Letter to Oromia Regional Givernment and Ethiopian Television by Jimma Institutes of Higher Education

January 22, 2002

To Ethiopian Television

Finfinne

We, students at Jimma institutes of higher education meaning, i.e. Jimma University College of Agriculture and Jimma Teacher Training College together request you to, on our behalf, pass our following demands to the Oromia Regional Government and respectfully ask you to also let our people know the government's response.

1. As the Jimma Teacher Training College is an Oromia regional college, we have today (14/5/94) asked our college to construct in its compound a statue symbolizing our people's history, culture, religion, and economic and political system. This statue could be set-up either to Abba Jifar representing our heroic forebears or in honour of the first Abba Gada, Gadayyo Galgalo, to personify our people's democratic heritage. We therefore request you to pass our demand to Oromia Bureau of Culture and Information (OBCI) and also to let our society know of our demand by airing it.
   
   
2. We are glad to know that the Oromo Language programmes at Jimma and Hara Maya Universities have been raised from the diploma to the degree level. However, Jimma University Senate at its meeting of 21/5/94 has announced its inability to open the Oromo Language Center by citing such lame excuses as lack of budget, reference material, and appropriate staff.  Meanwhile, members of other nationalities living in Oromia are provided funds by the Oromia Regional Government (ORG) to study their respective languages. And Amharic has been and is being taught not only in Region 3 (Amhara Region) but also throughout the country's Universities. There is also now a talk about raising Tigrinya to the University level in Tigray Region. And we studied English for twelve years as an international language as indeed we continue to do even now.  Hence, we wonder why the Oromo language programme is facing such a peculiar problem. We thus demand the Regional Government to study this problem in depth and to promptly arrive at a solution.  In addition, we demand the OBCI and ORG to set-up the ongoing effort and to work toward the opening of an Oromo Language Programme also at Finfinne (Addis Ababa) University by facilitating the participation of experts and scholars living both at home and abroad. And we are ready to cooperate with OBCI by contributing collections of proverbs, folklore, songs, children's stories, etc. so as to establish and develop the Language Center.
   
   
3. We demand the Oromia Regional Government to ask the Federal Government to support those who wish to open private schools teaching in the Oromo Language in Finfinne with the full support of the regional government.
   
   
4. As is well known, there was a time when many private Newspapers were publishing in the Oromo Language. Since these ewspapers are not in existence any more, we demand ORG to ask the Federal Government to give permission to those wishing to start private Oromo Language newspapers. In addition, we demand that those wishing to publish books in the Oromo Language be supported so that the writings of Oromo scholars are made easily available.
   
   
5. We ask the Oromia Bureau of Culture and Information to collect from all Oromo localities artefacts representing our people's heroism, religion, economic life, culture and history and to assemble them in a Central Oromia Museum which will serve the purposes of research and teaching. Furthermore, we ask the return of all those items presently displayed in the Federal Museum. Likewise, the Bureau should search all those items taken to other countries and to have them returned.
   
   
6. It is obvious that Oromo artists play a central role in the development of Oromo culture, history and language.  However, in recent years the fate of Oromo artists has been facing death, imprisonment, exile and generally lacking personal security. We therefore demand the Oromia Regional Government to guarantee the safety of Oromo artists and to give them the necessary permission and support that will allow them to carry on their profession.
   
   
7. The Government, as is well known, has now promised to participate in the fight against international terrorism along with other allied governments. Meanwhile, we hear reports of terrorist groups instigating baseless conflict between our people and members of other nationalities living in Oromia as well as terrorizing our people and robbing and destroying their property. For example, such groups as the "Galla Gadayi" (Oromo Killers) are proliferating in the Western Wallagga towns of Gimbii, Najjo, and Mandii; in the Western Shawa town of Geedo; and in the Western Harargee town of Ciro as well as in Finfinne. We demand the Oromia Regional Government to investigate the establishment of these groups and to take necessary steps to bring their members to justice and restore peace and stability between our people and other nationalities.
   
   
8. There is another matter related to the issue raised in the above point number 7. People from other regions have been and are being settled in Oromo territory since 1991. According to reports, these settlers are terrorizing the Oromo people and are ruining their properties while also cutting down forests. For example, the Regional Government of Region 3 (Amhara Region) has decided to settle approximately 80,000 settlers in Gidda Kiiramu by displacing the Oromo people already living there. These settlers are now terrorizing the locality's Oromo inhabitants. We therefore demand the Oromia Regional Government to be aware of this difficulty and to take necessary measures.
   
   
9. In relation to the matter raised in point number 8 above, in various localities Oromo peasants have been and are being displaced from their farms and homes and their land and other properties taken over by wealthy individuals. As the result of the destruction of their livelihood, peasants are running into exile to escape the fate of living under (a new) hidden form of slavery. We therefore demand the Oromia Regional Government to seek a solution to this problem and to restore displaced Oromos to their land and to assist them to regain their property.
   
   
10. Our peasants are presently facing grave difficulties due to the very low market price for their produce. Unable to pay the necessary expenses, peasants are now withdrawing their children from schools. And the government, disregarding the peasant's economic difficulties, is continuing to demand the payment of taxes and fertilizer credit. And peasants unable to pay are reportedly being imprisoned. We therefore demand that peasants be relieved from paying taxes and fertilizer credit, or at least for these payments to be reduced in line with the low grain price. And we also demand the release of those imprisoned, if there are any.
    
