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Corruption
and the case of Siye
Abraha and co.
Editorial
Ethiopian Observer
Time
and again corruption has emerged as the scourge of a society.
Corruption hinders development by creating its own core of
bureaucracy by fostering nepotism, distorting and disintegrating
the moral and democratic values, obstructing social coherence by
dividing societies and deterring eventual investors and customers,
etc. etc. As the saying goes “the onlooker sees most of the
game”. We have been able to see for the last ten years or so how
long it takes to expedite one single document in government
offices. It changes hands, tables, office rooms and clerks by
intentional delays to finally “disappear” in one of the
archives. The friendly and jovial faces turn into mean and wry
grimaces. The aggressive and shameless behaviors one is subjected
to by these service-providers be them judges or traffic policemen,
other law enforcement bodies, municipal workers, health-officers,
state-owned hotel receptionists, etc. are simply outrageous. Their
intent to discourage, harass and scare people is plain and
unsophisticated; they want to be given bribes to do the job they
are paid for.
These bribes can vary from small to big
sums, depending on the position of the person in the hierarchy.
But these people are relatively small fishes, who cannot make ends
meet due to the extended family life in bigger towns and cities
and the meager salary they earn from their employers. The
increasing costs of living along with the high rates of inflation
have become unbearable to many people. Though there is no
justification whatsoever to the robber-mentality and as such
should be condemned and fought, there is, however, a
responsibility on the part of those, who are readily prepared to
oil their itching palms.
Ethiopians or other citizens of Ethiopian
origin residing abroad are primarily prone to such mischievous
activities and enormous avarice and abuses. The reasons for this
course of events maybe partly due to the non-existent of such
practices in their countries of residence and therefore, are ready
to “pay whatever the cost” in order to cut short the
bureaucracy and speed-up their cases owing to the relatively short
period of their stay. Secondly, there are some who like to be in
the center of attention, boasting about their achievements and
even strewing money on those, who do not ask for it. It is a
misnomer to call this a generosity as these short time vacationers
without another thought and consideration of the consequences are
ruining for the rest of the population.
There are also those big fishes (let’s
call them sharks), a greedy bunch of corrupt people who are bent
on scrambling for the resources and dividing the “booty” in
order to achieve higher status both for themselves and their
relatives. These plutocrats, a powerful class of officials and
businessmen, do not even care for a negative public opinion. They
offer bids among family members, practice nepotism and regionalism
to the extent of clannish levels, partition among themselves the
best and most attractive bits of land in both urban and rural
areas, make transactions in local and hard currencies, import and
export commodities by circumventing the customs and evading
taxations, which are badly needed for the welfare of the state.
Their voracious appetite for money and ill-gotten gains bashing in
luxury at the cost of the people’s resources makes them a target
of wrath and indignation by the people of Ethiopia. This rent
seeking elite of plutocrats by so doing attempts to monopolize the
industrial, financial and commercial sectors and are in essence a
stumbling block for the overall developmental effort of the
country.
Although the government of Ethiopia through
a series of declarations and legislations as well as by
establishing the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC)
has tried to uproot these criminal practices, corruption still
flourishes everywhere. There are serious allegations of rampant
corruption and abuse of power, which if addressed properly might
lead to imprisonment. We urge the commission, which
has done a lot of progress during the last couple of years, to
open its ears to those, who present substantial evidences instead
of those with make-believe stories or accusations based on
personal vendettas, to take a well concerted action against
corruption. The legitimacy of the Commission and its independence
are to be welcomed if the cases are corroborated on
well-investigated facts and verifications before bringing any
person to tribunal. The Commission’s eagerness to arraign
suspects has some times gone out of hand, resulting in untold
delays of court procedures, procrastination of the due process of
law and sufferings for those alleged to have committed the crime
as well as for their families. We are concerned that such methods
may cause miscarriage of justice and human right violations.
Creation of several Dreyfus (a French army
officer who was falsely accused, imprisoned
in 1894 and then rehabilitated causing a major political crisis in
France during 1906) and interpreting the rule of law loosely has
to be prevented by the Commission. At the same time people with
integrity and guided by high moral grounds have to stand up
against any misprisions whenever and wherever they exist. While
defending the inviolability of the rule of law, we must also show
our positive involvement by upholding and protecting the rights of
the individual. Our ambition and dream is an Ethiopia that is
based on non-discriminatory, just and impartial ruling with equal
treatment of its citizens before the rule of law irrespective of
the offenses they are said to have committed.
Ethiopians have
been following the court procedures against the Seye Abraha former defense
minister and and many of his
family members for more than five years. Our primary concern with
Seye Abraha’s and co. is not the verdict which is at the
court’s discretion. But the endless processing has to come to an
end. For how long and how many times, can a judge simply disappear
during “proceedings” and “concluding” deliberations? How
many adjournments do the judges need to deliberate and make their
decisions after the closing statements? Our observations show that
people with lobby groups, supported by both external and internal
forces have a better chance to exert pressure and shorten the
legal proceedings than ones, who have craved for fair trial for so
much and for so long. The meaning of taking legal actions against
somebody is not to frustrate or drive him/her mad, but to see that
justice is done. Locking up persons in prison in a never-ending
trial can only create unpredictability and insecurity in the legal
system, giving rise to bitterness and discord among the populace.
Borrowing PM Meles Zenawi’s expression, we also say enough is
enough.
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