Ethiopia’s Political Parties- What really is wrong with them?
Kuchiye: February 8, 2006

All of us have pondered over the malaise of Ethiopia’s political parties. Over why they have not been able to deliver despite the thirty-something years of support poured into them, despite the opportune political moments they could have seized to alter the turn of events and despite a conducive international climate that champions democratic governance and the rule of law.

Let's face it; first and foremost we are products of our upbringing. Our cultures and traditions have medieval roots and quite naturally leaders embrace visible elements of medieval management behavior, whether in a household or at the helm of government. Unfortunately, this tendency seems more pronounced on leaders who are not so blessed with the opportunity of higher education. These leaders are all-knowing, they will be quick to give you the "how dare you?" stare, they will surround themselves with cronies, they will avert and isolate people with higher intellect, they will be more at ease in the comfort zone of the status quo, they lack the intellectual prowess to explore and manage paradigm shifts, they often display a siege mentality bordering paranoia thinking everybody is out to get them and most importantly they would rather perish defending the position they always espouse rather than embrace change.

It will not be outrageous to assert that most of the political parties or their leaders are products of the baby-boomer generation that swore Marxism-Leninism is one progressive world outlook to rid Ethiopia of its ills. As the parties organized themselves they combined the worst of the communist and the medieval traits of management. Truly, that had disaster written all over it. Because of their inherently archaic organization structure the parties failed to adapt to changing international conditions, they failed to prove in pronouncements and in deeds that they are parties of the 21st century, they failed to impress their own countrymen being unable to enhance membership, they were not eloquent enough to gain the respect of the international community and be considered a viable alternative to the current government.

All this said, one couldn’t fail to observe a trend that is developing quietly but surely. Whilst the stars of EPRDF, which was initially able to impress the international community that it is a dynamic organization committed to bringing good governance and democracy in Ethiopia are falling, those of the opposition parties’ are rising. This set of circumstance is a result of TPLF shooting itself in the foot and the opposition group doing a somewhat better job.

I will attempt to shade some light on what should be a priority task to usher in dynamism and result-oriented operation. I would even take CUDP America as my point of reference for convenience's sake. For all practical purposes, CUDP's America chapter can be considered the strongest arm of the party outside of Ethiopia. CUDP America operates in a free environment that also happens to be the center of global politics. It has access to the powers that shape the all-important American policy on Ethiopia, and is nurtured by a politically and financially committed community. As such, expecting management excellence and visionary leadership is not only fair but also just.

For starters, CUDP America should be run like any modern organization. Its structure could be modeled after any successful American company with similar mission. There is nothing wrong in emulating success and surely there is no virtue in hanging on to a system that has failed to deliver to the satisfaction of stakeholders. There should be a deliberate effort to inculcate a management culture that strives for excellence starting from the mundane task of conducting meetings to the grander mission of putting together a well-rounded political and diplomatic strategy. Key to this effort lies in deploying the services of qualified professionals at both line and advisory levels and in trusting their judgment.

Every department should have a written mission statement, description of tasks and responsibilities and an action plan against which performance will be evaluated on monthly bases.
An ideal starting point for the drive to management excellence will be the Washington DC chapter where a model branch operation can be built. Depending on the success, and there is no reason why it should not be successful, all other chapters will adopt the DC model taking their peculiar conditions into consideration.

Essentially, a party’s ultimate success is measured by the size and quality of members it is able to enroll. In turn, success in enrolment is a function of the party’s ability to sell its program, the quality of its leadership, the overall impression it creates being proactive, the efficacy it displays in managing crisis etc. In short success is a product of management excellence. If enrollment is stagnant, or if it is growing at a dismal pace one has reason to conclude that the management in place is inadequate and that change is overdue.

An opportunity that could propel CUD America into yet another chapter is at hand when it conducts new elections in May 2006. This opportunity should be used to demonstrate to the world that it is a party of the 21st century, that it is forward looking dynamic and democratic, that May 2006 will be a landmark in terms of committing to organizational and management excellence.


All who mean well for their country, for freedom, for democracy and for a united and prosperous Ethiopia should step up to help CUD in the transformation effort. I will certainly do my part.