It has been somewhat of a struggle so far for Ethiopians trying to draw a completely consistent line from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s approach.

That is because despite a clutch of positive moves, the pardoning of people involved in high-profile corruption scandals and the appointment of questionable officials has cast doubt on his promises of a new era.

Because of this, after optimism and enthusiasm for the new administration, cynicism and disillusionment are surfacing again. This stems from a strong desire for real reform of a political and economic system that has caused chaos and instability in recent years.

It is not that we are unaware of the limitations placed on Abiy by the collective leadership system of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front. Additionally, the coalition’s tradition of sharing appointments between four parties is an arrangement intended more to neutralize competition than to reward competency.

It is also clear that there should not always be unanimous approval of the choices for higher posts. However it is baffling to see that, for example, Azeb Mesfin, widow of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, was given a key position on the board of the influential Metals and Engineering Corporation (MetEC). That is because she was recently removed from her position as chairman of the Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray on suspicion of inefficiency and misuse of funds. Additionally, leading businesspeople and other officials accused of graft were pardoned.

The new Director-General of MetEC, Bekele Bulado, told parliament last week that the formerly military-run MetEC has wasted more than nine billion birr producing malfunctioning machinery and spare parts in unsuccessful efforts to build sugar factories. Though there is enough evidence to charge the responsible MetEC officials for mismanagement and corruption, it has not yet been done, possibly because of the political sensitivities of prosecuting military officers.

This begs the question of Abiy’s commitment and readiness to fight corruption. His only declaration so far was last month’s promise to investigate foreign bank accounts held by officials. No-follow-up statement has been given on how this is unfolding and no effort was made to demonstrate that this is not more lip service in the usual narrative of the anti-graft war.

Abiy should certainly take credit for pardoning political prisoners, lifting the state of emergency, taking steps towards structural economic change, removing stalwarts of the national security state, and making a push to bring peace with Eritrea. However, this should not be accompanied by regressive steps that fail to hold the powerful to account. He has to pay attention to his predecessor’s failure in narrowing the gap between rhetoric and fact when it comes to the so-called good governance agenda.

Despite the previous high-profile arrests of officials and well-connected businesspeople on corruption charges, meaningful progress has not occurred. Many businesses in the country are still controlled by senior officials and certain businesspeople who are backers of the regime. Meanwhile, the majority of Ethiopians still live in abject poverty.

Well-connected business elites continue to take the biggest contracts, which is a heightened concern given the plans to expand the privatization program to the largest state-owned enterprises. The lights continue to burn in the lavishly decorated mansions of the rich and powerful, while Ethiopians suffer in darkness and squalor. Those on corruption charges received light sentences or even pardon. The economic system with its plethora of state controls has created chronic commodity shortages, thriving black markets and spawned a culture of bribery. The country was ranked 107th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Abiy’s long-term success will depend not on pleasing speeches but on how much political risk he is willing to take to enforce the law and strengthen institutions to fight corruption. For example, the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has been in existence for several years, albeit with the reputation of a feckless and hopeless institution. If Abiy makes it more efficient, accountable and autonomous, then perhaps we can dare to hope that Ethiopia’s government will finally start to serve its people rather than the powerful.

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