Can Dr. Abiy be Transformed from Amapianist to Oropianist Leader?

No question that Dr. Abiy is rather good Ethiopianist leader than an Oromo nationalist. He loves to talk about Ethiopia and Ethiopiawinet. The question yet to be answered is about which type of Ethiopia and Ethiopiawinet does he speak? Ethiopia with the meaning of Amapia (Amaranet dominated Ethiopia) as it is up to now or Ethiopia in a sense of Oropia (Oromumma led Ethiopia) as it definately will be in the future. I think, as long as he is determined to keep the status quo of Amharanet/Amharigna domination, his Ethiopia is without question the same to Amapia and he is surely Amapianist. Whether he may change this position will be seen in near future. In case he will be bold, courageous and strong enough to promote Afaan Oromo to the primary working language of the federation, replacing Amharigna, he can be accepted, respected and aknowledged as an Oropianist, who should be regarded by the Oromo. If he can make such a transformation from Amapianist to Oropianist will be seen. May Waaqa help him take such step of transformation.

Dr. Abiy lost Oromo support mainly because of his preference of Amharanet to Oromumma. He is typical example of Amharianist Oromo elites, who are revering Amharanet, instead of respecting Oromummaa. This is one of the true signs of slave mentality. To him, the Ethiopia he adores can only be realized by keeping Amharigna as first working language of the federation, eventhough Oromiffa deserves this primary position. He is proud by speaking Amharigna and using Oromiffa in federal institutions is not imaginable. With such mentality of neglecting Oromiffa/Oromumma and maintaining the ongoing domination of Amharigna/Amharanet, Dr. Abiy is seen by the Oromo as one of the hitherto Ethiopian leaders, who suppressed the Oromo. He is as oppressor as Meles and Mengistu. That is why almost all genuine Oromo nationalists, except few opportunists  are against his rule. If he wants to save himself and be reconciled with the Oromo, there is no other way rather than promoting Oromiffa/Oromummaa to primary position, so that all institutions of the federation such as the parlament  palace, cabine, security, justice and military use Oromiffa primarly, replacing Amharigna.

Controversial analyses and assessments are going on regarding the influence of Amhara elites and Oromo elites in Finfinne palace. Some people, including Ob Leenco Lata, assert that Oromo elites are leading and ruling,  whereas Amhara elites are playing only secondary role. Others, like Jaal Marroo of OLA (Oromo Liberation Army), consider that Amhara elites (the Neo-Naftagna) are on the top of power and they are instrumentalizing Abiy Ahmed to do their bidding of cracking down on genuine Oromo nationalists like Jawar of OFC and Daud of the OLF, just as they used Mengistu H/ Mariam (Oromo) to persecute Haile Fida and his Meison party. All these can be discussed controversially, but there is one hard fact never to be denied. As long as Amharanet/Amharigna is dominating the federation, all Oromo elites in power including the PM are servants and slaves of Amhara elites, just like Oromo elites, who had power with Menelik, H/Silassie, Mengistu and even Meles. Under all these regimes Oromo elites were merly servants of the dominating Amharanet camouflaged as Ethiopiawinet. Abiy Ahmed and his Oromo Prosperitans now in power are doing no difference. Demeqe Mekonen and other Amhara Prosperitans are riding them like horses. As long as Abiy and co keep the hitherto domination of Amharanet, they are doing the bidding of Demeqe and co. That is why, we can say APP the hero is riding OPP the horse. The struggle should continue till Oromo Republicans as hero take over power from Oromo Prosperitans,  who are good horses of the Neo-Naftagnas.

Despite such conflict, the cooperation of the two (Amhara and Oromo) elites to get rid of the fascist TPLF was comendable. It was fact on the ground that the TPLF leaders started anti-Derg struggle by designating the Dire-Sawa (Shewa) Amhara as their main enemy. As they came to Finfinne in 1991, their main aim was to sow a discord between the two peoples in Sawa, who had power for about 700 years and who were active in nation building of the present day Ethiopia (Great Oromia). Both the Amharinya speaking & the Oromiffa speaking peoples of Sawa are two faces of the same coin; they are Tuulama Oromo with two cultural and linguistic variety. The development in these two directions started in 1270, as the Oromo monarchs lead by Gifti Mandea’s son Tulluu Caala (his throne name being Yekuno-Amlak) developed Lisane Negus (Amharinya) as their working language and distanced themselves from the common and low class, Oromo population. From this time on, certain sector of the Oromo started to be converted to the new identity, calling themselves Amma-haaraa (now new) = Amhara. The conversion took place in 5 stages:

– accept Orthodox Christianity
– change personal names; e. g from Guddisaa to Wolde-Michael
– learn the Lisane Nigus
– be acculturated to the new Amhara way of life
– psychological self-identification as Amhara, instead of Oromo

We have seen this way of conversion in our life and some of us have gone through some of the five steps. Those who have completed the five steps and their descendants lost their Oromo identity and become Amhara. Only those who conserved their Oromo identity, at least by resisting the fifth step, feel to be Oromo, even if they may have passed through the four steps. These procedure was also applied to Agaw, so that most of them were converted to Amhara or Tegaru.

Interestingly the conserved Oromo helped in the 700 years rule of the converted Oromo being camouflaged as the second Solomon dynasty just to have a legitimacy of power in front of the population. They did build Christian kingdom with Christian nationalism and fought constantly against Galla (with more religious meaning of “pagan” than ethnic meaning) as Waaqeffata and against Muslim. Some elites of these converted Cushites still define their kingdom (Ethiopia) as anti-Islam and anti-Oromo; that is why their version of Ethiopiawinet identity is rejected by some conserved Oromo nationalists.

The Axumite converted Agaw of the first Solomon dynasty lost power to the conserved Agaw dynasty of Zagwe in 10th century. The conserved Agaw lost their power to the converted Oromo in 13th century and tried to come back repeatedly till the success of both the converted and conserved Agaw in 1991. The converted Agaw (the Tegaru) were ruling the whole country with brute force, being helped by their kin (conserved Agaw) till the current liberation of both the conserved and converted Oromo being lead by the speakers of the two Afaan Oromo (Amhariyna and Oromiffa).

The two faces of the Sawa Oromo comprehended this mechanism and stopped being manipulated by the TPLF in a horizontal conflict of Amhara vs Oromo. It was time for both the conserved Oromo and the converted Oromo of not only Sawa, but that of the whole country to cooperate and fight against the system of domination in unison. Also the conserved Agaw and converted Agaw public cooperated in the freedom struggle against the Tigrean elites’ tyranny. Our main enemies – the system and its supporters, not any population group – are now defeated. Especially the two organizations, Amhara Prosperity Party (APP)  of the converted Oromo and Oromo Prosperity Party (OPP) of the conserved Oromo played big role in this liberation maneuver. Now the two faces of the same people (Oromo) can push for the democratization and transformation of Ethiopia to Oropia – our common country. Thanks to Waaqa for helping us to conclude the first phase of our struggle (fighting for freedom from alien forces)! The next second phase is liberation struggle against our own oppressors (Oromo prosperitans) and a choice between the type of sovereignty we want to realize: Oromia and/or Oropia. But Oropia can only be realized, when Oromiffa/Oromumma takes its legitimate leading primary position replacing the hitherto domination of Amharanet/ Amharigna. To that effect, free minded Oromo Republicans must defeat the slave minded Oromo Prosperitans.

Galatooma