The twin virtues of a successful national leader are, in my view, intelligence and determination. Yet, the determination of a leader is more an important asset than his profound intelligence, especially at times of nationwide crisis compounded by political polarizations such as the one that we have been experiencing here in Ethiopia.
Sad to say, Motherland Ethiopia is currently being pushed to possible disintegration and fragmentation into smaller and weaker political units by the TPLF terrorist group in collaboration with the country’s external foes. God willing, however, that won’t happen at all, given its age-old continuity as a viable statehood and historically strong social cohesion of its somewhat intermingled communities.
Amid the ongoing political turmoil, though, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, who is in charge of the embattled nation, must be courageous enough to exhibit and display his extra ordinary ability to stand firm and resolute in the face of complex realities prevailing in the country. Unfortunately, it is essentially his ambivalent position vis-à-vis the ongoing showdown with the TPLF terrorist group that has, so far, been turning things from bad to worse as may have been gathered in several instances.
In the beginning of his rule, Abiy looked more a preacher of the gospel than a wise political statesman. Regardless of his amazing talent to speak eloquently in public squares and radio/tv studios, he was not, by far, a pragmatic leader in the strict sense of the term although he had, by then, encountered mounting challenges on several occasions. Worse, he somehow appeared incapable of instantly reading and grasping the pros and cons of his flawlessly running public ‘diskurs’ (speeches).
In a recent remark, for instance, the Prime Minister is quoted to have, knowingly or unknowingly, delivered a rather prohibitive and embarrassing statement to the dismay of many citizens and to the detriment of the nationwide mobilization primarily aimed at removing the existential threat posed by TPLF and its unholy allies operating in Northern Ethiopia at the moment.
While visiting a wheat growing farmland in Oromia Region guided by President Shimellis Abdissa along with a large delegation including a dozen of Regional Presidents accompanying him, he had remarked that Ethiopia does no longer need a weaponry with a slogan of ‘arming, organizing and calling its citizenry for military campaign’ ready for war instead of water pumps, tractors, generators and the like agricultural implements so as to boost its productive capacity.
In real terms, this may not mean anything counterproductive when one critically thinks of a peaceful and stable nation hoping to identify its potential and strive with a view to improving the quality of life of its poverty ravaged broad masses in whatever developmental instrumentalities of its own choosing, so to speak. Nevertheless, in a rather gruesome situation which was being depicted throughout the country, that slip of tongues definitely produces more bad than good, especially when uttered by a top government leader in the position of a prime minister.
To the resounding astonishment of his citizenry at large, Abiy has, on the contrary marched to the war front himself to be in charge of the looming existential struggle following the deliberation on and decision of his Prosperity Party, (PP) for short. He has just returned from the front where he has been coordinating the intensive military operation and launching the wide ranging counterattack on all the enemy fronts, reportedly with full vigor and determination.
Regardless of its terrible delay, no doubt that commitment and action of the Prime Minister needs to be strongly commended and would, in my view, reverse the growing imbalance in the battle created on the part of the TPLF/OLA alliance to the extent of openly boasting of simply approaching the nation’s Capital in a matter of days. In fact, his direct leadership of the war in his constitutional capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the country’s Armed Forces is starting to avert the danger posed by the enemy in a reasonably short span of time as can be witnessed from the recapturing of the strategic cities of Dessie and Kombolcha in the Amhara Region.
When Ethiopians of all walks of life both from within and without had heard their young Prime Minister’s decision to go to and lead the war having temporarily handed his official post of government functions over to his Deputy, a dozen of huge mass demonstrations in support of him followed one after another across the globe to the shocking reception of the international community. These groundbreaking mass rallies were, and still are also calling angrily on the U.S and Western European powers and their partial media outlets such as the CNN and the BBC to quit their pro-TPLF and anti-Ethiopian rhetoric and disinformation campaign in connection with the ongoing conflict in the Northern Regions.
Hence, it is highly incumbent upon his administration to build on the considerable popularity it has been gaining and use the momentum to finish its task with the total liberation of the rest of our Motherland which still remain under aggressive and ruthless occupation by the enemy and gradually turn its full energy for the quick rehabilitation and repair of the insurmountable damage done to the country with an unprecedented cruelty in terms of life and property.
In view of the overwhelming command of support which the government currently enjoys both at home and abroad, Ethiopia shall triumph and survive the deadly menace it has been confronting with the unparalleled valor and determination of its citizens. Definitely, the nation shall prevail over its internal and external foes as it has already been emboldened to showcase its might truly expressed in the unity of its beloved sons and daughters in the utmost interest of peace, justice, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Editor’s Note: The views expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Reporter.
Contributed by Merhatsidk Mekonnen Abayneh