Aa Council Holds Debate On Good Governance, Rule of Law

By Robel Yohannes

The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP), the Ethiopia Ra'ey Party (ERP), and Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) yesterday took part in a debate over the issue of good governance and rule of law in an event organized by the Addis Ababa City Council in the context of the upcoming general election.

The opposition parties over the three hour long session argued that there is more or less no good governance and rule of law in Ethiopia, and Addis Ababa is filled with huge problems, and the justice system serves as a tool for the ruling party while corruption is running rampant.

Representing CUD, Sasahuleh Kebede said that as there's no inclusiveness in the governing system of the country and in Addis Ababa as well, many capable people are not employed only because of their political stance. He added that the ruling party's motivation in dealing with corruption cases is politically motivated, and it is not helpful to halt the problem. He argued that by bringing national consensus, CUD will be able to bring a governing system that abides by the rule of law.

According to Abera Bekele, who represented ERP on the debate, asked how many people are exercising their rights to free expression; he added rule of law is not fully set up from top to bottom. He further said that the system mixes party business with government administration, while the strategies and policies of the ruling party in his eyes have been a failure. Arguing for his party, Abera said that ERP has a big vision to create a true democratic system filled with the youth.

The representative of EDP, Tesfaye Menberu for his part said that those who have been successful with good governance and rule of law are countries that adhere to Liberal Democracy. He further argued that the ruling party fails in the criterion of good governance like transparency and accountability, while saying 'rule of politics' instead of rule of law is running the show. He concluded that there are no countries that are successful in bringing good governance while adhering to Revolutionary Democracy, but only through Liberal Democracy.

On the other hand, Gebre-Tsadiq Hagos representing EPRDF said that good governance means bringing peace, democracy and development through an inclusive, transparent and accountable manner within a legal framework; and in that regard his party is bringing benefits to the public by creating jobs, elevating the standard of living of the people, attracting investment flow, and expanding infrastructure.

He said that it is through the party's inclusive way of doing things with the participation of the public that Addis Ababa is currently a peaceful city, so much so, that according to him, the city is being mentioned as one of the most peaceful and attractive destinations for tourism in foreign media.

Refuting opposition parties' criticism, Atkelt Geday from EPRDF said that there's inclusiveness and transparency with the way things are done, as there's a setup where the works from the city to woreda level is shown to the people, including audit report, while members of the City Council are elected by the full participation of the public.

He added with regards to fighting off corruption, the party has a strategic plan that incorporates successive and long-term works to change attitude within the society, through the participation of the public.

During the debate, some of the opposition parties criticized the ruling party for talking about infrastructure development, while the agenda of the debate was about good governance and rule of law. The ruling part replied saying good governance is there to help bring development, peace and democracy.

Source: AllAfrica