The government of Ethiopia should prioritize devising national roadmap and reconciliation to sustainably manage the ongoing reforms, politicians and scholars said.
After assuming office in April 2, 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed introduced unrivalled reforms in Ethiopia such as lifting of the state of emergency, setting free prisoners, letting dissidents to return home and restore banned various websites.
Despite these actions, Premier Abiy’s government faces baffling issue including formulation of national roadmap that consent all parties contributing their role in the democratization process, they said.
President of Blue party, Yeshiwas Assefa, told ENA that the government needs to set up a structured road map to clearly define such as the role of political parties in the democratic transition on the top of nation building.
In his inaugural speech Prime Minister Abiy emphasized his preparation to widen the democratic space in Ethiopia, he recalled.
Yeshiwas stated that opposition political parties that were entirely denied any role in the national affairs saw a real opportunity of claiming space and a role in Ethiopian politics.
So, the government should prioritize formulating a national roadmap that promote a space and role for opposition political parties, he insisted.
He stressed that national reconciliation should be prioritized to smooth the national building progress. Reconciliation commission and Ministry of Peace have to be also coordinating the course of action to build confidence, Yeshiwas stated.
“We have to be honest that we are poisoned by ethnic based hatred and suspicious of each other in many aspects. So, we need to have a confident and trustful generation through national reconciliation”, he affirmed.
For a scholar and activist, Dr. Birhanemeskel Abebe, nation building should become first ahead of other issues like elections which is unsafe for the territorial integrity, peace and stability of the country.
Ethiopia should pass through nation building process. Election is not coming at the right time for Ethiopia, according to him.
“To be honest, now, Ethiopians are divided by ethnicity, language and the federal and regional institutions have been becoming shaky. So, it is important to start from nation building,” he noted.
“We have to revise our cores of nation building such as politics, social, economic and other aspects of the country,” he pointed out.
President of Gaada System, Abba Boku Adane Driba, said the government`s tolerance for various views, expressions and criticisms is an encouraging action.
According to Adane, the youth who have been fighting to bring the recent change, should exert efforts for the sustainability of the reform as well.
The next major action of the government should be creating jobs for the youth and responding the ever-increasing demand, Adane added.
“The new generation has to utilize the values our ancestors including the Gaada system which could be model not only for Ethiopia but Africa in general,” he indicated.
Another scholar, Dr. Bedilu Wakjira, said for his part that free civic associations and institutions are critical to rationally working for the realization of legitimate grievances of the general public and criticizing the government when things going in the wrong way.
Marking the first year of his premiership Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, called upon Ethiopians to harness diversity, to draw upon forgiveness and love as we forge ahead anchoring the reforms in institution building.
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