There is hardly any government in the world who does not have a website to inform the world about the structure of its government and the activities governing its nation. Unlike such governments, the Ethiopian government lead by TPLF/EPRDF since it came to power over 18 years ago has no website. One wonders why? Is there a need to hide the activities of governance, if so what is it hiding? For the curious researcher, Google search finds practically no website where one can find any useful information about the Ethiopian government. We found some in few embassies’ websites and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with noting worthy of information. For instance, the Ethiopian Embassy London, lead by Ambassador Berhanu Kebede (Biography)
The Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC, lead by Ambassador Samuel Assefa; a PHD in Political Science has no information on the Embassy’s website about the government he serves. lead by Seyoum Mesfin (Biography) who oversees all the embassies around the world has no information on its government beside the name list of officials with no profile and credential.
The Supposedly Information Ministry lead by Berket Simon no longer exists and is replaced by Government Communication Agency with no website.
The Ministries in the country and the Embassies around the world have no worthy information on the government they serve in their official website.
The responsible persons failed to demand the regime they serve to be transparent enough to revile basic information on the identity and qualification of who is running the country, and the service they provide for the citizens. Their complicity to be part of the clandestine activity by rendering their professional responsibility useless is pitiful.
The question remains, why does a government who is supposedly responsible for over 80 million people and supported with multiple donors for the good portion of its budget chooses not to have a web portal to tell the world about itself, its policies, and put-out information vital to the citizens and the international community? How is it the loyal Ambassadors and Ministers of the regime choice to get along with out protest or accountability.
When one examines comparable governments in Africa, not only they have a comprehensive information portal to inform and promote their country, they list who is who in government with their credentials. For instance, the Government of Djibouti with a population of half a million has a comprehensive portal about its government.
The Republic of Kenya has comprehensive government information portal as well as the Kenya Ministry of Information, and various government agencies including Kenyan Investment Authority portal, to mention a few.
It is fair to assume that the ruling regime of Ethiopia monopoly of media infrastructure and suppression of IT technology with the lowest penetration rate in the world are part of a deliberate plan designed to hide its activity and the identity and credential of its cabinet, managers, and operatives. In contrast, the regime has a full service web portal only when it serves its political and economic interest like Ethiopian Commodity Exchange
The question still remains, in a day of information revolution, why is the regime hiding from world and operating in a clandestine fashion by concealing the activity of its governance? And why no one is not making the regime accountable.
Ethiopians and the international community must demand transparency from the regime and its affiliated agencies and require disclosure of the profile and credential of its officials and manager. Furthermore, the willing individuals who serve the regime knowingly conspire to keep the people of Ethiopia in the dark must be identified and be accountable.
Public institutions must be transparent to release all information on their agencies in order to be accountable to the public. Only then, the people of Ethiopia can make the decision of the leadership skills and trustworthiness of leaders to hold public offices.
The culture of authoritarian rule operating in clandestine fashion on the expenses of the people must end. Every Ethiopian must demand open governance and accountability of one and all.
