The recent assassinations in Addis Ababa and Amhara and the ‘attempted coup’ have sparked debate. Ethiopians are engaged in discussions on the tragic event, the political impasse in the country, and what this means for the current and future of the country. Here two personalities, one Getachew Reda, a senior official of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Andargachew Tsige, a well-known opposition politician who spent four years on death row, deliver their assessment.

If they can’t manage it, they have to take leave.

Though I did not expect the event to unfold in this way, I can say that it was something I saw coming, because that is what you get, when you let the forces of anarchy loose on the land, when bandits who were known to have wreaked havoc were granted a hero’s welcome, and convicts who were serving time were lionized, and unwarranted forgiveness was declared with no discretion, this is pretty much what you get. I’m particularly sad because my former comrades were killed in the tumult but I’m also ashamed of myself for not having stood up to the granting of such an amnesty bereft of moral justification and fairness.

But people should challenge the government. We have to ask every day, every moment until we are given the right response. If they can’t manage it, they have to take leave, saying, ‘sorry we are not up to the task’. The life of the nation is at stake. If we let any criminal can kill with impunity, we will eventually get use to such lawlessness and grow insensitive to it. We have to demand that something be done lest people will grow numb to suffering, surliness, and wickedness. The way to do this is to oppose these things always.

A wake-up call

None shall be spared of the impending doom.

I have cautioned government authorities whenever I have got the chance, including in writing. The country is in a particularly worrying situation. It is not a matter we ought to treat lightly. Only engaging in dialogue could do. This is a country that puts up with extraordinary issues. The problem is not only political but structural. It is a structural economic problem. Even if you attempt to address the political issues, the economic problems could put the country in tatters. In a nation where 70 to 80 percent of the youth is unemployed, it is not feasible to claim to solve problems through political reform. It simply doesn’t work to say reforming politics would alleviate the nation’s ills in a situation where inflation is rising, and people suffering the acute effect of this. Of course, politics is riddled with structural constraints. If those at the helm really take this problem seriously and mean to address it in earnest and invite the opposition to contribute their share in this, this is well and good. Otherwise, none shall be spared of the impending doom. The way to perdition is wide open. What we have witnessed recently is a glimpse of the first steps to a downward spiral towards hell. Unless all the people are mobilized as one to tackle the mammoth challenge we are faced with, this is not something to be solved by the opposition alone. This is something that requires the mobilization of the entire people and all stakeholders. There simply is no possibility in the country where one group will perish and others spared. We all stand or fall together. This is a wakeup call and the need to pay attention. Not only for the government but also for the opposition and the larger public.

Interview collected by Addis Admass newspaper

Translated from Amharic into English by Ethiopia Observer

Main Image: A woman mourns upon her arrival to attend the funeral service of Chief of Staff Seare Mekonnen in Addis Ababa. (AFP)

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