledgement from IMF and major statesmen is self-evident. In this rubric, EPRDF has done amicable performance in all developmental areas. As many reliable data validate, the country’s overall growth in all development sector is beyond question.
    Although some of the earlier project plans have not achieved their targeted goals, many are on the right path. Addressing the achievements of EPRDF takes time. The policies encompass from federalism to education, from solar/hydroelectric power to transportations, from rural health preventive centers to telecommunication and from investor conducive policy to the role of government in alleviating poverty. In the political area, the government has continued the same policies and Ethiopia commands respectable diplomatic relation among Eastern/Western countries alike and the numbers of head of states that are visiting the country is a testimony. One should pay attention to the state of Shabia and its possible end. True, many in the enemy quarters were drumming hard and loud salivating something gloomy will hover over Ethiopia but the wise leadership has emaciated all of that. Although the new leadership had needed time to develop the type of personal influence PM Meles had and his bond with influential world leaders, it has now reached and Ethiopia is now in a good hand. EPRDF’s greatest achievements is completing the ongoing mega projects including the Abay Dam in time. Upon competition the Djibouti Addis Ababa then to Oromia and Amhara, and Tajura Mekelle, rail roads, the Renaissance and Gilgel Gibe 3 dams, the fertilize, the sugar factories under construction enterprises will have marked roles to fast develop Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Airlines too has become one of the top African Airlines and the plans it has started both in expanding its on ground facilities and adding more modern passenger planes is affirmative to the policies of the ruling party. The competency and agility of Ethiopian Intelligence and defense forces is also another area to see the effectiveness of EPRDF’s policy.

    Weakness:
    EPRDF has poor public relations and this flaw has hampered disseminating its just objective to wider audiences. In some instances, its officials and the media are more reactive instead of proactive. The television programs and some of the media outlets including Walta and ENA lucks qualities. At times they present unfounded article (as news) and they do not correct it. It is imperative to note fast, well presented (form and substance) news is part of the good public relation. Effective public relation, among others, includes disseminating news worthy presentations that shows the good image of Ethiopia to all quarters and EPRDF is deficient on it.
    Agar States: Agar does not mean equal partner. EPRDF should support the regions (Somali, Afar and probably others as well) to become equal partners in the national’ political arena. Although additional efforts to meet the developmental needs of these states are being made, I see its inability to help the inhabitants of the states to form functional political institutions as a weakness.
    EPRDF should walk more than half of the road to reach out and encourage the hate free native political organizations. It is important to accustom working with political parties that have different ideologies. There are always some national areas for working together and such approach will have the clout to break the taboo. It should be considered as a sign of good will and strength. In fact, it would be good to cordially invite some of them at state dinners, share some policy decisions and seek idea information on national substances. Such attitudes develop trust and ownership. Further, EPRDF should seriously think about assigning responsibilities including some cabinet none political posts.
    The issue of corruption and backward bureaucracy are areas EPRDF is lagging behind to address. Transparency and accountability should be promoted.

  34. What is the meaning of economic growth when you can’t even supply enough electricity for the capital city-Addis? In any city or small town in Ethiopia, you have to be lucky to have 2 days of continuous electricity in your house in a week. Service is disrupted every 3-4 hrs and no end in cite to this problem. On the other hand the EPRDF government is exporting electricity to Djbouti. You put your people in darkness and export electricity to foreigners. This is what EPRDF calls Economic growth How pathetic!

    I support the HEDASSIE DAM, but I have started to ask myself -what is the guaranty the power generated from the dam is used by the Ethiopian people. May be EPRDF will export it to neighboring countries while the Ethiopian people continue to use KURAZ for lightning their homes.

    • Of course there is electric shortage in Ethiopia but that does not preclude the fact over 2,300 MW are generated and the country is working hard to produce more so that demands can be met.
      It is wise to know Ethiopia is trying do many essential things at the same time. Just to fully understand the electric subject, any rational person can understand erecting huge hydroelectric dams, laying long transmission cable lines and distributing it to the consumer needs huge money, most of which is hard currency. Currently there are three hydroelectric dams and one solar energy power under construction. The two will be completed in less than a year and the rest two years after. In a poor country such as Ethiopia in which all of the basic things were absent requires huge finance and skill human capital. Many Ethiopians do not know but the country possess no known high value natural resources. What we have is the usual agriculture products, and some mining. Although the total agriculture product exports have increased in volume (reaching a little over 3 billion), considering the demands of the 96 million people, it is not satisfactory. As the comprehensive ongoing projects are meant to extricate poverty out of Ethiopia and once completed there will be far reaching betterment in the lives of all Ethiopians. When you look at the roads, education institutions, mass focus health institutions, the use of the available resources (whatever it may be), you will understand the work under progress are conducive of development.

