27 November 2012 (Oromo Press)—The purpose
of this piece is to bring into the open a lurking question that is often
avoided as a taboo by Oromians to maintain internal harmony. That
question relates to the divisive and self-defeating
agenda propagated by Ethiopian nationalists of Oromo descent. The idea
of 'Ethiopian nationalists of Oromo origin' is no fiction. They exist
and they are taking a toll on our just movement and cause. Even more
than Amharas and Tigires do, the primary concern of this enclave is to
maintain one Ethiopia at the cost of belittling and even destroying the
long-standing Oromo question for self-determination up to independence.
The group masquerades in dubious and faddy ideas of Ethiopianism, Horn
of Africanism and internationalism, but they do frequently throw in
"Oromo" as a way of adding flavor to their hidden beliefs in Ethiopia. They act like 'House Negros',
those slaves on American plantations who were more concerned for the
needs and well-beings of their owners than were the owners themselves.
Debate About Ethiopia's Future: Whose Fault?
Source of Anti-Oromia Beliefs: Perils of Uniting with Menelik's Ras Darghe
Debate About Ethiopia's Future: Whose Fault?
To be specific, this response was provoked by the Ethiopianist agenda promoted by Opride.com under the title, "Oromo hold the stump key to Ethiopia's future." This
is the title under which the Opride Editor introduces his Ethiopianist
belief by masking it as "roundup of opinions" from so-called experts and
officials on current issues in Ethiopia. The "debate" aims at
prescribing "the role Oromo should play in Ethiopia's politics,"
as a means of promoting the territorial, linguistic and cultural
integrity of the Ethiopian state. The debate is part of a growing and
embarrassing posturing by some elites from within.
The
underlying assumptions in the title as well as in the phrase about the
role is this: 'Oromos are being massively persecuted because they have
played no role in Ethiopia and the refusal to play that role has
resulted in massive killings, incarcerations and abuses.' In fact, the
Editor's clearly on a mission to give Ethiopia a "future" by using the
Oromo people as a raw material toward achieving that goal. It is also
implied in the Editor's assertion that the cause of massive Oromo
suffering in Ethiopia are Oromos themselves who have refused to change
their behavior--does this sound like Oromo Dialogue Forum and Jijjiirma
rhetoric? Right. It does and it is.
Indeed, the
blogger was explicit in stating that Oromo political behavior is the
only suspect in causing Oromo suffering when he wrote: "How would/should the Oromo behave differently this time than it did during the last two decades?"
This question is the same outdated question asked by died-hard and
racist Abyssinian nationalists. The Editor thus excels the Habesha at
advocating for their "Ethiopia" more than they do. He does this by
implicitly finding Oromos at fault for the killings, murders, jailing,
and evictions they suffer in thousands, millions. He appears to mean the
Oromo have self-inflicted genocide on themselves, even when the
identity of soldiers who shoot at them are in fact Abyssinian soldiers
or co-opted Ethiopian nationalists gun-carriers,
nafaxnyaa-collaborators. Some pro-Turkey writers also blamed the victims
for genocide.
If you
read the introduction to the debate closely, you will observe that not
only is Opride.com's priority the Ethiopian cause over the Oromian
one, but also that it is highly dismissive of the Oromo National
Movement in general. It blames the failures of peaceful and armed Oromo
opposition on Oromos themselves. It is inwardly focused to deliberately
divide the Oromo to efface the agency of Abyssinian colonialism from the
equation. The blogger writes,
What is fascinating here is not really the writer's declaration that the 'Oromo struggle achieved nothing and will achieve nothing unless it is subservient to Ethiopian nationalism' as some kind of marginal appendix for a bigger goal of keeping Ethiopia's future secure, but the extra-textual beliefs that are behind such statements.So far, attempts of the Oromo to wrest the reins of power away from the Tigreans who assumed it on account of their military superiority, from within the ruling party through the OPDO, using the political system through the efforts of Marara's ONC and Bulcha's OFDM in the ballot box, and from without through OLF with arms and subversion, have all come to naught. As a consequence, the great potentials of the Oromo have remained what it has always been: just a potential.
