We all could observe the election (democracy) drama in the Ethiopian empire on the 23rd May 2010. If there was any Oromo in particular and any Ethiopian in general who expected that Weyane can leave power per ballot, he/she must be unrealistically optimisitic. Let alone Weyane who came by fighting from the jungle to Finfinne palace, any Habesha dominated regime will never allow a genuine democratic election happen in that empire as long as Oromo question is not solved and Oromo people get our right to self-determination, be it within a union of free nations in the region, call it Ethiopia/the Horn or in a form of independent Oromia without a union. It is not just by chance that the most repression and political murders on the opposition supporters during the last election took place in Oromia. It is the fear of Habesha elites regarding the possible Oromo's overtake of power which made them to be such anti-democracy.Ethiopia, "the ancient country with the history of 3000 years", is one of the least democratic and least developed countries in the world. Why? We can count a lot of factors as a cause like the climate, the still ongoing colonialism, the ignorance ana arrogance of the leaders, the general public oppression and the lack of freedom for individual citizens. But all other nations who are now democratic and well developed have either tacled such problems or they are developed despite these problems. What is unique about the Ethiopian empire?
Democracy is a system of government in which either the actual governing is carried out by the people governed (direct democracy), or the power to do so is granted by them (as in representative democracy). Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of 'democracy', there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes, equality and freedom. These principles are reflected by all citizens being equal before the law, and having equal access to power. Additionally, all citizens are able to enjoy legitimized freedoms and liberties, which are usually protected by a constitution. Economic development refers to increases in the standard of living of a nation's population associated with sustained growth from a simple, low-income economy to a modern, high-income economy. Its scope includes the process and policies by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well-being of its people.
In the above both senses (definitions of democracy and development), the Ethiopian empire is at the tail of the international community. I think the main factor for this laging behind all nations is the national oppression of the great Oromo nation, which is actually a majority nation destined to lead the empire, but this nation unfortunately had to endure the assimilation, subjugation, invasion, exploitation, etc in the last many years history of the region. Other multinational states in the world either do have "majority rule", be it democratically or dictatorially, otherwise they did disintegrate. Ethiopia is one of the very few countries where the nation of a majority (Oromo nation) is still feared and prevented from a possiblity to have power so that it is reduced to a political minority by the ruling elite of minor nationalities (by the elites of the two Habesha nations).
Nowadays almost all historians except the few Habesha elites do agree that Oromo is the indigenous nation who lived south of Egypt for more than 5000 years. It was the expansion and invasion of the Middle-east semetics in the last three tausand years, the destruction of Meroe by the Axume empire, the islamization of the region and the European occupation of the area in the process of colonization, which reduced Oromo to its present national area.
It is almost becoming clear that the other cushitic nations in the region are either the differentiation from this original nation called Oromo or are closely related to Oromo, so are the Beja, Agew, Afar, Somali, Sidama, Hadiya, Kambata including even the semetized ones like the Tigre, Tigaru, Amhara, Gurage and Harari. It seems that some of them are more christanized and semetized, whereas the others are more islamized and arabanized. Oromo people tried to preserve our original language and previous traditional religion despite the exposure and pressure from the Middle-east and from the West. Even though many of the above branches of the Cush nation including some of the Oromo have accepted the religions from the Middle-east, the essence of Waaqeffannaa (the previous belief system of the nation) is preserved and even practiced in the over-taken new religions. That is why we do see a lot of elements of Waaqeeffannaa in the religious practices of the Orthodox, Protestant and Islam Oromo groups.
The problem is specially the fact that the christianized and semetized nations, the Habeshas, look at themselves as if they are different from their origin (Cush), so that their elites oppress the well culturally preserved Oromo and other nations in the region by using the chance they got in a form of help from the "christian" Western countries. This oppression and subjugation is still going on. Oromo people fought and resisted this influence from the Habesha, from the Middle-east and from the West continously. We now look at the Abyssinian elites as the most externally influenced part of our differentiated Cush body. Time and again they have been instrumentalized by Arabs and Europeans to conquer and oppress Oromo. The current instrument of these foreign influence is Weyane and its supporting Tigrean elites.
