LAUNCHING OF THE OROMO DEMOCRATIC FEDERALIST MOVEMENT
Saturday, December 4, 2004
Jerusalem Hotel, Finfinnee
(Translated recently from Obbo Bulcha’s notes in Oromifa)
This is truly a historic day for all of us. Oromo intellectuals, youth, and elders are openly meeting in such a gathering for the first time in a long time to talk about how to reclaim what we lost a little over a hundred years ago. When the Gada system was overrun, we lost the right to guide our own political, economic and social life. Other people have been forcing us to live under oppressive regimes. We do not have the right to use our resources for our people. We have no right to plan and execute our development programs – our educational, health, agriculture and environmental programs are dictated to us by officials who do not have our interest at heart. We have been addressed as “they”, “the gallas”. We are treated as though we were some alien group. “Oromo students”, “Metcha Tulema”, and so on. It must be noted that there are associations of Gojjam, Gondar, Wello, Tigray, or just Amhara, Siltte, etc.. None of these is treated as a strange group.
We are talking about these issues to bring about far-reaching changes – changes in the way we are viewed. We want people to see us for what we are: we are the Oromo nation. We are part of Ethiopia. We have a population that is not only 40% of Ethiopia, but a virile, robust, forward-looking, hard-working and proud people. We refuse to be robbed and exploited. We want and we will create a democratic system where our voices count, and if our voices count, we would play a major role in the formation of the Government of Ethiopia. This is our country, and in accordance with our number and resources, we are politically the most important group. We have to be. Our educated youth have the right to expect and get employed by the Federal Government. As it is today, federal employment is hardly open to Oromo youth.
Our language (Afaan Oromo) cannot be relegated only to the Oromia region. Our language has to be an official language of Ethiopia. If the language of the Zulu people in South Africa is official because the Zulu people constitute the largest ethnic group in the country, and if the Pastun language of Afghanistan is official because the Pastun people is the largest group in Afghanistan, why isn’t Afaan Oromo an official language of Ethiopia? It is because we have been weak. Now we have to be strong. Our people must learn to vote together, to change the Government of Ethiopia, when there are elections. Vote rigging cannot always be the rule of the day. That change will also come through the political struggle of the Oromo people.
The French in Canada have made their language official. The Germans, the Italians and the French in Switzerland have made their languages official. There are two official languages in Sweden and Belgium. Our language cannot be rejected as an official language. When we have at least 51% majority in the Ethiopian Parliament, we will change the current Constitution. Such a day is not far off, in my view.
Our lands have become Government property. Our lands were taken away from us by the forces of Menelik II in the 19th century. The Revolution of 1974 promised to return land to the tillers. But the Government did not drive the Revolution to its logical conclusion. The leaders appropriated the lands to the Government and the Oromo remained where they had always been.
During the last one hundred years, whenever Oromos raised their heads, they were given stunning blows. The Arsi Oromo were hit hard when they resisted Menelik’s invasion. The Gullelle Oromo were crushed by the newly aquired fire arms by Menelik. But before that, when everybody had only horses and spears, the Oromo were able to defend their freedom and live as a free people at least for 250 years (16th to 19th centuries). The Bale uprising of the 1960’s was the continuation of Oromo resistance. Metcha Tulema and General Tadesse Birru’s movement in the mid-60’s was also the continuation of Oromo resistance. Oromo resistance has never ceased. The strategy and the tactics have to change in accordance with geo-political imperatives.
We are here today to politically continue that resistance. We want to organize our people to use their votes to change their status. We want our people to realize that they possess a most powerful political weapon in their hands. This is the power to vote for or against politicians. If the Oromo vote only for those they trust and rely on, their oppression will cease; their language would not be rejected; their students would not be ruthlessly expelled from universities; their organizations will not be closed down by fiat; and they would not be thrown into jail at will. Their homeland would develop and be a beautiful tourist destination. These are OFDM’s dreams and we know nobody can stop this march. Today, we may look small and unimpressive, but we, in OFDM, are determined to go forward with faith in our people and in God. We want Oromos everywhere to give us moral boost.
As we resolutely pursue our interest, and peacefully force any Ethiopian Government to respect our rights, we will not entertain any hostility against any ethnic group in our country. We will not view anyone as an enemy. We will be hard-nosed politicians and in politics, there is no hatred, there is only the desire to guard one’s interest with passion but without emotion.
We view other ethnic groups as our neighbors and potential collaborators. Knowing that the present generation was not the perpetrator of our oppression. We were victimized by the ruling class of many generations. The ordinary Amhara or Tigre citizen of this country indeed did not fare better than our people. The ruling class made our people tenants and serfs but did nothing better for their own people whom they only fed empty psychological sense of superiority. Nonetheless, we will not hold them directly responsible for plundering us.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have to know thoroughly well what we stand for. Our political program is perfectly clear. We can explain it to anybody who is interested. This program will radically change the state of our self-determination (federalism), land-holding, the status of Afaan Oromo, and the election system of Ethiopia. The electoral system will change to the presidential system to suit the Oromo people. Because of our plurality, any democratic leader of Ethiopia will have to be supported by the Oromo.
Discipline is another subject that I would like to address today. We must always stand together in explaining and defending our program. It will weaken our party to criticize our political program to outsiders. But we must not lightly pass over our weaknesses. We will make it our culture to criticize ourselves. We must learn to take criticism and recognize that criticizing ideas is different from personal attacks. When we discuss public affairs, we must meticulously avoid to take personal offense. When people criticize our ideas, it is always appropriate to make a distinction between ourselves and our ideas. When the Oromo people came together in the various Oda’s during the Gada system, they openly criticized each other. But when they were ready to go back to their respective places, they embraced each other and said good bye. This statement is based on what I read.
In terms of the economic policies that OFDM accepts and endorses, we will debate in the months to come. But, it is obvious that we will not go back to the system that failed the Oromo and this nation. The system in which the Government owns practically all sectors of the economy has been unable to change people’s lives. The Government’s policy to own all the means of production and distribution presses down on the natural energies and talents of the citizens, because the private sector is unable to compete with the giant Government.
My fellow Oromos,
My intention today is to lay out briefly what we should all agree on, as I know that we will face myriads of questions from friends and foes alike. We are not yet recognized as a political party, but we are authorized to hold meetings and consultations with the view to collecting the required number of signatures from the required number of localities.
I thank you for your attention.
Bulcha Demeksa
Chairman
Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement