Who sets the agenda for public discourse in Ethiopia is a tricky business. Quite often, it is the ruling party that seems to have a dominant hold in setting issues that usually make everybody else reactive. Ironically, there are times when one is compelled to be reactive, albeit belatedly, to issues the media or the opposition group define.
 

One such case is the debate over whether or not the political space has been narrowing since the national elections in 2005. First thrown onto the public for digestion by Seyee Abraha, a former close ally to the Prime Minister now trying to form an electoral front against a party he fought to install to power, publishing one of his article in the weekly  Amharic, Addis Neger, the public debate over the size of the political space is haunting the ruling party. It does matter little that the ruling party had tried to ignore it for far too long. When a senior administration official from Washington came to visit and made that very remark, it was about time for its leaders to react in some form.

That ought to be the reason for the ruling party's interest to finally to allow a debate held at the Ghion last week, with the intention to broadcast it on the national TV, on the very same issue that sipped itself into the public discourse. It is clear that whoever defined the concept, he or she has succeeded in pushing the all too powerful ruling party into a defensive position.

This will likely to continue, gossip claims. There will be a shift of focus by the Obama administration in its dealings with Ethiopia, away from its predecessor's preoccupation on cooperation in fighting global terrorism, according to gossip. Gossip says the Bush administration has been subjected to strong criticism for its tolerance of alleged failures by the Ethiopian government to observe democratic and human rights of individuals and its critics. Various legislations issued since then are also used as prime evidence. The annual report issued by the State Department on such issues and the subsequent forceful response from the Ethiopian government in refuting the allegations is too weak to sway such critics otherwise.

They may find comfort from the change of not only an ambassador in Ethiopia but also his area of focus in the United States mission in Addis Abeba. With the departure of Donald Yamamoto, US ambassador to Ethiopia, who will be leaving in September 2009, the Obama administration strongly contemplates to send a career diplomat, gossip disclosed.
 

Gossip claims, Willian John Garvelink, US ambassador in Kinshasa, DRC, since 2007, could be a likely candidate to come to Addis Abeba. A native of Michigan, Garvelink is a veteran of foreign affairs serving in the subcommittee on international organizations, and committee on foreign affairs of the US Congress. He has also a background working for the USAID, including as mission director in Eritrea.

What would of interest to all sides of the aisle in Ethiopia's political landscape is  his background as senior deputy assistant administrator in the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance. This is the same bureau from where a senior official came to Addis Abeba last year, and made a remark on the concerns of his government with the narrowing political space in Ethiopia.

Perhaps this background of Mr. Garvelink could be the attraction for Obama's administration to nominate him for the mission in Ethiopia, gossip said. If indeed confirmed by the Senate, he will be given a clear mandate to dedicate his tenure to issues of democracy and human rights, claims gossip.