Since the time that Habesha elites identified themselves with Jews (remember the expression "lion of Juda"), they had to fight against Oromo who preserved our identity including our language and religion. After they could subjugate Oromo, they always tried to hinder the possibility that they may lose power to this big nation. They did every thing possible with the help of their allied Western "christians" to suppress Oromo. It was mainly this conflict between the Habesha elites and the Oromo which hitherto hindered any sort of democratization as well as development of the empire. True and genuine democratization in the empire means Oromo taking power for it is the majority group. Habesha elites do every thing under the sun to hinder this possibility, so that there will never be a democracy as far as Weyane in particular and the non-democratic Habesha elites in general are in power.
Of course without democracy and freedom of Oromo nation and other oppressed nations, the conflict will continue and the developement we actually wish to see will not be materalized. It surprises me some times when I read some Oromo nationalists accusing the other Oromo groups with the allegation that they opted for "democratization of Ethiopia" instead of "decolonization of Oromia". Actually democratization of Ethiopia is one of the meanses leading to liberation of Oromia, if it really happens. Habesha politicains know this very well and that is why they never allow it happen. The only option left for Oromo to be liberated is actually armed struggle. No illusion! There will never be democratization and development of Ethiopia as long as Oromia is under Weyane or under other non-democratic Habesha looting and lording forces.
Oromo who resisted both the Middle-east and Western influences including the taking part in the battle of Adwa, where a lot of Oromo individuals fought against the invaders, will continue the resistance till Oromia will be free from the subjugators. My advice for Habesha elites is that, instead of crying about the lack of democracy and development, they better look at this main factor of the inhibition and support Oromo nation to be free. Then even they themselves can be free to enjoy democracy and development in their respective national areas as a very good neighbour for a democratic and well developed Oromia. Otherwise we all will continue to hinder each other and live under both tyranny and poverty, which are the two anti-theses of democracy and development.
Of course other theoretical advice (I know this sounds like a joke in the ears of Habesha elites) is that they better strive to come back to their cushitic root instead of oppressing and subjugating the nation from whom they seem to have been differentiated and emerged in history. That means if they want to keep Ethiopia as it is now and hinder Oromia and Abyssinia from being separated nations, they practically need for instance to recognize that Ethiopia (Cushland) in a wider sense means Oromia, they should accept Afaan Oromo as a working languageof the union, they must allow Oromo values like Waaqeeffannaa and Irreechaa to be values and holydays respectively of the union/federation and last but not least they better know that it is only Oromo people who can decide on the type of sovereignity we want to have per referendum in a process of self-determination.
Democracy and development can be realized better in a sepatrate nation-states based on the public verdict of each national group than in a forced unity of nations without the necessary public vote, like what we are now in. The rhetoric of Weyane, which tells us untiredly that "we do have unity of nations and nationalities based on free will" doesn't mean that there is a real unity based on free will on the ground. Habesha elites need to stop such self-deception. The way forward is to let Oromo be free to determine our destiny, be it in a form of Oromian republic (independence of Oromia without a union) or in a form of Cush renaissance (integration of all Cush nations in a form of a union of independent nations in the region). If there is a true democracy and freedom, Oromo is the last nation to fear such a union. Of cource independence without a union is better than oppression under forced unity of nations.
Taking this Oromo factor in to consideration, it is not surprising that Weyane regime hindered the election on the 23rd May 2010 from being fair and free. Fair and free election means a victory for MEDREK, in which Oromo democrats, who are organized under OFC can take power in Oromia (of course MEDREK taking over the whole Ethiopia). Such move towards genuine freedom and democracy is the move towards liberty of Oromo people and to a genuine autonomy of Oromo land (Oromian autonomy). Weyane in particular and all Habesha non-democratic elites in general will never allow this as long as they are in power.
This result of the last sham election in the Ethiopian empire is the additional wake up call for Oromo nationalists who hitherto believed in the possible democratization of the empire and with that a possible decolonization of Oromia. Habesha elites will never allow Oromo get our right per ballot. The only means left is to fight per bullet. No question that strengthening OLF and OLA is the alpha and omega of our liberation struggle. That is why the already started process of the re-unification of the three factions of OLF and then a possible unification with ULFO is not some thing optional, but a life saving MUST. Oromo, let's not fool ourselves! Let's be united under only one strong OLF, which can be millitarily strong, can be feared by our opressors and can be respected in the field of diplomacy. The regimes in the Western world respect and support us only when they see that we are strong enough to affect their interest in the Horn of Africa. Let 's rise up together and bring the situation, where we can really say Oromai to the system of domination in Oromia and in the Horn of Africa.
Galatooma!
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