
My Opinion | Jun 20,2020
Jul 13 , 2020
By Eden Sahle ( Eden Sahle is founder and CEO of Yada Technology Plc. She has studied law with a focus on international economic law. She can be reached at edensah2000@gmail.com. )
From the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) to the slowing economy and the political unrest, Ethiopia seems to be in an uphill battle.
Among these, it seems to be the political situation that is most worrying. Mainly because it is inflected with violence, which is increasingly becoming privatised and regularised, it is leading to the destablisation of the country and worsening the relationship between peoples of the same nation.
When the public fears for its life and safety, it is being left with no choice but to take matters into its own hands. This is a terrifying development, leading to the acceptance of violence by society as a useful means to securing justice. More than anything else, the political problems we have are symptoms of the deeply rotten state society finds itself in. Unable to sit down, discuss and hammer out solutions, what we have are people who want to fight it out.
This is not healthy. We need to think prudently and support each other to effectively function as a society. This is the only way that thoughtful leaders could come to the forefront, bringing substantial progress to the community. At this moment, working to address our differences through compromise is the better option instead of waiting to reach the point of no return.
We need to accept that not all of us want the same things in life as well as in politics and need to find a framework that allows us to co-exist. The lack of respect for human lives and the failure to ensure citizens' security need to concern us all equally. Narrow mindedness destroys good judgment and compassion and makes people bitter to one another.
It will be a tragedy if we repeat the mistakes of those that came before us, who left us a country that was poor and incognisant of a national identity. Past generations, despite the best efforts of some of them, have left us bitterly divided among ourselves, and failure to right this would mean passing of this conflagration of injustice even further down the line.
Part of the solution to our current dilemma lies in ensuring the safety of citizens. People cannot work and contribute to society if they are fearing for their safety or if it is highly questionable that they will make it back home in one piece. It discourages investments and activities. It kills the entrepreneurial spirit.
The constant shifting of blame and lack of commitment to justice is another problem that needs to be addressed in our current political problems. The political elites take a large part of the blame for the lack of observance of rules and laws and civilised discussions. The my-way-or-the-highway politics terrifies the public into submission rather than being motivated to try and arrive at any kind of political understanding with the opposing side.
There is more to earning the public trust than preaching hateful rhetoric. A country built on such grounds does not lend itself to stability. Leadership is the humility and the willingness to serve others. Showing this is a great deal more important than preaching it.
“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them,” said Albert Einstein.
Building a state where human rights and law and order are respected thus will require appealing to the same public that is impacted by them. Only its acceptance of what is better for the greater good can help us now. Anything less will spell disaster for us all. This will not be an easy task, but neither is it avoidable.
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 13,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1055]
My Opinion | Jun 20,2020
Featured | Jul 10,2020
Radar | Dec 11,2021
Sunday with Eden | Jul 10,2020
Radar | Feb 06,2021
Sunday with Eden | Feb 29,2020
Radar | Jan 19,2019
Radar | Apr 06,2019
Agenda | Dec 19,2020
Radar | Mar 06,2021
Photo Gallery | 69308 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 61186 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fortune News | 53043 Views | Jul 18,2020
Fortune News | 52831 Views | Sep 01,2021
Commentaries | Jun 03,2023
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
At the hub of Ethiopia's fiscal planning on King George VI Street, the country's budg...
May 27 , 2023
Tauted as a somnolent giant, Ethiopia's financial scene now stirs, roused by favourab...
May 20 , 2023
The pungent irony wafting from Pretoria last week was hard to miss. Cyril Ramaphosa,...
May 13 , 2023
In March this year, Kamala Harris, the United States Vice President, visited Ghana, T...
Jun 6 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
The tripartite Labour Advisory Board constituting labour, employers and authorities r...
Jun 3 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
Addis Abeba's City Administration resumed land auctions after a five-year lull. The a...
Jun 3 , 2023 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
A federal agency invitation to procure a large volume of edible oil found itself with...
Jun 3 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
Public events in the capital foresee a regulatory framework as the Addis Abeba Mayor...