After seven years of leaving the USA, I visited my home country, Ethiopia. So many things changed in terms of the infrastructure and lifestyle of most of the cities. Everyone looked very busy, just like life in the West; I couldn't find most of my friends that I grew up with, and they had all grown and married, even leaving the village where we grew up. There was no playground or the forest we used to enjoy daily life. However, the main point of this article is not to narrate my fairytale but rather to speak up about the destruction of the country I loved the most; my mother country is struggling with corruption that was tolerated for an extended period.
The way corruption works in Ethiopia is not hidden as it was, making it the most dangerous action people cannot stop for fear or pleasure of gaining out of something. For example, the most common corruption that every individual knows and contributes to is the corruption of roadside officers, which they call traffic officers. Every car will be stopped at any time by these folks, and the driver generally knows why they stopped, so they pay the due amount, which could be 100 birrr or 10,000.00 birr based on the findings of the officers' inspection. Suppose the officer finds the issue that could sue the driver. In that case, he will pay more to officers so they will not lose their driver's license or car plait, which are tools that officers utilize to force the driver to get handicaps for their pleasure of corruption.
The government office uses corruption just like a tip, but how they communicate to get that kind of corruption is unique, which could convince any service sakers to fall under bribes. During the civil war of Ethiopia with Tigray, anyone with a bloodline of Tigray will be asked to bribe the government office for passport processing up to 20,000.00 birr. This is not a made-up story; it is the evidence of the information right in the hands of the police and the social service providers of the country.
Some of the examples listed above touch on the main core of issues present in Ethiopia, but the country is struggling with civil war, where millions die, and hundreds are getting killed every day. Most people don't even have the reason for the conflict, but the main reason behind all this conflict could be the normalization of corruption in the country.
Is it possible to get out of this terrible endemic corruption?
Some ways to make this right are the country's choice and the willpower to determine the country's future.
Some things people could do to prevent corruption in Ethiopia are brainstormed below, but the corrective action will be discussed in future articles.
Lists that people could do to prevent corruption include investigating the corruption by separate entities such as lawyers and loyal military members, and the budget will be paid by its investment punishing the offenders and reimbursement of the theft money for hiring investigators' salaries.
Ending the civil war that has been going on for over half a century and bringing the people together for one country and future prosperity
3. Educating the population for the betterment of lifestyle and equity.
4. Contributing pre-existing unity, diversity, and inclusion for the county's future and bringing prosperity.
5. Ending famine and economic failure by investing in internal resources
6. ending racism and recognizing difference as an access