Why Do Politics Keep Failing in Ethiopia – People, Culture, and the Cruelty of Timing?

By: – Habte H.

Ethiopia is not short of talent. Anyone who has taught in a university, worked in a research institute, or simply observed our diaspora knows this: we have millions of bright, disciplined, and creative minds. In the right conditions, these people could help transform not only Ethiopia, but the entire Horn of Africa.

Yet our politics keep disappointing us. Each new moment of hope seems to end in frustration, disillusionment, or worse. Why?

There are many explanations – history, institutions, external interests, economic pressures. But three intertwined factors deserve honest reflection: elements of our culture, the way we mix politics with religion, and the unforgiving timing of global and local crises.

1. When good people withdraw, bad politics advances

One uncomfortable truth is this: a critically large mass of Ethiopians are deeply respectful, modest people. They do not want to look selfish, ambitious, or confrontational. They prefer to serve quietly, work hard, care for family, and stay out of the dirty business of politics.

In ordinary life, this is a beautiful cultural trait. It keeps families functioning and communities cohesive. But in the political arena, it has a dangerous side-effect.

Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum.

When 90–99% of relatively honest, competent, and educated people avoid political life – out of fear, shyness, or disgust – the space is left to a very small minority who are more aggressive, more opportunistic, and often less prepared in character and knowledge. These are the people willing to shout the loudest, network in the shadows, and “snatch and hatch” any opportunity for power or wealth.

Over time, this creates a self-reinforcing cycle: So, our first problem is not simply that “politicians are bad,” but that too many good people have abandoned the political space, leaving it open to those who are least constrained by ethics and competence.

2. Politics dressed as religion: no space for the “in-between”

A second, sensitive issue is our tendency to see the world in absolute moral terms. Many Ethiopians, across different faiths, are raised with a strong “yes or no” worldview: God or devil, saint, or sinner, holy or evil.

Faith can be a powerful source of compassion and courage in political life. But when religious thinking is confused with political thinking, it becomes difficult to: accept compromise as legitimate; recognise that good people can disagree; and allow leaders to make mistakes and still learn and improve.

Our debates easily become “all or nothing”: this party is fully righteous, that group is entirely evil; this leader is a saviour, that one a demon. Once politics is wrapped in sacred language, any criticism feels like blasphemy and any concession feels like betrayal.

The result is highly polarised politics with very little room for honest dialogue, gradual reform, or pragmatic coalition-building. Instead of seeing politics as a human activity – full of complexity, trade-offs, and learning – we treat it as a final religious judgment. That mindset suffocates the “in-betweens” where real progress usually happens.

3. Bad timing: small leaders in big crises

The third factor is timing.

Our generation is living through a rare convergence of global, continental, and local storms: climate shocks, economic pressures, regional conflicts, mass displacement, digital misinformation, and rapid social change. The demands on leadership are extraordinarily high.

There are historical moments when almost any reasonably competent leader can “ride the wave” of global growth and relative peace. And there are darker moments, like now, when only exceptionally wise, selfless, and emotionally mature leaders can keep a country together and set it on a better path.

Unfortunately, Ethiopia’s recent leaders – at national and regional levels – have often been the opposite: more focused on immediate power than long-term responsibility; quick to anger, slow to listen; rich in ego, poor in empathy. At a time when the country needs calm, strategic minds, we have too often seen impulsive decisions, personalised rule and politics built on resentment.

In other words, the moment demands giants, but we keep producing – and tolerating – political dwarfs. That is not just bad luck. It is a reflection of the two earlier problems: the withdrawal of good citizens, and the moral absolutism that rewards loudness over wisdom.

So, what can be done?

There is no magic formula, but three starting points are essential.

1. Understand the situation honestly – We must name the problem without hatred. Politics is not failing only because of “them” – some mysterious class of politicians – but also because of our collective choices: our reluctance to participate, our tendency to worship or demonise leaders, our silence in the face of extremism. Honest diagnosis is the first step to healing.
2. Bring the right people into the arena – Ethiopia needs a new generation of public servants – not perfect saints, but reasonably ethical, competent, and emotionally balanced women and men. That means encouraging professionals, scholars, businesspeople, community leaders and young activists to engage in politics at local and national levels. It also means building institutions that reward integrity, not blind loyalty.
3. Pray, but also act – Many of us end our conversations with “May God help Ethiopia.” That prayer is necessary. But perhaps the answer to that prayer is also our own courage: to reject cynicism, to support better leaders, to hold them accountable, and to model a different political culture in our families, workplaces, and communities.

Ethiopia does not suffer from a lack of intelligence or potential. It suffers from a shortage of the right kind of leadership at the right time – and from a citizenry that has been pushed, or has pushed itself, to the margins of public life.

If we can change that equation, even gradually, the politics of this country do not have to keep failing. The raw material for a better future is already here – in the minds and hearts of our people.

Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com  

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