The
Emergence of Oromo and Tigre hegemony
Part 2
ጌታቸው ረዳ
(Ethiopian Semay)
My readers remember the first part of this heading
during the Addis Ababa University Oromo students demanded Oromo lands for the
Oromos under the slogan “Oromia Kenga”, an ugly term germinated from fascist
elites with a plan to keeping the hegemony alive. If so, this is its second
part coming to deal with the new proclamation of Addis Abeba given to the
Oromos as owners of the city in violation of other citizens’ right.
The present Oromos who claimed they are the
descendants of the Gala pastoralists (though strangely, naively and ignorantly the
present Oromo do not like the terms “pastoralists” or ‘Gala’ though they do not
deny they are the descendants of the Gala (which they are not 100% descendants
of them) contrary to the Tigre denying they are the mixed ethnic from the
pastoralist Beja) claimed the ¾ of the largest territory of Ethiopian fertile
lands belong to them, which step by step, starting the tribes of the Gala
invasion since the 16 century onward until the present time, annexed many areas
that never belonged to them is becoming a threat to all citizens of the nation.
Since the Oromo and the Tigre elites jointly control
power in Ethiopia after defeated the Derg, the Ethiopian people never get peace
for the last 27 years under these brutal ethnic war lords, who are totally
uncivilized with a modern language speaking skills. Besides the Oromo seizing ¾ territories of the
Ethiopians, they never stop waging hate campaign and ethnic cleansing against
mixed Amhara or none mixed Amhara ethnic who are the largest population than
the Oromo or the Tigre population in Ethiopia.
So therefore, many of the different Oromo ethnic
believed that Ethiopia is not their country. They see Ethiopia a country
established by the Amhara ethnic –which they tagged it as “NefTenGas’ ” or
“Debteras’ ” or “Abyssinia” country. Their motive is therefore, to take the ¾
territory (more than an area of covering 284,538 square kms) colonized since 16 Century
in order to declare their independent as Eritreans declared their disastrous
independent resulted with worst suffering and mass exodus of the Eritrean population to Ethiopia, Sudan and to all over
the world.
How the Gala pastoralists controlled Ethiopias
largest territories beginning from the little village of the tip South border
of Ethiopia all the way to Tigre and Gonder is a book by itself to discuss (one
is written with by a monk (scholar of his time- perhaps even unique scholar of
our time –the humanbeing on earth who left the Oromo new generation their
knowledge pf ethnic names and their rules and cultures) named ‘Aba Bahrey’ an
eye witness of the time and victim himself of the Gala invasion (translated his
book/report/ written in Ge’ez into Amharic by the grandeur Ethiopian scholar Professor Getachew
Haile).
It was
unfortunate moment of history, that how the Oromo got all this lands. They
found it easy to penetrate the territories they lived now all over the country
is because of the Islamic terrorist leader ‘Grang Ahmed’ emasculated the
indigenous male population with a capacity to fight and defend the nation through
his policy of mass conversion to Islam or through mass murder or sold them as
slaves to the Arabs. Therefore, was easy to move in to all direction of the
country which they got what they got now.
The same tactic is now what the Oromo elites are
playing. When the country is weak morally, spiritually and economically with
its popular nationalist leaders deceased or chased out of the country , the
Oromo always got the advantage of pushing more demand for seizer of territory,
power and “cultural subversion” (Introducing and forcing Latin alphabets to the
indigenous Ethiopians).
Yesterday, the Fascist Tigre rulers
intentionally gave away the Addis Ababa capital to the Oromo as their right to
control it under the proclamation “Liyu Tikim”
የኦሮምኛ ቋንቋ የፌደራል ቋንቋ ሆነ የአዋጁ ሙሉ መግለጫ
The new proclamation does not stop only allowing Latin
alphabet to replace the indigenes Ge’ez language, or goes side competing it to
destroy it, but it also gives the city of Addis Abeba as the oromo owned
territory.
