Please read what I have to say before replying!

Article 39 of the Ethiopian constitution says that every nation, nationality or people in Ethiopia shall have the unrestricted right to self determination up to secession. But when some Oromos or some Ogadenians ask for self determination even TPLF, that actually wrote the constitution, is absolutely against it and see the people, who demand their constitutional rights, as the #1 enemies of the state. There is no single legal opposition party that dare to ask for self determination, because otherwise it could be labeled as OLF or ONLF and targeted as such.

I fully support Article 39 because I believe that nations should only be in a country, where they can identify themselves with. If people don't feel as Ethiopian in anyway, they should have the opportunity to become independent. It has no meaning to simply force identity on people.

But in the case of Ethiopia we have a dilemma here, in my view, because Ethiopia is absolutely dependent on some states and regions. It is for example a known fact that Ethiopia as a state can not survive, if Oromia is to become independent. Whether it is the economy, infrastructure including import/export, or political center, Ethiopia is absolutely dependent on Oromia. So if article 39 is applied in the case of Oromia, it is equal to the destruction of the Ethiopian state, which in tern is against the constitution. Do you see the dilemma. Applying what is allowed under the constitution can be a destruction of the state, which in tern is against the constitution.

To solve this dilemma, many believe the solution is just to abolish article 39 altogether. This can be a solution for a short period of time but the question of identity in a group may not be solved in the longer term. The best solution may be to help Ethiopia become independent of Oromia or any other single state. In that I mean enabling Ethiopia to have resources, economic and infrastructures alternatives. If there are alternative economic resources, alternative infrastructures for example for import/export, telecommunication etc, alternative political centers etc. It may be easy for Ethiopia to survive any session of a single region as it did after the session of Eritrea.

So, what do you think? Does making Ethiopia economically independent from Oromia and other single regions solve the dilemma we face with Article 39? Should Oromos, who want to see independent Oromia, help Ethiopia become independent from Oromia?

The historical problem is Oromos are not an indigenous people of Ethiopia to the land they occupy today. They are the most recent immigrant and settler of the country (1550 AD). A guest cannot claim the bed or the house because he/she slept on it for a while as stranger. Other ethnic true Ethiopians have been in the country way before the Oromos and they are entitled to the resources. But the Oromos are entitled to live and share the resources of the country since they have been in Ethiopia for the last five generations.

For the Somali, they are indigenous but the majority of the people who live in Ogaden today are Somalia natives and they should not be given any opportunity to claim the Ogaden regions until the Somalians are go back to Somali.

The separation of one big ethnic from the union is the separation of all ethnics. If it comes to separation and all ethnics want it then there should be an equitable distribution of the lands and infrastructures among all not based they occupy but based historical and some of the areas heavily invested all the resources of the country such as Addis Ababa. Any ethnic or ethnics who claims Addis Ababa, has/have to give up an equivalent market value of lands from their natural possessions. If Oromo and Amhara to divide Addis Ababa city, then both ethnics should compensating other ethnics from the lands they occupy today since every drop of Ethiopian wealth was poured in to Addis Ababa.

The bottom line determinant factors should be historical, equitable fairness and many others factors specially the minority ethnics live close to the major ethnics should be paid attention to them.

If there is not fairness for the distribution of the lands and resources among all ethnics, then the Oromo will be treated the way they had treated to the native of Ethiopians when they crossed Moyale as herds men, that is the winners of ethnics will grab more lands from the weak ethnics. Oromo could loss a lot and driven back to a concentrated region than occupying almost half of the country most fertile land and other resources. The coffee plantation was expanded during Derg and EPRDF by all Ethiopian wealth and every ethnic Ethiopia is entitled to share that wealth. The Ogaden minerals are protected by Ethiopians for so long and everyone is entitled what every minerals there is in the ground today. Ogaden was an empty land but Somalia native moving in and became populated in recent years specially after EPRDF took over the country.

Please read what I have to say before replying!

Article 39 of the Ethiopian constitution says that every nation, nationality or people in Ethiopia shall have the unrestricted right to self determination up to secession. But when some Oromos or some Ogadenians ask for self determination even TPLF, that actually wrote the constitution, is absolutely against it and see the people, who demand their constitutional rights, as the #1 enemies of the state. There is no single legal opposition party that dare to ask for self determination, because otherwise it could be labeled as OLF or ONLF and targeted as such.

I fully support Article 39 because I believe that nations should only be in a country, where they can identify themselves with. If people don't feel as Ethiopian in anyway, they should have the opportunity to become independent. It has no meaning to simply force identity on people.

But in the case of Ethiopia we have a dilemma here, in my view, because Ethiopia is absolutely dependent on some states and regions. It is for example a known fact that Ethiopia as a state can not survive, if Oromia is to become independent. Whether it is the economy, infrastructure including import/export, or political center, Ethiopia is absolutely dependent on Oromia. So if article 39 is applied in the case of Oromia, it is equal to the destruction of the Ethiopian state, which in tern is against the constitution. Do you see the dilemma. Applying what is allowed under the constitution can be a destruction of the state, which in tern is against the constitution.

