There are rare occasions in a nation’s affairs. Last week ought to have been one of these occasions, where the nation saw its otherwise assertive Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, calling for a truce with members of the business community.

Never was there a time in the past when Meles admitted limitations to the state’s power to do as it would, and appealed for the support of the private sector, whose disgruntled main actors are rather deemed as “rent seekers,” gossip recalled.

There was a time in the past when he warned of a risk for the indigenous to lose “our country” to foreign investors from China, Turkey, and India, who are investing in the manufacturing sector on a massive scale.

These messages were conveyed to close to 300 businessmen and businesswomen who sat in a meeting hall up at Arat Kilo on Monday, May 23, 2011. Gossip identified at least three groups, largely by their alligned interests, who conferred with the Prime Minister after they were all invited by officials from the Ministry of Trade (MoT).

Gossip observed that the more elitist component was in attendance, although few in number; this was the educated class in the structured private sector with limited resources.

The second group comprised the multimillionaires whose members are known to have made it from rags to riches; these have the cash to bankroll those in positions to advance their vested interests, from its vast operations in commodities trading and holding of prime properties.

The third element included those from Merkato, mainly in the wholesale segment in the supply chain; these are known to be unforthcoming to state meetings, for fear of being identified.

Many of the businessmen in the second category have been pushing those believed to have the savoir-faire to lobby the Revolutionary Democrats for such meetings, gossip disclosed. A couple of meetings were held with senior ministers from MoT over the past weeks.

The prize came early last week when the Prime Minister agreed to meet the businesspeople in office. After weeks of lobbying, final confirmation came on May 21, (Saturday afternoon) that left the ministers at MoT little room but to send out formal invitation letters, claimed gossip. Almost all who attended the meeting last week were called on their mobile numbers over the weekend, according to gossip.

If there is any common feature shared among the three groups, many belong to a newly formed group known as the EPRDF Supporters’ Business Community Forum, led by Tsegaye Abebe, a businessman in the horticultural sector, gossip claimed.

A highly anticipated meeting originally scheduled for 9:00am began an hour late. Subsequent to brief remarks by Meles on why the meeting was called, Jemal Ahmed, from Horizon Ethiopia, filched the first opportunity to ask questions, although there was also a list of written questions and complaints lodged to the Prime Minister.

Many members of the private sector who met Meles last week had a simple and well defined wish list: they were there to ask the administration to lift price caps, allow them to resume the importation and distribution of edible oil, and the reintroduction of weekly auctions to buy sugar from state owned factories, disclosed gossip.

Meles spoke to them for a little over two hours, partly because he was scheduled to receive a head of state from one of the African countries who descended on Addis Abeba last week to attend the Africa-India Summit, according to gossip.

Contrary to their original expectations, dissatisfaction followed soon after, Meles could have gone only as far as letting them distribute commodities (cooking oil and sugar) the government does import. For many, it was not sufficient compromise from the government to warrant truce; not yet, claims gossip.