BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
Following the terrorist TPLF’s instant and lightening attack against the Northern Command of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) last October, the government had given immediate response via taking law enforcement measure. Within three weeks the TPLF led regional government was toppled and most of the top officials of the junta either arrested or met their death during the battle. After 8 months of the law enforcement actions, the Ethiopian government withdrew the ENDF from that region declaring humanitarian ceasefire for the sake of peace and to give chance Tigray farmers to plow their farm in this rainy season. The terrorist group, however, instead of taking the chance to come back to its mind, it extended its military offence by invading the neighboring Amhara and Afar Regions. Side by side with this, it exerted its maximum effort to sabotage the economy to put the nation in political upheaval through its secret networks.
To counter the criminal actions of this group, police has been taking various measures and so far, 1,616 business enterprises are locked down and 1,642 people who are suspected of making close relation with the junta for subversive activities were arrested and further investigation is underway.
According to Zelalem Mengiste, the Federal Police Commission Criminal Investigation Deputy Commissioner, culprits who have secret contact with the terrorist group have been arrested and interrogating them is continued.
Investigation is also underway on owners of hotels, building complexes, large agricultural enterprises, factories and real estates which serve the junta as source of income for inciting violence.
In addition to this, 58 million Birr which was intended to pose economic sabotage is confiscated and 93 bank accounts suspected of secret contact with terrorist have been frozen but the amount of the money with the bank accounts is still unknown and police is examining.
Cracking down on the terrorist’s money sources will be continued and hunting culprits who are under the command of the terrorist group is strengthened. Concerted efforts will continue and to that end, National Police Investigation Task Force is established. The task force is led by the Federal Criminal Investigation Office in collaboration with the all regional governments’ security forces. Through deploying sophisticated police investigating techniques, suspected entities of terrorist acts will be arrested and brought up before the justice. The task force will continue its unrestraint effort for ensuring rule of law and create the society free from threat, the Deputy Commissioner said.
Meanwhile, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia introduced new directives to its branches not to offer money to individuals through check who were the staffs of the Tigray interim administration. The bank announced that, it introduced the directive to all its branches after it received an appeal from the high officials of the interim administration. After the ENDF’s withdrawal from Tigray region following the government’s unilateral humanitarian ceasefire, the interim administration changed its office from Mekele to Addis Ababa.
As to the officials of the interim administration, though the budget of Tigray is being suspended by the federal government, there are some checks in the hands of the staffs which enable them to withdraw money from banks. Therefore, the directive is introduced to block withdrawal of the money.
The bank also informed that if the bank tellers come across with the checks which are categorized as invalid, are requested to inform the pertinent officials and to that end telephone numbers are notified.
In the other development story, the government has taken various measures to resolve problems witnessed in the financial sector and such action must be continued to keep the market system healthy. While approached by The Ethiopian Herald, Solomon Zgeye, a private consultant in the economic fields said that the obsolete trade system which failed to upgrade itself to the modern era confounded by plot and sabotage has become a burden to the society.
Among the factors which make the market system unhealthy can be; commodities supplied in which their price is set exaggeratedly by greedy brokers, creating anarchism in the trade system in the guise of free market and the absence of strong legal enforcing institutions. Therefore, in order to root out the problems, making detailed study on the problems is essential.
As to Solomon, experience gained from other developing countries shows that, when artificial prices overwhelmed the market, firstly they avail sufficient commodities to the market and next to that they make the market system transparent. In the healthy market system, there are actors who play pivotal role. Consumers, traders and the government are actively involved in these activities. If they are not crosschecking each other properly, the market will face trouble. Many claim that in Ethiopia, the market is shifted from command to free market in the legal framework, but practically, the market suffers from various ills and the living coast has gone through the roof. Therefore, to the reverse the situation to the better, the government should play its vanguard role.
According to the Addis Ababa Trade and Industry Bureau, free market economy is governed by its own rules based on competition and competency not by arbitrary wish of traders preoccupied by only gaining profit. It is understood that, few individuals engaged in production, importation, whole selling and retailing are affecting the heathy aspect of the market economy and the bureau will never tolerate them. They disrupt the value chain and set their own artificial prices, hoard basic food items and block supply lines and strive for the prevalence of illegality. Measures have been taken on the culprits.
The bureau warned that some public office staffs and managers knowingly or unknowingly collaborate with illegal traders should put aside themselves from such malpractice.
According to Abdulfetah Yusuf, Head of the Addis Ababa Trade and Industry Bureau, in order to push back the growing malpractice in the business and trade sector in the capital, various measures have been taken. 1,886 trade companies are punished and it revoked
the 657 traders’ license and 20 warehouses which used to hoard commodities are closed. In addition to this, the Addis Ababa City Administration Cabinet promulgated a decree that helps protect the ordinary citizens from skyrocketing house rent that house owners should not to ask house rent increment from their renters for the coming 90 days.
Currently, the market seems dominated by brokers who have invisible hands to corrupt legal enforcing officials. As a result, the majority of the poor who have no capacity to afford the exaggerated price suffer a great deal. Illegal brokers put pressure on traders who truly serve the public and abided by trade law and these innocent traders might kicked away from the market due to economic anarchy they commit as witnessed in the business. Scarcity of basic food items is also witnessed in the consumers’ associations which are not established for profit making. Illegal traders through corrupted means obtained food and related commodities from consumers’ associations shops and sell the goods in highly exaggerated price. Some traders also found engaged in adulteration which poses health risks only for attaining their profit margin.
In fact, there are laws introduced to deter the malpractices of the traders but they are remained big on paper but futile on the ground. Law enforcing institutions do not deliver what is required from them to halt illegality. But it should be understood that behind the economic trouble, there are the invisible hands of the terrorist group who want to create political turmoil by taking inflation as a pretext, he said.
The Ethiopian Herald September 1/2021
