The government of PM Hailemariam has started to honor its pledge to weed out corrupt officials. If you remember the late PM Meles told parliament that his government was fighting corruptionwith one hand tied behind because he said…some of  his government officials were either already corrupted or waiting for opportune moment to be corrupted. On the face of it one can say indeed PM Meles was right, those corrupted and waiting to corrupt have started to surface either thinking the time is right to be corrupted now  or hoping PM Hailemariam government will not be hard on them.

Be that as it may, how can one fight corruption effectively? Can you say EPRDF is effectively fighting corruption if it continues to arrest officials one  after the other  now and then? What is  the lesson behind the arrest of  high EPRDF officials?  And why didn’t  the arrest of PM Tamrat Layne teach the officials just arrested?

Given the  magnitude or temptation to become a rent seeker or a corrupt official in Ethiopia today-with its ever growing economy and the vast government infrastructure expenditure managed by government officials, EPRDF has done well fighting corruption. But is that enough and is it working?  Is there something that is missing that could help EPRDF avoid an embarrassment again and again when it arrest its own officials for corruption?

The challenge going forward will be magnified since many of the elder leaders who were less susceptible  for corruption  are being replaced  while the country is engaged  in a do or die economic expansion that will invite all kind of characters to the government! Have Your Say and  share your thoughts!

 The recent uprising by a group of dissatisfied Eritrean army personnel’s says a lot as to what awaits Eritrea after Isaias Afeworki. The country may be poised to be ruined to the ground  one more time since there are no institutions or organized groups functioning in the country. Most of the divided dissident groups scattered all over the world are far from the people and they themselves do not seem to understand what it takes to build a democratic order in Eritrea. Worst, the dissident’s relationship with the Eritrean army is nil thus will not be able to influence the army.

Many experts agree the end of Isaias Afeworki will not come by civil disobedience or exiled oppositions but with disgruntled officers.  The late Tip O’Neil once said all politics is local and in this case although the Eritrean people may be wishing anything but Isaias Afeworki,  is it  in Ethiopia’s interest to wish for Isaias Afeworki to say in power or to work for any of the unknowns to come to power in Eritrea?

Have Your say?

Ethiopia has lost one of a kind leader. Prime Minister Meles was one of a kind leader. He was smart, astute and internationally acclaimed leader.  He was one of the few instrumental leaders who guided TPLF in to the victory lane defeating the tyrannical regime of Col Mengistu.  Because of his leadership and the many unsung heroes of the TPLF/EPRDF today Ethiopia is at a much better place politically and economically. His leadership will be missed but his legacy will live on!  The men and women of the TPLF are known for their tenacity and resourcefulness. We are sure they will find the next leader as they have been doing it ever since Musie and Suhul were martyred! The people of Tigray are not new to adversity; we are sure they will overcome the loss and continue the fight against poverty! The promise (Hidri Meles) will be kept and maintained!  To Azeb and his children, Tsenat Yihabkum! We are with you, we cannot  bring back Meles but we promise to keep his dream alive!!!

To all our readers you can leave your short messages below yourself since we cannot keep with the volume!

Aigaforum August 21, 2012!

Zeru Hagos July 20, 2012

The secret behind TPLF’ssuccess is one and simple. The organization simply trusted the people to nurture and defend it against its adversaries. And boy did they!

 By the way, the trust did not come out of thin air! It came because the people are known for their age-old culture of bravery, wisdom and deep respectful culture and Tsenat!

TPLF knew early on if it put a sound and principled program to liberate the public from backwardness and oppression the people would become in no time the owners of the revolution. And they did! Who can forget the faces of Amora and Qeshi Gebru!

 On hindsight it seems that not all TPLFites knew this secret! The latest news about PM Meles’health has opened a window for many Diaspora talking heads to spew their venomous hateful analysis on the air. One among them is Gidey Zeratsion.

 The man is a onetime TPLF member, but judging from his recent remark and recent activity it is easy to see why he was booted out from the leadership role! The man does not have the slightest decency to be a political leader let alone to carry the TPLF valor or conviction! No wonder he was allowed to hike out early on.

You might have had sympathy towards him before assuming he was wronged. What are your thoughts now after listening to the audio below? Have your say!

