The Reporter | Saturday | November 15, 2014 Vol. XIX No. 949 |1 Vol. IXI No. 949 | November 15, 2014 | ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA www.thereporterethiopia.com Price 5.00 Birr New bill Black Lion hospital proposes probing Chinese consortium to to undergo major corruption in operate Addis LRT upgrade private sector, By Birhanu Fikade The state-owned Chinese corporation civil societies vows to cement deals with officials here to undertake a major expansion and renovation of the largest and long- By Yonas Abiye serving referral hospital in the country. A new draft bill to amend the existing anti-corruption proclamation, proposing a widened scope of probing, investigating and prosecuting tasks related to corruption as wide as non- state institutions, was tabled before the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HPR) on Thursday. With the proposed amendment of the Proclamation to Provide for the Crimes of Corruption, another two related proclamations - the Revised Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Establishment Proclamation and The Revised Special Procedure and Rules of Evidence Proclamation - were also presented to the House. The House deliberated on three draft bills focusing on civil society organizations and the private sector along with the power of the commission that proposes to give it the power of issuing recognition Zhang Jianguo to other federal government offices that seek to carry on investigations against China Machineries and Engineering corruption in their respective sectors. Corporation (CMEC), which currently The draft bill will establish a seeks to undertake the expansion of legal framework whereby private Black Lion (Tikur Anbessa) Hospital is corporations, unions, share companies, negotiating to avail finances for other civil society organizations, education giant projects in the country. One of the and health institutions, banks, insurers, critical projects CMEC associated itself money transfer agents and other with is the urea fertilizer-producing Photo By: Reporter/ Nahom Tesfaye institutions will be held accountable in factory of the government. the fight against corruption. Zhang Jianguo, Vice President of CMEC It has become, according to the By Yohannes Anberbir the Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit told The Reporterr that CMEC has been government explanation attached to the (LRT) system, and Shenzen Metro in contact with higher officials here. draft bill, necessary to include similar A consortium of China Railway Group, operators of the railway system According to Jinaguo, the negotiations Engineering Corporation (CREC), a New bill proposes... page 38 Chinese contractor currently building Chinese consortium... page 38 Black Lion hospital... page 38 Advertisment 2| Vol. XIX No. 949 EDITORIAL The Reporter | Saturday | November 15, 2014 Published weekly by Media & Communications Center Address: Bole Sub City, Kebele 03, H. No. 2347 Tel: 011 6 616180 Editorial 011 6 616185 Reception 011 6 616187 Finance Fax: 011 6 616189 PO Box:7023 0910 885206 Marketing E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.thereporterethiopia.com General Manager Amare Aregawi Managing Editor Bruh Yihunbelay [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Asrat Seyoum Sub city: N.lafto, K. 10/18, H.No. 614 [email protected] Senior Editors Yacob Wolde-Mariam Dibaba Amensisa Editors Kaleyesus Bekele [email protected] Yonas Abiye [email protected] Assistant Editor Tibebeselassie Tigabu [email protected] Senior Reporters Henok Reta Addressing disruption in utilities \ Ethiopia has devised and is implementing a strategy aimed at enabling it join the ranks of middle-income countries within Columnist Leyou Tameru the next two decades. Presently, it is one of the fastest growing economies in the world with the needs of its people growing [email protected] correspondingly. This said, nowadays the delivery of basic services like electricity, water, telecom and mass transit in its rapidly growing capital is Chief Graphic Designer being beset by frequent disruptions in services. Admittedly, such problems can be regarded as inevitable features of an economy Yibekal Getahun growing fast. Nonetheless, the fact that the problems are worsening from time to time is causing public disgruntlement. Senior Graphic Designer The government has indicated on several occasions that it was determined to tackle these problems. In early October President Tewodros Kebkab Mulatu Teshome (PhD) apologized to the public when opening the joint session of the House of Peoples’ Representatives and the House of the Federation for the recurring power outage. Offering an apology is not enough, however; it requires urgent Graphic Designers corrective measures. It is only when his apology is supported