EPRDF'S "ACHIEVEMENTS" IN THE LAST 11 YEARS 

By Tsegay Gebriye London UK

Here the revolt within the TPLF that sparked the purging of the dissenters from both the TPLF and EPRDF is presented as a saviour of the country rather than the regime. This is in line with Ethiopia's past dictators who used "threat to the country" in its various forms as a disguise to punish opponents and get public support. In a democracy, governments come and go with out causing any serious threat to a country. Does EPRDF believe that one of the major objectives of democratic governance and establishment of democratic institutions is to safeguard the country from any danger posed by a change of government? May be the regime doesn't envisage the possibility of relinquishing power come what may. The evidence to this can be found in the regime's disingenuous hotchpotch of ethnic grouping that compose the EPRDF. 

It is quite obvious that the mixture of ethnic groups is set up to serve TPLF reign unchallenged for many years to come. The current setting will certainly make it very difficult, if not impossible, for any other party to assume power in Ethiopia. The unholy alliance that exists within the EPRDF between unequal ethnic groups under the control of the TPLF does not allow any room for aspiring political parties to cause any significant threat to the regime's monopoly of power. This in turn undermines the role; opposition parities can play in curbing the regime's abuse of power. 

The regime will not take heed of the warnings given by opposition parties outside EPRDF whose sphere of influence is limited by the nature of their origin. It would also be naive to expect any group with in the EPRDF opposing its own interest to expose the shortcomings of the EPRDF. When the TPLF dropped its secessionist principle and evolved into EPRDF to expand its sphere of influence in Tigray to the rest of Ethiopia, it formed alliances with various fronts under the guise of a combined front to fight the Derg.

 This evolution, that resulted in the creation of the EPRDF, has enabled TPLF to camouflage itself form the limited sphere of influence syndrome, new parties are now experiencing in Ethiopia today, and effectively shielded itself from its adverse effects. The TPLF did not stop there; it has tirelessly campaigned to implement its ethnic policy to deny other parties access to set up a truly national party that can challenge the EPRDF. A threat is now coming from unlikely quarters that can possibly unravel the TPLF's web of deceit. In today's world, it is not uncommon to see single-issue politics gripping the public mood and threatening older democracies in Europe with stronger foundations. 

The recent achievement of the EDP is a case in point, in Ethiopia, that helped the party rise to prominence by exploiting public perception of EPRDF's weaknesses in promoting Ethiopia's national interest. It is too early to predict where this will lead us to and how the regime will react to the public mood. However, if we are to go by past trends, it is very unlikely to expect the regime to bow to public pressure and adjust its policies accordingly. 

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