Mereja.Forum

The OLF as Rebel Front, Opposing Organization and Ruling Party.

Smartly, the OLF used to struggle for liberation of its people through three approachs: fighting as rebel front, acting as opposition legally and hijacking the ruling party. It used to emphasize one approach over the others based on the convenience of the situations. I think that at  the moment the third approach is more feasible and fruitful than the other two. That is why infiltrating, hijacking and instrumentalizing the ruling OPP/EPP is the best option. All Oromo republicans with the OLF mindset should be members of the OPP/EPP and take over the central power in Finfinne palace, slowly replacing the unfaithful Prosperitans lead by Dr. Abiy Ahmed. No need of fighting as rebel or acting as opposition, but better to occupy the ruling OPP in particular and EPP in general. Good job the smart OLF!
Read more: https://fayyisoromia.wordpress.com/2020 ... -ethiopia/

I am one of the few Oromo, who used to advocate for the OLF accept Ethiopia and rule, instead of concentrating on only Oromia. I wrote some articles in support of it; I tried to indicate that the OLF is a way forward for the troubled Ethiopia (Great Oromia). I noted that Dr. Negasso’s move as he led the Ethiopianist party (UDJ = Andinet) was not backward, but forward, as the party he joined and the alliance he helped build, Medrek, were promoters of genuine federation in Ethiopia. The OLF (mindset of all Oromo nationalists) is now moving in two parallel ways to take responsibility of leading Ethiopia after election 2020: as democrats in EPP and as republicans in ADF (Alliance of the OLF, ONLF, Agaw, Sidama, Afar, Mocha, Qimant, Gambella, Benishangul, Kaffa… etc), which was formed recently. Which wing of the OLF (democrat EPP or republican ADF) can win, will be seen soon.

OPFist wrote: ↑

23 Apr 2021, 11:55

The OLF as Rebel Front, Opposing Organization and Ruling Party.

Smartly, the OLF used to struggle for liberation of its people through three approachs: fighting as rebel front, acting as opposition legally and hijacking the ruling party. It used to emphasize one approach over the others based on the convenience of the situations. I think that at  the moment the third approach is more feasible and fruitful than the other two. That is why infiltrating, hijacking and instrumentalizing the ruling OPP/EPP is the best option.

OPFsit,
I still remind you to please stop your honey coated deceptive venom. How come the ruling party whose head never been pro-Oromo be hijacked by Oromo camp? Isn’t it that Col. Abiy who exacerbated the lepers from their death bed to the level they become main threat to the Oromo nation? Why you are alert to deceive us Oromos?

In one of my articles, I indicated why Medrek (the previous coalition forged by OLFites in form of OFC) could be good for the Oromo to achieve our mid-goal in contrast to AFD, which was good to arrive at the end-goal, taking Medrek as a promoter of language-based federation. Even I went further and exalted Medrek’s Ethiopia with autonomous national areas including Oromia’s autonomy as a prototype for the future African federation. I took Medrek as a good compromise alliance, next to AFD, which really acted against the “divide and rule” game of the TPLF. For that reason, I even recommended Birtukan “Mandela” to be formal chairperson of Medrek. Were these all “naive” assertions from me?

OPFist wrote: ↑

23 Apr 2021, 16:58

In one of my articles, I indicated why Medrek (the previous coalition forged by OLFites in form of OFC) could be good for the Oromo to achieve our mid-goal in contrast to AFD, which was good to arrive at the end-goal, taking Medrek as a promoter of language-based federation. Even I went further and exalted Medrek’s Ethiopia with autonomous national areas including Oromia’s autonomy as a prototype for the future African federation. I took Medrek as a good compromise alliance, next to AFD, which really acted against the “divide and rule” game of the TPLF. For that reason, I even recommended Birtukan “Mandela” to be formal chairperson of Medrek. Were these all “naive” assertions from me?

OPFist
My assertion is that you are opportunist not necessarily naive.

Oromo nation’s political interest is crystal clear: move from the status of domination towards realization of full national freedom. Any measure to be taken in supporting this move should be accepted by Oromo nationalists. The question now important was: couldn’t we consider that Medrek’s ambitions and actions did promote this liberation movement? I was asking this question after following Medrek’s meetings at home and in Diaspora for many years. As I repeatedly mentioned, the rhetoric of individuals and parties in Ethiopia regarding democracy, freedom, justice, development, peace, equality, prosperity, etc. is not important for Oromo people to judge who these forces are. These values are important, and no one denies them, even members of the TPLF talked about such moral virtues.

The only important value to be taken by the Oromo as a factor to judge these politicians is their position on right of nations to self-determination, including independence and/or integration. It is clear that TPLF talks this virtue, but walks against it. Unfortunately, Medrek was not even talking about it, let alone walking it. I know OFC has got clear position on achieving and promoting Oromia’s autonomy in Ethiopian context. But, Medrek leaders talked ambiguously in all the meetings they held, and they explicitly told us in a meeting they held once in Washington that there was no clear agreement between member parties of Medrek on the type of federation they want to forge, if they get government position.

