FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo
A political space where almost everyone is free to engage is not automatically beneficial to the development of democracy. It encouraged and fostered polarization.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's (PhD) administration took an action rarely undertaken by any other regime in the country’s history. It suddenly removed the restraints - some legal and others only implied - on political organisation and free speech.


Every individual and group with a political agenda took this opportunity to expound on historical memory, their own understanding of present socio-political circumstances, and the best possible future outcome for the Ethiopian state.


But the opening up of the political space did not mean that everyone would be willing to play by the rules. Moderation has taken a back seat, and the political space has been dominated not necessarily by the most rational and most consistent in their line of arguments but by the loudest political players. A political space where almost everyone is free to engage is not automatically beneficial to the development of democracy. It encouraged and fostered polarization. The wisdom in “toleration makes differences possible; and, differences make toleration necessary” heeded not much among Ethiopia’s elite.



PUBLISHED ON Jan 05,2020 [ VOL 20 , NO 1028]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.



Related Posts

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Fossil Fuels Arent Going Anywhere Despite Great Energy Transition Myth

Ideas and the words we use to frame them matter. For example, as the Cold War wound d...

Conflicts Upend Growth Story, Plunging Development Goals into Jeopardy

Once regarded as a rising economic star on the African continent, Ethiopia now finds...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Addis Abeba's Gleaming Facade Masks a Parched Metropolis

Dec 21 , 2024

The main avenues and thoroughfares of Addis Abeba have undergone an impressive faceli...

When More of Everything Leaves Less in the Bank

Dec 14 , 2024

Ethiopia's monetary policy has shifted conspicuously in recent years. Gone is the era...

Fueling Reform, the Petroleum Sector Caught Between Monopoly Missteps, Market Liberalisation

Dec 7 , 2024

For decades the Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise (EPSE), a state-owned giant ent...

Crafting Public Service Reward in a Cash-Strapped Economy

Nov 30 , 2024

In the corridors of government offices worldwide, the question of how much to pay mem...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

Overcoming Emotional Impulses in Decision-Making

Have you ever made a split-second decision and later wondered, "What was I thinking?...

The Daily Struggles of Power Outages, Water Shortages

Addis Abeba was eerily silent over the past weekend, shrouded in darkness. The blacko...

Life Matters

Inadequate Regulation Leaves Tenants Vulnerable to Arbitrary Rental Hikes

The rental market in Ethiopia, like in many developing economies, is characterised by...

Lasting Treatments Instead of Temporary Relief

I have always avoided taking pills unless absolutely necessary: when I am genuinely u...