Source of Anti-Oromia Beliefs: Perils of Uniting with Menelik's Ras Darghe
Enough
with the textual analysis. Now let's examine where such strong beliefs
in Ethiopian nationalism of purportedly Oromo origin come from. What
informs the worldview of the author?: Ethiopian nationalism? Godina
(zonal-clan) identification with disgruntled and expelled ex-members
and leaders of the Oromo Liberation Front? Or is it the editor's own
passionate hatred towards seeing a free, self-ruling or independent
Oromia? Is the blogger alone in holding this kind of anti-Oromian
sentiment, but pro-Ethiopian belief?
Based on
close observations of other agenda promoted on Opride.com over the
years, and based on hearing the informal conversations of the Editor
in the past, his position on Oromo politics and Oromo national movement
becomes crystal clear. The writer/blogger is a staunch believer in
anti-OLF and anti-Oromianism. In a private conversation with a respected
Faranjii struggling for the Oromo, the same editor voiced a shocking
opinion that 'the OLF must be destroyed and Oromos must start from the
scratch." This belief is a part of larger belief system
Opride.com shares with Kamal Galchu's group, and some friends of his
that I would not like to name here. The blogger and his associates
strongly believe in following leaders blindly even when those leaders
are wrong as long as they share some clan or Godina identity. This arises from a culture of a very localized tightly knit group.
If you look at the list of the so-called experts and officials, you
will see that they are the ones closest in region and belief to the
promoter of the "debate" with one odd exception. Two of these were
leaders of Kamal Glachu's Jijjiirama and an Oromo Dialogue Forum's
representative who admittedly are in-bred Ethiopian nationalists. They
are already infected with Ethiopian nationalism and a house-negro
mentality. They humiliate many brave Oromo heroes from Arsi who confronted and fought Menelik's army at Annolee (arma-muraa aannolee), where
they chopped off the breasts of Oromo women and girls. What Oromo man
or woman in his/her right mind betrays the Oromo cause and enters into
alliance with Ethiopianists who chopped off the breasts of women and
young girls, and amputated men's limbs in a genocidal violence of epic
proportion?
It is
wrong to teach Oromo to give up the culture of resistance and
adopt submission to the same forces who have butchered them. These
individuals must be exorcised by the majority of their own constituency
even before they bring more shame on the Arsi and the larger Oromo
public and tarnish their images as collaborators with the enemy both at
home and in the diaspora.
This is the debate we need to have.
It must be crystal clear the purpose here is to hold no hatred toward
any Oromian tribes, including Arsi. What one is saying is individuals
who claim this identity and push Ethiopianism should not be let to
succeed by the larger group. They should be helped and be brought to
their minds so they have a clear stance with the cause of their
people.
Oromo-Ethiopianists running
around trying to reach out to hateful Abyssinian are making fools of
themselves. In recent years (since the Jijjiirma splinter of 2008), we
have seen several Oromo groups and individuals making overtures to
Abyssinian movements and even joining them. But, why don't we
see Abyssinians trying to reach out to Oromos? What some who claim Oromo
origin are doing are simple acts of the declaration inferiority and
defeat on themselves. We know even those inbred Ethiopian nationalists
who joined Ginbot 7 are being treated with contempt--just like they were
supposed to. How can a human being withstand such a humiliation and
still fail to learn from it?
I don't understand. Do you?
Thanks to
collaborators like Junedin Saddo and other affiliated elites, stories
are already being heard that A-collaborators are denying young Oromo
graduates employment opportunities based on region. One of the questions
regional government officials ask students is, "BA qabdaa?" It sounds
like the interviewer is asking "do you have a bachelor's degree," but
the the acronym is secretly coined by insiders and it means "are you
from Bale and Arsi?" Poor job-seekers from other regions of Oromia who
don't understand the real question answer, "Eyyeen, BA qaba," or "I do
have a BA", referring to degrees, but they realize what that is after
leaving unemployed. This is a form of internal racism. This is not to
mention that some also shuttle around Oromia harassing and taking people
to jail. It is primarily the responsibility of the the BA in-group to
avert this opportunistic disasters before it even becomes more deeply
rooted.
