Appearing at the 36th Regular Session of the House of Peoples’ Representatives last Thursday, July 5, 2024, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed briefed parliamentarians on a number of national issues. Among the questions raised by Members of the Parliament and answered by the Premier, peace, rule of law and national dialogue were some.
In his response to queries with regard to peace and national dialogue the Premier said that the government believes that peace is an essential ingredient and it prioritizes peace. Due to this, it has also been working tirelessly to bring all actors to the table and resolve differences peacefully for the reason that peace is a crucial element to promote development. From the onset of the reform, the government has been exerting tremendous efforts to resolve differences and arrest conflicts that have arisen.
Open discussions and consultations are decisive to building a better tomorrow. The National Dialogue Commission was also established with this same intent. In this regard, national dialogue is crucial, especially for parties lacking electoral mandate, as it allows for a wider range of voices to be heard, rather than the elected ruling party.
The consultations are necessary to solve lasting social, political and historical problems and create consensus. “Hopefully, the effort opens a great opportunity to build a better Ethiopia,” he added.
In the same way, the transitional justice system will help to address other lingering issues, reach national consensus and work for the common good of all, the Prime Minister remarked.
Mentioning the vicious cycle of the conflict that the country had gone through for a long time, the Prime Minister underscored that killing should be stopped by this generation.
The government prioritizes resolving problems and disagreements through peaceful discussion and negotiation in a civilized manner. However, if there are entities who consider the government’s patience and commitment for peace as a weakness; that is wrong. The government is stronger than ever, he reiterated.
“We don’t have to pass on disagreements and conflict to the next generation. To this end, we should stand together and work as one to build a country that is more comfortable for its people. The Ethiopian government is ready to hold dialogue with anyone,” Abiy reaffirmed.
According to the Premier, the Pretoria agreement also signifies the government’s commitment for peace in addition to demonstrating a cultural shift towards peaceful conflict resolution in Ethiopia. It still gives priority to solving any kind of inconveniences and differences through peaceful dialogue.
The peaceful resolution of the conflict was a result of the decision to end the conflict with negotiation, and it is a great victory for the country.
While responding to the inquiry rose pertaining to internally displaced citizens, Abiy said that internally displaced people are returning to their living places. “We have started returning war-displaced citizens to their villages as per the agreement. It is a crucial step. However, there is still a conspiracy by some entities to abort the endeavors of returning displaced people to their living areas.” He urged those entities to refrain from their destructive deeds and play a positive role.
“The Pretoria Agreement needs to be carefully managed so that it does not backfire and no more people die. That is the way we are diligently working on. Most of the time, there are certainly forces that push toward conflict. We do not want conflict. We want to put our energy and time into development.”
PM Abiy noted that the reformist government of Ethiopia has made a bold decision to establish a new political culture by inviting exiled political forces and armed groups from the outset.
“We reaffirm our commitment for peace and we say let’s put aside extreme and polarized political practices; and work together as Ethiopia is a country for all of us.”
The government prioritizes peace and has been making significant efforts towards peaceful resolution.
The Premier noted that maintaining sustainable development is highly dependent on peaceful dialogue and resolving issues on the peace table, not through inciting conflict. Thus, he urged all to participate in the national dialogue process for the common good of all rather than own selfish interests. He also pointed out that a better country should be passed on to the next generation by discussing matters with open mindedness.
People are our focus area and over the past few years, we have been executing people-centered activities giving due attention for those people who are low-income earners. The school feeding program, renovation and construction of shanty houses for those segments of the society can be mentioned as good instances. “We provided houses to the poor families who were living in unsafe housing conditions. The houses that we constructed and handed over to the destitute ones around a place known as Aware can be mentioned as a living testimony in this regard.
Aside from the construction of residential units, activities will further continue to make the area more comfortable for residents and elevate the standard of living,” he said, adding the construction of green parks. The initiative did not only benefit the targeted group but also created job opportunities for young people.
According to the Premier, following this initiative – implementing people-centered and inclusive activities- it was possible to lessen the burden of less privileged people and remarkable achievements are witnessed.
The issue of job creation was the other area that the Prime Minister briefed parliamentarians. As he stated, over the years 3.8 million job opportunities were created for young people. Out of this, 3.4 million were in the country while the rest were overseas. Around 332 thousand citizens were also trained and sent to different countries.
Mentioning that the achievement gained in the budget year in every aspect is encouraging; the Prime Minister urged all to work for the common interest and to bring change.
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 6 JULY 2024
