Mereja.Forum

[OPFist]

The OLF Successfully Took Over the Prosperity Party of Dr. Abiy!

By Fayyis Oromia*

Smartly, the OLF used to struggle for the liberation of its people through three approaches: fighting as a rebel front, acting as a legal opposition, and hijacking the ruling party. It emphasized one approach over the others based on the convenience of the situation. At this moment, I think the third approach is more feasible and fruitful than the other two. That is why infiltrating, hijacking, and instrumentalizing the ruling Prosperity Party of Dr. Abiy is the best option. All Oromo republicans with the OLF mindset should become members of the OPP/EPP and take over the central power in the Finfinne palace, slowly replacing the unfaithful Prosperitans led by Dr. Abiy Ahmed. There is no need to fight as rebels or act as opposition; rather, it is better to occupy the ruling OPP in particular and the EPP in general. I believe the OLF has now done this successfully and influenced Dr. Abiy to return to his constituency, though this has disappointed the Amaranet bloc, who wanted to use him like they did Mengistu Haile Mariam. Go, smart OLF!

I am one of the few Oromo who used to advocate that the OLF accept Ethiopia and rule, instead of focusing only on Oromia. I wrote some articles in support of this idea and indicated that the OLF could be a way forward for troubled Ethiopia. I noted that Dr. Negasso’s move, as he led the Ethiopianist party (UDJ = Andinet), was not backward but forward, as the party and the alliance he helped build, Medrek, promoted genuine federalism in Ethiopia.

Now, the OLF (the mindset of all Oromo nationalists) is moving in two parallel ways to take responsibility for leading Ethiopia after the election: as Prosperitans in the EPP and as Republicans in the ADF (Alliance of the OLF, ONLF, Agaw, Sidama, Afar, Mocha, Qimant, Gambella, Benishangul, Kaffa, etc.). The question of which wing of the OLF—Prosperitan EPP or Republican ADF—will win has already been determined. As far as the election is concerned, the EPP has already manipulated and rigged the results. The ADF may have a chance to win, not through elections, but through rebellion using the OLA (Oromo Liberation Army). I think the more feasible path for the OLF is to take over the EPP.

In one of my articles, I explained why Medrek (the previous coalition formed by OLFites in the form of OFC) could be good for the Oromo to achieve our mid-goal, in contrast to AFD, which was good to achieve the end-goal. I considered Medrek a promoter of language-based federalism. I even suggested that Medrek’s Ethiopia, with autonomous national areas including Oromia, could serve as a prototype for a future African federation. I viewed Medrek as a good compromise alliance, next to AFD, which truly opposed the “divide and rule” tactics of the TPLF. For that reason, I even recommended Birtukan “Mandela” be made the formal chairperson of Medrek. Were these all naïve assertions from me?

The Oromo nation’s political interest is crystal clear: moving from a status of Amharanet domination toward full national freedom—Oromummaa. Any measure supporting this move should be accepted by Oromo nationalists. The important question was: couldn’t we consider that Medrek’s ambitions and actions promoted this liberation movement? I asked this after following Medrek’s activities at home and abroad for many years. As I’ve often said, the rhetoric of individuals and parties in Ethiopia regarding democracy, freedom, justice, development, peace, equality, prosperity, etc., is not enough for the Oromo people to judge them. These values are important and universally acknowledged—even dictatorial EPP members speak of such moral virtues.

The key value for the Oromo in judging politicians is their position on the right of nations to self-determination, including independence and/or integration. Even the EPP talks about this virtue but acts against it. Unfortunately, Medrek didn’t even talk about it, let alone act on it. OFC clearly supports achieving and promoting Oromia’s autonomy within Ethiopia. But Medrek leaders always spoke ambiguously, and in a meeting in Washington, they admitted that there was no agreement among Medrek parties on the kind of federation they wanted to establish if they came to power.

