ADDIS ABABA: A leading Ethiopian political thinker and professor Alemayehu G. Mariam said the time is now for Ethiopia to have “radical improvements” in its social and political climate following the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. “I say today is the perfect time for all Ethiopians to bury the hatchet of ethnic division, religious sectarianism, regional conflict and human rights violations,” Mariam wrote in an opinion article. “It is the perfect time to shake hands, embrace each other and get our noses to the grindstone to build a new democratic Ethiopia where the rule of law is upheld and human rights and democratic institutions respected.” He argued that the situation facing Ethiopia does not need to be a painful process of change and that the new leadership should learn from the past two decades and its impact on the people. “Today, not tomorrow, is the best time to put an end to historic hatreds and resentments and open a new chapter in Ethiopia's history. Today is the best time to unchain ourselves from the burdens of the past, close the wounds that have festered for generations and declare to future generations that we will no longer be prisoners of resentments of the past,” the professor argued. Dozens of African leaders and other foreign dignitaries on Sunday paid tribute to Ethiopia's late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at the country's first state funeral in 80 years. Many of the African leaders praised the Prime Minister, who passed away late on August 20, with some calling him a “hero." “The prime minister was a beacon of hope in Africa and he should be remembered as a hero for all the outstanding work that he has achieved in his lifetime," said Malawi's Deputy Prime Minister Khumbo Kachali. Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi said the death of Meles was “a great loss" not just for Ethiopia but for the African continent because of his vision and his support of Pan-Africanism. Zenawi was born on May 8, 1955 and came to power in the early 1990s as prime minister, holding this position until Tuesday. He ruled the country with an iron grip, and the past few months has shown his strength over the country was not one that all Ethiopians enjoyed. According to Opride.com, “the former rebel-leader dropped out of Addis Ababa University's Medical School, where he studied for two years, to join the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front in 1974. He has been the chairman of both the TPLF and the ruling coalition, Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front, since 1989." Hailemariam Desalegn, who was appointed deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs in 2010, is now in charge of the Cabinet, state TV said. There is a tentative hope that democracy and human rights can be part of the transition away from authoritarian rule. Still, many experts have pointed to the reality that Ethiopia is unlikely to see democracy or a change in the status quo, despite the two decades rule of Zenawi coming to an end. The International Crisis Group has reported that in recent years, Zenawi “had relied ever more on repression to quell growing dissent." In the aftermath of this passing on August 20, the ICG says that it “expects his successor to lead a weaker regime that struggles to manage increasing unrest unless it truly implements ethnic federalism and institutes fundamental governance reform." For a university student group made up of Christians and Muslims, which they have dubbed themselves “Concerned Ethiopian Students" they are hopeful that the change can be made for the better. “We have long face this kind of attack from the government if we speak out, so we really want to see democratic change in Ethiopia because it will mean a better country for all," the group told Bikyamasr.com. “Ethiopia deserves a country that is not ruled by one person, but a place where citizens and the people have a say in our future." The students added that they understand the difficulties facing the government, which is expected to maintain the economic openness that marked the Zenawi era, but at the same time they believe a model similar to Southeast Asia can be achieved. “We have a large population, which means we can really build infrastructure if the government wants. There doesn't need to be an either one or the other scenario," the students said in reference to the oft-argued point that economic progress comes at a cost.
