Accomodative Oromummà of the OLF vs Assimillative Amaranet of the OPP!
By Fayyis Oromia*
The main conflict in Ethiopia nowadays is based on national ideologies of the hitherto assimillative Amaranet and the henceforthe accomodative Oromummà. Ethiopia under the rule of OPP is still Amapia (Amaranet dominated country), not yet transformed to Oropia (Oromummà led state). Surely, OLA’s best vision is the transformation of Ethiopia from Amapia to Oropia. The question yet to be answered is whether OPP of Dr. Abiy will commit itself to this project of transforming Ethiopia from its hitherto status of Amapia to legitimate position of Oropia. Shall Amapia or Oropia prevail through the ongoing negotiation? It is clear that the main factor necessary for the transformation is the God given privilage of promoting Afàn Oromo to the primary working language of the federation, of course replacing Amarigna. I hope that OLA and OPP will agree on this point as well as on putting Finfinne under Oromia’s administration. If they agree on these two issues, all other things are secondary, as far as I am concerned.
No question that the Oromo are already free from Abyssinian (Amhara and Tegaru) domination. TPLF already lose in the war against Pro-Amaranet elites (PAE) of OPP led by Dr. Abiy Ahmed. Amara elites were used against the TPLF because of their revenge mentality against the Tegaru, but they have little chance to come back to Finfinne palace. At end of the day, there will be a bitter war between the PAE of the Oromo and POE (Pro-Oromummà elites). The struggle definately will be between Oromo liberals in power, who now seems to keep the existing domination of Amharanet/Amharigna at the cost of Oromiffà/Oromummà and the Oromo republicans as the major opposition. Oromo liberals are so cautious not to take radical steps in answering Oromo’s basic questions like promoting Afàn Oromo to federal working language and bringing back the lost Oromian territories like Finfinné and Diredhawa. The liberals are moving slowly, but surely towards implementing these rights of the Oromo, whereas the radical republicans want a quick implementation. Dr. Abiy and his adminstration tried till now to balance the triangular forces (Amhara, Tegaru and Oromo) in Ethiopia.
At the beginning, all the three angles supported the prime minister, hoping that he will be in service of their respective perspective. After few months as the pm started to release all political prisoners, reform the polity and pushed for the accountability of criminals, the Tegaru angle started to oppose him. Then, by observing the move of the pm in answering certain Oromo question like the Finfinne issue, the Amara angle began to protest. Of course Oromo republicans from the third angle accuse the pm that he neglects the Oromo just to appease the two Habesha forces. How long can he balance this triangle of hot conflict? Why are the Amara elites the only opponents of Oromo’s right on Finfinne? Can the ongoing war against TPLF empower the PAE or will it be an opportunity for the POE to take over the power in Finfinne palace?
The past move of all oppressed nations in Ethiopia to forge an all-inclusive alliance against the TPLF has already provoked controversial debates and discussions. Specially, the approach of Amara democratic forces and Oromo liberation forces since the formation of AFD in 2006 has caught attention of Tigrean dictators, who have lived, ruled and survived for the last many years by polarizing Amara and Oromo elites as well as by instigating a conflict between the two big nations in the region. AFD was a symbolic first move which later substantially grew towards real and effective alliance of all oppressed nations, including Amara nation.
Just as AFD had failed because of continuous campaigns made by Tigrean forces, and by the mutually mistrustful nationalists in Amara integrationists struggling to re-establish a unitary country devoid of an autonomous Oromia and Oromo independencists fighting to liberate Oromia by dismembering Ethiopia, but with the possibility of forging a union of free peoples in the region. Today, also these three forces (Tigrean colonists, as well as the mutually mistrustful Amara and Oromo nationalists) are doing their best to hinder the possible inclusive alliance. Specially one of the arguments given by Oromo nationalists opposing the alliance is that “Amara elites are colonizing force, whom the Oromo, as a colonized nation, should not trust to forge any alliance with.” This argument has led me to ask a question: were the Amara under TPLF rule (since 1991) a colonized nation or a colonizing force?