It also gave the name
Finfine for Addis Abeba. Strangely also, it allows the cities avenues, roads,
bridges to be named by Oromo titles (names). When that occurred, the streets
will be called by Lencho Leta, Jara and other extremists who were involved in
the crime of murdering the Amhara people. Worst of course might also be Jawar
Street who called the “Ethiopians be evicted out of Oromia. Most worst also called Addis Abeba , as the
heart land of Oromo Capital, therefore, belongs to Oromos giving the Oromos
special privilege than any other citizen. This is what I see it not only
discriminatory based on language and ethnic, but under “Special Act of
Privilege”, allowing more act of hegemony on the capital city of the nation by
Oromos against the right ownership of all citizens of Ethiopia.
Through such discriminatory based on language and especial
ethnic privilege is done intentionally to calm down the current reprisal by the
Oromo against the Tigrayan rulers. By doing so, the plan to secede and the plan
to close all entrance gates to Addis will eventually come true with ‘one’
single exit gate for the Amhara to be expelled from Addis Abeba city during the
declaration of Oromo independence from Ethiopia (as one of the known fascist,
corrupted mind like Assefa Jalata vowed to do it so when that day comes).
So, just let you know
that the agenda of the Oromo and Tigre secession agenda is slowly but surely in
progress. As Abay Tsehaye told his Tigrayan audiences “we intentionally framed
‘ethnic federalism’ all over the country so no one will reverse it – if tried,
people will not allow to be reversed”. What it meant is “we gave the Oromo the
biggest lands and privilege than any others, therefore, they are the ones to
protect the ethnic federalism we gave them”. Here he is right. All Oromo are slicked
to their habitual territorial hegemony during a nation when no nationalist
leader is in the front challenging the hegemony. Most opposition outside or
inside are collaborate in the name of “Democracy” or “Federalism”. The
opposition is also the worst animal-hoods not better than the Wallelig groups
in one or in the other. Nothing, but all mediocre! “Peoples vote, majority
vote” all these jargon are a receipt for disaster. No country built or should
not ruined by majority vote. It is group right as we see it Addis for the Oromo
in the name “majority right!!!”.
You all know by now, that these Oromo ethnics are made of
different tribes. They are in habiting in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Among
those three countries, the Ethiopian Oromo elites are most perhaps the only
violent and criminal elites in East Africa ‘ethnic elites’ for reasons we do
not know. The Oromo in Kenya or in Somalia never had such violent behavior or
hegemony of territories or fabrications of history as these ones are.
Strangely and
uniquely anomaly, the Ethiopian Oromo elites who were registered as immigrants
in Kenya and hired as elementary school teachers started to create a havoc in
Kenya’s Oromo population by writing a letter of protest to the Kenyan Education
Ministry to change the name ‘Gala’ to ‘Oromo’ which is written as legal ethnic
name in the Kenyan school books. The respond given to them was “get the hell of
our Kenya business and create the havoc in your Ethiopia”. (I already post the
letter to my readers’ years back).
You know that such
name never was given by the Ethiopians to the Gala in Kenya or in Somalia. They
still call themselves as such since there is nothing wrong with it. They
demanded name change, just to hypnotize their population as if they are
bringing significant change to their social life. We are called Agame by the
Eritreans, we never demand name change, because changing name will never get
one free from hate or any insult, if conceder in such. You can’t keep changing
names anytime your name is attached into different meanings.
Such fictitious work to destabilize Ethiopia is been supported
by the German Protestants (the recent bible temperament of Kush Ethiopia) and of
course also by other enemies of Ethiopia. For so many years, the Oromo fascist
elites supported by foreigners were fooling many naïve Ethiopian elites and
foreigners with their treacherous and fictitious grievances which casts Oromo
as colonial subjects violently displaced from their land, which unjustifiably
the Oromo are the ones who are in the act of subjecting others by annexing ¾ Ethiopian territories
held currently by the Oromo themselves. Strangely, giving the annexed
territories with a fabricated new name “Oromia” which originally never existed a
land or a country called in such name or such large territories never belong to
them historically or legally. Thos territories belong to all of “Ethiopian
citizens”.
