Did Jawar Yank the Chain of the Adults? - by Mekuria
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when I thought that the elders among the coterie of prominent Oromo thinkers were prudent and level headed men.
However, when Dima Negewo lent his name to that little despicable affair of a few days ago where a group of 5 Oromo organizations convened to issue a 5-point መግለጫ so ill-advised and misguided, all bets were off!
It was unsettling to know that even the adults in these organizations, perfectly reasonable adults at that, had actually signed off on a largely disjointed missive that was not worth the paper it was written on.
It was unsettling to know that even the adults in these organizations, perfectly reasonable adults at that, had actually signed off on a largely disjointed missive that was not worth the paper it was written on.
I never thought that Dima Negewo and others of his caliber would publicly be associated with a disgracefully hateful communication so vindictive and reckless that the whole dog-and-pony show on that stage amounted to little more than a shameless display of a blatantly aggressive provocation designed to rattle a citizenry that dared to embrace Ethiopiawinet. I would have thought that Dima Negewo would have known better.
I do not claim to have known Dima Negewo well enough to know what floats his boat, but on countless occasions in the past, I had seen and heard him articulate his take on wide-ranging issues on—not on OMN, but on ESAT—and had come away thinking that he was a clear-headed person whose views were sensible and middle-of-the-road.
Never once had he given me reason to think that he harbored ill-will toward all things Ethiopian. Never once had he presented himself as the kind of person who was given to lobbing awfully bigoted attacks against other Ethiopians, whose thinking did not exactly align with his.
I do not claim to have known Dima Negewo well enough to know what floats his boat, but on countless occasions in the past, I had seen and heard him articulate his take on wide-ranging issues on—not on OMN, but on ESAT—and had come away thinking that he was a clear-headed person whose views were sensible and middle-of-the-road.
Never once had he given me reason to think that he harbored ill-will toward all things Ethiopian. Never once had he presented himself as the kind of person who was given to lobbing awfully bigoted attacks against other Ethiopians, whose thinking did not exactly align with his.
If, for instance, he always held the view that the Oromo had come under threat of extermination at the hands of a certain unnamed, sinister force, as asserted in the መግለጫ he sanctioned, it certainly did not come through in his discourse.
Even at a time when a readily identified cabal like the TPLF was systematically targeting and indiscriminately killing and maiming Oromo youth by the hundreds, Dima Negewo and his compatriots did not kick up a whole lot of dust about a “certain group conspiring to exterminate them.”
It also bears mentioning that Dima Negewo appeared on ESAT time and time again and was grateful for the opportunity he was accorded. He probably knew that his rise to prominence was, at least, partly attributable to the exposure he received on ESAT, the same establishment he has now taken to disparaging as anti-Oromo. If it were not for ESAT, Dima Negewo would have remained just another obscure name, a has-been in the Oromo struggle.
So, how was it possible that a well-respected, mainstream Oromo thinker like Dima could quite suddenly do an about-face and appear on the same stage with Bekele Gerba as the latter read out loud a witches’ brew of half-baked, divisive and overambitious communiqué fraught with conspiracy theories, untamed paranoia, desperation, unsubstantiated allegations, fiction, unbridled bravado and thinly veiled threats all wrapped into one lousy, God-awful speech?
It may only be a conjecture, but I am willing to go out on a limb to state that the answer is: Jawar Mohammed! Let’s look at the tell-tale signs:
One does not have to be a particularly astute observer to notice that the entire መግለጫ issued in the name of the 5 organizations badly reeked of Jawar— right from the outset all the way to its painful end.
Even at a time when a readily identified cabal like the TPLF was systematically targeting and indiscriminately killing and maiming Oromo youth by the hundreds, Dima Negewo and his compatriots did not kick up a whole lot of dust about a “certain group conspiring to exterminate them.”
It also bears mentioning that Dima Negewo appeared on ESAT time and time again and was grateful for the opportunity he was accorded. He probably knew that his rise to prominence was, at least, partly attributable to the exposure he received on ESAT, the same establishment he has now taken to disparaging as anti-Oromo. If it were not for ESAT, Dima Negewo would have remained just another obscure name, a has-been in the Oromo struggle.
So, how was it possible that a well-respected, mainstream Oromo thinker like Dima could quite suddenly do an about-face and appear on the same stage with Bekele Gerba as the latter read out loud a witches’ brew of half-baked, divisive and overambitious communiqué fraught with conspiracy theories, untamed paranoia, desperation, unsubstantiated allegations, fiction, unbridled bravado and thinly veiled threats all wrapped into one lousy, God-awful speech?
It may only be a conjecture, but I am willing to go out on a limb to state that the answer is: Jawar Mohammed! Let’s look at the tell-tale signs:
One does not have to be a particularly astute observer to notice that the entire መግለጫ issued in the name of the 5 organizations badly reeked of Jawar— right from the outset all the way to its painful end.
If you heard a single sentence in the መግለጫ, you heard it all, as it was more of the same throughout the entire sordid mess. Nothing new, nothing original, nothing true! Signature Jawar! It was little more than yet another reworking of the same tired and stale story-lines we have had the misfortune of hearing over and over again, ad nauseam! Signature Jawar!
It was a መግለጫ filled with an embarrassingly confused hodgepodge of silly assertions and miscalculations! Signature Jawar! Statement after statement in the መግለጫ was oozing bitterness with great abundance!