      • Sir, I disagree with you 100%. Stop this lame excuse of we have no oil or mineral. Please stop this useless lame excuse. The majority of countries have no what Ethiopia have. What Ethiopia did not have is not mineral or oil but Ethiopia’s problem is lack of leader, it is not money sir. There is no human or country that is made with money. The people make the money, not money make people rich. Ethiopia has fresh water which is more valuable than any amount of oil deposit or mineral deposit. Ethiopia is endowed with natural resources, the water only without considering any other resources. Many countries sell their water to feed their people, and to treasure their natural fund, example Losethu sells its fresh water from the mountains of Losethu to South Africa. South Africa pays hard cash and gets clean, pristine water. USA pays Canada hard cash and USA gets it clean water. you love begging Sir. you are beggars and creating false, baseless excuse we have no money, we have no oil, we have no this and that lame and baseless excuse. I have seen many countries, did not see a country as rich as Ethiopia. Law abiding people, rich culture, disciplined people, washed by water but lead by beggars, parasites only. Ethiopia’s problem is people like you who cry not having oil or gold as if gold and oil is valuable than fresh water. If oil or mineral could make countries rich? then DRC congo has the highest mineral deposit and oil deposit on the planet and the highest amount of fresh water not only in Africa but in the entire world. Congo fresh water can supply the entire world fresh water for 100 years and the oil, the mineral is also more than anywhere in the world. Really there is no rich country like DRC Congo but it is the poorest country now with mercenary making the people fight among each other to control their resources. I do not wana hear this crap no oil or no money crap theory. You stole 11 billion dollars and you have spent 50 billion dollars to buy ports ? by refusing to use and own Ethiopia’s natural sea coastal line. You the cause of poverty in Ethiopia and people or leaders like you are the cause of poverty in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is not poor. Its leaders are uneducated, unliberated, backward, selfish, corrupt. This is the cause of poverty in Ethiopia. I hate to hear your crap theory of we have no money as if all people are born with money. Even the Arabs are making money out of the toxic oil? why not make money from the living giving fresh water than begging to use your own water? Dammit, I hate people like you with crab theory of their weaknesses. Baby cry, while you are stealing money you begged in the name of the poor people. Shameful

        • Aite GezaEe
          One of the good things in democratic credo is the space it provides for people not only to reflect in rather imaginary or idealistic ways but also to lie to certain degree. Hence, it is your prerogative to use semantic inversions to squeeze or soften, stretch or shrink, put it high or burry any inscrutable statement. I must add though such behaviors bring no desired outcome. If your disagreement to the points I tried to raise is 100%, then I see no reason to waste your time. You owe your thought processes to yourself and you have the right to use it in ways you think right.
          “What is wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it. Right is still right, even if no one else is doing it.” William Penn

        • Gezaee
          You never agreed on anything since I know you, & you are doing the same thing with Abelxyz “I disagree 100%” disagreeing with everybody satisfies you all the time! Meles had shown the people how to change themselves , hence the people took Meles’ strategy for granted! You can’t count anything that you have done for the people, but we see you here crying foul all the time! The EPRDF has accomplished so much while are crying foul all over! What a waste!!

      • To Abelxyz:

        You didn’t tell us why EPRDF is exporting electric power to Djibouti, while the Ethiopian people are living in darkness, with severe power shortage?

        What is the guaranty the electric power from the HEDASSIE DAM will not be exported before the Ethiopian people get enough power supply? Can you answer these questions?

        • Tedi: Ethiopia exports about 50 MW electricity to Djibouti but it is done during low demand time in Ethiopia. I tried to emphasize the importance of getting foreign currency so that to cover the needs of the country such as fertilizer, oil, and many others including the different materials needed to complete the ongoing mega projects. Another factor for the decision is the fact the two countries are developing strong bond, a bilateral relations that leads to a possible unity.
          For the novice person, such action looks as if the government pays more attention to neighboring countries instead of its own people. But if you look at it meticulously it is a far sighted people focus strategic decision. By the way, we should be cognizant the policy makers live among the people, inside the country, and experience the electric interruption. If the action was detrimental, they would not have done it. The long term solution to meet the material need of the people is increase the supply line, and if you are privy to the overall ongoing projects throughout the country, the government is endeavoring to do just that.
          Once the Gilgil Gibe dam is completed and becomes fully operational, and the needed transmissions and cables are in place, I do not believe Ethiopia will ever face power interruption. Of course, as Ethiopia’s population is nearing to surpass 100 million and the total electric power that is harnessed is around 4,100 MW, the country needs a lot more. Yet, soon after the completion of Gilgil Gibe, there are more in the line including the big one and another two (one solar and another hydroelectric).
          In addition to keeping Ethiopians in dark, the short power supply hampers the country’s overall development as factories and other services are forced to decrease or halt production. Hence, I do not believe the government will ever export power to foreign countries in manners that compromise the local need.

          • Abelxyz,

            Thanks for some helpful numbers and facts in current electric power supply in the country. I also hope the power supply will improve once the new projects are completed.

            However, I found it hard to believe that the Ethiopian government is exporting electricity power to Djibouti only when there is “low demand in Ethiopia” as you put it here. There is no low demand for electricity in Ethiopia at all. Actually there is only high demand at any given time. That is why you see power shortages and interruptions.

            Also, I doubt it whether the EPRDF government leaders experience electricity power interruptions in their homes. First of all the power interruptions do not occur where government officials live. Even if they do, at least, the officials may have government-funded generators that run by government oil. I’m pretty sure, had they experienced power regular power interruptions in their homes, they could have spoken in public like the rest of the Ethiopian population.

            On buying friendship by selling power to Djibouti, I still argue that this shouldn’t be done by leaving the Ethiopian people in the dark. The primary responsibility of a government is for its own people first, not for a neighboring country. I know that we are begging Djibouti too much, because we don’t have our own port, and Djibouti is now making us pay dearly, over $1.5 billion port fee /year, and the cost is growing everyday.

  35. Reflecting retrospectively on the achievements of the last two decades shows phenomenal contribution to the improvement of the livelihood of our people.Nevertheless,protracted struggle is required at all levels to combat the rampant corruption and cronism perpetuated by some of our leaders.If this is not addressed seriously prior to the elections the electorate can either not register for voting or even if registered may not come in droves to elect EPRDF or come in droves but cast a protest vote to the opposition.On the other hand we need to strive to emulate free and fair election by being transparent in our dealings with the opposition,by presenting responsible and accountable candidates nominated by the constituency in consultation with our party apparatus.Let us avoid imposing our wills in contravention to the will of the people.I believe this was what Meles was time and again pronouncing.