Fortunately, I came across an interesting article written by one Amara intellectual, Professor Daniel Kinde, in which he described how TPLF colonized Amaraland, specially how parts of Gondar and Wollo were annexed into Tigrai. This colonization rhetoric of the professor goes in parallel to that of some Amara nationalists, who have started to feel, experience and sense what it means to live under an apartheid system of national domination. It is clear that Amara nation was under Tigrean colonial rule since the end of twentieth century, just like the colonial experience of Oromo nation since the end of nineteenth century. For the sake of an operational understanding, let me define what I mean by colonialism/colonization in this short essay.
“Colonialism is a policy by which a nation maintains or extends its control over foreign dependencies, i.e. the acquisition and colonization by a nation of other territories and their peoples. It may also be seen as a search for raw materials, new markets, and new fields of investment. Sometimes, but not always, colonialism was accompanied by colonization, that is the physical settling of people from the imperial country. Typical aspects of colonialism include racial and cultural inequalities between the ruling and the subject peoples, political and legal domination by the imperial power, and exploitation of the subject people. It is the policy and practice of a strong power extending its control territorially over a weaker nation or people. Sometimes, ‘colonial’ must be in distancing quotation marks because, where such colonization occurred a long time ago, the descendants of the settlers feel themselves as much part of the territory as those whose ancestors they had displaced (for instance in South Africa).”
Then, can’t we say, in a sense of this operational definition, that Tigreans were colonists of all oppressed nations, including Amhara nation, in Tigrean empire? Is this not what Tigrean colonists did – particularly in annexation of parts of Amharaland and Oromoland (e.g. in Raya and Azebo) as well as in whole area of the empire, in general? Was the alliance between Amara and Oromo not an alliance of two colonized nations against their common colonizer? I think, the last quarter century was good time to talk about neither Ethiopian empire nor Abyssinian/Amara empire, but only about the Tigrean empire’s system of colonization/domination. Just like the Whites in apartheid system of South Africa, only Tigreans were the privileged citizens in their present empire and all other citizens, including those from Amara nation, were considered as second-class citizens.
Slowly, some Amara nationalists woke up not to be manipulated by deception of Tigrean colonists by using Amarinya at federal level, which they tried to use as a cover for their own domination over Amara and other nations. The mere fact that Amarinya has been used as the only federal working language is a plan by Tigrean rulers to make other oppressed nations, including the Oromo, feel as if they are still dominated/colonized by the Amara. To promote this sense of being dominated by Amara, the Tigrean colonizers were also vehemently opposed to Afàn Oromo getting the same status, so they wanted Oromo-Amara conflict to go on. I think this was a reason why some Oromo nationalists felt as if Amara were the colonizers, and why they opposed the suggested Amara-Oromo alliance as if it was the alliance between colonizing forces and colonized forces, which was, of course, unproductive. I personally believe that Amara nation was as oppressed as the Oromo and other nations under the TPLF.
Of course, almost all Amara nationalists are still centripetal, and they tend to prefer a unitary centralized country on the contrary to the decentralized federation or union of free peoples, which is a choice of the centrifugal Oromo nationalists. It is because of the reality that Amarinya is the only working language of the federation and because of the authoritarian culture in Amara society that Amara nationalists are yet notorious centralists. Had it been otherwise, for instance that Afàn Oromo be the only federal language, surely they would have been centrifugal federalists to keep their Amara region from being Oromonized. Tigrean colonists were exploiting this Amara mentality; so most Amara nationalists could not perceive that they were suffering under colony just as the Oromo and other nations in the empire. But, it is encouraging that some of them, like Professor Daniel Kinde, have started to feel the colonial misery under Tigrean fascist rulers.