This is exactly why such
unjustified ownership created anger on me for many years: because, it denies
also my right, my privilage to own it as a citizen also. Here it comes again two days ago a new
conspiracy of proclamation which gives “only Oromo” as the owner of the city of Addis Abeba with a
special privilege
to be served, provided better privileged attention more than any Ethiopian
citizen, institution, administration, community, association and so on. This is
of course, another bribe by the TPLF elites to the Oromo population to hash
them down from barking “Oromia Kenga”.
Mind you dear
readers; this special privilege is based on ethnic and language affiliation
besides the ¾ lands already grabbed by the Oromo for the last 27 years. Now, Addis
is given to the Oromo which will deny the ownership of all citizens and other
institutions because, we are not Oromo, but Ethiopian. For being Ethiopian or
other ethnic group, we are now legally
by proclamation discriminated from the privilege given tot the Oromo ethnic.
Remember again, our
sea ports are given to the Eritreans, now Addis Abeba the vital capital city of
the country (Africa) is given to the Oromo ethnic under a special privilege act
with a new name “Finfine”. Now, the
conspiracy done in Welkait against the Amhara by the Tigrayans is now coming to
play with a similar game to privileged the Oromo based on their ethnic
affiliation. If history claimed, it should go back to debate then who owns
Addis Ababa. There sitting 13 century government citing palaces and yet no one
gives a crap to the artifacts and ancient churches standing in front of them
who were there before the Oromos.
So, nothing is going
to be smooth for the future with such discriminatory special privilege for
special ethnic group. Eventually, it is the matter of time, people will
eventually react and demand; either the Oromo need to relinquish such hegemony
or face future conflict that will create havoc like the South Sundaes in
Ethiopia. I am not joking- this is serious issue. No democracy discriminates
based on ethnic or language affiliation without any public debate and
documentations presented for the destination. Such discriminatory proclamation
is done by anti Ethiopian groups set to destroy Ethiopia intentionally.
The Tigrayan elites have no right to disunite Ethiopia or
give Addis Abeba to the Oromos as owners in a form of political bribe to hash
them from barking against their corrupt system. Ethiopian Citizens should not
be subject to the Oromo hegemony in this century again which it reminds us the
bad memory of the 16 century of the pastoralist Gala invasion. Citizens’ right should
not be allowed to be violated by any group under any circumstances as the only
owners of any land or a city. This is why we opposed the ethnic federalism
which is apartheid in its worst face.
Ethiopians should oppose such fictitious history by any
means and fight back against such illegal hegemony in this modern time. This is
not the 16 century that people should be subjected for slavery or discriminated
based on ethnic, location or language affiliation. If so, every ethnic is going
to go back and claim counter claim of ownership. If such occurred, the result will
be havoc. That is why I am warning such is a receipt for disaster. So we need to stop Oromo expansion and the
Tigre expansion from creating more and more public unrest. We need to demand
all citizens to own any territory of the country as citizens. No one group
should own anything as a master of a given territory, because they are near the
capital or center of the land or what have you. We have one country, we are one
people living in one country. We all own it- no one should not privileged
better or more than the other. Citizen is equal in the share of the nation’s
wealth and land. Ethnics do not own Ethiopia, the people of Ethiopia own
Ethiopia!
Now, let us revisit the Oromo fiction. The following
articulated paper was written by Prof.
Feqadu Lamessa for Salem-News.com (A guide for foreign journalists
on Oromos and Ethiopian history) under the title (History
101: Fiction and Facts on Oromos of Ethiopia) posted at ECADF (July 29, 2013).
