Continued suffocation of human rights and freedoms is dangerous for Ethiopia
Hope
among Ethiopians that the ruling party would be open to reform has evaporated.
It shows no inclination to reform itself. “Ethiopian authorities have subjected
political detainees to torture and other ill-treatment at the main detention
center in Addis Ababa. In a 70 page report, Human Rights Watch “documents
serious human rights abuses, unlawful interrogation tactics…beatings, torture
and coerced confessions.” The US Department of State’s 2013 report is dire as
ever. Ethiopia is home to one of the largest political prisoner populations in
the world. It is also one of the top ten jailers of journalists. The court
system caters to the party alone. “Ethiopia’s courts are politicized and lack
independence.” Their role is to serve the ruling party and not to administer
justice. “Beatings, torture and coerced confession are no way to deal with
journalists or the political opposition.” It does this against in violation of
the country’s constitution. “Ethiopia’s Constitution and international legal
commitments require officials to protect all detainees from mistreatment….Real
change demands action from the highest levels of government against those
responsible to root out the underlying culture of impunity.” The system
validates and sustains impunity. This impunity is expansive. Bribery,
ethnic-based nepotism, high corruption and illicit outflow of funds stem from
the system itself. High officials and top military officers operate above the
law and all are vested in the system that enriches them. In short, the system
survives by bribing, paying, rewarding and enriching those who are hired to
serve the county and the public.
Top
officials of the governing party do not see anything wrong with their
manipulation of the Constitution and with violation of human rights contained
in international agreements. Following the aftermath of the 2005 elections in
which 200 young and innocent Ethiopians were massacred, Ana Gomes, member of
the European Parliament and Head of the EU Election Team to Ethiopia saw the
danger of impunity as a political culture. She concluded, “As long as the Meles
regime is in power, I will never believe in an election in Ethiopia.” Meles is
gone but his legacy remains intact. Measured in terms of freedom, human rights,
transparency, fair and open political and economic competition and rampant and
systemic corruption the country is worse off than it was in 2005 and 2010. To
his credit, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn is fully cognizant of the
dangers the country faces in one area of poor-governance, namely, corruption. A
few high officials have been arrested. However, the system breeds corruption
and those at the top who use the state to make themselves, their families and
friends rich are central to the problem. They operate above the law. The public
sector investment led strategy of relentless public borrowing, aid,
remittances, commercial loans etc. offers a window of opportunity for theft,
graft, kickbacks, corruption and illicit outflow through procurement, customs
etc. As the system is infected from the top down; it will not stop until and
unless the system is overhauled radically. This requires wisdom and political
openness and competition; a modern monitoring system; and the establishment of
an independent oversight consisting of civil society and prominent individuals
with impeccable integrity. Transparency International, UNDP and Global
Financial Integrity provided documentary evidence showing systemic corruption
that requires real commitment to hold corrupt officials at the top and private
individuals accountable, including freezing their assets and going after their
ill-earned wealth abroad. Why? “The people of Ethiopia are being bled dry. No
matter how hard they try to fight their way out of absolute destitution and
poverty, they will be swimming against the current of illicit capital leakage.”
Ethiopia
faces intractable vulnerabilities and risks
The hurdle
Ethiopia faces on the economic front is equally prevalent on the human rights
front and social development. “Rather than working to build a development
strategy grounded in human rights, the Ethiopian government is attempting to
hoodwink its human rights record, leaving unmentioned its Villagization Program
and the Anti-Terrorist Proclamation—both used by the government as significant
justification for forced resettlement, arbitrary detention, and politically
motivated arrests. Tools used in implementing projects reinforce violation of
human rights and the uprooting of indigenous people from their lands all in the
name of development “without freedom.” The lack of people-centered development
contributes directly to the prevailing phenomenon of growth for the few and a
gaping inequity that will feed into and cause social unrest similar to Tunisia,
Libya, Yemen, Egypt and rest. This feeds to the threat the country faces.
Here is the
good news, Ethiopian society has overcome its veil of fear imposed by the
system. Opposition groups, spiritual leaders, some members of the governing
party and others are openly critical of the government. Women showed their courage
recently demanding justice, inclusion and democracy. Peaceful protests are
common. Some of the party’s hard core supporters are critical of corruption and
open favoritism in hiring and licensing. While this may be a trend, think tanks
such as Human Rights Watch and Oakland Institute do not see sustainable
development unless human rights and freedoms are protected by law and enforced
by the government. Undeniable is the trend that the genie of corruption and
fear is out of the box and the quest for freedom is unstoppable. The option is
not more repression. It is opening-up political and social space sooner than
later. Those in the Diaspora and opposition groups within the country have the
moral responsibility to focus on those policy issues that they share as
Ethiopian citizens and have the courage and will to challenge the ruling party.
In sum, “No
Human Rights=No Development. No human rights and fundamental freedoms= No
national Cohesion, Solidarity and Stability.
No comments:
Post a Comment