Yaa’ii Hoggantoota Oromoo Atlaantaa Ilaalchisee..

Gara:

Professor Ezqi’eal Gabissa

Kettering University

Jawaar Mohamed

Direktara OMN

Guyyaa:

Akeeka Xalayaa

Xalayaa tana gama keessaan akka barreessinu kan nu kakaase Yaa’ii Hoogganoota

Oromoo Atlanta Waggaa 1ffaa Mormii Oromiyaa sababeeffachuun godhamu yaaddoo

waan nutti dhagahame ibsachuufi. Yaa’ii kana qopheessuuf tattaaffiin isin gootaniif

bakka guddaa qabna. Yaada Yaa’iin Hoogannotaa saba keenyaaf mul’ata fuula duraa

maddisiisa jedhu nutis isin waliin qoodanna.

Yaadni kun kan hawwii guddaan guutamee fi Projektii sabaa bakka guddaa fi fagoo

dhaqqabu waan ta’eef jalqaba isaa qajeeluu qaba. Haa tahu malee gama keenyaan

akkaataa fi adeemsi yaa’iin kun itti karoofame yaaddoo nutti uumee jira.

Nuti kanneen xalayaa kana mallatteessine Yaa’iin guddaa kana karoorsuu fi akkaataa

itti gaggeeffamu irrattis mariin gahaan hin godhame yaaddoo jedhu qaba.

Akkaataan yaa’iin guddaan kun itti gaggeeffamu, namootaa fi yaada bal’aaf carraa

uumuu fi adeemsi Yaa’ii amanamaa tahuun qabsoo Oromoo keessatti bakka ol’aanaa

qabaata. Keeyyatoota itti aanan keessatti yaaddoo qabnuu fi yaaddoollee nutti

mul’ateef furmaata waan jennus akeekuu yaalla.

Yaaddoo Adeemsa Irratti Qabnu:

Yeroo waan sabaa hangana ulfaataa tahe irratti bobbaanu amanamummaan adeemsa

(akkaataa yaadni kun itti jalqabamee fi hojiitti hiikuuf yaalame) akkuma itti bahaa

bakka guddaa qabaachuu qaba. Adeemsi kun namoota hunda keessummeessuun,

mariin godhamuu fi qaamota dhimmi ilaalu (stake holders) hundi yaada bu’uraa

maddisiisuu fi karoorsuu keessatti yoo qooda fudhatan itti baani isaa bu’aa qabeessa

taha, adeemsi mariin hin taane, nama hunda hin hirmaachifnee fi itti gaafatama

(accountability) hin qabne gufatuu danda’a.

Akka nuti hubannutti qaamotni Oromoo dhimmi kun isaan ilaaluu fi hawaasni Oromoo

bal’aan yaada kana burqisiisuu fi karoorsu irratti qooda gahaa hin fudhanne. Haalli

barruun Yaada Rimee(Concept Note) itti qophaa’e qulqullinaa (transparency) fi sirna

dimokraataawaa tahe kan hordofee gaaffii jedhu nutti bulche.

Haala addaa tahe keessatti waan hedduu obsa nama fixachiisuu fi adeemsa

dimkraataawaa xaxaa tahe hordofuu dhiisuun furmaata ariifachiisaa argamsiisuuf

yaaluun waanuma nama kajeelchisu. Haa tahu malee murtii Siyaasaa olaanaa fuul-
duree ummata keenyaaf murteessaa tahe, akaakuu (content), safuu fi aadaa sirna

jaarmayaa ummata keenya taligu karaa qaxxaamuraan bira gahuun hin danda’amu.

Mariin fuul-duree ummata keenyaa irratti godhamu bakka ol’aanaa kan qabu waan

taheef akkaataan itti ilaalamus salphaa tahuu hin qabu. Haala biyyaa ariitiin jijjiiramaa

jira waliin of-jijjiiruuf fedhii jiru sirritti hubanna. Haa ta’u malee dokumentii qophaa’e

irratti kanneen dhimmi ilaalu akka yeroo gahaa argatanii qayyabatii fi sadarkaa gad-
aanu (grass root) irraa kaasee mariif yeroo gahaan akka jiraatu mirkaneessuu qabna.