    • Wait & see the election Mr/Ms! The government is doing its best for the country to get out of poverty, therefore, I think the EPRDF have done very good in 22 years! Look at the farmers progress! Farmers are the majority, & hence, they are harvesting more than triple of what they had been harvesting 23 years ago! The EPRDF started from zero ! Compare where they are now! Almost every farmer grows fruits & veggies in his/her backyard!

      I agree the EPRDF must fight corruption! Corruption is a destructive poison to a developing country like ours! Therefore , the corrupted & the corrupting individuals must be felt with harshly !

      Ethiopia is blessed!

  36. Aiga, first of all I appreciate your effort to bridge the gap between all Ethiopian by giving your forum as a formidable medium. I said this because there aren’t enough media out let where by the public can openly express its opinions. Your medium also mainly and usually focus on the achievements of Ethiopian government here and there and does not accommodate public opinions in a regular basis.

    Until recently, I was a supporter of EPRDF from the bottom of my heart, but not any more. It is, because, EPRDF in my opinion has lost the plot. I still have many friends and relatives who are both members as well as supporters. I see them working the whole day long, from dawn, until midnight, with out any exaggeration. I know many ardent members of the party who believe one day the country will become; middle income earning, land of opportunity, strong in defence, equal political representation, universal suffrage, women emancipation, youth representation, resource sharing and many more others. I would like you Aiga and the readers to ask yourself genuinely, which one of the above and many more, have we actually managed to achieve? Where are we heading? Do we have a government that represent the entire population? is the parliamentarian representation based on merit? Can we say our members of parliament knowledgeable enough to lead us and the country? Do all citizens share resources equally? How about foreign education or scholarship chances are shared?( one can read recent Ethiopian reporter editorial). What is the principle of equal opportunity for all? Why do we have internal as well as external migration? Although I believe the right of all Ethiopian to the pursuit of happiness through travelling in every part of the country, I can’t stop myself questioning the magnitude of the influx of the rural citizens in to the capital. When we ask and when we suggest our opinion, it would be interpreted in to something else. Or may be labelled as ‘DERG’ reminiscent, narrow minded, e.t.c

    Dear Aiga, do you realise how many members of diaspora now have gone to silent majority? Do you ask why? Do you ask embassies and can they actually and truthfully tell that they enjoy half or even quarter as much of the audience that were ten years or so ago? Where did they go and why? I myself write to you today but not any more. This might be my last comment coz there is no point in writing and commenting if there is no listener from the other side. Am not saying there is no development in the country but it could have been even better if the maximum majority was to be approached? Many think that EPRDF’s big wigs are untouchable and unreachable where at the same time the low ranking cadres are thought to have been lacking knowledge. The irony is, it is them who are running the country as they are close to the public. They make decisions after decisions and the public go ballistic. Thus, the government and the public are cat and mouse.

    Aiga, you may say I am a liar, but try and conduct a survey in every region free of intimidation and you will soon find out. Alternatively, you can organize a survey using independent anthropologist and can have a genuine feeling of the public. Am afraid, there is no time for complacency for any one of us let alone the government.
    Derg was hated and eventually over thrown by the people mainly because of its arrogance; dis respecting public opinion.

    Many developed countries are represented by the best of their educated individuals. They work their socks off for their country and people above and beyond the narrow party line. Where as, in our country the trend is different. One would serve his back sides off not for the public, but for the party. How can we blame our citizens for hating party politics as it does not mean anything for them.
    Be that as it may, the importance of the political party in our country is unquestionable. I personally think EPRDF can change things for the better and the ball is in its yard. The 2007 E.C election is yet another ample opportunity for doing so. I hope and pray that we can see some vibrant members of parliaments who can make things happen both at home and abroad. I hope and pray that our country Ethiopia can be represented by vibrant, eloquent members of parliament who can stand head and shoulder above their African peers. I hope and pray that we shall have a national consensus, peace, tranquillity and above all sustainable development.

    Long live Ethiopia

  37. AIGA:
    Permaculture is not a new thing. Permaculture is not the farming of crops, animals together. this practice have been already in Ethiopia for more than 40 000 years. Ethiopia know more than anyone about permaculture than anyone. But we love to hear things from outside. Permaculture is farming animals and crops together. The crops provide fodder to the animal and the animals provide fertilizer or Dukie or manure. What happens is you plant trees which can provide fodders to animals and the animals provide manure. It also includes planting of different crops together, for example some of the crops make natural fertilizer by fixing free nitrogen gase from the air and make nitrate for the other crops. This includes legumes, and trees like Leucina, flamboyant trees. It is like having chicken and garden together where the garden provides food for the chicken and the chicken provides manure. This also includes viticulture, floriculture,apicutlure, together with animals. Nothing new at all. But we love to hear something from outside

  38. Thanks to EPRDF’s leadership, Ethiopia is becoming destination for foreign investors. This is because the high economic growth of the country for the past ten years in double digit. The country managed to rise all the way from the bottom to become one of the fastest growing non-energy-driven economies in the world.
    As a governing party, the EPRDF government brought down the mortal rate among children under the age of five by over 65%. The United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) including the World Bank verified that Ethiopia has reduced child death by more than two thirds over the past decades. As a matter of fact, United Nations documented that in the year 1990, over 200 children in every 1,000 died before the age of five but by the year 2012, the rate had dropped to 68. EPRDF also made it possible for nations and nationalities to govern themselves. This is exceptional and outstanding result!! In addition, we should note that EPRDF’s most important accomplishment is fighting poverty.
    As a political party, EPRDF has proven to be a stable political party. As a result of EPRF’s leadership, Ethiopia has been able to achieve peace and stability even though it is surrounded by unstable countries such as Somalia and Eritrea.
    There is no doubt that EPRDF is capable to carry on PM Meles’s vision. Seeing is believing. I am not sure what else I can say on this.
    I agree 100% that EPRDF is doing well in managing the Ethiopian economy. Ethiopia is achieving double digit economic growth.
    The greatest achievement of the EPRDF government since PM Meles died is how the party is managing/controlling Al-Shabaab, Somalia’s Terrorist Group. Al-Shabaab is getting weaker and weaker. The weakness I see with EPRDF is the handling of the Eritrean Government. The Eritrean regime continues to train terrorist elements to destabilize Ethiopia. What is EPRDF waiting for? There is now enough evidence that the regime in Eritrea is providing material support and training camps to terrorist elements.
    And of course, I would vote for EPRDF if I could.

