At present the so-called Ethiopian opposition cliques and their media, especially the Amhara dominated ones,are celebrating, in the best Abyssinian tradition, with their famous jubilations and sweet war songs, what they describe as a historical breakthrough and victory for the so-called unity forces. This fantastic victory has become their most important topic since the OLF faction, led by Kamal Galchu, has announced changes in the organization’s political program, renouncing the right of the Oromo people to self-determination in favour of an imaginary democratic Ethiopia. This has also resulted in a big commotion among the Oromos in the Diaspora, especially in Paltalk rooms. I have followed with interest both the pros and cons of Kamal Galchu phenomena. The supporters seem totally demoralized and have little to say by way of convincing their Oromo audience. It is a clear sell out. In paltalk, they even closed their room for sometime. Those on the opposing side have also failed to account for the phenomena by way of presenting plausible possible explanations, beyond recriminations and resorting to expressing their outrage and indignation at the renegades.
Many of those Oromos, previously opposed to OLF, especially in the paltalk rooms, are now rallying behind it without even explaining convincingly why. Personally I have never trusted most of them. Why? On the one hand they often say they are opposed to the leadership, for good reasons. At the same time, they say, on the other hand, they support not only its army but also OLF as an organization in the abstract, precisely speaking, OLF as a name. Yes as a name! As if it is possible for the organization to exist without leadership or separate from it. All the factions stick to this rare mirage. Such infantile , incorrigible political indulgence, to my knowledge, exists only within us Oromos. ABO, the name, is untouchable. It is a sacred cow. The motive is almost always opportunism- the popularity of the name and its suitability for use to avoid a new revolutionary initiative. Most Oromos who celebrate this name do not seem to realize that there are among them those who know how to milk this cow or even hijack it alive with some help from outside as is happening now.
The Derg and OLF have poisoned the minds of an entire generation of the Oromo youth. Even those who claim to oppose them are not entirely free from their influence. But the children of the sacred cow seem innocent without really being so. This is the result of systematic indoctrination by a determinedly opportunistic clever leadership. Yet time exposes even the most sophisticated intriguers to say nothing of the mediocrities. Actually they expose themselves even in the eyes of people most devoted to them. Lenco Lata, Yohanis Ibsa , Dawud Ibsa , Dima Nagawo etc: how different are they anyway?
Pure nationalism is, of course, never free from opportunism. Previously, I heard, a number of times, the woman admin of pro Kamal paltalk room weeping for the sufferings of the Oromo people. Hearing her, I was also moved even if not to tears, at least to some emotion of solidarity. Last time when I visited the room (after Kamal’s coup) I heard her apologizing to her Amhara audience for translating from Oromifa! I clicked myself out of the room with indignation. We live in a time when many human beings do not hesitate not only to sell themselves but also their nations for money and power. Due to centuries of demoralization the Oromo petite bourgeoisie is perhaps the most faceless in Africa. The gap between our beliefs, no matter what they are, and our practices is simply horrible. Kamal Galchu wanted to mobilize many elements from his Arsi clan in the Diaspora out of decades of political lethargy into some action to rally around him. So far he has utterly failed with some exception.
In general the greater part of the Oromo petite bourgeoisie in the Diaspora live in a kind of limbo silently, pursuing their own private agendas. Some of them had received lands from Wayane and erected buildings in the towns and cities of the Oromoland. Others are sitting on the fence to join the winning side in the battlefield that is Ethiopia.. They flock together in Irreensa celebrations and seem concerned about Oromo issues. There is nothing they hate more than any hint or form of serious political commitment. Many claim that they belong to this or that Oromo political group to pre-empt any discussion on a possible alternative. Many of them think automatically that there is a hidden agenda behind bariisa.com. Here in Germany they decided jointly to boycott me silently, even those I had been in touch with for years. Yet some of them broke the silence and invited me to attend the last Irreensa festival in Düsseldorf, which I turned down. Boring old drones! It is better to be alone than to be with tiresome chatterboxes. That is my motto. Some of these elements belonged to the Oromo association based in Düsseldorf. I avoided the association from the beginning because it was dominated undemocratically by OLF agents. But in 1995 on my return from Ethiopia, I was requested to join the association. I was assured that OLF was not dominating and manipulating it any more. I was not convinced. Yet I joined it to see if I could make some genuine constructive contribution no matter how small. Coming together for socialization is good but it is not enough.
I immediately put forward suggestions to form music and drama groups to show the Oromo culture in Germany and to see if we can do other more important things to advance our just cause. Since I have some training and experience in these fields I wanted really to play an active part in it even though I had health problems. With the association accepting the idea, I was assigned the task of putting the groups together. I started to contact some Germans who were willing to help us voluntarily. But contrary to all the assurances, OLF elements running the show from behind in the association sabotaged the project. I had to withdraw. It is just in the nature of OLF not to tolerate any constructive Oromo endeavour outside its control. This infamous culture is part of the structural problems plaguing OLF cliques. It is deeply ingrained in their history from the beginning.