Ariitiin waan maddisiisuuf jecha adeemsa fi tartiiba hojiin kun gaafatu hordofuu

dhabuun adeemsa kana fudhatama dhabsiisa, fedhii (dantaa) ummata keenya hundaa

gaaga’uu danda’a.

Projaktiin (Yaa’ii Hooggannota oromoo) osoo hin jalqabamin kan namni harkatti wal-
qabu ykn irratti wal-dura dhaabbatu yoo ta’e, bu’aa isaa irra gaaga’ama inni

dhaqqabsiisutu heddummaata. Haalli kun tokkummaa fi gurmaa’umsa ummata

keenyaa gaaga’a; amanta ummatni adeemsa irratti qabu sharafa, hoogganoota isaa akka

hin abdanne taasisa.

Akka hubannetti qaamni Oromoo biraa Gumii Hawaasota Oromoo utubuuf tattaaffii

irra jira. Rakkoo tokkoof furmaata barbaaduuf yeroma tokkotti Yaa’ii lama

gaggeessuun qabsoo amma gadhamaa jirtuu fi Itoophiyaa kufatii ADWUI booda

argamtu hoogganuuf dandeettii ummatni Oromoo qabu irratti mallattoo (signal) hin

taane firootaa fi diinota keenyattis erga. Haalli akkanaa adeemsaa fi itti bah’iinsa

hawamus gaaga’a. Warra Gumii qopheessaa jiran waliin wal-hubannoo uumuuf waan

danda’amu hunda gootan jedhanii amanuun nama rakkisa.

Yaaddoo Qabiyyee Irratti Qabnu:

Qabiyyee barruu Yaada Rimee (Concept Note) keessaa jiru ilaalchisee Oromoo keessa

yaadni bal’aan (adda addaa) akka jiru hubannoo keessa galchuun barbaachisaa dha.

Yaadni bal’aan hawaasa keenya keessatti mul’atu bakka bu’oota qaamota ummata

keenya keessaa dhufaniin murteeffamuu qaba jennee amanna. Jechootni Dokumantii

keessatti calaqqisanis hariiroo ummatoota adda addaa waliin qabnuu fi hafuura waliif

tumsuu ummatattota gidduu jiru kan booressu tahuu hin qabu. Irra jireessi ummata

Itoophiyaa fi alagootni Itoophiyaa deeggaran waan Oromoon hojjatu dhiheenyaan

hordofu. Kanaaf yeroo hunda namoota nu dhageeffatan ilaalcha keessa galfachuu fi

waan nuti hojjannu irraa wal-hubannota dhabuu uumamuu malus tilmaamuun

barbaachisaa dha. Chartara fuul-duree keenya irratti bakka guddaa qabaatu kana

bal’inaa fi bilchinaan ilaaluuf torbaan afur gahaa miti yaaddoo jedhu qabna.

Sababoota olitti tuqaman irratti hundaa’uudhaan Projaktiin kun karaa hundaanuu

qajeelaa fi fudhatama qaba jennee bira dhaabbachuun nu dhiba.

Yaada Furmaataa

Yaa’iin Atlaantaa keessa deebi’uun itti yaaduu fi karoorsuuf sababa guddaatu jira.

Jalqaba yaadni bal’aan Yaada Rime (Concept Note) irratti kaahame irraa akka

hubannetti fi itti bahiinsi tilmaamame walgahii tokko irratti waan dhumatuu miti.

Kanaaf Yaa’iin lama akka tahu akka yaada furmaataatti dhiheessina. Innis Yaa’ii

Atlaantaa (Atlanta Convention) fi Yaa’ii Oromoo Guddaa (The Grand Oromoo

Convention) taha.

a. Yaa’ii Atlantaa: akkuma yaadametti tahee garuu waan ariifachiisaa tahan qofaa fi

Yaa’ii Guddaa (Grnada Oromoo Convention) aanjessuu irratti kan xiyyaafatu

taha.

• Humnaa fi Qabeenya Oromo Mataa Walitti Qabuu, Gargaarsa

Namoomaa fi Yaadanno. Yeroo ammaa kana rakkoon gargaarsa

namoomaa fi fayyaa (medical needs) hedduu barbaachisaa tahee mul’ata.