  39. @Nyala Hadaro
    What the hell are you talking? you said “sale of an international bond is universal.” what is that? Do you know that China owns over 2 trillion $ USA government debt.Nobody need usa´s toxic bond now.Do you have any clue what happened with south European Countries?. By the way united states of Cooperation will be bankrupted in the near future.
    Peace!

  40. Halay,

    Dear Aiga what is democracy? Is it ice cream or bullet or right of speech or occupation of other country land or interferring of other country politics, and/or firing bullets to killed people or what i said believe and accept…etc.? First answer the follwing questions? And then we will go the vote and election ; without solving these problems, things become more worest for the people of Ethiopia and neighbouring country. Do you make fool the people of Ethiopia by invading peoples country , that causes the lost of economy and leading to poverity, and still the people are hoping to fight with Eritrea and get back, that is a dark dream, since one country recognized by international law and keep their flag at the UN, and over the world for 24 years for quarter centure and don’t fool the people by this propagand to win the vote and i know the opsition party they have the same ideology, but they never ever win the vote.
    Best regards,
    Yonas

    • Ata Halay

      Nybaela hariruwas ny seb tekhuws elom Deqi Tigrai! You guys have totally lost yourself ! You have better to get lost than blabbing here!

    • Dear Haregeweyn,

      don’t interfere in any country affairs such as Somalia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Djibouti, …etc., that makes our country worts and corrupted in money or personal intereset loss of self confidence, and you don’t trust your self by making decision or you don’t believe yourself. As i undrstood you you don’t have good political knowledge,or you have inferiority complex, others they are better than you. You need them to be like you dull and back ward iving in dark room with out bed, toilet in the grass house when raining too easily to collaps, may be you read my massage when you are drunk alcohol, piss of your “ABOLA” and drug of confusion made you to understand thing wrong. Do’n mix your shit politics with other country.

      Halay

  41. EPRDF is doing fine so far in all aspects! The bottom line is: Ethiopia doesn’t have a choice political party! All of the so called opposition are there to satisfy their power thirst! They have no plans, on unity , no dedications, nothing that can give a strength to get to the top! Therefore, to this day EPRDF is the only one which can sustain the nations nationalities & peoples of ethiopia in a United way! There is no way back to the savage way of government!
    Unity in diversity is the only choice for ethiopia!
    To understand the success of the EPRDF , it takes to see Ethiopia where it was 23 years ago & where it is now! Over 32 universities , farmers at least tripled their produces, ethiopian nomads are much better off than ever, the hydro electric power generation, the changed mindset of the young generation,….! Therefore, all we want from the EPRDF is , the must work hard to fight corruption ! Corruption can stagnate our development

  42. Endeavor! We know there are many anti nations, nationalities & people’s of ethiopia hiding with in the government creating so much obstacles against our development endeavor, hence the govermment must find out as soon as possible!
    God bless Ethiopia!

  43. Dear AIGA,
    Thank you for organizing this timely important discussion topic forum. I have enjoyed all the ideas and reflection posted. Most important, the discussion so far was very civil, no name calling and no personal attack. This is very healthy discussion. Every Ethiopians, irrespective of their political view should be welcomed to air their view as long as no name calling and insult and personal attack. AIGA, please do not censure anyone as long as the discussion is healthy and as I suggested above.
    Now, as member of the silent majority I have been looking for outlet and venue to air my view for a long time. Here is my view-

    Ethiopia has achieved significant progress for the last 10 years, the progress is not just a double digit economy growth but significant development in health sector, education, human development and environmental success stories. The federal system has mobilized and empower people to manage and administer their own business and culture which is very commendable success. Meles was the master mind for the whole economic success story. Actually, had it not for the human right issue in Ethiopia, Meles should have been awarded a Nobel prize for bringing Ethiopia to higher economic success from dust. His idea to build the dam by Ethiopian and to bring Ethiopia by 2025 to middle income level was single highhandedly his vision. His vision for green economy is master class.
    Unfortunately, Meles is not a saint and as human being he had his failure, a failure of major significance that changed the Ethiopian map and history. Some of the panels has described about losing the port Assab and for being land locked. The loss was not just losing Assab, but also the , the only Ethiopian refinery with value in billion dollars, strategic red sea resource like the fishery, undersea resource and the loss of naval defense. How did Meles as brilliant as he is screwed up with this blunder????? I still don’t understand. I believe early on, the TPLF was leaning with idea of “Tigray Tigrigne” which is creating of a state of Tigringna speaking in both Tigray and Eritrea. That may be the corner stone for core reason that the TPLF and including Meles strongly supported the colonial question of EPLF. Ethiopia colonized its own historical region, called the region of “Bahir Negash”, an absurd a shameful distortion of history. It’s a shame, I personally feel this shamefulness whenever I see the map of Ethiopia.
    It’s is good to recognize every ethnic right and self determination in dealing its culture and administrating. however, an ethnically federal system with Article 39 which includes session is just a recipe for a disaster and time bomb for foreseeable future. Yugoslavia was more united than the current Ethiopia so also the USSR, but ethnic thing are so easily exploitable even in these countries let alone in Africa. Can you imagine right now in Ethiopia you have to have an ID card that shows your ethnicity? I guessed we still didn’t learn for Rwanda. If you have been to born from mixed ethnic parent and you are going to choose for one ethnicity for your ID.
    Now , in Ethiopia, a mausoleum is planned to be built for Meles and I don’t have a problem with that as long as it will also reflect his accomplishment as well as his failure. Because this history is important for the next generation to learn their history in both positive and negative, clearly to be realistic.
    The underline problem of all this is the failure of lack of check and balance system, back in 1991, the lack of viable opposition parties, and generally the lack of democratic principle. This example can be repeated again if we failed to built such intuitions.