Oromo as Scapegoat for Seeking Redemption for Ethiopia
Somehow,
the most implicit assumption is: 'if abuses do not not happen to my
clan as much, Oromia's suffering is not my problem. I don't have a
problem with an Ethiopia that is privileging me and funding my
extravagant lifestyle and calls me "the rising Oromo middle class." Of course, I am more like my masters than everyday Oromo. So who cares?' This
is a dangerous and explosive phenomenon of divide and conquer for which
some among us have already fallen. To address this issue head on,
people must rationally follow thoughts and ideas over ill-intentioned
men from their regions or religions.
Below are
some of the excuses individuals similar to the Opride Editor give to
justify their conviction in Ethiopian nationalism:
The above list is of beliefs is from several different like-minded and like-regioned Ethiopian nationalists of Oromo origin. The beliefs were collected from social media interactions. These are ideas from seemingly relatively better lettered people. In reality, the beliefs show how unlearned lettered persons can also be. They joke about the blood Oromo shed, and the pains of oppression millions are going through everyday. All the textual and extra textual evidence cited so far point to a fundamentally disturbing tendency in a small segment of elites from a particular community. Perhaps, this calls for some reconnaissance and moments of reflection for the Editor and like-minded groups in order to rethink their approach in the best interest of the Oromo national struggle for the liberation of Oromia.
- Oromo is a large and diverse community your perspective is one [way of talking down to people]
- Isolationism is not an Oromo way of life
- I don't hesitate to criticize Ethiopia's wrong ways. But I believe the country [Ethiopia] can be redeemed
- South Sudan is fundamentally different {from Oromia's cause}. The jury is still out on Eritrea. Oromiya is destined for greater things [meaning it will remain part of Ethiopia]
- All small nations in the south are anxious about Oromo's political intentions and our politicians are not reaching out [therefore, we should give up our quest freedom]
- I find it unfortunate that the prospect of Oromos staking a claim in Ethiopia as opposed to breaking away is repulsive
What Good Will It Be?
No
one can impose on Oromo a subservient role in Ethiopia's future by
asking them to give up their just cause for liberation. Oromo have the
right to hold a referendum without duress to decide their destiny. That
will happen only when we are victorious in winning the war imposed upon
us against our will. It won't happen by making foolish overtures to
those who kill us.
My
religion is Oromia and the freedom of the Oromo people, but even
scriptures teach how uselessness is gaining the whole world, but losing
oneself. The Bible asks: "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?"
Regardless of your religion, if you think about this, you find out many
Oromos have unfortunately and disgracefully lost their souls and
themselves in an attempt to gain their own prominence at the expense of
their people's demise. They minimize their people's causes as "narrow"
by openly claiming that they are for Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa and international frontier warriors. Unfathomable crazy world people live
in to please others, isn't it?
It does not
take a genius to figure out that seeking a solution for Oromo in
alliance with the same anti-Oromo forces that want to destroy them is
doomed to fail. The peril is so great. For Opride Editor to ignore
Oromians who are suffering because of who they are in terms of
nationality, religion and the resources they sit on is nothing less than endorsing and promoting genocide, Ethiopian nationalism cast as
"Oromos hold the stump key for Ethiopia's future." Why does Ethiopia
future matter to Oromo over their own destiny aft all?
In fact, the
assertion that Oromos "hold a stump key" is not only a waste of an
English expression, but it is also a false and empty statement. "Stump"
is main part of something [Oromo call this hundee]. To the contrary,
Oromo hold no key to Ethiopia's future as they don't have political,
economic and military powers--it takes a real struggle to regain these.
The Abyssinians who have really held 'the stump key to Ethiopia's
future' utilized that opportunity only to serve their own co-ethnics.
They still hold it. The goal of Oromo national struggle is
not maintain colonialism or Ethiopia, but to dismantle (to make
Abyssinians drop the stump key to Oromia) in all its manifestations,
including the current structure that the Opride blogger has wanted
to preserve. How can you try to preserve a fundamentally infected
system? In cases of cancer affecting a particular part of the body,physicians amputate the infected part in order to prevent the cancer
from spreading to the rest of healthy body.
