Belatedly, the EPRDFites have come to learn how important it is not to leave behind those technocrats and political operatives who have served them loyally for decades. Not many in society are opposed to the idea, for it may give a sense of security to those in government positions not too high up to not fear being broke.

For the first time in almost 20 years, Parliament passed a piece of legislation allowing senior ministers to benefit from retirement packages once they depart from public office. Accordingly, the type and amount of the benefits vary between positions as well as number of years served and where.

The elaborate legislation, passed in July 2008, includes presidents, prime ministers, deputy prime ministers, and ministers, as well as state and deputy ministers, parliamentarians and judges.

The bulk of the benefits in this scheme understandably goes to presidents, prime ministers, and deputy prime ministers. Their entitlement to residential houses, medical benefits, security and protocol services, free telephone and office services, as well as three high standard vehicles, all paid for by the state, in addition to a state funeral is all the same.

The first beneficiaries of this generous law are those who retired from public service during the past administration’s tenure, as well as legislative and judicial agencies. These include many MPs of the previous administration, including opposition leaders.

An MP who had served as an opposition whip is entitled to severance pay of a three-month salary for the first year and one-third of her monthly salary for every additional year served, but cannot exceed one year’s salary.

Sufian Ahmed’s ministry is quite busy paying out these benefits and severance packages to retired senior officials and former MPs not lucky enough to be elected to the current Parliament. Many are not happy about it, gossip discovered. The source of their bitterness is the government’s move to deduct income tax from these benefits that are rather deemed entitlements. Sitting boards of directors of the many state enterprises are not taxed.

However, the more thorny issue involves one of their revered leaders who has resigned from public service due to health issues. Tefera Walwa, former minister of Capacity Building (MoCB), known for his ability to call “a spade a spade” while he was in power, has addressed a letter to Sufian to review his benefits package, gossip revealed.

The basis of his claims is Article 53 (7) of Proclamation 653/2009, which holds that if the beneficiary has served at different levels of senior positions, he is entitled to the rights and benefits of the highest position he had assumed at any time of her tenure, claimed gossip.

Tefera served as mayor of Addis Abeba before Ali Abdo came to the municipality. He was then deputy prime minister and minister of Defence (MoD) before moving to MoCB. This provision thus allows him all the rights and benefits of an outgoing deputy prime minister, which is not only much grander and more generous than those for ministers, but also equal to that of former presidents and prime ministers. The stakes are high for him, if only Sufian responds to his appeal in time, gossip disclosed.