I am writing this open letter to the newly elected chairman of TPLF, Dr Debretsion to share my personal recommendations on how to realize the fruits of the reforms identified recently following the party’s deep renewal of the front.

Introduction

Before few months the TPLE Central Committee held its tight meeting aiming at renewing and reforming its decayed Strategic Leadership. The meeting was held in Mekelle Capital City of the Tigray Regional State and a sit for TPLF head quarter.

Historically and culturally, people give due attention when TPLF seats for meeting expecting it would bring substantial solutions for any political problems. However, in the last 15 years people was tired and given up hope on the very party which was more trusted than any human being and less trusted than God.

The reason why people gave up hope on the most trusted party was that TPLF has been Conducting meetings without any results for the last 15 years. However in its 44 years existence TPLF has made a CC meeting unmatched in history following its 35 day meeting /of course day and night/.

TPLF has come up with concluding remarks confessing every crime it has committed. The confession indicated clearly that TPLF has restored its past culture and we sensed it is back to its original doings more or less.

It   was able to change its chairman and some executive members who were responsible for any kind of failure it faced. To put it shortly, the failed strategic leadership is changed now by capable and legitimate one capable of healing the wounds of the people and restoring the hope of the frustrated young Generation.

What TPLF should do to implement the reforms? My own recommendations

What makes the CC meeting unique is that the very responsible leadership for the stated failure is avoided by more confident and capable leadership who won legitimacy by the public. This is, therefore, historically unmatched, profoundly and fundamentally transformational meeting. What is remaining is to be able to deliver most of the promised policies to maintain the public trust.

Accordingly, TPLF is expected to implement directions of reforms to words to real revolutionary democracy, party discipline, democratic culture, picking able members, put the promotion of social fairness, justice and improvement of people’s lives as the starting point and ultimate goal, further emancipate the mind of new generation, continue to release and develop the productive forces, release and strengthen vigor of the society, get rid of defects in the various systems and mechanisms, and strive to open up broader prospects for social democracy with Ethiopian characteristics, promoting more efficient, equal and sustainable economic development supported by innovation, deepening political system reforms that features the organic unity of upholding the leadership of the party, the people being the masters of the country and governing the country according to the rule of law, building and developing people’ democracy with wider  more adequately institutionalized and sound participation in a systemic ways by adapting due standards and procedures.

Stepping up efforts to form a scientific and effective social management systems so that our society is full of vigor but also harmonious and orderly through providing fair income distribution system, promoting common prosperity, access to basic public services supported by innovations. TPLF should deepen the reform of party building system by centering on enhancing the parts capacity to govern in a scientific and democratic ways and in accordance with the rule of law and party procedures

We should restore and maintain the party advanced nature of purity, public legitimacy, thus providing strong political support for implementing reforms and opening up revolutionary democratic modernization. The success of the reforms & opening up will provide us with profoundly rich experiences for realizing the reform comprehensively.

Let’s be realistic and pragmatic, base ourselves on reality in everything we do, summarize successful experiences, learn useful experiences from other international and local parties and boldly promote innovations both in theory and practice put people first, respect the peoples central position in the country, give full reign to their creativity, promote well rounded development of the person.

Improve scientific decisions making at all level consensus from all sides and reform joint force for reform in social, political, media, cultural, and education areas. Scientifically standardized and effective in operation are to be formed standardized and effective in operation are to be formed to ensure that party & government institutions in all areas become more nature & complete.

TPLF should make overall development for comprehensively deepening reforms stressing that it is important to uphold and implement the basic economic & political systems, accelerate the transformation of government functions, deepen, speed up the improvement of a modern  market system, work hard to create urban and rural development, strengthening mechanisms for conducting checks and oversight over the exercise of power, create innovation in the cultural sector, social undertakings, social governance, improve  party and government leadership over the reform.

Transform government function, deepen the reform of the administrative system, exercise government administration in an innovative way, increase public trust in the government and improve its competence and build a law based and service oriented government.

