
Sunday with Eden | Dec 19,2018
September 28 , 2019
Abiy Ahmed (PhD), prime minister of Ethiopia elected under the EPRDF's platform, is doing everything he can to undo the very vehicle that propelled him to political power. He has been busy rewriting a new programme hoping to replace the Leninist mantra of Revolutionary Democracy the EPRDF followed since its formation 30 years ago.
For an administration under criticism for lacking an unambiguous road map and coherent centre to govern, Abiy is trying to make advances in introducing his political and economic policy thoughts. Suffice the new economic reform package his advisors baptised as “homegrown.” Lauded by members of the international community as “ambitious but doable”, the blueprint to jumpstart the economy from its slumber has met not as much intellectual challenge from the domestic constituency as it was originally feared, says gossip.
Abiy is now in full gear pushing for the introduction of his political thoughts he loves to call “Me`demer," an Amharic word translated as “positive-sum.” Gossip recalls that Abiy's fascination with the concept the word represents is not new. He has been on the record while contemplating the idea of synergy in social constructs a couple of years before his ascent to political power a year and a half ago.
His holding state power and everything that comes with it - if not leverages and resources - has brought an imminent significance to what goes on in his mind. Abiy believes Me`demer is neither an ideology nor a philosophy but something in between - a “thought”, perhaps.
Nonetheless, such is a thought that needs to evolve in its theoretical and conceptual underpinning, before it is marketed to the broader public, claims gossip. Abiy does not seem to be in short supply of intellectuals near and afar to help him give flesh to the bones of Me`demer, gossip observed. Workshops, seminars and orientations are underway aiming to instill the concept - cooperation where there is competition - in its political, economic, diplomatic and security applications, according to gossip.
A couple of weeks ago, senior ministers from his cabinet gathered in the town of Adama (Nazareth) to go through the indoctrination process. A series of retreats at the Kuriftu Lodge, in Bishoftu (Debrezeit), began two weeks ago, according to gossip. Select groups of people believed to influence society get invited to these sessions where the Prime Minister gives the closing sermon, gossip says.
A book authored by the Prime Minister on the subject has been published and close to a million copies will soon be distributed, gossip claims.
All this could be an attempt to fill the ideological vacuum created by the rejection by some in the ruling coalition of the Revolutionary Democracy mantra, says gossip. The effort to merge the EPRDF into a national party may incorporate the rewriting of the programme to embrace the thoughts of Me`demer. But it appears that such political manoeuvering hardly passes without a challenge from within, according to gossip.
The senior partner in the Front, the TPLF, has already made its position clear. It communicated to the Chairman its resolve not to join the party that will merge, in no uncertain terms, gossip says. It is highly unlikely its leaders will accept an outcome of a merger as legitimate if it fails to follow procedures where each party's political bureau, central committee and congress first endorses the decision to merge, gossip claims. In the event Abiy pushes it in the absence of meeting these procedures, they may consider it as a formation of a different and new party with hardly any claim to the legacy of the EPRDF, says gossip.
More worrying to Abiy may come from his own backyard, claims gossip. His deputy in the ODP, and once staunch political ally, Lemma Megerssa is vocal in opposing the direction Abiy is taking, gossip claims. He was in Adama a couple of weeks ago, defending his position against the merger before members of ODP's senior cadres, gossip reveals. Time will show the degree of support Lemma can have in the leadership and rank and file of the ODP, says gossip.
However, the EPRDF has called members of its Executive Committee to a meeting in the first week of October. If held as planned, gossip foresees, it will be one of the turning points in the ongoing political logjam.
PUBLISHED ON
Sep 28,2019 [ VOL
20 , NO
1013]
Sunday with Eden | Dec 19,2018
Addis Fortune | Sep 27,2020
Fineline | Jun 08,2019
Radar | Jun 08,2019
Fineline | Nov 23,2019
Editorial | Dec 04,2020
Fineline | Mar 07,2020
Viewpoints | Apr 11,2020
Viewpoints | Mar 19,2022
Fortune News | Sep 26,2021
Photo Gallery | 52089 Views | May 06,2019
Fortune News | 45489 Views | Jul 18,2020
Photo Gallery | 43766 Views | Apr 26,2019
In-Picture | 42094 Views | Dec 14,2019
November 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
November 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
October 16 , 2021 . By HAWI DADHI
Residing in a country with no capital market, an organised marketplace for trading se...
August 28 , 2021 . By HAWI DADHI
The streets of Addis Abeba are as varied as they are many, although too many of them have yet to be named. From the narrow alleyways of the...
May 21 , 2022
There was a great deal of handshaking and patting each other on the back at the Hyatt...
May 14 , 2022
Diana Yohannes is one of those actively engaging in social media platforms with her T...
May 7 , 2022
The Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA) recently proposed the formation of a macroec...
April 30 , 2022
There is no ambiguity in the UNDP's assessment of Ethiopia’s economic performance a...
May 21 , 2022 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
Efforts to form the country's first-ever capital market took a meaningful step last...
May 21 , 2022 . By TSION HAILEMICHAEL
Trade regulators have warned exporters to immediately ship oilseeds and cash crops...
Federal officials are moving forward with a belated initiative to form a regulatory...
May 21 , 2022 . By TSION HAILEMICHAEL
A consortium of agrochemical importers has pleaded with central bank authorities for...
Put your comments here