To solve this dilemma, many believe the solution is just to abolish article 39 altogether. This can be a solution for a short period of time but the question of identity in a group may not be solved in the longer term. The best solution may be to help Ethiopia become independent of Oromia or any other single state. In that I mean enabling Ethiopia to have resources, economic and infrastructures alternatives. If there are alternative economic resources, alternative infrastructures for example for import/export, telecommunication etc, alternative political centers etc. It may be easy for Ethiopia to survive any session of a single region as it did after the session of Eritrea.

So, what do you think? Does making Ethiopia economically independent from Oromia and other single regions solve the dilemma we face with Article 39? Should Oromos, who want to see independent Oromia, help Ethiopia become independent from Oromia?

FH,
We have to focus on how to get rid of Ashebir first. We will abolish all articles return by Ashebir govt in the near future. Ethiopia belongs to all her children not only for the few elite. I do believe one man one vote philosophy. Majority vote win the election. If we apply this system in the near future after we get rid of Ashebir , Every thing will be possible and we can live peacefully like brothers and sisters. Until then the struggle has to go on from every direction. Mic free

You don’t want to get rid of Ashebr to bring back QEYSHIBR and HODAMS the sole reason Tigrayans fought for 17 years and lost millions of life and their entire wealth and in the process their land became desert due to lack of land management for 20 years. Article 39 will be there and should be the law of the land and no one will immerse to the unknown ocean in hope that they will catch fish for lunch and eaten by the sharks.

You don’t want to get rid of Ashebr to bring back QEYSHIBR and HODAMS the sole reason Tigrayans fought for 17 years and lost millions of life and their entire wealth and in the process their land became desert due to land management for 20 years. Article 39 will be there and should be the law of the land and no one will immerse to the unknown ocean in hope that they will catch fish for lunch and eaten by the sharks.

Racist A*ga*me count your days.

Fikre hizb, I probably shouldn´t talk about this because it´s an ethiopian matter but to just remind U: article 39 was specifically written to fit the "abay tgray" agenda of the wey-anus and nothing else. If Eritrea had been defeated in 98-00 war, that article would´ve been already in effect today and ethiopias´ fate would´ve been as U described.

Obama Jr,
You sound like a man, Fanndia, why do I have to count my day, you to eat Tere Siga???

Obama Jr,
You sound like a man, Fanndia, why do I have to count my day, you to eat Tere Siga???

HM- I prefer to eat Tire Siga rather than eating Beles. Chigarram banda.

FH,
We have to focus on how to get rid of Ashebir first. We will abolish all articles return by Ashebir govt in the near future. Ethiopia belongs to all her children not only for the few elite. I do believe one man one vote philosophy. Majority vote win the election. If we apply this system in the near future after we get rid of Ashebir , Every thing will be possible and we can live peacefully like brothers and sisters. Until then the struggle has to go on from every direction. Mic free

Oj, I think you may overlooked the overwhelming ethic based parties and politics that is going on in our country and also in the diaspora. I my view, more than 90% of political parties and groups inside and outside Ethiopia are ethnic based and when we add the one in the government and also ONLF, OLF etc, it is clear not only are ethnic based parties the majority but also the strongest.

So, although I wish we can build a country based on pure citizenship and citizen's rights, where people's ethnic background should not matter as you are suggesting and also all national parties suggest, I really don't think we will going to be able to build such kind of nation. The very core democratic values that we strongly wish to see implemented in Ethiopia also urge us to accept people's rights to reject Ethiopian identity. I also don't think we will have the needed outright majority to undo ethnic federalism and also article 39. It will not going to happen through democratic means in my view. Ethiopia is simply very much different from the US. Ethnicity plays a major role as is displayed by the majority and strong political forces. So, your solution will not be a real solution in my view, though I wish it could be.

Fikre hizb, I probably shouldn´t talk about this because it´s an ethiopian matter but to just remind U: article 39 was specifically written to fit the "abay tgray" agenda of the wey-anus and nothing else. If Eritrea had been defeated in 98-00 war, that article would´ve been already in effect today and ethiopias´ fate would´ve been as U described.

Zmeselo, I really don't mind if Eritreans give their opinion about Ethiopian internal matters as long as it is done in a respectful way. I've no problem to agree to disagree with people, so your comment is welcomed.

Now come to the issue you raised. Let's assume for a moment what you are saying is correct and assume the Ethiopian army successfully occupied the red sea outlets in the last war and the so called abay tigray dream, at least in the territorial sense, came true. Do you really think that Tigray would have become independent by now? And if your answer is yes, then would the rest of the Ethiopian people be rather happier by now or not? Not because they lost Tigray but because they became free from TPLF's dictatorship. The question is, is abay tigray really bad for the rest of the Ethiopian people, if it is a means of becoming free from the yoke of TPLF?