The Mayor of Addis Ababa City Administration Adanech Abiebie has recently received a recognition award from female members of the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR) of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE). The overlord of the women’s caucus at the HPR, Lomi Bedo, said the effort being exerted by the City Administration, to increase women’s role in decision-making, ensure their economic security, and improve their life status was encouraging.
Lomi also added the team spirit revealed by women officials of the City Administration. Their integrated effort has brought a significant change in the city and suggested that such a coordinative culture must expand from top to bottom levels.
The HPR women’s cocoon moved around the city and visited some corridor sites and human-based development activities. Concerning the corridor development, what has been done in the five corners of Addis Ababa was a manifestation of proving promises through practice and the mayor is the prominent figure to acknowledge, Lomi said.
She also acknowledged the effort of the City Administration to pull community members, who live on the streets permanently, disabled people, women, and others in need, out of poverty. “The recognition and award are meant to reflect that we are always with the mayor on her current and future activities.
The HPR members indicated that Adanech has shown her commitment to realizing her vision of ensuring people benefit from the corridor development. They also stressed that the Mayor’s commitment and words in practice are an indication that women may have lost opportunities but not skills. The strength, effort and commitment of the Mayor, are not only exemplary to the women in the Nation but also to all leaders throughout the Country, according to the female HPR members.
In past political trends, the culture of recognizing one’s relentless efforts and showing appreciation was not mostly welcomed by our officials or politicians. The most practical political tradition was discouraging those who worked harder for truth and the better wellbeing of the public and burying them down with acerbic criticisms, says Israel Arage, a history teacher at Radical School.
According to him politicians’ lack of sense of appreciation was the reason why Ethiopia remained a backward Country for a long time.
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy’s Social Affairs Councillor, Daniel Kibret, once wrote a story of a plumber who fixed a broken water pipe and solved the community’s problem. In his short fiction, Daniel wrote that a broken water line was the only way to get drinking water. When this lonely water line was broken, the water started running on the ground and was wasted. The community would repeatedly notify the water development office of that particular small town. But no one from the office came to fix the water line.
One day, a plumber saw the water flowing on the ground and couldn’t simply watch the precious water get wasted. He fixed it. The officials from the water development office heard what the good citizen did for his town and his community and instead of coming up with a letter of appreciation, they came up with a later accusation for illegally fixing a government facility.
Daniel Kibret’s story depicted the past trends of politicians or officials, which is a lack of appreciation for one’s best accomplishments for the Nation’s good causes.
“The Mayor accepted the award humbly and said the recognition and award are also for all those who have been working in cold nights and scorching hot daylights 24/7 to make Addis Ababa a flower like its name depicts. “We will work harder to make our residents beneficiaries of the development and make the city a safe and sound place to live in,” she also pledged.
In addition, the mayor underlined that there would never be a corridor development project, which would leave poor communities behind. “We work for our people. Addis Ababa was well thought out when its founders picked the name. Meanwhile, the reality has been different. The city was packed with unplanned housing, causing below-standard access to infrastructure for society. It was very congested and there were difficulties for fire control brigades to handle fire accidents because it was hard to get into many compacted slum neighborhoods. The sewerage system was poor. Pedestrian roads used to serve as parking lots. There would be car accidents because of narrow roads leading vehicles and pedestrians to move in the same lane. In this case, we cannot change the situation by punishing those who cause accidents. We have to build a world-standard infrastructure and facilities to avoid unpleasant situations and create a better living atmosphere,” said Adanech.
According to the Mayor except few accessories most of the materials used in building the corridors are homemade. She says “It may look difficult, but every material is available. We have the tree seedlings for the greenery, stones to do the claddings, underground water for fountains etc.”
In this case, the Mayor was also stressing not only the value of hard work but also the value of appreciating the resources one could find in his/her surroundings for a profitable task. According to her, the new working culture has enabled local unions and contractors to learn the possibility of finishing a job at a quick pace. In addition, Adanech highlighted that the corridor development project has so far created 50,000 jobs.
As the completion of the corridor development project approached, several parts of the city started shining in daylight and, most of all, at night. Several places that used to be examples of a backward, shameful lifestyle, which has for so long made society live in insecurity about almost everything, have changed. According to Israel, it is always constructive to learn and embrace the culture of appreciating what is better and more positive. He said, “Appreciating the positive achievements of a particular government or official doesn’t mean playing a cadre role or supporting a political ideology that oneself doesn’t accept. It is rather the openness of knowing what’s best for the mass public and embracing the opportunities of working for mutual development. If we keep on thinking and acting as one nation, there is no way that we cannot realize the prosperity of this country. Most of all, we have to develop a culture of appreciation and let go of the old traditions of dragging one another backwards.”
When the corridor development project is completed, the City will gain more income, which will help the City Administration to build more houses and meet other infrastructural demands of the residents, said Adanech, adding, “We have hope. We will continue our developmental progress. This is only the beginning. But all these can be achieved if people feel a sense of ownership.”
BY NAOL GIRMA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 2 AUGUST 2024
