Hailemariam’s parliament comment sparks widespread outrage

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is used to rebukes from time to time– but his comment made to lawmakers in the Ethiopian parliament last week about the huge amount of money stolen and embezzled by one regional government has drawn criticism from a wide range of public, including from his supporters.
After questions were raised from a parliamentarian about the missing financial compensations allocated for forcibly resettled people, the Prime Minister reacted in business-as-usual manner. “Well, we don’t know what to do about it. There is even one regional government that I don’t want to name, embezzled around 100 million birr given to it by the federal government to compensate the displaced people,” the Premier dropping an affair of blatant dimensions like an ordinary matter.
Not only the Prime Minister failed to mention the name of the region, but also failed to say if any measures were taken and if there is an ongoing investigation. Parliamentarians were conspicuously tight-lipped as the Prime Minster passed to other issues. This comes as a paradox for a regime that is making a vow almost every day to clean up corruption in the country.
Reactions have, belatedly, come roaring back in the social media, one commentator saying this is just once case of the decades of slow rot that have eaten into the country’s political establishment. One surprise reaction came from none other than the US-based web journalist, owner of the Ethiopia First website, and the regime’s ardent supporter, Benyam Kebede who said that he was unbelievably disappointed and embarrassed by the Prime Minister’s response. “Can you imagine? He is addressing the representatives of the people, who is supposed to remain well informed about what is going on in the country. And he said he is not going to tell them. What an effrontery! To make matters worse, those elected members left the hall without uttering a word. What kind of democracy is it, our democracy? The Prime Minister has an obligation to disclose such disgraceful act. This is tax payer’s money and people are entitled to know,” he said that in a recorded message on You Tube.
Well, let us see where the uproar over the matter leads but one commentator says any chance of reactions or apology from Hailemarim is remote.