I personally believe that the major difference among Ethiopian opposition parties lies in their vision of the federal structure. There are two camps: ethno-federalists, who believe in the autonomy of Oromia and other national areas, and ethio-federalists, who seek to dismantle Oromia under the guise of a geography-based federation. Parties like ECS (Ezema) are clearly geo-federalist. Thankfully, these parties have stopped openly advocating for a unitary state with only one official language (Amharic). Woyane’s EPRDF, at least ideologically, supported ethno-federalism, although in practice it implemented revolutionary centralism to promote Tigrean hegemony.

Medrek’s leaders seemed divided—some member parties were strongly against ethnic federalism and revealed their desire to dismantle Oromia. Dr. Negasso, for instance, spoke of the disadvantages for Oromos from Borana having to travel to Finfinne, or for Amharas from Debre Berihan to go to Bahir Dar to settle legal cases. This implies he was ready to divide Oromia. Only an Oromo with high political confidence would dare take such a stance.

In the 1960s, when we had little confidence and saw ourselves as a minority, our goal was an independent Oromia. By the 1990s, we had gained confidence through victories, and our goal evolved into a federal union. In the 2020s, with even greater confidence, the goal may become a geo-federated Ethiopia—an integrated “Oropia” led by Oromummaa.

It’s also notable that some known anti-ethnic scholars supported Medrek’s move. They thought opposing ethnic rhetoric was a way to challenge the EPP. But they missed the point: ethno-federalism is not only an EPP project—it reflects the will of many Oromo nationalists and other oppressed peoples. Amhara nationalists hiding behind Ethiopiawinet oppose Oromo self-administration. Discrediting ethnic federalism in favor of geo-federalism is simply an attempt to suppress other peoples’ political will. Both models of federation could serve the Oromo, if implemented with democracy, freedom, and justice.

Medrek didn’t clearly promote Oromia’s autonomy within Ethiopia, which would have been a good compromise between Amhara nationalists (disguised as Ethiopianists) and Oromo nationalists (who demand independence). Medrek brought together both ethno- and ethio-federalists to oppose the TPLF, but lacked a common vision on federal structure. Unsurprisingly, UDJ (the main ethio-federalist) eventually left the alliance. A public referendum on the type of federation could have solved this issue.

I was surprised to hear Jawar Mohammed praising the alliance, even though its federal position did not align with his views. In his talk at the Ethiopian and Horn of Africa Conference in Virginia, he advocated a true ethnic federation as a moderate stance between right-wing Ethio-nationalists (who want to dismantle Oromia) and left-wing radical ethno-nationalists (who want to break Ethiopia apart). Was he swayed by Medrek’s rhetoric on referendums?

Medrek leaders said they would continue discussing the federal model among themselves, and if consensus was not reached, they’d let the public decide. But if they are democratic enough to allow a referendum on federation, why not also accept a public vote on sovereignty—whether Oromia should stay in a union or become independent?

It seems Habesha politicians in Medrek played clever politics. They used elite consensus to make Oromo nationalists in OFC accept Ethiopian unity unconditionally (without Oromo public input), but wanted a public referendum to decide federation structure. Fairness would have demanded either elite consensus for both decisions or public referenda for both. Given the passive stance of Oromo politicians in Medrek, it’s no surprise Habesha websites hailed leaders like Dr. Negasso and Obbo Bulcha as “fair.”

When we saw geo-federalists proclaiming “Ethiopiawinet has won” and declaring “ethno-nationalism is losing” with Medrek’s rise, it served as a wake-up call for Oromo nationalists to reassess their stance. No wonder Oromo grassroots were cautious about supporting Medrek’s anti-Article 39 stance and skeptical of its rejection of national self-determination. Medrek shouldn’t be surprised if Oromo masses vote for the EPP of Dr. Abiy in the next “election.” The principle “a known devil is better than an unknown angel” may prevail.

It would have been better if Medrek had openly supported genuine ethno-federalism. They could have won the support of Oromo, Tigrayans, Somalis, Afars, Southerners, Benishangul, and Gambella—even if most Amharas opposed it. Instead, they tried to appease anti-ethnic-federalism Amharas while appealing to pro-federalist others—an approach that may prove unproductive.

