By Tekeste Wolde Meskel
April 2002
In the past year, Ethiopia has seen great changes. Seventeen years of civil war came to a sudden end and the dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam was wiped out to the great relief of the Ethiopian people. On the ash heap of 17 years of Marxist misrule, the seeds of democracy were planted. People can now talk about politics and criticize government leaders without fear. Dozens of political organizations operate freely
throughout the country. Groups who have never been recognized are now given representation. There has been enormous progress on the road to democracy.
The seeds of democracy are now beginning to take root and we must give credit where it is due. Honesty requires that we recognize the unique contributions of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) to Ethiopia’s political reawakening and development. The EPRDF, having “won” the war, could have
taken over power and ruled in the old style. No doubt different groups would have opposed it and new conflicts would have been created. But that would have been “Ethiopian politics as usual.” That is more wars and destruction. But today, unlike any other time in Ethiopia’s history, the people are enjoying democratic freedoms.
The EPRDF leadership has been quite sensible. It recognized that war is not the solution. It agreed to an equitable sharing of political power based on a recognition of the people’s unique cultural and ethnic heritage. It proposed free elections under international supervision.
The past year has shown that there is great distrust of the EPRDF and its “hidden agenda.” But the criticism and mistrust are largely misplaced. Apply a simple test: Has there ever been the kind of political debate and activity that is going in Ethiopia? Certainly, not. Almost alwasy a change of government in Ethiopia means more wars and political oppression. If the EPRDF had opted for war, Ethiopia would have been isolated from the international community. But as Mengistu has shown, who cares?
Many criticize the EPRDF for what it has done and has failed to do. Words of praise and acknowledgement are far and few between. People read their own biases in the words and actions of the EPRDF. For instance, the democratic freedoms made possible by the EPRDF are interpreted to be some sort of clever political strategy to trick the people. When new a idea is proposed for power sharing, it is characterized as a plan to dismember the country. When the EPRDF ordered the digging up and proper reburial of people murdered by Derg, critics say the EPRDF is just trying to distract the people from the “real problems.”
Critics say the EPRDF is dismantling the industry in the rest of the country to send to Tigray or Eritrea. The elections are said to be already rigged because the EPRDF could never win free elections. It is a no win situation!
The bottom line is: Is Ethiopia better off today than it was a year ago? On balance she is. The people are experiencing real democracy. Certainly, the country’s economy is in shambles. But this is the work of Mengistu Haile Mariam who destroyed the country’s economy through his ignorant experiments in Marxism. To add insult to injury, Mengistu cleaned out the country’s treasury as he began his new life of royalty in Zimbabwe.
It is unfair to blame the EPRDF for the dire economic situation in the country or its inability to resolve them in one year. It is unreasonable to expect full repair to an economy which took 17 years to destroy.
Is the EPRDF on the right course in solving the long term economic problems of the country? This is a fair question. President Meles says he favors free enterprise and also state ownership of major industries and economic sectors. Is he saying this because he is a “closet Marxist?” Probably not. He may have political and practical reasons to hold this view. He may be responding to the pressures of some “hard core” elements in his organization. True, these individuals have yet to “wake up and smell the roses.” But they do have some influence on the organization’s political programs.
The political reasons seem to be more persuasive. Let’s take land, for instance. If land were to be “denationalized” who is going to get it? The old landowners? Obviously, this is impractical. What about industry? There are few viable industries in the country that are operational. Who will buy these semi-functional industries? Without belaboring the point, Russia is having a fire sale on state-owned industries. So far, few takers.
This is not to suggest that the EPRDF is completely blameless. It should be blamed for its failure to properly inform and educate the public about the country’s problems and solutions. It should be blamed for prematurely announcing major changes without laying the necessary foundation. It should be blamed for failing to make clear the lines of demarcation in its role in the transitional government and the role of a popular government yet to be elected. Yet these are not fatal errors. Teaching about democracy and the need for change takes time, effort and limitless patience.
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Tekeste Wolde Meskel is a business consultant residing in Atlanta, Georgia.