Ethiopia Post-Meles and the Oromo Agenda
by Magarsa Mukhtar
September 11, 2012 (Gulele Post) — No dictator rules for a lifetime. Not in the new millennium. With the wave of domestic anti-government sentiments and the rapid trends of change across the region, Meles Zenawi’s days as prime minister of Ethiopia were always numbered.
Zenawi was fortunate to get a dignified exit from politics and this world, a luxury many of his African counterparts didn’t enjoy. However, his “untimely demise” has opened a new can of worms for his successors. As the state-run ETV replays a scene of government officials’ casting votes, the social web is awash with rumors of power struggle.
Now that the ruthless dictator is gone, is there a cause for celebration for Oromos?
Celebration alludes to some sort of victory and that is certainly not the case. Yes, Meles’ departure provides more leeway for the Oromos to flex their muscles against an extremely repressive political elite but it seems like the head of the snake falling off hasn’t quite led to its death.
Nevertheless, the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) has found itself in a critical state with discouraging prognosis. The Oromos could help expedite the demise of the party that has been a scourge to our existence if we take a lesson from the history book of post-1991 politics in Ethiopia.
The implications of Dergue’s downfall and the demise of Meles Zenawi are strikingly similar. Enormous sacrifices led to that momentous occasion when Mengistu Hailemariam ran for his life. Many hoped, the transitional government of Ethiopia would usher in a new beginning – an era of hope, equality and freedom. Early signs were encouraging.
An ethnic-based federal structure was put in place, the brainchild of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). A relatively autonomous self-rule was envisaged. Ethnic regions were to develop their culture and language. Afan Oromo became the official language of Oromia regional state.
Alas, we soon learned, Ethiopia’s sad saga of oppression, tyranny and ethnic disparity was simply given a new lease of life. The new and enchanting Ethiopia belied the truth that this was a ploy to placate Oromo separatist sentiment, and Meles was the architect of it all. Meles’ Machiavellianism and OLF’s belief that he was not a trustworthy partner led to the latter being pushed out of the transitional government. This not only precipitated the ostracization of the OLF, but also emboldened the OPDO – a political outfit designed by TPLF to serve as an agent of the state rather than the voice of Oromos.
Two decades later, the OLF has become weaker than ever and fragmented as a result of both Meles’ machinations and OLF’s own grave political miscalculations. The most unfortunate victims of all these has been the Oromo people. However, Oromos cannot be beholden to the past. Dwelling on the past, especially at this critical juncture, is not the right way forward. So which way forward? Here are some suggestions.
–Full Report Gulele Post
Build a new party if you can, which include all ethnics of Ethiopian for democracy and freedom. Make you political party goal is to make sure all people have the wright to educate themselves and have equal work opportunity. We have no strong party except TPLF. Ethiopia needs to be multi-parties country to avoid a single party crisis. OLF what? You want to collect money in the name of oromo people and if some money can be collected form the west with the name of the people forget it. We all Oroms what you are going to do about it? Oromo people said we don’t want that kind of front. Ethiopia is for Oroms, Amhars, Tigries, Gurages,somals, for the peoples from the east and west side of the country. The people showed they are inseparable even some politicians tell them you don’t belong together. The people showed in many occasions they belong together. Ethiopians didn’t get educated party leaders who can understand the filling and the love of togetherness deep inside the hurt of Ethiopians. Different the so called parties the try to pull the people to the left to divide the people and break the country into pieces. Each square meter of the land, from the west, east, south or north belong to 80.000.000 Ethiopian. All the people sacrificed to keep the land from out siders and have to share it equally. Ethiopian people need multi-party country, so there will be power balance and no place and time for the enemy peoples. Why OLF didn’t won all this time, because the people didn’t want to be divided. They only want to have equality, freedom and equally sharing power. West your time where the heart of people not where you like.
Mr. Solomon, I hope, you are not living in Ethiopia today. If you are in Ethiopia, correctly you know the meaning of freedom, dictator, free religious, the case of separation, etc. You said “no strong party in Ethiopia except TPLF.”
1.If you remember the 2005 election, you you can fill shame or you are happy for your words. The strongest and democratic party can not kill his innocent nation. But TPLF killed 200 Ethiopian people. Why?
2. “Equal work opportunity–”
To whom belong all business in Ethiopia?
3.Who are on power in every region of Ethiopia?
4.If it is strong, why TPLF kill, put in prisons tenth of thousands Oromo children?
5.If it is strong, after the death of TPLF boss, why it release thousands of Oromo prisoners those whom their boss (Meles) put in pirsons?
6. If the party is strong, why it put the opposition parties’ leaders in the prisons?
7. If the party is strong, why Ethiopians have no right to free demonstration?
8.If the party is strong, on 2010 election how they got 99.9%?
9. If TPLF THE STRONGEST why it afraid of its nation?
As I know,the high number of gunmen in one country shows that the dictatorial administration, the weakness of leading system, the absent of relationship b/n the leader and the nation. The strongest party is the party that stand for the freedom of its nation, and is sported by the high number of population in the country.
Mr. Solomon, The Oromos will come.