ADDIS ABABA: With Ethiopia's ruling party officially accepting Hailemariam Desalegn as the next chief and prime minister in the country, Ethiopia is ready to move forward. But what that future will be is anyone's guess at the present moment. Many in the country are hopeful that the memory of late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will be upheld and Desalegn will follow in his footsteps politically. However, there is a growing number of activists and observers who are looking for a new path and one that Desalegn can help create that respects human rights and the democratic process. “We just want to move forward and get things back on track," a shopkeeper in Addis Ababa told Bikyamasr.com, in reference to the infighting that had delayed the new PM from officially being sworn in. There is a growing debate over the future of Ethiopia's political situation, with many calling for dramatic changes to the current status quo of absolute power by the ruling party. Earlier this month, 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. 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. 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."
