Jerry Okungu
1 May 2008
opinion
Stranded at the Addis Ababa Airport for the second time in less than five months gave me time to think about Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.
Having been around Addis City for two nights and driven across on sometimes very rough terrain and seen massive constructions going on, I suddenly realised that no matter how his unflattering human rights records may be, the man has done well for Ethiopia.
In the years Zenawi has been in power, he has single-mindedly focused on reconstructing the once pathetic infrastructure. The Addis Airport that was once the size of Kisumu Airport is now a spacious ultramodern international hub for the Horn of Africa. The streets of Addis Ababa that once resembled the dark alleys of New York's ghettoes are now a glittering spectacle from its skylines.
Now Zenawi's government has turned its attention to facilities and transport infrastructure. New high class hotels are springing up on a regular basis and at an amazingly faster rate. The days when the choice was between the overpriced and overrated Sheraton and the Hilton hotels are long gone.
More modern, classy and cheaper hotels have filled the void. The latest facility to don the Addis Ababa metropolitan scene has been the recent opening of the Millennium Dome, a huge leisure complex that was constructed to mark Ethiopia's own Millennium that was celebrated seven years after the international Millennium festival.
The roads reconstruction, undertaken by multiple Chinese construction companies is slowly transforming Addis Ababa into a modern city that will soon only be compared to Johannesburg and Cairo on the continent.
Talking to several Ethiopian taxi drivers in Addis Ababa, one got the impression that Zenawi was becoming more popular with ordinary Ethiopians with each passing day. Their main reason for liking the man is that unlike past leaders such as Haile Selassie and Mengitsu Haile Mariam, Zenawi is short on majesty and rhetoric and long on pragmatism. They say he is a realist who knows what Ethiopians want and goes ahead to give it to them.
Having watched Zenawi chair the African Union's African Peer Review Heads of State Summits, I got the impression that he is an avid and meticulous reader and stickler for details. The way he ravaged country reports from Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Algeria and Benin, one was left with the impression that the Ethiopian leader was no pushover when it comes to responsibility and accountability.
Many Ethiopians concur that despite the fact that their country has not gone through the rigours of African Peer Review assessment, they are happy to note that the current government has managed their national resources well. There are few corruption cases. Taxes are used for what they are intended. Government budgets are adhered to. Most of all, Zenawi has no patience with perennial whiners and government critics that are only too ready to spot mistakes and problems without offering alternative solutions. He is highly intolerant of corrupt public officials.
More often than not if caught, they would end up in jail. Talking of NEPAD and APRM initiatives, Zenawi seems to have delayed the implementation of the APRM in preference to the implementation of NEPAD programmes especially infrastructure reconstruction. He believes that if he can get infrastructure right first, the economy will take off and with booming business for Ethiopia, wealth will be created for Ethiopians that will culminate in better life and well being for all in Ethiopia. Only after that will he turn his attention to the softer issues of human rights and freedoms of speech.
However as it is, the development of infrastructure that includes the provision of water, electricity and communications services has already spurred service delivery, food security, education for all, healthcare and decent housing for thousands of Ethiopians.
Because Ethiopians are finding jobs in the new initiatives, employment rate is climbing.
Right now, Zenawi is looking up to South Africa, Botswana, Egypt, Libya and possibly Morocco and Tunisia as his role models. He is no longer interested in underperforming states such as Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria.
He knows he has many enemies from within and without that are envious of his success story. He knows just too well how mortal he is and that like Mengistu and Selassie before him; he must one day leave the scene. However, he is determined to bequeath a positive legacy for the next generation Ethiopians who have for years yearned for moral and accountable leadership.
We hope other African leaders will see the light and emulate Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
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Now this Journalist is telling us Zenaw's goodness and his intellegence for Ethiopians, a bit irony if not insult but anyway this world is so funny including this writer, I am sorry I wouldn't say journalist-yes for some Osama Bin laden is also knows what citizins want immaginary nations they (both Meles and Osama) may be thinking of.
