Mereja.Forum

Oromo’s Future Goal of high Confidence: Gadaa Democratic Ethiopia with Geo-federation! 

How interesting to observe the process of role exchange between Amhara’s politics and Oromo’s politics. Amhara elites, who used to be unitarists are slowly moving through geo-federation and ethnic federation towards entertaining liberation of Amhara land in the form of an independence. Oromo elites, who started the struggle about 50 years ago wanted an indeprndent Gadaa Oromia as we had low confidence. This idea was highly advocated by Galasa Dilbo and the OLF. Now, we developed an intermefiate confidence so that we entertain ethnic federation, the objectiv mostly propagated by Leenco Lata and the OFC. Surely, in the near future, we shall have high confidence even to opt for a unitary Ethiopia, of course with Afaan Oromo as a primary working language of the country, the first vision of Haile Fida now entertained by OPP.. This can be in a form of Geo-federation, where big regions like Amhara, Oromia, Somali and South will be divided in to smaller regions. I personally would like to recommend Gadaa democratic Ethiopia using Afaan Oromo primarily with the following federal regions:

1. Afar with capital Semera (using Afarigna)

2. Tigrai Maqalle (Tigrigna, Erob and Kunama)

3. Gondar (Amharigna and Qemantiye)

4. Gojjam B/Dar (Amharigna and Agawigna)

5. Wallo Desse (Amharigna, Oromiffa, Argobigna and Agawigna)

6. North Shoa D/Berihan (Amharigna and Oromiffa)

7. Benishangul Metekel (Berta, Gumuz, Shinasha, Mao, Oromiffa…)

8. Gambella (Agnusk, Nuer, Oromiffa…)

9. Wollaga Naqamte (Oromiffa)

10. Illu & Jimma (Oromiffa)

11. Shagar/Shoa of Oromo (Oromiffa)

12. Hararge Diredawa (Oromiffa, Aderigna)

13. Arsi & Bale (Oromiffa)

14. Borana & Guji (Oromiffa)

15. Sidama (Af Sidamu und Gedeogna)

16. Wollaita (Wollaitigna)

17. Omo (Gamogna, Goffigna, …..)

16. South-West (Keffigna, Dawarigna, Shekiso…)

17. South Shoa (Guragigna, Siltihna, Hadiyigna, Kambatigna, Yemigna, Halabigna…)

18. Isa Jigjiga (Af Somaal)

19. Ogaden Gode (Af Somaal)

20. Garre Liban (Af Somaal and Oromiffa)

21 Finfinne (Oromiffa)

Read more: https://fayyisoromia.wordpress.com/2019 ... eadership/

To materalizethis vidion, the OLF needs to be flexible. It was good that an independent Oromia was OLF’s vision in the past struggle for liberation. It is nice to emphasize the importance of federal union at the present phase of transition. But it will be mandatory to stress an integrated Ethiopia (Great Oromia) in the future, if the OLF wants to  take over the political leadership in Ethiopia in particular and in the Horn in general. To be successful in such leadership, it can be necessary to instrumentalize the following concepts used by Abyssinian elites up to now: Andinet (Ethiopian unity), the Ethiopiawinet ideology, the flag of green-yellow-white, Orthodox christianity, the histroy like Adwa, Zeginet (citzenship right), Amharinya second to Afaan Oromo … etc. Usurping these concept from Abyssinian elites and using them in Ormo terms is very important in order to silence these canning and vocal elites as well as to get support of other neighbouring nations.

Till now, Oromo elites had the following three approaches and visions based on situations and the timing of here and now:

– achieving an independent Gadaa Oromia as planned by Ob. Galaasa Dilbo et al. This was our goal used to fight against Derg at that time of Oromo’s politics of low confidence.

– realization of true multi-national federation of language based states of the existing federal structure, which is program of Dr. Lencoo Lata (self-rule of Oromia within shared-rule of democratic Ethiopia, i.e de facto Union Oromia). This position was used during the struggle against Woyane rule and now we can use it during this time of transition to democracy; we, of course, having Oromo politics of intermediate confidence.

