A few weeks ago, a meeting among trainees from the rank and file of the Revolutionary Democrats camped at the Civil Service College was moderated by Debretsion G. Michael, executive committee member of the EPRDF, and minister of Communications & Technology (MoCT), gossip disclosed. One among them raised an issue, which now turns out to be a bone of contention between the public and the ruling party - the recently revised law on the landholding regime.

Many in the rank and file of the Revolutionary Democrats are under intense pressure from the public either to defend the revised law or steer clear of the confusions it has created. The high council appears to be little prepared to arm its disciples in preaching the good deeds of the new regime, which the high priest believes saves the regime from its own demise, claims gossip.

Yet, some things are lost in translation, it appears.

The application of a rather ideological prism of land being one of the three instruments to get people - in a shortcut - from rags to riches is proven to be rough when the talk is on the walk, gossip observed.

Budged by the streams of complaints channelled through the disciples, the top clergies were compelled to call town hall meetings with various segments of society in the capital, although such a move would have been commendable had it been done before the fact, many would agree, gossip learnt.

In hindsight, though, many in the Revolutionary Democratic camp erred on the side of not putting the legislation to the test of public scrutiny, they agree. Even devoid of parliamentary public hearings, the revised land lease law lost the opportunity to see to what extent there would have been public resistance to it, had the recent engagements with the public been conducted prior to its approval. There was only one vote against it. It is clear that the EPRDFites are now paying the political price for their lack of judgment, a fact that they seem to be well aware of, claims gossip.

They are now in damage control mode, trying to shove their uprightness down the public’s throat, claims gossip. It has backfired, for they are perceived to be rather stubborn, lacking the courage to admit mistakes and move on, according to gossip.

Two weeks ago, Kuma Demeksa, mayor of the city, met with a selected number of residents invited to the city hall for discussion. It was the start of a series of such meetings with residents to be held across all districts and weredas in the city, gossip discovered.

It is like “coming to a theatre near you!”

Those at the gossip corridors were worried that the feedback they received from the first meeting, nonetheless, could be misleading. They had come out convinced that the public’s concern is less on the substance of the law as it is more on governance issues in relations to land allocations and utilisation, claims gossip.

It was a short-lived conclusion, gossip observed.

A follow-up of the series was held last week at the municipality with members of the business community and in the presence of district officials. It was part of an ongoing effort to galvanise support for the law, according to gossip. In the least, though, it was meant to cool down the growing resentment, largely steaming from the confusion that the legislation invokes. Wereda and district officials appear to be hardly prepared with answers for the many questions residents are raising.

Some of the district officials were seen vocal in pronouncing the formidable challenges they face from residents in their constituencies, claims gossip. It is equally true for those from the private sector. It was hard to count many satisfied with answers given to the particular issues of how to deal with plots now described as “private holdings” uncovered under the lease regime.

The politicians have a long way to go before they make headway in convincing a strongly sceptical public, claims gossip. No degree of reassurance that the forthcoming directive designed to elaborate the rather confusing lease law would give comfort to a disconcerted public. No less than legislative reconsideration could help the rank and file of the Revolutionary Democrats patch up their increasingly sour engagement with an uptight public, gossip claims.

Gossip foresees that the issue of land and its lack of resolve, thereof, will weigh far heavier in the coming elections for the legislative body of Addis Abeba than any of the political contenders are prepared to accept.