News: Ruling Party Executive admits Ethiopia at “a crucial stage”, warns “inability to manage freedom” should be reversed

Addis Abeba – After two-days of meeting by the Executive Committee of the ruling Prosperity Party, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, admitted by Ethiopia is “at a crucial stage” and listed five challenges confronting the country, its people and the party’s leadership.

According to the communique released by the Executive of the incumbent, the challenges Ethiopia is faced with today in its attempts to “cross the bridge to prosperity” mainly come from five factors, and the party has devised a “strategy” to fighting” against these factors.

Accordingly, the executive said that the first challenge it identified was what it called “the burden of history.” Ethiopians have several histories and historical opportunities that “we are proud of” and should use them as a source of wealth for the prosperity of Ethiopia. But on the contrary, Ethiopians have the burden of history tha are “not resolved” that have added additional problems “that we have not dealt with.” These burdens of history “should not be the reason for conflict, and division,” the party said, “we inherited them; we did not create them.”

The Executive called on all party members and supporters as well as the general public to do everything required for the success of the national dialogue “by fighting the forces that want to use our past historical burdens as a weapon of conflict.”

The executive lamented the “inability to manage freedom” as the second problem facing Ethiopia. “Freedom is not free. And it does not continue for free,” it said, adding that it takes “sacrifice to get it”. The freedom to “local administration, to organize, to express ideas, to oppose the government, to establish and use the media, to worship faith without government intervention,” are freedoms “our people have gained in the struggle.”

However, the party warned that as “a system of responsibility without freedom leads to oppression, a liberal system without responsibility also leads to anarchy.”

To this end, the executive committee said it has assessed that the problem of “managing freedom” within in local administrations, the media, religious institutions, political parties and activists should be reversed as soon as possible.

“Living in freedom means being able to exercise rights by respecting the law, without harming others, without destroying the country and without causing conflict. Acting while breaking the law, violating the rights of others, inciting conflict and hatred, and destabilizing the country is a crime and cannot be freedom. A crime must result in legal liability,” the executive warned.

Furthermore, the executive said that there “are signs that managing freedom in our country is becoming a challenge. We are losing the freedom we have gained in our struggle because of crimes committed in the name of freedom,” and called on government institutions, political parties, the media, judicial institutions, religious institutions, scholars and community elders to do what is expected of them “so that freedom and responsibility can be balanced.”

The third challenge that the executive said it identified is the challenge against :our multinational unity” and said that in today’s Ethiopia, no one should live as superior or as inferior. “We cannot live without each other” it said, adding that prosperity cannot come through “division, conflict and hatred.”

Here too, the party warned government and party officials at all levels to “refrain from speeches and actions that undermine the multinational unity of Ethiopians and exacerbate hatred and conflict. “Party and government leaders should make sure that the problems are solved only through discussion and legal proceeds. People-to-people relations should be strengthened and established. We should not forget for a moment that fighting for peace, strengthening development, respect for law and order is the main role of leadership,” it said.

The executive also called on religious leaders, the media, activists and intellectuals to distance themselves from actions and speeches that “stir up past wounds, reignite hatred, make people suspicious, and threaten the peace and security of the country” and urged the relevant law enforcement and judiciary bodies “not to look at such speeches and activities with indifference.”

The soaring cost of living is the fourth problem the party said it identified during its two days meeting by the executive. Blaming it on “the macro economic distortions caused by international and domestic problems” the party said the rising cost of living in Ethiopia is causing an increased in unemployment. Steps are being taken to solve the problem both temporarily and permanently, the party said. Without mentioning, it hinted that “there are issues that “the government needs to make a hard decision in order to pass the challenge efficiently.

Until the problem is solved permanently, however, it warned that the government will take temporary measures to reduce the cost of living. The sabotages of failing to bring product in the appropriate quantity and deliver it to the market and illegal blockade and looting at checkpoints in every area are two of the areas that the party said should be resolved through the commitment of the leadership and the enforcement of the law. It warned “brokers and greedy traders” who prolong the market chain between producers and consumers to refrain, and said that appropriate corrective actions will be taken against officials and government employees that hinder trade and investment.

the fifth factor that brought the country into the crucial stage is “theft”, the party said, and went on explaining a chain of four forces exacerbating the factor. “Thieves within the government, thieves in within investors, thieves within nationalities and thieves within the media,” that it accused of working as four for one purpose and are destroying the country.

“The thieves within government use their structure and power; the thieves around investors use their money to steal more; and those around nationalities use their identity to cover up, while those within the media build the image of these thieves. All these thieves pervert justice… instigate conflict and riots” to hide their thefts, it said.

The government will step up its campaign “to eliminate all types of thieves,” the executive said, but also called upon leaders, members and supporters of the party itself “to clean their hands and lead the struggle.” It also called the people to save Ethiopia “by providing information so that the campaign against thieves can achieve its goal, and by not being an accomplice of thieves and by building a generation free from theft.”

The country is “getting rid of the pressure of two years of war,” and the work we done so far “to bring order to the illegal militants in every area” is bearing fruit, while better results are being registered in agricultural production, job creation and in the field of diplomacy. “The amount of aid and loans we receive is increasing,” it said, adding that “Ethiopia’s economy has become one of the three major economies in sub-Saharan Africa. The projects we have started for the country are being completed.”

But it it is important to strengthen these gains and “focus only on our development, peace and security” the party said and ended its lengthy statement bu calling on all “to be a part of the struggle by sacrificing your knowledge, energy and money so that we can overcome our challenges and build a prosperous Ethiopia with united multinational unity.” AS