It was a መግለጫ filled with an embarrassingly confused hodgepodge of silly assertions and miscalculations! Signature Jawar! Statement after statement in the መግለጫ was oozing bitterness with great abundance!
Signature Jawar! It was a መግለጫ laced with a brazen exaggeration of one’s position in the scheme of things, unsupported self-congratulation, empty threats, caustic sentiments on Ethiopiawinet and noise! Noise, in place of measured, sober discourse! All Signature Jawar!
Yes, it could be argued that Jawar has neither the discipline nor the intellect to devise a nefarious scheme like this outlandish መግለጫ. It is indeed true that Jawar is a person who lacks conviction in his own beliefs and that his opinions /actions yo-yo up and down depending on the prevailing political wind.
Yes, it could be argued that Jawar has neither the discipline nor the intellect to devise a nefarious scheme like this outlandish መግለጫ. It is indeed true that Jawar is a person who lacks conviction in his own beliefs and that his opinions /actions yo-yo up and down depending on the prevailing political wind.
But, even for a person whose thoughts are marked by superficiality, Jawar cannot be dismissed as a lightweight entirely. He may not be the sharpest tool in the shed within the Oromo community as he is certainly not counted among the best and the brightest, but he has an uncanny ability to sell you a bill of goods, not unlike a used-car salesman.
Jawar is also the point of convergence—the nerve center—for an in-crowd of hyperventilating anti-Ethiopian, radical fringe elements whose raison d’etre is to sow discord in our society. And that fact alone makes Jawar a destructive force!
Jawar is also the point of convergence—the nerve center—for an in-crowd of hyperventilating anti-Ethiopian, radical fringe elements whose raison d’etre is to sow discord in our society. And that fact alone makes Jawar a destructive force!
A wrecking ball! It is, therefore, safe to assume that Jawar, as the point-man for an obscure group of extremists, had the backing, the hate and the in-your-face belligerence to dictate a መግለጫ that required not profound thought, but profound anger and cynicism. And that sort of thing would have come to Jawar naturally.
So, how did Jawar possibly manage to twist the arms of bigger and better men like Dima Negewo and get them to subscribe to this insane መግለጫ? The answer seems obvious. He would have had something to hold over their heads, which they might have perceived as an existential threat, real or imagined!
So, how did Jawar possibly manage to twist the arms of bigger and better men like Dima Negewo and get them to subscribe to this insane መግለጫ? The answer seems obvious. He would have had something to hold over their heads, which they might have perceived as an existential threat, real or imagined!
At the very least, Jawar has successfully sold the myth that he is the wheeler and dealer behind the youth movement known as Qerro and that the group is at his beck and call. Think about it, if Jawar had no compunction about pulling a number out of thin air and publicly put forward an unsubstantiated claim that 43 Oromo youngsters were killed, how difficult do you think he would find it to advance the notion that he is a force unto himself who can punish you if you don’t do his bidding? Consequently, as he has been known to do, he probably imposed his will on the old-timers like Dima Negewo by pointing out the risk of not dancing to his tune. Toe the line, or else!
It is, however, surprising to note that skillful politicians like Dima Negewo would have failed to read the current situation as it really is, namely that Jawar does not hold sway over the Qerro movement as he would like folks to believe. Qerro never was and still is not a monolithic force that is indivisible and uniform.
It is, however, surprising to note that skillful politicians like Dima Negewo would have failed to read the current situation as it really is, namely that Jawar does not hold sway over the Qerro movement as he would like folks to believe. Qerro never was and still is not a monolithic force that is indivisible and uniform.
Of course, perfectly in character, Jawar continues to insist that he and only he is the big Kahuna where the Qerro is concerned, to the extent that he would work up the nerve to declare to the world that there are two governments in Ethiopia.
You would be inclined to dismiss his pronouncement as just another absurd statement born out of a deeply engrained delusional thought process, if it were not a dangerous statement that gave away Jawar’s proclivity to go to any length in his unchecked adventurism.
If Jawar ever had any significant grip on the Qerro, it probably is fast diminishing now, as the ODP and a wide array of other players on the scene claim their share of the Qerro movement and new allegiances are formed.
If Jawar ever had any significant grip on the Qerro, it probably is fast diminishing now, as the ODP and a wide array of other players on the scene claim their share of the Qerro movement and new allegiances are formed.
Nevertheless, given his skill as a fast-talking con-artist, Jawar probably would have pulled the wool over the heads of generally rational men like Dima Negewo and hoodwinked them into acquiescing to the መግለጫ.
If my inference is correct in that the መግለጫ was indeed Jawar’s brainchild, I can’t help but feel sorry for Dima Negewo and others like him. I can only imagine how Dima Negewo must resent being forced into casting his lot with someone he probably thinks is getting a bit too big for his britches. (ጥብቆው፡ጠቦታል)
In closing, it would be remiss not to express gratitude to all who endorsed the መግለጫ for their magnanimity in allowing the residents of Addis Ababa to continue to live there! How noble of them!
If my inference is correct in that the መግለጫ was indeed Jawar’s brainchild, I can’t help but feel sorry for Dima Negewo and others like him. I can only imagine how Dima Negewo must resent being forced into casting his lot with someone he probably thinks is getting a bit too big for his britches. (ጥብቆው፡ጠቦታል)
In closing, it would be remiss not to express gratitude to all who endorsed the መግለጫ for their magnanimity in allowing the residents of Addis Ababa to continue to live there! How noble of them!
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