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 SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM OF THE OROMO FEDERALIST DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT (OFDM)
The
Oromo people were conquered by Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia
(Abyssinia then) at the same time as Europeans were colonizing Africa
in the nineteenth century.
The
Oromo then lost their social and political system called "Gadaa" and
became subjected people. They were subjected to serfdom and lived for a
hundred years as such in a state of highly impoverished and backward
society. They were treated separately from the rest of the population
and their standard of living has continued to decline.
The
Oromo have tried frequently through the period to shake off Abyssinian
rule. With the help of certain European countries, Ethiopia succeeded
in repressing the most populous society of Ethiopia.
The
current government of Ethiopia, promised in 1991, a coalition
government to included Oromo representation. It failed to keep its
promise and continued to dominate the Oromo region and people, although
the law says that it should be federal state. Repressive administration
has continued and the Oromo people have been restless since 1991. The
more the Oromo demanded their political and civil rights, the more the
Government became repressive.
A new Oromo political party was
established in the year 2004 and its name is "Oromo Federalist
Democratic party." It stands for the following:
- Land should belong to the community (as it
used to be in the Northern part of Ethiopia) and individual farms
should belong to farmers. The Government should terminate ownership of
land. The farmer can use his farmland as collateral to borrow money
from a bank if he decides to upgrade his operations. If it is to be
auctioned, to recoup bank money, it should be done within the
community.
- The federal system, which is now only in
the law, should be practiced and should never be changed to unitary
government as some are advocating now.
- Afan Oromo (the Oromo language) being
the language of the largest single ethnic group in Ethiopia, should be
one of the official languages of Ethiopia like English and French in
Canada. The Oromo will never give up the demand for their language to
be official.
- The electoral system of Ethiopia should
be presidential, so that every Ethiopian can vote for the president.
The parliamentary system has not served the Ethiopian people. It has
become an instrument that enables minorities to rule over the majority.
Former British colonies have abandoned the parliamentary system because
it does not give voice to individual citizens.
Of course, the existing Constitution should be amended to reflect the above demands of OFDM.
Other provision of the Constitution such as fundamental human rights and liberties should be maintained in the new Constitution.
Full version of the program of OFDM
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