Time for the Oromo to Support Dr. Abiy Ahmed Against Amhara Extremists Hiding Behind Ethiopiawinet and Orthodoxy!
By Fayyis Oromia*
According to Dr. Lencô Lata’s principle, any Oromo politician supported by Amhara elites is doing a bad job—and vice versa. Therefore, Dr. Abiy, now being cursed by these elites, seems to be on the right track precisely because he is opposed by Amhara extremists. As long as these forces are against Abiy and his administration, Oromo nationalists should support the Prime Minister. We must remain vigilant and ensure that anti-Oromummà elites are never given a chance to return to the Finfinne palace.
It’s fascinating to see them dressed in black, opposing Oromo Orthodox Christians simply for using Afaan Oromo in their worship. With this action, they have placed themselves on the blacklist of Oromia. The Oromo now clearly recognize who is on this list—and they will surely be held accountable in the future.
Amhara nationalists—who lived in fear, barely daring to speak under Tigrean dictatorship for nearly 27 years—have suddenly become loud and defiant since Oromo leadership took power seven years ago. Why did Oromo rulers allow these toothless but noisy Amhara nationalists such freedom in Oropia (Oromummà-led Ethiopia)? Because the Oromo leadership understands the benefit of such disruptive but harmless voices for the Oromo cause. These noises serve to energize and unify Oromo nationalists and the wider Oromo people.
Oromo leaders just need to ensure that these forces never develop the power to bite. Every potential threat must be neutralized early. They should be allowed to bark, but never to bite. Amhara dictators under Mengistu and Tigrean dictators under Meles did the same against their Oromo opponents. That’s why Oromo leaders under Dr. Abiy must not be naive and allow either of the Habesha blocs to return to power under the guise of democracy or religion—particularly under the pretext of Orthodox Christianity.
Nowadays, some Amhara elites in particular, and pro-Amharanet elites in general, are actively opposing Oromummà (Oromo nationalism). In their view, only the old form of Ethiopiawinet, rooted in Amharanet, is legitimate. A rainbow Ethiopiawinet led by Oromummà is seen as a threat and is rejected by them. These elites appear determined to prevent a fair transformation of Ethiopia from Amharanet dominance to Oromummà leadership.
But the reality is that if Ethiopia is to survive, it must evolve into a rainbow, multicultural, and multilingual federation: about 40% Oromummà, 20% Agawnet, 10% Amharanet, 6% Somalummà, 5% Tegarunet, 4% Sidamummà, and so on. This kind of genuine multinational federalism is the future. The war waged by pro-Amharanet elites against Oromummà will cost them dearly. Oromo nationalism has reached a point of no return—it can and will resist effectively. Fighting Oromummà is a fatal mistake for these elites.
Some [ deleted ] Habesha elites argue that ethnic politics is a recent phenomenon promoted by the OLF and TPLF. But in truth, Ethiopian politics has always been based on ethnicity. The only difference is that Amharanet used to dominate while masked as Ethiopiawinet. Some Amhara elites and their Amharanized allies are still trying to play that game.
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In contrast, Oromummà is rising without using Ethiopiawinet as a mask. No Oromo elite tries to instrumentalize Ethiopiawinet for dominance. I believed Dr. Abiy was wise enough to promote Oromummà within the package of Ethiopiawinet. Unfortunately, he still favors Amharanet over Oromummà. He continues to prioritize Amarigna over Afaan Oromo, failing to recognize it as the primary language of the majority. In this regard, he behaves like previous Oromo elites who were loyal to Amharanet.
The current political spectrum in Ethiopia is not a classical left-right economic divide (socialist vs capitalist), nor is it strictly about governance models (centralist vs federalist). It is primarily shaped by the rivalry between the two dominant national identities: Amharanet vs Oromummà. Based on this framework, we can identify five main political positions:
Far-Left: Amharanet-dominated geo-federalism (Ezema and similar groups).
Center-Left: Amharanet-dominated ethnic federalism (Biltsigina).
Center: Independent republics of nations (as envisioned by the OLF and similar movements) with possibility for confederation.
Center-Right: Oromummà-led ethnic federalism (OFC and other democratic ethno-federalists).
Far-Right: Oromummà-led geo-federalism (Meison, as envisioned by Haile Fida and currently promoted by Fayyis Oromia).
Which of these five positions will prevail? Time will tell. Historically, the Abyssinian empire has two potential paths: either democratization (leading to a de facto integrative Oropia) or disintegration (leading to an independent republic of Oromia). Interestingly, the two Oromo brothers—Càlà Lata and Léncô Lata—have each followed one path: Càlà seeking independent Oromia through the OLF, and Léncô working to build Oropia via the ODF. Both goals are legitimate, provided the Oromo collectively decide through democratic means.
That’s why it is pointless for Oromo factions to fight over this pseudo-conflict: democratization of Oropia vs liberation of Oromia. Consider the symbols and visions of both:
Oropia:
Flag and anthem – Oropia Anthem
Map – Oropia Physical Map
Oromia:
Flag and anthem – Oromia Anthem
Map – Oromia Map
It is well known that the Oromo are the only people in Ethiopia with a dual historical role—both as conquerors and the conquered. Consequently, they hold two visions: one advocating for the liberation of Oromia, the other pushing for the democratic transformation of Ethiopia into Oropia. The first group supports Oromia’s independence; the second favors democratizing Ethiopia with Oromo leadership.
These two perspectives once clashed. However, a synthetic vision is possible—a compromise that allows both names, Ethiopia and Oropia, to be used interchangeably, just as we refer to our capital as both Addis Ababa and Finfinne.
Therefore, the future democratic Ethiopia will be, in essence, Oropia—an Ethiopia with Oromo self-rule. We can envision three types of sovereignty:
Self-rule of Oromia without shared Ethiopian rule.
Self-rule of Oromia with shared Ethiopian rule.
Shared Ethiopian rule without Oromia’s self-rule.
For the Oromo as the majority in this multinational country, the first option served the liberation struggle; the second is suitable for the current transitional phase; the third will be optimal for long-term integration and leadership. Fayyis Oromia now focuses on this third and most beneficial path.
Today, Oromianists opposing the pragmatic approach of Oropianists are only serving the interests of power-hungry Abyssinian elites. Amapianists from Ezema and Biltsigina will ultimately lose. The future belongs to Oropianists from OFC, OLF, and others. May Waaqa guide us to choose the best path—one envisioned by Haile Fida and now carried forward by Fayyis Oromia!
Galatôma!
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2023/02/0 ... orthodoxy/