Uninformed Public Susceptible to Alternative Facts

Amongst the defining features of the current government is its obsession with secrecy. Closed door discussions have long been the trademarks of the Revolutionary Democrats. Thus, the Ethiopian political landscape of the past 26 years has been unpredictable and challenging to understand and analyse accurately.

Ever since the downfall of the military junta, Dergue, the government has been reluctant to timely and adequately offer explanations when the country is engulfed in crisis. This has allowed the public discourse to become a ground for speculations and conspiracy theories.

When the government fails to deliver fresh and timely information to the public, groups that have an agenda make use of the opportunity to dictate their version of the story. This causes citizens to become exposed to a one-sided flow of information, without the input of concerned parties like, say, the government.

The public has the right to know the state the country is in. Those in power may consider the right to information a luxury, while the demand from the public may seem like a cliché. However, it is not. Having unfiltered information of current events, which is in confusion and total disarray, is crucial to the public.

The past two years, which saw unrests in the Oromia and Amhara regional states, can be a perfect example of the argument I am trying to make. The recent conflicts along the borders of the Oromia and Somali regional states, which reportedly have claimed the lives of several people and displaced hundreds of others, now seem to have shaken the country’s political establishment to its very foundation.

Through all of this, the public was exposed to confusion rather than clarity. In the latter’s case, the number of people who were injured and lost their lives has been in direct contradiction to the amount that has been claimed by the media. There are more questions than answers in the minds of the public, which is at the mercy of continuous social media reports.

Another example that shows the government’s reluctance to share information is the case of the resignation of two senior government officials. The resignation of Abadula Gemeda, speaker of parliament, circulated on social media on October 07, 2017. And the following day he confirmed it in an exclusive interview with the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).

Besides Negeri Lencho’s, minister of Government Communications Office, confirmation of the submission of the resignation letter, the federal government has not explained the matter apart from the Prime Minister offering some information during his briefing to the parliament last week.

After a week, the public was hit with another unanticipated resignation which caught many off-guard. This time it was the veteran politician, Bereket Simon. Again, no official reason, except for some information by the Prime Minister was offered as to why he tendered his resignation. Once again, the public was denied its right to know about the state of affairs of the country.

It is not back-breaking to list down the areas the general public has no clue about. The list goes on starting from the controversial sugar factories whose current status is not correctly known, to government officials’ wealth registration status which has not to this date been announced to the public. I once remember an unusual editorial in Addis Zemen, the Amharic state daily, which questioned the forgotten issue of wealth registration. There is a troubling lack of clarity about these and other issues. They are very delicate state of affairs. This is not an exaggeration but a fact on the ground.

All stakeholders across the political spectrum should wake up. The days of extreme and unreasonable secrecy are long gone. Such a trend can have serious implications. In the absence of transparency from the government’s side, speculations and conspiracy theories dominate the political discourse. A citizenry starved of facts is highly exposed to rumours and gossip. It cannot play a meaningful role in development. The public cannot even assist in alleviating the current problems as it is not explicitly aware of what is going on in the country.

Excessive secrecy ultimately erodes the public’s trust towards its governors. Gradually, the public would be convinced that the government is hiding something. Such a trend, through time, would allow mistrust to reign in the relationship between the government and the people. This sign has long been apparent in Ethiopia.

I am not naïve to assert that the government should respond to every single claim, especially in the era of swiftly expanding social media platforms. However, keeping silent is not an option either. Being selective can be one remedy. Every country has its state secrets. But when I demand transparency from the government, I am not referring to these types of secrets, but to issues that profoundly affect the day-to-day activities of citizens.

More than any other time, the public eagerly awaits a free and timely flow of information. Ethiopia is currently experiencing a change in the political atmosphere. Such a time is very difficult to comprehend for close observers of political developments let alone for ordinary citizens who are busy making a living. The government should provide detailed and timely updates concerning current issues in the country, especially during critical times when the public is desperate for news.

The eagerness, in my view, does not necessarily emanate from mere curiosity. Rather, it is an outcome of confusion and frustration of the status quo. It is also a result of uncertainty as to where the nation is heading. If not correctly handled, keeping the public in the dark will ultimately lead the government to pay a hefty price sooner or later.


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