What else
can be more insulting to Oromo than inviting the anti-Oromo Ethiopianist
expatriate scholar, Donald Levine whose capacity for learning new
tricks is turned off by hate. The following anti-Oromo comment by Levine sits well with the Opride Editor and other fifth columnists:
Oromo groups invited themselves into vast areas–from Harar to Gojjam, from Hadiyya to Tigray–in many cases, no less aggressively than Amhara and Tigreans were to do against Oromo and many other ethnicities during the reign of Emperor Menelik. Once settled in those areas, many of them affiliated with the Ethiopian center. They helped Sarsa Dengel combat the Turkish invaders in the late 16th C.
To serve
whatever external interests, Levine is concerned in keeping Ethiopia
intact. He does not seem to care if Oromo are wiped off the face of the
earth although he pretends to. If you look at the statement quoted
above, you see Levine does not have any source substantiating the
Oromo aggression against northerners. He fabricated this deeply
hateful statement as a strong denial of centuries of genocidal campaigns
against the Oromo people. What is more disturbing is that
Levine scapegoats and implicates Oromos in a fictitious violence made
in his head. His purpose here is to delegitimize the goal of the Oromo
national liberation movement for independence and self-determination.
What can one expect from an anti-Oromo author who wrote two books after
a decade of living with Menzes. In the books not worthy to mention
here, he uses the "G-word" to refer to Oromo as recently as 2000. Levine
is more Menze than a Menze Amahara and he has always argued how
important and superior their civilization are compared to those of the
Oromo. Expectedly, Levine will only intervene in ways that serve the
interests of the Abyssinian center the most.
Opride.com
Editor's intentions are most questionable because he left out the best
known Oromo scholars who have published more on Oromia and the Horn per
capita than any of the so-called "debate" guests and experts--his
buddies! One could observe how this editor has been negative about
Oromo scholarship as well, including thrashing our achievements so
far. He thrashes both scholarly and struggle achievements.
The Debate Does Not Hold Water
Several
Oromo scholars have indeed refuted many of the arguments against
Oromia's Independence as a natural right and viable option for the Oromo
people. Expat and homegrown Oromo-Ethiopianists don't like
putting independence as an option on the table for the Oromo nation.
They fix debates and issues in terms of personal considerations that
have nothing to do with the Oromo people. I won't go into the details
of other options Oromos have here. I will just leave you with a strong
case that Mekuria Bulcha makes for Oromo Self-Government.
Bulcha's case is completely contrary to the Opride Editor's and his
(editor) associates' relegation of the Oromo question to secondary
(subservient) role to the Abyssinian center.
Finally,
it is clear that some in-bred Ethiopian nationalists (fifth columnists)
are primarily interested in the future of Ethiopia. They don't seem to
care if Oromia is wiped off the map along with 50 million Oromos. If
they seem to be pushing for the Oromo cause, they often do that for
their own opportunistic reasons--financial or divisive purposes. Oromos
are well advised not to listen to these people; they must be held
accountable and made socially outcast. Doing this is easy if you
believe in the future of Oromia than the future of Ethiopia that kills,
tortures, rapes and humiliates Oromians.
The debate
we should have right now is not how to keep Ethiopia together when our
people are bleeding and mourning in their tens of thousands. The right
question: how can we free them? In fact, the right debate should be on
examining the dangers of in-bred Ethiopian nationalism on our struggle
to free our people.
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If you would
like to contribute articles on the dangers of home-grown Ethiopian
nationalism and how to overcome them, please send us your article at
oromopress@gmail.com and we'll publish it for you. We should learn to
address crucial issues head-on before they fester and spiral out of
control as the time passes. The general tendency in Oromo communication
is that we wait to the last minute to bring pressing issues into the
open.
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Disclaimer:
Views expressed above are issue-focused and should not be taken out of
context. The author does not endorse hatred toward any group or
individuals.
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