Time to Bury the Hatchet
Time is really overdue as far as burying the hatchet is concerned and there could be some groups who might want us to believe that the best way to go is to turn a blind eye to this crucial issue. There were two incidents recently where one source that seemed to be an OLF insider had talked about retiring the white elephant because, for some reason its support base is dwindling fast. The reality on the ground, however, is there are still people persecuted for being members or sympathizers of this organization that failed to live up to expectation for reasons those who are in charge would not admit. For those who are looking inside from the peripheral, this organization might represent a certain group only, probably partial Oromos whose origin is from Wellaga, although it does not mean there are no other participants, albeit they are disgruntled because those who claim the province to be where the party was incepted had always been in the habit of moving their weight around that had irked many Oromos.
After all, since they claim to represent the Oromo people, they have a global recognition among Oromos and others, which means they had been raising fund for the cause they claim are upholding for quite some time now, to the point where some have claimed they are leading a reasonably well off life style. It is difficult to say what exactly goes on in the home front although there is some kind of an armed struggle on the ground that could get help from few supporters such as Eritrea even if the reality again had been Eritrea had worked hard to dismantle the OLA because it had an ambitious plan that was thwarted when it got the cold shoulder from its protégé TPLF. After all, the armed military wing of the group had fought shoulder to shoulder with other movements such as TPLF, EPLF, EPRP, perhaps EDU in order to bring down the Derg. The reason why it is not sharing power with TPLF we were told was because of a fallout since the movement is determined to secede Oromia from the rest of the country and the pressure came from Eritrea to dismantle it because they had other plans if their proteges did not turn the table on them.
That is one assumption while the other is, most Oromos do not have a burning desire or fire to govern the other part of Ethiopia, because they know for certain there is a water and oil do not mix phenomenon, where there might have been some kind of a conventional marriage arrangement, but other than that there are groups in the country that might not be engaged in a fruitful endeavor to see to it that the country that it calls itself Ethiopia would be a place where democracy would reign. That is what some of the Oromos want because their proximity to the northern region might have enabled them to see a flicker of hope that makes them fathom that the possibility that all the ethnic groups can live and work together might be there.
The source that suggested to retire the white elephant that has not still shown a single result other than joining hands with the movement that forced to bring about the fall of the Derg had opted to see it as a vehicle whose useful purpose is approaching its end and it has to be replaced by another one, which must be direct from the assembly line. That might be the first good thing people heard coming from anyone close to OLF in recent years and this individual could be an insider. Some had been demanding such a turnabout for a long time because; it was not difficult to see that the party was not embracing all Oromos. Also the so-called leaders of the liberation front are living away from the people and they do not know what is making them tick, let alone to share in some of the hardships that are besieging them.
Secondly times have changed drastically and a party that has its roots deeply entrenched in the students’ movement similar to TPLF could ran out of fresh ideas to represent the whole Oromo population that could have evolved to a much advanced stage because of what was taking place in the country and among the diaspora. It should have gotten a similar infusion TPLF got from those who wanted to put it in power, but it had failed to generate any interest form outside sources Those who are in Shoa seem to be more competent and are direct competitors for coming up with a similar party if they were not still clinging to the hope that one day the conventional marriage might bear some fruit. We do not have to snuff out such hope because when the fire runs out it will die by its own or if that is not going to be the case, we might live to see some kind of fruition. For now all we can afford to do is to applaud the fact that someone close to OLF has come out in the open saying the time is right to start anew, because that is the only redemption that is available.
The purpose of the new vehicle does not necessarily have to be to liberate Oromia from the rest of Ethiopia. It is difficult to say what its purposes would be at this early stage, since many people, in fact the majority of Oromos have to agree on it. If it is possible to suggest one at this early stage of the dialogue it will be to see that the Oromos would get their proper place in the country where a small group of people are running things now.
Such a suggestion should not forebode any kind of ill will toward those who are struggling to turn around a dreary situation since they deserve the credit if it is due. But the fact that if not the majority ethnic people in Ethiopia, at least Oromos are an ethnic group that have the biggest number that will necessitate their playing a very constructive role in the country and there is no running away or hiding from this reality. Even the OLF members must have realized that and that might be the main reason why they are talking about a new vehicle, because it is overdue. One source recently had tried to poke fun at the effort the group is exerting to secede the Oromia region from the rest of Ethiopia by saying that they are among a few majority groups around the world that are talking about secession, because most majority groups wherever they may be are calling the shots. The Shiites of Iraq, thanks to the Americans have taken their rightful place considering that the difference between these two groups is superficial at least, because they are basically the same people who chose to have different beliefs. But the case in Ethiopia might not be that easy. No matter, what saves the day for the Oromos might be the fact that they are not the majority people in Ethiopia. If we look at the math, to be the majority ethnic group they should number more than 40 million. The reality is they number only around 30 million while the other two major groups the Amaharas and the Southern People each number 20-22 million, the Tigreans 5 million, and the other small ethnic groups will make up for the remaining number. This means that any group that could create a coalition could be the majority and it is open to all ethnic groups. Because of that the fact that they are not in charge of things might not make them look bad unless seen from what an ethnic group with 5 million people is trying to accomplish.