Yaa’iin Atlaantaa Hamilee guddaa ummatni keenya agarsiisaa jiru kana

rakkina afachiisaa yeroo hin kennineef furmaata barbaaduu fi haala biyya

keessatti ariitiin jijjiiramu waliin deemu akka danda’amuuf of qopheessuu

irratti akka xiyyaafatu gochuun barbaachisaa dha. Yaa’iin waggaa

tokkoffaa Fincila dhaloota (generation) keessatti al tokko qofa tahu sababa

godhachuun gaggeeffamu wareegama ummatni keenya baase kabajuu fi

yaadachuu irratti xiyyeeffachuun mala. Xiyyeeffannoon qabeenya

(resources) maddisiisuu fi gargaarsa namoomaa ummata keenya

dhaqqabsiisuu irratti taasisfamu, qabeenya barbaachisu walitti fiduu fi

ummanti Oromoo biyya alaa jiru ummata biyya keessatti yeroo ammaa

rakkoo addaa keessa jiru akka dhaqqaban karaa bana.

• Tokkummaa Dhugaa Jaarmayota Oromoo Giddutti argamsiisuu.

Hafuura nagayaa fi tokkummaa jaarmayota Oromoo giddutti

argamsiisuun akkaan barbaachisa. Haala akkanaa uumuun hamilee

ummata keenya biyya keessa jiruu akka malee ol kaasa. Dubbiin kun

haala xiyyeeffanna guddaa barbaaduu fi hatattamaa akka tahetti

ilaalamuu qaba jennee amanna. Yaa’iin Atlaantaatti godhamu

Jaarmayoota Oromoo irratti dhiibbaa guddaa gochuuf waltajjii gaarii taha.

• Akeeka, Guyyaa fi bakka Yaa’ii Oromoo Guddaa (The Grand Oromo

Convention) Murteessuu: Harka duubatiin hojii hedduu hojjatuu fi marii

hedduu gaggeessuu feesisa. Yaadota dhihaatan irra deebi’anii

wayyeessuu fi ummata gahanii bal’inaan akkasumas bifa xaliilomina

gahaa qabuun bu’ootatiin ummataa akka irratti mari’atu taasifamuu qaba.

Yaadni kun akka milkaa’u Yaa’iin Atlaantaa Koree Yaa’ii Oromoo

Guddichaa taligu fi qabxiilee irratti xiyyeeffannoon barbaachisu

maddisiisuu uuma. Yaa’iin Atlaantaa barbaachisummaa Gummii

Hawaasota Oromoo fi yaadotta adda addaa wal-dorgoman hunda

ilaala.Namoota Dokumantii barreessan akeeka, yeroo hojii isaaniis

murteessa. Akka yaada keenyaatti waan armaa olitti tuqaman goonee

argamuun ummata keenya fi firoota keenya irraa deeggarsa guddaa

argamsiisa. Walitti bu’iinsa yaadota hanqisee fi adeemsa keenya seera

qabeessaa fi dimokraatawaa akka tahu gargaara.

• Cunfatti Yaa’iin Atlaantatti tahu akka gaariitti yoo gaggeeffame qabsoo

Saba Oromoo fuula dura tarkaanfachiisuu irratti qooda guddaa qabaata:

Hoogganoota, Activistootaa fi hayyoota keenya gidduutti tokkummaa

argamsiisuuf karaa bana, akka ogummaan, dandeettii fi qabeenya walitti

kuufamuu fi bakka barbaachisu irra oolu karaa saaqa.

B. Yaa’ii Oromoo Guddicha (Grand Oromo Convention): Yaa’iin guddaan yaadota

bal’aa Yaada Rimee “Concept Note” jalatti tarrifamanii, keessattuu yaadota gurguddaa

lameen fi dirqama Yaa’ii Atlaantaa irra maddaniif furmaata barbaada. Kun ta’ee

argamuun nu fi qaamotni dubbiin ilaalu hundi hiree Dokumantii kana bal’inaan

qayyabachuu fi Itoophiyaa ADWUI booda dhalachuu maltuuf mul’ata fedhii hundaa

calqqisu akka maxxanfannu nu gargaara. Yaa’iin kun akka milkaa’u, irra deebinee

yaada burqisiisuu, adeemsa roga qabsiisuu fi Yaa’iin kun akka milkaa’u qooda keenya

gumaachuu akka dandeennu hireen yoo jiraate hedduu itti gammadna. Ammas irra

deebinee yaada Yaa’ii Hoogganoota Oromoo qopheessuu keessaniif galatooma jechuu

barbaadna. Yaaddoo nuti dhiheessinee fi yaadota akka furmaataa nuti lafa keenne

ilaalcha keessa galchuun qabxiilee Yaada Rimee “Concept Note” keessatti tuqaman

akkasumas caasaa fi ijaarsa Yaa’ii akka wayyeessitan abdii guddaa qabna. Adeemsi

qulqulluu fi dimokraatawaa tahe, wal-marii qaamota dubbiin ilaaltuu irratti hundaa’ee

yoo taasifame rakkoo hunda irra aanuu ni danda’ama amantii jedhu qabna.