    
11. The Federal Government, under its Revolutionary Democratic programme, has adopted the policy of settling people from one region in another. We demand the Oromia Regional Government to deeply analyse this policy and to consult the views of Oromo experts, workers, students, merchants, and peasants. We also ask it to reject the implementation of any policy contrary to the views of these social sectors. We demand it to oppose resettling Oromos in other regions and the settlement of people from other regions in Oromia.
    
    
12. As the result of the recently publicized change of heart by the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO), Oromo-speaking persons from other nationalities can now become its members. This step is turning the OPDO into an organization embracing all the nationalities of the country. Strongly convinced that non-Oromos cannot represent and speak on behalf of our people, we ask the organization to seriously consider the implications of this policy change and to clarify its stand.
    
    
13. In relation to this, we ask the OPDO to re-establish its former separate army that was encamped, disarmed and demobilized. Furthermore, if the OPDO wishes to remain true to its aim of representing and speaking on behalf of the Oromo people, it should assert its autonomy by getting out from under the rule of the Wayyane.
    
    
14. The Irreechaa holiday, being an important Oromo holiday, should be legally recognized as an official holiday like all others that are now officially inscribed as such in the country's calendar.
    
    
15. It is well know that any people's right to self-determination upto and including secession has been recognized in article 39 of the Federal Constitution. Therefore, we demand of the Oromia Regional Government to present the issue of Oromo people's right to self-determination to the Oromia Assembly for deliberation and decision. And the people should deliberate on the holding of referendum to settle this matter.
    
    
16. The programme for the alleviation of poverty, misery, and suffering drawn up by the Oromia Regional Government is commendable.  Regardless, joblessness, vagrancy, exposure to disease, homelessness, and crime are on the rise mainly due to the new education policy. We therefore demand the Oromia Regional Government to take into consideration the situation of the students who could not gain admission to various training institutes due to their low grades. The Oromia Regional Government, the Oromia Bureau of Education and the Teacher Training Colleges of Jimma and Adama should cooperate in creating new branches in these colleges so that these students could be educated free of charge. The New Education policy, according to which Oromia's secondary education ends at grade ten, should be scrapped and the old system restored.
    
    
17. The Oromo Language should be adopted as the National Language since it is spoken by the majority. Furthermore, the time allocated for the Oromo Language Programme at Ethiopia Television and Radio is inadequate and should be increased.
    
    
18. Oromia Development Association should implement most of its development projects by involving Oromo University and College students during their vacations.
    
    
19. We firmly condemn those who are trying to carry out the aims and principles of the neftegnas of yesteryears by dividing our people according to religion, region, and political outlooks, and demand the close monitoring of their efforts by our Regional government.
    
    
20. We demand the immediate cessation of the war recently declared on our people on the pretext of fighting narrow-nationalism. In addition, we demand a stop to the practice of imprisoning, abducting, and killing our people and illegally seizing their property on the pretext of their alleged support of the OLF.
    
    
21. We demand that the army stationed in Oromia and the Southern Region immediately stop its practice of raping and humiliating our young women and mothers. And those suspected of committing such deeds should be charged and brought before civilian courts.
    
    
22. The Oromia Regional Government has respected the right of members of other nationalities living in Oromo to conduct education in their languages and has provided them with the requisite budget. However, our people's right to education in their language in other regions is not being respected. What steps has the Oromia Regional Government taken to correct this situation? If it has done nothing thus far we demand it to enforce our people's right to education in their language in other regions.
    
    
23. The Oromia Regional Government should immediately investigate the cases of political prisoners, being held in detention centers in various localities of Oromia and other regions for allegedly supporting the OLF or other political organizations or for merely raising the name of the Oromo nation and should have them promptly released.
    
    
24. The Oromia Regional Government should openly and freely criticize and oppose the absence of free political competition between the regime in power and other political parties as well as the EPRDF's practice of cheating (trading) in the name of democracy.
    
    
25. We have repeatedly asked the Oromia Regional Government's permission to establish an Oromo Students' Council (OSC) at the international level. Since none of our previous appeals have been responded to, we renew our demand for permission to establish OSC at the international level.
    
    
26. People have been fired from their jobs at governmental and semi-governmental organizations for political reasons and without due process. These, in addition to their families being dispersed and becoming a burden to society, are facing exposure to hunger, misery, disease, and lack of educational opportunity. Therefore, we demand the Oromia Regional Government to look into the cases of people improperly sacked from their jobs and should restore them to their posts with full back pay.

Finally, convinced that the demands presented to the Oromia Regional Government by the students of Jimma institutes of higher education constitute the burning questions of the time, we call upon workers, other students, traders, peasants, and members of our society living in foreign lands to support us in having them implemented.

c.c

Oromia Regional Government,
Oromo Language Program, Radio Ethiopia,
Oromo Language Program, Radio Fana,
Seifanebelbal Private Publication,
Daagim Private Publication,
Zareenew Private Publication