The city of Addis Ababa, to all intents and purpose, is being rebuilt; it's witnessing the construction of major roads, bridges and high-rise buildings. As a result, Addis Ababa is on its way to becoming one of the major metropolises of Africa. The EPRDF would be amply justified in priding itself on rebuilding Addis Ababa.

Other cities of Ethiopia, including Bahir Dar, Awasa, Jijiga, Makalle etc, are also undergoing rebuilding. Several highways as well as hydro-electric stations are being rebuilt. Towns across the country are getting connected to electric and telephone lines. Medical and educational services are being expanded in both towns and rural areas. Though there still remains a lot to be done, we feel we have to salute these achievements.

Sadly, efforts to build an order characterized by justice and good governance have not been on par with the building of roads and buildings.

The EPRDF has been repeatedly promising that it is committed to bringing about justice and good governance to Ethiopia and has formulated an action plan towards that end. However, it has not succeeded in realizing this goal. The escalation in the price of oil, steel rods or cement can not be justified to explain this failure as they are for the country's rising cost of living.

Why isn't building an order whereby justice and good governance prevail proceeding in line with the building of physical structures? Why  has ensuring the prevalence of justice and good governance been put in the back burner while the construction of roads and buildings continues unabated despite the price of oil, steel rods and cement going through the roof?

It is not difficult to venture an explanation as to the failure since it is obvious. First, there is no uniform outlook on the  issue within the leadership. There are visible differences between the leadership members of the EPRDF in terms of the concern they show and their commitment to justice and good governance. This absence of  a uniformity of outlook is doomed to result in failure.

The second is government bureaucracy. This bureaucracy seems bent on sowing division between the government and the public. On top of that it is mired up to its eyeball in corruption. We have seen time and again that its mission is not to serve the public but rather to rob the public coffer and make off with the "booty"

It is a challenge by itself to publicize the existence of the problem either to those who are concerned by public discontents, or  to the EPRDF and government top brass, which have not made use of mechanisms that are conductive to gathering information.

Although the ruling EPRDF occasionally organizes public discussion forums at district levels to gauge public opinion, the public will cease to express its discontentment unless the EPRDF takes concrete action in respect of the grievance it aired earlier. The government therefore should endeavor to make these discussion forums fruitful by taking the appropriate measures promptly so that it strengthens the public's trust in it.

The EPRDF has emerged victorious in the recent by-elections and local elections held in Addis Ababa and other parts of Ethiopia. Thus, it would not be wrong to assume that this would avail it with an opportunity to deepen in the prevalence of justice in the country, and  hence, must commit itself to accomplish both  tasks side by side when it takes over the administration of Addis Ababa and commence its work.

It needs to do whatever it can to improve the construction of roads and buildings in terms of design, delivery time and cleanliness; it should ensure that the construction of these works is free of corruption.  Furthermore, it must also place emphasis on ensuring that the city has adequate parks and recreation facilities and its policies and actions are environmentally friendly. Addis Ababa's fast-paced development over the last five years must continue unabated.

On the contrary, much needs to be done on the justice and good governance front to arrest backsliding and poor performance in these sensitive areas. The measures that must be taken in this regard must be bold and implemented promptly, albeit  after careful consideration.

Making a visible and action-oriented effort aimed at ensuring the prevalence of justice and good governance can be regarded as one burning issue in present day Ethiopia. Why? Because the absence of justice and good governance will eventually bring to a halt the infrastructure development that is being witnessed today. When justice and good governance are, however, strengthened they will bolster and speed up the construction of roads, buildings and infrastructure development in general.

Therefore, alongside building roads and buildings, it is high time that Ethiopians made an all-out effort to build an order which is characterized by the prevalence of justice and good governance.