I have said it before and I will say it again. I have enjoyed reading Bereket Simon’s books. I wonder if English translations are in print; they would be great reference materials for students of Ethiopian Politics and Economics. Otherwise, Addis Ababa University Press should undertake the assignment for the good of fostering applied, comparative, grounded, and empirically reviewed academic excellence. Again if PP is sincere and means half what it declared when it endorsed the Chairman’s philosophy of Synergy, it should buy the copyright and issue free fresh editions to its members.
There is a plethora of ‘scathing’ criticism of the books, I know. Actually it is one reason I recommend them as required reading material for College students. The books are relatively better researched though the findings might be questionable. One could weigh the wisdom of public spending priorities. “The workshops before the broadways”, one might be set to forward an informed argument. The shops may not look good but overtime they generate steady and healthy income to build the broadways without stumbling head first into uncontrollable hyper-inflation.
One enduring takeaway from Bereket’s interviews preceding his incarceration? No individual, group or party could stay in power by trying to appease a mob. He is absolutely right. A mob’s demand is insatiable. It is like a herd in the Great Wildebeest Serengeti Migration. Mobs are quintessentially characterized and enfeebled by fear of cerebral thinking and defined by the need to “noise out any idea”. If you ask me a feral lone rooster has a better understanding and inkling of his environment than a mob.
Sadly Ethiopian politics for the most part is driven by herd mentality where rational thinking is regarded as a cardinal sin and bestiality in all its manifestation is celebrated. No one dares to be a castaway and trudges along to stay in the crowd and to stay alive all along well aware of the tragic-comedy.
1 – Election by Acclamation
Bereket had the guts to admit EPRDF had entertained substantial losses in the 3rd National election on account of ‘protest vote’. The 4th National election was the beginning of the downward spiral and culminated in the 5th one where the Nation Election proved one glaring truth. For all practical purposes democracy in the FDRE was as good as in the State of Eritrea or the DPRK. The 6th round descended the Nation into a bloodbath of its citizens and kicked out a founding member of the Federal Union.
Heeding lessons, PP is alarmed by the near absence of credible opposition parties capable of fielding trustworthy candidates. It fairly well knows that without at least a degree of protest vote against it, the election would be- not rigged, oh that would be by far better-but MEANINGLESS.
Bottom-line, in its effort to lend some meaning to the process, it withdrew candidates where no-vitriol opposition parties had registered candidates. You know why? It wants to escape the curse of the 5th Nation Election which precipitated the fall of EPRDF. If no opposition party or individual wins a seat unequivocally as it is, the fact proves beyond any reasonable doubt that democracy is dead and PP might as well be elected by acclamation.
Actually my singular fear is that PP might deliberately manipulate the system and the tight party network to enable select opposition candidates to win a few seats.
2 – Swords into Ploughshares
Had the warring factions beaten the swords into ploughshares, they could have a good chance of putting PP off-balance. At the very least that is. PP is living off the weakness and vileness of the opposition groups not by the virtue of its inherent preferable better qualities. In plain terms the radicalization of the opposition groups has made PP look good.
The thing is unlike the comfortably retired diaspora, regular folks cannot afford to risk consuming chaos that could readily descend into inter-ethnic carnage-it is like Mengistu Hailemarian had said እ ኛ መንግስት ነን…something the incumbent Premier has been repeating time after time these past few months. Believe me this statement perfectly resonates with the weary public. Even the worst government cannot afford to propagate hatred and prejudices, something a warring faction or a reckless opposition could freely dabble in and lose trust thereby.
The way I see it, regular folks have a tendency to organize, simplify and draw conclusions from the words and actions of opposition groups way better than the supercilious elites. Extremely narrow nationalist groups are defined by negation. They are incapable of incubating an independent idea that could fertilize some noble purpose that could conquer the hearts and minds of potential constituents. Raw hatred attracts low lives and Ethiopians tend to consider themselves as an enlightened race and keep the festering wounds at bay. In between the incumbent reaps the benefit of doubt and stays in power.
3 – Between Arkebe Workshops and Adanch Broadways
Have opposition parties been systematically denied level playing grounds? Absolutely! But there is such a thing as an election strategy to counter government actions to edge out viable oppositions. Instead of dwelling on that resource, opposition parties tend to lose courage and make a regular habit of demonizing the government instead of appealing to the public to sell their alternative ideas. The thing is constant government bashing ensues visible fatigue. Had they stayed in the race against all odds, they could have unsettled PP by a far wide margin.
Look, PP had gambled recklessly, its grip on fundamental issues is skin-deep. All it does is spend endless time before a full figure mirror like a girl being prepped for a prom party. All looks but little substance.
In the best of circumstances, debating issues would have been something like “public spending” and the talking points would have read like ‘between Arkebe Workshops and Adanch Broadways’. I would have voted for the Workshop without batting an eyelid.
God Bless.
To be continued
The writer can be reached at : estefanoussamuel@yahoo.com
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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