ADDIS ABABA –The political marketplace is a threat to nation-building and undermines the integrity of political processes and institutions apart from jeopardizing Ethiopia’s democracy building, senior government officials commented.
Speaking to local media, Government’s Chief Whip Tesfaye Beljige, who said politics is about the authority of ideas over money, highlighted that the political market whereby politicians used financial rewards could hamper Ethiopia’s path to democracy.
Having centered on individuals and groups, the political market is a threat to institution building thereby opening the door for dictatorship and threatening democracy and competition. These kinds of political systems will avail the space for a small elite group to collect ideas by the name of leadership and may contribute to political instability and other related crises, Tesfaye elaborated.
“Of course, money is a necessary component of any democracy in which it enables political participation, campaigning, representation, and other activities. However, if not effectively regulated, it can undermine the integrity of political processes and institutions and jeopardize the quality of democracy.”
Sharing the above rationale, the Democracy Building Center Coordinator with the Rank of Minister Zadig Abraha stated that the political marketplace is a governance system and power dynamics which includes actors from both the government and non-governmental forces. The political marketplace has three distinctive terminologies among which one is transactional and it depends on the benefit of the participants at the expense of national interest.
The monetized political system is the other form of political market and it is based on the actual money transfer and it is everywhere in the world. The situation whereby a group which provides the largest finance becomes the winner is also the other manifestation of the political system.
“The political marketplace is all about monetization, transaction, and competition and all the competition is among the individuals and groups not about the institution or system. Both international and local forces were highly involved in the political market process which resulted in a turbulent system.”
The mere objective of actors involved in the political marketplace is achieving their power and economic interest at the expense of the public good. On the other hand, it is a dynamic and open system that focuses on creating new things to sustain its duration and avoid failure, Zadig emphasized.
The Ethiopian Herald January 11/2023
