Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party (PP) is championing "idea supremacy" as a driver of national transformation, according to members of the party's central committee.
Speaking to ETV, Agriculture Minister Girma Amente (PhD) said over the past reform years, a number of symbolic changes have been registered. This assembly's theme is from "Word to Culture" because Prosperity Party believes in idea supremacy, he added. "The party generated ideas that can change the society, institutions and the country as well as heal our previous wounds. But idea alone can't help, so it need to be translated. If we take the case of wheat, for example, Ethiopia has land, water an manpower. So we thought we can use these to change the food self-sufficient narrative and we did it. That's why from "Word to Culture " was selected as the theme for the second assembly."
Another member of the party's central committee and State Minister for Ethiopia's Ministry of Finance, Eyob Tekalign ( PhD) on his part asserted that PP's strong stance over idea Supremacy has immensely changed Ethiopia's political, economic and social affairs in the past years of the reform.
Eyob illustrated this through the Green Legacy Initiative. "'Let's Cover Ethiopia's fundamentally big idea which aimed at restoration of the country's degraded land via Green Legacy. This powerful idea enabled to plant 40 billion seedlings by mobilising Ethiopians. And this very assembly, we will discuss how to make such ideas a culture and sustain them."
Eyob also said that his party has not brought only the idea of inclusivity and participation but also put it on the ground. "Ethiopian politics before the reform was politics of opposition, where you cannot exercise politics unless you hold the idea that X is my enemy. PP has broken this trend and brought a new multinational party system. Then it implemented it and participated all Ethiopians and commenced to heal the political wound of Ethiopians."
The concept of From Word to Culture also entails sustenance of party's system, according to Eyob.
"As you know Ethiopia's political system was like one destroys what was established by the previous ruling party. But now we want to make sustainable all the political system, the economic transformation, and social development. I hope during this second assembly members will put some directions on sustaining the culture. "
Seconding Eyob's remarks, Kassahun Gofe (PhD), Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, said that one of the success strokes of PP's belief in idea Supremacy is inclusivity.
"Previously it was four regional parties which decide on the fate of other five regions in the country. This has now changed with PP and all people from any nations and nationality have become decision makers on their own fate, an achievement which was unthinkable previously. But we need to sustain this as a culture."