Both Oromos and Amharas need to compromise before it is all over
What is happening in Ethiopia is dangerously crazy. Ethiopians needs to conceptualize the common ground that keeps the country unity. My way or the highway can bring the worst situation to the existence of the country. The situation is deadly terrifying. Innocent people getting massacred without impunity will have deadly consequences. Abbiy has too much in his hands now. Ethiopia does not need to carry out election right now. Election outcome will make the situation worse one way or another. Eritrea needs to completely withdraw if it hasn't already. Eritrea needs to stay as independent as possible from Ethiopia. A country with 3.5 mil is no competition to a giant country with 115 million people like Ethiopia. The issue in Ethiopia is whether to centralize or decentralize the government. Common territory should be found that makes it the viability of the country's going concern. Abbiy will be accused from both sides one way or another. He needs to be transparent as much as possible before it is too late.
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Sadacha Macca
- Senior Member
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- Joined: 22 Feb 2014, 16:46
Re: Both Oromos and Amharas need to compromise before it is all over
My Amharic is rusty, sadly enough, so please translate for me? What happened here?
And, I agree. We have to reach a mutual understanding, IF Ethiopia is to exist and be at peace within and without ...with all these different and contradicting outlooks on the way to go forward, it doesn't bode well for our collective future. You have centralists, who, with all due respect, who tend to be Amara, who think that a strong, brutal, highly centralized govt is the answer. They think that identifying oneself as one's ethnicity, and seeking to mobilize along those lines in order to secure ones interests, which is common sense, is wrong. But let's be honest, is there a common Ethiopian identity that we all agree upon, or even mostly agree upon? Is it, as we all known for years, by default, speaking Amharic, wearing white shammas, being an Orthodox Christian, and so on [there is nothing wrong with those things, btw]? The assimilationist policies, didn't work for haile selassie, and won't work now.
Also, as an Oromo, I can tell you that, we do not want a highly centralized powerful govt, based in Addis/Finfinne, because this has always resulted in the marginalization of the Oromo. We do not hate entire nations, be it Amara, Tigrayan, or other than them, they live peacefully in Oromia, and always will. Yes, we have extremists among us, but every society does- and they are a tiny minority in an ocean of decent humans, the Oromo. We tend to believe in a federation, of states, who are all autonomous within reason, but unite for the common well being, when it comes to economic and military matters. If no one is seeking, or trying, to dominate the other(s), all should be fine. The old ways of doing things, such as Menelik, Haile Selassie, Menge, and so on, failed then and will fail now. Only a fool repeats the same mistake over and over.
It's like this: a loose federation, is better than disintegration and the creation of many independent states, but disintegration and independent states being created are better than a return to the old days, which weren't good for anyone-not for the Oromo farmer, the Amara farmer, the Somali and Afar nomad, or the Harari businessman or woman, and so on, and so forth.
On another note:
Abiy is doing what his predecessors did-using brute force to subjugate the Oromo, on the one hand, and then shutting off/down any avenues of having the Oromo problems/question/grievances addressed peacefully, on the other. So, he is using Amhara militias, Eritrean soldiers most likely, and whatever is left of the federal army, to suppress the Oromo, perhaps per the advice of his mentor, Obbo Isayas. This will result in more and more Qeerroo running to the forests to join WBO/OLA. Once this spreads, all over Oromia, then it's over. Even if you bring the entire Eritrea, it will not do anything but delay the inevitable. Force works in Eritrea, a smaller and much easier to manage country, but Ethiopia in general & Oromo in particular is much different. We saw the debates, and not a single Oromo party that can, in truth, claim to represent the Oromo masses, was there. All I saw were Berhanu Nega, Abiy's PP and other parties who do not represent Oromo's there. Tell me, do you think this contributes to the overall stability of Ethiopia?
And, I agree. We have to reach a mutual understanding, IF Ethiopia is to exist and be at peace within and without ...with all these different and contradicting outlooks on the way to go forward, it doesn't bode well for our collective future. You have centralists, who, with all due respect, who tend to be Amara, who think that a strong, brutal, highly centralized govt is the answer. They think that identifying oneself as one's ethnicity, and seeking to mobilize along those lines in order to secure ones interests, which is common sense, is wrong. But let's be honest, is there a common Ethiopian identity that we all agree upon, or even mostly agree upon? Is it, as we all known for years, by default, speaking Amharic, wearing white shammas, being an Orthodox Christian, and so on [there is nothing wrong with those things, btw]? The assimilationist policies, didn't work for haile selassie, and won't work now.
