The former Minister of Communications and now the advisor of Prime Minister
Hailemariam Dessalegn, Bereket Simon, said at a recent meeting and
evaluation with ministers and top leadership of the Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) "as theories used to lead the people
could rust unless updated, it has become necessary to replace Revolutionary
Democracy with Developmental Democracy". EPRDF's is better described
through the latter, he said.
He said before we replaced Revolutionary Democracy with Developmental
Democracy, the Front has been divided into three groups. Bereket said one
group of the leadership had argued that our problem was internal and that we
need to first check that while the other group held that our problem was
Shabia/Eritrea and that we need to fight them first but the third position
which said that after fighting Shabia/Eritrea, we should then look at our
internal problems had becoming the winning idea.
Bereket said the main force of riot during the 2005 post election violence
had been the youth and unless job opportunities are created for the youth,
they can rebel against the regime and the country. It is to be recalled that
the government had been accusing oppositions for instigating the post
election violence of 2005.
EPRDF wants to establish a government that is independent of investors or
the private sector as "it is the farmer and the poor urbanite that brings us
to power" Bereket added. He said the government is not administered by the
finance of the private sector and if it wanted money, it could get it from
them in the name of taxation. This government has its own sources of income
for the sake of its own survival such as Airlines, Banks and Electric
Corporation, he added.
A senior member of the Front said that attendants were surprised at
Bereket's statements which remarked that the EPRDF can win the upcoming
election without the support of investors and saying that the government has
sufficient finance. He said Bereket's statements tell that the EPRDF will
take money from the government to conduct the election.
Unless the government has its own sources of income, it will be like Western
African countries such as Coted D'ivore's government which gets its payments
from the French embassy in the Country. He said the case is similar in
Kenya.
EPRDF obtained over 100 million birr from private investors during the 2010
election.
Due to the light train, road construction and digging and lack of transport,
it has become so unpleasant to live in Addis Abeba but most residents accept
it as 'development'.
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Received on Wed Jan 15 2014 - 17:41:31 EST