Allelign Sisay
Dear Jawar.
You must answer the following questions to build confidence and trust with non-Oromo Ethiopians, particularly with the Amharas. No one knows your true motives except God and Jawar, but stating your position would help heal the longstanding tensions between the Amhara and Oromo elites. You said you learned from your prison experiences and gained maturity and wisdom with age. I want to believe you. Everyone learns from experience, but some learn faster and deeper than others. And I want to think you’re one of the quick learners. I encourage you to engage and succeed in the struggle. You rebranded yourself as a unifier with a calm, siege demeanor and an inclusive tone, Ethiopia. That’s comforting, compared to your youthful position, brandishing a machete and encouraging your supporters to slash the necks of Christians or Amharas in the Oromo region and oppose your political position.
Addressing the following questions could help your goal garner support among Amharas and contribute to creating a united Ethiopia that celebrates different cultures, much like America.
2)Are you still in favor of self-determination, including the option of secession, for the Oromo or other communities in present-day Ethiopia?
2)Do you believe Addis Ababa is an Oromia capital city or the capital city of Ethiopia? Do you propose changing its name to Finfinnee?
3)Do you still support ethnic federalism, or do you endorse individual rights-based federalism, similar to that of America?
4)I heard you state, “I believe in democracy.” What type of democracy do you envision? Is it akin to American democracy, where any ethnic group who lives in Oromia (Amhara, Tigre, Gurage, and others) can vote and run for office (up to governor) based on merit as an Ethiopian?
5)Do you believe that Emperor Menelik constructed Ethiopia like the world leaders of his time, expanding through war and subjugation, such as Italy’s Giuseppe Garibaldi, France’s Napoleon Bonaparte, Germany’s Otto von Bismarck, Russia’s Ivan the Terrible, and even America’s George Washington, who displaced Native Americans? Or, compared to other world leaders, was Menelik exceptionally cruel? Do you consider Ethiopia’s state formation unparalleled in the world’s history?
Regarding your book, “Aletsetsetem.”
1)Why didn’t you feel remorse regarding the upside-down hanging at your initial gathering?
2)Why didn’t you mourn for texting the Qero after Abiy removed your security guards, which led to Qero killing hundreds in Arba Minch and Addis and causing significant property damage?
3)Why didn’t you repent when you said, “Ethiopia out of Oromia,” which incited mass eviction (mefenakel) and the killings of Amharas in Oromo regions?
4)What is your position about the Anole statue? Do you propose the Oromo people keep it and foster the hatred, or remove and heal the wound?
Unequivocal answers to these questions are paramount to gaining trust and success for your end goal. A Wish-washy response, or a diplomatic answer, in diplomacy parlance, is a disqualifier. Please don’t give them excuses for your doubters to level you based on your track history: a chameleon.
Remember the saying: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” President Reagan told the Russian leader at the nuclear disarmament meetings during the Cold War era, “Trust but verify.” Let’s trust Jawar but verify his honesty with his answers to the above questions.
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