I personally think that the only major difference among opposition parties in Ethiopia is their position on type of federal structure. There are two types of federalists: the ethno-federalists, who believe in right of Oromia and other national areas to be autonomous, and the ethio-federalists, who want to dismantle Oromia with a pretext of fostering geography-based federation. Parties like ECS (Ezema) are clearly geo-federalists. Thanks to Waaqa, these parties do no more brag about bringing back a unitary state with only one official language (Amharic). Woyane’s Eprdf was at least ideologically ethno-federalist even though it was implementing a revolutionary centralism, through which it was promoting Tigean hegemony.

According to explanation given by Medrek leaders, it seemed that some member parties insisted on its anti-ethnic federation position and with that, they revealed their desire to dismantle Oromia. Dr. Negasso also showed clearly his political development as he tried to describe how bad it was for Oromo from Borana to come to Finfinne, and for Amhara from Debre-berihan to go to Bahir-Dar in order to settle their court cases. His explanation implies that he was ready to accept the division of Gadaa Oromia. Actually, only an  Oromo with high political confidence dare to take this position. I believe that an independent Gadaa Oromia was our goal of 1960s as we had low confidence and sow ourselves as minority at periphery; now, since the 1990s, our goal seems to be federal union in a form of ethnic federation for we already developed intermediate confidence due to our hitherto victories; of course an integrated Ethiopia (an integrative Great Oromia) will be our goal of 2020s, when we will have high confidence in ourselves.

Interesting is also to observe that the known anti-ethnic scholars supporting this move of Medrek. Such scholars thought that with their anti-ethnic rhetoric they fought against the TPLF. They still do not get the fact that ethno-federation is not only the will and wish of TPLF, but also that of some Oromo nationalists and other oppressed peoples. Specially clear is that Amhara nationalists hiding behind Ethiopiawinet do this move against Oromo’s right to self-administration. Trying to discredit ethnic-federation in favor of their alternative geo-federation is simply put a move against other people’s political will. Actually, both types of federations can serve Oromo’s interest as long as rule of the game will be democracy and justice.

So, Medrek seemed not to be an alliance to promote Oromia’s autonomy in Ethiopian context, which could be a good compromise solution for the conflict between Amhara nationalists, who hide behind the mask of Ethiopian nationalism and Oromo nationalists, who fought for Oromia’s liberation. Medrek seemed to be an alliance of both ethno-federalists and ethio-federalists against TPLF just to get rid of the regime without having common vision regarding federal arrangement. How long can such alliance of contradictory ideologies hold together was a big challenge they needed to overcome; at last UDJ (the main ethio-federalist) left the alliance. Public verdict in the two types of federation could have been a remedy.

OPFist wrote: ↑

23 Apr 2021, 11:55

The OLF as Rebel Front, Opposing Organization and Ruling Party.

Smartly, the OLF used to struggle for liberation of its people through three approachs: fighting as rebel front, acting as opposition legally and hijacking the ruling party. It used to emphasize one approach over the others based on the convenience of the situations. I think that at  the moment the third approach is more feasible and fruitful than the other two. That is why infiltrating, hijacking and instrumentalizing the ruling OPP/EPP is the best option. All Oromo republicans with the OLF mindset should be members of the OPP/EPP and take over the central power in Finfinne palace, slowly replacing the unfaithful Prosperitans lead by Dr. Abiy Ahmed. No need of fighting as rebel or acting as opposition, but better to occupy the ruling OPP in particular and EPP in general. Good job the smart OLF!
Read more: https://fayyisoromia.wordpress.com/2020 ... -ethiopia/

OPFist,
Following my honest comment on your previous threads, I can see significant improvement. Credit must be due only where it should be. Other stocks might be part of the process, may be as prat of their effort to gain daily bread.

Surprisingly, I have heard Jawar Mohammed adoring this alliance even though the position of the alliance was not same to his position on the should-be compromise solution. According to his presentation on “Ethiopian and Horn of African conference”, which took place in Virginia, he was advocate of true “ethnic-federation” as moderate/liberal position between the two extreme poles of the right-extremist “reactionary Ethio-nationalists”, who want to dismantle Oromia and the left-extremist “revolutionary or radical Ethno-nationalists”, who want to dismember Ethiopia. Was he convonced by the referendum rhetoric given by Medrek leaders?

Medrek leaders said that the discussion among member parties on federal structure would go on and if they would not have any consensus, they would go for verdict of the public. If they are as such democrats to go for referendum to determine the type of federation we want to have, why couldn’t they be so democratic to accept also the right of nations to decide on the type of sovereignty they want to have (e.g Oromia’s autonomy within Ethiopian union vs. Oromia’s independence without a union) per referendum?