Donors' elusive interim development strategy for Ethiopia
By Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy (EACA)
June 20, 2006
WESTERN DONORS, which include the World Bank, the European Union, USA, UK and Canada, continue providing billion dollars of financial support to the Ethiopia’s authoritarian regime despite the rulers’ dreadful record in human rights violations, lack of economic progress, increase in poverty, upsurge in HIV/AIDS epidemics, stagnant infant mortality, environmental degradation, and the deterioration in governance.
The donors’ justification to continue their support to the regime is based on the deceitful assertion that Ethiopia’s economic development would reverse if financial aid that has resulted strong growth performance in poverty reduction, malnutrition and school enrollment discontinue, a wisdom the friends of the tyrants that lavish at some of the most expensive hotels and resorts in Ethiopia ingeniously advance. The decision to continue financial aid appears to be supported by the erroneous figures of developmental parameters often presented to donors and the treacherous rhetoric that the rulers in Ethiopia are pro-Western and against terrorism.
The recent decision which has reversed the brief suspension of direct financial assistance reinforces the regime to be more reluctant to consider behavioral changes as donors decision to continue financial aid tells the rulers that there is no serious penalty for breaking human rights principles, failure to make serious progress in poverty reduction, mismanagement of funds, lack of accountability and transparency, and failure to up hold the rule of law, as long as the regime agree to maintain a façade of democratic commitments which are sufficient to obtain billions of dollars in loan (Positive Reinforcement to Tyranny) .
Very regrettably, the approved interim strategy by the donors consciously neglects to recognize that financial assistance alone is not vitally enough to support economic development or prevent the reversal of the so called “comparative progress in economic gain”. Similarly, the donors plan to evaluate the regimes performance, using parameters, which are partly chosen by the dictatorial regime itself and assume that Ethiopia has multiparty political system, an independent evaluation system, and the assumption that some progress has been achieved because governance has improved relative to the past is preposterous.
Be the approved interim strategy by the donors as it may, even using the current parameters to evaluate the regimes performance, the western donors may not have a lot of alternatives except re-reversing their decision in the near future (may be in the first quarter) as the regime is unable to disburse services without political bias, unsound fiduciary management, corruption and dishonesty because of its “inherent” nature to refuse real political reform or democratization which are very essential in ending poverty.
In conclusion, if donors want the interim strategy to be successful, they must amend the current interim strategy and inquire for “REAL” political reform. Otherwise, the elusive interim strategy intended to tackle Ethiopia’s economical challenges, with out taking into account the root causes of underdevelopment and the crave for the political reform will be worthless as it only serve the middle men and the dictatorial regime. We recommend to the donors (lenders) to stop pouring billions of dollars as “developmental aid or loan” to the despised regime of Ethiopia which is responsible for the ongoing crisis.
Acting Chair, Kassa Ayalew
Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy (EACA)
Contact: eacadvocacy@gmail.com
ETHIOMEDIA.COM - ETHIOPIA'S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE
© COPYRIGHT 20001-2006ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: webmaster@ethiomedia.com
June 20, 2006
WESTERN DONORS, which include the World Bank, the European Union, USA, UK and Canada, continue providing billion dollars of financial support to the Ethiopia’s authoritarian regime despite the rulers’ dreadful record in human rights violations, lack of economic progress, increase in poverty, upsurge in HIV/AIDS epidemics, stagnant infant mortality, environmental degradation, and the deterioration in governance. The donors’ justification to continue their support to the regime is based on the deceitful assertion that Ethiopia’s economic development would reverse if financial aid that has resulted strong growth performance in poverty reduction, malnutrition and school enrollment discontinue, a wisdom the friends of the tyrants that lavish at some of the most expensive hotels and resorts in Ethiopia ingeniously advance. The decision to continue financial aid appears to be supported by the erroneous figures of developmental parameters often presented to donors and the treacherous rhetoric that the rulers in Ethiopia are pro-Western and against terrorism.
The recent decision which has reversed the brief suspension of direct financial assistance reinforces the regime to be more reluctant to consider behavioral changes as donors decision to continue financial aid tells the rulers that there is no serious penalty for breaking human rights principles, failure to make serious progress in poverty reduction, mismanagement of funds, lack of accountability and transparency, and failure to up hold the rule of law, as long as the regime agree to maintain a façade of democratic commitments which are sufficient to obtain billions of dollars in loan (Positive Reinforcement to Tyranny) .
Very regrettably, the approved interim strategy by the donors consciously neglects to recognize that financial assistance alone is not vitally enough to support economic development or prevent the reversal of the so called “comparative progress in economic gain”. Similarly, the donors plan to evaluate the regimes performance, using parameters, which are partly chosen by the dictatorial regime itself and assume that Ethiopia has multiparty political system, an independent evaluation system, and the assumption that some progress has been achieved because governance has improved relative to the past is preposterous.
Be the approved interim strategy by the donors as it may, even using the current parameters to evaluate the regimes performance, the western donors may not have a lot of alternatives except re-reversing their decision in the near future (may be in the first quarter) as the regime is unable to disburse services without political bias, unsound fiduciary management, corruption and dishonesty because of its “inherent” nature to refuse real political reform or democratization which are very essential in ending poverty.
In conclusion, if donors want the interim strategy to be successful, they must amend the current interim strategy and inquire for “REAL” political reform. Otherwise, the elusive interim strategy intended to tackle Ethiopia’s economical challenges, with out taking into account the root causes of underdevelopment and the crave for the political reform will be worthless as it only serve the middle men and the dictatorial regime. We recommend to the donors (lenders) to stop pouring billions of dollars as “developmental aid or loan” to the despised regime of Ethiopia which is responsible for the ongoing crisis.
Acting Chair, Kassa Ayalew
Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy (EACA)
Contact: eacadvocacy@gmail.com
ETHIOMEDIA.COM - ETHIOPIA'S PREMIER NEWS AND VIEWS WEBSITE
© COPYRIGHT 20001-2006ETHIOMEDIA.COM. EMAIL: webmaster@ethiomedia.com
