The ‘Queen of Mega’ in Parliament

By Abebe Gelaw

January 24, 2006

Azeb Gola, wife of Meles Zenawi, shakes hands with officials in the midst of tight security

Queen Elizabeth II has a ceremonial role in the British Parliament. One of her official duties is attending the state opening of parliament. She makes a speech during the annual opening ceremony that outlines the proposals of the government in power. She is neither allowed to take sides nor express her political opinions in public in a way that affects the conduct of government.

In Britain, spouses of ministers and senior government officials are also discouraged from holding public offices. The Prime Minister’s wife, for instance, is not allowed to “cash in” on her husband’s position, be it in her public or private dealings. Due to obvious conflicts of interests that are likely to arise, she cannot take advantage of her husband’s position in order to make material or financial gains, let alone become a Member of Parliament. In the event of any allegations of impropriety or unfair advantage, the Committee on Standards of Public Life has a power to fully investigate the matter.

In Ethiopia, there appears to be a lack of a clearly defined guidance to regulate the conduct of people who are meant to serve the nation in the highest standards of integrity. Some senior government officials have been criticized on several occasions for being allowed to mix their public and private business interests. TPLF-owned business enterprises, registered as private companies but managed by senior government officials and their cronies, have long been controversial due to the evident conflicts of interests and allegations of corruption. Though an anti-corruption commission was set up, it has no power to investigate allegations of corrupt practices when it comes to senior government officials and their cronies.

The Prime Minister’s wife, Azeb Mesfin, is an ambitious businesswoman, who has long been the head of the multi-million dollar business empire, Mega Corporation, which earned her the nickname “Queen of Mega.” One of the serious complaints of businessmen that have been ignored by the ruling party is the crippling effect of TPLF-backed business enterprises like Mega. Independent businessmen have long been alleging that they could not compete freely as the favoured companies and corporations that are connected to the ruling party, have unfairly monopolized many sectors owing to their links with the top brasses of the TPLF. Only the likes of Seye Abraha who challenged the PM were accused of corruption and ended up in jails, but the impropriety of mingling public, private and party-owned businesses remains a contentious issues.

Azeb Mesfin appears to be greatly enjoying the fame and fortune that her husband’s guns have bought her. After she appeared in public for the first time with a ‘royal’ title, ‘Kedamawi Emebet’, she is doing her best not to appear out of touch. At the 60th birthday bash of Bob Marley held at Meskel Square last year, she surprised many by declaring to reporters that she is a Reggae fan. She said the songs of the legendary singer inspired her to join the armed insurrection against the Derg and now to campaign against HIV/AIDS.

In the May elections, she was one of TPLF’s candidates who ran alone and eased their way to victory by running alone. Her husband “won” a parliamentary seat uncontested in Adwa, an easy stunt that was repeated by his wife in Humera, which was once one of the most fertile parts of Gondar. During the inaugural session of the controversial new parliament, Meles was “re-elected” Prime Minister and, most importantly, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Kedamawi Emebet Azeb has also been granted power in parliament. She is not an ordinary lawmaker, but wife of the Prime Minister and Chairwoman of the Social Affairs Standing Committee, a privileged position that the majority of well-educated and highly experienced opposition legislators can only dream of.

Her presence in parliament has a significant bearing on the conduct of debates and proceedings. It is said that even the most loyal cronies including the speaker of the lower house, Teshome Toga, are shivering and sweating to please Kedamawi Embet Azeb. After all, she is the wife of a despot who can do whatever he wants to by virtue of being the man who commands a monopoly of guns and ruthless snipers in Ethiopia.

The speaker of the house has repeatedly rejected calls for debates on the gross human rights situations in Ethiopia. A couple of weeks ago, 50 MPs from different constituencies of Oromia petitioned the house to have debates on repressions in the region. The poor MPs were told that it was not an issue worth debating. The thorny issue could at least cause discomfort to the Prime Minister’s other half. We should feel sorry for opposition MPs as well as the ‘loyal MPs’, who are only allowed to endorse whatever the tyrant wishes to do.

Honorable MP Etege Azeb had once told journalists that one of her favourite songs was Marley’s “Get up, stand up.” Given the fact that the people are now standing up for their rights across Ethiopia, one may wonder whether the Queen of Mega, who is in parliament for whatever reasons, still fancies the revolutionary song. Those who have the nerve to stand up for their rights are being killed, maimed, tortured or detained in harsh jails and concentration camps….

No one can afford the power, wealth and privilege of a royal family living in the Grand Palace protected by all sorts of lethal weapons that money can buy. It was rumored once that it cost the taxpayer over sixty million birr to keep the royal family well fed, safe and happy with no bills or rent to worry about. Nobody knows for sure as they make such public matters, highly guarded secrets. Even that being the case, it is an open secret that Kedamawi Embet Azeb is the first wife of an incumbent Ethiopian head of government to be a stakeholder in parliament. It is a rare case of a family aggressively at work fighting for an absolute political and economic dominance. This begs the question how long the royal family has planned to stay in power. Apparently, the stake is too high for them. After all, they have three decades of experience in playing political, military, economic and ethnic games.