Xumura.

Xalayaa kana akka laayyootti hin mallatteessine, haalli addaa ummatni keenya keessa

jirutu nu dirqe.

Mallatteessitoota

1. Awol Kassim Alo

2. Dr. Ayela Galan

3. Leta Bayissa

4. Geresu Tufa

5. Mohammed Ademo

6. Girma Kenea

7. Edao Dawano

8. Hallelujah Lulie

9. Fatuma Badhasso

10. Dhaqqabaa Hawaas

11. Hashim Adam

 

 

Professor Ezekeil Gebissa

Kettering University

Mr. Jawar Mohammed

Executive Director of OMN

15 October 2016

Statement of purpose

We write to express our concern about your recent announcement regarding the

“Oromo Leadership Summit” due to take place in Atlanta, Georgia on the

occasion of the First Anniversary of the Oromo Protests. We appreciate and

value your endeavors to convene this Summit. We share your view that this

Summit will set out a vision for the future of the Oromo nation.

This is an ambitious and far-reaching national project and we believe that we

need to ‘get it right’. In that regard, we are particularly concerned about the

procedural issues in planning to convene the Atlanta Convention. The signatories

to this letter have come to learn that enough consultation has not taken place in

initiating and planning to convene such a vital Summit.

The ways in which a Summit of this significance is convened, the integrity of its

process and its potential to be adequately representative are of critical

importance to the Oromo struggle and the future of Oromo people. In what

follows, we will set out our concerns in detail and suggest possible steps that can

be taken to address them.

Concerns about the process

When dealing with a vital national agenda such as this, the integrity of the

process matters as much as the outcome. A representative, consultative, and

inclusive process that allows key stakeholders to participate in defining and

developing the agenda can bolster the outcome whereas a process that is not

adequately consultative, representative, and accountable would certainly

undermine it.

To our knowledge, many stakeholders and the wider Oromo Community around

the world have not been consulted as stakeholders in the planning of this

enormous national undertaking. This raises questions regarding the extent to

which the process followed in preparing the ‘concept note’ is democratic and

transparent. We believe a democratic and transparent approach is befitting of a

major national project.

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We are in highly unusual and uncharted terrains and we understand the

temptations for expediency and to dispense with what would surely be a

painfully frustrating and complex democratic exercise. However, there cannot be

a short-cut when it comes to major political decisions that will influence, even

determine, the form and content of norms, institutions and values that will

govern our future.

This is an enormous undertaking. It needs to be treated with the seriousness it

deserves. We recognize the desire to keep up with fast-changing events on the

ground. But we must ensure that at least key stakeholders have enough time to

weigh in on the proposed documents and that there are sufficient consultations

at the grassroots level. Expediency at the expense of procedural integrity will

undercut the legitimacy of the project; when it seems foreseeably effective, it

carries the germs of new, perhaps even more ominous threats to the collective

interests of our people.

We are concerned that a project that is so contested at this early stage in the

process will likely do more harm than good. We are worried that it will cause

tremendous damage to the unity and cohesion of our communities and will

further erode public trust and confidence in its leaders.

We also note with great concern that another group of Oromos are already

planning to organize their own independent summit. Staging two competing

summits to consider, discuss and settle the same problem sends the wrong signal

to our friends and foes about the Oromo people’s ability to lead the current

struggle and the post-EPRDF Ethiopia. Indeed, this will represent a mortal threat

to the process and the outcome. There are no reasonable grounds to believe that

you — as the sponsors of the Summit— have done all you can to exhaust every

available opportunity to reach an amicable settlement with the latter group.