  44. Dear Aiga,

    It is good of you guys to open this dialogue. Appreciate.

    Honestly speaking, no one can be sure if EPRDF since Meles is has changed for better or worst. I say this because I think there is change since change is the only constant in a dynamic and vibrant system which Ethiopia is in today. Meles left the country with a vibrant economy and vibrant spirit.

    Meles has left the party with a very challenging task. The party is left to manage a very cumbersome economy that needs a constant grooming. With Meles at the helm this task may have been manageable knowing the capability of Meles but I really do not know if the current EPRDF leadership of today are up to the task. Many of the old guards may be less enthusiastic these days since they know their days as leaders are numbered and health issues may be costing them. And, I know of no new leader that is sharp and astute as the PM Meles was to tell which way change in EPRDF is happening.

    Now you ask if I will vote for EPRDF. Without doubt EPRDF even with all its weakness is the best Ethiopia has today. I am also hopeful the current leaders will in time realize what ever weakness there is in the economy and will see the shortcomings there is as far as human right issues.

    As for PM Hailemariam, he is doing superb given his background. The many advisers around him may be able to guide him but in the end Meles vision requires all of the old guards to retire in 2015. If this fails to happen then we will all know what happened to EPRDF since Meles!

  45. What is democracy?
    According to my definition democracy mean majority roles, so let put things in perspective what happen if it reverse
    1) Minority always leave under fair.
    2) Minority never bring Democracy.
    3)Minority roles under gun point.
    I am sure by now Wayans are drunk with their own silly propaganda but
    I can’t wait to see tplf destiny when majority wakes up from there deep sleep

  46. KC

    The Oromos, Amaras,southerners, Afar, Gambellas…. Are governing themselves, they get their budgets according to the law of the land… Therefore , this shows the majority are ruling! What is majority in your term!

    For your knowledge, woyanes will live as long as the people of Tigrai are there & the people of Tigrai are there! Remember: the people of Tigrai don’t need anybody’s will to live, their respected red blood! Look for yourself where The
    Last anti Tigrian who armed to the teeth , bragged to destroy the people of Tigrai are! Any entity which Try to destroy the people of Tigrai can only see its demise! That’s what we have witnessed all along so far !

    • Woldai,
      If people of Tigray want to keep TPLF they can put each of member of the organization into their pocket or ass or wherever they want and if there is anyone out there who denies that right from them that is only mad and must be treated as such. But if they want to keep TPLF in the power beyond their border as we have seen in the last 20 years or so that is something we all oppose to our bone and put TPLF back to the pocket or ass of people of Tigray. Having said with or without Meles zenawi aka blood sucker as long as EPRDF is in power there will not be peace and democracy so is the development. My advice for you guys is while enjoying the looted resources of people far beyond your border try to find exit strategy, and avoid killing the victims down in the south, I mean just learn from the history of blood sucker across globe. I am saying just enough is enough, do not open your mouth so wide in front of your victims with the name of democracy, development etc. For others who are talking about democracy with TPLF supporters please just stop and do not waste your time. South Africans did not defeat apartheid just by democracy talk and begging the rulers of the apartheid regime.

      • DK

        Take it easy! TPLF will be there working day in day out with all ethiopian nations, nationalities & peoples of ethiopia! You will see the EPRDF leading ethiopia at least for the next 30 years , or as long as there emerges a sane & pragmatic political party! So far, there no sane political party except the EPRDF !

        For your knowledge, the people of Tograi are liberators! Don’t you see TPLF liberated the nations, nationality & peoples of ethiopia from blood sacker elites! Nevertheless, check yourself if you have anything to the beautiful motherland!
        I can’t help your furious reaction against the brave people of Tigrai though! Take it easy Mr!

      • And Mr DK

        I don’t know why you brought the thing called “Apartheid” here! South Africa’s fighting was between two different races, but ours is between the people & a few power hungry elites from the same African race who have done nothing for ethiopia at all! Thetefore , do you really understand what you are talking about?

        • Woldai
          I did not have a plan to reply for I have assumed I have delivered my message. If you are arguing for academic reason or just to dissuade the direction of my message I would simply say there is only one human race, as race cannot be defined with skin colour or content vs type of single biochemical secreted in our body. Simple definition of apartheid is segregation of people for mere reason of manipulation. We have witnessed several types of systematic segregation and subjugation of people in human history with pretext of some label. This label may be white vs black in South Africa and elsewhere for example, different language speaking communities etc. That label is not anymore different in Ethiopia today. I wonder what is in your mind when you read all military generals are hailed from Tigray and people are gunned down in every corner of country. I am certainly sure that you would say Tigrayans are smart fighters, leaders and superior to others etc . This notion is the exact replica of the so called apartheid regime in South Africa where whites were considered better than black so they had to rule the black forever. Even not some but many blacks tempted to accept that mis-conception in South Africa and I compare those section of black society with the non-TPLF party members of EPRDF. Therefore one does not need to research deep to compare TPLF with apartheid regime. So fake equality of nations and nationality talk does not really add up in any measurable terms. Obviously I and everybody including yourself who are bold enough to predict extra 30 years for single party rule cannot believe for fraction of second Ethiopia will be democratic country under as long as TPLF or the so called EPRDF stays in power. That is why talking with you guys about democracy equals with begging apartheid regime, simply does not make sense.

