(Mohamed Olad)
Jamar Mohamed et al constantly makes bizarre statements about the current political system and the enduring federal system in which all nations, nationalities and peoples coexist peacefully and are in journey to transform this country collectively. But he has got an outsized media attention for his dangerous, divisive and bigoted political rhetoric that has no substance and detached from reality.
A good example of his out of touch sensibilities about the current political environment is his declaration that Ethiopia will implode ‘of conflict, popular uprising and something that looks like the Syrian situation’ right after the death of the late premier, Meles Zenawi. Though he cannot be far from reality, it is not a surprise for people like him in the Diaspora opposition activists. He was consciously wishing for the Ethiopian people to live in misery just like that of the Syrians. To be honest, I don’t any darker place one can go from there.
Even though he constantly brags about his Ivy League education, it seems that he didn’t pick up the sensibilities that a modern, civilized society believes in terms dialogue and dignity for human life. However, advanced education can never give you a conscience if you have some other heinous agenda rather than genuine political activism.
During this overexposure to media and political activism he has shown a form of ethnic-centric nationalism that went awry with some creepy religious twist. He became a media mania to fuel his ambition for power and sees the millions of Oromo youngsters as merely his weapons by mobilizing them in social media and other platforms. He has no problem in sacrificing these innocent youngsters for his political agenda.
This fella uses media outlets like the hate spewing Oromo Media Network (OMN) as a tool to advance his Machiavellian tactics. As revealed by all accounts of his writings, media appearances as well as public engagements, he is just a new voice for the obsolete agenda of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) that has been overwhelmingly rejected by the Oromo people. He espouses ideas that are in line with that of the OLF. He embraces ideas that have been long debunked the last of which was twenty five years ago.
Advocating for political and socioeconomic reforms that will help and uplift millions of Ethiopians regardless of ethnicity is one thing; fomenting chauvinistic and hatful propaganda against others is another. We have seen a microcosm of what he is championing in the recent deaths of countless young countrymen from clashes with security forces and the recent displacement of innocent people from their homes form ethnic violence in North West Amhara Regional state.
Jawar Mohammed is a hate spewing delusional megalomaniac that doesn’t care about Oromos. Don’t get fooled my friends! No one can sell a platform of ethnic dominance under the pretext of correcting historic grievances like that of the so-called OLF. In contrast, the current system ensures the diversity and autonomy for everyone’s culture, language and self-governance. Any different system is unacceptable to the different Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia.
More importantly, no other nation has benefited more from the current regime than the Oromo nation in terms of infrastructure, economic and social development. Just look at the sprawling urban centers in Oromia including Addis, or the mega projects like factories, universities, hospitals not to mention the enormous human capital as a result of the hundreds of thousands who are either enrolled or graduated from the higher education system or may be look at the sprawling civil service across the region busy on delivering basic social services right up to this minute.
With regards to me, I have nothing against the Oromo people. I have many Oromo friends that I love and respect. I also support any legitimate reforms that will not only help Oromo people but all people. But what people like Jawar Mohammed stands for is something different. He calls and wishes for more death and distraction in which nothing good can come off.
All he has to say is just cry fool and say Oromo is the largest ethnic group, the largest state and so forth. He has no substance beyond that ethnic politics. But the question I will like to ask him and everybody who stands with him is how do you define minority and majority? Do you just take the nominal ethnic numbers? Do you just advocate that someone of ethnic Oromo should rule just because they are the majority ethnic group?
Unfortunately, if somebody thinks that only someone from a certain ethnic group is entitled to rule, they really need democracy 101! You rule by bringing on the table a political program that will appeal to the majority of the people as a nation no matter what ethnic group they are. Just make sure you have a flawless political agenda that builds big enough tent to be a majority.
Stanford educated Jawar of all people should know that. These kinds of arguments just sound chauvinistic and racist. It is like saying President Obama should not be a president because he is black and whites should rule because they are the majority. It is the majority view that should rule in a democracy, not the identity.
For that matter, whether we like it or not, EPRDF has got a political program that appealed enough Oromo, Amhara, Somali and so forth to claim majority opinion.
To set the record, the public discourse has got so poisoned that you cannot pass an opinion without being casted an agent of the state or called names. So, for those of you, I am self-sustaining entrepreneur in the based in the United States and it will be better if we just try to focus on the merits of the argument rather than making it personal.
It is also hardly surprising that people who see Jawar Mohammed as a savior have no much to offer rather than mudslinging, insult and racial hatred. After all he is the guy who viciously insulted the Ethiopian Somali Regional State President Abdi Mohamud Omar for his showing of solidarity with the people displaced in the latest ethnic violence in North Western Amhara State with the donation of ten million Br.
But, what I am trying here is to talk to and reason with the patriot Ethiopian who is trying to make sense of things amid all the craziness going around at this crucial juncture as its incumbent on all of us to be vigilant of any force that will result in regression and lead us to dark places.
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Editor’s Note; Mohamed Olad is the Managing Editor of Jigjigaherald.com. He is a Commentator and Writer whose works have appeared on different media publications. He was a former Faculty Fellow at Jig-Jiga University. Now he as an entrepreneur based in the United States. He can be reached at mohamedolad88@gmail.com
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