To listen to the interview click >>>>.  voa_meles_health_gidey_zeratsion_07_19_20

ጠንካራና ተፎካካሪ ፓርቲዎች ያስፈልጋሉ ስንል ግን ስለ ብዛትና ቁጥር እያወራን አይደለም፡፡ ጠንካራ የፖለቲካ ፕሮግራም፣ ጠንካራ ስትራቴጂና ስልት፣ ጠንካራ አደረጃጀትና ጠንካራ አመራር ያላቸው የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች ማለታችን ነው፡፡

With all its shortcoming Ethiopia is really lucky to have The Reporter! At least it is trying to play its role!

We agree with the main message in the above article! Ethiopia needs responsible opposition that understands the saying there is always tomorrow! But there aren’t any!Those who came and went  could not wait for tomorrow!  If there are  any you know let us know here…have your say anyways!

more that have been established over the last few years. As in any expansion of such magnitude there will be all kind of challenges. It is expected the new universities to face challenges ranging from staffing human resources and rendering quality education. But universities like Mekelle, Awasa, Jimma, Addis, Bahirdar, Gondar, Nazeret, Arba Minch and Alamaya are   well established where the country depends for a skilled, disciplined and professional workforce. It is heartbreaking to the say the least the above mentioned universities may have issues with corruption and cronyism. The question we have for former students and employees of these institutions is what has been your experience in lieu of the recent news about MU. A year ago we received a letter alleging the then president of AAU. Before we even digest the email letter the AAU president resigned. Share your thoughts in this open forum to create awareness to say the least. Have your say!

The Ethiopian government has  effectively transition from being known as a TPLF/EPRDF government   to Prime Minister Meles government. This  change did not come easy.  During the armed struggle days  TPLF/EPRDF  were managed and run as effective organization by a group of leaders so to speak. Although such arrangement continued during the early years, after EPRDF assumed power ,  the obvious difficulty to run a country with such arrangement became evident as time passed. One of the main outcome of the TPLF leaders split  has been that   the Ethiopian government was more looking like a government with a prime minister at the helm and not a group of EPRDF leaders  at the helm! We think this is good but readers are welcome to disagree. Regardless, we hope we all  agree that EPRDF has transformed itself to become  a government and not a guerilla movement unlike EPLF or Isaias Afeworki regime in Eritrea!

Prime minister Meles is set to retire in the coming three years. His legacy as a government head will be remembered for generations to come. We think PM Meles will be remembered more for his contribution as a government head and not as the head of TPLF/EPRDF. We say this for two reasons, first, the history of TPLF is more of the history of the people of Tigrai! Second, PM Meles’s contribution as a government head has achieved a lot  historians can write volume after volume. One such volume may be his government dealing with the Isaias regime in Eritrea. Given all  what has happened so far do you think Prime Minister will be happy to retire from politics without resolving the problem Ethiopia has with the one man regime in Eritrea? Do you agree or disagree the problem Ethiopia has with Eritrea today is significant enough that prime minister Meles has to address while he is in office? In other words, is this a must for PM Meles to resolve if he wants to keep his otherwise magnificent achievement as a government head untarnished? Have Your Say!

Resolving conflict by dialogue is normal and is the civil way. In many cases two warring parties will sit down to negotiate a win-win solution if the alternative is a zero-sum outcome. Ethiopia has begged the one man regime in Eritrea to sit down and resolve any issue it has ever since it came to power. Even during the aggression war of 1998, Ethiopia was ready to sit down and negotiate than to continue the costly war!

Ethiopia has been ready to sit down and negotiate to resolve any issue Eritrea has even though as a victor of the last war it could have demanded a final solution unilaterally. Isaias Afeworki declined all gestures. Instead of sitting down to negotiate it has been recruiting terrorist foot soldiers to cause mayhem inside Ethiopia.

Now the question we want readers to answer is why negotiate with the devil? We know the Ethiopian government will even sit-down with a Monkey if the Eritreans think monkey is all they have for now! But Isaias is not a monkey he is the Devil! Isaias is a devil who will do all in his power to survive. He has survived this long by signing at the dotted line at the 11^th hour during the last war only to come back to plan and execute a Bagdad event- that never came thanks to Abune Aregawi, in Addis Ababa!

Isaias is cornered and is frightened. His best buddy Gaddafi is gone, his next best Mubarak is bed ridden waiting in jail and his key sponsors in other Middle East countries are hibernating due to fear of not knowing when their turnwill be to face Gaddafi’s fate. Now why give Isaias breathing space when the UN is working hard to sanction him more? Would Ethiopia benefit by sitting down with Isaias Afeworki regime today? Have Your Say!