          • Mr woldai,

            From whom tigrayans or TPLF librated nations and nationality? Who invited them to do so? Why those nation and nationalities did not liberate themselves, were they weak and wanted “super”-Tigryans? Even if what you say is true though it does not have an iota of truth in it does that give them a license to abuse others? TPLF is uninvited opportunistic terrorist like ISIS but the only difference is the former is recognised by USA.

  47. Thank you promised for the opportunity. EPRDF IS JUST DOING OK, since the late PM Meles. There is no doubt he was the master. However, HD is also doing ok. He needs time and support from his party and also from the general public. However, the substitution, which Meles and the party promissed so much, must be implemented before the next general election. The new generation can do a better job. Continue on the education, Health and environment. Stop corruption and bring the corruptors to justice. Avoid unnecessary arrest. Bring on fair and free election.

  48. Indeed I’ll vote for EPRDF. this is because I’ve witnessed the progress made since it took power, which has changed the image of the country at international level. Am also believe that the ruling party remained strong and intact after the late PM Meles and am very confident that the party will achieve the vision of Meles. Having saying that, am also worried about the slow progress regarding good governance and rent seeking. I think the government shall do more to fight these development challenges.

    Proud of EPRDF and prosperity to Ethiopia!

  49. I feel fine on how the economy and diplomacy are managed. I am happy about the economic roadmap and the progress the country is making in many fronts. BUT I am very much concerned on the sustainability of the current political arrangement and its impact on stability and long term development of the country.

    Yes Melese Zenawi was an astute politician and a visionary on matters of economic development. But it is my humble opinion that his calculation of the political arrangement has carried us so far well only because he was able to exploit the internal differences of some in the early game who failed to see the trap behind or who did not have the political clout and power to influence the process otherwise.

    I am sure the so called “Amharas” have understood part of the play and resisted the new identity conferred on them over the last 20 years. Melese used past historical (largely cultural) wrongs done against the “Oromos” to engage them against the “Amharas” and get a room to maneuver the country forward economically and socially at home and diplomatically abroad. The “Oromos” appeared to have basked in this partially true identity to nurse old wounds and attempt to settle scores against the ruling class of the past.

    I am not sure whether EPRDF would continue doing this and move the country forward in the future. Mind you, the country would be led by a party of executive members composed of 9 “Amharas”, 9 “Oromos”, 9 Tigres and 9 “Southerners” equally represented. No Somali, Gambela, Afar or Beneshangul for a PM?

    I myself come from an ethnic minority and am a supporter of EPRDF because largely of its economic blue print and accomplishments. I also supported EPRDF for its decisive actions to bring the peripheral people to the mainstream Ethiopia BUT concerned about the sustainability of the status quo after 20 years.
    I and my children feel more secure in a stable and prosperous Ethiopia than in Ethiopia where the balance of power continues to …. I would rather have an Ethiopia where every Ethiopian child have an equal opportunity of holding any office in the country than an Ethiopia where fates appear to have been predetermined.

    If I were an “Oromo” I would rather claim my identity as Borena, Walaga, Shaawa, Arsi, Bale …. Mind you Arsi-Bale is Oro-diya, Wallo is Oro-mara …. Same is true for “Amhara” – Gondere, Gojame, Shewa-Amara …

    As we look into the future, I would rather have Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Party (EPRDP) in place of EPRDF. The four party front affair should give way for able bodies from every corner of the country.

    I would also like to end the 9 regional state saga and break “Oromia” in to 1. Guji-Borena 2. Arsi_Bale 3. Hararge 4. Shewa-Oromo 5. Wallaga 6. Ilu Ababora – Jima. Same to “Amhara” (some 4 regional states) and “Southern”.(some five regional states) You can as well have 2 each from Tigrai and Somali.

    In so doing, with luck and God’s help you will end diffusing Finifine kegna, Ambo kegna and help our youth to focus on education, progress and future not on destruction. Mind you, this piece or that piece of land is kegna is not an issue that we saw and heard about in 2014 in Oromiya. It was and is there in Sidama (Hawassa), Gambella … I heard that a zone in the south decided to locate a public university in one side of a town than the other because the other side was close to a different “ethnic” group. And I know common people of the two “ethnic” groups live and like each other unbelievably well. This devilish working is the deeds of our “political elite”.

    The choice is ours! Our political system should measure upto the progress that we have seen and registered in economic and diplomatic fronts. I dare say that the answer for concerns about Ethiopia’s fragmentation is further fragmentation as indicated above. That way you devolve more power to communities of mostly 2-5 million than keep an elephant whose fate you would not be sure about in the long run. I always think of what the comrade in Asmara is doing to those souls who longed for freedom: it is slavery of the highest order. Nobody except God could be sure of our fate, the fate of “Oromos”, Amharas, Somali (no Ethiopians) in the years to come unless a well thought plan is put in place.

    A stable and prosperous Ethiopia is a better place for all Ethiopians than scraping a bare living as a Tigre, Oromo, Amhara, Sidama or Wolayita!!!

  50. First of all I want to express my gratitude to Aiga for raising such significant issues and opening a platform where interested fellows post their say.

    When coming back to my own say, I think EPRDF is bruised dearly by the unprecedented and untimely loss of its “All-in-one” MAN (May peace be unto him!)

    Yes his colleagues are doing “well” (With my highest Regard and Respect esp. to H.E. PM HMD), but considering the previous progressive and revolutionary nature of the EPRDF (that I used to read from literature and get a chance to witness) the front seemed to loose its core element not only in handling such glitches but also in transforming itself in to a new chapter with highest momentum .

