Sidama Under the Prosperity Party: Broken Promises and Lost Potential

The Sidama region, Ethiopia's tenth regional state, has faced immense challenges under the five-year rule of the Prosperity Party (PP). Promising inclusivity, development, and reform, the PP’s leadership has instead presided over a period marked by neglect, diminishing political influence, and the suppression of freedoms. Despite its natural resources, vibrant culture, and industrious population, Sidama has gained little from the current regime, with the region's potential largely unrealized. በነገራችን ላይ ሰሞኑን የPP አምስተኛ የምስረታ አመት ሲዳማ ውስጥ ተከበረ ሲባል ሰምቼን ነው ይህንን መጣጥፍ ለመጻፍ የተነሳሳሁት። ለማንኛውም በዚህ essay ለማለት የምፈልገው the Prosperity Party's tenure has failed Sidama, stifling its progress while intentionally undermining its autonomy and influence. ለምን ለምትሉ ይሄውላችሁ፤

1. Minimal Gains Compared to Potential
While some might point to minor developments like small-scale water pump projects as evidence of progress, these initiatives fall dramatically short of addressing Sidama's needs. Sidama’s potential for economic growth, particularly through its renowned coffee production and strategic location near Hawassa, remains largely untapped. የይርጋለም ኢንዱስትሪ ፓርክ ያለው አቅም እና አሁን ያለበትን ሁኔታ እዩት። Critical infrastructure projects, such as the Tula-Arbegona-Worancha asphalt road, remain unfinished, exemplifying the government's failure to deliver on its promises. Such stagnation is particularly egregious in a region with vast resources and capable leadership, highlighting the Prosperity Party’s unwillingness to prioritize Sidama’s development. ከዚህ በተጨማሪ ይሰራል ተብሎ አካኪ ዘራፍ የተባለባቸው የሻፌታ ፕሮጄክቶች እና የመሳሰሉትን እንደ ጉድ መጥቀስ ይቻላል።

2. Bureaucratization of Regional Statehood
The formation of Sidama as a regional state is often touted as a milestone achieved under the Prosperity Party. However, this narrative overlooks the reality that Sidama's autonomy was achieved through the sacrifices and relentless efforts of its heroes, not the benevolence of the PP. Rather than facilitating the transition, the Prosperity Party bureaucratized and complicated the process, delaying the establishment of necessary administrative structures and creating hurdles to self-governance. The PP’s involvement appears more as an impediment than a facilitator, with its actions undermining the spirit of the federal arrangement. ሲዳማ ክልል በመጠየቁ የተነሳ PPዎች ጣት ከመቀሰር ባለፌ ለማስተማሪያነት መጠቀማቸውን መርሳት ሞኝነት ነው። እኔ ሙፌሪት ሂሳብ እንድናወራርድ አድርገዋል፤ መሪዎቻችንን በአደባባይ አዋርደዋል።

3. Diminished Political and Economic Influence
Under the Prosperity Party, Sidama’s once-significant political and economic influence on the national stage has steadily eroded. Intentional sidelining by federal authorities has left the region without a strong voice in decision-making processes, diminishing its ability to advocate for its people. This erosion of influence appears deliberate, with the Prosperity Party seemingly seeking to marginalize Sidama as a cautionary tale for other regions aspiring to autonomy. Such a strategy not only disrespects Sidama’s history and aspirations but also weakens Ethiopia’s federal framework by sowing distrust between regional states and the central government. ለጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሪነት ቦታ እንዳልተወዳደርን ሁሉ፣ ዛሬ በፌዴራል መንግስት ቢሮዎች ያሉን ተዋጾኦ በዜሮ ተደምሯል።

4. Targeting Sidama for Its Autonomy Movement
The Prosperity Party's actions in Sidama suggest a punitive approach aimed at discouraging other regions from pursuing statehood. Sidama has been used as a political experiment to demonstrate the supposed "costs" of autonomy, with its people enduring neglect and suppression as a consequence. This approach undermines Ethiopia’s federal system, which is intended to empower diverse regions, and instead reinforces centralization at the expense of equitable development and regional aspirations.

5. Suppression of Freedoms and Democratic Backsliding
Sidama has also witnessed a disturbing decline in freedoms under the Prosperity Party. Freedom of speech and political participation have been severely restricted, with youth activists, political leaders, and peaceful movements frequently targeted. Arbitrary arrests and the silencing of dissenting voices have become commonplace, reflecting the party’s authoritarian tendencies. Such actions betray the principles of democracy and inclusivity that the Prosperity Party claims to uphold, leaving the people of Sidama disillusioned and disenfranchised. ሌላው ቀርቶ የሲዳማ ወጣቶች የክልሉን ህዝብ ጥያቄ አራገቡ በማለት በገፍ የማስረ እና የማሳደድ ባቻ ሳይሆን፤ ህጋዊ በሆነ መንገድ ለሲዳማ ህዝብ እንታገል ብለው የፖለቲካ ፓርቲ አቋቁሞ የምታገሉትን ጭምር አገር ለቀው እስክሰደዱ ድረስ ማዋክብ የእለትተእለት ስራቸው ነው PPዎች። ከዚህ ባለፈ እንደ ሲአንን የመሳሰሉ የሲዳማ ህዝብ ታርክ አካል የሆኑ የፖለትካ ፓርቲዎችን የመዋጥ አካሄድ በመከተል የሲዳማን ህዝብ ታርክ አልባ ለማድረግ ሰረተዋል።

6. The False Promise of Progressive Leadership
While the Prosperity Party asserts that it is fostering progressive leadership in Sidama, this claim rings hollow in light of its actions. Genuine progress requires empowering local leaders to advocate for their communities, not imposing central directives or suppressing opposition. The party’s top-down approach has stifled innovation and accountability, leaving the region ill-equipped to address its challenges or capitalize on its strengths. ይህንን የምለው፤ ክልሉ በድሮ ደኢህዴን ሪዥራዦ አመራሮች መመራቱ ብቻ ሳይሆን፤ የተለየ አመለካከት ያላቸው ለምሳሌ ያህል እንደ የቀድሞ የሐዋሳ ከተማ ከንቲባ ያለው አመራሮችንን ያለፍትህ ለማሰርና ለማሰቃየት ወደ ኋላ የማይሉ የዶንቆሮ ስብስብ መሆናቸው ነው።

ለማንኛውም፤ The Prosperity Party’s five-year rule in Sidama has been marked by broken promises, neglect, and suppression. From unfinished infrastructure projects to the erosion of political and economic influence, the PP’s tenure has failed to meet the aspirations of the Sidama people. Worse, its punitive and authoritarian approach has undermined trust in Ethiopia’s federal system, stalling progress and fostering resentment.

To genuinely address Sidama’s needs, the Prosperity Party must shift its focus from centralized control to meaningful empowerment. Delivering on promises like the Tula-Arbegona-Worancha asphalt road, fostering inclusive governance, and respecting freedoms are essential first steps. Only by prioritizing development and autonomy can the federal government begin to repair its relationship with Sidama and honor the sacrifices of those who fought for the region’s statehood. Until then, the narrative of progress in Sidama will remain a hollow claim, overshadowed by the lived realities of its people.

ኖሞናኖቶ ነኝ!
መልካም ቀን!!