There is no time in the Abyssinian political history where its main political actors and elites, including its emperors and modern dictators, have not used either the name of God or some variety of global ideologies such as “communism” or even “democracy” today to lend some colour to, and shore up their aggressive domination. Most Abyssinian opposition groups today, especially their Amhara variants, try to hide behind such forum as SMNE to systematically sabotage the struggle of the oppressed peoples within the Ethiopian empire. They are making their New Year resolution in the name of the forum. They even go as far as using dark skinned figures such as Obang Metho to project an image they do not really believe in to advance their agenda, to say nothing of the numerous modern Gobanas and Abbaa Duulas with their hirelings in Oromia.
Do I need to tell all my readers the fact that the dominant Abyssinian culture is basically racist, no matter how concealed its brand of racism may be? In some ways, it is even more hideously racist than the apartheid of former South Africa. It may sound unbelievable. But facts are facts. I think Obang Metho knows this perfectly well. I do not know Obang personally. So I cannot judge him. All I can say is, if he is a man of integrity, he must be aware of the dangers involved. He should not allow Abyssinian supremacists to misuse him. Certainly, there are many in the outside world who are not aware of of the intrigues of the Abyssinian political elite. When they see captions such as “ Minnesota: Ethiopians embrace humanity before ethnicity” they have no idea who is behind it. The Amhara and Tigray feudo-bourgeois elites have long transformed “Ethiopia” into an ideological catchphrase and a war cry behind which they try to hide their ethnic domination from the world. The irony is those who have raised “Ethiopia” to the level of an ideology of Abyssinian domination try to lecture the world on the virtue of unity.
Victims of the Abyssinian empire who challenge this empire building ideology are automatically dismissed as narrow-minded or worse as hate-mongers. Most of the Abyssinian political elites, theAmhara chauvinists in particular, any way, assume that oppressed people will and must remain for ever passive sufferers of history that they are forced to be, and never active participants in articulating their own reality.
In short, here we have a situation where racist empire-builders parade themselves as defenders of pure humanity while the rest of us are described as ethnocentric, also implying that we are minorities, not they.
They panic each time we move ahead steadily unravelling the secrets of their empire and its unutterable brutality before the entire world. They are determined as ever not to see history unroll. Being a witness of the Abyssinian brutality early in my life, I had decided in my youth not to be part of such Ethiopia, long before I crossed the border to Somalia…. I will never regret that decision. Yet I joined the so-called EPRDF in 1991 for a short time thinking, as the Tigrayans had been on the receiving ends under the Derg, they might implement seriously at least some parts of their own political program.
But the nature of the Abyssinian political class is such that its rigidity, hostility, intransigence and aggression are not meant to change overnight by attractive slogans and political programs as we had already witnessed in the DERG era. Yet, each time, the Abyssinian elites think that they can play their old cards still better. So they constantly try to retouch and revamp history juggling words, strange concepts and terms to to come up with a compelling argument to save their empire irrespective of their many glaring self-contradictions. For example, even the most bitter anti TPLF Amhara groups, never demand seriously the dismantlement of the TPLF fascist army, as it is the army that holds their empire together even though it had dismantled the Amhara dominated army!
TPLF army is actually fulfilling most of their secret ambitions including invading Somalia. Practically Somalia is today under Abyssinian occupation legitimized by the UN and the African Union under the cover of war on terror. Of course the Amhara elites can be fully satisfied only if they steer the empire’s ship altogether away from all vital issues and away from any elementary and basic changes. For them there is nothing more vital than their own old slogan “Ethiopia or death”. Up to now hiding under “ Ethiopia” has served them well, beyond their expectations. It is their magic formula.
The really sad thing is that many hopelessly selfish and short sighted Oromos delude themselves thinking they can snatch it from them. Their aim is to short-circuit the real struggle. The magic formula must disappear alongside Abyssinian domination when the right time comes. The pretensions of most Amhara groups to democracy and human rights do impress only those who do not know them. It is part of an old game they relish playing. Otherwise, why should they refuse to recognize, at least in principle, the right of the oppressed peoples to self-determination, while the brutal TPLF itself has been, at least in its paperwork (constitution), obliged to recognize it and to make some gestures of changes even if superficial. At least people are allowed for the first time to use their own languages officially even if they cannot eat them! The superficiality of the Abyssinian political elites is so apalling and daunting.
That is why I sometimes think that the Amhara ambition can prove to be even more dangerous in many ways than that of Woyane in the long term. Trying to struggle in the same camp with Amharas involves real, not imagined, risks with high price. We can form broad forums and fronts of the oppressed peoples without chauvinists. To do this we need by no means to exclude oppressed ordinary Amharas and Tigrayans who do not strive for empire building from the arena of revolutionary changes. For me this is an important point. The principle of the right to self determination is part of the UN Charter, not just the work of the Student Movement as some wrongly think. Here my point is not to convince the hardened chauvinists. That is impossible. They have long convinced themselves that they can make more valid arguments for their empire than we for our freedom and independence. They are absolutely convinced that they can outdo and outwit us in every way. Such is their crude determination. Their priority is the territorial unity of their empire. Ours is unconditional liberation from its tyranny and oppression. Finally quick wit, decorum and rhetoric have special places in Abyssinian political history. The glow of appearance and power are more important than the content. That glow must, however, be underpinned by military violence constantly as TPLF is also doing, with the help of global players.