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The government and public working together
Desta Hailu
After seeing many important points on the statement that was issued at the end of the recent regular assembly of the EPRDF executive committee, I decided to raise some points that I feel my readers should be made aware of. One of these issues is the deep renewal process. The main reason for the unrest that recently
occurred in our country is the lack of good governance. As the ruling party pledged to the people at the time, it is giving solution to the good governance problems that were identified.
Good governance problems can only be solved with direct participation of everyone in the public. The success of the deep renewal process is evaluated by the participation of the people. Thus, EPRDF has put in place a mechanism that would facilitate its leaders and members to make attitudinal change and that would also hold anyone who is responsible for causing good governance problems accountable. And this is seen in practice.
Many meetings and platforms were held in order to make the public service adhere to a mechanism that incorporates transparency and accountability. And the public for their most part have raised the problems they face and the solutions to solve them. This kind of approach is very good. The approach, the government and the public are taking is very good in that it strengthens the experience of all of us together looking for solutions for our country.
I found the theme which was described in the statement, that is, “we will work while renewing; we will renew while working” as strong and expressive. Indeed! It is exquisite theme. It is impossible to find solutions for every good governance problem right there at the mark. This is true. It will take a long process.
While, the “we will work while renewing…” part denotes the thinking that we should be hastening the process of ingraining attitudinal change within the leaders, members of the ruling party and the people, and, the fact that we also should be strengthening our democratic process within the second growth and transformation plan, the “we will renew while working… ” part denotes the need on
undertaking renewal process in order to help us make the attitudinal change we need to successfully undertake the wide ranging tasks that are planned within the second growth and transformation plan. The only way we can realize our country’s Renaissance is when we are able to do the wide-ranging works we planned to undertake within the second growth and transformation plan. For those, that
thoroughly looks into the theme given in the EPRDF statement will see that it has importance of our reality. And, this is why the ruling party alleged that we should be undertaking the two things simultaneously.
The other thing the ruling party mentioned in its statement is the issue of chauvinism and parochialism. These two thoughts are the main danger to the federal democratic system. These two bodies have exerted many efforts to try to dismantle our country, create rift between the people and make our country a battleground.
However, as a result of the solidarity of our people, their plans have been unsuccessful. While applauding the things, the public did to stop these entities from obstructing the
country’s path to the Renaissance, the executive committee of the ruling party called upon the people continues to play their role in realizing the country’s Renaissance. We have seen these two extremely opposite sides applauding each other during the unrest that occurred recently in our country.
The other issue the executive committee looked upon is the issue of youth benefit and inclusiveness from the country’s growth. By improving the previously existing youth development package, the government has prepared strategies that would help create even more job opportunity for the youth.
The committee in its statement also stated that, the government and people should work together to have a better performance in the second growth and transformation plan. Our country’s rapid development is a good show that, there is nothing that can’t be done, if the people and government are able to work closely.
In order for the young not to be a job hunter alone, the government has allocated more than 10 billion Birr as a revolving fund. This amount of money is allocated from other budget, in order for it to be capitalized for the youth. Thus, the young should use this money wisely. They should be doing important things for their country and people by displaying a high work ethic and by strengthening their saving culture. The way the young can be a beneficiary of the economic growth our country is recording is through their own effort, while they should know that aid and assistance will not get them anywhere.
Another issue the executive committee looked into was the performance of the second growth and transformation plan. After assessing the one year and a half performance of the plan, the executive committee has asserted that it is going well. An average of 12% was recorded in this year’s autumn season agriculture.
The agriculture sector is going as per to the planned growth formula. In an unprecedented feat, close to 50 million quintals additional production was harvested. It is through the attention given to the agriculture that it was possible to collect more than 320 million quintals in the main crops in the autumn season alone. As the assessment of the committee shows, if better effort is exerted on the irrigation works and during the Belg works, the annual performance would even be better than this.
The additional 50 million quintal harvested during the autumn season alone used to be the total output of our country two decades ago. And, this shows how much the agriculture sector is growing. In addition to this, the committee’s statement elaborated that environment conservation and irrigation development works have been carried out by including the public. Indeed! As many areas are rehabilitated through our integrated irrigation works, they have created many job opportunities for many citizens.
The other thing that was probed by the committee regards to the drought that occurred in the country’s southern and south eastern areas. As the government has given huge attention to the issue, the drought did not bring any substantial harm on citizens. In addition to this, the government is formulating and implementing a mechanism that would enable it to mitigate drought in a lasting manner. In the recent call for help, the United Nations stated that more than 20 million people in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen are in need of food assistance, and even worse things will happen if they don’t get the assistance immediately. Our country’s name used to appear on top of the list of drought hit countries. But now things have changed.
Although drought has occurred in our country, it has been made sure than the drought doesn’t change into famine. And we are able to do this as a result of the economic growth our country recorded in the past consecutive years. This is huge victory to our people and government.
The other issue raised by the committee’s statement regards with the development of the industry sector. As works has been done to bring economic structural shift by hastening the development of the manufacturing industry, the sector is showing growth. It is also indicated that the development work on about 13 industry parks is going well. These industry parks not only enable our country’s economic structure to tilt towards the manufacturing sector, they also help in terms of creating huge amount of job opportunities, increasing the export capacity and hastening technological transformation. Our country’s economy is in the right path to bring structural transformation.
The statement also stated that the effort to hold the inflation rate to single digit was successful, while the infrastructure and mega projects
construction are going very well as the saving rate has improved hugely. The assessment of the committee saw that the works of Koisha project, which is expected to generate 2100 megawatts, and the Aisha wind power generating project, which will generate 120 megawatts has started. By understanding electric power is an important input in the growth of the industry sector; the government is undertaking huge electric power generating projects.
In the social development sector, the woks done in education and health were also other areas that have been thoroughly assessed by the executive committee. The statement stated that the works the government is doing to ensure education accessibility have been successful while works done to reduce maternal and infant mortality in the health sector was also a success. Our country’s education coverage, especially at primary level has been hugely successful.
The executive committee stated that the renewal process and the one year and half performance of the second growth and transformation plan have been a success. By further expanding and strengthening the renewal process that is taking place, the executive committee stated that everyone should work hard in the sector they are involved in order to highly perform the second growth and transformation plan. It is expected of our government and people to work together and closely in order to realize our country’s Renaissance. In general, in order to walk the renewal process and good governance works simultaneously, we should all work towards it as it ensures and hastens the change our country is currently going through.
