When widespread malign activities afflict society at large, rectifying consequences is bound to require reparatory measures that might be deemed out of the ordinary. Ethiopia has been under one party rule for almost three decades. During the reign of EPRDF, a bona fide ‘Mafiosi State’ was created behind the formal state that facilitated, amongst other things, mal-governance and criminal accumulation! The Ethiopian sheeple had to endure all kinds of onslaughts unleashed by the criminal gangs of the ‘Mafiosi State’. Unlike many other mafia groups elsewhere, Ethiopia’s ‘Mafiosi State’ operated by leveraging all the institutions of political governance along with those of the market and civil society. After this ‘Mafiosi State’ became entrenched there was hardly any institutional space to address grievances, hence the insurrection!
This column has repeatedly tried to point out the severe and protracted malfeasance that was creeping in the sphere of governance for about a decade, but to no avail. After the passing of the former TPLF/EPRDF leader, Meles Zenawi, mal-governance and embezzlement went from bad to worse. To be sure, Ethiopia’s Mafiosi State operated across the width and breadth of the country. ‘Capos’ or ‘God Fathers’ were designated to lead and oversee Mafiosi operations in the various regional states. It will not be an exaggeration to say the country’s major institutions were, almost without exceptions, compromised. Ethiopia’s once revered judiciary became a mere tool in the hands of the Mafiosi. Many capable and experienced legal professionals refused to work within the system under the guidance of the Mafiosi State. It was mostly the ‘yes’ men and women that were assigned to the various posts within this critical institution of governance. Important court rulings were made in favor of the Mafiosi State, without much qualm to the upholding of justice. Torture, resulting in the maiming and killing of people became routine! From the very start, it was clear that the approach of the Mafiosi State was blatantly unjust, unethical and very alienating, to say the least. In hindsight, it seems the ambition of the Mafiosi State was to have full spectrum domination over the political, economic, social, cultural and religious spheres of this diverse nation! After decades of unanswered pleading for a reprieve, the Ethiopian sheeple’s patience ran out; hence the insurrection!
In the economic sphere, the Mafiosi State also played a detrimental role. Those who were not favored by the Mafiosi State lost out, while cronies were awarded plenty of favors, including prime plots in cities and towns, pristine lands in the country sides and resort areas, billions of birr in bank credit, massive government tenders, etc., By and large, the Mafiosi targeted sizeable and independently operating businesses for disfranchisement, even complete elimination, to pave the way for cronies to dominate the Ethiopian business scene. Without the blessing of the all-powerful Mafiosi State, any major effort in productive engagements became a non-starter. The parasitic oligarchs thus created, both foreign and local, must also be held accountable for the massive embezzlement that took place in the last three decades. The oligarchs’ oft-repeated fantastic stories of ‘rags to riches’ are nothing more than laughable comedies, akin to the cheap Bollywood movies! With billions of money from the banking system, (not only local banks), which are hardly repayable, again hocking the sheeple in massive debts, the Mafiosi State and its oligarchs systemically stifled sustainably oriented independent private sector development in the country. In the world shaped by Ethiopia’s ‘Mafiosi State’, wealth creation through hard work became a losing proposition, while celebrating criminal accumulation became all the rage! Again, there were and still are plenty of evidences to show the extent of the abuse employed by the reigning crony capitalism of the ‘Mafiosi State’; hence the insurrection!
These and many other problems associated with the previous EPRDF government, dominated as it were, by the Mafiosi State; need to be highlighted so that posterity will avoid similar pitfalls. What can we learn from the last three decades of mal-governance that led to unprecedented corruption and outright criminality in the country? How can redress be effected, particularly to those who gravely suffered from the preponderance of the Mafiosi State? To this end, we propose the setting up of a blue ribbon tribunal or a special prosecution to conduct, investigate and present findings in a transparent manner to a reinvigorated and specially formed supreme court! The main objectives of the tribunal are three folds. First: it is to make sure suspects whoever they might be, receive fair treatment and legal due process. It is also to avoid political scoring and the assignment of guilt by ethnic association. Second; the overwhelming and maliciously sophisticated nature of the mal-governance practiced in the past few decades warrants comprehensive and thorough investigation. That means, the exercise will involve many individuals, including members of the EPRDF and its leadership. This also means the tribunal/special prosecution must maintain sharp focus and absolute independence from the politicos, both past and present. Investigators must be allowed to dig dip, so that affiliated cronies residing in all the regions of the country and abroad are visibly exposed. In this regard, due attention must be given to accomplices operating outside of party structure, i.e., market operators and civil society actors. These collaborators should not be absolved a priori, just because they are/were not part of the decision making process. As the damage caused by these entities are immense with lingering effects, the investigation to be carried out must also be thorough, broad and comprehensive. Consequences of this malevolence have and will continue to dispossess the Ethiopian mass, mostly via debt repayment, misallocation of meager resources, etc. Thirdly, those who lost their lives, bodies, minds, resources, etc. must be compensated in as much as possible, by redirecting embezzled resources/wealth towards all rounded rehabilitation projects. This is what is called restorative justice.
To be sure, the whole objective of setting up the special prosecution is not vengeance. Therefore, whatever the ultimate verdicts are, and in however forms the sentences are carried out, the most important thing that should come out of the whole exercise, (at least as far as the country as a whole is concerned) is the invaluable lesson to be learned. It is hoped posterity will benefit from the outcomes of the tribunal and will avoid making the same stupid mistake again and again! Transparency is of the essence in this process, and it cannot be overemphasized enough. That is why we insist the tribunal must be composed of apolitical individuals from all major ethnic groupings, per force! They should have impeccable integrity; proven, not imagined! The only way to assure collective harmony in a highly diverse nation such as Ethiopia is to uphold the sanctity of justice. No amount of material wellbeing can bring about peace, equity and cohesion, if justice is gravely compromised