The good news is the time to bury the hatchet is on the horizon and soon there should be a new party that will represent the whole Oromo people even if it is unfortunate that the quarrel is still alive. Very recently the ex-president dressed down OPDO revealing that the antagonism that exists between the south and north is still alive and kicking, because as we know it the ex-president was visiting probably his hometown Dembidolo, but the fact that he is from that province is true, while the majority of the members of OPDO are Oromos form the northern part of the country who were under the employment of the Derg. What this means is at the top level the effort applied by one group to bury the hatchet had been disregarded by a prominent individual such as the ex-president. The reality is there is no harm done except that the members of the Oromo community should be reminded that change is on the horizon and in a few months time we might hear more about the new party that will replace the popular front known as OLF.
The problem is this same ex-president is forming a party that is revered to be the prefect opposition for the next election and the fact that he changed the name from the usual TPLF/EPRDF to OPDO/EPRDF that might be a first, would suggest that he is not aware of the effort that has undergone to bury the hatchet and such an approach to politics might disqualify him from being fit for the ticket that will make him equal partner with the ex-defense minister who might also be out to punish TPLF with whom he had been struggling in the woods. Because he was swayed to enrich himself wrongfully, he had to be incarcerated to show the public TPLF members do not tolerate such behavior let alone to be caught in the act themselves. Because of that, he might also be out to pick a bone with TPLF. If that is the case the possibility that whatever they will try to accomplish would defeat its purpose is there, because it is difficult to say a feud among politicians is the best way to go, since they would be better off if they focus on the task that will await them that will require every hand and support they will get. TPLF is showing result because picking a bone had not been its priority although the party had been besieged and is still being bombarded by the members of the former ruling class. If the party’s preoccupation had been that, it is possible that it could have shown cracks a long time ago that could brought about its downfall.
What this means is, if the ex-president takes such a swing at the very early stage of forming a party, what is he going to do when he is in power where he could portray OPDO as OLF and he could send anyone who has or had an affiliation with it to prison. Such minor mistake could make or break his effort to build the needed political party that should be very much above political bickering and focus on the issues that have proven to be untamable.
After all, since they claim to represent the Oromo people, they have a global recognition among Oromos and others, which means they had been raising fund for the cause they claim are upholding for quite some time now, to the point where some have claimed they are leading a reasonably well off life style. It is difficult to say what exactly goes on in the home front although there is some kind of an armed struggle on the ground that could get help from few supporters such as Eritrea even if the reality again had been Eritrea had worked hard to dismantle the OLA because it had an ambitious plan that was thwarted when it got the cold shoulder from its protégé TPLF. After all, the armed military wing of the group had fought shoulder to shoulder with other movements such as TPLF, EPLF, EPRP, perhaps EDU in order to bring down the Derg. The reason why it is not sharing power with TPLF we were told was because of a fallout since the movement is determined to secede Oromia from the rest of the country and the pressure came from Eritrea to dismantle it because they had other plans if their proteges did not turn the table on them.
That is one assumption while the other is, most Oromos do not have a burning desire or fire to govern the other part of Ethiopia, because they know for certain there is a water and oil do not mix phenomenon, where there might have been some kind of a conventional marriage arrangement, but other than that there are groups in the country that might not be engaged in a fruitful endeavor to see to it that the country that it calls itself Ethiopia would be a place where democracy would reign. That is what some of the Oromos want because their proximity to the northern region might have enabled them to see a flicker of hope that makes them fathom that the possibility that all the ethnic groups can live and work together might be there.
The source that suggested to retire the white elephant that has not still shown a single result other than joining hands with the movement that forced to bring about the fall of the Derg had opted to see it as a vehicle whose useful purpose is approaching its end and it has to be replaced by another one, which must be direct from the assembly line. That might be the first good thing people heard coming from anyone close to OLF in recent years and this individual could be an insider. Some had been demanding such a turnabout for a long time because; it was not difficult to see that the party was not embracing all Oromos. Also the so-called leaders of the liberation front are living away from the people and they do not know what is making them tick, let alone to share in some of the hardships that are besieging them.
