Addis Ababa, 11 August 2016(WIC) – Minister of the Government Communication Affairs Office said that destabilizing the country under the cover of the right to peaceful demonstration is unacceptable.
Getachew Reda, speaking on a dialogue forum of Aljazeera, the Stream, yesterday said that protestors organized by some rejectionist elements from Diaspora are trying to destabilize the country under the cover of peaceful demonstration and the government is trying to hold them in check.
“There is nothing wrong with people expressing whatever concerns they have in a peaceful manner. What the government is concerned about is those who are aimed at dismantling the state structure and creating the kind of instability that will help them drive their own agendas and impose it on this country,” Getachew noted.
The government has been very consistent in terms telling people that whether there are people who are expressing their concerns is not a problem for it and demonstrations should be held in a manner that meets some place, manner and time requirements.
“We have two kinds of protestors. Some of them have legitimate concerns but they may turn out to be violent. Still these are within the acceptable limit. Others are using different inputs against members of the security and these are unacceptable and should be put in check,” he underscored.
We are having an extensive dialogue with the people of Oromia, Amhara and the people of the entire country. Whatever issues people have, they have the right to raise it. These concerns should be addressed through dialogue and mutual consensus, not through violent and destabilizing ways, he added.
The government is holding extensive discussion with the public at large. It is working with the people to contain violent acts that could spiral out of control. if it fails to address the grievances of the public in a manner that satisfies the youth and other members of the public in a manner that does not affect stability of the country, survival of the country itself will be at stake. With the support of the public the government is trying to seriously address the grievances, he reiterated.