I hope the future political development in the empire will be marked by the conversion of Amara unitarists (who take U.S.A. governing structure as a model and who want to forge a country in which all nations will be melted into Amarinya speakers) to Amara unionists, who will start to think, talk and walk like Oromo unionists having EU (European Union) governing structure as a model, i.e. trying to foster a union of free peoples developing their own languages in their respective national areas, but be ready to build a union for common economical benefits. This conversion of Amara forces from their unitarist position to a unionist stand would have been best option as a nice precondition for effectiveness of the suggested all-inclusive cooperation for the democratization. But, even if this was not the case, the suggested opposition alliance against Tigrean colonists could have the left-wing Oromo unionists striving to achieve a union of independent nations, the middle body of true killil federalists, including almost all nations in the SNNP, and the right-wing Amara unitarists struggling to forge a unitary country in a form of a geographical federation. The question to be answered was: how can such an opposition alliance be attained and maintained despite these three different visions of the three wings?
The only common ground is the two-phased struggle against Tigrean colonists’ apartheid system of domination: decolonization/liberation phase and democratization/election phase. Now, we have already concluded the first phase, in which all three wings of the opposition could act as freedom fighters or as liberation fronts and forged an all-inclusive alliance to get rid of the fascists. In this phase of liberation, it was not necessary to debate and to discuss on three visions of three wings of the opposition, even though cadres of Tigrean colonists wanted us to do it in order to hinder the possible all-inclusive alliance of the opposition. But, after liberation from colonists, the three wings of the opposition alliance can now either have a consensus on middle ground, that is, for instance, to settle for true ethnic federation, in which neither dismantling mono-national regions nor dismembering our multi-national country is accepted, or they can opt for a public referendum on the three possible outcomes (referendum on union of free peoples, true ethnic federation and unitary country), and then live according to the public verdict.
Now, there is common ground for election democracy as Ob Léncô Latà said in one of his interviews. Election and competition among multiple parties can only be possible after liberation from the colonists and after having a consensus on the type of political community we want to have (union of free peoples or true ethnic federation or unitary country). I personally believe that the only lasting solution for that cursed and troubled empire will come when Amara nationalists stop their hitherto nostalgic and patronizing cry for their lost empire and start to concentrate on consolidating their freedom of Amaraland from Tigrean colonists as well as when Oromo nationalists start to be open for a possible future union of free peoples.
On the day these two big nations start to be on the same page and struggle for same common purpose (decolonization and democratization, including either consensus or referendum on type of future common political community), it will be the ensured end for Tigrean empire. If this is probably not the case, other alternative is continuation of the polarization of Amhara forces and Oromo fronts, so that they continue to be instrumental for domination by the minority Tigrean ruling class and, of course, this might mean for the two big nations to live again under colonial rule for century. But, I hoped that Amara nationalists slowly, but surely, start to wake up and perceive that they were under Tigrean colony (that they were no more colonizers in the empire) so that they joined anti-colonial struggle of the Oromo and other colonized nations. It should be an end for Amara nationalists to hide behind the name Ethiopia. Just as the hiding of Tigrean colonists behind the name Ethiopia was not accepted, that of Amara nationalists is not also be taken at a face value.
Amara nationalists need to be bold and honest in order to consolidate the liberation of Amara nation from Tigrean domination. Their hitherto attempts to forge and lead “multinational” parties were only detrimental to themselves. Such parties are open for Tigrean spies to infiltrate easily and to sow a seed of discord so that none of such parties have become strong so far and survived further. A classical example is how the strong CUD has been disintegrated and destroyed by infiltrators within a very short time. That is why Amara nationalists should take off their mask (the name Ethiopia) and learn to be organized as Amara, and then honestly forge an alliance with organizations of the Oromo and other nations. Only in this honest way, Amara democrats can distance themselves from the backward obsolete minded ones hiding behind the name Ethiopia. Such conservatives were used as an instrument to save Tigrean rulers by offering their handshake with the colonists, and by their hyperactive opposition against the opposition as seen among the UDJ factions during the past election campaigns. Where are these obsolete minded backwards now? Are they now satisfied with their saving of Tigrean colonists from the challenge which would have come from strong opposition such as Medrek? Why did they make much noise at time of destabilizing TPLF and keep quiet when the colonists seem to be stable to rule further?
