ARABNEWS || Ethiopia’s defence minister, a key ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has criticised plans to transform the ruling coalition into a single party, highlighting growing divisions ahead of planned 2020 elections.
Analysts say the public split between the country’s most powerful ethnic Oromo politicians could increase political uncertainty ahead of the May polls, and hinder Abiy’s reformist agenda.
In an interview with Voice of America’s Affan Oromo language service on Friday night, Defence Minister Lemma Megersa criticised the move to merge the coalition of ethno-regional parties which has ruled the country for three decades.
“I have had a different perspective from the beginning of the talks about the merger of EPRDF,” said Lemma, adding that “even if that is to happen it shouldn’t be done in a hurried way.”
Nobel Peace Laureate Abiy’s plans to transform the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) into one party have already been rejected by the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) — the once dominant party of late strongman Meles Zenawi.
The three other parties last week voted to unite and form the Prosperity Party (PP), which Abiy hopes will heal ethnic divisions that have marred his rule, while critics say it will only deepen them.
Lemma also rejected Abiy’s philosophy “Medemer” (Amharic for synergy) which is aimed at uniting the country.
Lemma is a former president of Ethiopia’s largest and most populous regional state, Oromia and is currently vice chairman of the regional ruling party (ODP), with a large following in the region.
Abiy, himself an Oromo, came to power in April 2018 after more than two years of anti-government protests led by Ethiopia’s two largest ethnic groups, the Oromo and Amhara.
Ethiopian analyst Abel Abate said the public break between the two men will likely add to political uncertainty in the country as it prepares to hold general elections next year.
“While the process to form PP out of the ashes of EPRDF has gone a considerable distance, it’s far from complete yet. This public disagreement could fatally injure plans to form PP”, he said.
Meanwhile, Horn of Africa analyst Rashid Abdi wrote on Twitter that Abiy was “in deep trouble” after being ditched by his “single most important pillar of Oromo support”.
This young man, Obbo Lemma, is entitled to his opinion. If democracy is to take roots in the country such reality must be present and practices in functioning parties first. Opposite ideas should be allowed without any retribution. When majority rules by recognizing the rights of a minority of opposition then we can start talking democracy. The minority has the due diligence to carry out the decisions passed with a majority vote. Also, his rights to disassociate himself from the party should be protected. He can join other parties or found a new one, run for a public office as a party member. The rights to run an office should belong to anyone who meets the criteria set by the law of the land. If you are a felon then you should not be allowed to run in the election.
This young man Obbo Lemma is being treated unfair by getting a bad rap for his entitled opinion because he opposes merger at this time. Wasn’t he the same patriot who most us applauded when he came out asserting that to be ‘an Ethiopian is like an addiction that can’t be shrugged off’’? He said that when Oromos like me and him were being told not to even use the term Ethiopian. We were being told to use ‘Abyssinian Empire’ instead. Then, then every conniver was seen joining him by indulging in that term of the boogeyman’s ‘Ethiopian’. All of a sudden they can’t get enough of it. For them those who used the term ‘Ethiopia’ were(are) not Oromos, cannot possibly be Oromos but must be other than Oromos or just Amharas. They used to tell me and others like me that Oromos were never glorious when living with others and they were as such when they were separate and alone. But when I investigated I realized that no ethnic group in that gem of the world was so glorious when living alone. Get this: Amhara were not glorious alone! Oromos were not along alone!!! Tigres were never glorious alone!!! They has never been one so glorious to be classified as a new human ‘golden’ race leaving others behind as rusting ferrous kind!!!! No human race or civilization was glorious by doing it all alone. Even Rome was not!!! Apparently the Greeks were not!!! The Persians were not!!! The Chinese were not so with just the Great Han alone!!!! Those who tried to preach us the ‘alone’ megalomania’ ended up strung upside down at the Piazzale Loreto and the other one shot himself in the head at some self constructed bunker!!!
This coming out opposing the merger by Obbo Lemma shows he is an upright man of principle. Praise The Lord that gem of the colored has patriots like him!!!