EPRDF’s Ethiopia: a Symbol of Slavery in the Midst of “Prosperity”

Over the years I have met with a range of people from different parts of the world who could not stop talking about

Ethiopia being the cradle of human kind and the land of cultural richness. I have also met individuals including academicians and policy makers with their own beliefs and biases that Ethiopians as coming from the land of extreme poverty, their exodus to the Middle East and beyond was the only way to survival and their (our) being was dependent on the charity of other countries including the Arab world.


Author, Amsale Getnet Aberra LL.M student at the University of Washington


I was even told that Ethiopians who fled their country out of their economic desperation deserved all the treatment they receive in their new destinations as they need to confirm to the value system of their new community.
                
The conversation I have had about the treatment of Ethiopians in the Arab world, although always end up with me being offended about what was said about my country and about my people, it always brings to my mind the assertion of the EPRDF that our economy has been hailed for its double digit growth making the country the top three African economies.  I am not an economist by profession but as a citizen of the country, I have witnessed the level of poverty that pushes people to take extreme risks to leave our country, the income inequality and a few ethnically cloned well-to-do groups running the country. It is also worth mentioning here that EPRDF’s ethnic federalism policy that has brought to power the Tigray minority into much of the public sector has been corrupt and unaccountable exposing the rest of the population to extreme poverty. For example, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Ethiopia is perceived to be among the most corrupt nations and ranks 113rd out of 174 countries in 2012, giving context to the income disparity along the lines of ethnicity and political affiliations. Please read more by clicking here!