As described above, buzzwords like freedom, democracy, and justice are not enough. The core issue that politicians avoid is the federal structure. Oromo federalists in OFC seem to have compromised for Oromia’s autonomy within Ethiopian unity, while Amhara elites are working hard to dismantle Oromia, fearing Oromo elites don’t truly support unity.

It’s a fact that Ethiopia’s unity was built in part by Oromo military and political leaders—from the Oromo “migration” in the 16th century, through Ras Michael’s election in 1877, to the fall of Mengistu in 1991. Some unity-supporting Oromo nationalists even argue that Amharas and Tigrayans are biologically Oromo or Agaw who speak different languages (Amharic or Tigrinya). But in the 21st century, it’s absurd for Habesha politicians to continue hiding behind “pan-Ethiopian” names like ECS, rather than being honest about their Amhara or Tigray identities.

Oromo nationalists say: “Stop hiding behind Ethiopia; come forward as Amhara or Tegaru, and then we can make a genuine alliance against dictators.” I hope Habesha elites, especially Amhara politicians, will eventually remove the Ethiopiawinet mask and engage Oromo people as who they are, so we can build a common home—Ethiopia, Great Oromia, or Kushland. The TPLF’s increased talk of Ethiopiawinet also doesn’t change the underlying truth.

In the future political landscape, either Habesha elites will start being honest, or Oromo liberation forces will learn to wear the “Ethiopia” mask to promote their cause—just as the TPLF did to gain Western support. It seems the West gives Oromo politicians two options: wear the mask and be promoted, or stay honest and be sidelined.

Simply put, the preferable strategy in the Oromo liberation journey is to reform the fake ethno-federation under EPP into a true one, where Oromia’s autonomy is respected and solidified. This is OFC’s program, though I’m starting to doubt whether Medrek supports this goal. I know this might give fodder to EPP cadres and geo-federalist supporters to attack Medrek—but the truth must be told.

I believe the only solution for this troubled region is the liberation of the Oromo nation—either within or outside a union of peoples. A liberated Oromo can lay the foundation for others like the Ogaden, Afar, Benishangul, Gambella, and Southern peoples. These nations can form a federation or confederation based on their will. The OFC’s goal is a mid-point solution that can lead to the OLF’s end-goal. But if Medrek continues to chant about mythical 3000-year-old Ethiopia and pushes Oromo masses to abandon Oromummaa for Ethiopiawinet, it will fail.

So, Oromo nationalists—and the Oromo people in general—should assess whether the Republican ADF or the Prosperitan EPP better promotes their cause. For now, any force trying to dismantle Oromia under the pretext of opposing ethnic division, no matter how much it talks about democracy and justice, is not acting in time. If the choice is between pro-ethno-federalism and anti-ethno-federalism, Oromo people may continue supporting the current regime until a better alternative emerges. It seems the Oromo are not yet politically confident enough to give up Oromia and own Ethiopia. But to preserve Oromia and rule Oropia, the OLF has prepared both its Prosperitan wing (EPP) and its Republican wing (ADF). One of them will win. One way or another, the OLF will lead Ethiopia. The more pragmatic and feasible path is to take over the EPP and govern an integrated Oropia—an Ethiopia led by Oromummaa—rather than to insist on a smaller, independent Oromia.

Galatooma!
Read more: https://orompia.wordpress.com/2020/01/2 ... -ethiopia/

[DefendTheTruth]

Inept, just evil wishes.

PP is an Ethiopian party, while OLF is a sectarian party, which couldn't so far even own (unit) the Oromo people itself.

OLF overtaking the vast PP of all Ethiopians is just a pipe dream salted with the usual evil intention.

Keep dreaming, until the last grasp of your remaining life. The longer part of that filled with evil deeds of your life is already behind us, the remaining part is just a tiny one, we can cope with that.