Also, as an Oromo, I can tell you that, we do not want a highly centralized powerful govt, based in Addis/Finfinne, because this has always resulted in the marginalization of the Oromo. We do not hate entire nations, be it Amara, Tigrayan, or other than them, they live peacefully in Oromia, and always will. Yes, we have extremists among us, but every society does- and they are a tiny minority in an ocean of decent humans, the Oromo. We tend to believe in a federation, of states, who are all autonomous within reason, but unite for the common well being, when it comes to economic and military matters. If no one is seeking, or trying, to dominate the other(s), all should be fine. The old ways of doing things, such as Menelik, Haile Selassie, Menge, and so on, failed then and will fail now. Only a fool repeats the same mistake over and over.
It's like this: a loose federation, is better than disintegration and the creation of many independent states, but disintegration and independent states being created are better than a return to the old days, which weren't good for anyone-not for the Oromo farmer, the Amara farmer, the Somali and Afar nomad, or the Harari businessman or woman, and so on, and so forth.
On another note:
Abiy is doing what his predecessors did-using brute force to subjugate the Oromo, on the one hand, and then shutting off/down any avenues of having the Oromo problems/question/grievances addressed peacefully, on the other. So, he is using Amhara militias, Eritrean soldiers most likely, and whatever is left of the federal army, to suppress the Oromo, perhaps per the advice of his mentor, Obbo Isayas. This will result in more and more Qeerroo running to the forests to join WBO/OLA. Once this spreads, all over Oromia, then it's over. Even if you bring the entire Eritrea, it will not do anything but delay the inevitable. Force works in Eritrea, a smaller and much easier to manage country, but Ethiopia in general & Oromo in particular is much different. We saw the debates, and not a single Oromo party that can, in truth, claim to represent the Oromo masses, was there. All I saw were Berhanu Nega, Abiy's PP and other parties who do not represent Oromo's there. Tell me, do you think this contributes to the overall stability of Ethiopia?
Re: Both Oromos and Amharas need to compromise before it is all over
Sadacha,
I am thinking some kind of arrangement where Oromos and Amharas can live with. Ethiopia can not go back to the system where a single power can impose its will on the rest. At the same time, every Ethiopian should be an equal owner of his land whether he/she lives in Amhara or Oromo zone. There is no way, the amharas will dominate the Oromos and others as they did in the past. That is gone for good, left for the history books. I don't believe Abbiy is listening to Isayas. Abbiy wants something from Isayas. Most likely, It is port access. What kind of arrangement they are making I don't know. I know Isayas has advocated some kind of integration with the Eastern African countries back in the 1990's. I just hope the Eritrean people will have some kind of voice in what he is doing. Abbiy is very smooth.
I also believe that Abbiy wants to have absolute control over his government. He is Mengist Hailemariam with better diplomatic skills. But, right now, he knows control is slipping out of his hand. Ethiopia is proving to be too complex for Abbiy the sly Ethiopia has a taste of freedom to some degree hence my prove ungovernable. I hope the country does not go into flames. The world is very curious and anxious about Ethiopia.
I am thinking some kind of arrangement where Oromos and Amharas can live with. Ethiopia can not go back to the system where a single power can impose its will on the rest. At the same time, every Ethiopian should be an equal owner of his land whether he/she lives in Amhara or Oromo zone. There is no way, the amharas will dominate the Oromos and others as they did in the past. That is gone for good, left for the history books. I don't believe Abbiy is listening to Isayas. Abbiy wants something from Isayas. Most likely, It is port access. What kind of arrangement they are making I don't know. I know Isayas has advocated some kind of integration with the Eastern African countries back in the 1990's. I just hope the Eritrean people will have some kind of voice in what he is doing. Abbiy is very smooth.
I also believe that Abbiy wants to have absolute control over his government. He is Mengist Hailemariam with better diplomatic skills. But, right now, he knows control is slipping out of his hand. Ethiopia is proving to be too complex for Abbiy the sly Ethiopia has a taste of freedom to some degree hence my prove ungovernable. I hope the country does not go into flames. The world is very curious and anxious about Ethiopia.