Fiction #1:
“Between 1868 and 1900,
half of all Oromo were killed, around 5 million people”
Fact #1:
This is one of the most
repeated inaccuracies, usually told by Secessionist Oromos, radical
ethno-nationalist politicians outside the country or pro-OLF history
revisionist websites like gadaa.com et al. However, the undisputed fact is that
even the total Ethiopian population (the sum of dozens of ethnic groups) was
much less than 5 million in the late 1800s, let alone one ethnic group being 10
million. So claiming that 5 million ethnic Oromos were killed by Emperor
Menelik’s forces does not add up. The truth is several thousand Oromos were in
fact killed during battles of that era. It was not a “genocide” as some
politicians claim but it was a massacre of the ill equipped southern forces
defeated by the Shewan military of Emperor Menelik which had more European
weapons. Throughout those decades, the truth is more Oromos were killed by
other Oromos than by non-Oromos because competing Oromo Clans often traded for
weapons to have an upper hand against their local competitors, who were often
their fellow Oromo and Sidama neighbors. And it was not the first lop sided
victory of that era in Africa because various communities from all corners of
Ethiopia had attacked one another during the “resource battles” and whichever
group had more modern weapons had the upper hand. To summarize, Professor
Mengistu Paulos of Jimma University said it best when describing right-wing
Oromo liberation philosophy:
“Most fictional accounts of ‘Oromo history’
blindly accepted as facts by some misled people are manufactured by former
politicians turned Pseudo-historians like OLF writer Asafa Jalata, who is
renowned for abuse of paraphrasing, often with out-of-context citations. For
example, while quoting the 19th century Russian Alexander Bulatovich (who
provided an ‘educated guess’ of annihilation of almost half Ethiopian
population by disease, famine and war, including internal conflict between
Oromo clans and with Abyssinians), the OLF-writer Asafa Jalata infamously
claimed half Oromo population was killed by ‘evil’ Amharas. This was purposely
done by Mr. Jalata to create a foundation for ethnic hatred between Oromos and
Amharas. Ironically, even Mr. Bulatovich himself never had the capacity nor the
legitimacy to do a reliable census, as he spent just a couple of months walking
around Oromia and hunting elephants in 1890s.”
Fiction #2:
“…. largely Muslim Oromo
people”
Fact #2:
This is a phrase seen in
some media outlets but not most. Oromo people have never been a predominantly
muslim people. In fact, both Christianity and Islam is not our ancestral
religion because we have practiced an indigenous traditional religion for
centuries before. Gradually, Islam and Christianity were both adopted (during
Oromo migrations) by us and imposed (during conquest of our lands by
Abyssinian/Christians & Somalis/Islam) on us throughout history. Even
today, both the two major religions have equal representation among Oromos. The
latest official 2007 census showed that around 48% of Oromos practice
Christianity (Both Orthodox & Protestant) while around 47% of Oromos
practice Islam. Yet, word on the ground is that the Islam population might soon
surpass Christianity among Oromos in the future because Orthodox Christianity
is decreasing inside Oromia. (Prof. Feqadu Lamessa for
Salem-News.com (A guide for foreign
journalists on Oromos and Ethiopian history).
Let me conclude my part
2 until I come back with my part three commentary regarding this issue. Which I
read a book by Bahru Zewde, where I quote it on my part one commentary as the
following.
‘Bahru Zewde’s book “the quest for socialist Ethiopia” dealing about the Ethiopian student movement from 1960 to 1974; a truly well researched book caught my attention reading part of the history of the Hailesselassie University student movement slogan posted around the Yekatit 12 square, just outside the Sedist Kilo campus, read: “Ethiopia’s wealth should reach all”. Indeed a superbly beautiful slogan.’ ( The Emergence of Oromo and Tigre hegemony part 1
(https://ethiopiansemay.blogspot.com/2016/01/12_12.html)
In this era, the reverse
is what we are hearing from the so called Tigre or Oromo students’ current
slogan ‘Tigre for the Tigrayans, Oromia for the Oromo’. ‘Oromiya Kenga!/Oromo
is ours!” A slogan contrary to the then Hailesselassie University Students’
slogan! It is a big “U” turbn leading to a character of hegemony and greed!
This is indeed the
result of incredibly corrupt and visionless elites who mislead those sloganeers
“Oromo for the Oromo” and “Tigray for the Tegaru”.
Part 3 will continue (ጌታቸው ረዳ
Ethiopian Semay)
