The Case against Jasmine Revolution in Ethiopia

By Yared Ayicheh

Ethiopian Paltalk rooms have been discussing if Ethiopians should rise up against the Ethiopian government and overthrow it or not. Pro-government supporters respond by blindly denying the need for uprising, while the anti-government elements are salivating at this perceived opportunity.
It’s a fact that there are eerie similarities between Tunis, Cairo and Addis, such as corruption, rise of food prices, long term ‘serving’ leaders or dictators, and human rights abuses. The reality is Ethiopians have every reason for uprising more than the Tunisians or Egyptians have.
But the right question to me is this: Do Ethiopians need to change the Ethiopian government by popular uprising? Can Ethiopia afford to go through another ‘revolution’? My answer is a definite and absolute “no”, and here is why.