Within a few months after taking over power in Ethiopia from TPLF, the current ruling party, Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has set Ethiopia on the path of democracy by releasing all political prisoners, restoring freedom of the press, bringing human rights abusers to justice, and making peace with neighboring countries. But as it approaches its first anniversary in power, there are signs that ODP has started sabotaging itself by committing series missteps and mistakes. ODP’s inhumane action in Legetafo town in the suburb of Addis Ababa this week is the most recent example.
In Legetafo, Mayor Habiba Siraj, who is an ODP member, has ordered the demolition of 12,000 homes, making 60,000 children, women and the elderly homeless overnight since Monday this week. In a television interview, Habiba said the land is needed for a park. Habiba is a terribly cruel person, no doubt. But it appears that she is not the only one who made the decision to throw out all those people in the street. It is a decision that has been endorsed by ODP and the Oromia Regional government itself, as explained by Dr. Milkesa Mitega, an official of Oromia Land Management Bureau. Watch:
If ODP plans to govern Ethiopia with such callousness as exhibited by Dr. Milkesa in the above video, it is setting itself up for a disastrous failure. Unless ODP takes corrective actions immediately, it is going to lose the popular support it currently enjoys in very short order. Be warned.
