By Albasa Dagaga*
Raammoo Cuqulisaa’s
diatribe in defense of Laalo Guduru’s
Chickens, Eagles and Leencopsychodrama has brought to light what Oromo nationalists have expected to face after the invention of ODF
[Oromo Democratic Front]. Oromo nationalists are cognizant of the impending conflict with ODF since the founders of ODF are former founding members of OLF
[Oromo Liberation Front]. Two recent articles by
Laalo and
Raammoo strongly attacked Oromo nationalists in defense of Leenco’s recent expedition trip to Finfinne while the shameful debacle, which the leader of ODF had experienced, brought to the fore strong criticisms and contempt from the side of the nationalists. This commentary is a response to the articles written by Laalo and Raammoo defending Leenco.
My first reaction to Laalo’s and Raammoo’s comments was a surprise, followed by feelings of anger and guilt. I felt that we were indebted to our people to stop this madness. The two commentaries were abusive, and they showed the level of disdain and contempt ODFites harbor for Oromo nationalists.
Laalo Guduru called those who voiced their opposition to Leenco Lata’s recent irrational expedition trip Finfinne as PTSD-infested lowlifes of the Diaspora. Laalo’s twisted diagnosis was based on his/her perverse theory that we “… had suffered severe torture or long imprisonment, or had been in the armed conflict and had gone through a lot of trauma at the battlefield. As a result, some of these have untreated PTSD.” Whereas Leenco had been wise enough not to go through all this hardship, yet he was crowned leader of the OLF while residing in his secured penthouse/tower in the Sudan and leading his “subjects” via a remote control, thereby wisely avoiding the trauma and hardship associated with fighting the enemy head-on inside the uncomfortable Oromian jungles, infested with mosquitoes and wild beasts, for close to 20 years. In other words, Leenco who – unsurprisingly – has been decisively defeated by TPLF, and who – after being chased out of Oromia unceremoniously in 1992 – flew officially to Finfinne, at least twice – 1993 and 2015, to surrender to his new masters – representing OLF and ODF, respectively, and to be yet again chased out of the country unceremoniously – is lauded as a wise leader, and those of us, who predicted the outcome of his recent Finfinne expedition trip, are labeled as PTSD sufferers.
I find such intentional mischaracterization and labels sickening, twisted, perverse and immoral. I also question the sanity of Laalo and Raammoo. Nevertheless, their contempt towards Oromo nationalists in general, and their condescension towards true Oromo heroes who have given their precious lives for the struggle, is evident. Glory to our martyred heroes who have given their lives so that Oromia shall be free some day and our children shall live in freedom unmolested by Abyssinian rulers ever again. What is even more disgusting is the irrational bestowing of all the credit on Leenco for the little achievements the Oromo people have so far gained. Nothing is more disgusting and revolting than reading or listening to propaganda that whatever has been achieved so far is the result of Leenco’s past contribution. Understandably, his worshipers do not understand the true meaning of gallantry, sacrifices, heroism and valor. Leenco’s contribution, if we can call it that, is minuscule compared to those who have given their lives. Leenco’s contribution, if any, is minuscule compared to those who are still insisting on facing the enemy head-on with arms or with stones, or even compared to those fighting the enemy with bare hands to say ‘no’ to the enemy. Leenco may have actually done more damage to the Oromo struggle over the past forty years compared to his spotty good deeds. Without going into details, and just to mention one he has been distinguished for, Leenco, by unilaterally trying to change the Political Program of the OLF from that of aiming at liberating Oromia to that of aiming at federating Oromia with Abyssinia, has divided the already weak OLF, which he had misled for decades, into four parts, and in the process, he decimated the most tested and experienced OLF fighting force in the Southern Zone. That gave the death blow to OLF, and a free ride for the TPLF army and cadres to roam unchallenged in Oromia and to subjugate our people for the past 25 years. This followed his fateful encampment of some 20,000 OLF fighters – a process that exposed our precious fighters to the TPLF, a dangerous group that used the opportunity Leenco gave it and turned the camps into killing fields. A chilling, unforgivable and unforgettable politico-military debacle deserving trial of those who callously made such a decision by a court-martial. Do these heinous acts truly entitle Leenco the mythical figure Laalo and Raammoo try to portray?
