May 19, 2026
We are currently witnessing an unprecedented chasm between political rhetoric and reality. The Abiy-led Oromo Democratic Party (ODP/OPDO) operating under the guise and banner of the “Prosperity Party” has reached a point where its words and actions are polar opposites. They cannot hide behind this fake veneer of prosperity forever.
The so-called “development” projects championed by Abiy Ahmed and Adanech Abebe the corridor projects, riverside beautifications, resorts, and parks are nothing more than flashy, superficial illusions. This is a destructive, deceptive form of development. It has become a laughingstock in the public square, a transparent political game of hide-and-seek.
Fabricated milestones and exaggerated growth reports will lead nowhere. They solve absolutely nothing, convince absolutely no one, and represent nothing but futile effort.
The Grand Chasm Between Words and Actions
When it comes to the Prosperity Party, the distance between what is promised and what is delivered is as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.
Endless speeches, motivational rhetoric, unattainable promises, and inflated statistics cannot erase real-world crises. Instead of hiding behind numbers, the administration must confront our stark reality and pressing issues head-on.
History shows that anti-people dictators cannot hide from public wrath behind a wall of propaganda forever. When the critical day arrives, the people themselves will take ownership of their struggle and victory, dismantling the regime to reclaim their sovereign power and country.
Pretending to be a saintly, flawless ally of the people while scapegoating others and evading accountability will not grant immunity when the day of reckoning comes.
Flashy Distractions vs. Genuine Development
The regime’s highly exaggerated campaign promises bring to mind the old Amharic proverb: “I have a cow in heaven, but I never see her milk.”
For eight long years, we have received nothing but talk. As the saying goes, “Talk bears no fruit.”
Not everything that glitters is development. True and sustainable development is measured by the progress of the people. It is rooted in peace, justice, freedom, equality, fraternity, and sovereignty—not in the shady politics of conspiracy and gambling.
What we see today is a noisy election campaign filled with empty words and buzzwords: narrative, leap forward, height, construction… Strip away the rhetoric, and there is no substance or truth. It is a hollow zero.
The Reality on the Ground: Fire, War, and Inflation
It is pure mockery to claim that peace, development, and prosperity can flourish while the country, its people, and its wealth are being actively destroyed by war. Authentic development cannot coexist with hypocrisy, deception, and fraud.
Motivational speeches and political propaganda will not bring about change, nor will empty hope solve today’s crises. Consider the reality of our nation today:
Widespread Insecurity: The people have no peace
Active Conflicts: War rages in Tigray, Amhara, and Oromia, and a new conflict has sparked along the Sudanese border.
Economic Suffocation: The cost of living has skyrocketed. Fuel prices continue to rise—fueling the fire of an already burning economy.
The regime’s favorite sedative for these urgent crises is parading wheat farmlands on television. Touring wheat fields and staging campaign rallies do absolutely nothing to solve our deep-rooted national crises.
A Gathering Storm
Because the population is facing an existential threat, false hopes and flashy election dramas offer zero comfort. The regime would do well to notice that a popular storm is rumbling.
Decorating cities, building parks, cleaning neighborhoods, secretly constructing palaces, and hosting lavish campaign rallies backed by peerless propaganda cannot mask the truth. Bankrupting the entire population to enrich a select few at the expense of the nation is not “prosperity.”
This deceptive political drama might distract the rulers, but it means absolutely nothing to a starving population that can no longer afford the cost of living, that has lost its peace and security, and that sees no tangible hope for the future.
When the people finally rise, I would not want to be in the regime’s shoes. Yet, my heart aches for my poor country and its people. Throughout history, the citizens have always been the victims.
But this regime has reached its limit. It will be recorded in history as a backward, dictatorial, murderous, and plundering entity that stood against peace and its own people. The time has come to transition toward a new democratic, modern era—one rooted in human rights and genuine popular sovereignty.
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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