    I wish to see the previous dependable, unflinching, predictable and steady EPRDF that our country started to entertain under his leadership soon (at least after the coming election)

    With kind regards to all of you and Aiga!

  51. One clear thing missing after PM Meles passed away is giving amenity to political prisoners. PM Meles was confident leader who make decisions to release people from jail. Typical of |Ethiopian tradition, he showed respect for elders such as Professor Ephrem Isac and others, talked to them regularly and released political opposition members from jail (including Kinjit leaders). After PM Meles EPRDF seems to lack confident decision makers and no opposition figure or a single journalist is released from prison to date. In fact the country is now putting more people to prison than it releases. The country needs a more confident leader like PM Meles. He wanted to teach people for a short time not punish them indefinitely.. .By throwing more people to jail you make millions angry on each passing day. Where does this take EPRDF ultimately? Time will tell. .

  52. One way to look at whether the new leadership is doing great is to ask whether the country has regressed to pre-Meles era, namely: the famine, civil war, etc. during the Derg era. Another way to address this is to ask whether Meles-with all his gifts, joined the right party that won’t disgrace his legacy or vision. After all, if the post-Meles leadership was not as bad as the post-Menilik leadership which hijacked Menilik’s will (like the coronation of Lij Iyasu, not Ras Teferi).
    The post-Meles leadership did not defile Meles’ legacy as Xiaoping (who said Mao was 30% wrong) or Kruschev (Stalin was a megalomaniac) had. Instead, it praised it as Truman did for Roosevelt or as Johnson did for Kennedy. This continuation is a proof that the nation’s democratic institutions are maturing rather than decaying. We didn’t see scavengers fighting for power. We saw leaders counseling on the future.
    The contribution that Meles made for Ethiopia was meteoric. So, the post-Meles leadership faced insurmountable expectations. The very standard that he set will remain intimidating for any (not just Ethiopian) leadership. Yet, the new leadership rose to the occasion. It takes courage to substitute Meles. I was impressed with the swift yet judicious and democratic manner in which the substitution ensued. The test of leadership rests in not just crafting strategies and mobilization for achieving goals. It is tested on how it can absorb unforeseen shocks.
    The party never lost a leader in such a way (least of a leader like Meles). Yet, the new leadership had the courage to step up and fill the great shadow cast by the great captain. It even surpassed expectations by setting up new agendas and getting clear results. I was amazed to see how the new team dealt with not just old agendas that Meles grappled with (development strategy, climate change, etc.) but also with novel challenges like the corruption campaigns, religious fundamentalism, extremist opposition, post GERD diplomacy with Egypt, Ethiopian workers in Saudi, Ebola, etc. While setting up new scores, the party continued to pay due tribute Meles. This is a sign of loyalty-an important leadership virtue. It showed how he contributed in various fields (diplomacy, military, economy, etc.). By doing so,the new leadership transformed Meles’ passing from a grief into popular resolve-which is a critical force that links Meles’ legacy (the past) with Meles’ vision (Ethiopia’s future).
    The new leadership proved that Meles’ loss was not just sad but worth fighting for. The new leadership transformed mass grief (inertia) into mass movement (force). By doing so, the party resurrected Meles by working on his vision.

    If we are serious examiners, we must admit that its not easy to replace Meles, its not easy to take his place. But the post Meles leadership not just filled this gap swiftly, peacefully, and democratically; it also addressed “NEW” challenges like corruption, stifling Islamic fundamentalist in Ethiopia, post-GERD diplomacy with Egypt, repatriation of Ethiopia women from Saudi, cutting the head of Arbegna/Ginbot 7, stronger ultimatum to Shabia, etc. It set and hit these new agendas without slowing Meles’ projects: the railway, the roads, the dams, etc.

    The weakness of the new leadership can be summed up into one word: inexperience. Meles was not as best in the 1980s (or the 1990s) as he was in the 2000s. He accumulated a great deal of experience over time. So, as the past two years revealed, the new leadership has the potential to not just make up the Meles-gap but even surpass it. In other words, so long as the current diligence lasts, Meles’ vision can not just be met but also exceeded.

  53. THE EPRDF MORE OR LESS REPRESENTS THE ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE.SOFAR WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF PROGRESS IN ALL SECTORS ESPECIALLY IN THE ECONOMIC AREA.THANKS TO THE LATE PM MELES ZENAWI.OUR COUNTRY IS AT THE RIGHT TRACK .WE HAVE ALREADY RECOGNIZED OUR NATURAL RESOURCES .WE HAVE ALREADY PUT OUR GTP IN PHASES.THE FIRST PHASE IS AT ITS FINAL YEAR. THE NEXT PHASE WILL BE APPLIED AS OF NEXT YEAR.THE FIRST GTP IS THE BASIS FOR THE NEXT PHASE.FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IS COMING.ESPECIALLY IN THE INDUSTRIALIZATION AREA.BUT ONE HAS TO ASK HIMSELF WHO IS THE MASTERMIND OF ALL THIS SUCCESS STORY? WAS NOT PM MELES?OF COURSE.PM MELES WAS AN ENGINEER AND THE MASTERMIND OF ALL THESE SUCCESS STORIES BECAUSE HE IS THE DESIGNER OF THE FEDERALISM OF ETHIOPIA.FEDERALISM HAS ALREADY ANSWERED THE LONG STANDING QUESTIONS OF THE ETHIOPIAN NATIONS AND NATIONALITIES AND PEOPLES OF ETHIOPIA.ALAS,DONT FORGET THAT THERE ARE WORLD CLASSMIND LEADERS OF ETHIOPIA AFTER PM MELES..IWISH ALL THE BEST FOR THE BRILLIANT LEADERS OF ETHIOPIA.