by concrete steps which restore normal service delivery that it can Tsehay Tadesse have any meaning. Fasika Balcha Endale Solomon The frequent power interruption is putting factory machineries out of commission, forcing their owners to incur unnecessary Semenh Sisay expenses and, in some cases, even loss. Furthermore, it is also causing delays in the production and supply of factory-produced Netsanet Yacob Bezaye Tewodros goods and, as such, impacting negatively the manufacturing sector in particular. Power outage does not affect industries alone, though. It cuts short the life span of electrical appliances that are intended to last Head of Photography long and thereby not only occasions pecuniary loss for ordinary citizens but also subjects them to inconvenience. Nahom Tesfaye Therefore, all stakeholders responsible for ensuring a reliable supply of power need to do their jobs properly. Otherwise, it is Photographers bound to roll back the economic and social gains the country has made in the past decade. Tamrat Getachew Mesfen Solomon The widespread disruption in water supply across the capital and other parts of the country is another source of discontent for the public. That there seems to be no immediate end in sight for the problem is prompting many to wonder if it can ever be Website resolved once and for all. Bezawit Tesfaye Binyam Hailu The poor state of water supply is already having grave social consequences for the public. In particular, the absence or chronic shortage of water in hospitals and schools is rendering the care for the sick and children very difficult. This seemingly Cartoonist interminable shortage of water must be dealt with decisively before it exacts a heavier social and economic toll on the public and Elias Areda costs the government dear politically. Fasil W/giorgis The track record of Ethiopia’s telecom sector is a further area which is the subject of public dissatisfaction. The government has awarded a USD 1.6 billion project to two Chinese companies to undertake the expansion of telecom services across the nation. Marketing Manager Despite the huge sum allocated for the project, the quality of the various services provided by the telecom monopoly still leaves Endalkachew Yimam much to be desired. Aside from the general public, the revenue authority, banks and other businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to deliver the efficiency demanded by customers because of the unreliability of the mobile telephone and internet \ services. All in all, Ethiopia is lagging behind in the use of information and communication technology. Biruk Mulugeta Biruk Chernet Much has already been said about the chronic transportation problem that has been a feature of Addis Ababa and the measures the government has taken to alleviate it. Nevertheless, the problem continues to persist and is a burning issue for the public. The ordeal faced by commuters as a result of the shortage of the means of mass transit during rush hours is a grievance that has been around for some time. And given that the unavailability of transportation compels workers to show up late for work, it Computer Secretaries reduces productivity and hence economic output. The government’s repeated promise that the problem would be solved shortly Birtukan Abate, Helen Yetayew, is yet to be realized. Print It is incumbent upon the government to seek definitive solutions for the disruption in basic services that is making life miserable Tesfaye Mengesha, Yeyesuswork for citizens. Though it is making strides in this regard, the results so far have not addressed satisfactorily the public’s demands. Mamo,Gezaghgn Mandefro Therefore, it must ramp up its efforts in order to demonstrate that it indeed is responsive to the needs of citizens. www.thereporterethiopia.com The Reporter | Saturday | November 15, 2014 HEADLINES Vol. XIX No. 949 |3 Medrek, AEUP name new presidents Ethiopia to Alito (PhD) to lead party affairs, while take the lead Tilahun Endeshaw, Aregash Adanae and Gebru Gebremariam were elected to head the public relations, finance and serve as secretary of the party, in liberalizing respectively. Election apart, the front also discussed on various issues such as the suspension African skies of the Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ) from Medrek, issues related to the upcoming election and the political By Kaleyesus Bekele space and the acute financial problem that the party is currently facing. Ethiopia is to take the lead in fully As to the relationship between Medrek implementing the Yamoussoukro and UDJ, the newly elected president Declaration (YD) and liberalizing the told The Reporter that the suspension African skies. is still in place and nothing has changed In 1999 African Ministers responsible in that regard. However,