Make rural development agriculture and industry benefit each other so that the overwhelming majority of farmers can participate in the modernization process on an equal basis and share the fruits of their bitter-sweet-struggle. People should be in the center to oversee the exercise of power and that power is exercised in a transport manner.

Build systems that combat and prevent corruption, promote political integrity and see to it that officials are honest and capable, the government is clean, political integrity is upheld, Tigrian unity is maintained, making sure that all fruits of development are shared by all people fairly and effectively.

Quickly resolving the most pressing and real problems of the greatest concern to the people and better satisfy the people’s demands. Enhancing & improving the party’s leadership, answer that the part plays its role as the leadership core in exercising overall leading and coordinating all efforts and improve the party’s art of leadership and governance to ensure the victory of the reform and creating stable and orderly society- all party’s members should focus on the major policies and strategies of the country both in thinking  and action, raising their awareness of opportunities and responsibilities that enables them keep the right directions.

Establishing institution and mechanisms to pool talented people and give them full play to show and give concern for people’s livelihood particularly to those indentified children of freedom-fighters sacrificed and disabled. There will never ever be an end to practice, emancipation of the mind, to reform and opening up- eventually making Tigray-Ethiopia a modern that is rich, strong, democratic & united to realizing  the  dream of the  lost comrades, this is to be called national great revival.

We most deepen political system reform that features the organic unity of upholding the leadership of the party, the people being the masters of the country, governing the country according to the rule of the law.

Adhering to the major strategic judgment that development and democracy are still the key to solving all types of problems in Ethiopia, working hard to address the root problems of the challenges, believing the federal system is the only medicine to maintain Ethiopia as a nation. Solve market imperfection, too much government interference and poor over sight over projects being underway.

Adhere to party’s basic line, reject the old and rigid closed door policy, improving the working mechanisms of people’s congress, widen channels for the public to participate in legislative in an orderly manner through discussions, hearing, assessment and publicizing draft law actively, address social concerns through inquiring and investigating of specific problems and putting record for examinations.

Establishing the building of new types of think-tanks with party’s characteristics aiming at reforming major policies, ideologies and structures of the party would be the pillars of the reform.

Heart to heart talks with the people to ensure that peoples are satisfied with equality, justice in every court-verdict, all acts in violation of the constitution and party’s key directions must be investigated and bring to courts.

Forming scientific and effective mechanisms to check and coordinate power, reforming party’s discipline –inspection system will be instrumental to maintain TPLF culture.

Selecting capable, honest, responsible officials competitively merely by their grades or votes- the members should be committed towards people’s causes, diligent and programmatic in serving the people and not afraid of taking on responsibilities.

We shall get rid of the “official rank standard”, officials be adaptive to promotion, demotion, appointment, resignation or retirement.

Warning to TPLF

Ethiopia faces a series of prominent challenges and is in a dilemma on the political economic and social fronts and its path of continuity as a country.  Thus, the party must, with greater political courage and wisdom, and lose no time to deepen reform in key sectors and discard all notions and systems that hinder efforts to pursue development in scientific ways. If the new leadership contributes its own share in implementing the reforms scientifically, then it is great help to rescue national security which is heading to genocide types of act.

TPLF should set up a well-developed scientific standardized and effective framework of systems and ensure that all institutions in all sectors are fully functioning.

Last but not least TPLF should develop well designed modern Media centers that conduct investigative, report, research, collect and verify feed backs in all sectors of development and political deeds. Have TV stations, Newspaper, radio, magazine, and website, face book, etc by assigning skilled journalists who can criticize bad deeds, give solution and report good deeds, expose corrupted officials etc. By assigning capable professionals, we can defend and defeat national enemies through using all types of communications effectively and in a well organized and integrated ways.

However failure to realize the stated reforms in all fronts will lead us find ourselves in a blind alley and vicious circle which will take us 100 years to bring it back to its origin. It is a question of national survival rather than party survival.

Best regards

Zeray Hailemariam ([email protected])

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