Secondly times have changed drastically and a party that has its roots deeply entrenched in the students’ movement similar to TPLF could ran out of fresh ideas to represent the whole Oromo population that could have evolved to a much advanced stage because of what was taking place in the country and among the diaspora. It should have gotten a similar infusion TPLF got from those who wanted to put it in power, but it had failed to generate any interest form outside sources Those who are in Shoa seem to be more competent and are direct competitors for coming up with a similar party if they were not still clinging to the hope that one day the conventional marriage might bear some fruit. We do not have to snuff out such hope because when the fire runs out it will die by its own or if that is not going to be the case, we might live to see some kind of fruition. For now all we can afford to do is to applaud the fact that someone close to OLF has come out in the open saying the time is right to start anew, because that is the only redemption that is available.
The purpose of the new vehicle does not necessarily have to be to liberate Oromia from the rest of Ethiopia. It is difficult to say what its purposes would be at this early stage, since many people, in fact the majority of Oromos have to agree on it. If it is possible to suggest one at this early stage of the dialogue it will be to see that the Oromos would get their proper place in the country where a small group of people are running things now.
Such a suggestion should not forebode any kind of ill will toward those who are struggling to turn around a dreary situation since they deserve the credit if it is due. But the fact that if not the majority ethnic people in Ethiopia, at least Oromos are an ethnic group that have the biggest number that will necessitate their playing a very constructive role in the country and there is no running away or hiding from this reality. Even the OLF members must have realized that and that might be the main reason why they are talking about a new vehicle, because it is overdue. One source recently had tried to poke fun at the effort the group is exerting to secede the Oromia region from the rest of Ethiopia by saying that they are among a few majority groups around the world that are talking about secession, because most majority groups wherever they may be are calling the shots. The Shiites of Iraq, thanks to the Americans have taken their rightful place considering that the difference between these two groups is superficial at least, because they are basically the same people who chose to have different beliefs. But the case in Ethiopia might not be that easy. No matter, what saves the day for the Oromos might be the fact that they are not the majority people in Ethiopia. If we look at the math, to be the majority ethnic group they should number more than 40 million. The reality is they number only around 30 million while the other two major groups the Amaharas and the Southern People each number 20-22 million, the Tigreans 5 million, and the other small ethnic groups will make up for the remaining number. This means that any group that could create a coalition could be the majority and it is open to all ethnic groups. Because of that the fact that they are not in charge of things might not make them look bad unless seen from what an ethnic group with 5 million people is trying to accomplish.
The good news is the time to bury the hatchet is on the horizon and soon there should be a new party that will represent the whole Oromo people even if it is unfortunate that the quarrel is still alive. Very recently the ex-president dressed down OPDO revealing that the antagonism that exists between the south and north is still alive and kicking, because as we know it the ex-president was visiting probably his hometown Dembidolo, but the fact that he is from that province is true, while the majority of the members of OPDO are Oromos form the northern part of the country who were under the employment of the Derg. What this means is at the top level the effort applied by one group to bury the hatchet had been disregarded by a prominent individual such as the ex-president. The reality is there is no harm done except that the members of the Oromo community should be reminded that change is on the horizon and in a few months time we might hear more about the new party that will replace the popular front known as OLF.
The problem is this same ex-president is forming a party that is revered to be the prefect opposition for the next election and the fact that he changed the name from the usual TPLF/EPRDF to OPDO/EPRDF that might be a first, would suggest that he is not aware of the effort that has undergone to bury the hatchet and such an approach to politics might disqualify him from being fit for the ticket that will make him equal partner with the ex-defense minister who might also be out to punish TPLF with whom he had been struggling in the woods. Because he was swayed to enrich himself wrongfully, he had to be incarcerated to show the public TPLF members do not tolerate such behavior let alone to be caught in the act themselves. Because of that, he might also be out to pick a bone with TPLF. If that is the case the possibility that whatever they will try to accomplish would defeat its purpose is there, because it is difficult to say a feud among politicians is the best way to go, since they would be better off if they focus on the task that will await them that will require every hand and support they will get. TPLF is showing result because picking a bone had not been its priority although the party had been besieged and is still being bombarded by the members of the former ruling class. If the party’s preoccupation had been that, it is possible that it could have shown cracks a long time ago that could brought about its downfall.
What this means is, if the ex-president takes such a swing at the very early stage of forming a party, what is he going to do when he is in power where he could portray OPDO as OLF and he could send anyone who has or had an affiliation with it to prison. Such minor mistake could make or break his effort to build the needed political party that should be very much above political bickering and focus on the issues that have proven to be untamable.
posted by Ethio-Probe @ 6:38 AM
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