Anyways, the question for all Ethiopians was: can we accept and respect such Amhara nationalists, who do try to distance themselves from obsolete minded feudals (who are still nostalgic about their past colony) in order to push for the anti-colonial struggle of Amara nation in coordination with the ongoing anti-colonial struggle of the Oromo and other nations? I am personally open to accept such move from Amara nationalists, and even I would like to encourage such Amara freedom fighters to join our fight for decolonization which should precede the struggle for democratization of free and liberated nations in Ethiopia. The Amara were dominated as a nation, similar to the Oromo and others. These nations were dominated as nations, so they should be first liberated as nations. After such national liberation will follow the democratization process in order to bring individual citizens’ freedom and liberty. Without national liberation from such colonization, it was a pipe dream to think about citizens’ individual liberty.
Here, it is important to mention that despite the attempt of some scholars to paint the Amara colonizer, I would like to say that Amara nation was one of the colonized nations under the TPLF, but the elites of this nation yet need to wake up and smell the coffee. I hope Professor Daniel and his likes have started to recognize that Oromo nation was under colony since the end of nineteenth century just as Amara nation was since the end of twentieth century. The position of some nationals in painting Amara as still colonizer of the Oromo only serves an interest of Tigrean colonists. Are they doing the polarization job of the TPLF intentionally or unintentionally? They should have understood that; it was time for Amara democrats and Oromo liberators to come together and get rid of Tigrean colonists. This was what they did a year back. I believe that as Oromo people in general are not from Madagascar; Amara people in general are also not from Yemen as some try to paint. It is possible that few part of Amara can have gene of the Yemenites just as very few part of the Oromo can be related to Madagascar. But historically, almost sure is that the two nations are part and parcel of Cush, of course, till 1991 Amara rulers being colonizer and the Oromo being colonized; recently both were colonized, even though most Amara elites were not awake as quickly as needed.
Last but not least, the move of Amara democrats and Oromo liberators, including forces of other colonized nations in the empire to forge an all-inclusive alliance against Tigrean fascist rulers, was a nightmare for cadres of the colonists in cyber and real world. They were talking about Beddeno massacre of poor Amara, accusing OLF as perpetrator; and they were also singing about Cellenqo massacre of Oromo people to curse Minilik of Amara – the whole maneuver being to hinder the coming together of Amara and Oromo forces. But Amara youth have followed an example of Wallelign Mekonnen and fought for freedom of their Amara nation and for liberation of all oppressed nations in the Tigrean empire, instead of wearing T-shirts with a picture of the feudal king H/Sillasie and instead of singing about “goodness” of the monarchy as they used to do under leadership of the obsolete feudals in their hitherto “multinational” parties. I think the trend, as seen in article of Professor Daniel Kinde and as heard in the rhetoric of some Amara nationalists, was encouraging. It is better late than never, that is why all Oromians welcomed Amara nation to the club of colonized nations in the Horn of Africa.
Just one year ago, elites of the two big nations (Amara and Oromo) cooperated to get rid of the Tigrean hegemonists and they were successful. Now, as the liberal Oromos led by Dr. Abiy started to implement their program and answer the crucial Oromo questions, Amara elites bergan to cry foul. Are they revealing their colonial mind set just like that of their fore fathers? Elites of other nations, including the Tegaru are not as such against Oromo’s right on Finfinne. With this position, Amara elites isolated themselves and showed again their anti-Bilisummà stand. That is why, Oromo republicans started to say: “Amara elites can not be trusted and we need to cooperate with Tegarus in order to hinder Amara elites from comeback”. There is always a shift of alliance in the triangular struggle: till 1991 it was Oro-garu against Amara; since 1991, Oro-mara against Tegaru, and now again the Oro-garu is re-emerging. The third possibility of Ama-garu against the Oromo is unlikely due to the ideological difference and historical griveances between the Amara and Tegaru elites. Now, it is time for the Oromo liberals to stop their hesitation and be bold enough to answer all questions of the Oromo, for which we sacrificed a lot of precious limbs and lives. Otherwise, the next election time will be a good bye farewell for the liberals and Oromo republicans will be in Caffé Aràrà to do the job. May Waaq open eyes of Oromo liberals, who do have now a choice to be either pro-Oromo or anti-Oromo!
Galatôma!
Read more:https://orompia.wordpress.com/2019/03/1 ... -finfinne/