A pillar in Ethiopian and African society, Bulcha Demeksa, refraining from competing in the 2010 National Elections and watching the defeat of his party along with all other opposition parties (save one member of Medrek), announced his resignation from politics. He took an interview with EDEN SAHLE, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER, in which he talked about his history, his opinions on the current politics of Ethiopia, and his future plans.
When did your involvement in politics begin?
It started during the Emperor’s Regime. A minister is a politician and I was deputy minister of Finance at the time. I was part of the political elites at that time.
Were you involved in politics during the Derg Regime?
No, I was outside of the country working for the World Bank at the time. Endalekachew Mekonnen, who was the Prime Minster at the time, offered me the position of Minister of Agriculture, just as the revolution was starting. I came back to Ethiopia and stayed exactly for 40 hours before going back to my job at the World Bank. The situation was really bad. Many of my colleagues and friends were killed after I left.
