All eyes on Ethiopia
2005-06-14 10:30
Nairobi - The political unrest in Ethiopia and the heavy-handed tactics of the security forces threaten the reputation of a country desperate to shake off its image as a home to brutal dictatorships and mass starvation.
On a larger scale, an outbreak of election violence last week and the deteriorating situation since also call into question the reliability of African leaders such as Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles Zenawi who have promised democracy and good governance in return for greater aid and debt relief.
At a G-8 summit to discuss aid to Africa, leaders of wealthy countries proposed to write-off debt to 15 African countries, including Ethiopia.
The type of backsliding into old authoritarian ways seen last week in Ethiopia's capital could be an excuse for the world to turn its back on the continent once again, fearing any aid given now could be wasted like the money given to African dictators during the Cold War.
Government balancing on a tightrope
For the Ethiopian government, the trick is to walk a fine line between reforming as much as necessary to keep foreign aid coming, while still ensuring the ruling party's hold on power.
While United States (US) presidents have praised Meles as a new kind of African leader and British Prime Minister Tony Blair appointed Meles to his Commission for Africa to help draft a blueprint for ending poverty and building democracy, at home his government has little tolerance for dissent and has been accused of severe human rights abuses.
The unrest is the most serious dissent the Meles government has faced since it came to power by force in 1991, replacing a horrific junta with a Marxist government. The May 15 election that triggered it was the first real test of the government's popularity since it came to power.
Parties' different approaches
The ruling party had campaigned on promises of continued economic growth, while the opposition Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) called for greater economic liberalisation and fundamental political reform.
International observers acknowledged there were abuses by both the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the two main opposition parties during the election campaign, but in general, they called it the most free and competitive in the country's history.
No further protests allowed
The protests have clearly rattled the leadership. The security forces have made it clear they will not tolerate any further public demonstrations.
But if that is how one of Africa's more progressive leaders handles democracy, then G8 leaders may wonder how serious the continent's politicians are about reform and whether future aid and debt relief isn't good money following bad.
- AP