The ruling Front, EPRDF, has started giving a training to its members by
Plasma in schools and governmental institutions. The aim of the training is
to prevent the spread of the critical questions that university students had
been asking during the training given to them on politics. However, as the
members themselves raised similar questions that the students raised, the
chairs of the meeting had said that they would find out if non members had
sneaked into the meeting halls.
Tewolde W/Tsadik, an official in EPRDF Secretariat and the Mayor's Special
Advisor, who conducted the first day of the training, was faced with
critical questions and criticisms such as; why do you only tell us the bad
parts of our history, we prefer if the training was about EPRDF's strengths
and weaknesses, why do we remember Emperor Menelik II negatively while he
did unite the country, you are trying to cause fight between Oromo and
Amhara people, do you have the qualifications to train us, it is not Menelik
II but you seceded Eritrea, Derg used to say 'Ethiopia First' now you say
'Ethnicity First', there is a domination of one ethnic group and many other
points were raised.
The Chair did not give a direct answer to the questions but said that these
issues have not come from the Front but were only raised as 'accusations' in
magazines and newspapers and ordered that there should be rechecking of the
participants identity.
Some of the participants said as the training was tedious; most of the
participants were sleeping, listening to music, using Facebook on their
phones or playing games.
During the afternoon session, some members of the Front asked why the Front
was comforting and hosting Eritrean nationals and oppositions while it
categorised Eritrea as an enemy.
EPRDF says it has 144 thousand members in Addis Abeba.
Similarly, the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), member party of
the EPRDF in Amhara region, has started a five day conference in Bahir Dar
for its members due to what was called "internal weaknesses". Over 200
Woreda officials are attending the meeting. Similar meeting is being held in
the Southern region of Ethiopia.