Yesterday can be referred to as last year. A New Year has dawned. What it may hold for us we can never be certain.
Last year had been a honeymoon period for the lucky few and a mournful period for many others. It all depends from whose perspective we look at it. It also depends on the level of the assessment.
Apart from the drum beating, colour painting and hullabaloo at wrong corners and back streets of the capital, fuelled by the media commercials aired in association with companies or corporations, there is not much to brag about. This statement that brings the phrase “in association with” is inserted wisely to refer to the broadcasting law that is being deliberately overlooked.
Are “sponsors” permitted to advertise their services or products?
I am just asking. No, unless the law has since been revised. In passing, I would also like to remind that only 20pc of the programme’s duration is to be used for commercials.
While there are those who may be fortunate to cheer, there are those who shed tears either because they were evicted from their homes or displaced on the pretext of renovation; or those whose members have been victims of traffic accidents, or those separated from their loved ones because they have been detained, for one reason or another. The holiday could also have arduous moments for lack of water or electricity or both.
Before I go into the details, where they say the devil resides, I would like to comment on the setting of the commercials.
How strange is it to note that except for one or two mature members, almost all of them are one and the same?
If one claims to present a “business report”, he says little different from the daily rate of foreign exchange, daily fuel price or coffee sales and price of gold. I must say it is a positive trend.
But of what use is a business report that does not include views from the relevant officials and their interpretations of the changes in the figures?
A university lecturer may be interviewed and made to debate.
Why is the Speaker of the Parliament free from answering what steps could be taken, or why rebuttals to the criticisms presented by the General Auditor?
We see that all the banks in the country are scrambling over available airtime to invite the Diaspora to use their services for fast and reliable receipt of remittances. This is, of course, assuming that most holidaymakers or furniture buyers depend on their kin living abroad. What baffles me always is why we should buy imported furniture, even toys for children, made for European standard at a time when our economic policy stands mainly for import substitutions and saving our meagre foreign currency reserve.
The year was significant in some major events. The tripartite agreement between the Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia over the use of the river in principle was very important although such phrases as “without causing significant damage” could remain vague and open for debate. The tempo of informing the general public as to how much work has been performed so far seems to be kept in check these days. We do not hear much about progress of work at the site.
The Ethio-Djibouti agreement to scale up the economic integration between the two nations is very welcome and is expected to continue growing stronger.
The historic Financing for Development Conference in AA, that hosted thousands of international participants has also been a big success. The Fifth National Election that was said and reported to be democratic fair, independent and participatory could be taken as an achievement in the eyes of the beholders or those who claimed to have been elected.
But critics and sceptics see it as a threat. They argue that, given the state of the parliament, where all the seats were won by the ruling party and its affiliates, major and detrimental decisions could pass without adequate debate and promulgated as laws. Such vital issues like the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) or marking borders with neighbouring countries could be decided upon against the interest of the nation, not for any subversive act, but simply for the lack of highly competent experts or those who know the background history at the tip of their fingers.
As for the visit of US President Obama, judging by his warning to African leaders last year when he visited Ghana, much was expected from him as the election in our country took place just a year after his advice was given. In fact, many were disappointed when he almost endorsed the election as democratic, to the delight of the members of the ruling party. In fact, some observers noted that he was speaking highly about the Ethiopian army fighting in Somalia notwithstanding the costs they are paying with their lives.
One of the critical problems of the year being housing, 2007 saw over 130,000 lucky residents moved in, while there was disappointment among others who were saving and waiting in limbo only to be told about a change of plan. Well, well! That belated change of plan may do them some good. There could perhaps be cost knock offs or trimmings here and there, who knows.
Incidentally, in a country rich in architecture where there are professionals, how can a city that tries to get rid of old slums and shanties from its surface replace them with totalitarian cubes and match boxes in and around the metropolis? Are some of our town planers devoid of architectural perspectives?
Have we gone through the pros?
Not yet, I suppose. There is the Light Rail Transit (LRT) or the notorious city diggers that could not care less about car owners who had to endure the fuel cost and time while the trench digging, utility line moving or shifting, electric or telephone pole moving, redressing of torn tarmac layers were carried out at a snail’s pace. Has the corporation ever calculated how much all these activities cost the nation’s economy more and above the 475 million dollars?
Who knows, Getachew Betru (PhD) and Co. may decide to recover their capital investment through higher travel tariffs. I would not be surprised if the Parliament could approve unanimously now that there would not be any opposition at all.
By the way, do the respective officials know that such public service tariffs have to pass through Parliament?
If we go by what we hear, it is rumoured that the price per trip could vary from two Birr to Eight Birr. I have no clue on how they can manage that kind of range in pricing. Brace yourselves but do not hold your breath, that the cross country rail from Addis to Djibouti may be operational.
The other crucial issue is the mistakenly understood “good governance” issue. When this is translated into the local vernacular it becomes melkam astedader (good management). This was not what it was meant to be.
A few years ago, when the UNDP and other financing agencies lent their money, they coined the phrase “good governance” to be included in the agreements, intending to avoid the employment of unqualified people, unauthorised invoices, political views and nepotism. Melkam astedader gives simply an implication of the lack of competent bureaucracy. This oversimplifies the harm it brings on human rights.
The last comment will be to wish all the best to all of us for the year that has just been ushered in. Happy New Year!
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