It is a generally accepted axiom that the people of a country are the owners and the chief architects of the destiny of the land which they inhabit and that gave birth to them. If elected governments do not serve the people which elected them in accordance with this principle, they are bound to be held accountable for what they do.

As a servant of the public, it is incumbent upon the government to publicize its plans and policies either beforehand or along the way. Failure to do so will loosen the bond between the government and the public and put an obstacle on the path of the progress of a people and the development of a country.

Ethiopia is currently experiencing an increase in the cost of living the like of which it has never undergone before. In particular, the staggering spike in the price of basic food items is alarming many a family. It is not surprising that the coming months are awaited with anxiety in a situation where, for instance, the price of a quintal of teff increases by 140 birr (around 14 USD) over a four-day period.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for the average wage earner to withstand the effects of skyrocketing food and other items. The situation is further exacerbated by the drought hitting some parts of the country, which has resulted in the displacement of citizens living in those parts as well as the harrowing pictures of severely malnourished children appearing in the international media.

The government's response to this double-pronged crisis has not been on par with the gravity of the problem. With the exception of some officials' occasional explanations as to the causes of the crises the government has not given sufficient indications demonstrating that it shares the problem and what it is thinking in terms of seeking solutions.

There seems to be reluctance to disclose the information that drought has yet again reared its head in Ethiopia and the desire to keep this "secret" from the public given that the actions being taken to avert the disaster are few and far between. That the government conceded children are suffering due to the drought in a manner which makes it look like that it did so to refute the reports of the international media regarding drought-affected children has displeased many. It is troubling that most of us are in the dark about what the government plans to do in the face of such an alarming situation.

In view of this, the government should disclose the options before it on how to tackle these crises as well as the time frame within which they will be implemented. Otherwise, it will disappoint the public and erode the latter's trust in it. A government which does not share the anxiety of the public which voted it into office and which does not act to relieve this anxiety is bound to pay a high cost for its failure.

The recently revealed territorial "dispute" between Ethiopia and Sudan became a cause for concern not only because it has been kept a secret but also owing to the unavailability of full information on the subject even after it became public knowledge. The people of Ethiopia were caught by surprise when learning that the two countries have unresolved boundary issues and consequently raising a number of questions. However belated it may be, it is imperative that the explanations given by various government officials on the matter be substantiated by evidence if they are to be accepted.

The divergence between the experts on the issue and government officials has created confusion within the public. Hence, it is vital that the government go beyond giving statements and provide complete information together with the necessary supporting documentation, to the public - the major stakeholder in the matter. Unless this is done, the public will become a stranger to its own affair and suspicious of the government's actions. This suspicion will be reinforced if the government does not resort to seeking public participation in coming up with solutions. It will also rear its head in respect of boundary issues Ethiopia may have with Somalia and Djibouti.

Furthermore, the more secretive a government is, the more its service-giving institutions become vulnerable to making mistakes after mistakes. They will be unable to deliver the service that the public seeks from them. If an official of a regional government or a kebele administration can not explain the solutions that the government has put in place to address food price increases, he will be ridiculed and distrusted by the public. The non-disclosure of the influx of hunger-stricken citizens to cities in search of food and what steps are being taken to avert a disaster can earn the government only disillusionment with it.     

It is not right for the government to complicate or keep a secret problems which the public should face or to place the public in a state of anxiety by failing to disclose on time the solutions to the problems gripping it. It needs to identify with and share the public's problems, search for solutions together with it, and implement them. The consequences of not doing so will be unpleasant for both the people and the nation.