Leadership makes a difference every time

Abiy Ahmed Ali is the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. He came to the position in April 2018 and I have followed his time in office with keen interest via the news media.

This year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending the 20-year post-war territorial stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

His coming to power has witnessed several significant developments in Ethiopia with Abiy Ahmed launching a wide programme of political, economic and social reforms.

He has gained widespread support and acclaim for his actions in seeking to transform Ethiopia for the betterment of all. His motivation and passion to develop and uplift his country are perhaps driven by his background.

Abiy comes from the town Beshasha in the Oromia Region. He grew up under impoverished circumstances, the 13th child of his father and the sixth and youngest of his mother. His father Ahmed Ali is a Muslim Oromo and had four wives. Abiy’s mother was the fourth wife and a Christian Amhara.

Since taking office in 2018, Abiy’s government has presided over the release of thousands of political prisoners from Ethiopian jails and the rapid opening of the country’s political landscape. He has expanded press freedoms and invited exiled media personnel back into the country.

Abiy was also revolutionary in his cabinet appointments and names given to ministries. In the parliamentary session held on 16 October 2018, Abiy proposed to reduce the number of ministries from 28 to 20 with half of the cabinet positions for female ministers, a first in the history of the country. The new cabinet restructure included the first female president, the first female minister of the Ministry of Defence; the first female minister of the new Ministry of Peace, responsible for the Ethiopian Federal Police and the intelligence agencies; and the first female press secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister also has been working hard at ending religious conflicts. Ethiopia is a country of various religious groups, primarily Christian and Muslim communities. Both inter-religious and intra-religious divisions and conflicts were a major concern, where both the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Ethiopian Islamic Council experienced religious and administrative divisions and conflicts. In 2018, he was given a special “peace and reconciliation” award by the Ethiopian Church for his work in reconciling rival factions within the church.

Islam and Muslims have a very long history and association with Ethiopia. The fact that Abiy is the son of a Muslim father and a Christian mother speaks volumes to that association of Christianity and Islam in that region. It was in the early days of Islam in the 7th century on the Arabian Peninsula when Muslims were bitterly persecuted for their beliefs and practices by the Arabs that the Prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace, instructed some of his followers to go to Abyssinia (the historic name for Ethiopia/Eritrea) for there they would find a just King in that Christian Kingdom who would grant them asylum. This migration is recorded in the books of Islamic history and speaks to the fact of the just King who did grant these early followers of Islam refuge in his Kingdom despite the Arabs sending a strong delegation to persuade the King against allowing these Muslims into his lands. The story of the discourse between the King, the Muslims and the Arab delegation is worth reading for it echoes throughout the centuries in the way we treat to refugees and those who face persecution and seek protection and solace from others.

Historical accounts showed that the Muslims lived in peace in Abyssinia and even helped the King against those who sought to remove him from power in later years.

Abiy Ahmed has evolved from that long rooted tradition to guide and shape Ethiopia in this 21st century. His task hasn’t been made easy by the ethnic tensions that continue to fester and threaten long-term stability. As one ethnic group assumes power the other ethnic groups feel displaced and so discontent arises which leads to conflict and turmoil. It is reported that since the 2018 election of Abiy, around 1.5 million Ethiopians were forced from their homes by ethnic violence – the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) of any country in 2018. Government officials counter that much of this discontent finds its beginnings in corrupt officials of past administrations who no longer benefit from being in power.

Political leadership in today’s complex world with so many competing interests who all want a share of the pie cannot be easy. Making fundamental changes and routing out systemic corruption and mismanagement is a hard task. Large countries like Ethiopia will certainly have more challenges than small nations like ours but the struggle will be very similar.

One can certainly admire persons like Abiy Ahmed, who didn’t come from privileged circumstances but worked his way through the ranks to become leader of a country and seeks now to give back and make life better for his citizens. But neither should having a privileged upbringing deter one from serving. The main point of leadership is ensuring you empower as many of your people as you possibly can. And it means helping those less privileged than yourself and strengthening the weak and vulnerable in the society.  A nation like a chain can only be as strong as its weakest link.

Outstanding political leaders are not found in abundance but when they arise they are certainly worth observing, studying and emulating. No leader in our present world can be perfect but they will have traits and characteristics that enable them to lead, to motivate and to make changes where changes are necessary. Changing mindsets is the greatest task of any leader and so political leaders who have enough courage and intestinal fortitude to take on prevailing mindsets that limit human development and growth must be applauded.

As Barbados moves closer to establishing ties with the African continent I hope Ethiopia will be one of those countries that will be on its radar.

Suleiman Bulbulia is a Justice of the Peace; Secretary of the Barbados Muslim Association; Muslim Chaplain at the Cave Hill Campus, UWI and a Childhood Obesity Prevention Champion. Email: suleimanbulbulia@hotmail.com)