I do not think that it is unfair to state that most Ethiopians wish to see a democratic country in which the rule of law governs all of its citizens.
I also think that the source of the current sense of activism by various activists among Afan Oromo speaking Ethiopians may be the greatest debate of this section of Ethiopians, which took place between 1991 and around 2004. Even though this debate may date back to the time of the Ethiopian Revolution around 1974, I do not think that the earlier period debate was as prevalent as it was during the latter one.
I do not have a significant contribution to this debate. However, I have a cursory observation of it. I think it is fair to say that the theme of this greatest debate of Afan Oromo speaking Ethiopians during that period was whether to make Ethiopia a more democratic state (መገንባት፣ እጃሩ ዮካን ዻቡ) or destabilize it (ማናጋት፣ ዲጉ) in order to form a new set of smaller states in the region. Roughly put, the competing sides of this debate revolved around democratization and liberation.
In my view, analytical narratives among this section of Ethiopians during this period leaned toward liberation even though visionary narratives in favor of democratization stood in its contrast. A bold early breakout in this visionary narrative may be that of Dr. Merera Gudina around 1994. I still remember how the debate raged at the time in Ethiopia's print media. I also remember analphabetic cadres on the opposite side raising eyebrows by suggesting an assassination of a political science graduate in order to quash his political narrative. That was then.
This debate lingered on for long. It kept entertaining the logic that ቃልቻ and ቃሉ are distinct and that the former colonized the latter, thereby implying that decolonization of the latter was in order. For some of the activists on the libration side, entertaining the idea of democratization was putting one's hands in a cookie's jar. They claimed that it was treasonous to do so even as they entertained their idea of liberation from a de facto and de jure country. Based on my limited reading and understanding, the lingering debate put the two Johns of the OLF on different sides of this debate. In the course of this debate, with his leaning toward democratizing Ethiopia, Obbo Lencho Leta became the face of democratization and Obbo Galasa Dilbo became the face of liberation.
In my opinion, various academics in this debate stood docile instead of garnering the courage to show openings for visionary breakouts. Many blew political winds or made themselves ready to sail along in whichever direction it blew.
A mere analytical suggestion in 2004 in favor of democratization may have led to a new ripple and became part of the debate. Whether it was by coincidence or not, the relocation of Oromia's capital in 2004 from Addis Ababa to Adama follows this analytical suggestion.
I think that it is fair to say that the new ripple brought about more political waves among this section of Ethiopians in favor of democratization.
If my reading serves me right, Jawar Mohammed's coming to the fore among this section of Ethiopians was in the middle of this debate. I do not remember this name at all in any of these debates prior to 2004. After I heard the name and the character's expressed views, I couldn't tell from his writings or expressed views if he had been with those on the democratization side or the liberation side. If anything, it appeared that he was totally ignorant about what I have called the greatest debate of Afan Oromo speaking Ethiopians. When he publicly stated "Ethiopia out of Oromia," he appeared to stand on the side of the liberationists of the old days.
In my assessment, a supposedly scholarly organization, OSA, failed to bring visionary breakouts to the fore. It is my understanding that it was after 2005 that OSA had Dr. Merera Gudina as its guest speaker. I do not know if there was a lack of interest by the association or by the political scientist for an appearance earlier than that time.
It has appeared to me that after one of Dr. Merera Gudina's appearances as a guest speaker at one of OSA's conferences, the newcomer activists were trying to belittle on ManaBuna forum his contributions at the conference based on anecdotal encounters with some college students. I clearly remember my objective reaction on that forum to that kind of anecdotal encounter and the efforts thereof. That was also then.
Jawar's appearances later on with those on the democratization side of this debate don't make it clearer for me if he ever had any firm stand in the greatest debate of Afan Oromo speaking Ethiopians.
I am not spending the time now to wonder about where he stood in it. What appears clearer from a distance is that the liberation narrative is ebbing and the democratization narrative is becoming more solid even though it appears there are still those who do not clearly know which wave they are surfing. Professor Ezkael Gebisa's recent pronouncement that he doesn't know Atse Menelik II may be a lingering effect of that debate whereas Obbo Daud Ibsa's recent pronounced wish to move to a national Ethiopian party may be an exhibit for the democratization narrative becoming more solid. When Obbo Daud moved in the footsteps of Obbo Lencho Leta during this debate to the democratization side, he was accused of being a traitor and a call was made to mark his grave as such. Perhaps, the debate among this group of Ethiopians is now between the reluctant participants in the democratization of Ethiopia and those who wish to be the leading figures of this process. With a mindset still lost between the democratization and liberation sides of the debate, the reluctant participants do not appear to know or entertain the best way to build a democratic state.
Recently, I came across a YouTube video in which somebody stated: ሰቦተ ከነ ሁንደ ወጅን ፍሮምነ በርባነ። Roughly translated, it means we wish to be in good terms with all these people. I would say it is a solid political vision. I would add that people with this much vision but who are supporters of the newcomer shortsighted activist and who may be ignorant about this greatest debate of Afan Oromo speaking Ethiopians should start to ask: ጀዋር ዳንዲ ፍሮምና ኑፍ በኔ ሞ ኑት ጩፌ? This is what I said when I heard the expression for the first time and it is what I wanted to spend some time on if it can be of any help to those who make this kind of political statement.