Raammoo Cuqulisaa’s diatribe in defense of Laalo Guduru’s “Chickens, Eagles and Leenco” psychodrama is an ugly manifestation of a frustrated turncoat, capitulator, defeatist and surrender. The sarcastic, but holler for plea, article by Raammoo in defense of the cracked Laalo’s PTSD diagnosis of the Oromo exiled community is also more of a theatrical comedy routine than an intelligent composition. Raammoo and his phenotypes are undercover Ethio-Oromos who hide inside Oromo nationalist organizations to weaken, tear down and destroy Oromo nationalism and nationalists undetected. The person correctly named himself Raammoo – which, I believe, is a prototype for a Freudian slip. He inadvertently revealed his unconscious motives, wishes and attitudes. Literally, Raammoo (Maagaa) means a tapeworm or a flat parasitic worm that lives in the intestinal tracts of the host, and eat the body from inside to weaken the host. Similarly, the Oromo “raammoos” have been hanging inside nationalist political organizations with the goal of dividing people and weakening the struggle from inside out for far too long. Within the Oromo community, Raammoo and the hundreds of Ethio-Oromos have been sucking the energy out of our struggle for the past 40 years. They are remnants of EPRP, MEISON, DERG, and former OLF defeatists and capitulators. All of these hide inside our organizations camouflaged as nationalists, where in reality – they are just waiting for the right time to strike a blow at us, and make a deal with their Habashamasters and share the spoils of the victory – no matter who becomes victorious – which, at the present, happens to be the TPLF. Fortunately, we are right on the edge of being providential for those who believe with confidence in Oromia’s right to be an independent free state, but also right on the edge of being ridiculous for the sellout Raammoo’s, Laalo Guduru’s and Leenco’s inside the Oromo national liberation movement — for Ethio-Oromos lurking inside the Oromo national liberation movement, their dream of undermining Oromo nationalism continues to turn into nightmare since 1991, and they have gone wild and crazy in 2015. The delusional Laalo calls the leader of this disgruntled collection of morally, ethically and spiritually crashed subjects, an Eagle soaring in the blue sky with his ever spreading wings. Raammoo, the poignant known trumpeter and blower of hot air, pontificates Guduru’s “mighty” pen and wags his customary tail by ululating Leenco as a man of ideas, in the realm of which, he dares a tad higher than his peers and hence shines brighter. Alas!
What has really bothered most of us is not Leenco trying to go back home per se as much as how and for what purpose? He has never publicly told the Oromo people what he tried to negotiate with TPLF, and what he did agree to in particular. Although, Leenco has no army to encamp this time, what did he agree to sign on even before the real negotiation was to happen? The TPLF continues to suppress Oromo nationalism by persecuting, intimidating, mass detaining and massacring nationalists, community/civic leaders, and educated and enlightened Oromos; and it hires local mercenaries and assigns loyal surrogates among the communities to control their everyday lives. Economically, TPLF is spreading instability and displacement of Oromos from their lands – intentionally impoverishing the people by denying them economic opportunities. Politically, all venues to the right to peaceful assembly, primarily intended to protect the freedom of people to express themselves in public places, cost hundreds of Oromo lives this past year. Freedom of organization, assembly and speech, and activities related to political individual and group rights, could tag one as a terrorist in the eyes of TPLF. Socially, the fabric of the Oromo society is so highly restricted that social and public services are so degraded. The few shiny social services are meant to serve the new Tigrean naftegna bourgeoisie. It was under such conditions that Leenco again promised Oromo what he could not deliver and flew to the TPLF-controlled Finfinne – only to shame the name Oromo and bring back the old disastrous memories from two decades ago.
What I had wished for Leenco henceforth was one and only one courageous move – RETIRE. What Leenco should have done upon returning from Finfinne this time around was to address the Oromo people and the entire world community in the following terms:
‘I, Lencoo Lata, tried to peacefully resolve the Oromo question with TPLF for the past 25 years. I agreed to almost all of the conditions TPLF put in front of me for the sake of peace – at a heavy price to myself and to my comrades bearing understandable criticisms from Oromo nationalists. I have now exhausted all avenues, and henceforth, will not hold the Oromo struggle hostage. My opponents who have told me for the past 25 years are correct – they have repeatedly told me that TPLF can only understand the language of force. I now concur with them that the only way to free Oromia from the yoke of TPLF is through brute force – and only through decisively defeating the group – and not through political dialogue. I apologize to my compatriots who had lost their lives and for all the terrible occasions in which so many innocents were murdered – and for which I feel ashamed and am full of sorrow. I apologize for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarrassment I have caused. I am deeply sorry that I have not lived up to what has been expected of me. I will try once again outside of politics to serve the common good for my people.’
Experts in apology say that a truly effective political apology succeeds on two levels: ethically, by admitting moral wrongdoing and expressing regret, and socially, by making amends with the offended party. Had Leenco done this following his expulsion from Oromia last month, his legacy would have been written a lot differently from the history of destruction he had caused in the past – and the bloody devastation he continues to unfold in coming months and years. Unfortunately, half a century later, Leenco seems to have drawn little lessons from his failures of all these years, and has declared to us that he will continue the course irrespective of the looming destruction. And so, the civil war among Oromo continues, thanks to Yohannes Lata and his compatriot Yohannes Noggo.
Since 1992, Leenco has been engaged in a systematic knock-down-and-drag-out of the Oromo national struggle and in the culmination of the OLF at the formation of his new ODF. Along the way, he has successfully divided the OLF into four parts. Oromo nationalists can’t idly watch in silence anymore. We have the moral and ethical responsibility to fight back. We should be guided by the words and wisdom of Edmund Burke who said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Let me conclude with my favorite quotation relevant to the Oromo condition:
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.” Marcus Tullius Cicero (Ancient Roman Lawyer, Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman)
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