  54. Maryihun, are using office pc sharing with Peter?(admin)

    WE SHOULDNOT FORGET THAT ANYONE FROM ANY NATION OR NATIONALITY AND PEOPLES CAN BE A LEADER AS LONG AS HE OR SHE IS ELECTED BY THE MAJORITY OF THE ETHIOPIAN PEOPLES.THIS IS WHAT IS MEANT BY DEMOCRACY-THE MAJORITY RULE.

  55. If there are maladministration, corruption… Comparing the price that the people of Tigrai paid, We can say we failed in the last 23 years! The Tigrai administration body & all spend too much time on meeting after meeting , but there is no change! What happened to Woyane? They failed after they passed the immpossible 17 years of harsh struggle! The gov’t of Tigrai must make a strict decision on maladministration & corruption! Over 60,000 paid their lives, the corrupted officials can’t sacrifiy with the little salary they get paid! Time is running! Mr Abay his cabinet must change this immediately! It is a shame! I wish these brave Tegadeltis who paid dearly could awake for just 1 minute & see these corrupted officials curse them to death! Let’s remember how our brave Tegadeltis fought all over Tigrai & Ethiopia in general , & compare it with how the offial are doing now ? What happened to them? Hade hade sebe-siltanat tegeyru zeyfelit newri yigebru alewu slezkhone kulu sirhu gedifu nezom resahat sebesiltanat kifared alewo!
    Yeqeniyeley!

  56. Most of us agree the current economic progress is in the right direction so I commended the ruling party. However, we should not lose sight that the current ethnic federal political system is not only unsustainable but dangerous. We could lose all the economic progress over night. On the paper, the Ethiopian constitution provides extensive protection of democracy, individual right and freedom but the reality is different. People are scared to write and discuss freely. Incarceration of a journalist or individual for writing an opposing view is a norm, one of them is sent to prison for 18 years. We have witnessed how the judiciary system was independent during Seye Abraha’s court trial debacle. The court freed him and right out of the court he was escorted and sent to the prison by the government security guard several times. We know the corruption and rent seeking is huge but it is the result of one party domination system, same party members will not expose their own members, this is not just in Ethiopia but a universal practice.

    After 24 years of EPRDF rule, we still have a one party domination system, no viable opposition parties presence, and “paper-drafted constitution” with its core democratic value still not implemented and a non independent judiciary system. So, our check and balance system is in the hand of the one single ruling party. This system was exactly the reason why Ethiopia was landlocked and lost it historical northern province without a single shot fired. The only country in world history voluntarily to became land locked and lost its historical thousand miles coast line of the red sea strategic geographical province.
    Folks, this country belongs to all Ethiopians and doesn’t belong to a single party or individual. Ethiopia is happy about the economic progress but she has been raising its red flag for quite some time, in regard of her political stability. She wanted a constitution that is the rule of the law and above any party and individual. Ethiopia is crying for help, please help, please help, I am sitting on top of big mine field. She is asking for help me to modify the current ethnic federal system that is trying to destroy her to a better democracy like that of Switzerland, one of the world’s most stable democratic system, which offer its citizen direct democracy, best autonomy and full participation than any other country.
    Long Live and may god bless this beautiful country, Ethiopia.

  57. …….. I do know little about economics , but the existing stability and peace in our country and the integrity of the ruling party EPRDF after the loss of it’s leader indicates that EPRDF is doing fine , and this is also EPRDF’s greatest achievement. ….

  58. Bika,

    I don’t think you have to be an economist to know the Ethiopian political system, neither do I an economist or political scientist. If you have read my entire e-mail I have specified clearly the reason why we have to worry, and if you have concurrent different opposing view I am eager to learn from you or from any other person.

  59. berhane,

    …..1) The current ethnic federal poletical system is the foundation for true peaceful coexistence between nations and nationalities . Thinking otherwise is like building a house starting from the roof.
    …….2) It is my observation that,mostst if not all journalist or opposition political parties members and their parties which were in a collision course with the government were directly or indirectly serving as a political wing of an armed group which are trying to topple the government by force.
    ……3) You are correct , this country is for all Ethiopians, but do not forget the peoples of Ethiopia are the sum of the all the peoples of its nations and nationalities.
    if we are talking about instability , danger or drag to our economic growth, we should talk about corruption , lack of good governance , lack of transparency and so on. Most of EPRDF’s shortcomings are in such areas. ….

  60. EPRDF is doing great according to me despite the endless challenges. the leadership has performed remarkably after the passing away of the great Meles Zenawi. My utmost respect for the party and the leadership in recognizing Meles’ legacy and in adopting an amazing discipline regarding the transition. the Leadership has been and still is working as a team by quickly restructuring itself without hustle and bustle quietly. In my observation, the PR works of EPRDF are still very, very, very … poor! there are so many out there, who still are not made to appreciate all the great achievements of the EPRDF leadership. EPRDF should also be worried about the power abuse of its cadres, in particular at the lower echelon. the fantastic records of all the achievements are being tarnished by some petty officials that are undermining the sacrifices of the so many.
    I won’t have the opportunity to vote but I will do every thing so that EPRDF continues to rule!
    PEACE! dawit

  61. Bika,

    Well I am glad to learn you agree on the instability, or danger or drag to our economic growth, due to corruption , lack of good governance and lack of transparency as you have put it in your own words. However, if we analyze the underline cause of these things you mentioned is attributed to the lack of general democratic system (a lack of constitution with its core democratic right and the rule of the law and above any party, an independent judiciary, a free participation of opposition party system, etc). In sum, even though we have achieved a good progress in the economic and relatively peace we don’t have a check and balance system and its still is a one party domination. After 24 years the constitution that was drafted 20 years ago is still in paper. Irrespective of the the type of party, We should not rely on any party good will to sustain our political system but on the constitution.

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