After this cumbersome interlude, let me say a few things about Kamal Galchu group. I have been puzzling for long time over how, without the involvement of the Wayane and other circles, Kamal Galchu and the troops with him, could cross the most heavily militarized and guarded zones into Eritrea, later followed by others. Equally puzzling was how Kamal Galchu was promptly raised to the position of leadership in one of the most secretive conspiratorial political cliques in the Ethiopian empire. But now in the light of recent developments the picture is not as blurred as before.
I can only hazard my guess without trying to present it as fact. The Kamal Galchu gang seems to have been assigned a task in a large agenda too big for it to shoulder, at least as an exercise or experiment for future application in practice. It is actually the secret agenda of OLF: to solve the Oromo question without dismantling Ethiopia. That is, so to speak, within the framework of the unity of the empire. For most of OLF leaders, with Christian background, it has been practically very difficult and painful if not impossible to openly promote such an idea, no matter how they cherish it secretly, especially so, among the Muslim Oromo majority loyal to them, in the face of growing Oromo self-awareness, and aspiration to struggle for an independent and really free Oromoland. Major Western circles are completely aware of this dilemma. I think they will do everything they can to facilitate the secret agenda. Perhaps they have concluded that now is the right time to promote it openly in such a way that the core OLF leadership eventually would not be irreparably damaged by a possible backlash. The choice of Kamal Galchu seems opportune as he is a Muslim Oromo from the Arsi clan known for its resistance to the Abyssinian domination. Of course he must be basically acceptable to the Wayane. Anyway, it would be extremely naïve to think that Kamal Galchu is promoted only by the Abyssinian opposition cliques.
Now briefly to the idea of a democratic Ethiopia. No doubt that the many aspire to democracy anywhere in Africa.. But will it happen in Ethiopia under the Abyssinian domination? Let us see closely again. There are many people who hold to their illusions steadfastly. Illusions may mitigate despair to some extent but are not always helpful in dealing with reality. They can definitely hinder realistic solutions. Both the Tigrayan and the Amhara political elites in opposition have been trying intensively to demolish the concept of the right of nations and nationalities to self determination with the concept of one – man one – vote. If the rights of individuals are respected, they tell us, the rights of ethnic and other groups are also therefore or thereby inviolable. Even this concept the present Abyssinian political elites will never accept in practice, never. They use it for propaganda reasons to stand on moral high ground. These days they are also intensively and frequently employing, mostly as part of their arsenal, even the language of “Fiqir” (love) for the same reason. How can you love me if you deny me basic and elementary human rights? The point is, in a fair and free election they will automatically lose even if they could convincingly mobilize their populations. The simple fact is they are minorities in the Empire. This is more obvious in the case of the Tigrayans than in the case of the Amharas. But even the Amharas cannot make it with all their poetic account of the glory of their Ethiopia, with all the gallant deeds of their great heroes, and with all their hybridized sections of the population. That is why the dominant Abyssinian Amhara and Tigray political elites will never accept democracy as an option in practice contrary to their propaganda. So the possibility of a democratic Ethiopia is a fata morgana, a mirage, a bad joke. It is a dangerous illusion not only for the oppressed nations and nationalities, but also for the Tigray and Amhara peoples. Only fools and hired Oromos believe such possibility. The Abyssinian political elites addicted to unjust power can dominate Ethiopia only by military means. No amount of good will on our part can change this fact.
This picture can change peacefully only if there is a major international intervention mandated by the UN so that major issues can be referred to a direct vote of the electorate in a fair atmosphere, with the doors wide open to referendums on the national question. That way it is possible to satisfactorily and peacefully resolve the major political problems of the Empire of Ethiopia. The prospects for such a resolution are, however, poor, no, I would say, non existent right now. World powers do not seem at present to see an alternative to supporting the most aggressive and extremely corrupt Abyssinian political elites and their lackeys. They seem determined, because of their coveted short term interests, to promote brutal agendas that are not acceptable to the overwhelming majority of peoples in Ethiopia.
It may not be irrelevant in this context to mention here that Abbaa Biyyaa, the grand “young” man of Jimma, one among the descendants of the ” legendary” Sultan, a close associate of Lenco lata, who has been negotiating with the Wayane, is in Washington now. The Oromo nation seems at present to be particularly blessed with some great civilian and military leaders indeed! There are many Oromos serving and advancing the anti Oromo agenda and intrigues at different levels for short term benefits. In the absence of a genuinely democratic revolutionary Ormo organization, they have nothing to fear. The damage they are doing to the just cause of our people is incalculable.
As President Obama is struggling to improve his image to appear still tougher to win the second term, pressure is building on Iran and Alshabab. Different scenarios may be pulled together to culminate in further acts of aggressive wars causing yet huge human sufferings with unpredictable consequences. In this atmosphere, the Abyssinian Wayane regime may get the green light it always wanted to go ahead and invade also Eritrea. The incident in the Afar area may be a prelude to a big bang in our region. One thing is certain: might is not always right and the world cannot be dominated or changed for good by unjust means and violence. Nature abhors it. Normal human beings abhor it. But who cares? The world is run mostly by a minority of people addicted to the misuse of power for selfish reasons.