Did the writter read where does Ethiopia stands in the list of international transparency?
Did the writter read that Ethiopia is the only country where Gold, not money can be corrupted?
Did writer knows the salary of Meles Zenaw (1000, 10K, 100K… [Read Full Text]
People like "chigiree" will never quit from blaming brilliant people like Meles.
"The Camels will never stop going and the dogs will never stop barking on them"
This emplies that Meles Zenawi will never stop working for development and prosperity of this country, Ethiopia and the stubborn people like this one will never stop opening their mouth wide...." Thank you the new writer , you could see the real situation of cuuren Ethiopia and you will see much more progress very soon.
This is a shame to hear from this guy praising Meles. It is an insult to the majority of us. Our country is divided ethnicailly since his regime came. We fled our country because of Mass Murders taking place everywhere in the country. Of course there are a small minority of Ethiopians "Tigre's" that has benefeted from him solely because he is from the same ethnic group. And the writer also forgot the useless war with Eritrea which has costed us dearly. In summary this regime is worse than ever seen in any account and it is a matter of… [Read Full Text]
It is nice to here this kind of perspective from African brothers I appreciate it.Mr Meles is a great leader ever in our history but some dont agree on it, even me in some cases but The guy is determined to change our bad side that we got it from leaders in the past.however to me nothing is more important than pulling out my people from poverty.I will be in his side and I pray day and night to my Lord to keep him in power for the coming 12 years but I dont think he will agree with my… [Read Full Text]
The Intrinsic genius of PM Meles Zenawi.
Washera_2000
March 16, 2008
I was preparing for a debate at the Ethiopian Television Network in Virginia on a variety of issues including the remarks of Senator Feingold on the senate floor of the Foreign Relations Subcommitte, Human Rights Practices in Ethiopia, the upcoming Ethiopian elections and whatever crumbs are left over from HR2003, when I stumbled across a document sent to me by a friend a while back. It was a Preliminary Draft (Not for quotation) prepared by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on "African Development: Dead Ends and new Beginnings". It was… [Read Full Text]
Mr Jerry Okungu,
How could you write this artice while staying only two nights in Ethiopia?
Those blind people like you who only look at the empty buildings and write without doing detail studies are the ones who failed the poor African people.
Mr Okungu, did u really to see and understand the GDP of Ethiopia? For you information, the GDP of Ethiopia is lessthan that of Somalia, a county who hasn't government in the last 15 or so years.
Mr Okungu, those buildings that you have seen are built by the looted money of the Ethiopia people.
What we should all be clear about is that Ethiopia is a developing country, and a least developed and at the bottom of the rung, at that. This being the case, it should have been apparent to the oppositions that there are overwhelming diverse and complex problems hindering progress in the political, social and economic sectors. As shown in this writing, most of the criticisms leveled at the government by the oppositions are lies, fabricated, exaggerated, etc. These criticisms emanate from a limited number of vociferous persons who, strangely enough find time, besides working to earn their living, to churn… [Read Full Text]
Indeed this is a breath of fresh air! It is refreshing to read the truth about Meles Zenawi's effort to transform Ethiopia into a model of what a nation can accomplish within a short number of years; and thereby reversing the wrongs of several generations. The unbiased and objective reporting of a fellow African on the accomplisments of P.M. Meles Zenawi brought tears to my eyes. It was a great piece of reporting.
It would be great if P.M. Meles Zenawi served Ethiopia for another term. However, if Meles sticks to his plan not to seek another term, I am… [Read Full Text]
I think this article will be a lesson to the blind reports who are failed to see the good side of the government/the leader. Instead they are more focused on telling stories about the mistakes and problems of the country by ignoring the tangible result achieved by the excellent leadership of the country. Besides for a long time the media was dominated by westerner who do not have the appetite/gut to write any positive about Africa and you have did a good job in balancing the biased report of the westerners. Moreover, if such positive reports have appeared frequently in… [Read Full Text]