More is not to be expected from such a person now
What one makes out of the interview given to ESAT’s Sisay Agena (Ethiomedia, September 21,2011) by Dr. Dima Negawo,
for long time a leading figure in the OLF, depends partly on the political position of the listener or viewer. There are, however, important conclusions that we can objectively draw from the aim and the content of the interview.
Interestingly, Dima starts the interview by apologizing for his birthplace, saying that it happened by accident (badingat) to be somewhere in Illubabor! Does this OLF veteran, once one of its top brains, need to play it safe with his Abyssinian audience when it comes to his background, even knowing that such an interview is accessible to everybody? He is clearly out for smooth sailing back home as soon as possible without having to openly surrender to the woyane as some of his colleagues have already done. This becomes clear in the course of the interview when he vehemently argued for the necessity and possibility of bringing down the Woyane regime through mass uprising along the lines of the so-called Arab spring.
This is nothing but OLF crystal clear, always choosing the line of least resistance. Our Dima reminds the TV man of what he calls the long history of Ethiopian peoples. Accordingly, he says, there have never been conflicts among nationalities or ethnic groups in Ethiopia and there will never be. He said this to dispel the fear of Sisay Agena that in the event of a mass uprising against the regime ethnic conflicts might flare up. According to Dima’s petty and opportunist remark or logic, the Abyssinian supremacists and the whole population of their settlers, who keep oppressing and terrorizing us for centuries, and against whom countless Oromos have lost their lives fighting for their rights, do not belong to, and are not supported by their nation. Does he mean the absence of civil war? If so, what does he make of the centuries of Zemene Mesanfint- the era of warlordism- extending down to the first years of the 19th century when the whole region was galvanized into civil war especially among the major ethnic groups or nationalities, and within them i.e, Oromos, Amharas and Tigrayans? It was only with the support of European colonialists that the Amhara domination and supremacy triumphed finally and the empire was ultimately articulated as it stands today. This is, in short, real history without hot air and blabla as Germans aptly say.. By the way, there are Oromos who hate bariisa.com and try by all means at their disposal to sabotage it because of its integrity which they lack, and there are others who do so to satisfy their petty private spite or due to their narrow outlook. There are still others who have grudges and feel bitter against it only because of the facts it brings out about OLF. These can visit the video to reassure themselves of Dima’s statements. All can slowly chew on their grievances.
Dima Negawo goes further than this. He said that that part of OLF’s manifesto or political program calling for independence was born out of tactical consideration. Here Dima is telling the truth, the bitter truth. The idea, he said, was to be different from political organizations such as the EPRP and MEISON, which had already adopted in their programs the principle of the right of self-determination. This is not to say that Dima is a man of integrity. His truth sounds like a confession elicited before a high priest. It is indeed music to the ears of the global circles which stand firmly behind the Abyssinian domination. He knows what he is doing. If he were a man of integrity, he would not be part of a political organization that tried to deceive the Oromo people or its own ordinary members for so long, from the beginning.
Dima, at one point, appreciates what he calls a shift of position at present by a certain chauvinist Abyssinian opposition group, concerning its recognition of the Oromifa as the second language in Ethiopia! He says he hopes that the OLF will respond favourably when it holds its next congress by modifying its program! Did OLF ever hold a genuine congress in which mainly elected representatives of ordinary members participated? Not to my knowledge. But this aside, let us argue either way and ask, if OLF wanted to be different from the organizations which, at least theoretically, recognized the right of self determination, why should it not be even more different from the present chauvinist political organizations, including UDJ, which categorically deny even the obvious existence of nations and nationalities in Ethiopia, and refuse to accept our rights to self-determination? I leave the answer to those ordinary Oromos who still worship OLF. Here let me spell out this clearly : so far, I think, both Amhara and woyane oppressive supremacists represent terrible evils. Woyane is the lesser of two evils. It may turn out to be the greater evil. I am not speaking of what the future holds for us. The reader has, however, every right to disagree with me here.
Back home from 1991 to 1995 I tried to convince many Oromos close to me about the nature of OLF leadership, bringing to light many facts I knew at the time, some of which Dr. Dima is admitting now openly! Those Oromos were thoroughly brainwashed they could not accept my views even though they did trust me personally. I do not know what they think now about their naivety.
If Dima speaks only for himself in this interview, I most probably would not be writing this article now. To my best knowledge, Dima and Lenco and their likes are not exactly men of the past in OLF, whatever they fake up and pretend to be or not to be…. This organization is the product of a tradition. I mean the tradition of its founders to whom also Dima alluded in his interview. ITS METHODS ARE MAINLY CONSPIRATORIAL. It is the copy of the Abyssinian political tradition. They are embedded in it. They have a secret agenda. Some of its points are now open secrets. More will be open soon, I think. I must repeat the relevant facts tirelessly till OLF ceases to be an obstruction on the road of honest liberation struggle. OLF did hold the Oromo people spellbound for long time with its stories about blisumma, the old gada system and religion. Now the spell seems to have been broken to some extent, I hope. People like Dima and Lenco are quite active in some ways from behind the scene. If their wishes materialize, and the woyane regime is ousted by some kind of mass revolt resulting in another Abyssinian group coming to power, they or their colleagues will most probably be rewarded with some portfolios. But they have to do some ground work preparing for the “revolution”. It is for this reason that the interview is given prominence at this point in time.
I am sure if their selfish dream becomes reality, it will mark the beginning of a new phase of our struggle, not its end. Nations, just like individuals, can never be really free until they learn actively and consciously from some of their own outstanding internal weak points and problems. Being constantly emotional and denying our real problems will not take us far. All fixed ego positions, both Abyssinian and Oromo, sanctioned and entrenched by tradition and mind bending habits that motivate us to manipulate and control others, must be exposed openly and honestly. It is high time that we begin practising new behaviours. Besides, there is always something profoundly graceless, dishonest and repugnant about denying facts that really exist and are self evident. Finally I do think generally that intellectuals with deep personal resentments against human beings can be by far more dangerous to human community than ordinary thugs.