Concerns about the substance of the document:

We recognize that there are diverse views within the Oromo people as far as the

substance of the document is concerned. We believe that this is an issue that

needs to be decided by a representative convention. However, we feel that some

of the language in the document should be reformulated to avoid alienating key

allies and endangering the uncommon expressions of solidarity with the various

nations and nationalities. It goes without saying that many Ethiopians and

Ethiopia’s foreign backers are looking closely at what Oromos do. It is important

that we are always mindful of our audience and anticipate the potential for

misunderstanding.

We are concerned that four weeks are not enough to craft potentially

consequential documents such as the charter envisaged in your release with the

seriousness and thoughtfulness it so deserves.

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For all the above reasons, we find the proposed project morally and politically

indefensible. We find it very difficult to get behind this project in its current

form.

Our suggestion for the way forward

There are compelling reasons to rethink and reframe the Georgia convention. To

begin with, the broad issues raised and outcomes listed in the ‘concept note’ are

unlikely to be addressed in just one gathering. For this reason, we propose two

separate conventions: The Georgia Convention and “the Grand Oromo

Convention.”

a) The Georgia convention: as planned but confined to the urgent needs of

the hour and the Grand Oromo Convention:

§ Resource mobilization, humanitarian response and commemoration.

There are pressing humanitarian and medical needs. Hence, it is

extremely important to anchor the motivation for the convention

on the necessity to tackle the challenges of NOW and on ways to

build capacity to keep pace with the fast changing events in

Oromia. It’s befitting of an event held on the first year anniversary

of a once in a generation protest movement to be devoted to

honoring the memories and sacrifices of our martyrs. A focus on

resource mobilization and humanitarian response will help identify

available resources — material and otherwise — and allow the

diaspora communities to reach out to our people at a time of their

greatest need.

§ Forge a genuine alliance among Oromo political organizations. Harmony

and unity among Oromo Political organizations is desperately

needed. It will provide a tremendous morale boost to the

movement in Oromia. We believe this matter should be treated

with a sense of urgency. The Georgia convention provides a great

opportunity to apply maximum pressure on all Oromo political

organizations.

§ Set the goals, date, venue and the agenda for a follow-up Grand Oromo

Convention. A great deal of background work and deliberation is

needed. Ideas need to be formulated, circulated, and thoroughly

discussed in a consultative, transparent, representative, and

accountable process. Toward this end, the Georgia convention will

elect steering committees responsible for overseeing the overall

delivery of the Grand Oromo Convention and set priorities and

sequence activities necessary to achieve the objective. It will

consider the need for the proposed Gumii Council and all other

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competing proposals. It will identify individuals who will draft the

necessary documents and set their terms of reference.

We believe this will ensure public ownership of the process and a

broad-based support both within the Oromo communities and our

allies. We believe this will help democratize the process, avoid the

risk of competing events, and confer legitimacy on the outcome.

• In summary, the Georgia Convention, if managed well, will have a

transformative impact on the struggle of the Oromo People. It will

create opportunities for Oromo leaders, academics and activists to

come together and set out guiding principles and an organizational

infrastructure through which resources – material, expertise,

financial, personnel, and etc. – are mobilized and channeled to

specific targets in a coordinated manner.

b) The Grand Oromo Convention: This will tackle the broader issues

outlined in the concept note, specifically the two foundational

documents envisaged in your “concept note” and other activities

mandated by the Georgia Convention.

This will allow us and other stakeholders an opportunity to weigh in

on these foundational documents and forge an all-inclusive Oromo

vision for post-EPRDF Ethiopia. We would appreciate the opportunity

to help rethink and reframe the approach and possible outcomes of

this convention.

Once again we would like to express our appreciation for your conception of this

timely “Oromo Leadership Convention” and your endeavor to organize the

event. We sincerely hope that you take our concerns and suggestions seriously

and make appropriate modifications to the contents of the Concept Note, as well

as the structure of the convention and the process of its organization. We believe

a democratic and transparent process based on consultations of stakeholders will

withstand the test of time.

Conclusion

We do not sign this letter lightly but we feel we are in an extraordinary situation.

Signatories:

1. Awol Kassim Allo

2. Dr. Ayala Gelan

3. Leta Bayissa

5

4. Geresu Tufa

5. Mohammed Ademo

6. Girma Kenea

7. Siinqee Waasho

8. Edao Dawano

9. Hallelujah Lulie

10. Fatuma Badhasso

11. Dhaqaba Hawas

12. Hashim Adem