Trusting Governments and Loving Politicians
Ewnetu Haile
The priority given to the quest for more profit over the plight of mankind himself has become the hallmark of the 21st century capitalism. The ideology has, especially, become aggressive since the end of the cold war as the superpower advocating it put pressure on states to adhere to its principles. The transfer of national and international wealth to a handful of people, the invasion of smaller states by more powerful ones, neglect of sovereignty and territorial integrity and the strong waves of internationalism have all become the realities of the current era.
Instead of serving as the most powerful actors in distributing national wealth as equitably as possible, governments have assumed a peripheral role since the end of the cold war. They have surrendered a large section of their welfare roles to the private sector that mainly targets profits. The huge economic power of governments is not as vigorously used to promote social interests as citizens are considered as customers in today’s world. Accordingly, a very small section of the society constituting the richest people owns a large portion of the economy while the majority is left at their mercy in the former’s quest for more wealth. Labor laws have, thus, increasingly chopped down on the rights of workers.
As expected, leaders and politicians in general are considered as sale outs by the public as they are in charge of a system that promotes the interests of a handful of rich people. Therefore, there is a general hatred towards politicians around the world. People feel very alienated from their respective governments who rarely stand in guard of majority interests especially when competing against corporate interests.
Ethiopians have also been dismayed with their governments at least during the past fifty years. Their most recent frustrations have especially taken them to the brink of hopelessness. Even after promising changes that toppled the feudal system and the socialist military regime of the Derge, the popular expectations for radical change looked really distant. Especially in the years following the 2005 elections, Ethiopians resorted to dismiss governmental claims outright. In some instances, the people understood exactly the opposite of governmental announcements. Living under a government that can break the law itself and blame it on somebody else drains the hope out of people. To suspect the government of planting bombs on its own people is a clear indicator of the level of mistrust and hatred between the two. Killing demonstrators and insinuating that they deserve it because they are terrorists was never going to go down well with the people.
Since the past four months, however, things have changed rather extremely. Nowadays, Ethiopians love their government and their political leaders. The new group of political leaders spearheading the change has consistently proved its allegiance to the interests of the majority of the people over that of crooked party interests. They have brought back the sense of being Ethiopian. They have been very positive in promoting radical change. They have also used love, unity and forgiveness to tend to the wounds of a largely angry population. They have released political prisoners, journalists and bloggers; they have promoted freedom of the press; they have widened the political arena by successfully bringing in opposition and armed groups. All in all, they have shown to the people their determination to serve social interests and build the country with their fellow citizens.
It is not just Ethiopians that have shared the excitement of genuine political leaders though. Especially in Africa where it is tough to alienate political power with the distribution of national resources, the Ethiopian political leaders have become an inspiration. African countries including Rwanda and Uganda have adorned the new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D.) with the highest order of their national medals. Others have expressed their admiration for the wide ranging changes in the country.
One such country that has been really impressed with the changes so much so it has decided to relinquish its 20 year old standoff with the Ethiopian government to commence diplomatic relations is Eritrea. During his visit to Ethiopia, the Eritrean President, Isaias Afeworki remarked that he has delegated the Ethiopian PM Abiy to handle Eritrean affairs on their behalf in the international system. Ethiopia has since called for the UN to end the sanctions on Eritrea. The Eritrean President’s testimony plus the conduct of the Ethiopian government indicate the level of trust that has been created in such a short time after the lengthy standoff between the two countries.
The international community has also expressed its delight at the positive steps taken to neutralize tense situations between the two countries and push for a more cooperative relation. The statements by the heads of the UN and the AU clearly indicate that fact. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated: “I believe that recent evolution in relation between Eritrea and Ethiopia is very important signal not only for the two countries, not only for Africa, (but also) for the whole world.” Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, for his part noted: “We appreciate political courage of the prime minister of Ethiopia who has taken this initiative; he has accepted to respect what was adopted 20 years ago and since yesterday he has been in Asmara. We have seen the warm welcome that has been accorded to him to share that African peoples want peace and stability on the continent.”
After the latest agreement between the two warring sides in South-Sudan, the SPLM/A (IO) acknowledged the efforts by PM Abiy and expressed its gratitude. Its statement read:
IGAD, under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Abiye Ahmed Ali, resolved to effectively allow Dr. Machar to fully and unconditionally participate in the ongoing peace negotiations in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa due to these efforts. This decision is merited and may as well be credited for whatever peace that might prevail in our country in the very near future. Furthermore, Prime Minister Abiye’s recent invitation of Dr. Machar to meet President Salva Kiir face-to-face to resolve the outstanding and contentious issues is inline with a series of wise and logical decisions that IGAD has taken in the last few months. By allowing the principals of the warring parties to sit and sift through their differences to address the root-causes and stop the war, IGAD has correctly diagnosed the problem and has set the negotiations on the right course. We would, therefore, like to express our gratitude to Prime Minister Abiye for his wise leadership and timely decision.
The Swedish Ambassador to the United Nations, Olof Skoog, whose country is winding up its presidency of the Security Council stated that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed deserves the most prominent speaker’s place at this year’s General Assembly VIP debate in September. During a press briefing skoog asked “When there is this very bold, historic leader coming in — in this case in Ethiopia — just changing the paradigm in favor of peace, shouldn’t we just devote this General Assembly to give him the most prominent speaker’s place?” Skoog also noted that the example that Abiy set is extraordinary, given the fact that so many other countries are investing so much time in just defining why they need to be opposed to their neighbor.
As I tried to show in just a few circumstances raised above, there is a wide ranging support for the efforts of the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D.). That has been the case because he and his fellow political leaders have stood their ground for what is right. In doing so, they have catered to the interests of the wide public and everyone, including politicians across the globe, are hailing their efforts for that.
Although the message such a positive development sends out to African political leaders is strong, it does by no means end there. The political leaders of the western world who brag about their mature democratic systems are largely corrupt as their votes and office are bought by the lucrative offers from lobbyists. By garnering wide international recognition in just four months, the courageous move by the Ethiopian political leadership has demonstrated the invaluable payment leaders receive when they truly stand for the people. It is only then that the people of the world would trust their governments and love their politicians.