Opinion: Double Standards and a Faulty Problem Diagnosis

Opinion: Double Standards and a Faulty Problem Diagnosis

Response to Dr. Asafa Jalata's Paper: Building an Oromo Agency and Capacity for Liberation

Hawaas - Dec 6, 2008 - Political consciousness would not come only through education; one can develop political consciousness through the hard school of experience. The writer failed to analyze the political consciousness of Oromos in the pre 1991 era. How did patriots like General Wako Gutu come to boldly challenge and shaken the foundations of the imperial regime without "education"?

The underlying cause of the problem is 17 long years of paralysis, organizational ineffectiveness, and lack of a coherent strategy. The leadership simply could not lift the organization out of the doldrums. It could not inspire and lead the people to wage a robust resistance. It could not resolve conflict properly. It failed to make effective use of the human, material and intellectual resources entrusted to it. Dr. Asafa should, therefore, not talk about mobilization for the Shane camp when it was in fact the very group which arrogantly chose to demobilize its own members and supporters by failing to listen to the overwhelming desire for renewal and progress. Rather than adopting change it rather became reactionary. By closing all the high roads for change, it brought upon itself a revolution, from which it could not and will survive (the organization will not only survive but will thrive, prosper and lead the Oromo to victory). Read More.