Change is good

Change is good!

(Aigaforum, Nov 06, 2006):-The EPRDF government was critically criticized for not cleaning the entrenched bureaucracy immediately after they usurp power. In fact the same forces it should have cleaned helped CUD to be what it is today. Many argued the turmoil of election 2005 and the subsequent performance by CUD was fueled by the well and not so well educated urbanites who gave false promise to the organization that the time was now for cud to take power. There was talk in the city; police force as well as most of the civil servants was against EPRDF.

Today, it seems EPRDF is slowly cleaning house and the saying afencha bemeta ayne yaleqsal is becoming truer. As we all know the government has been harsh on the opposition force called CUD and the OLF. The current defection can not be seen any other way except these people want to show their support to CUD and the OLF.

While Shaibya and the vocal Diaspora have been enthused by few military brass defections, here comes news of a “defecting” judge. They must like this news!

We are not sure why the current judge chose to stay oversea but we are sure Ethiopia has been criticized for its slow judicial process and this judge can not escape the blame. We also wonder if it is not the likes of this judge who have been holding the reform process hostage for long.

To give credit where it is due the current judge has been quoted to have said the government is trying to reform the process by hiring professional judges. Our guess is there will be more traditional as well as old guard judges that will be affected down the road and those looking forward for such news should stay tune.

Though we realize there will be innocent people hurt by the reform process we kind of agree change is a must. Ethiopia can not move forward with out a reform in most of its institutions. EPRDF can not bring change by training its own cadres alone. Change is required within the Opposition, EPRDF and within the age old bureaucracy entrenched in Addis if Ethiopia is to move forward. There ought not to be a holy cow when it comes to development and the fight against poverty. Good governance requires change, EPRDF knows it and it is time everyone else knows it.