– fostering an integrated Ethiopia (integrative Great Oromia) with an alternative 21 federal states in a form of multi-regional federation as envisioned by Dr. Haile Fida. Here, we can have the following federal states of Ethiopia: 6 traditional Oromo regional states (Maccaa, Tuulama, Wallo, Baarentu, Arsi and Boorana ); 4 known Amhara states (Shoa, Lasta, Gojjam and Gondar); 4 region-states of the present SNNP (Gibe state of Gurage, Hadiya, Kambata…, Omo state, Sidama state and Kaffa state); 3 Somali states (Isa, Garre and Ogaden); and 4 other single states (Tigray, Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz and Gambella). We surely will opt for this version as we develop Oromo’s politics of high confidence under the already started Oromo leadership of the country.

The three parts of our national liberation movement (e.g the OLF, OFC and OPP) are results of the following three approaches we do have towards our history. It seems that we are treating our history in three dimensions: (1) as only common proud history of Oromia and Abyssinia, such as the Adwa battle; (2) as only the conflicting parallel history of Oromia and Abyssinia, such as Minilik invasion and the so-called Oromo expansion; (3) as both common proud history and conflicting parallel history of Oromia and Abyssinia. Now, we do see that the consequences of these three approaches are three possible destinies regarding the future Oromian sovereignty. If we want to consolidate our freedom efficiently, despite these different views, we have to firstly try to fight together for our common agenda of freedom from Abyssinianist elites’ system of domination, and then settle to choose one of the following types of sovereignty based on the version of Oromo history we respectively do have in mind. It is clear that:

– those, who do perceive only the conflicting parallel history, prefer liberation in Russian style. Russian elites dismantled the Soviet union and established Russian federation, which uses Russian national language, the federation which still does have an influence on its neighboring nations, because of its economic and military strength. Does this way of dismantling Ethiopia and fostering the highly wished independent Gadaa Oromia to have a further influence over the other liberated neighboring countries more advantageous than the other two types of sovereignty? Is OLF of Galasa Dilbo still following this approach?

– those, who tend to accept both the common proud and the conflicting parallel parts of our history, opt for liberation in English model. English people liberated themselves from the long time rule of Roman empire, forged England as an autonomous region and united it with neighboring others to form British United Kingdom; they promoted English to working language of the Kingdom. Can’t Oromia, being autonomous and free from alien forces, be united with the neighboring autonomous regions to forge Ethiopian union (federal Union Oromia), similar to that of British United Kingdom and promote Afan Oromo to working language of the union? Is OFC yet persuing this approach of Leenco Lata to the end?

– those, who do believe in only the common proud history, tend to choose liberation of integrated Ethiopia (integrative Great Oromia) of Indian type. Hindi people liberated all nations and nationalities in their region, and named the whole country as India, made Hindi working language of Indian federation and, of course, they divided national area of Hindi into multiple federal regions. Why not Oromo people liberate the whole nations and nationalities in Ethiopia, call the whole country ‘Oromia’ and promote Afan Oromo to working language of the federation, with the historical local Odaa’s of Oromia (Odaa-Bisil, -Bultum, -Gaarres, -Makodi, -Nabee and -Roobaa) being future separate federal regions of the country? Is OPP really going to realize this vision of Haile Fida?

In general, common denominator of the three parts was a struggle for freedom from tyranny of Abyssinian regimes and then fostering democracy, so that the Oromo and other peoples will decide per referendum, which model of sovereignty to be materalized: Galaasa Dilbo’s independent Gadaa Oromia or Lencoo Lata’s federal Union Oromia or Haile Fida’s integrative Great Oromia? As far as the Oromo are concerned, the first aim (kaayyoo ganamaa) was dominating in the first revoluion as we started liberation struggle in the past at our political level of low confidence, the second goal (kaayyoo guyyaa) was the pragmatic politics of our intermediate confidence during the second revolution and the third objective (kaayyoo galgalaa) will be our future politics of high confidence level in process of the ongoing third revoluion. I think, Oromo revolution for freedom is under the process of evolution: from low confidence politics of seeking a secured independent Gadaa republic Oromia, through intermediate confidence position of choosing to live in union with other nations (federal Union Oromia) to high confidence of owning the whole country in a form of integrative de facto Great Oromia (integrated Gadaa democratic Ethiopoia). It seems that the future politics of the Oromo having high confidence will be to realize Gadaa democratic Ethiopia with Geo-federation as described here. May Waaqa help us grow our confidence level slowly to this last version!